If you missed ESSENCE: My City, 4 Ways at Propcellar this past weekend, you missed one hell of an event!

Ford and ESSENCE partnered together to bring a fun, free cultural event to Memphis that focused on fashion, art, music and food. The curated experience combined both local and national tastemakers to present their chosen craft through their creative lens. Attendees were treated to live musical performances, cocktails + tasty bites, live painting, and of course a fashion suite. We were also able to Ride and Drive new Ford vehicles, so it was an exciting day overall.

Loni Love + ESSENCE Senior Editor Charreah Jackson served as hosts and moderators of the event and kept the crowd hype.

Patrice Banks of Girls Auto Clinic, an all-women auto body garage in Philly, giving us tips on how to take care of our cars. She also did a book signing (lord knows I needed that book!) How dope is she?!

Speaking from a personal level, I thoroughly enjoyed the event because not only was I a fan of all of the national influencers that were in attendance (June Ambrose, Kelis, Ro James), but after years of connecting with other creatives here over the years, it was so inspiring to see people who I’ve had “follow your dreams/grind it out” conversations with in the past “make it”. Memphis is a unique city in that the population is large, but we operate like a small town; if you’re into the arts, music or fashion scene here, you will always see a familiar face when you go out (the majority of your time at events will be spent giving/receiving hugs and catching up, lol).

I remember first meeting Jamond when he would do live painting at a Starbucks near my apartment, and the conversation that I had with Chef D. Arthur years ago at a game night about his aspirations. Karleen and I know so many of the same people and we connected last year when I took pictures at the Made in Memphis Motivational Mixer, so to see it all come together on a platform hosted by ESSENCE was amazing, and hopefully there’s more like this to come.

DJ Tootz set the vibe for the day.

Now, one of my favorite things about the events like this is the style aspect. Everyone has their own steeze, so you’ll always get a good mix of city in the building.

Style Blogger Faith Lasha came over from Little Rock, AR to enjoy the festivities. Andrea Everet (Denim By LLA) curated some hand-picked vintage pieces in the Style Suite.

Karleen Roy styled pieces from local boutiques. Karleen has such an infectious personality. Once you meet her, you will love her.

Nashville Style Blogger Porsche Pope came in for the festivities too! Obsessed with her sweatshirt.

I knew I would be running around taking pictures all day, so I wanted to be cute but unfussy. I love the look of distressed denim with dressier shoes and blouses, so I wore my favorite girlfriend denim from BR Factory with a patterned silk blouse from Banana Republic (seasons old) and a pair of snakeskin heels I got last year c/o Sugar Plum Consignment.

You know me and Andrea will always find each other at events, lol.

Let me tell you-I was cute but my feet were DY-ING after hour 4, lol. Concrete floors and heels (even a low one), don’t mix! I collapsed once I made it home, but June grabbed my face, told me I was beautiful and that she liked my shoes soooooo, it was all worth it, lol!!

If you guys didn’t know, Kelis is also a Chef and was cooking for us during the event. Yes, she is as cool as you think (her 2014 album Food is my fave by her), and yes, her skin is really that clear and gorgeous.

Ro James had the women going crazy during his performance; everyone was blushing and laughing during his meet + greet.

The conversations + moments that day were priceless, and I’m so happy that I was able to attend.

Thank you to ESSENCE + Ford for bringingMy City 4 Ways to Memphis!

 

This post is sponsored, all opinions are my own.  

essence Fashion my city 4 ways sponsored style