DO WORK YOU LOVE. TRAVEL. LOOK FAB.

8:30 p.m. Twilight in Washington DC. The breeze is blowing. Bob Marley sings in the background. Driving down Fourteenth Street, past the Washington Mall and Monument. And you can’t help but slow down and take in the scene, because it’s so serene and beautiful.

Back to my Jamaica in Pictures series tomorrow!

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I would be remiss to post anything today other than my tribute to Michael Jackson. Who can possibly deny that we’ve lost one of the greatest entertainers, artists and souls of our generation? I was in complete denial yesterday when the news started breaking out. Michael Jackson to me, growing up in the small country of Ivory Coast in West Africa, was one of my first introductions to America. Or my idea of what America was. It was Michael, Coca-Cola and the Dallas/Dynasty series! Aside from that, there was never one party, not one house function or reception in Africa (East or West), where you didn’t hear Michael playing and folks jumping to their feet.

Besides being a musical genius and the best dancer there ever was (next to James Brown), I always felt - especially in the later years - that Michael was, deep down, a kind gentle soul. I could just feel it in my gut, and he wanted to give and receive the kind of pure love that he never received as a child. The kind of pure love that is so not existent in this cruel, judgmental and cold world. He was a great humanitarian, and so many of the songs he wrote - like “We Are The World,” “Man In The Mirror - carry a strong message still so relevant today.  He spent his entire life entertaining us and we are better off for it. It’s truly the end of an era and a great loss for the whole world.

Thank you Michael, you made me dance, laugh, lifted my spirits every time I heard you…and always will! May you rest in peace, and finally find the rest, acceptance and pure love you so deserved. You made this world a much much better place and we can only dream to leave behind such a legacy and effect on the people in our lives.

And Thank God for all great artists and creative souls - music, art, photography, fashion - their work stays on forever and without them our lives would be so so bleak!

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I met this lady at the Sav-La-Mar market. She was quite something. We wanted to buy a couple of coconuts and she decided to show us the art of cracking one open. Before we knew it she swung her arm and hit the coconut super hard on the ground a couple of times. She was so fast and dramatic!

In Jamaica they say that coconut water washes out your heart of any impurities. Whether it’s coconut water or a walk in the park or just a few minutes of meditation - once in a while, we all need cleansing.

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To follow up on the flats versus heels debate, all I saw today when I went shopping at various stores in Maryland were…. fashion flats, flats and more flats. I almost thought I was in Europe, because all the shoe stores had about a 80-20 flats/heels ratio. Wow. There were more unusal label names than usual (as there are online) and most were in European sizes (imprint on the soles).

I needed a simple black thong leather sandal to replace the ones that were literally worn out by walking the roads for five months in Jamaica (developing countries sure can eat up your shoe collection!). And also because I’m headed overseas again soon and I need cute walking shoes. I found the ones above -second from left - cute enough (though I saw an exact replica in the cheaper stores like Bakers but, at this point I mostly need them for every day walking.

Then, I couldn’t resist when I saw these white ones by Report Shoes, which look quite snazzy on.  And it was the last pair left, in my size, at a ridiculous price (grin). I knew I didn’t want to go crazy overall on shoes, because pretty soon I’ll be spending a month in one of the most fashionable European cities in the world. Ooh la la! Stay tuned.

But in the meantime, I have a fun weekend of live concerts and barbeques ahead, from DC to Virginia - so I might just rock the flats and silently observe the reactions. This is becoming a fun experiment!

On a funny note - I received an email today from a friend who said that inspired by my piece, she went out and bought her first pair of flats yesterday. She just returned to the USA after spending almost two years sailing around the Carribbean (and folks think I’m adventurous). When she got home from shopping, her husband took a look and commented, “What’s the deal with your shoes? They look like galoshes.”  And her husband is Scandinavian! But, she said, she’ll still wear them with confidence!

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It’s true: there’s nothing like a good breakfast to get your day started right.

In Jamaica, it’s Ackee & Saltfish. Here, it is served with dumplings, roasted breadfruit, boiled green bananas, boiled yam and fried bread.

Ackee is the national fruit of Jamaica - once ripe (and only then), it is boiled and sauteed with dried saltfish, onions, tomatoes and hot spices. The final dish almost looks like scrambled eggs (see above, center). But it’s so much tastier!

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I finally admitted it to a friend yesterday: ever since my return home, I’m in a complete state of fashion confusion. During my five months in the Caribbean, I wore sundresses, tee shirt dresses, cute flats, flip flops, cotton or jersey halters with shorts or minis…and flashy, cute night time attire, island-style. I did wear my heels to the club whenever I went (some months I did not go and other months several times) but other than that, I was in constant casual-cute mode.

Suddenly, in May, I got thrust back into city-life, and city fashion. Everyone around me was rocking their pumps and their clean cut office outfits or weekend city looks. It took me a month to even wrap my head around the fact that I had to now wear “normal” clothes (whatever that is) and normal shoes. Then I had to wrap my head around moving my stuff out in no time  (my house rented so quickly, thank God). And now, well truly I am confused!! Every day, getting dressed has become a puzzling and philosophical-fashionista decision.

The first thing I noticed when I moved and was organizing my new closet space, is that I own mostly…high heels!  It did not strike me how much until I had to pack up and box every single pair. Oh yes it’s true, I do love my stilettos. Heck, all you have to do is read my blog title to know that. But over the last five months, I did not wear them as often (maybe once a week as opposed to seven days a week!). And now, I’m wondering what’s happened to me. Because all of a sudden…. I love flats (gasp)! I’ve been to Europe many times  in the past and each time, I bought flats by the dozen. They have such cute styles and so funky and affordable (in Spain especially). Well, I had bought them but never wore them. I would try them on, then take them off at the last minute, and resort back to my heels. Now I’m looking at these never-before-worn flats that were once stored away, some still with Euro price stickers on the soles, and the crazy thing is that…I’m absolutely loving them!

So last night when I admitted to my friend Daria that I am not a strictly-heels-only woman anymore…or that my fashion style was somewhat changing or evolving- we had a long exchange about what heels mean, and why is it that they are such a symbol of a girl’s fashionista factor? History?  Okay, true you can never replace the look of a pair of Louboutins or Zanotti’s… I have a few myself. But over the last five months and even in Amsterdam recently, I saw absolutely fabulous girls - not because they were pretty that I noticed them, but rather the assured way  in which they walked, the way they carried themselves and were styled - and yes they were wearing flats. It all seemed so effortless. So could it be that it’s all in the mind? Does wearing heels give you confidence, or is it just an accessory to up the fabulosity factor? Isn’t it possible to be fabulous in really cute dressy flats, European-style? As Daria put it, why is there such a fashionista-stigma attached to flats? Isn’t it a tad sexist to think that a woman can only look fabulous or sexy if she’s in heels… we stopped there before getting carried away, but what a concept!

Okay, I’ll never rock flats to the club nor to a cocktail party, nunca! But daytime, and even for happy hour occasionally, why not?

So while I never thought I’d learn a valuable fashion lesson while on sabbatical in Jamaica, I really did. I learned more than ever that the woman makes the outfit, first and foremost. If you don’t have confidence, your heels won’t give it to you. Conversely, if you truly shine inside and out, flats won’t steal your sunshine!

So I realized, I’ve made the transition career-wise but I’m now in transition fashion-wise. I was more of a sophisticated-clean-look gal, but now I’m a mix of that and urban chic, street chic and that effortless je-ne-sais-quoi. I don’t look like everyone else because I’m me, heels or no heels.

Today, while getting ready to take my wonderful dad out for a Father’s Day lunch, I wore a cute Free People sundress I have never worn yet bought a year ago, put my hair in a clean ponytail (another new switch) and finished my outfit with a pair of sparkly silver/white Indian ballerinas with silver ankle-chain straps, that I fell in love with in Spain three years ago yet never ever wore.  And I must say, I felt oh so fabulous!!! So no more stigma. To use Queen Ifrica’s lyrics, I’m a lioness on the (fashion) rise and it’s all about my inside.

So what do you think, do heels increase your fashionable factor? Can you (and do you) look as sexy in flats? Interestingly, I’ve noticed a lot of cute flat shoes in US stores lately, haven’t you? Would love to hear your experiences and who knows, maybe we can start a flats fashion revolution in America, European style.

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I love how colorful Jamaica is. The art is fresh, fun and creative. All the various mom and pop shops or bars have unique designs, most using the Rastafarian colors. A bit touristy at times but fun anyways. This place above, on West End Road in Negril, caught my eye because of the Obama portrait, to the side (hey, it may not look anything like him but at least he’s there!).

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It’s amazing that Bob figured it out years ago.  “Open your eyes, look within… are you satisfied with the life you’re living?” Today, so many are trying to find their passion, make a difference, re-examine their lives, or leave a legacy. So seeing this hanging at a restaurant called 23/7 my first weekend, was amazing. Also amazing was seeing all sorts of Ethiopian symbols in restaurants, streets, and all over Jamaica. It’s quite a feeling seeing your flag and history displayed everywhere in another country.

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When I was brainstorming names for my blog, I was dying to call it “Dancing Barefeet” and I pictured myself dancing barefoot in the sand… a symbol of liberation and a new life, a new direction. Letting go and letting the spirit guide me. Well, too bad that name was taken (I think, can’t recall the details). But I still was determined to capture a picture of my feet in the sand, to remember the feeling of being “free” to design my life in the way that made me the most happy.

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