Solange - Loosing You

Solange is officially sublime. One of my coolest friends showed this video to me (thank you Maya, for helping me keep up with music). Her little dances and the styling of this video just do it for me. Plus look at that hair!

...Yeah, so I haven't been blogging enough these days but that should change in a month or five. I promise it's with good reason :)

Have a lovely weekend!

Ps: It was shot in Cape Town!

- Chezza

Daydream Nation- Princess Chelsea, Cigarette Duet

This video is not the usual generic stuff, ( oh how I can hear the resounding accusation that i'm a hipster) but I love it! At first you may be like, um, woah what the Santa Claus but hang in there, its actually quite awesome and the message at the end of the video is so funny.

I absolutely adore Princess Chelsea, and this duet is so adorable (see what I did there, hardy har!) and this song just gets stuck in your head. Warning Earworm!

Here is New Zealand lady, Princess Chelsea with The Cigarette Duet.

-Annie

Daydream Nation- Alpine, Villages

GAH!

I love Alpine when I found them I think I overstayed on Youtube, their sound is so surreal and yum (i'm out of adjectives)
It just feels like i'm eating dreams with my eyes!!!! Mmh... that sounds weird.

So before I sound weirder here's Aussie band Alpine with the song Villages.

-Annie

Daydream Nation- Metronomy, The Bay

Here is Brit band Metronomy with "The Bay".
My gosh, I love this song, such a summer playlist kindda song, you know those days where you're languishing at work or home bored to death and you're minds just feeling kindda escapist...
Ugh, I need a holiday!!

-Annie

You need a Fashion Shower

Anna Dello Russo is Queen. Period.

Therefore, I would like to thank Chezza for introducing me to her highness' style, Chezza I hereby owe you a pair of shoes...(Just keep it on your wish list *tee hee*)

In this short clip through a series of very interesting (read very Anna) fashion lessons, Anna advertises her collabo collection of wonderfully gaudy accessories for H&M and you know what? I LOVE IT!! After watching this I just wanted to run, dance and throw my wardrobe away because its too bland (mild brainwash might be the cause of these spontaneous delusions) and I think a Dello Russo accessory should be a staple... (Insert face that realizes you may need to save here)

I'll have a fashion shower over here QUICK!

Keep you posted!

-Annie

Blogs: Pamba Boma

Pamba Boma! I like that name. Try saying that 20 times, 8 times as fast.
While stalking my friends on facebook researching on local design blogs I came across Pamba Boma which is an interior design blog (how exciting eh?). According to their website, 'Pamba Boma' is Swahili for ‘decorate your home’*

African Fashion- Print-topia...NOT!

Katungulu Mwendwa- NY fashion Week

Khanga, Leso and Ankara, these prints are now the identifying factor in the fashion game quite especially on the runways of Kenya; multitudes of designers are coming up with designs which feature in what is becoming a seemingly cliche tactic, stereotypical African prints on an over commercialized western trend eg. a peplum dress.

Is this the way Kenyans view African/Kenyan fashion? I think it is quite disappointing for anyone to think that that is simply what African Fashion constitutes of, a collection of loud, bold prints on a specific fabric and   hey presto! You've got an African design. Consequently, people who have realized the popularity and insatiable demand for an African print (which was looked down upon not too long ago) here in Kenya, are creating what seems like a mass distribution of the product which results in a over saturated and over commercialized  fashion market of literally the same item.

Move

Dancing, something we don't normally talk about, but how could I resist?!

A little nonsense

I'm sorry little blog of mine. I didn't mean to abandon you. My mind has been suffocating me. I'm one of those people who freaks out when things don't go according to plan and I'm also one of those people that worries a lot. Well, for the passed two months nothing has being going as planned and the life I envisioned I would have is still just out of reach. That makes me worry. At one point it was so bad I didn't want to do ANYTHING. I got so filled up with doubt that I became numb.

Urgh, yuck, I hate to sound so fragile and sad. In real life I like guns, hockey and I just restarted Modern Warfare 3 on the hardened level, by the way. I'm no softy.

Peeling Back The Skirts

Amen

Yes, I had to jump on this bandwagon.

I know some of you are wondering what this means, well, a few weeks ago a Girls School protested over what they deemed UGLY UNIFORMS; they complained that their skirts were too long. Seriously, they were, I am talking Ankle Length.

Most of my readers are American so I have to go on and say that I live in Kenya, it was once a Brit colony so a lot of what we do here is Brit, meaning almost everyone has a school uniform. I have been to catholic school, boarding school and finally a British System school and have practically worn uniform my whole life, first it was tartan skirts, sky blue skirts(yikes!) then navy/ black trousers, the latter making us all look like we were caterers.

I have to applaud these girls because in the end their skirts were shortened but, crap hit the fan when the minister of Education mentioned that girls should wear short skirts... he never said mini just short! Of course there was outrage as most of the education system here is largely controlled by religious clerics and our country is mainly patriarchal but I say, THANK YOU minister! You are revolutionary

I have never understood why school administrations should make girls look matronly and boring in their wear, if they did not realize, these uniforms are what most girls and guys wear  and since its an everyday thing, we should at least be allowed to feel comfortable wearing it shouldn't we? Besides, if someone is comfortable aren't they more happier and more productive in their work? Students are not robots, they are people too and their opinions should be taken into consideration.

Anyway for those who find their uniforms boring, here are a few pointers taken from the most stylish student of all Blair Waldorf of Gossip Girl.

Children of Summer

The most ironic thing is that July - August holidays are referred to as Summer... BIG JOKE! 

I have frozen religiously for the past two months but hey, you cannot control hormonal weather jacked up on global warming but I am out to prepare for summer.

Just as predicted by the Coca Cola Ads that "when the world is grey, Africa is vibrant', its going to be a FRYING PAN in a matter of months until Mid February and Chezza and I should know just how hot it will be due to the less than comfortable situation we were in when we had to don our all black uniform in school...  tough times, tough times...

On that note, we graduated from school (wooooh!!) so that means we have more time to be children of summer ie. we get to wear no more uniform and use clothes we racked up!!!

Here is my inspiration for summer, the Prada 2012 Spring /Summer Lookbook. I love how its represented in fantastical mixed media; it feels nostalgic, almost cinematic in character like a summer story... Whimsical!

Another Rihanna Cover

I have this complex toward Rihanna, It's like a balancing act between whether I think she's cool or not. Regardless of what side the scales lean on, she intrigues me. I listen to some of her music though but I don't go out of my way to do it. I saw the pictures from Harper's Bazaar August 2012 today and right now I like her, a lot.

Clean

You know how when you discover a blog you just might like you go through roughly 100% of the posts? No? Well, I do that all the time like a crazy fashion-psycho-stalker-person. It's official, after stalki...er, following Ivania Carpio's blog LOVE AESTHETICS, for the past who knows how long, I've been thinking about how brilliant one single human being could be. Today as usual I was looking at latest post, splattered nails. And it hit me, it hit me hard. She has the best DIY's ever, period. Take a look at her blog if you don't believe me.

Liquideep keeps... "Still"

I have been meaning to post this but I always forget.
Who is a fan of South African duo Liquideep? You might have heard the song "Still" but not seen the video (or maybe you have, who cares i needed to post this)
So....
For your viewing pleasure Liquideep : STILL

I really like the way its so...chilled and the lady in the video... so fashionable or what? I really can't believe i missed them at Blankets and Wine, I hope they stop by again (after exams anyway) its on my must attend list. I bet some of you guys went, i must say, I am jealous!

Keep you posted!

-Annie

Recognition

Guess who made it to Vogue Italia? ...no, seriously, guess who?! Imma tell you anyways :)
Poisa did! Oh yeah!

Can't believe I didn't hear about it till yesterday when Annie told me. According to Vogue.it, (shame on me for not knowing), Franca Sozzani, editor-in-chief of Vogue Italia, is travelling around our beautiful continent looking for talented designers. It's part of her goal to introduce African products to European markets. Just imagine how awesome it would be if lets say, you go to uni in the UK or Italy and you don't have to wait till the holidays to get your hands on a pair of earrings or a dress by a local designer. If you couldn't tell that makes me all too excited!

All images via Google and Vogue.it

In the post she mentions both John Kaveke and Patricia Mbela. I'm so happy both designers were recognised by a Vogue Veteran (you got a better word?), who also happens to be one I genuinely really like. I really think this could be another step towards better recognition from the Fashion world of our country and continent as a whole.

Do I see a Swahili Vogue in the future perhaps? Don't be cynical, think about it. Why not?

- Chezza

Lana Del Rey- Budding icon.

Lana Del Rey

There is something deeply poignant about Lana Del Rey's voice... Its like a nostalgic melody that you thought you only once remember hearing because it reminded you of something important and its haunted you all the while... Forgive me people I'm obsessed with music. This is the root of all Indie music
Besides doesn't she look like someone plucked her from a Wes Anderson film or an artistic movie from 1963?
She's like a really sad angel,  a really stylish one.
I want to be a vintage picture.

So for your viewing pleasure...

Lana: Video Games- this reminds me of Marilyn, Elvis, Heath Ledger and pictures with friends

Lana: Born to Die: I think of flower children, Brigitte Bardot, leather jackets and the fact that i need a car!

Lana: Blue Jeans- reminds me of the sixties, trailer parks, James Dean and Chezza's Tattoo.

I know she says James Dean in this video, but i swear  i had thought of it way before the video ended. This video is so good girl meets bad guy meets a terrible death meets an amazing movie i could have watched from the Cannes Film Festival.

What do you think of her and her music?

Keep you posted !

-Annie