There have been very few moments in life where I have been so privileged to stand next to a woman that’s graced the pages of Ebony Magazine. The first time was Eva Marcille, and now, the August Female Feature. I must say, with a personality to match her beauty, she is destined for greatness!
I present Ms. Jasmine Gurley:
Born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area with her parents and younger brother, Jasmine Gurley was blessed to be surrounded by examples of black excellence, service, and professionalism. These examples and her grandmother’s influence led her to attending North Carolina A&T State University, where she earned a B.S. in Journalism & Mass Communication with a concentration in Public Relations.
While at A&T, she was a student athlete and captain of the Lady Aggies Swimming team, a Honors program and Dean’s List scholar, Miss Sophomore, and eventually served as Miss North Carolina A&T State University 2011-2012 – a role where she earned a feature in Ebony magazine as a “Top 10 HBCU Queen.”
After graduating, Jasmine moved to New Orleans to teach as a Teach for America corp member. Her “freshman year of life” as a first-year teacher at a newly opened school changed her. She learned a great deal through personal and teacher-student experiences about the disparities and lack of access for Black and Brown people across the U.S.
After her time in New Orleans, Jasmine moved to Atlanta to put her public relations degree to work. After five years, over 1,000 media placements, dozens of tradeshows, and invaluable relationships, she has solidified herself as a PR and marketing aficionado in the interior design, architecture, and home building industries. From 9-5, Jasmine runs the internal and external communications for a home accessories company in North Georgia.
From 5-9 and all in-between, Jasmine also operates as Sankofa Public Relations, where she strives to make the world a better place by promoting the brands aiming to do the same. She is a member of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals, Public Relations Society of America, and an avid HBCU advocate as the PR Chair for the North Carolina A&T Atlanta Alumni Chapter.
For fun, Jasmine most often enjoys sitting her butt down at home with a good book or movie. As a lifelong athlete, she can be found in the gym, at a pool, or practicing yoga throughout the week. If she’s out on the town, the sun is likely up and she’s eating something amazing. Otherwise, she is at home, practicing all her spiritual, beauty and health maintenance routines because she firmly believes that “if I don’t take care of my body, where else am I going to live?
You can follow Jasmine on social media at @JIsForJas and @sankofapr. For design and decor inspiration, you can follow @suryasocial and @designprgirl on Instagram.
Her Look:
Jasmine’s look is seated wonderfully at the intersection of corporate and casual. The square cut camisole is paired with a floral (not exactly floral – maybe jungle lol) printed silk palazzo pant (Topshop), which is perfect for warmer weather. The mules are suede with a spin. They are characterized by the block heel and the thick acrylic band to add an additional flare to a trending item (Aldo). I love the orange, especially as we close the season. I think it’s paramount that you capitalize on our final days of summer. This look can be dressed up with a blazer for work or worn as is for a date or cocktails. It’s really a win!
My look:
Simple, a classic compliment to the center piece. Her primary color is orange so I stuck with it. The shirt is wide collared (Steven Land) which tends to stand up better for me when unbuttoned. The blazer (Andrew Fezza) is actually a suit separate, which I paired with the distressed jeans (Levis) as a means of dressing down a potentially stuffy look.
This is perfect for drinks after work and a seamless transition into the evening. Fair warning, you have to be cognizant of the venue as some establishments see the ripped jeans as grungy and incongruent with the aesthetic they are trying to present to the world.
Insider notes:
We basically crashed a wedding at Atlantic Station for this shoot after a heavy rainstorm, but they were at the tail end so they were unbothered. The humidity was thick. We kept shooting. They gazed in amazement. All was right with the world. Thank you kind people for letting us borrow the space you reserved (lol).
To a life worth living,
The Wkender
Got Spot Light❤️