AutumnWinter 15/16 Collection: Maki Oh or Maki No?

When the Nigerian fashion scene gets buzzing with activities – new collections, fashion shows, et al – I get uber-excited and my attention is completely sold. The scene was buzzed-up again with Nigerian fashion label, Maki oh, presenting their AW15/16 collection. According to the designer, Amaka Osakwe:

“As an advocate for all things truly African,

Maki Oh uses true African textiles like

Adire, Aso-oke, Akwa Oche, Oja and more to

Continue to illustrate to the world (and Africans)

That we have desirable, couture quality local

Textiles”

Inspired by the fascination by Africans for foreign ideas with African under tone – Mami Wata being the case in study, the collection is a marriage between Western and African aesthetics. For me, there are yay-worthy and nay-worthy pieces; these are my picks:

The Yays!

"I am a sophisticated woman"

 

"I'm sexy but classy"

 

 "Loose is the new in"

The Nays!

"I seek weird stares from strangers"

"Minimalist for what? Less isn't more, i can prove it!"

 

"If poodles can, so can I" 

 

"All i wanted was a touch-of-white"

In other ‘critical’ news; aside from the distracting rope on the floor, notice how sad the models look?

 Their appearance is a poor representation of the ‘Mami Wata’ idea this collection sought to explore.

Mami Wata

 Mami Wata, the water and serpent priestess is characterized by confidence and strength. These photos scream “HELP! I was kidnapped and forced to wear these clothes” Snap out of the gloominess girls, Jesus loves y'all!

What do you think of the collection? Would you rock them or nah?

Photo Credit: stylevitae deviantart

Box Up Your Closet

Body shapers huh? Girls are not smiling at all.

With the recent hiked-crave for a tinier waist and bigger derriere, dear men now would be the perfect time to recite the ‘lead me not into temptation’ prayer.

The popular silhouettes; A-line, Empire, Mermaid, H-line, Basque, Sheath, Ball gown, Ballerina, even the Bodycon all have one thing in common; they flatter the female figure, targeting the waist.

However, not all trends give us this luxury; the structured boxy silhouette gives us breathing space over figure-flattering.

The boxy silhouette like the name implies has a box-ish appearance and loosely falls away from the body. It is also less show off-ish and flaunty than most silhouettes.

You’re probably thinking; “Wait. So after restricting my breath for a tinnier waist and ‘crouching’ hundred times daily for a bigger and better sculptured butt, I WOULDN’T show it off?! Hell to the NO!!!”

True, the boxy silhouette isn’t flattering, but there are ways to create balance to avoid a Boxtroll look. Also, the up-side to this trend is its ability to hide the ‘excesses’ (for some of us who are yet to get on the workout bandwagon - no shame in that).

Tips:

• Dress for your body. No one wants to be left out of any trend, but if it does your figure wrong, it’s not worth it. 

• If your plan isn’t to hide your figure, avoid pairing a boxy top with a boxy bottom (and vice-versa). Rather, pair with a pencil skirt or a skin-hugging blouse. 

Tiffany Amber

• But if your aim is to grab the 'box' by the 'handle', take a cue from blogger, igobyfrankie, and Bridget Awosika's ready to wear S15 collection; rock a top-to-bottom boxy look.

IgobyFrankie

Bridget Awosika

• Avoid loud colours. Keep it safe and simple by opting for block colours, that is, one hue at a time. If you do not however mind a little edginess, go for prints as seen on the model, but keep them small.

If you're going to hide all the junk in your trunk, best do it right!

Photo credit: igobyfrankie StyleMynt  BridgetAwosika  TiffanyAmber
 

Fashion Inspiration

The much anticipated African Magic Viewer’s Choice Award (AMVCA) took place this past weekend. Watching from the comfort of my home (since I wasn’t invited), I was more interested in what was worn than what was won, although, it is nice to see Africans appreciate talents it birthed. As expected, there were ‘trash-it’ and ‘fab-it’ looks on the red carpet, however, of all the looks that caught the attention of fashion enthusiast, three looks stood out for me: the Lupita look-alike dress worn by Ini Edo, the Zac Posen inspired dress donned by Genevieve Nnaji and the daring ‘jacket-of-many-colours’ worn by Alex Ekubo.

Style Twinning 

 

Lupita Nyongo in Ralph Lauren

“From the day I saw this outfit on Lupita, I fell in love and knew it was a must have” – Ini Edo.

 

Ini Edo

Waiting ten more years (or more) before ‘must-having’ this replica dress would have done Ini some good considering just last year, the whole world was in awe of the Ralph Lauren dress on Lupita Nyongo. Originality is a prerequisite of great fashion and style sense, but I guess the heart wants what it wants.

Glamour Inspiration

As the host of the first annual diamond ball to benefit the Clara Lionel foundation last year, Rihanna was dressed in an elegant Zac Posen dress…

 

Rihanna in Zac Posen

The Nollywood screen goddess drew some 'RInspiration' in her custom Elvira Jude dress...

Genevieve Nnaji in Elvira Jude

One could tell the look, though inspired by the Zac Posen dress, still held elements of originality which stayed true to the genre of style we know Genevieve loves.

Game of Colours

Alex Ekubo

Joseph, son of Jacob, get in here! Alex be stealing your spotlight. When I saw this look, the first thing that came to mind was the popular Rubik’s cube puzzle.

Rubik's Cube

Not every man can pull of this look, unfortunately Alex isn't 'not every man'. He should have opted for an all black look to go with the 'colour-loud' jacket; making it the only focal point.
Fashion inspiration can be drawn from the minutest of things, howbeit, infusing one's own originality is key. Stay inspired!