Wearing your Natural Hair in the Workplace: Why is there a Debate?

Happy Monday lovelies; I hope your workweek is off to a great start!

Today’s blog topic is something that’s been on my mind for a while so I decided to share my stance on it.

Over the past few years there’s been debates and articles about whether natural hair is professional enough to wear at work and the answer is “YES!”, but some people disagree.

Just last year a black, female journalist and television reporter got fired for fighting back against her company because her boss considered her hair “unprofessional” for the news station’s viewers. This year, she is still fighting that battle against the company’s discrimation towards her.

Now that is just one situation, but I know that it’s not the only one out there. Natural hair is professional hair. Nobody should have to hide the hair that grows from their head to appear professional to someone else.

I have thick, type 4 hair and I’ve been natural for a little over 5 years. Luckily, I’ve been in the retail business for majority of that time so the company policies are heavily focused on freedom of expression and style.

I wear my fro majority of the time, but when my fro isn’t out I usually have my hair in braids, twists, or under a headwrap. I’m happy that some companies see natural hair as professional and is welcomed in the workplace, we just have to continue to work towards it becoming a norm everywhere.

My advice: wear your natural hair to work and don’t be ashamed to do so. Style it how you like and be proud of your unique look. If someone doesn’t understand it or considers it unnattractive or unprofessional, speak up about it, defend yourself and your hair. You have the right to wear your beautiful natural hair just like women of other races wear theirs as well. Stay strong sis!

And for Day 18 of Motivational March: Be proud of your differences, it’s what makes you unique. ❣

I hope this post inspired you today. Leave a comment below if it did and share with me your natural hair in the workplace experience.

Coral Buttons: An Origin Story

Happy first day of March everyone! I realized that some of you may be new to reading my blog so why not share the story of how Coral Buttons came to be.

My blog, Coral Buttons, originated in one of my Communication Arts classes at Hood College. I went to college initially thinking that I wanted to major in English, but after a few Comm Arts classes, I fell in love with communications. I enjoyed the fact that communications encompassed so many platforms such as photography, digital media, social media, newspaper and magazine writing, and journalism.

One of the assignments for my class was to create a blog and post weekly or more often if I chose to. I’ve loved writing since I was younger and it came easy for me so blogging for a class seemed like fun work. Before I dove into writing posts, I had to actually create the blog. We used WordPress as our blog site, which I clearly still use to this day.

Our first step after setting up a WordPress profile and choosing our blog layout, was to pick a topic. Growing up, I watched wedding and fashion shows sometimes more than cartoons…don’t judege me! So even from a young age I knew that fashion and styling was an interest of mine so I decided to choose fashion as my overall blog theme.

The next step was picking a name. I struggled with this for a while and googled blog titles non-stop for a few days until I stumbled upon a great blog title template. The template said choose one of your favorite colors and something related to your blog and that can be your blog title. One of my favorite colors is Coral and buttons relate to fashion so put the two together and Coral Buttons was formed.

My professor loved the title and so did I. Once I gave my blog a name, in a weird way, I felt that I gave birth to a blog baby. I created this website from scratch and now it was mine to do as I wished with it.

The final step in Coral Buttons origin story was to write. As I mentioned above, I already had a love for writing before the class began. All I had to do was write 200-500 word posts and include some pictures and videos and bam, I was blogging. The more posts I wrote, the more I realized that blogging was not just homework for me but also a hobby that I enjoyed. I got to write about things that interested me and offer advice to people who were reading it and gave people a glimpse into my style, my ideas, and events happening in my life.

After the class ended I didn’t want to stop blogging because i fell in love with it. Going on six years later, Coral Buttons is stronger and better than ever. Hope you enjoyed learning about my blog history!

 

Also, its Day 1 of Motivational March so throughout the month I will be sharing motivational tips and advice to help inspire you. Tip of the day:

Remember that everyone has an origin story. Oprah didn’t start off as  one of the best TV hosts ever. Serena Williams didn’t start off as the #1 tennis player in the world. Barack Obama didnt start off as the first African American president.
Each one started off in a different space compared to where they are now, so whether you are at the start or middle of your journey or you’re completed lost on your journey, just know you have more to your story. 👏🏽

Have a great weekend!

If it makes you happy, wear it!

Hope you enjoyed your Valentine’s Day, whether single or in a relationship! I actually love Valentine’s Day. A lot of people think I love the holiday because I’ve been in a relationship for a few years now, but I’ve actually loved it since I was younger.

As a young girl I watched wedding shows sometimes more than cartoons…I know, weird right. I was the student who wanted to give Valentine’s candy and cards to all of my classmates growing up. I just always loved the idea of love.

I know some people believe that Valentine’s Day is just a superficial and commercialized holiday, but I see it as a special day to go all out for your signifcant other in a different way than the other 364 days of the year.

And if you are single, practicing self-love and taking yourself on a date that makes you feel beautiful, confident, and happy is also a perfect way to spend Valentine’s Day.

Yesterday, Shawn and I actually had a very lowkey Valentine’s Day. It was a rainy LA day so we decided to stay in and catch up on all of our tv shows, which was fun and relaxing.

I only left my apartment to take the pictures you see in this post and then went back to the comfort of my bed, blankets, and snacks.

A few days ago I was trying so hard to figure out what to wear on Valentine’s Day just in case we went out somewhere. I was thinking about buying a pink skirt or a cute red dress to wear, but I honestly wasn’t feeling pink or red this year for the holiday.

I felt like every year I aimed for something pink, red, or white in my outfit to match the usual theme of the holiday, so I switched it up this time for a less bright and less girly look and I loved it.

Don’t get so tied up on themes or what other people are wearing, wear what makes you happy. For my non-traditional Valentine’s Day outfit, I decided to wear navy and black!

I wore a navy blazer from H&M and paired it with a black Topshop bralette, black FashionNova jeans, and black dress shoes from Nordstrom Rack. I felt like this outfit was sexy enough for the lovey dovey holiday while still being simple and stylish.

As I mentioned earlier, it was a rainy day, so I was excited to add my umbrella to my outfit. My umbrella has pink and white polka dots on it, which added a nice pop of color to my Valentine’s Day look.

If dresses make you happy, wear them. If crop tops make you happy, wear them. If you don’t feel comfortable in shorts and they make you unhappy, don’t wear them.

Anybody can wear anything that makes them feel confident and happy. All bodies are good bodies!

Have a lovely weekend!! 🙂

Rocking a Topshop Hoodie Dress and Vans for a Casual Slay

Hey hey! I hope your week has been fun and productive so far. It’s been a chilly and rainy few days here in LA, so after work I’ve been staying warm and cozy inside my apartment, doing yoga, catching up on a few of my favorite podcasts, and reading.

When it gets chilly in LA is definitely nothing compared to chilly in Baltimore, but i still try to dress appropriate for the weather. LA chilly is around 50ish degrees and requires a light jacket or sweater.

Some of the LA natives would call 50ish degrees cold but thats because they never felt 20 degree Baltimore or east coast weather lol.

I love dresses more than any article of clothing. Anytime i get to wear one I will. I recently found a great deal on this topshop hoodie dress.

Right when i saw it I knew I had to have it in my closet. It comes in a dusty rose pink color and the bright red color I purchased. I purchased it in red because I actually don’t own a lot of red and I loved how bright it was. I love having a colorful wardrobe!

Now some might say that this dress is outside my normal dress attire and they would be correct. My dresses are normally fit and flare, bodycon, or maxi dresses. Having it be so different from what I already own is one of the main reasons I wanted to buy it.

I paired this dress with gray and white checkerboard Vans that have red roses on them. The red in the shoes popped along with the red dress. I wanted this look to be casual, but still stylish as well. Buying a dress that is super comfortable and cute is a great find! Throw on some boots or heels with this dress and you have a cute brunch outfit or party outfit.

Aside from loving dresses, I also love fun walls! That’s why I was so excited when I found this wall near my job. The wall is green plants in a wooden pot fixture in the shape of arrows. I didn’t realize how cool the wall looked with my outfit until I saw the pics.

Visit my Instagram page @coralbuttons to see more pictures and to get some style inspo. Let me know in the comments below if you would rock a hoodie dress and if you would wear it more casual, dressed up, or both. Have a lovely rest of your week!

What I Wore Wednesday

Happy hump day! I hope your week has been great and productive so far.

Today, I am showcasing an outfit I wore to work recently. As some of you may know, I currently work at Nordstrom and specifically in the Young Contemporary department also known as YC.

YC consists of three subcategories/brands: Savvy, Brass Plum/BP, and Topshop. Savvy has special occasion items such as dresses, jumpsuits, and blazers.

BP, a Nordstrom exclusive brand, has everyday wear such as sweaters, tshirts, blouses, and jeans. BP also carries dresses, but are more casual than the Savvy dresses.

Topshop, one of my favorite brands, carries a mix of BP and Savvy-esque items. It is a trendy, low price, but high fashion brand.

Topshop carries everything from leather jackets, to sequined dresses, to embroidered jeans, to fur vests! Anything trendy and up and coming in the fashion world Topshop has.

Working in YC allows me to dress more casual than I would have to dress if I was in another department, but also allows me to be trendier. The outfit seen throughout the post definitely represents what YC is all about.

I paired a Forever 21 Rugrats bodysuit with super comfy green cropped ASOS pants. To add more color to this look and accent the colors on my bodysuit I wore a lightweight linen Halogen cardigan as a layering piece.

To wrap up my look, I paired the outfit with red TOMS. What do you think about this look? And I hope you learned something new about YC brands!

Have a wonderful rest of your week lovelies.

Embrace your ever-changing style

Happy Fri-yay! Excited for the weekend??

Im off today so I will be catching up with some friends from college, which I am excited about! Today, I am showcasing my Caslon sweatshirt dress!

I paired a red lip and red TOMS with the dress to give the charcoal gray a pop of color.

Ive not so secretly been obsessing over this dress ever since I saw it at Nordstrom, where I work in case ya didnt know. 🙂

It was $79 when i first saw it which is pricey for me. Im a bargain shopper for sure.

So I patiently waited almost 2 weeks for it to go on sale. So the sale price in addition to my employee discount got me this amazing dress for only $27. A steal!!

What I love about fashion and style in particular is that you can definitely see how your style has progressed and changed over the years. As you get older and go through different stages in life your style changes and matures.

Im saying this because honestly a few years ago I would never have purchased and definitely not worn a dress like this. Growing up, my idea of fashion was always having to dress up and look super feminine and cute in order to be stylish.

Now I’ve learned that you can dress semi-casual or completely casual and still look flawless and fashionable. Im glad that I learned this in my late teen years because now at 22 I feel more stylish and beautiful than ever.

Remember fashion is ever changing and you can always reinvent your style. As long as you feel beautiful, wear what you want and wear what you love.

Have a great weekend lovelies!!

Stripes and Curves

Last weekend, I wore a striped bodycon dress to my little brother’s graduation. It was an exciting event!

I paired my bodycon dress with rust orange sandals. I love this dress because the colors are great year round and the pattern makes it unique.

Not only are those factors true, but I think the dress is quite flattering. Bodycon dresses are meant to be fitted and show off your curves.

Don’t be ashamed to wear fitted dresses and don’t let anyone tell you you can’t wear one because of your body shape!

We all have body insecurities and parts of us we may not like as much as others. Embrace your curves, love your body, and stay stylish!

Dress & Sandals: Forever 21 ❤

Protective Style Tips- Wigs!

Hello lovelies. Hope all is well 🙂

Can you believe that June is one day away! Wasn’t it New Year’s Day like a few days ago??

As I mentioned before, I consider 2017 the year of change because I have a few big goals I am achieving this year.

So with me focusing on change this year I decided to switch up my hairstyle and try out a wig. Not only is it a cute look to try, but also gives my real hair a much needed break.

The first tip when it comes to wig shopping is deciding which hairstyle you think will fit your face. I went with a shoulder length bob with a bang. It’s simple and easy to upkeep and when I had relaxed hair, bobs were my go-to style so I knew it would look okay!

The second tip is wig maintenance. Making sure the hair is clean, straightened or curled (depending on your hairstyle), and washed when necessary.

The third tip is braid up your hair underneath the wig so that your hair lies flat. The fourth tip and most important tip in my opinion is making sure your natural hair under the wig is properly taken care of.

Don’t neglect your natural hair because you have a wig on!!!

Make sure your hair is moisturized, braided up, and, in short, properly protected. Still wash your hair as often as you did before wearing the wig.

The fifth tip is to enjoy every moment with your new look and love the fact that you can take it off and go back to your usual hairstyle whenever you want to.

Hope this post peaked your wig interest! Enjoy the rest of your week!

The Fit of Fashion

As you all know, I currently work at Nordstrom so I decided to use clothes from my store to try on for my reason fashion assignment. The assignment: try on a number of garments ranging from pants, dresses, tops, etc. Then choose the item that fit the best and try on 3 other items that were the same size as the “perfect fit” item.

I used four different brands: Vince Camuto, Caslon, NYDJ, and Halogen. I used 4 different shirts that were all size extra small/ 0-2. All of the shirts were flared because I like that style of tops, but they all fell differently on my body.

The grey Halogen shirt with the blue lace collar was actually too tight to get over my shoulders because it didn’t have any stretch to it, hence why its not even on in the picture!

The red Caslon tank top fit, but had no shape to it so it wasn’t very flattering. The NYDJ fruity top was more flattering than the Caslon top , but was too loose around the shoulder and neckline.

My favorite top out of the 4 and the one I believe worked the best on me was the over-sized striped Vince Camuto top. This top had the right amount of flare to it and was also flattering on my body.

It was very interesting to see how the tops were all the same size and structure but wore differently on my body. There is no right or wrong fit when it comes to fashion.

Wear what you love and feel beautiful in the clothes you put on your body!

I Made A YouTube Channel!

Happy Friday lovelies!

The weather is beautiful, I’ve been keeping busy with work and focusing on some of my goals!

One of my goals that I finally achieved was starting a youtube channel. Since I want to be a fashion correspondent, I need some “on-air” experience so a Youtube channel is the perfect way to get some!

On my channel I plan on discussing hair, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle, similar to what I discuss right here on Coral Buttons.

I hope that my channel gets me one step closer to fulfilling that fashion reporter dream and not only that, I also hope that my channel can be a source of encouragement to anyone who needs it.

I plan to include positive, inspirational, and uplifting messages in every video! Only one video is up for now, but don’t worry more fun and fashionable videos are in the future.

Have an amazing weekend!

P.S. Link to Talking with Tati: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfRCYTaXdggQqqoqK4xkQVw