Get a jump on your summer style with the Malachi Thong Sandal by KoshieO. The one of a kind malachi thong sandals add casual colorful glamour to your summer look.

VIDEO

GET TEXTUAL. GET THE LOOKS!

Faux fur, red gown, teal jacket, cream top, and rich linen pants by Studio Dmaxsi Designs

INDIVIDUAL: DC tee by the Black Collection

Nina Simone tee by Afrodelik Designs

Eyewear by Natasha Morgan NYC

Makeup by Starlett Monae

Photography by Jati Lindsay

On the rooftop of @BeaconHotelWDC, @Dmaxsi, @INKCosmetics, @JatiPhoto, and I match our creative ideas to scenes from the classic film, Carmen Jones (1954)..

Watch the trailer. See still photos from the film.

Sargeant: ?Who?s responsible for this??

Carmen: ?Me!?

In this scene, Carmen makes a little trouble and ends up exactly where she wants to be.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpH7_A-us-s&feature=related (03:30)

?I?ll tell you why I wanna dance. It ain?t the sweetness in the music. I like the sweetness in the music, but that ain?t why I wanna dance?Beat me that rhythm on a drum.? Quite easily, this is my favorite scene from the movie. Great choreography, amazing dresses, and beautiful music make this moment a must-see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PQi1FcY9DQ&feature=related (09:35)

?You go for me, and I?m taboo. But if you?re hard to get I go for you. And if I do, then you are through boy. My baby, that?s the end of you. So take your cue, boy. Don?t say I didn?t tell you true.? I?ve been known to cast a spell or two just like this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJ1f6tVliME (06:32)

?If you wanna start a fire where a fire was before, the coal you burn must be new coal?Our flame is out. Cold as the snow.? In an act of sheer defiance, Carmen dies for what she most treasures; her freedom. Is she strong here or just heartless?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLGSLXmAQMk&feature=related (02:27)

Friends.

Get familiar with Studio D?Maxsi Designs and INK Cosmetics. They will turn your stylish world upside down. I am happy to feature them in my Winter 2012 Look Book. On the rooftop of the Beacon Hotel in Washington, DC, photographer Jati Lindsay captured their work as only he can. In this series of photos, my talented friends and I juxtapose our creative ideas with scenes from the film that ignited my appreciation of fashion, a classic called Carmen Jones (1954).

Onward n? upward!

- CM

PHOTO CREDITS:

EYEWEAR: NATASHA MORGAN NYC
MODEL: Carolyn Malachi
PHOTOGRAPHY: Jati Lindsay
MUA/STYLIST: Anna Castillo for INK Cosmetics
HAIR: N?Style Hair Grooming
LOCATION: Beacon Hotel
WARDROBE: Studio D?Maxsi

Just before graduating from high school, an old film named Carmen Jones (1954) ignited my appreciation of fashion. Juxtaposing the work of Studio D?Maxsi Designs and INK Cosmetics with scenes from the film, I reveal my shift from varsity basketball jerseys to haute couture. Photographer Jati Lindsay helps to tell the tale from the penthouse of the Beacon Hotel in Washington, DC.