ShopAfrica online: virgos lounge

we mentioned a few weeks ago that we were looking forward to the launch of virgos lounge, a new e-boutique for decadent vintage and vintage-inspired dresses, run by nigerian ladies :-) the store is now up and running and the pieces are absolutely ah-mazing!!!! oh, and they're offering free delivery on all UK orders! what are you waiting for?!?!?!?

happy shopping!

xo

SLiq TV: virgos lounge

all 3 members of team SLiq have many, many things in common, not least of which is our abiding love of vintage. we realize this makes us like several other people :-) entirely too many hours are spent trawling through ebay, etsy's vintage section, and several other websites, looking for that perfect cocktail dress or leather satchel. so much excitement ensued when we stumbled on the ladies at the virgos lounge blog's new project. shortly, they will debut their first vintage-inspired collection as well as carefully and thoughtfully selected vintage pieces, all of which will be available for purchase online. watch the behind-the-scenes proceedings here:

get excited!!!!!! more info here.

xo

ShopAfrica: Zebra @ ladyee boutique :-)

[Zebra's helios tulip dress now available @ ladyee boutique here!!!]

VERY exciting news, you guys! we were catching up on ladyee's blog today and we found out that ladyee now stocks Zebra dresses! if you've known us long enough, you know we're major fans of Ladyee Boutique and we're proud of its growth over the last year. we haven't had the pleasure of meeting Wande (the original ladyee herself) yet but in our exchanges with her, she has been exceedingly warm, gracious, and an absolute delight. her success as an entrepreneur warms our hearts in no small way because we've watched her from the sidelines from the beginning and we're excited by her steady and encouraging growth. her move to incorporate Zebra pieces is absolute genius and we hope she'll someday be THE one-stop boutique for western and out-of-africa brands.

go Wande!!!! :-)

shop Zebra pieces and several other delightful pieces from black halo, pleasure doing business, stop staring and many more here @ prices you're guaranteed to love!

xo

spotlight/fyi: toju foyeh + zebra

hello folks :-) we spotted some new pieces from two of our favorite out-of-nigeria brands, toju foyeh and zebra. toju foyeh continues with her tradition of fabulous fabric with modern interpretations, while zebra keeps it down-to-earth and classy. here you go:

TOJU FOYEH







more here.

o o o

ZEBRA

a few weeks ago, we noted some fun aspects of Zebra's latest fashion show, Urban Nectar. now, courtesy of facebook, we bring you pictures of the pieces on display:







more here.

interestingly, as seems to be the trend these days, a number of out-of-africa/nigeria brands don't place as much of an emphasis on african print. there seems to be a deliberate move to incorporate other types of fabric. perhaps it's a response to nigeria's weak retail sector or a move from often cliche interpretations of african print to more experimental cotton/chiffon/lace, etc. pieces. what say you?

xo

wanted: onna ehrlich's "rachael"

we've been loving this purse looong time...and in our bid to support our fellow africans and invest in more quality pieces, we just might be ready to take the plunge. versatile, roomy, leather -- what's not to love? granted, $650 is a little much but then again, quality seldom comes at rock bottom prices. this purse comes in a variety of colors but we're leaning towards the cognac one above. it's a lovely shade of brown to have handy. which do you prefer?

more here.

interestingly enough, botkier has a very similar purse:





the side zip detailing definitely adds some extra edge if that's what you're into.

more here and here.

any other brands we should know about? share!

xo

we'd rather be in Lagos/event: MINT CONDITION

yes, we said it -- we'd rather be in lagos. lots and lots of exciting events coming up this weekend...that we can't attend...BECAUSE WE'RE NOT IN LAGOS! :-( also, unfortunately, we have these things called jobs, projects, and no $$ to fuel our jets (...) so we're just going to have to make do with pictures. all that said, we're especially looking forward to MINT CONDITION. why should you care? well, registered members of the FASHION AUCTION HOUSE will be able to bid on the most fabulous pieces from some of the most enviable closets...and if that's not enough to convince you to go, we don't know what else to tell you! a little more about FASHION AUCTION HOUSE, maybe? it's the brainchild of tokini peterside and basically,

"Fashion Auction House specialises in luxury fashion items, and is an independent, transparent intermediary between collectors and lovers of beautiful things."

beautiful things like this:



and this:



and many, many more here.

like we said, WE'D RATHER BE IN LAGOS :-(

find out more about MINT CONDITION here...

...and while you're at it, drop by tokini's FASHION AUCTION HOUSE blog here.

questions? please ask :-)

xo

spotlight: onna ehrlich

what do all these fabulous purses have in common, you ask? they're all designed by nigerian handbag designer extraordinaire, onna ehrlich:



there's very little we love more than african designers getting global recognition. in a fast-paced world where most things are available at the click of a mouse, it's always great to see africans taking advantage of the exposure. we're always extra glad when our favorite designers get websites (e-commerce is the way forward y'all. spread the word.) and become easily accessible via e-mail (or facebook!!). we're in love with onna's designs and can't wait to own several of her pieces. to purchase yours, please visit her website and see what catches your fancy. speaking of purchasing, blondette has an ongoing sale on onna ehrilch purses here. shop away!

xo

p.s. more video footage here.

spotlight: ladyee boutique

hello folks! just breezing through to let you know that you need to visit ladyee boutique TODAY. it's nigerian-owned (by Yewande Durojaiye) and it offers a lovely array of designers, including black halo and jully kang (more on her later). oh, did we mention that there's an ongoing grand opening sale? yup, so head on over there and save about fifty bucks on this black halo dress:

$292.50 @ ladyee boutique, $345 elsewhere! 'nuff said.

join ladyee's facebook group here
and become a fan here

xo!

news: t.w.o., sorrela, ikechukwu onyewuenyi

helloooooooooo! we're back! well, for as long as our good internet karma doesn't run out :) hope you've all been well...assuming anyone still visits this blog, hehehe. okay, let's get down to business before our internet connection goes mental! here are a few things that have caught our eyes in the last few weeks:

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T.W.O

we're probably the last people to stumble on ankara/african print heaven, but here's our two cents anyway! we'll be the first to say that we're fascinated by the many, many, MANY forms ankara can take and glad to see three young ladies trying to raise the stakes. yes, everyone and their mama's doing it but it's great to see ready-to-wear that's only an order form away at some of the most competitive prices we've seen so far. let's face it -- they're running a business, and while your tailor in lagos is probably well-able to copy and paste these designs for a fraction of the cost, their prices are not so ridiculous that we can't support them. head on over to their blog or facebook group for more details :) lots and lots of gorgeous pieces! we're especially in serious like with their work collection and how well ankara fits in with other fabrics or more classic pieces like the white shirt. gone are the days (well, at least for us) of being decked out in ankara from head-to-toe! mix-and-match is the monotone :) great job, ladies!!

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SORRELA

you've also probably heard about SORRELA, your new one-stop destination for fabulous accessories. we like, we like, we like!!! more here :)

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IKECHUKWU ONYEWUENYI

last but certainly not the least, make sure you support ikechukwu onyewuenyi of chike-ikechi (we're majorly addicted to this blog!) here as he fills the vacuum in menswear blogs. more grease :)

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we'll be right back! stay tuned to our facebook page for updates! GOSH, we've missed you!

xo

p.s. a very, very special shoutout to bobby taylor :) you do such fantastic, inspiring work and we're so honored to have you drop by! thank you :)))