All posts in: H.E.R.

01 May 2021

Oscars 2021 Red Carpet

Zendaya in Valentino Haute Couture

Of all the award shows this season, the Oscars were the first to return to a live red carpet. Did we ever think that we’d get here? Just when I was starting to get used to and love the red carpet portraits, it seems like things are returning back to normal. It’s not fair to say that this year’s nominees were a bit lackluster given a pandemic year, but I think every organization did the best it could. Despite some hiccups, we still got outstanding looks. I found myself particularly favoring menswear more than ever!

Margot Robbie in Chanel Haute Couture

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15 Mar 2021

2021 Grammys Red Carpet

Harry Styles in Gucci

I can’t tell if I’m being too harsh on award shows during a pandemic, but did anyone else find the Grammys to be particularly boring this year? Also, why didn’t I laugh at anything Trevor Noah said? The highlight of this show was less than a handful of performance and three outfit changes by Harry Styles.

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08 Mar 2021

2021 Critics Choice Awards

Zendaya in Valentino Haute Couture

The awards show last night was a bit overshadowed by the Oprah interview with formal royals so unfortunately I didn’t get to watch any part of it. I will say, however, that this was the first look that I saw and the photograph that let me know these two events were happening the same night. I knew from the start that this was going to be my favorite look and sure enough as I prepared to write this post, it was the first look at the top of my source.

Typically, we’d be introduced to all of these looks via the red carpet, but I actually am loving this new format. It’s very cool to see these in portrait style and seeing how celebrities are highlighting their looks with different backdrops. This might be something I want to stay post-pandemic.

Vanessa Kirby in Saint Laurent

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14 Jan 2021

Tiny Desk (Home) Concert: Jazmine Sullivan

It actually wasn’t long ago that we shared Jazmine Sullivan’s song with H.E.R. as a recent “Song of the Day.” From start to finish, this Tiny Desk (home) concert was incredible. I’ve said this before, but music has really been one of those things that has been healing for me personally throughout this pandemic. Whether I’m working through the days, it brings a kind of warmth to my home that I never utilized before. That may be because mostly we rarely home before. Now, we’re finding better ways to fully use that space and sound is what I’ve been leaning into. Despite a raging pandemic, I’m glad that Tiny Desk Concerts have continued in this format.

27 Jan 2020

Our Favorite Grammy 2020 Performances

https://youtu.be/AqtooBbxuaw

It was difficult to watch the Grammy’s yesterday evening when there was a very obvious dark cloud over the event. The loss of Kobe Bryant was touched on a number of times during the show and to be honest, it’s still carrying over today and will continue for some time. In comparison to other Grammy Awards, yesterday’s was all about the performances and a handful of key awards. Not much was presented on stage aside from from presenting the performers. Here are just a few of my favorites.

https://youtu.be/RSINPAJocMk

YouTube won’t give me the videos of all the performances I want to highlight, but I can share three from these amazing ladies. For Demi, this was her first performance since she overdosed in 2018 and was hospitalized. Camila’s ‘First Man’ single is a dedication to her father and it’s impossible to watch this without having a wet face afterwards.

Other performances that make my list include:

26 Jan 2020

Grammy Awards 2020 Red Carpet

Lizzo wearing Atelier Versace

It’s bittersweet to be watching the red carpet this evening. With the news of Kobe and his daughter’s passing, it’s not surprising that celebrities want to get across the carpet without doing any interviews. Still, as everyone has been saying ‘the show must go on’ and while difficult, it’s turning out to be pretty great so far. Tonight, we’re highlighting look and tomorrow we’ll share our favorite performances including the tribute to Kobe.

Jameela Jamil in Georges Chakra Couture

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13 Feb 2019

2019 Grammy Performances

Interestingly enough this might have been the first year where I totally fan-girled out over these performances! I’m not sure if it was just because I’ve been listening to more mainstream artists this year or I was more invested in the nominees, but there were so many stand out ones. I clearly love it enough to want to share my favorites here with you all! Taking the cake is Dua Lipa and St. Vincent. While incredible on TV (and so steamy!) I’m told by a friend that actually attended the award show that it was bad live. Oh well!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UANAqFN_e7Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiKXGLqw-bU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIQuwD2umzQ
12 Feb 2019

2019 Grammy’s Red Carpet

Leon Bridges

Oh man, if I had to pick the most enjoyable award show to watch of the year, it would have to be this one. From start to finish, I loved so many of the performances. There were even some that surprised me! There were also many artists that won this year who were so deserving: Dua Lipa, H.E.R. and Kacey Musgraves to name a few. Every year the red carpet at The Grammy’s tends to be hit or miss and this year is no different. I have fewer favorites than I usually do, but it’s still important for us to showcase them.

Raquel Sofia

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26 Dec 2017

Favorites of 2017

For once, I’m feeling very on top of my end-of-the-year round up posts. Normally, you would see some of these after the new year, but I guess you can thank the Seattle snow for keeping us indoors these last few days and unlimited downtime. Of course, I’m not mad at it because during the rest of the year, we never get this time to sit down and just write.

Favorite Style Icon: Margot Robbie

Is anyone as excited as I am to see I, Tonya?! I still remember watching the teaser trailer like it was yesterday and while I don’t see movies in theaters often, I’m willing to break my rule for this one. Margot Robbie has been on my list of style icons to watch for some time, but it was this year that I started to notice that outfit after outfit, she was consistently nailing it. Whether it’s getting glammed up for the red carpet or dressing down, Margot’s accessories and beauty look are always a perfect match. With the upcoming award season, we can’t wait to see what she does next.

Runner Up: Gal Gadot

Favorite Getaway: Pescadero / Half Moon Bay

It may have only been a day trip for me, but it was definitely one of my most unforgettable memories from the year. After leaving my job and not having too much time in between to start my new one, it didn’t make sense to come back home or plan an extravagant getaway. The good thing about California though is that there are no shortage of destinations to venture out to even in one day. I picked what I thought to be very quaint and cute, but maybe not a huge tourist attraction, found a friend that was in the same boat as I was and we took off! It was a random weekday and so quiet out on the road, but exactly what we needed. It was so fun to just go to the beach and explore this land that no one was at. It was the most calm and serene that I had felt in the last few months and I knew after that day that we had made a good decision about the trip.

Runner Up: Disneyland

Favorite artist of the year: SZA

Wow, was this a tough decision to make. If I could have had two tied for first place, it would have been SZA and Khalid! But I had to make a choice and the reason why I picked SZA was because I felt her music was so much more relatable to what I was going through this year. 2017 was entirely a year for me and focused on me and listening to her in a weird way made me feel like I could do anything. I owned my mistakes, my flaws, made decisions on a whim, drove away from my comfort zone and never looked back. She’s amazing.

Runner Up: Khalid

Favorite Guilty Pleasure: Siesta Key

You know a show is special when you and your coworker make a whole Instagram Live dedicated to it. Siesta Key was the standout reality series of the year for me. The commercials and trailers penned it as your next generation Laguna Beach, but it is so much more than that. I could talk about this show for hours, but instead of doing that I will just say that the show returns to MTV on January 15th so you should use your time now to get caught up on season 1.

Runner Up: Riverdale

Favorite item purchased this year:

If I could have a wardrobe that only came from Aritzia, I would never be unhappy. I wasn’t expecting to find this dress when I stepped into the store that day. In fact, I was on the hunt for a Teddy Jacket over at Uniqlo and when I didn’t find it, I stopped into Aritzia for lightening round shopping fest. This dress was one of the first pieces that caught my eye and right away I knew I had to try it on. I didn’t even have an event to wear it to if I had bought it (luckily that came later!) but I knew I had to have it. It fit me in all of the right places and was so elegant and beautiful. The great thing about a classic LBD is that there is always going to be an occasion to wear it to. I look forward to keeping this in my closet forever ever.

Runner Up: Gap Denim Jacket

Favorite albums (in no particular order):

  1. Kehlani – SweetSexySavage
  2. Khalid – American Teen
  3. Dua Lipa – Self Titled
  4. SZA – Ctrl
  5. Calvin Harris – Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1
  6. Demi Lovato – Tell Me You Love Me
  7. ODESZA – A Moment Apart
  8. Kelela – Take Me Apart
  9. Shawn Mendes – Illuminate
  10. H.E.R. – Self Titled

Favorite Online Past Time: Twitter

When I hate you, but I actually love you. I hate that it was the political turmoil that brought me even closer to Twitter in the last year, but it’s completely true. It’s a large source for my news, but it’s also one of the platforms that can make me laugh consistently. Who knew 180 characters could do that for you… or … however, many characters they allow now? I wish I could say that I was refined and listened to podcasts on my commute, but no, I’m the girl in the backseat of my Uber and Lyft furiously scrolling through my feed to see how much I can get through before I’m dropped off at my local Starbucks.

Runner Up: HQ, Instagram, what else?