ON THE COVER
Entrepreneurial superstar Jackie James-Lyttle shines in this gold sequined sleeveless top as she graces the cover of our Spring Fashion Issue. Wardrobe styling provided by Carolina Gomez. Lyttle is not only a successful business woman, but she holds a PhD in Civil and Architectural Engineering, she is the first black female engineering graduate of the United States Coast Guard Academy, and she just happens to be married to pop & SOCA recording sensation, Kevin Lyttle. Read all about her story on page 76.
Photographer:
John Enot
Greetings! Salutations! And welcome to AVANTI MODA's spring fashion edition. I am super excited about this month's issue as it is jam packed with so many good features and stories. It has been a rough ride for me since I last wrote to you here. I won't bore you with all of the treacherous details and dark cloud moments over the past few months, but one of the things that I will share with you is that I recently lost my father to a short, painful battle with bladder cancer (Insert the Hashtag #cancersucks here). It would be an understatement to say that the whole ordeal was tragic and sad... and really derailed my train for a while. But with moments like this in life sure to come knocking on each of our doors eventually, I am taking this opportunity to remind everyone that life is short, people that you care about and love are extremely precious, and that you should not let another day go by angry with someone over something trivial, or take any person or relationship in your life for granted... even momentarily. Life is short and you only get one! You need to be happy... and you need to live. If you find yourself in a mundane, lackluster, depressing grind and you dread getting out of bed each morning... then I would highly suggest that you change career paths and put your energy into some sort of passion that you have and investigate ways you can turn that into your career instead. I am living proof that this can be done. I was an out of work executive who decided to forego looking for another high stress, dreadful corporate job... and instead picked up a camera and self-taught myself fashion photography... which in under three years has not only lead me to working with icons in the fashion world and traveling to far off exotic places, but it has lead to this very publication that you are reading. Anyone... and I mean ANYONE can do it! I spent a solid year learning my craft,
learning my camera, learning fashion, lighting, publishing, and photo editing. I did not take a single day off of that grind during that entire year. I am serious... not a single day. 7 days a week you would find me in front of my computer learning, watching tutorials, fashion shows, and anything & everything photo or fashion related from the hours of about 5:00pm to the wee hours of the morning until I couldn't keep my eyes open for another second. So unfortunately, I can't tell you a single thing about Game Of Thrones, Breaking Bad, or any other popular & addicting TV program. Priorities my friends... it's all about priorities. You can do anything you put your mind to if you are willing to actually do what it takes.
Now that my little pep talk and reflection are out of the way, let's talk about this month's issue! For starters, we hit the jackpot with our cover model, Jacqueline James-Lyttle, and extended feature "Extraordinary Fashionable and Inspiring People That You Need To Know!" Each person featured has remarkable talents and an uplifting story that will hopefully touch you in some way as your read about them. I cannot thank Jackie James-Lyttle enough for being so gracious and generous with her time. She is one the biggest gems that I have met in a very very long time. What was supposed to be a short formal interview turned into an almost three hour delightful conversation that was more like two old friends talking after a long hiatus from one another. I also must humbly thank her husband Kevin and son KJ for being so patient and suffering through hunger pains and boredom as Jackie and I gabbed and gabbed... and then finally made our way around the hotel to shoot the photos for the feature. I must also send out a special thank you to the Fairwind Hotel in Miami for being such a gracious host. We literally had access to the entire property for the whole day and night. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I do... and I hope your spring is off to fantastic and sunny start!
Cheers and Ciao!
EDITOR'S LETTER
8
John J. Enot