Where: Just Before Christmas event @ Deola Sagoe's boutique [Sun, Dec. 19, 2010]
Why: We love the mix of high and low - a Deola Sagoe military-style jacket from her Fall 2010 Above the Fray collection and a pair of skinny jeans from her popular polo and denim range. 3 snaps for simplicity and fabulousness!
What/Why: Funke is the perfect encapsulation of the words "elegant" and "glamorous" in this draped sequined head turner. The dress alone is BEYOND and she keeps it simple with classic Christian Louboutin Pigalle pumps, a bangle and a clutch.
What a stunning lady!
See our previous Funke Fowler features here and our features on her boutique (Leila Fowler) here.
What/Why: The theme of the night was gold, but these two ladies didn't take it too literally. Love Doyin's metallic brocade cutout dress & red nails, and Tokini's gorgeous heavily sequined off-shoulder top and retro red watch. Metallics and sequins with a pop of colour? Yes, please!
Why: Ifeoma has made quite a name for herself on Lagos's style circuit for her styling work, her personal style, and/or both. She's usually demure, chic, and absolutely stunning and she doesn't veer too far from her fashion "code of conduct" in this maxi jersey dress and chunky statement necklace. What a perfect staple look for spring and what a beautiful smile!
why: funke is easily one of lagos's most stylish and most fabulous ladies. always impeccable, always memorable, usually one of the highlights of any red carpet. her bold statement necklace and simple clutch are the perfect complement to her gorgeous, gorgeous grecian-style one-shoulder maxi dress. absolutely beautiful in the most understated way.
xo
p.s. join the leila fowler facebook fan page for more photos and updates.
where: the opening of the MANGO store at the Palms Mall, Lagos, Nigeria
why: ijeoma's look throws various elements in the mix - an embellished dress, bright christian louboutin suede pumps, a tweed purse, and a layered pearl bracelet - and somehow, they all work together in concert. can't say we're surprised! this lady clearly knows a thing or two about style. gorgeous girl!
where: wedding ceremony of alima oyofo and abdumalik muazi
why: LDA rocks the heck out of what we imagine to be her own creation, featuring the most stunning lace fabric and sequin detailing contrasted with the most gorgeous fuschia shoulder pads (genius!). way to tackle several trends in the most understated, elegant way. her brooches infuse her signature victorian era air and act as the perfect punctuation to this blog-worthy look. a very well-deserved 10/10.
we've never been particular about wristwatches...in fact, we're not the biggest role-models when it comes to accessories, period. more recently, however, we've had a change of heart and we know as much as the next girl that accessories can help step things up a notch. 2 watches in particular have caught our eyes:
the love affair started when we saw a friend's skagen and it had us ooh-ing and aah-ing. it looked super expensive so we thought we'd do more research and found that it's actually super reasonable! the mesh band makes it an unusual and fabulous choice. get it here for $115 or on ebay for much, much less, lol.
what a fun option and way to add instant spice to an outfit. toy watch has definitely created a winning formula: neon + plasteramic bands = LOVE. get it here for $195.
we're really diggin' mom-to-be ellen pompei's tie-dye embroidered caftan. it's the perfect, loose go-to piece for lounging & running errands. it's even quite the statement maker if well-accessorized like so:
yet another staple piece africa has brought to the table!! *breakdancing* alas, fall is almost upon some of us so caftans may not work as well as they might in the summer months. if you're fortunate enough to have summer all year round, please prance around in a caftan for the less fortunate among us :-)
we're big fans of the re-rock. who cares if you've worn it three, four, THIRTEEN times? british/nigerian actress & model tolula adeyemi clearly gets it, pictured above and below in two pairs of louis vuitton spicy sandals. and she loves her LV clutch, too! right now, we're rocking our american apparel raglan sweatshirts! if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? so, tell us, anything in particular you rocked and re-rocked to death this summer? we're curious. please share :-)
[mischa barton @ the i heart ronson celebration, aug 2009]
we've been obsessing over statement necklaces recently...so when we spotted mischa barton's knotted rope-like piece, it instantly reminded us of a piece we stumbled on a few days ago, by etsy seller fabricandlines:
we've been glued to the 2010 resort shows and so far, there are many, many pieces we covet. more on that soon. right now, we're fascinated by Prada's tribal meets twiggy direction:
could this be the future of the tribal chic trend? have you ever paired a collared shirt with an african print skirt? will you be trying this look?
we LOVE us some tracy, we love us some black...and since ms. ross has been wearing a helluva lotta black lately, we thought we'd do a little tribute to her style:
we're digging the leather detail on her kimono-style dress and her gorgeous teal louboutin declic (?) pumps - they're such a clever alternative to simply throwing on bright red or yellow shoes.
o o o
her look her is pretty muted but her hair looks fabulous, as are her cutout pumps. the dress itself is pretty darn stunning. as with the look above, she keeps her accessories to the barest minimum.
o o o
watch her work :-) we LOVE that she spiced this look up with the givenchy pumps that we kinda sorta own (fine, it's the steve madden version, lol), her red nail varnish, and her black + gold oval ring (not pictured here, but see below). again, it's the little things.
o o o
bright lipstick, gorgeous hair, a simple but fantastic dress + black accessories = 10/10. the woman doesn't take breaks, lol.
altogether now...*GASP*. lol. what more is there to say? people shouldn't be allowed to be this fabulous.
if we could have a closet full of any designer's pieces this spring/summer, alexander wang would definitely be one of our top considerations. let's face it, a couple of key wang pieces here and there = magic dust. yup, magic dust. don't believe us? we'll prove it to you:
as far as blazers go this season, here's one blazer that packs a punch. double-breasted? check. pockets? check. tailored to perfection? CHECK! what more is there to want?!
if it's the 80's you're into, here's a loose sikk-crepe tank to help you on your way. one strategically-placed pocket and voila! more perfection.
'tis the season for all things white and all things draped & this skirt tackles both trends in one breath. LOVE.
we're also majorly digging this fabulous silk dress fit for spring's goddess. grab some pumps, turn on the 'tude and you're good to go. break some necks while you're at it!
last but not the least, the sheer genius of this piece is almost enough to make us want to fork out $795. pattern familiar? well, amber rose did wear that ridiculously hot wang dress:
be still my beating...everything!
for more inspiration, watch and learn:
...and for more information on the featured pieces, shopbop is the way to go! any pieces stick out for you?
we're not listening to the naysayers on this one - we think this dress is spectacular. love it, want it, not ashamed to admit it! we especially like that she's wearing it just the way we would - hair pulled back, no accessories, no drama. beyonce, full marks on this one. and maybe even bonus points. yes, we said bonus points :-)
...and here we were thinking we brought the house down in our blinged out obama tees, lol. ms. faturoti looks positively FABULOUS!!!!! anyone know where she lives? lol. on a totally related note, how did you celebrate president obama's inauguration? blinged out tees, too? :-)
we love etro's take on the global trend. here's a look that works because each element is distinct but still very much in concert with the rest. blazers are a timeless addition to any wardrobe and this season's as good a time as any to invest in a spunky piece. we recommend army green blazers or parkas because they're great for the transitional season/summer and they also work very well across the board i.e. whether you're wearing jeans, a dress, or a skirt. speaking of skirts, delightful prints are quite may-jah this season so an alternative to this etro piece shouldn't be terribly hard to find. if bright colors are not your thing, you can tone the look down by going the flowery route or by incorporating your favorite a-line ankara (african print) or adire/tie-dye skirt. just keep things interesting :) the shirt keeps things preppy and chic and the stacked heels are the perfect accessory and add a dash of earthiness with their brown tones. long story short, don't be afraid to pick and mix :)
who ran it? okay, just kidding. but it was love at first sight with this dress by MLH when we first stumbled on it @ shopbop. personally, we'd rather contrast the fabulous detailing on this dress with more subdued accessories...but ashanti does the exact opposite. which do you prefer?
***
like ashanti's shoes? well, they're by gucci and they're available here in black.
***
thoughts on the look and accessories? we'd love to hear from you!