BLACK AND WHITE

I attended the FALL INTO FASHION EVENT HOSTED BY BOULEVARD OF CHIC this past weekend by the Inner Harbor. I was invited as a VIP Blogger to cover the event which was such an honor. I met a great number of people and made a few connections. Networking is everything! Despite the drop in temperatures (it was 43 degrees but it felt like 19) the turn out was great. Read more on the event here....

(5 hours earlier....)

     Ever had a day where nothing looks good on you. Absolutely nothing!! It can be quite frustrating. Especially if it is an event, a fashion event, where pictures will be taken, and a lot of mingling happening. I look at the pile of clothes over flowing my bed in utter dismay. This can’t be life. (Oh! About that pile of clothes. I started this thing on being organized, or at least, getting things organized.  You know what they say when you have things in order. It’s easier to find whatever you are looking for, you feel more at peace…bla bla bla.  Number one rule of getting things in order is to remember the extreme importance of returning things where you found them. Ha!)

So here I am, trying to figure out what to wear, the pile of clothes on my bed already forming an impressive mini-hill and I ignore the gentle voice in my head says something about returning things where I found them. The hangers are strewn on the floor, I can't find that stole I had on a minute ago, and I’m about to fall flat on the floor because of a shoe that I had kicked off earlier trying to put a few looks together!! My goodness!! ORDER  has walked out the door and it’s evil twin chaos is about to walk in.

Sadly, I don’t have the patience to put that first rule of thumb in good use. I recall no one ever goes wrong with a black and white ensemble. Boom!

(I usually know what I will wear in advance, and I at times, I even lay out the outfit a day before, but sometimes, those looks don’t look as good as I thought they did the day before**I might have gained weight overnight because the waist band on my pretty laid out skirt is too snug, must be the cupcake***…and on being organized, I am, at least I like to think that I am. It’s not the  “color coded, folded as the GAP store, hangers 2 inches apart, OCD CRAZY,” but organized all together.)

I decide to tackle my mini pile of clothes when I get back home. I still adhere to the rule of thumb (at the back of my mind) just not immediately because…who wants to be late for an event right?

So here I am in black and white ensemble because when all fails, black and white will always be there to save the day.

Photo Cred: Teri Q

Thanks for stopping by. xx

THE BOMAS OF KENYA

      Nostalgia took me back to the Bomas of Kenya. I remember taking school trips to the Bomas back in primary school, singing songs on the bus trip, giggling and talking incessantly. At the time, I was more excited to miss out on the classes of that particular day and spend the day with my friends.

      Kenya is a country of 52 or more tribes living together, they all have their different set of cultures and lifestyle. I could go on a breakdown of the tribes just to show you how much I paid attention in class, but that’s a dissertation meant for another time. The name ‘Boma’ is a Swahili word for homestead. The Bomas of Kenya gives a visual aspect of how the tribes lived in the past. Potraying an insight into their social, cultural, and economic backbone setup of the tribes, pre colonialism. It’s also a preservation of our rich history for future generations.

 Then there is me, in my usual heels, soaking it all in. I had just left a meeting rocking a very neutral look with shades of black, white, and grey then decided to stop by the Bomas.

Peeking out through a watch tower of the Mijikenda Boma.

Photo Cred: Stella Nonny

Walking from one homestead to the next was such a thrill for my sister Nonny and I. We peeked through the watch towers, stepped through a tiny tiny doors of  thatched huts, the little granaries on the compound, and trying to come up with stories of how each the tribes lived their lives. It is amazing how so much changed post colonialism. Although Kenya has become more westernized, we have not forsaken parts of our rich culture. 

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend.