In the name of rose-tinted nostalgia….i dug through all my ish to find this gorgeous Naija dress.
I don’t know what it was, but something in the air vaguely reminded me of Hammatan in Abuja; the warmth and friendliness of the people. *sigh*
I love the Nigerian people. Their human spirit and energy tells a story of faith,hope, and love.
So, here is to Naija, the land of my Ancestors!
Dress: From Nigeria 
I went thrifting a month ago…while looking around I locked eyes with this beautiful lace blouse. What caught my eyes was how delicate it looked…It was a seventies blouse so of course I had to have it
Although I’m an eighties kid, My first recollection of the world around me was pretty much in the nineties….so, in a way I’m a nineties kid *I digress* but this seventies blouse reminded me of my childhood. Innocence,laughter, my dad telling stories about his mom whom I never met. As a Kid, I would listen attentively to the comforting voice of my mom as she read the bible aloud. I was a dreamer, I had Imaginary friends, I spoke to my toys and imagined they spoke back to me and I shared my daily adventures with them.
I shed a few tears that day. I missed my childhood, I wished I had savored the moment while it lasted.
I believed in impossibilities and I still do but something happens to you when you become an adult and the veil of childhood falls off and you see the world for what it really is….. for the first time.
Notwithstanding, I have promised myself to become a kid at heart. Believing the ridiculous, forgiving the unforgivable, loving the most unworthy and listening and observing the world in wonder as I once did as a child.
Jewelry: Forever 21 and Mom
Shoes: Charlotte Russe
Skirt: Dillards
Blouse : Thrift Store
I transition Day time clothes into Night time; either by adding a jacket, an accessory or Heels to give it a more “Night-ish” glam
Today was my lazy day, I pretty much chilled at Barnes and Nobles reading and lusting after other books I wished I was reading…yeah…I have a problem, I know. Seriously, books and buildings that contain books make me happy
*Dancing to “Girls just wanna have fun”*
This outfit revolved around my pretty asymmetrical/ high-low top. The top is pretty much casual…Its a lace top with pretty tribal designs on it. I wore it all day with my DIY cutoff shorts. I was going out at night, so, I threw on a Blazer and my trusty Patent Oxford heels to give it a little “dressy” appeal. This is how I rock my ish twice
Top: Ross
Shorts : DIY
Blazer/Jacket : Thrift Store
Gladiator sandals (day): DSW
Patent Oxford Heels: DSW
Everyone has been talking about the movie “Hunger Games“. I decided to go see it after much hype;Went with a couple of friends. I didn’t know what to wear so I wore all black and took my Afro head along. Anytime I wear my hair out people stare at me either in disbelieve or in mild irritation lol… I have gotten quite used to it now. By the way, the above pic is my hair in its semi shrunken state. As for the movie, I really don’t know how i feel about it. I fell asleep half way through it :/ . Happy Easter Sunday in advance to those who observe it
Shirt : Dillard’s
Shorts: Thrift Store (Vintage Levis)
Shoes:Oxfords (Ross)
Bead necklace: Bought from some African lady
Bangle/ bracelet: Can’t remember
Natural hair, believe it or not, gives you a swag of your own! For example Solange Knowles, All I knew about her was that she was Beyonce’s Sister, and she danced background for destiny’s child thanks to papa Knowles. I could care less for her solo projects they did not matter to me and looking at how she fared a lot of people did not care either. This girl goes natural and voila! She is a Style Icon, it almost feels weird because she just gets it totally when it comes to fashion…It’s like girl where have you been all these years?
Her style seems very 70′s inspired with the animal/ African prints and Bohemian Chic…..I Love, love, love her style
I think it is pointless to assure people of their physical beauty! Yes I said it….whatever insecurities you have…I have them too! Do you feel fat? do you feel ugly? even though just yesterday you could have sworn you were physically attractiveness :/…..do you wish your belly was flatter? do you wish your hips where not so round? or whatever insecurities floats your boat. if you feel all of these things and more, then I would like to welcome you to my world and probably the world of millions of other people!. Honestly, it is a moot point when conferences and discussions are held on assuring people of their physical beauty…because, society at large is shallow and there will always be a standard of beauty.. whether you are on par with that standard depends on what generation you exist in.
My point is this, you had nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the way you look. Tall,short,fat,skinny,black,white,Asian, blue, green, orange, mannequin, robot….you get the point? (except of course you are a glutton then by all means try to stop over eating if you can mange it..for health reasons)… So, maybe we should focus on not making how we look, “feel” about how we look, whether we consider ourselves beautiful or ugly, or if we would ever lose that last 5-10 pounds important…The measure of ones attractiveness is not as important the heart…yes your heart….cliche’?maybe…but it is true. Let us exalt kindness, meekness, honesty, joy,gentleness, selflessness, and love … real virtues over physical aesthetics…maybe then, people starving them selves to fit an idea of beauty will stop.
I’m not sure if you have ever seen skeletons? but they pretty much look the same. There is no marking or sculpting on them that says ” oh.. and over here we have the once physically attractive skeletons” nope not one. I have never been to a funeral but I’m yet to hear of one where people paid their respect to the dead by describing how attractive they were physically…. This leads me to conclude that physical beauty in of itself… is useless, if not used for a bigger purpose
I would like to end by saying that you and I are more than how we look,past mistakes,race,stereotypes,background. Our existence and contribution to life was never contingent on those things… all that crap is man-made. After that rant *Sigh*… I hope whoever I wrote this for, feels better and lives up to their potential. Just so this is in line with what this blog is about I would like to add at this point that, fashion, beauty , and of-course personal style is not about physical attractiveness according to society or otherwise but an expression of individual creativity as interpreted by you and lastly, stop stressing and go thrift shopping (yup…I rhymed)
Jacket/ Blazer: Dillard’s
High waist-ed Short: Thrift store-bought Vintage Levis(D.I.Y)
Oxford Shoes: Ross ( they fit in perfectly with the androgynous trend if you are into that)
Scarf: A gift from (ex-roomie)
Tights: wet-seal (i think)
Fashion is individual and i really believe that! So armed with that info in mind i went off to the mall for some style hunting. It was actually fun and Texans are generally warm and fashionable people, so, it was quite easy to find fashion intepretations that caught my fancy.
This lady was so sweet.What attracted me to what she was wearing was her Riding boots and Teal sweater! and of course… how pretty is she?Just beautiful
This lady is such a fashionista! Her whole look kinda gave me a Preppy vibe because of the amazing sweater she has on
This dude is a Total rock star! His hair cut was really nice. However, what caught my attention was his pant and those awesome boots! Also i love his jacket over his brown shirt which was neatly matched with his boots. So cool
This lady right here is a trend queen! Prints and patterns are totally in! I loved how she combined her pattern dress with the sweater and for a pop of color she threw in a red sling bag! HOT
Last but definitely not the least…I met this ladies on my way out of the mall and i was like “wow” can you say chic? Ok, what drew my attention was first the bag and the Leopard print scarf (Leopard prints are so in). Now look at how the first lady matched her blouse with her bag without being “matchy”? and the second lady matched her sheer blouse with her boots giving us a little fall/ winter color block fashion? Effortlessly Chic!
This is my very first street style features…more coming soon. And to the kind strangers who featured in the pictures, you guys are so fabulously chic
