As this year swiftly comes to an end, there's no doubt that we are all deserving of an escape to a destination far away from the confinements of our homes. As I've been laying low since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I began to feel a severe case of cabin fever and yearned for a major dose of rest and rejuvenation.
Lazily laying poolside during the day leading to a night of dressing up in my evening's best for dinnertime soirees, a weekend in Palms Springs was the picture-perfect destination. Although I've vacationed in this desert hot spot several times before, I wanted this particular trip to be much different. I decided to wear clothing created and designed by Black women as I felt it was necessary to relish in Black excellence in every way possible. As I was honored to wear these Black-owned fashion brands during the entirety of my stay, I felt a sense of pride and confidence as each item was thoughtfully handcrafted and skillfully made for women, by women.
Here are 5 must-have black-owned fashion brands to purchase for your next poolside vacation.
Hanifa Collection
Shahirah Ahmed for xoNecole
Created for limitless women, The Hanifa Collection is complete with timeless pieces including eye-catching designs ranging in women's sizes 0-20. This boldly colored resort wrap skirt is absolutely essential for your next poolside vacation. With luxe hip-hugging ruched fabric, the wrapped design is ultra-flattering to a woman's natural shape, complementing all the right places. Worn as a swim cover-up or as a fully styled ready-to-wear ensemble, as I chose to do on this particular night, I felt sexy, classy, and confident in this summer-inspired nighttime ensemble.
Jesse Queen
Shahirah Ahmed for xoNecole
The Jesse Queen Collection offers stylish designs for tall women to dress because of their height, not in spite of it, with class and confidence. This super chic net tie-dye dress is all I've ever dreamt of in a swimwear cover-up and more. With a plunging back and perfect swirl of colors, I can attest to feeling sexy and poised when worn over my two-piece Riot Swim bikini.
Burgundy Bay
Shahirah Ahmed for xoNecole
Burgundy Bay is a collection of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories with a range of styles to fit the fashion-forward woman. This ruffle crop top was a great addition to this trip due to the cool and lightweight fabric ideal for the extremely warm weather. I paired this top with these chocolate-colored Riot Swim bikini bottoms along with my straw bucket hat and tortoiseshell sunnies for a bit of fashion flair while prancing around the pool.
Smash Shoes
Shahirah Ahmed for xoNecole
As a woman standing at 5'10'' and wearing size 12 shoes, footwear companies with a wide range of attractive styles in larger sizes are almost impossible to come by. Smash Shoes offers on-trend styles ranging in women's sizes 10-14, so of course, I had to bring these square toe mules along for the weekend's festivities. Super comfortable due to the elastic band hugging my foot in place along with its single-toe feature makes this blazing neon orange block heel a true gem.
Riot Swim
Shahirah Ahmed for xoNecole
Riot Swim is an ultra-luxe swimwear brand constructed with high-cut silhouettes complimenting a woman's natural shape no matter her size. With boldly pigmented and super soft fabric, this brand offers styles not only fitting for the pool but also doubling as pieces paired with everyday outfits. As I usually struggle with finding perfectly-fitting bathing suits, this is the best one-piece I have ever worn.
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Featured image by Shahirah Ahmed.
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xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images
