Tag Archives: styleandfashion

Title is still work in progress: all suggestions welcome!

Quite laterally, I cannot settle for a name for this article as my mind keeps pushing and pulling me back and forth on different ideas. Seventies look with a modern twist, a story of brown on navy, or simply settle for the re-emergence of the turtleneck? At best none of those titles even come close to telling the full story and at worst, well they just don’t make sense by themselves.

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You know what, I’m just going to carry on describing the look and leave you all to come up with Continue reading Title is still work in progress: all suggestions welcome!

How to stretch your Summer into Autumn with a suit

Well look who is here, seems like I got your attention with the article title. You are most welcome and please keep reading. By the way, if you have not subscribed to this blog yet, i encourage you to do so as i have a lot to share in the coming weeks and months which you don’t want to miss.  Just in case some of you are wondering what makes a suit a summer or winter or autumn or whatever season suit, let me give you two main pointers before I move on to talking about my super cool suit. But why does summer have to end in the first place? It would save us so much hassle if it was summer all year round right? Anyway, quick back to the suit. Two quick pointers to always check for when determining a seasonal suit are fabric and colour.

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Summer suits are generally lightweight with weave that are slightly looser allowing breathability. Remember it is hot during the summer months so breathability is absolutely essential when choosing a fabric or indeed buying a suit for that time of the year. The second pointer is colour. Summer colours for suits are usually either vibrant or light shades and naturals like beige and stone as oppose to charcoal grey, navy and other darker colours suited to the cold seasons. Get these two rules right and the rest will fall into place.

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However, I am in the mood to break some rules today. There is no way I am going to spend hundreds of pounds on a beautifully crafted suit and be expected to only wear it during summer. It just does not make financial sense neither would I be doing justice to the suit itself. So guess what, I am going to stretch my money by wearing this suit in all its splendour until that cold wind really start to hit my bones. Besides, who made these colour rules anyway?

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As I was saying its rule breaking time so stick with me for a minute or two while I explain myself. Quick word of caution before I proceed. Before you break a rule, make sure you know what the rules are first of all. Going against the grain is sweet but make sure you know the direction of flow before going against it. That way, you can do it like a boss.

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The suit I am wearing is made with a linen-wool-silk blend fabric that provides comfort and luxury at the same time. The linen provides strength and breathability to the suit, whiles the wool and silk gives durability and structure. What you basically have is a suit made of fabric that is lightweight and breathable but not saggy or droopy. It maintains it form and structure and with the right cut, can look like you were born with it.

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So to stretch my summer suit into autumn, I have done two main things.

The first is simply and straightforward as all I had to do Continue reading How to stretch your Summer into Autumn with a suit

London Fashion Week, SS16: Street Style

I am going to keep it really short on this post in regards to words. I don’t want to bore you as i would rather you enjoy  some of the shots I took during the SS16.

Just one thing before I go. A few people I have spoken to do not seem to know the difference between London Fashion Week and London Fashion Weekend. I mean I didn’t many years ago. Anyway here’s my take on it.

London Fashion Week  is mainly for the fashion industry professionals, ie designers displaying their new collections whiles buyers stock up on behalf of stores. It is also a time when magazines and established media outlets attend these shows and talk about the trends for the coming season. So in short, London Fashion Week is mainly for industry insiders. You have to be registered or be invited to attend the shows.

London Fashion Weekend on the other hand is essentially a designer shopping event, where members of the public can shop from designers of London Fashion Week calibre, from the high profile to the emerging

Enjoy the Photos and please come back for some exclusive photos for the London Fashion weekend taking place between Sept 24th and Sept 27th 2015.

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Fashion Week London 2015 – Africa style

Cuts for him met with – Left to Right: Ginny (frogirlginny Blogger), Maggie Smith (model and winner of face of Africa Fashion Week London 2015), and Rene Daniella (Ownbyfemme Lifestyle blogger),
Designed by Soraya Da Piedade. Modelled by Somer Louise

Africa Fashion Week London or AFWL has come a long way since its inception in 2011. This year’s event was held at the Olympia London on the 7th and 8th of August. It is another great example of how the African culture and lifestyle is influencing and taking roots in London as mentioned in my post August in Africa summer festival 15. AFWL is by a wide margin the largest catwalk event in Europe celebrating African styles and designs and has caught the attention of many even beyond Africa and Europe. The show has attracted over 300 hundred designers and more than 40, 000 visitors.

I personally have little reservations about a few designers’ commitment to pushing the art from being a dream to truly becoming an avant-garde were by the framework for future African fashion is laid. Up to the point of typing this post, my research laid bare, for the lack of web presence on some of the designers and exhibitors.
Living in a world where everything points towards digital, its surprising this minority have not tapped into this area to make themselves known.

Nsoromma by Tribal Piece


Notwithstanding, collectively the runway shows for 2015 have been spectacular with many designers pushing the boundaries to widen the horizon of what is expected from an “African” themed fashion show.
It is no longer the case where Ankara and Kente dominates the catwalk to represent the entire continent.
For many years, designers have used these two fabric types to create what they saw as the embodiment of African fashion.
To my delight, this is no longer the case and even for those who use Ankara and Kente have done so in such clever ways as to show a different dimension to the art of designing.

Mary Martin London - Cecil the Lion inspired dress
Mary Martin London – Cecil the Lion inspired dress


A good example is Mary Martin London. Mary Martin showcased some beautiful pieces to include a Cecil the Lion inspired dress. “When I saw the lion on TV I was deeply shocked” said Martin as she was interviewed by the BBC world service. Martin spent many nights working on the dress in time for the show. Other designers who showcased beautiful pieces on the catwalk for the 6:30 show on Saturday were:

Amanda May
Needle point
Soraya da Piedade
Vanelse
Sarah Arthman
Kilumba
Steve Mandy
Nsoromma by Tribal Piece

The organisers did a fantastic job to put this show together and i think it is going to get bigger and better in the coming years. I am already looking forward to AFWL16. As a men’s fashion and lifestyle blogger, i wish there were more men’s fashion designers out there. May be this is an area up and coming fashion enthusiasts need to look into.
Browse through the photos and let me know what you think by leaving a comment