Often times we women are good at putting ourselves in a box, we hold everything in, and keep things contained. We contain our emotions, we contain our opinions, we contain our sexuality and worst of all we contain our dreams. I took these pictures which to some people (including me) is not risqué at all, but I admit it was out of my box- out of my self-imposed container, and I realized people – specifically guys couldn’t deal with it. They were used to the Kome that loves dresses and skirts, but not the girl in denim looking like a punk chic, clearly channeling Rihanna with the denim jacket, scarf, and hoop earrings, albeit smaller than Rihanna would have gone.
This was my coming out of the box, embracing every curve, bump, scar-everything about my body, it was a celebration of a non-skinny girl that has learnt to appreciate herself and adore her body. Learn to love yourself today, step out of your containment, and make sure you do it in something as stylish as denim.
Model for Modella CoutureModel for Zizi CardowModel for Ayo van ElmarModel for Mai AtafoModel for Lanre Da Silva Ajayi
The lagos fashion story is one that is known by very few, I didn’t know it either. I watched the clip put together by the organisers, the designers shared their struggles – competing with imported clothes, not having customers for their clothes and how expensive it was for the designers to make them– they also shared their triumphs, and through the short clip my respect doubled, if not tripled. The clip set the tone for the whole event, millenials like me, looked with a different kind of admiration when the first designer ‘Modella Couture’ was announced, it didn’t just look like a bunch of old clothes my grandmother probably wore, I saw and felt the expression. I understood the mind of the designer that needed to express her identity in the world of the norm, and I understood the hearts of the women that purchased the clothes – individuality. The models’ strut embodying the liberation the clothes gave them, their smiles so wide as they play with the clothes, their hairstyles high and full completing the look in the past. King Sunny Ade’s music comes on and ushers us to the early 70s, the era of ‘juju’ then the masterpiece comes in, the last model struts down the runway with a dress that can only be described as a masterpiece, a fusion of the old and new, the material appeals to the 60s and the cut to us millenials. What a way to start a show!
Zizi Cardow’s interpretation of the late 70s to early 80s brought a fire, the choice of material vibrant and spicy, oranges and pinks flood the runway and ease us into the spunk that was the early 80s, big hair and an even bigger strut, Nigerian women were coming into their own, the post-civil war woman was edgy, vibrant, dressing in colours that scintillates our senses and appeals to our edgy side. The 80s woman is the woman we all want to be, unafraid and bold.
Ayo van Elmar, the youngest designer amongst the 5, maintained the level Modella Couture started the show with, unapologetic in her cuts and bold with her choice of fabric, but, as the 80s wound down, the Afros got smaller, and the women became ‘chilled’- it was the reign of the hippies, the chill that came with liberation was very obvious in their laid-back strut, their cool shades, scarves tied across their forehead, it truly was a celebration of the becoming of a woman, a woman that didn’t need to be overly edgy to be different, she didn’t need to be spunky to show a different side of herself. The 80s woman had grown into her own.
The 90s interpreted by Mai Atafo showed the increase in the ‘craze’ for weddings. Women became more conscious of how they wanted their wedding to look and most importantly how they looked, as usual, Mai didn’t disappoint, his cut exquisite and his style very original just like the ever-green wedding song that was playing in the background Oruka by Sunny Neji. The 90s woman was the hopeless romantic, she finally loves who she has become and has found love.
Lanre Da Silva Ajayi introduces us to this millennium, the 21st century woman, it was almost reminiscent as I watched the models strut down, lagos fashion really has evolved, but it proved how much of a cycle fashion really is, some styles from the 60s made a comeback, cuts from the 70s also, but what I loved most about the millennial woman was her appreciation for the past, she understood the thirst to be different of the 60s woman, she adopted the spirit of the 70s woman, that fire, edginess, spunk, she understands the chill of the 80s woman, and she paid homage to the hopeless romantics of the 90s with the bold red lip. She is 50 years of fashion in Lagos.
Earth
Fire
Music; drums beating -slow, fast, slow, fast
Bodies gyrating as if possessed by the spirit of whom they celebrate, their pants adding a new texture to the rhythm, they shine, their sweat gleaming on their skin as the light of the fire illuminates them.
From the earth through the fire she’s being formed – waxing and waning she’s moulded in the fire.
Kneeling around her are her ancestors, they clasp their hands, heads bowed, voices raised in unison with the drums, spirits high in anticipation -she’s almost here now.
The earth rumbles, the ante up, the haze of the excitement blinding.
She’s here now, her form is in the fire.
The torch is passed, Cleopatra to Rosa Parks, she passes to Amina of Zaria and with a smile on her face she gives it to Maya Angelou. Maya smiles, ecstatic as she passes it on to the most recent Maeyo Joie, and from a modern queen to another she hands the torch to me. From the embers of the fire another QUEEN is born.
My mark etched to my child bearing hips.
Hands lifted in appreciation.
Eyes lifted as I pray, and await his approval, and then he breathes.
His breath awakening my senses.
It is my era now. My reign, my rules.
From the fire, earth sealed with a breath -a QUEEN.
We often wonder,
where happiness starts.
The journey usually begins,
in our individual hearts.
All the fortunes in this world,
shall not make our spirits sing.
It’s amazing how much joy,
a new dress seems to bring.
Happiness is processed,
a million times inside each mind.
The secret is no secret,
just be positive and kind.
The happiness you find in a new dress,
pleasure and satisfaction it brings
You can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous you feel!
Everything that makes us smile starts with the little things.
Hey guys! It’s been sooo long! I have been super busy in school and I really didn’t have time to blog. I hope you like this post, I was super excited the day I took these pictures and I kept talking and laughing 😂😂. Also, you guys need to hear what happened to me! Watch out for girl chat this week 😉😉.
So I found this beautiful poem on Anita poems, and I feel like this embodies everything I was feeling when I took those pictures .
Hey guyss, welcome to the month of love! I’m in such a great mood already and I can smell romance in the air! It’s always super exciting when everyone tries to be romantic and cute to their ‘significant’ other and I especially can’t wait for Valentine’s Day!
So, for all my sisters that have dates already and already have plans for the 14th, here are some dresses I think some of you might be interested in! I have a lot of things in store for February! I am so excited!
I love this look 😍, I like how easy and comfy it looks! It’s something everyone will comfortable wearing and the peplum gives a lot of space to eat too! And that colour 🔥 🔥
These 2 dresses are very sexy, very much in the spirit of Valentine’s Day! Butttt, don’t wear it if you don’t have a flat stomach or you plan on eating, don’t try it o, once you wear these dresses forget food or comfort.😂
These 2 give me such an easy going vibe! I feel they are the perfect combo of comfy and sexy, the slits and all the peek-a-boo areas are very sensual, but the colourful material gives it such a playful vibe!
The last 2 are for the women that carry Valentine’s day on their heads, the ones that know they’ll be going somewhere high end and have to impress. Don’t wear the gele (hair tie) I feel it won’t go well for the whole Valentine’s thing .
Hey guys! I recently rekindled my love for instagram within the past week and I finally get why people love it so much! everytime I scroll through my timeline I always see the prettiest clear shoes, I can’t say much, but I am in love! I really really wish I had them and lemme not lie I ordered one, even though it’ll dent my already ugly account balance, but who cares, its all for fashion.
Just before I started taking this blog seriously something I was very scared of was posing because I fall under the category : camera awkward. Once someone holds a camera in front of me I sort of lose myself and become not even shy, awkward. So, I watched lots of videos on taking pictures, posing, editing and one thing I got is ‘be your most authentic self’. I like to be silly, joke around, and I almost never take anything seriously,but, it was sort of difficult to come to terms with the fact I can’t have iconic shots like most bloggers and I don’t think I can be as model-like as them. So i decided to celebrate my awkwardness, I’m posting random pictures from the ones I took today before church.
Celebrate your short falls and showcase your difference, be the most authentic version of of yourself, always.
So, this is wig I’m going to buy soon, it isn’t even complete,but I was feeling it so much I had to take a picture! Look how I slayed my cheek bones and nose contour x
Isn’t this ring beautiful and its just 4k!
This was a throwback from last week, I’m wearing no foundation, no concealer, I just filled in my brows and put on some white powder.
This is also a no make-up look, but this time no brows, no white powder, I started uni recently and since I’m not in the mood for all the make-up, I just don’t do anything. I think I look decent for no make-up
This 2 photos are also throwbacks, my sister(the one in the picture), my friend and I went to watch the wedding party, the movie is toooo cool! But, I went with other things in mind, I know nobody puts this much effort into going to the movies, but, I was going fishing and I needed to look extra tapping.
My sweety pie, she is at school now, but we took this picture last week sunday before she left.
This is my sister at our salon, which also happens to be a boutique, she was trying random things and we got this look looool, I think she looks nice though.
Today, I realised just how much I love the colour black, so I put on my high end clothes and my wig and I took some pictures. I also got inspiration from Shirley b eniang’s blog : Shirley’s Wardrobe. I was scrolling through to her older posts and I saw two striking all-black looks.
So, every first Sunday in my church is a thanksgiving service and it was extra special this year because it also was the first the day of the year!
This I really didn’t have anything to wear unlike last year when I was ready to give them, so I wore something I had before, I also didn’t feel like tying gele so I just wore a turban and my hood hoop ear rings. It was sha fun, they gave us one peng rice.
So anyhoo, please ignore the bulge on my stomach, I didn’t tie the wrapper properly lol, and if it looks like I’m frowning, i was channeling my inner Kendall Jenner.
Often times we women are good at putting ourselves in a box, we hold everything in, and keep things contained. We contain our emotions, we contain our opinions, we contain our sexuality and worst of all we contain our dreams. I took these pictures which to some people (including me) is not risqué at all, but I admit it was out of my box- out of my self-imposed container, and I realized people – specifically guys couldn’t deal with it. They were used to the Kome that loves dresses and skirts, but not the girl in denim looking like a punk chic, clearly channeling Rihanna with the denim jacket, scarf, and hoop earrings, albeit smaller than Rihanna would have gone.
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