My Love for... Ms Makor

Ms Makor is an Abuja based designer that I fell in love with not too long ago. I had seen and appreciated her work in the past but never patronised her business until recently. I had a wedding to attend and due to 'logistical issues', my dress of choice didn't arrive in good enough time for the wedding. So, a day before the wedding, I went dress hunting and visited the Ms Makor store and Anita Adebisi, creative director of Ms Makor decided this was the dress for me, without me even trying it. She was right. I loved it! It was pretty dramatic for me but had to have it once I put it on.

As a goddess of last minute shopping, I had an event the week after- the Abuja Young Entrepreneurs (AYE) Awards. To be fair, I didn't know I was attending said event until two days before. Remembering how grand I felt in last week's dress, I went straight to Ms Makor and picked this simple yet chic piece. I think it was the galactic tie-dye fabric that won me over too.

I was feeling a bit under the weather so I figured a dark vamp look would hide the sunken eyes, etc. And it did :-)

 And of course Kate Henshaw in this Ms Makor is life giving!!!

Ms Makor is available at Siobhan Fashion Stalls in Silverbird Entertainment Centre, Abuja and in Old Banex Plaza. I believe Vane-Style 71 Raymond Njoku Street in Ikoyi, Lagos stocks the brand too.

Image Credits: WOW Magazine

Duchamp Sample Sale

Another day, another sale. This time, it's Duchamp.  Okay don't get to excited and forget to register here. It's invitation only.

The Music Room in London hosts the cream of the crop of sample sales so be on the look out as there will be more to come.

Wedding Fun

Velvet is a major trend in Nigeria at the moment for wedding and traditional outfits. It's often pared with soft chantilly lace, French lace, sequins and intricately beaded pieces. Some may not know that actual velvet is harder to find in the market so what is sold is a cheaper but just as fabulous grade of velvet called velveteen.

I was lucky to find this velvet in my ex-seamstress mother's wardrobe. She seems to have almost any fabric imaginable lying around somewhere. This of course saves me the stress of shopping for fabrics, an art I am yet to gain mastery of. Best thing about finding this fabric was its colour being a perfect match for the Virgos Lounge blouse I had planned to wear for the wedding. I had imagined a nice simple skirt but this cheap as tailor didn't share this 'vision' with me. After some flared tempers and patch work, a simple enough fish skirt emerged even though this tailor ironed my velvet. Who does that?! Iron velvet. A fabulously smooth fabric was utterly ruined but I managed to rock it regardless. Was going to let my first and last experience with this silly tailor ruin the wedding for me.

After this extensive prelude, I'm sure you're keen to see what I looked like. Well, this is it:

 

Odiri's attempt at dancing

And these are our vain moments before walking into the wedding reception and with a bunch of friends

Monsoon Sample Sale

Yes yes, London town! It's on again and trust me to keep you in the loop of things! It's on the 16th of March and the venue's changed again so be sure to plan your journey.

Look out for other sample sales to be posted on the blog very soon.

Red Carpet Favourites: Grammys 2013

I didn't watch the Grammys. I needed my beauty sleep. I recorded it, red carpet and all. I'll see it some day in this lifetime :-/. God bless instagram for on-the-go red carpet fashion feeds. While some were an eye sore and others didn't know where to draw the line, these gorgeous lasses did their thing on the red carpet, dress code or no dress code!

Mrs Carter, Baddiebey stays steady slaying every chic in the game. She sets the standard in this  form fitting  monochrome jumpsuit, complementing Mr. Carter very nicely. Definitely my favourite!

 

They didn't get Baddiebey's joke

And dayuuuuuum! Ms Kelly wore the hell out of this dress. Only she could have pulled this off. Right proportions, everything in place, no nip slips, no unsightly sticky tapes, fits her like a glove. Sexy yet keeping it classy!

Rih-Rih's red number is a beauty but that hair with a parting that's not sure what it wants to be, no!

As boring as this broad can be on the red carpet (pretty with the same look all the damn time), this one made me look

I just love Solo! While her makeup doesn't do much for me here, the green and coral combination is genius! So effortlessly stylish

Oh hello again, Baddiebey! Love your 'strike a pose for your 17th grammy.' You do this in your sleep, I know :-) 

And lastly, Beyonce in this Elie Saab piece for Roc Nation's pre-Grammy brunch *sigh* Only she can wear Elie Saab for brunch! Solange in this blue is life giving. I prefer this blue on her against the green she wore on the red carpet. It does more for her.

Image Credits: Daily Mail and Just Jared

Reiss SS13

I'm in love with this collection and all its shoes. Such clean tailoring... sigh! Which one's your favourite?

These shoes... *sigh*

These sandals... *sigh*

It's About Time

A month and five days in is when I've chosen to put up my first blog post for the year for no apparent reason. Since I've been gone, here's what I have been up to:

I'm embarking on a few projects this year and I'm really excited about them. As time passes, I'll be able to share more details with you. I feel immensely blessed even though they haven't kicked off.

New year resolutions?
Yes but not written down or set in stone. Just decisions I have made to help myself.

• Read at least a book each month. 
• Make exercise a life style. 
• Cut down my junk food, consumption; my biggest struggle/challenge ever. I have come to terms with the fact that I love candy/junk/whatever you want to call it, so I cannot eliminate it completely. So I must have it in moderation. This is the truest test of discipline for me.

In summary, I want to live right this year.

Accra: 03 +10 =13

Alali: A child born in October, in a season of celebration!

My friends and I love to feel cute with ourselves. The trip to Ghana was for a bunch of us and people kept dropping out until it was just us 3 Alalis - Member, Oroma and Me- Ocotber's Very Own (OVO).

Straight from the airport and into the night

03, 10, 13... why those numbers? Member's 3rd October, Oroma's 10 and add them both and you have me, 13th! Don't ask who came up with that.

Needless to say, we had a fabulous time in our 3 nights or so in the city of Accra. Fashion, food and shopping kept us busy the entire time. Meet our friend, Ziggy who owns the shop we wanted to buy out. He gave us new names except me though: Andie, Bandie (Oroma) and Candie (Member) and Ziggy tagged himself Dandie and declared us family and made friendship bracelets to seal the deal. Jokes! He's the funniest fellow I've met in a while!

That Ziggy (Dandie) on the right posing with our friendship bracelets and his bff on the streets, 

And my outfit du jour:

Earrings: Mina Stones
Necklace: Gift from South Africa
Top: Zara
Skirt: H&M
Purse: Zara
Slippers: Topshop

Feast your eyes on how we coloured the ancient city of Accra - it has an old feel to it or maybe it's just me...

Me with Ghanaian designer, Mina Evans. Visit her website here

 Necklace: H&M

Blouse: Dorothy Perkins

Skirt: Zara

Wedge Heels: New Look

Don't know how I didn't get one of these

Wait! Are those...? Oh my!

I want everything!

Oroma doing the bookmark selection

Look what ended up on my arm

Bookmarks, snatched by my colleagues once I brought em out

Movenpick, ugly outside, beautiful inside with an awesome Sunday Brunch. A must have whenever you visit Accra

This fly begged for it. Needing to take a swig at our bubbly... eugh!

Later that day, Oroma stepped out for a designers' cocktail event to round up the fashion week

Oroma in Alali Boutique

After this post, I'll be gone till December. I'm missing out on so much but 'tis for a little while. This too shall pass. x