Spread Love: Derek Lawlor Spring/Summer 2010

 

Derek Lawlor - British knitwear/fashion genius - translated his elaborate spring/summer 2010 collection into a "back to basics" shoot. Incredible pieces aside, we love the tranquil, rustic setting, complete with huts and greenery, and new face (at least to us), model Layola. What's most charming, however, is how Africa continues to work its way into the most unexpected of narratives and in the most unexpected ways. Knitwear and huts? Yes, please.

 See the entire spread here.

XO

throwback: liya kebede for the new york times [2007]

absolutely love these images of liya kebede from a 2007 new york times style spread titled "african queen". while the use of outstanding statement jewelry and print is how africa-inspired fashion is now often portrayed, we can't help but adore the charm liya lends to these photos.

have a great weekend!

xo

paying attention: the NY Times//designing to an afro beat

[l-r: SUNO NY spring/summer 2009; rodarte spring 2010; na'vi, a character from the movie AVATAR]

in october 2009, we blogged about an article from the New York Times titled "putting african style on the page." once again, the NYT focuses on africa's influence on mainstream culture in a recent piece titled "designing to an afro beat." we're glad africa is slowly but surely getting its due recognition.

read the article here and view its accompanying slideshow, "the in continent", here.

xo

spread love: vogue paris nov 2009

stumbled on this recent interpretation of the "tribal trend". there are endless (and endlessly fascinating) ways to incorporate africa:

also, some photos in this spread include pieces from prada's resort collection, which we dubbed "tribal meets twiggy" here. good to know we were right in calling the fabric africa-inspired :-)

see more here.

xo

africa-inspired: voodoo girls

we're digging this africa-inspired spread from our new-found online love, ghubar magazine, a cutting edge publication devoted to global style.






about the spread: featuring designs from juneshop, as seen in ghubar magazine's june edition. see previous and future editions here.

enjoy!

xo

spotlight: suno ny resort 2010

suno ny's latest offerings have a relaxed fluidity about them, complete with brights, plaid, and checkered print. while suno's first collection was decidedly africa-inspired through and through, subsequent collections have paid silent homage to africa through styling and accessories, including the use of stacked bangles and head wraps. that said, there seems to be a thread of continuity running through the 3 collections we've seen so far especially where accessories are concerned...however, the strong africa influence isn't as apparent as when suno first reared its head. in any case, we're keeping one eye on the suno ny brand and the other on those gorgeous african print wedges ;-)

see the entire resort collection here and here.

xo

spotlight: alek wek

[alek wek for i-d magazine]

the very striking alek wek caught our eyes several weeks ago and we thought we'd share. in the first photo (above), alek wek lends her grace and elegance to a modern interpretation of the "tribal" trend, complete with her mid-dance stance, her ubiquitous louis vuitton spicy sandals, her feather-covered louis vuitton top, and assorted stacked bangles. we're not too sure about the pile on her head and think photo would've been even more fascinating without it. all in all, alek wek brings a breath of fresh air to the "tribalness" of things and we can't say we're not pleased.

o o o

in photo 2, shot for vogue nippon, yellow has never been so beautiful against such a sharp canvas of gorgeous brown skin. her incredible smile seals the deal and makes this photo captivating in its simplicity.

thoughts?

xo

images: google images

africa-inspired: styled by camille yvette

(styled by camille yvette)

o o o

our new obsession with african-print jackets and blazers led us here. africa continues to be a tried and tested muse for many-a-fashion spread this season, and we continue to be thrilled by the many interpretations of the africa trend. wherever there are spunky print jackets and obi-style belts, that's where you'll find us.

xo

buzz: being "afrikan"

it was bound to happen, wasn't it? you sit and joke that someday soon, someone will make african-print scrunchies. and then it happens. now available here in "white black afrika" and "red black afrika".

scrunch on?

oh, and if you want an african-print headband as well...



...look no further!

and if it's african-print dresses (or "afrikan-print dresses" to you) and tops that are your thing:



click here!

see american apparel's full "afrika" range here and please let us know your thoughts!

xo

event: prada resort 2010 show//tribal meets twiggy?

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?

more photos from prada's collection here.

xo

who wore what: DJ rashida in boxing kitten by Maya Lake

about a year ago, we posted the following picture of DJ Rashida on our facebook profile:

we later identified that she was wearing a piece from out-of-NY brand boxing kitten. ms. rashida was also spotted yesterday at the MTV awards pre-party rocking another boxing kitten piece, previously worn elsewhere:



LOVE!

[want it? get it online here.]

o o o

boxing kitten is a brand that's been spotted on a number of celebrities including erykah badu and fatima robinson...




...and it's a celebration of african-american heroines in the most stunning african-print fabric:






see more fabulous pieces here and here and be sure to shop here, here, and here!

xo

africa-inspired: rachel roy spring '09

[estelle in rachel roy @ the MoMA awards as first seen here]

estelle's tribal chic dress @ the MoMA awards prompted us to take a close look at Rachel Roy's spring '09 collection to see if she had more africa-inspired offerings. sure enough, she does! here they are:





looks like ms. roy drew inspiration from mali's traditional mudcloth and injected it with a dose of modernity. that one-handed dress has our names all over it! africa, grecian-style? we're majorly digging it. with that said, rachel roy's entire collection is worth taking a look at here.

xo

africa-inspired: marni summer '09

[photo courtesy of moodboard]

we spotted hot model of the moment lakshmi menon in this month's vogue wearing some african print pants. turns out they're from Marni's summer "tribal circle" collection:









Marni also has a "tribal wave" collection, consisting of pieces such as the following:



thoughts?

visit marni online here.

xo

spotlight: suno fall 2009

our first encounter with Suno NY by Max Osterweis was several weeks ago and we blogged about his use of kangas and african print here. this fall, Suno takes a walk on the wild side - lots of mixing and matching, clashing and more clashing, and some african print thrown in for good measure. as we've said before, many designers are looking at africa much less literally (i.e. they're not simply making ankara skirts) and are now incorporating it with a mish mash of other influences. here's a closer look at Suno's fall '09 collection:








more photos here.

thoughts?

xo