the new face of ankara

On sunday the 22nd of February i was rudely shaken from my dreams of  student-friendly ankara prices - at least, not if i wanted the latest designs which everyone who was anyone was rocking. 

There was a new wax in town, and a bunch of us drove down in our effortlessly chic ensembles to witness the unveiling of this Vlisco wax; the one that was sure to establish levels in the formerly equal-fingered world of ankara buying. 

with prices at 45 euros for every 6yard roll, i sat at the invitation-only Urban Beat fashion event and began to dream anew - this time, of maybe someday being able to afford a wardrobe full of the good stuff...

an hour into the publicized start time, we arrived at the Expo Center and were chased down by the tireless paps who we tried without fail to dodge (wink). you woulda thought we were late, but typically we were naija-time early-birds. Next time come three hours late if you plan to be fashionablé (say that with a french accent - so much more trés chic... fine, i give up!).

(no, i am not in this shot.not cool enough, it seems. sob.)

A little air-kissing here, some more socializing there, even more scrutinizing of the best and worst dressed way over there and it was finally time to start. There was mention of beard lust somewhere in my vicinity which suitably appalled me (hint, hint!), and then it was lights, camera, fashion!

The host, TV presenter and TW magazine editor Adesuwa Onyenokwe came out in the fabulousity that comes from being dressed by two of Nigeria's finest.

now, i took the pictures so please excuse the somewhat lack of professionalism.

left: design by Jewel By Lisa

right: design by Odio Mimonet

Adesuwa was serenaded by Timi Dakolo, winner of the West African Idol competition, whose shirt was also of the celebrated Vlisco fabric.

Vlisco had shortlisted designers to compete in its Urban Beat Designers' Competition, and as such the show started with a display of their collections, followed by the announcement of a winner.

All the designers that partook in the event worked exclusively with fabric from the Vlisco collection.

a few key pieces from the budding designers:

here, some very traditional designs with 'twists' barely worth the mention.

i personally liked the one in the middle for its classy 'chic-ness'.

here, edgier pieces. i liked that they were daring, especially as there was a prize on the line.

these i think were the audience's best picks... or maybe just mine. They did go absolutely gaga over the dress on the left... but sadly, these are my pictures and i didn't do the designs justice.

Next, Nigeria's finest displayed their Vlisco-inspired collections, but here's where i rest my fingers.. for now. i shall go hunting for clearer pictures of their stunning designs, and would hopefully soon be able to share them.

In the meantime, dream the Vlisco dream with me...

the winner of the Vlisco Urban Beat Designers' Competition, who went home with A customised designer workshop, 2 return-tickets to Europe (where exactly, it didn't say), and a FATE Foundation entrepreneurship program, which all 5 finalists also got.

all over the sol-angel

i apologise for coming on a little too strong with the Destiny's Child-related posts in the recent past. first, i dissed talked about Beyonce's weave, and then i criticized pointed out Kelly's overt sexiness ,and then only yesterday i was googling images of Michelle's new music video! (the outfits are AMAZING).

It might seem like i'm a tad obsessed with the babes but i assure you, i am only currently obsessed with one destiny sister. Solange Knowles.

i swear don't know how it happened!

one day i was commenting on the fact that while she did bear a resemblance to her sister, she appeared to have been born on get-an-ugly-sibling day; the next day i was shamefacedly humming along to 'i decided', and next thing you know, BAM!! i want to know what its like on the Street of Hadley dreams, and i've decided that i too wanna be at the sandcastle disco... 

i think she has the most striking physiognomy(there - my big word of the day) and, upon extensive research, i have found that this hot mama - literally - is no doormat; her outspokenness often putting her in high consideration for the 'oops!' awards. But i'll spare you the character reference.

her style is edgy, funky, unapologetic, and so fresh. granted, in the past this has tilted to the over fresh and pushed her way over the style edge (let's say nothing about her wardrobe malfunction at NYFW), but it is the entirety that concerns me.

a little visual assistance:

The photos i was able to unearth revealed her love of furry fashion pieces. 

now the outfit on the left at first gave me cause to arch my furry brow, but in the spirit of adoration i decided to forgive it, thanks to the very cool leggings, hot shoes, and of course, the pretty necklace.

the one on the right however, i completely love, down to the sexy shoes in just the right colour to add a certain unexpected something to the outfit (i find i love blue). as for what appears to be a Fendi cuff on her wrist, i found that it is a recurring theme in her wardrobe, as seen below:

more furry luvin' for miz knowles here. notice the shoes? oh come on, they're cute! 

here's where the Fendi cuff makes its second appearance.

 

i adore the look on the left - she is too a rock star! and that yellow is the perfect complement to her skin tone. and those earrings!

and then on the right, she manages to exude sophistication without losing the edge. the pink clutch and green skirt do not clash as they might have had she not opted for black in the rest of the outfit, and her face is flawless. *sigh*

oh and this final look... words fail me. stunning!

the uber cool geek frames, the reflective dress, tha fabulous hair and the oh so modelesque pose...

can i just say? iHEART!

clearly there's a lotta lurve in my heart for this babe. 

but tell me, what do you think? have i been too hasty in my declaration of love?

A little from the BRIT awards

So I was watching clips of the BRIT (British Grammys) awards on the internet and of course I could inundate you with 100's of photos/clips of what was hot and what was not but I cannot be bothered.

I am sure you do not mind ;-).

So the best performance for me was the ting tings and Estelle they are complete opposites in musical styles yet their synergy gave me goosebumps. I am sure you are familiar with Estelle but the Ting tings are not yet universal, they are really big in the UK and will be moving stateside for world domination which they deserve at least I think they deserve. Their style is very much 80's punk/new wave which I can't stop listening to (coincidentally I also can't get enough of DMX's 'How's it going down' but that is another story for another day)

Moving on

I am currently obsessed with shining, weird right?

Why do you want to shine?

Because I am far too reserved I do not think people see who I truly am deep down inside.

Okay so how exactly are you going to "shine"?

Well I will try and be more social, be less afraid of embarrassing myself in public, speak a little louder, not stay in my room so much, connect with people more but most importantly......

Yes go on don't be shy

Most importantly I am also going to wear SEQUINS, cover myself in glitter and run around in shimmering dust

Excuse my humour but I love sequins right now. I am yet to see an outfit that has not merited from some sequin detail bringing me to my point - sequins rule and my favourite outfits from the BRITS had a lot of shine.

I am speechless

The black dress is nothing without the jacket..........I am nothing without that jacket

This one below is just for fun

I am not yet quite sure what to make of her

GQ's 50 most stylish men

This site has been quite chick-heavy I will try and be an equalist as much as possible - I do love my men

I stumbled upon GQ 50 most stylish men - I do not entirely agree with all of their choices nor do I recoqnize all their names (like who is Jean-Paul Belmondo or Arnold Palmer) I guess I could search but I prefer to keep things contemporary I will pick out my favourites from the list - because 50 is a lot and unfortunately I have a day job.

This is in by no means in chronological order

Pete Doherty. Druggie, loser, talented, waster, crackhead, poet, singer, ex-Mr. Kate Moss. What a guy! Nowadays most rock stars/musicians look the part but Pete Doherty lives it some sex, a whole lot of drugs and an amazing amount of rock ‘n’ roll. He often wears a hat, jacket, boots and a long thin drop-tie. He is pretty much a legend in regards to his music and style. When I say legend I mean it in the traditional sense, that is someone we talk about, celebrate, mythologize who is dead or in this case practically dead.

The Ramones. I know little to nothing about this band, I do not know any of their songs. Do I need to? Perhaps. All I know is that there are a myriad of indie/hipster kids all over the world either copying their style thread for thread or are wearing t-shirts with their band logo print. It is quite an achievement when your image is more prevalent than your music.

Andre 3000. ‘His style challenges the tradition that it honours’ Off the hook? Maybe. Off the chain? If you like his music. importantly off the beaten path. Being a rapper comes with a plethora of stereotypes –gangster, thug, hustler, pimp etc but with Mr. 3000 none of these terms cross your mind if anything you think avant-garde, quirky or even just plain strange. His style is as distinctive as his music. In reference to the quote I borrowed from the GQ website his style is not ant-hip hop but celebrates the evolution of hip-hop. Just because he wears lederhosen mean does not mean he is not ‘keeping it real” You should check out his clothing line Benjamin Bixby.

Woody Allen. Do the glasses look familiar? Hell to the yes they do! He is not necessary the originator of geeky specs however he is an authentic nerd, a purveyor of nerd chic that that we are all obsessed with at the moment. Allen is very much the ‘low-key’ pioneer – giving the impression of the intellectual – you know the kind of person that spends hours and hours talking about conceptual art or how Engel is unfairly placed in socialist discourse. Maybe I have taken this one a bit far but I hope I have gotten the point across

Kurt Cobain. Heavens forgive me but there is something so sexy about men with angst and depression – perhaps it is the illusion that you can save them, or the fact that they are in emotional pain therefore they must have hidden and intricate depths – Right? BLAH Halston snap out of it! You did not even know the guy – Okay I am back to earth, Kurt Cobain epitomized all that is grunge. He would often wear mould-coloured cardigans and dye his hair with Kool-aid or bleach. He really could not give a hoot about his clothes. He was indeed teen spirit of the 90’s

Johnny Depp. ‘After almost a quarter century in front of the camera, Johnny Depp has shown us everything but himself.’ He is eternally a mystery, a damn good looking one. He is Hobo chic, if you look at the clothes he picks individually they often look like he has gotten them from a garbage pile but he is able to transform them to something chic. In all honesty I am not sure if I like his clothes or whether I just like him.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of who I think are the most stylish men, these are only a few, hope you enjoyed the eye-candy ;-)

When Anderson met Westwood

I am shocked and excited all at the same time because it was announced in November 2008 that Pamela Anderson would be the face of Vivienne Westwood's new campaign. I really shouldn't be so shocked Vivienne Westwood is the queen of modern punk's manifestation in clothing possibly the pioneer of anti-fashion. To those of you who may not know that much about Miss Westwood - she does not really like to wear underwear and was awarded with an OBE for her contribution to British fasion by the Queen of England, and when she went to collect the award in front of the royal family and the world she pulled her dress up revealing her knicker-less self.

Back to Pam-pam, as I said, Initially I was shocked, what no Sienna Miller? What about Kate Moss? Even Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung or Daisy Lowe. No it is Pamela Anderson - Fake boobed, bleach addicted, nose rhinoplastying, ex playmate Pammie. I find this oddly refreshing, she is not a 20 something up and coming actress, or the next singing sensation. She is a familiar face in a fresh yet debauched at the same time. Part low brow, part artist's muse, Pamela Anderson has been transformed from queen of trash to high brow fashion muse!

With Vivienne Westwood all things are possible.

Seriously

By the way the amazing photography is by the genius Juergen Teller.

How 'bout a little chunk in your trunk?

for today's post i let my fingers do all the talking. 

                               

i practically dragged my beautiful subject kicking and screaming into my simulated photo studio and went to work! the following is the amazing result:

                          

yes, i am responsible for the amazing make-up, and yes, i am equally responsible for the excellent photography. can i just say, my what great hands i have! *wink.

i love the way the red lipstick lit up the entire outfit. and my, does she rock those pouty lips! (with direction, of course :D)

the one thing i tried to capture was the play of accessories. i love layering chunky, seemingly clashing bracelets, for which i have been called out many a time in the past and, sadly, i confess to have caved occassionally to societal pressure. 

but guess what's in this spring? you guessed it - layering chunky bracelets! case in point:

                                   

now, i am not claiming to have been the originator of this trend, however ya gotta give credit where it's due... no?

                          

plus, loving the dress!! which she claimed to have got for less than N2, 000. and no, it wasn't from a 'bend-down select' somewhere on the streets of mushin. the material's a tad reflective, hence the poor portrayal of the gorgeousness that it embodies. it has pleated details all over the bodice, and deep pockets on the side. iheart, definitely! 

                       

i literally have tears running down my eyes at this moment. this young hottie was groomed meticulously by yours truly, from some random chic who looks alright (teehee!!), to the striking divalicious model on your screens, and she hasn't looked back since. *sob!* 

She is living proof that you too, can learn to strike a decent pose.

accessories: photographer's own

dress: model's own. 

All that glitters...

It was the Inspire Africa Benefit Concert, and the glitteratti was out and about on that N100k/head ish like the credit crunch aint' mean nuffin. Yours truly went a-hunting for gold. A week late, no less, but don't let that take away from your appreciation.

oh but this post won't be complete without a special dedication to she-who-loves-'em sparkly plastic things. here's to you babe, 'shine shine bobo' from our very own red carpet!

            

First up, sequins of the multi-coloured variety. i'm not too sure what the source of sparkle on the ankara-looking dress is, but we'll go ride the sequin wave as far as it takes us! i really like the sparkly shift one on the right tho, more concert-appropriate imo. however, if you can afford the tickets i'd say you are at liberty to dress like a princess if it so pleases you!

                 

Next up, sequins of the blackened category. i must say i like the halter dress in principle, but not in actuality. Maybe it's the fit on her... and the short shift dress i like in reality, however I might've done away with the clutch-ish purse. and that necklace. and that hair! j

         

Oh how i love the blues!!! The maxi one on the left is so pretty! oh and notice the detailing on the hem? *sigh. 

lil' miss thang in her electric blue mini dress - tres haute(hehe)!! I totally heart those edgy shoes! wonder where she got em...

             

Now i'm not crazy about the long black dress on the left, but i think it might be the picture quality ruining it for me... and our very own olu maintain on the right is all shine - even tho i doubt sequins have much to do with his vest-bling. jus had to throw a guy in there!

     

ooh, and guess who we spied looking like a sparkly glass of champagne?

*all photos courtesy purefoto.com

Adam and weave

I amm not a hater by any stretch of the imagination, but please, tell me we don't have a problem when we sart to do this:

I've always had a problem with black babes in blonde weaves.

but beyoncé, she was sneaky - slowly eased us into the colour. first it was brown, then it was honey brown, and then it was light brown... and so when it got blonde we noticed, but it wasn't like, a shocking transition.

but people, if you absolutely have to go blonde, you know you have to do it right! If you need to put that weave in, you might wanna take care of the roots. hence this post.

I don't get how Bé coulda walked out of her stylist's home looking like this. To put it rather harshly, Bé at the NAACP awards was sporting a skanky weave and I don't care how much it cost.

now, I understand that some of you might be unable to appreciate the magnitude of the situation because you're blinded by adoration for the diva/hustler, and for that very reason I have put together this:

  

spot the difference.

Bé needs a visit to the salon like she needs to stop over singing Etta James' songs ASAP.

she should take a cue from one of the very few other black females who manage to pull off the infamous yellow infusions, Eve:

nNow doesn't that look soo much better?

Shine shine bo bo!

Metallics are meant to be big this spring, I am not yet sure as to how I feel about that, I love sparkly things like sequins but my fear is that people like myself might go overboard with it. Metallics allow you to shine - cheesy but true. My suggestion is that if you are going to do metallics, limit it to one piece. So if you are wearing a metallic dress, do not adorn an equally shiny bag or shoes. At the same time I am against rules with fashion but I would hate to have to walk around in my wayfarers at night because someone's outfit reflects too much light.

   

A strange item but I think if you wore them with subtle pieces you would look AWESOME. Go Jasmine di Milo!

This is a lovely but safe number, too safe for my liking. I would take some scissors and fray the edges or even better add sequins! Come on french connection you can do better.

My favourite piece, it is such a statement piece. The flower pattern is reminiscent of William Morriss 60\'s wallpaper. This kind of metallic I can do and it does not even have sequins! Sigh, until I can afford dries van noten, I will only dream. 

I like the layers, I like the fit, I like a lot.

Decisions, decisions - To sparkle or not to sparkle? Now that is the question - Eat your heart out Shakespeare!

Who killed saint valentine???

If you love love, or love the fact that there's a special day set aside for the celebration of love, or love the fact that said celebration is only a day away (GAGG!!), this post is NOT for you.

This is not a history lesson to remind you of the fact that someone was killed on the day you choose to celebrate your emotions or anything like that. God forbid he actually be mourned on the anniversary of his death. This is a rant, a tirade, a diatribe even –and in no specific direction either- so what i'm throwing out? Just might hit you. Don't say i didn't warn you.

 

1. I honestly wish somebody hadn't decided the Original Val Guy had to die. It was such a waste of a perfectly good life! Plus it would have spared us the trauma of having to love by force as a token of honour to his memory. I mean, I'm sure the guys that offed him regretted it the year after when all their babes were all up in their faces like, 'honey, i just know you're gonna surprise me with something real expensive this Valentine's!' [or more appropriately, 'My heart beats in certainty of the great expense of the proclamation of love that ye shall shower my humble self with on the eve of Love's Day, my Lord.'] hey, it was the 18-somethings.

   I can just see them at the tavern around the corner sipping wine out of their goblets like, 'Did ye all foresee that out of our pockets would we have to pay for the life of Valentine which we caused to no longer breathe the air of life?'
   

   *insert image of Val cushioned among the clouds like, 'ain't karma a beeyatch!'* 

   2. WHAT'S WITH ALL THE RED????????????????????????????????

Red roses, red balloons, red candy, red dresses... ARGGHHH!! Seriously tho, i'm sure guys stop being able to tell the difference after seeing two different red dresses, so why not jus wear black? Seriously! And don't pretend just seeing these pictures didn't blur your eyesight. And reality is thrice the torture!

Don't get the wrong impression tho, me and red are cool. Well, except for the monthly redhead whom i DETEST am not very fond of, (or red apples, or redneck lizards), i'm all for red nail polish. BUT have you walked into a *mall, store, restaurant, club, boutique, salon* lately? You can barely make your way through without getting bumped in the head by huge red dangling hearts or floating balloons. It's like, POP!! already!

And!, what about all the single ladies out there? Are they we all just supposed to go into hibernation for the duration? Ooh, i could just stab cute little naked cupid in the arse! i tried too!

But the determined little *bad word* wouldn't put down his arrow.

 3. THEN THEY WENT AND PUT VALENTINE'S ON A SATURDAY!!

Like, what's the big idea Big Man Up There? Friday was taken? Monday didn't want the stress?? Like, what's my excuse for roasting now? AND, have you SEEN what traffic is like on a regular valentine weekday? It's like, can't we just postpone it to a boring other day like say, the 17^th , so that we can all just pretend to be too busy to celebrate anything??! 

Even though, i found this very special place, isolated from all the oppression, where nobody even remembers what month of the year they're in, much less what day. It's a place i like to call... IBADAN. Seriously though, i walked into Sikin Chicken Republic the other day, and it's like Christmas in February. Literally. (I swear i even saw a Christmas tree.) So all the Suliat s Jenifas out there can just go home to Aiyetoro (?) and pretend the 14^th never happened.

As a parting note, i regret to inform all you co-haters people who understand my angst that i did indeed find a red dress i like.

Oh come on, It's Heidi Klum in Dior! will you forgive me? No? Then take this blackened red rose as a token of my deepest and most heartfelt apology:

Now that's the spirit.

 Today, iDON'Theart. Take THAT, saint valentine!