Arise Magazine Fashion Week 2012 - My Favourite Street Style Looks

The best part, undoubtedly, of any fashion week, be it the Big Four (New York, London, Milan, Paris) or any of the interminable number happening in various cities around the world; are the street style looks.

Fashion Week tends to bring out the savvy and not so savvy fashionistas within us and knowing Nigerians propensity to go large or go home I'd been eagerly waiting street style snaps from Arise Magazine Fashion Week 2012. My people definitely did not disappoint, I spotted a lot of great looks and some I'd rather not see again in polite company, but overall people brought it beautifully.

These pictures I've appropriated from the various websites that were kind enough to keep those of us who could not attend updated on the goings on are my favourite looks out of everything I've seen so far. It might be a particular accessory, pair of shoes or the entire outfit but these are the ones that definitely made me take a second look, and I present them in no particular order.

I am loving everything about this, the carelessly rolled sleeves, the statement neck candy, dominatrix type shoes and the gorge blend of colour and neutrals.

 I thought this lady looked so casual and carefree, definitely not trying too hard. The print skirt and jade multi strand necklace are fab.

 Wokie of Madam Wokie is totally working the pussybow "schoolgirl" look, I especially love the stacked animal print platforms.

 I LOVED this look, the python print top, emerald pleated maxi skirt, strappy platforms, tri-colour clutch and the piece de resistance.....her uber cool 60s John Lennon type sunnies. So not typical but definitely winning.

 I like the high collar on the dress and the bold pink + red pairing, but the reason I like this look goes beyond the outfit, I think its more of her stance/expression. Definitely made me look.

 Very creative dress by Re Bahia, I like the mixed material, fabulous ombre hair and cat-eye sunglasses. Love.

 Loving this retro goth look by Adaobi. I especially like the rimmed sunnies and sheer, polka dot shirt.

 You can't go wrong with sheer in my book (well I'm sure some people can) and I love the understated, easy look this girl is giving me here. Great smile too.

 Fantastic pop of colour and gorge sequin skirt from Toke Makinwa. Loving the combination.

Very interesting outfits by Eku Edewor , my favourite is definitely the clashing prints of the shirt and pants of the picture on the left, the fabulous shoes with lucite heels and the gorge bag; very well put together. The white playsuit and blazer on the right are very Chanel-esque. Top marks. 

 Always a delight to see someone do colour well, love the rolled up cobalt pants and stacked Kente bangles.

 Another very casual, yet seriously stylish look, especially loving the structured bag.

 My girl here looks about 7ft tall and fierce AF, love it! Her shoes are major, on anyone else this look would have been OTT but she just looks amaze.

 Michelle from Bombchell dot com gave us two very different looks; the super ladylike combo of neutral and red and the sports luxe look with the neon trainers and panelled tights. Loving the old school Louis Vuitton graffiti bag.

 This heavily embellished top is amaze! It looks Nigerian but I can't be completely sure, if anyone knows where its from please let me know. Love it!

 Stylist Ezinne Chinkata is totally giving me a holidaying on the Cote d'Azur vibe in the laser cut white shift dress and woven box case, very 60's.

I also like the contrast of the print dress and block collar on the girl of the left.

 I'm really loving the contrast between the print dress and plain white brogues on Ozzy of 4Aces. The statement necklace is a huge plus too.

I never imagined anyone could pull of Jeffrey Campbell Lita's in Nigeria till I saw this photo of Yagazie Emezie from Hungry Aba Gal. The dress, the socks, the shoes, the arm party, the hair A+++++++++ 

 Kike of Style By Queens looks very chic in this lace top and print skirt. Love the ladylike look.

 Onyinye Fafi Obi of Fashion Phoenix worked a fun, playful look in her Elsie Vintage blouse, pleated maxi skirt and O'eclat bag.

 I though this lady looked beautiful, especially the fabric earrings and print skirt. At first look I actually thought she was Nike Osinowo.

 Very playful, retro look. I'm especially loving the hair.

 Despite neon being one of the standout looks this season I saw very little of it at Arise, which is why when I saw these neon jeans I went "A-HA!". Very welcome sight indeed. The multi-tone sandals are ace!

 Love the sleeveless blazer and shoes. Menswear done right.

 The contrast between the peach chiffon top and the gold collar necklace is definitely a win, very interesting blouse structure. Great hair too.

Clashing prints, harem pants, huge statement necklaces; this lady threw in a lot of my favourite aesthetics. I'm loving the combination.

So these are some of my favourite looks so far, I haven't seen street style photos from Saturday and Sunday so the minute they are up on the usual sites I'll start compiling my favourites from them too. Its hard to pick one standout look but from all the ones I've posted here I definitely have two that stood out for me above the others.

What are your favourite looks and which ones do you think I might have chosen for my top two.


photo credits: bellanaija.com, neks2u.com, bombchell.com, 4aces.com, madam-wokie.blogspot.com

A Little Bit More

Back home and feeling miles better, I think my body decided to heal itself after I went to the GP and they simply refused to give me any drugs, like flat out refused. The struggle for medicine is bad enough I had to feign being near death before I was even given an appointment, the NHS takes the piss for real, I don't blame them, its because its free, if I were paying for the service I'd drown myself in drugs. Anyhoo I got through it with the help of Lemsip and Vitamin C.

Something else that has been giving me joy lately are the street style photos from Arise, I won't say much here because I intend to do a long, detailed post about it when Fashion Week is over but overall I was really impressed. Way more hits than misses and of course knowing Nigerians when we bomb we bomb spectacularly. The misses were beautiful, simply orgasmic. Sites that have been keeping me well entertained have been Bella Naija, Neks2U, Madam Wokie, Bombchell and 4Aces.

Before I left Londres I met up with my boo Terence of One Nigerian Boy for drinks at Hix, the champagne bar at Selfridges. He proceeded to show off the capabilities of his amazeballs Fujifilm X10 bridge camera, like that camera is amazing. Its looks proper vintage-ey with the embossed plastic covering but has all the capabilities of a DSLR without the bulkiness. You guys can tell I'm a little obsessed with cameras right now and will probably be so until I decide which one to get.

Thanks to everyone who helped me out in the comment section of my last post, I've def taken all the advice into consideration, I got some good tips re the Canon T3i and the Nikon D60 from Cherchez la Curl. Now I spend my days reading internet reviews everyday, I need to make sure I'm 110% sure before I get something I'll eventually regret.

I LOVE this camera, the images are so sharp you can practically read the labels on the wine bottle. Well not really but nothing wrong with a little hyperbole.

Attempting to pout and failing miserably, I'm really not cut out for these coquettish, ingenue moves. I'll leave it to the 5"5 girls with D cups and 45 inch hips and stick to my usual bitch face. Tall girls give awesome bitch face.

Topshop leather motorcycle jacket
Topshop ribbed mini
Gucci scarf
River Island neon loafers

His nose ring is hella cool but my liver does not stretch that far, I once got an eyebrow piercing when I was 19 but took it out before I got home. I tried to imagine rationalizing a pierced eyebrow to my parents and came up with nothing so I decided to just avoid an untimely death and take it out.


Later that night I went to Busaba Eathai to have dinner with Erenma who I haven't seen in yonks. Have I said how much I love Busaba? I think I've mentioned it, maybe a bit. I have a very unadventurous palate and when I find something I like I tend to stick to it, no gastro experiments for me.

Busaba does an excellent chilli prawn fried rice which I have every single time I go there, I've considered kidnapping one of their chefs and holding him ransom till he gives me the recipe. Like, that dish is sublime. If you go there you need to try the Jasmine smoothie too, top notch.

The worst thing about Busaba though are the fact that all the seats are benches with no back support, by the time I'm done eating my spine is begging for Feldene, backaches for days.

Remz!


Remz is def in my top 5 funniest people I know list. Case in point there was some girl we saw at the table next to us who was flashing an unseemly amount of skin, I pointed her out to Remz and was like "check out that chick with the exposed thighs", Remz takes one look and goes "that's not even an exposed thigh, that's an exposed buttock". May not sound funny here but I fell of my bench with laughter, tears in my eyes etc. I had to be calmed down.

Fun trip but after a while I started panting for home, don't know if its just me but prolonged stays in other people's houses; no matter how luxurious; make me tres uncomfortable, even people who are practically family.

There's truly nothing like being in your own space.

Love and light xx

Denaki Fine Lingerie Boutique - Providing Delicate Intimate Apparel For The Women Of Lagos

Women all over Lagos will be delighted with the luxurious and flirtatious lingerie selection offered atDenaki. The boutique opened its doors on Wednesday 22nd February 2012 at Pees Galleria – a shopping mall located in the heart of Ikoyi, Lagos.The brand new boutique provides an intimate setting in which customers can purchase high quality lingerie.

Denaki promises outstanding customer service and showcases a selection of the finest dainties by several well known designers including a range by a Nigerian lingerie designer.

The one stop boutique also features highly trained personal service associates who are on site daily to provide individual fittings and personalised recommendations on what works best for all body types.

Eki Eguavoen (Owner and CEO of Denaki Lingerie Boutique) said “Our goal is to provide lingerie to girls and women to enable them live fashionably and comfortably and by doing so, we support their aspirations to be their best every single day”

More Photos of the store

For further details please

• Visit Denaki Store, Pees Galleria, 2A Osborne Road, Ikoyi, Lagos
• Call 08060180583
• E-mail info@denakilingerie.com

Pink & Purple

I'm as embarrassed about my highly unimaginative post title as you are, but its hella stressy coming up with a new title every time, you have no idea. Added to that I am currently laid low by illness once again so my brain feels like heavy eba drowned in a bowl of ofe-uha.

I used to believe I was some kind of health super-hero, like I never ever got sick, apart from my once yearly bout of malaria, I was always in prime physical condition. I've never being put on a drip, I've never been admitted in hospital, I've never had to get stitches, I've never being unconscious....basically I've been living in a frigging bubble. Over the past 6 months however, I've caught every nasty bug that just floats by me, normally I'm a demon for sanitizing and not touching stuff in public and all but since my immune system crashed I've become a germophobe to the nth degree. It didn't help that I saw Contagion while I was in the throes of soul sapping flu, after seeing that movie I don't even like to shake people anymore. Despite all these precautions I still fall ill at the drop of a hat.

The first two days in London were fine and warm but from Saturday the weather turned icy and my health plummetted, I spent the entire trip clutching Night Nurse and antibiotics in one hand and my Scapular in the other. Therefore I got into very few hijinks and my pictures are very tame indeed.

As usual my jolloff rice, my tomato Jos; Molly, was housing me for the duration and on Thursday we attended my friend Jnrs birthday do.

Bershka blazer
H&M tank
Topshop high waist pants
ASOS oversize envelope clutch
Topshop jewelery

Molly Mols was rocking her Virgos Lounge Ruby Maxi. She was the first person I ever saw in Virgos Lounge, she fed me the VL gospel and I became a convert, I have gone on to preach the word of Virgos Lounge, winning souls everywhere I go.

Seriously though, I know tons of people who have bought VL because of my rhapsodies.

I hadn't eaten a thing that day and Jnr did not disappoint, the lems were solid, I ate till I could eat no more. Would have taken a picture of the food table but at least 60% of the damage done to the food was by me and it would have been very shameful to put the evidence of my gluttony on here.

 Jnr

Adanna




The next day I'd already started to feel a bit wonky but I was determined not to be a party pooper so we went to Trader Vics for dinner and then a bar later on for drinks.


I actually got this Ponti dress for my little sister who's 14 so its a size 8, which is a US 4. Th dear child is about 5"8 or 5"9 so even though she's skinny AF I have to buy her bigger sizes or they'd be too short on her. Anyhoo Mrs. U thought it looked too grown up on her so I decided to keep it and what would you know, it fit like a glove. I never knew I could fit into a size 4...it was a glorious day.

ASOS Ponti dress
Topshop earrings and double cuffs

Hung out with my school grandmother (yes, you read right), Nne.

Let me break it down; when I was in JSS1 at Vivian Fowler, my school mother Ngozi was in SS1 and her school mother was Nne, who was in SS2 or SS3 at the time or so. Therefore, she's my "grandmother".

Very cool story.

Could not keep Molly from spoiling the picture, smh.


Took this picture at the end of the night which was when the fever and shakes had started, I'm definitely looking significantly worse for wear.

I managed to still venture out a bit after that, but nothing too serious, mostly lunches and dinners and a bit of shopping. Definitely no more bars or anything.

Someone needs to invent a vaccine that stops flu completely, I'll do anything to get my hands on something like that.

Meanwhile I'm having a bit of a dilenma, I have finally decided to join 2012 and get a proper camera. I hung out with my friend Terence of OneNigerianBoy the other day (pictures to come) and he has the most fabulously retro inspired Fujufilm bridge camera which I was totally panting after. I'd made up my mind to buy it when I saw a Canon G12 bridge camera too, now I'm torn. Do I get a bridge camera or just go the whole hog and get an SLR one, and if SLR is my best bet what kind would you recommend?

I really need help, I'm clueless about this kind of stuff. My problem with the SLR ones is you have to change lenses and that sounds like a bit of wahala to me. Is it really worth it?

Help!

Love and light xx