The Urbane Urbanite

For the past five months, Paul Shaw, an internal consultant for a government agency in the nation's capital, has called a cozy row house home. Situated in Trinidad, a gentrified section of Northeastern Washington, DC, is his completely renovated two bedroom, two bathroom abode where African masks, chocolate browns and vibrant artwork pepper a sun-drenched open layout. Shaw, a native of St. Louis, MO and frequent entertainer, took me on a tour of his welcoming 1400 square foot digs, which includes a Club Monaco inspired friendship wall, a skylit bathroom - and an upscale kitchen that serves as the soul of the home.

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I drooled the entire time I thumbed through Esquire's spring/summer 2011 Big Black Book. There are so many spring/summer must-haves that I simply...must have! Wing Tip Shoes Linen Jackets Canvas Bags Tortoise Shell Shades Colored Chinos *Hides Debit Card* *Sigh* But the number one thing on my spring must-have list: white denim. I know. The mere mention of the words can be a bit off-putting. I imagine wine spilling on them during dinner. Or coming home with a dingy ass at the end of the day from sitting on filthy subway seats. But there are some perks to rocking white jeans: they go with practically everything, and you can easily dress them up and down. But no matter how you decide to rock them, they always give your look a fresh, clean finish that blends well with everything from light, airy hues to woodsy palettes. I wouldn't mind rocking mine with a pair of my desert boots like so. JCrew does a great job of showcasing how easy it is to pull together a whi...

The moment you visit  The Red Pump Project website, you're hit with a sobering fact: Every 9.5 minutes, someone in the US is infected with HIV.   It's startling statistics like that, which makes The Red Pump Project - a three-year-old collective dedicated to starting conversations and raising funds to impact HIV/AIDS awareness for women - absolutely necessary. The red pump is used as a symbol of empowerment, strength and courage for women both directly and indirectly affected by the disease. With today being National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I felt it only fitting to chat with one of the co-founders of The Red Pump Project, the always hilarious Lovette "Luvvie" Ajayi.  We talked about shoes, HIV awareness and her labor of love, The Red Pump Project.

Only the sweet Lord up above knows how much I'm over this winter weather.  Over. It. The snow, the ice, the subzero temperatures, the blustery winds, the wintry mixes, the sleet and did I mention the snow?  Hate it.  And I swear fo' gawd that groundhog had better not be pulling my leg with this early spring stuff he predicting. While there are countless things I abhor about this depressing weather, I do enjoy dressing for it.  I previously wrote about my love of a good trench coat and layering .  But my favorite thing about suiting up for the winter is wearing a scarf.   I've got over 20 scarves in my closet.  Some long, some short.  Some thick, others thin.  Some are dark, while others are really bright.  But the alpha scarf, the scarf of all scarves in my wardrobe is, ironically, the cheapest one in my closet. I bought this scarf for 60 cents while thrifting in Queens.  It's thick, warm, handmade - and makes bracing t...

A while back, I let you all into my horrendous walk-in closet. In case you missed it, you can check out the post here . But after months of procrastinating (and not being able to find things), I finally rolled up my sleeves and got my beloved wardrobe room into tip top shape. So. Without further ado, sit back, relax and enjoy The Big Reveal!

I'm a blessed man. I've got my health. My sanity (sometimes). A job. Bills that get paid on time. Goals. Talents that I nurture. A loving family. And loyal friends. But wanna know what trumps all of that?

Ahhh. The trench coat. Every man should own at least one.  It's the best way to gussy up a casual look or compliment a business casual vibe all while keeping out the cold and rain. I've got several, including a long, brown, patterned trench by Joseph Abboud and a classic, black, three quarter length wool trench by Calvin Klein. But before I talk to you about the newest member of my coat family, allow me to tell you about the trench I really want.

It’s officially fall.  And when it comes to fashion, that means one thing: Time to Layer up! But after going through my closet, I realized that I needed a few jackets to add to my collection.  Layering has always been my favorite part of dressing for cooler temperatures.  And with the right jacket, I know achieving a great layered look can be effortless. Trend/style expert, Misha aka  TheFabChick , offered to accompany me to the mall to find three lightweight jackets that would not only be good for layering but also work well with my existing wardrobe. Here’s what we found:   This blue, micro-fiber Ralph Lauren blazer caught our attention.  The color, texture and detail on the elbows are perfect for fall.  As I've stated before,  the blazer is a great transitional piece to wear before the big chill sets in and it's perfect for layering. We picked out an orange plaid shirt by Elie Tahari and a chunky, ...

I love to pair the casual (jeans and sneakers) with the dressy (ties and blazers). And for me, fall is the best season to rock these transitional pieces. With the weather a bit on the nippier side as of late, I dug out my favorite blazer and pair of jeans to bring together one of my favorite autumn looks a couple of weeks early.  

Bumper to bumper traffic. Swarms of people. Random celebrity spottings. A plethora of free booze and cupcakes. Women (and men) wobbling on cobblestone streets in sky high heels. Those were the sights and sounds of Fashion Night Out.  Fashion industry insiders, devotees and onlookers took over several sections of NYC (SoHo, Meatpacking District, Fifth Avenue) to kick off the start of NYC's Fashion Week. I spent the evening with my favorite Fab Chick , Misha. We had a fun night of event hopping in SoHo.  Some of the spots we hit up: Paige Curve Hugo Boss Nicole Miller Betsey Johnson French Connection Some of the spots we missed out on: D&G PiperLime Ralph Lauren Patricia Field But there's always next year! I'm a lazy photographer, so this is only a fraction of the available photo ops that were at my disposal. But you get the picture. And check out the footage I captured of the pandemonium that broke out after producing superstar Pharrel...

Jona Biddle is a busy man. The 29-year-old Atlantic City, New Jersey native and current resident of Harlem manages a dance team called The Professionals. In just six short months, the team (ages seven to sixteen) have won numerous dance competitions, performed at the Apollo Theatre where they won first place and beat out 27 dance crews to win Hot 97 Dance Crew of the Year - and a whopping $25,000 cash prize. Biddle recently choreographed a show for Disney artist Lauren Legato and performed on BET's Blaze The Stage with Clarisa Rose. And this week alone, his dance team is taping an appearance on MTV's Made, performing in Connecticut and entertaining guests at a sweet sixteen party. And if all that weren't enough, Biddle also runs the dance department for two public schools in Washington Heights. Although inspiring children through dance keeps him more than occupied, Biddle still manages to do it all while looking impeccable. I breakdown some of Biddle...

With Oprah on her way out, it's only right that I step in and start my very own favorite things list. It's the same set up: I list my favorite clothing, food, games, books and snacks that I couldn't do without this summer. The only difference is that my list isn't as nice as Oprah's. Or expensive. Or exclusive. And I ain't giving away any of this stuff for free.  But aside from all that, it's just Oprah's. Yes, summer is almost over but I assure you that everything on this list can be used all year long. Enjoy!

When it's hot out and I can't rock shorts and a tee shirt, I turn to my sheer, lightweight cotton shirts and light, khaki-colored slacks to beat the summer heat - and maintain a quasi business casual look. Add to that my favorite fedora (I've decided that I want to be buried in that thing) and my suede chucks - and I'm good to go!