FLORALS

My friends, Suzz, Kez and I travelled to Massachusetts over a month ago for Suz's cousin pre-wedding event.  We did a little road trip listening to mixes on sound cloud and singing to boy bands of the 90s on Pandora . The music had as grooving in the car we were about to pull over on the highway to bust a couple of moves. We had to let our inner dancing queens calm down and have a karaoke session sing at the top of our lungs backstreet’s , “I want it that way….!!”. That 6hr drive seemed like an hour drive. I guess that’s what happens when you are enjoying yourself.

Jojo and Victor were our wonderful hosts during our stay in Massachusetts. We had a  great catching up and bonding over stories. What I remember most was the laughter. We laughed so much that I think my ribs got a little crack and my thighs got sore from all the slapping that I did. Nothing like laughter!! Those moments where you laugh so hard that  no noise is coming out so you are left sitting there dapping like a retarded seal then when you stop laughing, you look up at your friend who is still laughing, and it starts all over again!!! Pure joy.... Good times indeed!!

I can’t stay away from florals. Seriously!! It’s like an obsession. I love color and flowers just evoke all things colorful. They give life. To anything and everything and that is what I thought about my midi dress. It gave me LIFE!! Anyone crazy about midi’s? I love them. So classy and ladylike!!

I found this pretty number on ASOS and I had my name smeared all over it. It’s a neoprene dress that hugs the body in all the right places. The little cut out lives the rest to the imagination. I had to have it!!! Even the salmon colored, high-heeled sandals had petals too!!

Suz took the pictures before heading out to the event and I had one taken of us as well. Her dress had petal sleeves that were so divine. Definitely, a floral thing!!!

DRESS: ASOS, SHOES: SHOEDAZZLE, BAG: F21

SUZ DRESS: BEBE, SHOES: ALDO, CLUTCH: DSW

THRIFTED VINTAGE AND MUSIC

Helloooo everybody. Hope everyone is doing great!!! I have been hunkered down for a couple of weeks. The arctic blast that has been hitting the nation and the relentless snow storms have made me dread even walking to my car. Can winter be over already? I am even ready for 30-degree temperatures. Any digit under 20 is an abomination. LordT! Anyone on the East coast will definitely agree with me.

I took an opportunity to take a few pictures for my outfit this past weekend. Qui and I were heading to the Hugh Masekela concert that was being held at the Listner Auditorium of the George Washington University in DC. Qui was the one who got me started on Hugh Masekela one night while chilling in the house with my brother Kim. We had been listening to songs by TKZee, Mafikizolo, Brenda Fassie and had dubbed it South Africa night,Qui was quite baffled that we hadn’t heard of Hugh Masekela.  Hugh Masekela is a world-renowned flugelhornist, trumpeter, bandleader, composer, singer, and defiant poltical voice who remaines deeply connected to his South African home .Late last month I happened to scroll by a tweet that mentioned Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela would be on a tour. The tour was to commemorate the 20 years of freedom in South Africa. Quickly clicked on the link and boom, a tour date for February in DC. Qui was over the moon so tickets were quickly purchased. My sister Flo and our friend Moore joined us as well.

Oh my gudddddoooo!!! What a performance!!! I can still hear Hugh blowing the trumpet while Vusi croons melodiously in the background. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Ever wonder what the world would be without music? I shudder at the thought. Before starting on a number, they would explain the origin of the song, or the thought behind it, especially the ones that were sang during Apartheid. They spoke how South Africa forged unity as a new nation, the amazing wonders of forgiveness and reconciliation. It was musical poetry at it’s best. They would mostly sing in their native tongue while the harmonic tunes had as in a trance. As the last note was being pulled, you could hear sighs then uproar of hurrahs, enthusiastic hand-claps, and standing ovations.  At one point, folks sitting on the edges of the auditorium wall would stand and start dancing by the aisle. We were smack in the middle so I would forlornly gaze at them wondering why I wasn’t dancing with them. As if Hugh heard my wish, they started a number and had everybody stand up. Super!!! The percussion beats had us busting moves and swaying like true traditional dancers. At the end of their performance they waved to the crowd and left, folks were still clapping and at one point some people started leaving.

They weren’t done yet!!  Encore!!! The band came back to do “Pata Pata” by the late Miriam Makeba. If the uproar that filled the auditorium dint awaken the dead, well, thank GOD it didn’t, we wouldn’t want a walking dead scenario!!  We would end up kicking our shoes and running for the hills. That brings me to my shoes, I had to take them off, so I can get down and be in the groove, I must have broken a sweat. We were grinning and shaking our shoulders in pure joy!!! I get why Qui is such a huge fan.

That performance, was beyond amazing!!! Music is so powerful, you may not understand the language, but you can rezonate with it's beauty. The way it makes you feel. Music, is like a rainbow after a dreary rainy day, it brings color into our lives.

Hugh is currently using his global reach to spread the word about heritage restoration in Africa- a topic that remains very close to his heart.

"My biggest obsession is to show Africans and the world who the people of Africa really are," Masekela confides- and it's this commitment to his home continent that has propelled him forward since he began playing the trumpet.

Check out the Hugh Masekela tour dates by clicking here.

Photo Cred: Qui

For my outfit today, I went all vintagy, if there is anything like that. I haven’t put a look with thrifted finds in a long, long time and my outfit on this day was nothing less. You have probably seen most of this pieces before, I paired the sweater with the dress then for extra warmth, my faux fur coat. 

My darling sissy Flo makes her debut on the blog. Whoop! Whoop! She was nervous about having her pictures on display but I think her look deserved to be on here. She had a satin slip dress with tights and covered with a red jacket with a faux fur stole. We love you PETA! Faux real. :) Her platform heels are so divine, I might borrow (read steal) them lol.

I love the contrast in our styles, Flo took the modern route with the slip dress, so groovy, I took the vintagy route. If I put my pictures in black and white, I would put a circa somewhere on the edge. Check out Winter Trend Report to see what we took from it. As I always say, trends should just be a flavor to your style. Find out what works and what doesn't work for you. Own your style. It's your identity and as writer Gore Vidal says, style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn.

As always thanks for stopping by and have an amazing day.

Flo is rocking

Asos Coat

Slip Satin dress

Tights

Shoedazzle Shoes

Maasai Market Rings

Mac Rebel on the lips

DASHIKI

Since time in memorial, women have been borrowing from the men, well, we don’t usually borrow, we take! Borrowing comes with the intention of giving back, taking, not so much. Borrowing sounds better though. In fashion, womenswear has been borrowing a lot of things from menswear.  From immaculate tailored pants and blazers, to the classic white shirt, and even my outfit today.

The Dashiki is a loose garment worn mostly be men in West Africa. The name dashiki is derived from “Danshiki” a Yoruba term for shirt. It became popular in America in the sixties during the Civil Rights movement. Today, both men and women (clearly) wear it.

I was shooting with Fashion Stylist and Fashion Blogger, Silvia Njoki for another episode of Kenyan Vibe’s, Fashion with Roshie. The location was the beautiful Karen Boutique hotel that gave us a stunning background with it's beautiful architecture and well manicured lawns. My favorite part about shooting the webseries is what I learn from our conversations. Getting to know them and having them discuss what drives them is an eye-opening experience. The passion for what they do is so discernible. Silvia is such a darling and I can't wait for this episode to air.  As I said on ART DECO keep your eyes peeled.

I love how loose and unstructured the dashiki looks. The prints are the focal point to this garment. I might trade it up for a cover-up on a vacation somewhere, but for this shoot I dressed it up with strappy heels and a few accessories.

 Since I'm back, regular all bundled up outfit posts will resume. Hope you got a chance to check out what to wear for some winter inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.

ART DECO

Happy Monday everybody, it’s cold, dreary, and rainy in good ol Baltimore and since we are finishing up with the late posts from Kenya, grab a cup of tea for this one. It’s quite looong.

    New Fashion with Roshie episodes will be up soon on KenyanVibe and on here very soon.  Totally thrilled!! 

     To start me off was a dynamic duo from one of my fave blogs out there, Twomanysiblings. Velma and Papa are the siblings behind the blog and it was so much fun getting to know them. They showcase their unique aesthetic  that combine their mutual love for art and evolving style . As a vintage afficionado, thier candidly taken photos always feels me with nostalgia. They are not just fashion enthusiasts, for them it is a way of life. Velma and Papa have garnered a massive following due to their subtle and very authentic style. Can’t wait for you to watch that episode and get to hear about their journey as bloggers and fashion trend-setters.

     We got to shot in the Central Business District (CBD) of Nairobi as people were going about their day-to-day business. The production team wanted Velma and Papa to choose a location of their choice and they zeroed down on the city!! I'm afraid I might start to spill the beans on this one so all I can say for now is, keep your eyes peeled…

A huge special thanks to my darling sisters Flo and Nimo for being the greatest ASSISTERS ever. Love you guys.

Being a fan of all things Art, I decided to go with an Art-deco print shift dress. Shift dress to hide the effects of those tasty masala fries, you will know why shortly.

For those who are wondering, a shift dress is a columnar dress, usually short, with no defined waist. It doesn’t curve to the body or cinch to the waist. (See what I mean!! Totally loose!!)

The style is simple with very little detailing. Hubert De Givenchy is credited for designing the shift dress in the early sixties. Audrey Hepburn wore a black shift dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and today the film as well as the dress are in the Fashion Hall of Fame.  In 1966, Mary Quant a designer from London also regarded as “queen of mini-skirt” turned the shift dress to the mini-dress.

Designers have embraced art deco and since am on a roll with all this history, here we go. “Art Deco is an elegant style of decorative art, design, and architecture which began as a modernist reaction against the Art Nouveau style.  (Art Nouveau is an elegant decorative art style characterized by intricate patterns of curving lines.) Art Deco is characterized by the use of angular, symmetrical geometric forms and is said to have started in the 1920s.”**(www.artcyclopedia.com)

So they ummm pretty much got tired of the wavy lines and soft curves and decided to go all crazy with angles and shapes!! Nothing wrong with that, I'd rebel too, wavy lines make you dizzy right? Am kidding!! Prada had Art Nouveau inspired designs for their Spring collection.

    The times were changing in the 1920s especially for women and it was regarded as an era of great experimentations. Designers became more innovative in their sewing, draping, extreme detail on seams. Feather and beads were used as well. (Think GREAT GATSBY!! Splendor and glamour!) The use of graphic, abstract print a characteristic of Art Deco came into play as well and is being showcased up to today.

Apart from creating garments, the history of a design/garment is another area of fashion that I’m really passionate about. Absolutely fascinating!!! It’s interesting how my little dress, can take you way back in history. 

I donned blue high-heeled sandals which I found rather comfortable as we walked in the city. For accessories, rings galore, not forgetting my omni-present maasai bangles. Kept things a tad simple if I may. With Art Deco Print, everything else should be minimal. 

Photo Cred: Miss Nimo

Tag me on a photo if you happen to rock an #Art-Deco print dress. It would be awesome to see how you style your look. 

 Thanks for stopping by