hey guys! :) Just a post updating you guys on the ACIFW (Afro Caribbean Irish Fashion Week) Fashion Show & Talkshow that took place on Saturday 16th June 2012! It was a very hectic day backstage but it was definetly a success! Here's a few photos that I took on the day! It was great meeting the designers. designers include Afropean, Claire Garvey, God's Grace collection, Iman Modest Wears Ireland, Tendai, Fashion by Rene and Fevino Alpha. I couldn't get a picture of every design from each designer but I got a good few! Also featuring random shots of the guys and girlos getting hair and make up done :) For those of you who were there, hope y'all had a great night :)

Hey! So I got these submissions today from my homie, Michael Isichei :) lol this Fashionister gets an A++ for his style! I have to say that his style is very unique, classy while also being simple and sophisticated. This particular look was taken on just a normal day, so basically this is a glimpse of Michael's street shtyle! The bag is LUSH! Thanks once again for the submission, Michael! Guys and Girlies would you give this look a YAY or a NAY?

Navy Blue Skinny Chinos: Pull & Bear
Mahogany Brown Shirt: ASOS (ASOS brand)
Mahogany Brown Boat Shoes: H by Hudson (http://hudsonshoes.com)
Chocolate Brown & Cream/White Satchel Bag: ASOS (ASOS brand)

My Fashion Story. Get some tissues beside you when reading this!

I recently got a question from a beautiful young fashionista asking me: 'Did you ever get criticized and how did you deal with the criticism.' That question has lead me to publish this post today because I believe that my story  will touch someone out there who has gone through something similar like me, even if it's not in the area of fashion. 

Ok so firstly let me take you back to my childhood. I didn't grow up trying on my mother's clothes and shoes before I knew that I was interested in fashion. To be honest, my mum dressed me up as a boy when I was young. SHE WANTED ME TO BE A MALE CHILD! (crazy, I know! ha) I never expressed any love or passion for fashion until I entered my teenage years.

ACTUALLY, it all started with a tiny bit of purple eyeshadow. From 6th class in Primary school, I had started experimenting with makeup. That electric purple was the first makeup product I had placed on my face and I remember feeling like a goddess with it! Many of my childhood friends may still remember. BUT, as I grew older I started experimenting more with colours, especially eyeshadow and let me be honest, I looked like a CLOWN most of the time. From the electric purples and blues right to my tomato red blush, there was no stopping me. When I got to 1st year of Secondary School, that's when my gear shifted towards fashion. I stuck with the makeup BUT I was more focused on my style. At this stage, I think I replaced my purple eyeshadow for other colours lol. The main problem I had in school with (some) teachers and the principal, was the way I customized my whole uniform daily. I really did dislike the uniform and I did believe in creativity so throughout my 5 years in school I never wore my uniform the way I was supposed to. Yes, I was disobedient but hey, I was a rebel. Soon enough, The teachers got used to it that it got to a point that they knew me as the most fashionable girl in the school. The principal was still on my case but I killed his beef and still went H.A.M lol.

One thing I know is that I was not inspired by anyone and I did not go to the internet, magazines or TV to copy a particular style and till today I still don't. I seriously don't know what it is but I can say that I have no fashion inspiration. Although, I admire Solange Knowles because of the way she embraces ethnicity and african culture through her style. After Erikah Badu, I don't think I've seen any other black celebrity woman embrace it as well as she does and Solange and I have something in common: Uniqueness. BUT still I wouldn't say she has been a source of inspiration to me in terms of me finding myself or anything like that.

Ok, criticism. YES, i was looked down upon. People judged me straight away without knowing me BECAUSE of my style and many hairstyles. Fellow black brethrens of course. I come from a christian family so the tradition is to serve God, go to church etc. Being a member of my church for many years, I had to go through some high and lows, especially the lows. I went through a period where I allowed people to walk all over me, tell me what I could and could not wear, and just basically control every single thing in my life. Maybe I was young but I was definetly not naive. I had a right temper and was quick to snap at every ill statement against me. AND BTW, I never dressed like a slut or anything. I liked to call my look Retro. (If I can find some pics I will post them up!) 

It was pretty ok in school though. People know me as a fashion lover but then again you always had the slags of the school who would look down on you just because you want to look good. TILL TODAY, I still live with that. Whenever I walk through town in Mullingar (my hometown) the way people would stare at me as if I had two heads. But then again, it's a small minded town where most of the people here have NO taste in fashion or are just messed up in the head.

What annoys me the most is when a girl sees another girl dressed beautifully and assumes straight away that she loves herself or is stuck up her own ass. Who are you to judge, after all you may end up working for this so called 'stuck up girl' so it's best to shut your mouth, get your life sorted out before judging another girl you see on the street. What's wrong in looking beautiful and being comfortable in what you are wearing?

I do not seek to please anybody but God so what anyone has to say about me is just a complete waste. There's nothing that anybody can say to me at this point of my life that will bring me down. I am confident, not cocky. 

For those of you out there who are dealing with such things right now, don't worry about it. stay strong. I have had so much abuses thrown at me because of what I wear etc, been called so many names but hey, I'm still alive. I don't let things get to me as much as I did in the past. I'm learning to block out the world and it's negativity and do everything that I want and that God wants for ME. I listen to my mind, my heart and God.

And maybe you should start too. However, my whole fashion story has affected me personally. I now find it hard to trust anyone and I really just like to stick to myself these days, focus on my career and do what I love best. There have been incidents where I would not talk to people I would usually talk to and all of a sudden they'd say Im full of myself etc. No darling, I'm just trying to stay away from your bullshit, trouble and especially your two-facedness. (ha don't think that's a word but it works in this instance lol) 

Currently, everything is going pretty well. My parents love me for who I am and support me in whatever decision concerning my endeavours in becoming a fashion stylist/buyer. (that's what I want to specialise in)

I will be participating in a lot of events this summer to gain more experience which will prepare me for the fashion course I will be starting in September. I am in intern in Dirty Fabulous Vintage Boutique for a month or so and I'm in charge of the maintenance and repair of vintage clothing. What an opportunity to work with such beautiful, elegant and chic clothing. I HAVE TOUCHED A WEDDING DRESS FROM THE 1940S THAT SOMEBODY ACTUALLY WORE. lool the feeling is great :) 

A big major thank you to everyone supporting me on this journey and those keeping up with my blog daily. y'all are great. If you have any requests either here or on youtube PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEAAAASE, holla at me on my facebook, twitter or comment below on this post. I love you guys, even if some of you may hate me lol :) thanks for taking your time to read this! 

Stay Beautiful <3

Hey Fashionista's! So I will be an intern at Dirty Fabulous Vintage Boutique for the next month and for the first day of work I chose to wear this turqoise blue skater dress with black polka dots. I toned down the outfit, by just letting the turqoise blue be the main colour pop in the entire outfit, in other words, I did not add any other pastel or neon colour. I bought this dress in Noname and it really is a flashback of the 60s, an era where skater dresses were very common amongst the ladies in society. I teamed this dress up with my black studded brogue-heels (they look like brogues BUT have a heel..do these shoes have a particular name? lol) and my black clutch bag from Penneys/Primark. The outfit is simple, fun, cute and very summery. I didn't overdo the look. The dress has enough detail so no need to top up with big dangly earrings or long necklaces and chokers. Less is more (sometimes!). A thumbs down for the shoes though, they are not the comfiest AT ALL! *sigh* I survived though :) Hope you guys like the look :) feel free to comment below and ask any questions. x

Example of polka dot skater dresses in the 60s.
Go to http://www.polyvore.com/vintage_polka_dot_dress/shop?query=vintage+polka+dot+dress to check out more!

 

YOUTUBE VIDEO!

Hey guys :) finally uploaded my haul video. sorry it took so long. and please excuse my eyebrows in this video :/ lol erm comment and subscribe pweeze :)

Happy Sunday guys :) So here's my Sunday Special :) I bought my bodycon dress like 2 or 3 days ago in Minx :) and it was a BARGAIN! (I made a clothing haul video for youtube so you'll see everything that I got, but there's also some pics on the blog) The dress is red, white and black and I didn't want to stick to the old traiditon of wearing red, white and black head to toe so I brought out a pair of caramel chunky heels and my Zara shopper bag as an addition to the colours :) I'm really happy with the outcome! I spent FOREVER trying to decide what shoes to wear! Also, a very special shoutout to my mum. She was my photographer today lol :) Hope you guys like the look x Shoes: Primark. Bag: Zara

I was laying in bed last night and was thinking of what i was gonna wear today (yeah i'm weird like that!), wasn't aiming for anything fancy but a bit more casual.. so I came out with this! I dont really know how to describe this look but I'm thinking a bit '90sish' especially with the high waisted jeans. but anyhoo.. the jeans are from Gap (bought it in a Thrift Store though) , my jacket is from Noname and I'm just wearing my mahogany brown brogues from Penneys/Primark (can;t wait till I get my creepers, they would have worked well with this outfit) My Tshirt is from Minx and the headscarf is from Penneys/Primark. My Aztec Print (or is it tribal???) backpack is from River Island.. ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT! hope you guys like the look :) notice the way i combined many colours.. red, blue, brown etc. Retro, I am :)

HAUL! went shopping yesterday and bought some pretty stuff. Youtube Video out soon! :) (it's taking FOREVER to upload onto Youtube!) Everything I bought yesterday is from Minx .

SUMMER TREND! Wardrobe essentials :) This post are for those of you out there who want to fix up your wardrobe a bit this summer. Hope this post is helpful to you girlos :)

The main things to consider this season are colour, prints and accesories.

To pull off any summer look it is important to always focus on the colours and prints that are ideal for the summer. When you think about summer, you think: 'vivid, floral, pastels and soft neutrals.' 

This season keep an eye out for soft pastels, reds, mint greens, floral prints, lace and neons. Soft pastels include pink, blue, lilac, spearmint and yellow.

Here's a colour chart to give you a fair idea of what i'm talking about.

(google images)

Also, dresses and skirts will remain must haves as various prints, stripes, animal prints etc grab our attention. In relation to neons, they will be seen especially in handbags and shoes such as bright blues, hot pinks, yellows, greens and oranges. 


When dealing with neons and pastels, colour blocking is an A+. It gives the outfit more life and in a way, it brings out the creativity in you when it comes to style and mix and matching. When it comes to colour blocking, pinks and blues go well together as well as, soft greens and coral/baby pinks. If you wanted to go a bit more vibrant with the blocking, then try a neon colour and a pastel. For example, a neon orange with a splash of Cerulean Blue or Ultramarine! (I've seen it before and it looks SMASHING!)


As for me, I put everything together and carefully examine it. The last thing i want to be looking like is a clown! I'm absolutely LOVING the blues this season and I plan to wear more and more.. I've been colour blocking for a long time and to be honest, i hate the whole 'matching' thing! For example, if I was to wear a black and white outfit, the WHOLE thing would not be black and white, I'd add a splash of red to it as well! I'm sure many of you know that Red, white and black go hand in hand. I remember when my mum used to ALWAYS nag about my colour combos, she finally got used to it! 


But anyhoo, moving on to prints. Most of you have probably noticed that floral is very common this season. To be honest, i don't wear much floral. While trying to get the summer look etc, I also try to be unique in my dressing and try to shift away from all the common things. Like I don't wanna be seen at a beach party or wherever, wearing a maxi or floral dress like everyone else OR the same maxi or floral dress that another chick is wearing! Don't get me wrong, florals are heavenly and are perfect for the season but it's important not to OVERDO it. 


When it comes to dresses, the tunics are very well suited for the season. When shopping for garments like this, keep an eye out for creamy neutrals. They provide a classical feminine look while also being very comfortable :)
perfect for that summer lunch date or a night out with a few friends!


One thing I must get a hold of this summer are more high waisted flare pants! They seem to be HUGE this season. I have about one or two in my wardrobe which I would only wear occasionally. When rocking these pants, I'd advice wearing them with a great chunky pair of wedges and adding a flashy thin belt. I remember wearing my caramel brown flare pants and adding a neon orange belt to it. It looked amazing!


Now for all my african beauties! I'm sure most of you know that afrocentricity is major this season! I admire the exotic and tribal look that has popped back into this generation. It takes me back to my roots and shows how people have learnt to appreciate the african culture. Recently I have seen ankara prints sewn onto a common pair of denim shorts and even on a belt handbag! the combo is amazing! I'm definetly investing in a couple of ankaras soonish! Representing Nigeria all day, everyday :D For those of you who don't know  what the prints are or how they look like, here's a few pics that I've robbed from my Tumblr (these photos were not taken by me) BTW, this is not just for the black race. ANYONE can rock these prints :) :










      



GORGEOUS, AY? 
BTW, talking about ankara prints, I managed to come across a very inspiring and ambitious young lady who is currently known as fashion's finest in the UK. The London-based designer, Bukki Ojo has succeeded in incorporating african prints in her vintage denim collections. She aims to intertwine cultures which is a great idea! To check out her wonderful designs, find her on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bukki/206390729449573
She is constantly selling out on Asos marketplace so grab some clothing before it's too late:
https://marketplace.asos.com/boutique/bukki/collection

AND I think that's a wrap guys! Thank you so much for taking your time to read this. If you have any questions about anything or if you feel that I should talk about something else, WHATEVER IT IS.. please do not hesitate to holla at me! My facebook etc is available in my 'About Me.'
Please comment below also :)

Shout out to all my people supporting me. Y'all are greaat!

Remember, Fashion is fleeting but style is eternal!