THIS TIME FOR AFRICA???

African designers had been complaining about the fact that they don't get much exposure on the international stages. But lately American designers or celebreties have been up on African fabric...
ANKARA has been very popular on the red carpet since last year. Ankara are vibrant patterns of very rich colorful designes. Mostly made of 100% cotton or cotton poly material. This wax resist dyed fabric was exported to the gold coast, referred as Dutch was from Holland. It spreaded over west Africa into central africa and were largely produced in Nigeria. Originally, Ankara was reserved for cultural festivities. It acquired its current name Ankara when the turks made a cheaper version of the fabric.
Africans use these bold festive fabrics to tell stories, poems and traditional african tales. Depending on the pattern of the design a specific name is given; for example you will often hear people refer to the different design names like, oeil de ma rivale (my rival's eye), mon mari m'a laisse( my husband left me)
Now those are examples of the ones from Ivory Coast, names may vary in other African countries.
Earlier this year when the fabric was spotted on celebs like Beyonce, Alicia Keys , Fergie and many more many young african designers and fashionistas had mix feelings, happy for the spotlight our culture was getting, but hated the fact that BOXING KITTEN( designer of beyonce and Alicia famous Ankara outfits) was getting all the credit for something that they( the Africans) have been around this fabrics and designs for so long, they were questioning the authenticity.
Well, as for me ,an african girl myself, I'm just happy our fabrics went from being regarded as the fabric of the poor to become a choice of the rich and famous. I mean the girl( Boxing Kitten), in no way,said she reinvented Ankara, so I'm good with that as long as you gave the proper aknowledgement.

Enough said here are some pics of my favorites...

Beyonce and Alicia keys in Boxing Kitten

this is my favorite from her collection. I like the way she mixes her colors

                                                            Fergie in Boxing Kitten

Gwen Stefani in her own design ( Lamb)

spring|summer 2011 

Lamb spring\summer 2011

Khady in my design

my designs again...

So thats it for now, fashion-lovers...hmmmmm..I ll take more pics of me in my african clothes for y'all but until then, stay beautiful,and blessed!!!!!!

OH i was gonna forget about this one....FULANI earrings....I mean what do you know?! These earrings
are hand-crafted in Mali, West Africa. Its no wonder this babies are getting attention, as I said in a previous post accessories always give the WOW factor to any outfit, and theses earrings,vibrantly stand out. Fulani earrings are one of the most-talked about pieces of jewelry from Africa. Apparently , they are so popular, it’s hard to keep them in stock, especially since there are only a few people who make them now....

can be found on ebay , oh I found some on Polyvore.com http://www.polyvore.com/fulani_earrings_at_goldcoastafrica.com_17/thing?id=12713239

modern version by Phillys Woods

original fulani earrings

Aisha Tyler rocking hers

RED RED RED

It 's the holidays season , time to get your red on ....
They say red is a really powerful color, so do it in moderation....red wine? moderation, same rule applies in clothes..If there is one thing I hate is seeing people wearing red from head to toes...I HATE IT , I HATE IT, IT HATE IT......OKay I made my point...
Red means many things to many people.Warmth,cheer,bright,strength,royalty,power,promescuity.
So please when you are wearing a red dress,ladies, your shoes do not need to be red too...And for accessories, gold always look good with red.
You just have to find the perfect shade of red for you..I had a problem when red lips came back in style, it was hard finding the perfect shade of red for me , because of my skin complexion and my big lips( I m not complaining , I promise)...but this summer i found the perfect one for me,Lancome Rouge a levres mat attraction 116 Baiser Grenadine and most MAC deep reds...
So this holiday be bold and go for red, but be careful , you dont want the kids to mistake you for Santa!!!

You see how she is wearing black shoes?? ok take notes

Lanvin red dress for H&M...oh I tried this on, and that dress is gorgeous, I have a problem with the price. which makes me hate the idea of LANVIN at H&M...( I'll explain that one later..)

FALL'S CASUAL

black and white vest from THE GAP, black mini-skirt URBAN BEHAVIOR, black tight , leather jacket and my black and white ALL STARS kicks......

Now every man should own that hat. perfect accessory for this season....grabbed it from a rack at ZARA for a quick pic..lol

Accessories in fashion

Accessories help you maximize your appearance and make you look  different from the rest. My favorite accessories are big printed scarves, and big rings...the accessories I can live without are chains.
A scarf adds chic and a fun twist to any outfit, my preference is a silf scarf. But really, i like paisley scarves also for that vintage look.
Pashmina scarves add luxury to your outfits.

You can find great affordable  scarves, even designers scarves at WINNERS and, MARSHALLS.

My bestie's jewelry collection

I told you i love my big rings... from Banana Republic, American Eagle Outfitters and I believe my Swarovski is from Winners.....

A nice place to find unique pieces of jewerly and Montreal is this place called OLD GOLD BOUTIQUE

256 Mont-Royal est
Montréal, Québec
H2T 1P5
514.509.1675

http://oldgoldboutique.com/

MEN:

ROLEX Gold watch

Ladies, there is nothing sexier than a designer watch on your man wrist, and you know it. So this christmas brake the bank ...
Because he might wear it everyday , make sure to choose a watch that will match his personality. Whether  outgoing and flashy or calm and passive, you sure too find one for him. There are men's designer watches that are flashy and scream for attention and there are men's gold watches that imply '' I'll take quiet quality over flash."
The watch face is also important; does he like round or square face?  But the most important is the watch band: metal??gold, titanium,silver or leather bands.
Athletic or sports oriented? Do not worry, they are designer watches out there that combine fashion style and durability..you can't go wrong with that..

                                            ROTARY gold face - leather band watch..(I like this mix)

                                                                  CALVIN KLEIN

FOR THE LOVE OF POETRY !!!!!

This friday night was a nice little evening( despise the cold)...
I decided to pay a visit to my friend at ACOUSTICA. If you havent heard of Acoustica,its a cozy Acoustic show to discover emerging artists from Montreal. Now I've known of this show since it started but have been to it in couple of years, so going there this weekend I was hoping to see artists I havent heard before, you know, new faces...but mostly one person I wanted to hear was FABRICE KOFFY, a Montreal based poet; and I was not disappointed.I was familiar with 2 artists, the rest of them were brand new to me, and they were all great, but there is something about good poetry that makes my heart smile.
So this poet is originally from the Ivory Coast ( I'm telling you great things come from that place, I mean look at me!!lol)...Some people, watch tv series, some watch music videos on youtube, I sit for hours listening to poetry on youtube, I love Def Jam Poetry, i can name my favorite poets here, but that will be for another day. This guy Fabrice Koffy is my French version of Deb Young. For whatever reason everytime I hear his work, I want to listen to Deb's...I will tell you more about him in another post but for now you can get on touch with him through, my space , facebook, or hear some of his work on youtube.

On facebook it's FABRICE KOFFY POESIC.

also every tuesday you can catching performing with KALMUNITY @ Le Consulat (1442 rue de bleury, 2nd floor, Montreal  H3A 2G1 )

                                                   Acoustica's crowd enjoying the night

As for the pics, I brought , my camera, but that little thing decided to act up.As written  on the pictures, they are courtesy of DjouLee  contact: 514 442 9466 / julie.equipart@gmail.com

SHISHA IN MONTREAL

I've never been in a place with an atmosphere  as soothing as that found at ORIENTHE.
Discovered  this place a week ago , thanks to a lovely gentleman. Orienthe offers tea, shisha, cakes with quiet relaxing music in the background in such a lush atmosphere...
This is a great place, if you want a change from the clubs and bar scenes that surround the city.
Whether a one on one date with that  special someone or a night out withe the buddies , you will enjoy the ambiance....
And oh those cushions laid out on the floor, gave me ideas for decor in my next appartment...:)

Did I mention, free WIFI at Orienthe?? ok ,so now you know!!!!

4511 Rue Saint-Denis
Montreal, QC H2J 2L4
(514) 227-2464

Subway: Station Mont-Royal

MEN'S LOOKBOOK

Fall season means extra layers and more refined look, so please leave the baggy look to the 15 and under..

SUITS trend: this is definately not a trend , it's always been around,never been out of style. The only difference is that now, the generation marrying this trend is getting younger and younger.So whether double-breasted,one button ,2 buttons,or 3 buttons(please no more than 4 buttons) you have plenty to choose from.

here are some of my examples below. The black 3 piece is from the ZARA fall 2010 collection

and the double-breasted one on the right are from TOM FORD suit 2010.

Also check out dimitrichris.com( one of my favorite Montreal designers)

MILITARY COATS,(picture below), AVIATOR JACKETS,AVIATOR BOOTS WITH SHERLING(picture below) are all in this season

CLASSIC BOOTS: every man should have a pair of quality boots.Whether duck boots,chukkas,or ruggedutility boots,choose your favorite brand and style in a color that fits your wardrobe(ZARA or STEVE MADDEN )

this military coat on the left is from the Burberry Prolsum fall collection

When tosssing around potential candidates for my men 's fashion I didnt think of this fellow but when Kanye West name came across as someone who is fashion forward , I had to reply '' if I understand where you going with this , I will go with Pharrell williams''

 This guy 's fearless and original clothing combos,deserve some kudos.More importantly than knowing the latest looks,Pharrell Williams understands how to make an outfit personal. I mean no disrespect to Kanye but Pharrell has been on his fashion ish for as long as I can remember,combining classics with more fashion-forward style; when no other rapper was doing it and he does it EFFORTLESS.(Kanye,no offence but  you know Alexis Pfeiffer put you on your fashion game..hahaha)

As for my #1 IT boy Josh Hartnett , I cannot find words to describe it, the man look good in anything.

THE BOYFRIEND TREND

Every now and then this trend comes and go.Sometimes ago the baggy denims were in , and then the boyfriend cardigan, lately the oxford shoes came back...
This trend is more than just borrowing from your boyfriend (although you will save money doing so). It's about dressing like a man without looking like one.You want to still look feminine or should I say sexy.
Show and prove:
THE BOYFRIEND BLAZER: ( the best thing created since sliced bread...lol)
When tailored,actually emphasizes the female frame; go for oversized and long ones,with or without shoulder pads, one button,and fitted around the waist, I bought mines at ZARA. Can be paired with summer dresses,mini skirts,denim shorts,leggings or skinny jeans.

Mrs Beckam does is like noone else. She paired her Halogen blazzer with Abercrombie denim shorts, white tee and Louboutin black heels...

THE BOYFRIEND JEANS: tight fit around your butt , but slightly loose and relaxed at the leg. If you are on a tight budget and cannot afford the ones the celeb stars are wearing, I suggest you hit the mall, and check out American Eagle Outfitters, Gap, Lucky Brand; I bought mines at H&M for 19.99$ only. Best paired with a fitted top and high heels( check out those Hale Bob heeled Oxford, below)

MY OWN VERSION OF THE BOYFRIEND LOOK: my cargo pants are actually men's pants...purchased them this summer at a thrift store Downtown DC

HALLOWEEN, IN FASHION!!!!!

HOW DID YOU CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR????

I know, I know, I'm late on this one but oh well,whatchagonnado??

History says that Halloween is one of the most popular holidays,second only to christmas.For me, lets just say, Halloween is secong to my birthday.

Most view Halloween as a time of superstitions, ghosts, goblins and evil spirits that should be avoided. As the christian debate goes on , I view halloween as a time for fun, putting colorful costumes, trick-or-treating( i'm the biggest kid on this earth...lol), or have theme parties. This year i decided to go as Nikki Minaj, yeah, you read it right, NIKKI MINAJ! If there is one thing I hate is those costly but cheap looking halloween costume they sell on ste Catherine( downtown Montreal) or even on the internet.

Forget about all the witches, the vampires, the devils and all the scary cats, think of all your favorites happy cartoon characters, or your favorites Hollywood stars. I would spent more than 30$ on a costume , so for all my DIY genuises, you can go for the cartoon characters and for the not-so-artistic-ones celebrities are your favorite bets, that way you can always find outfits in your closet that can do the trick.

For my Nikki Minaj projet i picked a

black mini fitted dress from my closet :Urban outfitters

funky high hills: Michael Antonio http://www.michaelantonio.com/index2.php... can be found at Winners.

The only things I didn't have already so I had to buy were, the fake eye lashes :5$ , and the fake nails :10$ both at maxi

and those are things you can easily find at the dollar stores, walmart or the drugstores...

The best found for me was my blond wig that I also found at maxi, who would have thought..Around Halloween most grocery stores will sell all the accessories you need , no need to go to the sex shops or the Halloween costumes stores...

This year's plus was homemade tiramisu at Natasha's. Her mother made the best I ever tasted!!!

We ate ,and drunk,and ate, and drunk, and drunk again , and again...and finally went to McKibbins Irish Pub...1300-1498 Bishop St, Montreal, QC

 

Russel Brand, Lady Gaga, Nikki Minaj( moi), and Dixxie , the flapper girl!!!!

And here you have the sexiest housewives in the city,filthy houses anyone??? :)

They say Nikki has a famous derriere??!!!

theses dudes were off the hook!!!!!

ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT YEAR COSTUMES, OR THEME PARTIES??? I' M ALL EARS

LACE TREND

This the trickiest for me: This trend feels most appropriate at night.Because we associate lingerie with the bedroom and seduction, you don't want to give the wrong idea.Thin line between skanky and sexy??? I personally like lacy tops, camisoles,under a a nice tailored suit( professional and sexy)..view picture below of boyfriend jackets that also look great over camisoles...
This picture below of Lucy Liu in Helmut Lang
 spring 2010 collection...

I felt in love with this tank top from urban behavior , i love that pastel color....will be grat under a black silk boyfriend blazer from the topshop.