Very Elegant Essence

Christmas Dinner 2010 Fashion Show

2011-03-08T23:19:00.000-08:00

This is really late, I'm sorry...

Fashion Show by: Freda Igbre, Judith Yua, Koyefunmi Olugbenle

Clarke Nabo

Models: Vera Ani, Sonia Osi, Jessica Uchendu,

Chizoba Ofoeme,Henrietta Ogoh,

Deborah Dele-Adedeji, Hekachi Amadi,

Oyidia Ijeoma, Dumola, Nena Charles.

Okoro Kelechi, Adeoye Tayo, Uche Holmes,

Hari James...

Natives Designed by: Freda Igbre

Just Some Random Sunday Snaps

2011-01-30T08:30:00.000-08:00

After Sunday service, just took some random picture in church. A friend wanted to feature me on her blog and after the shots, some other friend suggested I use the pics for my blog too. "Not a bad idea, I thought", so, I decided to put them up here which I did.

My beautiful self ;)

Ose and Me

Ose, Hari, the hot guitarist (Oh Hari, I'm sorry I called you 'not hot', I wonder what I was thinking) and Me

Needs no Description!

Looking glamorous without spending so much!!

2011-01-11T01:11:00.000-08:00

Check out this link: Primark Spring/Summer 2011 Lookbook

2011-01-09T14:03:00.000-08:00

Haven't really been consistent with this blog recently. This is owing to the fact that school work became more intense as the semester gradually was drawn to a close. Wanna do some fin things this break...be adventurous...;). Will put up about three articles before school resumes...it's really hard keeping up with this.

XoXo

Bakar Couture

2010-12-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

Abubakar Sanni is an upcoming fashion designer who specializes in the designing and manufacturing of men's clothes. He runs a fashion line, Bakar Couture, presently in Nigeria and he'd be having a fashion show soon to showcase his already manufactured clothes. He also is into that of women's but only partially. Soon enough it'd be full blown.

Some of his random snaps.

More pics from the fashion show to come...:)

Nike Air Jordan Retro

2010-11-17T18:04:00.000-08:00

Reference: Kicksbay

Some mad shoes I stumbled across!!!

2010-11-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

Was chatting with someone and he showed me these. Couldn't wait to share....I'm so feeling them.

Wmns Nike Dunk hell Hi Skinny sprm max red-black-bright peach

Women's Jordan VII heels

Wmns Nike Dunk hell Hi olive white

Women's Jordan XI Heels

Wmns Nike Dunk hell Hi red white

Wmns Nike Dunk hell Hi red black

Reference: findjordans

Style Maker of the year

2010-11-03T10:04:00.000-07:00

Kanye West was honored the style maker of the year at the ACE awards on November 1 2010.

Reference: click here

Satchels Are in Vogue!!

2010-10-25T02:43:00.000-07:00

Just noticed Satchels are in vogue and thought to share...:). See them almost everyday in school, in magazines, online, etcetera. They are available in stores...(obviously). Got some pictures of them too.

Taken from Paris Fashion Week

New Look Ruby Shearling Satchel

Marc Jacobs 'Stam' Quilted Frame Satchel

Domke Camera Satchel

There are of course so many other styles of satchels. Just put up a few so you know what to search for when next you hit the stores...;)

Picture reference: Google search Engine, Newlook.co.uk

Cape Jackets!!

2010-10-24T15:16:00.000-07:00

Must-Have Classics

2010-10-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

Shop the collection at: click here

Some saucy snaps from Paris fashion week!

2010-10-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

Taken on the streets...

Save picture in order to zoom in

Reference: Paris street style- Refinery

Some Fashion Trends

2010-10-02T14:48:00.000-07:00

Animal Prints: They make you stand out!

Stylish Blazers: Doesn't just shield from cold or serve the purpose of jackets, they send an I-can-still-look-good-while-I'm-at-it message across.

Purple Jersey Blazer

An army green Blazer

Beads: Mostly in form of bracelets and necklaces (long or chunky)

Black Chunky beads

Long multicolored beads

Pearls:

Chunky Pearl Necklace

Not just worn as jewelry but also on sleeves? It's crazy...
//

A casual leather jacket on a formal outfit...

Even guys play with colors now and the amazing thing about it is that it suits them so well:

A black shirt with a bit of purple on the collar plus a suiting sweatshirt

A westernized native wear

An orange dress? Hard to imagine but smashing at sight!

English blazer on African prints // Notice the brown covered wedge shoes and the floral twist lock clutch

Platform Shoes

2010-09-17T06:33:00.000-07:00

Platform shoes(shoes with thick soles) as we see in magazines, in occasions (parties, dinners, e.t.c.) have taken over in the shoe world now. Almost all shoes that are being manufactured in this modern-day times are platformed. They comprise boots, stiletto heels (sandals, peep toe pumps, covered shoes, e.t.c). This is a fashion come-back just in a modernized way. The modern ones definitely look better.

They are comfortable to wear (because they make the arch of the shoes less severe) and therefore can be worn for a longer period of time that the low-soled shoes (well, at least I think so). Asides being comfortable, they add elegance to dressing. It will not be wrong to say that they suit every dressing because they come in various patterns and designs and every lady has got at least a pair of them shoes.
Well, just like most heeled shoes, they add beauty to dresses by making the wearers look taller thereby making the dresses look shorter. This I think is great, except for those who do not like short dresses. In general, it accentuates whatever dress code it is you choose to use except for casual wears. For example, makes corporate wears look even more corporate. Using heeled shoes to accessorize when wearing casual clothes doesn't make one look casual but the other way round, unless you aim for otherwise.

Platform shoes are for everybody. By this, I mean that it's for both the slim and the plus-sized.

Some pictures of platformed shoes:

Picture reference: Google Search Engine

Dressing Tips III - When to wear what (for ladies)

2010-09-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

Just as occasions vary, dressings do too to suit the occasions. There are a lot of incidences where people have wrong clothings for right occasions and or right clothings for the wrong occasions. We fail to realize that not every dressing that seems right is actually suitable for all occasions. I have once been guilty of this recently and some youths still are. The outfit you have for school, might be the one you will have for casual but not formal events.

For formal events like awards nights, receptions of ceremonies and etc, a formal outfit is called for. For a lady, this could be a dress(long or short, as the case may be) or corporate pants, a skirt(knee length or slightly above) or shorts and a corporate blouse or a not-too-corporate shirt (could be ruffled a shirt). The dressing for such occasions is usually accompanied by light make-up and accessories with the accessories being the jewelries, a purse and a pair of shoes. Note that a purse should always be used for corporate evening events. in order to emphasize your dressing, suiting high-heeled shoes should be worn.

For a semi-formal event such as a soirée, jeans are likely to be acceptable. Wearing really short dresses with pantyhose makes the dressing look casual but with high-heeled shoes, they fit in for a semi-formal event. Clothes for semi-formal events need a touch or formality and casualty simultaneously. With jeans, a ruffled shirt could be worn. A pair of high-heeled shoes, a suiting purse and suiting jewelries can be used to accessorize. The dresses could be made of cotton or the native ankara and some maxi dresses could be used as well. A maxi dresses, in this case, will go with low-heeled slip-ons and a handbag.

Casual dressing is something we are used to. An everyday dress code.Casual clothings are used for school, casual gatherings such as get-togethers, visiting friends, hanging out and a lot more. The common dress code for this is usually a pair of jeans and a top(for ladies). Recently, casual outfits now could be dresses (maxi, shorts and all), ones that are casual though. Hardly do ladies wear skirts, I wonder why.

Dressing Tips II

2010-08-25T07:45:00.000-07:00

2. Wearing striped / patterned clothes: Generally, it is a fashion blunder to have two different-patterned clothes on. By pattern, i mean stripes, polka dots, animal prints, flowery prints and the rest of them. If you must have patterned clothes on, they must be of the same pattern. Same applies to accessories. If one of your clothes or accessories is patterned, the others will have to be plain. If they are not plain then they must all be of the same pattern. But, if your accessories have a pattern on them and your clothes have as well, and they are not the same, it's wrong dressing.

A plain top on patterned shorts

Usually, people use the same pattern for the entire dressing (clothes and accessories) if they have a dress code. It is rarely done though.

One more thing to note is the effect of stripes on clothes. Horizontally striped clothes will make you look wider and shorter than you are while vertically striped ones will make you look slimmer and taller than you already are.

3. Just some general knowledge about clothing - Knee-length shorts go best with fitted tops as well as boot cut trousers, baggies and flared skirts. On the other hand, skinny trousers, slim skirts and bum shorts go with flared tops but sometimes, go better with fitted tops as well depending on your physique. Note that having it be the other way round will not be suitable.

Please ignore the pose, couldn't get a better image to illustrate

A flared top on skinny pants

Maxi Madness

2010-08-21T05:13:00.000-07:00

Like we all know, fashion is dynamic. Different clothes come in vogue and fade away. Among all those in vogue currently, I choose to talk about the maxi dress that's now in vogue(for ladies). It's always been in there for pregnant women as their maternity dresses. I'm totally crazy about it that's why I choose to write on it. It's been in vogue though but according to my observation, it's at it's peak for youths.

It's described as a long dress, usually flared (sometimes stops halfway on the calves or flows to the feet) and usually halter-necked or tubed. Most if them grasp the chest region and become flared after the breast line. Most of them come in flowery designs while some just are plain.

Maxi dresses are usually worn casually or for semi-formal events depending on the style and what it's made of. Casually, suiting accessories are usually big bags, a pair of flat slippers and simple jewelries (depending on the hairdo). It doesn't just give you a stylish look but a homely look as well. Just as we know, dressing's just been about jeans or pants all the way so maxi dresses also make you look different from the way you do on other days. Mine's very open so i'd wear it with a short denim jacket. You should try it. It comes out really pretty. It conceals a lot of things as well. Things such as tummies, bad body shape (that's a maxi dress made of cotton), protruding gastrocnemius also known as yams.< I live with medical students...hehe>. So for some of us who don't want to wear short dresses because we think our legs are not good enough, here's one for us. Some of them are even classier than short dresses and the other way round as well.

Oh yeah I'm not going to write on this but jumpsuits too are in vogue. You know, those things that look like a top and trousers or shorts are conjoined. That's it!

I don't know about anyone else but no day passes me by without my seeing at least one maxi dress on someone or in shops. That's how in vogue it is. I had to get myself one. I may not have the opportunity to wear it now but it will come in handy. And oh, I'd be wearing it tomorrow I just remembered...hehe. You should by yourself one.

Dressing Tips (Basics) - Color

2010-08-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

The first and mandatory step to knowing what to wear is your kind of body. The type of body you have goes a long way in determining the kind of clothes you should put on and to some extent the make-up you choose to wear and your accessories as well.

That said, I will not be able to give so many tips because there are so many body types and sizes. I'd just give a few mostly of things that should be taken note of everyday.

1. Colour combination: I realized that people are so conscious of this that they wear almost one color throughout. For example, wearing a yellow shirt and because you dont think any other thing suits yellow other than another yellow, you wear yellow pants. In such a case, since yellow is a bright color, it should be followed with a dull color and then you could wear accessories that suit the dull color more (depending on the ocassion), because yellow is loud enough.

An example of color combination

Sometimes people tend to not wear outside the predominant colors on the clothes because they are that scared adding more colors would cause a disorder in the dressing. In this case, it depends on what kind of color that is being predominant. If the color is a bright one( Blue, red, yellow) then you may accessorize with dull colors or with colors of the same type as the bright color so the colors would not clash, for example red and pink. Also, if the color is dull (like black, brown, grey), you should accessorize with bright colors if you do not want to look dull.

In recent times, dull colors are not in vogue so in every dressing, it is necessary(not compulsory), in order to move with the trend, to have a touch of brightness. Okay, that is a paradox because personally, I love dull colors even though bright ones attract me. I realized that bright colors do not add beauty alone to you but it adds a bit to your mood unlike dull colors. So I said to myself, 'What the heck? I have nothing to lose if i add brightness to my outfit. Now, this does not have to be applied when dressing casually, albeit it still helps if you do. But for certain occasions that call for the use if bright colors, they should be used.

To be continued...

Taking Care of yourself (Men)

2010-08-11T06:06:00.000-07:00

Taking care of oneself, is a lot like putting oneself first. It encompasses a lot of things such as taking living healthy, nourishing the soul and body by exercise, good diet and relaxation. Today I will be writing on the 'taking care of the body' aspect. I deliberately will not say anything about women because there are currently so many articles regarding how women can look good; so it's time for the guys.

To begin with, we have to establish the fact that caring for the body and fashion kind of go hand in hand because you cannot dress an unkempt body and expect to look good. Every guy that is responsible should be willing to take care of himself, even though not all have the ability to. It is therefore essential that everything - from the strands of hair on the scalp, to the face, to the body down to the sole of the feet - is well groomed. Asides from having showers when you feel uncomfortable and using deodorants and sprays, there are things guys do not take note of. While a lot of guys think some things are just for ladies, some others think it'd be vain for them to do them. These things, not withstanding, are done by a number of them. Such things as having their palms and feet manicured and pedicured respectively, using facial scrubs and cleansers to absorb dirt and sweat(if they need to), using suitable body lotions and bathing soaps and others.

I once came in contact with a guy who said, "It's easy to be a guy because you could just have your bath and put your clothes on and take off". This is where guys get it all wrong. That you are a guy does not mean you do not need to take care of your skin as we ladies do, or that you should be nonchalant about personal care. When I (and most ladies I know) meet a guy, I scrutinize him and when i get to the feet and do not see heavy cracks or dirty and unkempt toes and toenails the guy immediately enters my good books. Ladies respond to men who don’t take such things like personal grooming as trivial.

I got talking with a guy just before I put this up about this same issue. Here's what he said, "Girls love guys when they are manly and having manicures and pedicures do not strike me as things 'manly' men should do. Imagine a guy and his chick walking into a nail shop for pedicure". Another i asked what his take was on this issue went, "I do it o", and he used an emoticon that showed he was ashamed to say it.

I am not insinuating in any way that guys do not take care of themselves. I only noticed that little things like this go a long way to tell the next person by you how well you take care of yourself. When one pays attention to trifles as one's toes, it only shows how exceptionally well one is conscious of one's hygiene. It also should make you feel good.

Asides taking care of the body, guys' clothing should be taken care of as well in the sense that not only should you wear clean clothes but also wear clothes that depict your kind of personality. Accessories and hairdo can tell the personality a guy, or at least give an impression. A saying goes, "Dress the way you want to be addressed". Most people are all about having game but a lady once said that a responsible lady will not find a guy that's got game responsible. I do not entirely agree with that though because some guys could have game and still be responsible.

Another important aspect is that of colour combination. This should not be much of a problem because guys do not wear as much colours as ladies do. The combination of patterned clothes is such that patterned clothes do not go with clothes or accessories of a different pattern but plain or the same pattern on the first. I notice that guys wear striped shirts with ties of entirely different patterns from the shirts they go with. This happens all the time. Also, there is the need for carriage. Men ought to carry themselves properly and exude confidence.

In summary, dress right; in a way that suits your figure, and wear the right thing for the right occasion. Also bear in mind that your dressing says a lot of your personality (you may never get a chance to actually speak to people; your looks sometimes is the message people get from you, and you wouldn’t want to pass of the wrong message would you?)

Fashion in the 70s and the modern-day fashion

2010-08-11T03:49:00.000-07:00

Fashion trends are such that after short periods of time, they change. These changes, however, do not call for the abandonment of one's style, rather, the style should be given a touch of what's in vogue. This way, u tend to blend the two.

When growing up, I wore leggings at a stage and as I grew further, I moved with the trend then - pants, jeans etc. With time I noticed that there was an upsurge in the demand for clothes that accentuated the curves and supliers were efficient as it made the business boom. For some time, it seemed as though old-time dressings were coming back in vogue and now, it does not seem, rather they are in vogue and have been made to blend in well with the modern-day fashion. Now we wear catsuits, jumpsuits, maxi dresses, geek glasses, waist belts(slim and wide), suspenders, puff-sleeved clothes, among so many others. And for at home style robes and comfort wears, caftans and jalabiyas were used.

Here's a statement about dressing in the 70s, "

...For eveningwear women often wore full length maxi dresses, evening trousers or glamorous halter neck catsuits. Some of the dresses oozed Motown glamour, others less so..."

The old-time catsuit

With this, we see that modern-time fashion has more of the old-time in it but then, why do we not look like our parents in their youthful time? Personally, i think it is the way we add color to our dressing and the accessories (among which there are old-time ones) that make us look different from them. For example, modern patterns of shoes, bags and the rest of what we accessorize with.

In summary, most of the things we put on these days are fashion comebacks just that we add a touch of modernization to them and we are good to go. So, whatever you have, do not leave them aside because they are no more in vogue. Maybe you don't just know how to blend them correctly with the style in vogue.

About this blog

2010-08-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

In this blog, I'd be discussing different things that have to do with fashion and giving tips as well. I won't want this site to be a dull one so I'd try my best to take shots to illustrate better, what i mean by the things I say. Will be putting up interviews of people to know what their takes are on fashion as well so as to be vast with this. Also, I will be moving with the trends in fashion, saying what's new and what's not, to the best of my knowledge though. I'd be glad to answer any questions.

The site might be a little bit dormant when schools are in session because I will have to face school then just like everyone else will. It will still be open for comments and question though.

Welcome to My Blog

2010-08-05T15:35:00.000-07:00

With utmost joy, I welcome you to my blog.

Meet me: I'm Vera Ani. I'm 19 years old and I'm an Engineering student of the University of Debrecen, Hungary. I won't say I do not love school but I love something else more - Craft! I also am attracted to nature, color and its combination and stuff. With time, I grew to appreciate good looks and sought to always look good. This landed me where I am today - here. So now I can say that my interest is in the fashion world because I believe it has so much in it. I strive to have my fashion designing label, one which will boom.

All that said, I look forward to posting something soon. Thanks for reading.