THE Fashionista - Lupita Nyongo

Lupita Nyongo has set my fashion light on fire!!!
After quite an absence from my little fashion blog, this Kenyan actress and artist has inspired me to write again. Her beauty is beyond words. As a young black woman and an African myself, I am truly proud.
Its sees the fashion world is also taken by her. Her role in 12 Years A Slave has catapulted her into stardom and a wonderful model that every fashion designer would love to drape in their very exquisite garments.

Lupita's fashion sense is almost parallel to that of Sonage's. Effortlessly, she somehow just nails it all the time. Besides the fact that she is blessed with natural beauty, a banging body and brains - she makes outfits all the more to die for!
Her red carpets looks have all the major fashion blogs (all blogs in fact) talking. She embodies, beauty, grace and simplicity.

Below are some of the looks I absolutely loved her in:

 

Lupita's wonderful chocolate skin really makes colourful dresses pop. Her skin colour helps accentuate the dress, and so does her great physique. She is sexy and she keeps it simple, with no effort! 

 

 

 

Her make up has been impeccable. She loves rocking a red lip, which really compliments her skin tone. Her flawless skin is every make up artists dream, and she doesn't shy away from keeping her make up clean and distinctly natural. I personally think Lupita is one of the world's most beautiful women, on top of the list with the likes of Beyoncé, Rihanna and Naomi Campbell. The icing on the cake is her personality. She is humble, gracious, smart and so well articulated.

 

 

The one designer that has seriously impressed me is Project Runway's Michael Costello. I routed for him during Project Runway All Star's and I am absolutely loving all the garments he has draped on some of the world's biggest stars  throughout all the award ceremonies (including Beyoncé's Grammy 2014 number).

 

Overall, I think it's going to be a great year for fashion. Lupita is surely going to keep our eyes on her. Hopefully some of our South African celeb's can also keep us enticed like this Kenyan beauty.

xxx

 

 



Fashion's Most Powerful Woman

I’ll be honest; I had never heard of Anna Wintour before, until I watched the 2004 documentary titled The September issue, which followed Vogue magazine’s biggest issue published in September each year. Inevitably, the coverage of this documentary included an exclusive sneak peek into the life of the most well respected (and feared) editor-in-chief of Vogue magazine – Anna Wintour

This pale skinned, small framed British lady looked very non-threatening to me, but once the documentary dived into the day-to-day events that led up to the publishing  of Vogue’s September issue, I saw a glimpse of what’s been written about this so called “ice queen”.  One has to understand that in the world of fashion; Vogue magazine is at the epicentre of it all, which makes Anna a ‘god’. One of the interviewees metaphorically described the fashion industry as a “religion”, with Vogue magazine as its Bible and Anna the high priestess. She’s a direct spoken woman, who on the outside seems very unassuming. She’s well-dressed of course, with her very meticulously styled hair, but I noticed by the way people interacted with her, that she has an aura about her – that you’ll naturally not mess with her – so the movie (apparently based on her) the Devil Wears Prada might not be an exaggeration from the truth? 

Anna’s influence in the fashion industry is undeniable, possibly unprecedented for a person who actually doesn’t design or make clothes. She gets to see top designer collections before anyone else, she works with the best of the best designers (Oscar de la Rente, Jean Paul Gutier, Versace etc), and her opinion is of such heavy influence that some designers are said to implement any changes she suggests.

 She is a perfectionist. When you work for a perfectionist your work has to be above par – all the time. That was clear as daylight to me, because in the documentary her staff were always busy, stressed and constantly on their toes. She’s supposedly the fur queen, and so naturally PETA isn’t a big fan of hers (or Kim K’s ), but when she attends fashion events or the like, and there are protesters outside raging in anger while hurling insults at her, one thing seemed apparent – she does not care. She is very unapologetic about her right to wear fur.

Anna Wintour inescapably  influences what will be in fashion, what will be worn as a trend, what women in Hollywood to high society women and to women who buy vogue will be wearing, she even influences what fashion retailers will be stocking and selling! That is power. Her influence extends to the world of politics as she is known to host very successful fundraising events for politicians (Barack Obama). The rumour mill is also a-buzz that President Barack Obama is considering this Editor-in-chief for the role of US Ambassador to Britain. Whether it’s true or not; it’s hard to deny that Anna Wintour is a publishing genius and an excellent business woman. 

To check out more visit this site. 

Top Five 2013 Celeb Fashion Trendsetters To Look Out For

Happy New Year everyone!!! I hope so far the year has been good, and that the implementation of new  year’s resolutions are already under way. With a new year, there's a lot to look forward to in the world of fashion (especially the big award ceremonies i.e Grammy's, Oscars, SAMAs etc), we look forward to the fashion hits and misses, and over the top fabulosity!!

I actually intended to put up a post on new  year’s eve, but I think that this one will be better. Last year, the following celebs really wowed us with their fashion sense and I seriously believe that this top five are THE people to look out for in 2013. They will keep us captivated with their swag, they will wow us and some will even make us want to get our hands on their fashion lines.

VICTORIA BECKHAM

At number one is Victoria “Vicky” Beckham. With her very own label; Victoria for me oozes sophistication. I love her choice of clothes because they accentuate her body ( and the celebs who are dressed by her). Her clothes have clean lines, and she really creates clothes that any woman would love to wear, and of course Vicky and those oober stilletoes she’s always wearing. Remember it was Mrs Beckham who brought back the big shades back into fashion (the ones she's rocking in this picture to the right), and  she set the cute boy cut bob trend too!

KOURTNEY KARDASHIAN

Even though she was pregnant at the beginning of last year, she still didn’t lose her fashion sense, she rocked fashion pregnant! I don’t know about you guys, but Kourtney just knows how to make simple clothes look gorge. Her style is simple….but she just puts it all together in such a way that it looks cool but elegant, plus Kourtney just has a way with accessories that when she puts an outfit together – it’s like a symphony. She's the best dressed Kardashian in my opinion!

KANYE WEST

The only male on my list. This might shock a few (maybe many), but Kanye is no ordinary  rapper, that’s for sure, and Kanye doesn’t dress like one (Ni**as In Paris music video a hint??)!! Kanye is definitely a trendsetter in my eyes, and his style not only stops in music his videos , but he follows through to his day-to-day wear. From his sneakers, to his chains, to his attitude – Kanye is the man – and his taste in fashion is of quite a refined taste – one you wouldn’t necessarily expect from a rapper, and it’s a good thing. For me Kanye is one notch up Pharrell and half a notch up David Beckham. Kanye oozes swag, and he’ll continue to do so this year.

BONANG MATHEBA

Fourth on my list is the only South African on my list (not that others aren’t worthy), but Bonang stands head and shoulders out of the rest (that I could’ve chosen for this list). One has to admit this : this honey knows how to dress! I salute her more for her red carpet looks that she rock so effortlessly, she has a great body that any fashion designer would love to work with. The gowns she’s been wearing on Top Billing have been absolutely stunning, and I also give a heads up to Gert, they both make a wonderful fashion team.

SOLANGE KNOWLES

Last, but definitely not least, is Beyonce’s younger sister. Aah Solange! Never the one to follow  trends I tell you! She made short hair look good, then she made us want to rock our afros, then she made us want to rock long thick braids. She is the retro-style icon who never shy’s away from bright colours , Solange definitely gets 10/10 as a fashionista!! Remember she rocked clothes designed by SA designers when she did the cover for Elle South African and also for her music video Losing You (shot in Cape Town). I have no doubt Solange will definitely make fashion headlines this year as well, and she will continue to solidify my fashion allegiance to her J

Two of the worst fashion NO NO’s!!

Ever wondered how you can get onto the worst dressed list? Well,  if you’re like me, you never want to be on the worst dressed list, but “every day- normal” people make very stupid fashion booboo’s. As the festive season is now into swing, people are vacating, hitting the malls, hitting the beaches and other hot spots and I cannot help but be shocked by the fashion mistakes people are making! And not to be judgmental or anything, but there is a code of ethics per say, about what to wear and not what to wear. 

 I have identified TWO of the most horrendous fashion mistakes people are making! Well, the one is clothes based but the other is in the face.
 Firstly, ladies, it is imperative that you watch the type underwear that you wear especially when you’re going to wear pants or skirts that are see-through or that are very low cut. I am horrified about what I have seen! My word! Ladies wearing white linen pants and full panties underneath that are in the brightest yellows and limes! No one wants to see that!

Never ever make this fashion mistake, it shall forever be a fashion no no and it cannot be excused at all!! Its the same as wearing leggings without a long top covering your backside, that type of material reveals your butt and what is underneath. So be aware of what you wear and especially where you wear it, some clothes are appropriate for home but not the public.

Seems simple enough right? But my Lawd have I seen this booboo being committed all the time!!

 Lastly……I don’t know who ever said shaving off all your eyebrows and drawing them on was an attractive thing to do. Who in the world would do such?! Women are walking around Durban looking like drag queens! I mean come on! Tweezing your eyebrows does not mean you shave them all off, I can imagine the effort it must take to ensure that each eyebrow looks identical to the other (and in most cases they never are identical). Ladies please don’t make these fashion mistakes! You look hideous and ridiculous.

What do these women do when it rains? I'm sure they'd have to ensure that they have the liner with them at all times, but apparently others have taken it to the extreme and they actually TATOO their eyebrows on! My mother would kill me....

Before I sign off, I just want to say this : never over think it when it comes to fashion, keep it simple. I'll probably say this over and over again in blog posts to come......I've probably said it before....but its true.

Is the ‘Glamour’ Look Overdone?!

The always over-the-top glamorous Nicki Minaj who also
loves putting on nails and lashes

Every woman wants to look good and feel good, what woman doesn’t want to get the attention of head turning males as she walks by, those heart throbbing comments that make you feel like a million bucks? It’s all good and well to dress in a sexy a manner (or in  a way that makes you feel sexy) and putting on make- up, but what about the extra add-ons? I’m talking about French  manicured nails, artificial eyelashes  (that come in lengths of short, medium and long) and putting on eye-contacts (even though you don’t have a sight problem).

All these ‘glamour’ accessories have become a very popular tool within the fashion and beauty scene, where local and international female celebrities don these accessories, and everyday woman you bump into in town. What really triggered me to write this post is the fact that I feel that its sooo overdone, especially here in Durban! I mean I walk through town or through the mall and I can estimate and say 3 to 4 out of 5 (black women) have on artificial eyelashes, long nails and eye contacts. I mean in my neighbourhood, I personally know some of these women are unemployed, and yet they can afford to be soooo glamorous (and these accessories aren’t cheap). Okay, if you go to a very posh beauty salon, you’d pay quite a bit, but still, on average these add-ons would cost you between R200 and R400.

french manicure with a twist

Artificial lashes to make those eyes pop

On special occasions (weddings, 21^st birthday parties etc), I personally do have my nails done, and maybe my eye lashes. The whole eye contact thing I do not do. I find that within my group of female friends, they also don these accessories on special occasions; it’s not an everyday thing.  For some women though, it’s an all day, everyday thing! I can only imagine the time and effort that it requires to maintain that level of glamour.

But what do guys think of it? I took the initiative to ask some guys within my group of male friends, and the question I asked was: what do you think when a girl has her nails done, eyelashes on, eye contacts etc? Do you like it? These are some of the responses I got:

Alvin: “No I don’t.  It’s superficial.” Then he went on to explain: ‘Well as long as you can’t see that they’re overly fake.”

Njabulo: “Depends on the girl. If they are for special occasions then I’m for it. However, I mostly like to see her ‘natural’ beauty.”

Phumelele : “As long as she is good in her skin”

Anonymous : “Nails done yes, but the rest is too much for me. Like she has to go so far outta her way to look what she perceives ‘attractive’. I like natural beauty hey.”

Popo: “I don’t like it. It’s too much. Nails and hair are ok, but contacts…..its screams for attention, no need to change your eye colour.”

Hilton: “I’m a natural type of guy…..simple is beautiful.”

And finally Gilbert said: “Not the eye lashes, contacts only if she needs them. If I can’t tell that she put them on (lashes) then it’s cool, but not those huge long ass ones lol.”

Surprisingly enough, men love us in our natural state ladies….for the men that don’t like it, it’s because it screams superficial and fake. For the guys that don’t mind it, they prefer that you keep it to the minimal. Is seems like we don’t have to adorn ourselves with bells and whistles to get a man’s attention….

I don’t know about other parts of the country, but here in KZN, it seems like the “IT” thing for any girl to do. The term coined for a girl who is super glamorous and is adorned with these add-ons is ‘u-Glama’ , and you will see them strutting their stuff in town, with the most confident walk ever! Hey, if it makes you feel good about yourself, go ahead and do it. But let the responses of the gentleman man above tell you that it’s not necessary for you to do if you want to get or keep a man. One thing you should always remember though is that when it does come to beauty and fashion : simple is always glamorous!!

Till later, mwaaaah!!!

A Career As A Fashionista

My definition of a fashionista, is a person (him/her) who loves fashion, whether they are directly or indirecty involved they appreciate the art, the message and the total feel of what fashion represents. You find some fashionista’s who only wear what’s in style and trending, and some fashionista’s create their own trends. Then you find those fashionista’s who make the clothes that fashionista’s love and those who ensure that fashionista’s remain fashionista’s by contributing in some way to the total process of fashion. There could be proper job titles assigned to what I’ve described above, which brings me to the crux of this post: why are we never encouraged to follow a career in fashion?!

Whether as Carrie Bradshaw or herself, Sarah Jessica Parker
 is the ultimate fashionista!!!

I remember in high school there were the top five careers, that were constantly promoted : Chartered Accountant, Lawyer, Engineer (Chemical, Civil, Electrical….you name it), Doctor and of course Actuarial Scientist. Can I point out that none of these careers involves any artistic creativity in their job descriptions? But of course they pay big bucks! (you'll never be happy if you do it for the money without the passion for it). We’re never informed about the endless opportunities involved within the fashion world! Yes, we know that there are fashion designers, but I just recently found out that you can become a fashion analyst! A person like me, who has a passion for fashion and a commerce degree (imagine!) can apply for a job like that! You can become involved on either the retail side of fashion, or on the media side of fashion such as magazines etc. Both these areas of fashion need each other to succeed (I believe).

These are the careers you can be involved in if you want to be on the media aspect of fashion:

• -          Fashion Editor
• -          Design Director
• -          Fashion Photographer
• -          Features Director
• -          Market Director
• -          Contributing Editor

I could go on forever, there are quite a few more jobs that I could add to that list. Let’s get to the retail side of the fashion business:

• -          Fashion Merchandiser
• -          Fashion Planner
• -          Fashion Analyst
• -          Textile Designer
• -          Production Manager
• -          Advertising / Sales Representative

There are also quite a few that I could also add to this list, but can you see that you don’t have to be a fashion designer to be involved in the fashion industry. You can (like me) have a qualification that is not fashion orientated, but utilize it in the fashion industry. My mother has been a teacher for over 25 years, but her passion has always been fashion. While she was a teacher on a full time basis for over 25 years, guess what she did part time? She was doing what she loves (and does oh so well) designing clothes! She never stopped designing and making clothes, even for us, her children. She designed and made my matric ball dress, she made my sister’s graduation dress……she’s made so much for family, for her clients, for a lot of people! And now that she's retired, she does it full time. But my point is this: if you love it, do it.

If you love fashion and you’re good at computers and other IT related stuff, then go ahead! There is a job where you can combine the two, there are a lot of things opening up, even for law students! If you love it – go ahead pursue it – do it!

Check out this website on more information about careers in the fashion industry.

That’s it for now. Mwah xxx

Buying Clothes For Cash or Credit??

Looking gorgeous, powerful, sexy, sophisticated and successful or whatever look you want to achieve is part of why people (like me) love fashion. Some people don’t take fashionista’s seriously; assuming that there is some sort of “pretentiousness” to them (or is it the ones they've met??). Well I went to university (will be graduating next year) and let me just say, having a commerce degree and a love for fashion is quite an advantage. That’s why I wanted to blog about this very important topic: acquire fashion through cash or credit??

I know a lot of people, who have short term credit facilities with fashion stores. I, on several occasions, have tried to open credit accounts at Legit, Mr Price and YDE. But to my disappointment, could not get granted the credit facilities because I was a university student. So, like some, I shop till I drop when I have sufficient cash, and I save up for that special pair of shoes if I’m having a bad run financially. I know a couple of friends who have credit facilities at some of these fashion retail stores and let me say, I find that some of them really struggle to not go over the limit.

I find that when you buy on credit, you can afford to “almost” splurge on the clothes you want, because you’ll have to pay later (in some instances, you pay a small amount each month), and your wardrobe will be spoiled with choices of different outfits. On the other hand, if you’re the type of person that doesn't know restraint, you can end up accumulating so much debt!

 This happened to a close relative of mine. She had a credit facility at Edgars, and she had accumulated over R12 000 worth of debt (on clothes!). Not that she was a fashion freak  who splurged every chance she got, she had family to take care of who constantly asked for clothes and shoes etc, and she couldn't say no. And every month when the bill came, she became so depressed; she didn't know how she got into that mess! And you know that these retailers want their money, and those phone calls (on private number) from call center agents asking when you’re going to pay your debt, became all too much for her. She decided one day that enough was enough, and she dedicated a whole year to ensuring she paid the debt and she would close that account. And she did! When she closed the account, she was even given a certificate! And you know they tried begging her not to close the credit facility!! Anyway, she vowed from then on never to buy clothes on credit, and she now buys everything cash. Her philosophy (like me) is to save up if you can’t afford it now. 

I think that, if you have good debt management skills, and have high levels of self- restraint, go ahead, open an account at Truworths or Legit etc. But if you know you’re the total opposite, I suggest that you stick to cash, or better yet, why not find a retail store that’s relatively cheap and affordable but with great quality clothing and style?  

Check out this website here for the pro’s and con’s of buying clothes for cash or on credit.

With that, I’m signing out, love you all, mwah!!