Have you ever walked out of the house and down the street or around town, glanced around only to find that you had an outfit similar to everyone else around you?  At this point, you probably wished you were different and unique from the crowd.

You’ve heard number of times that in life it’s the little things that matter. This saying can easily find it’s backing in fashion whereby little details you add to your outfit can make or break your final look stand out.

How can you accessorize your outfits?  Two words; Scarf It!

The scarf trend has caught on. Forget the days when we thought scarves were for our grandmothers and being ‘scarfed’ meant one was old-fashioned. Lately, however, the scarf has become a fashion statement with men and women alike are accessorizing their outfits with lovely scarves. From the extra-long scarves worn with skinny jeans that give a nice casual look to cowboy scarves with their tassels hanging, that have become an instant favourite with men, demonstrates how scarves may complete an otherwise dull outfit. Continue Reading »

Dreadlocks used to represent anticonformity. They were initially a religious thing, with rastafarians and Mungiki. Then they became a feminist thing, a uniform for ladies who use Ms. After that, they became a visual banners for stylish types who preferred to go ‘natural’.

In my case, it’s the only do that works on my head. But I still like the idea of rebelling a little, which is why I try to keep them short. Try, because hair growth is very tempting. It’s like diamonds, but with shampoo.

As much as we dislike it, we are judged by how we look, what we wear, how we dress our hair. I think that’s partly why I’ve never replaced my nose ring. I’ve worn one since I was sixteen – partly for rebellion, partly for Tushauriane’s Esther, but mostly to look Nubian. Dark girls were hot back then; they still are. Plus, I was at the Plain Jane stage of growth; I thought the bling made me look pretty.

When I lost my nose ring at the pool some months back, I considered getting another one, but then I realised it wasn’t really necessary. I’m no longer the wild sixteen-year-old. Actually, I was never a wild sixteen-year-old, hence the nose ring; I needed some ruse to look crazy. And it wasn’t actually a ring, more like a microscopic gold stud. It looked more like glitter on my nose. Continue Reading »

There are two kinds of hairdressers – those who do what you want … and those who don’t.

Hairdressers are artists, and a good beautician is one who makes you happy. You may not like their dress sense, you may not like their attitude, you may not even like their name.

You may not like the way they yank your head back and forth, or the way they talk about clients, or how they patronise you and your salon-mates, or their dismissive tone when they tell your sister ‘Please stop distracting her, I’m trying to work here’ [and swiftly banish said sister to the corner with a two-year-old Cosmo right in the middle of some juicy family gossip].

But when they are finished with your hair, you will be grinning ear to ear.

Now, salon-ing, like all other arts, requires talent. Some coiffeurs have it naturally, others learn by aping, others went to Pivot Point, others plaited grass, bought a blow-drier and rented a room.

But the true hair expert is the one that can think. They can look at your head and decide what suits it best. And even better, they can take your ridiculous suggestion, tweak it here and there, and make it work. Continue Reading »

Fashion is an interesting thing. Being a girl, I know that an item can look perfectly good in my home mirror, then look ridiculous once I’m out on the street. Lots of times I’ve walked past those reflective windows at the bank, snuck a peek at myself, and wondered what possessed me to leave the house looking like that.

And it can’t be entirely blamed on the glass distortion factor.

An issue that bothers girls a lot is the hitching skirt. You leave the house in a pretty little dress that sits nicely on your knees. Then you get into a matatu and realise that when you sit, the skirt rides uncomfortably high. You then look for anything from handbags to scarfs to newspapers to protect the bare … um … legs. The rest of the day is spent in relative discomfort trying to pull your stray skirt down, while ‘people’ laugh and tease your false modesty. After all, they say, you knew how short the skirt was when you wore it.

Except you didn’t. Really. Continue Reading »

Here we are, at the end of another decade. I can’t believe 10 years has just flown by in a blink of an eye! I still remember the hype of the coming millennia when everybody was worried about what the Y2K bug will do to us – how it will shut everyone down. That was 1999 and now, 10 years has flown by. While we are left to ponder what have we achieved in the last 10 years, let’s take a look back at the trends we loved, hated and can’t get enough of……. Do you agree?

1) Bangles
Stack ‘em and stack ‘em high was the wrist rule of the beginning of the 21st century. Bangle sets were plentiful from plastic to gold. Accessories fiend rocked them with both casual and dressy ensembles. I will personally attribute them to the rise of Bollywood movies where bangles were part of the set up from decades ago.

2) UGGs
Although there is nothing sexy about them, women stand behind their UGGs, professing their love for the sheepskin fleece that keep their toes so warm and nice. Ask Hollywood and I bet most stars will swear by owning at least a pair of UGG.

3) Suggestive Butts
Started off with Juicy Couture – prints on the rear of sweat pants became a hit. Whether they said “Juicy” or “Pink”, we just couldn’t help but turn our heads to read the messages on the bums of Juicy Couture and Victoria’s Secret sweatpants. Continue Reading »

It is not always easy to spot replica Louis Vuitton Handbags, especially when many buyers are unfamiliar with the genuine designer goods. It gets even scarier when the advisers in LV boutiques themselves cannot tell the difference! It has happened to a friend’s friend who, in Australia, bought a genuine LV bag and then bought a top-grade LV replica. She brought the replica back to LV saying she wants an exchange for a different design. At the end of the day, 1 to girlfriend, 0 to LV. She ended up with 2 genuine handbags for the price of 1!

Thank goodness for us, there are ways to spot a replica. It comes down to us to spot them and not be a victim of replicas.

Note the tag on the handle. On genuine Louis Vuitton goods there is only one outside stitching, whereas a fake will feature two white stitching outlines on the tag on the handle.

Take a look at the buckle shape. A genuine Louis Vuitton bag features a round silver buckle. Replica Louis Vuitton handbags may include a square silver buckle. Continue Reading »

The way you dress can help you
I know many of us have had to ask some of the strangest questions, especially to men. Some go like this; how do I look with this dress? Does this pant make me look fat? The better majority of us try asking these questions to our reflections in the mirror. But I hate to believe that all of us women we tailored to be worried about the same thing, I mean there must be something we can for sure blame. Don’t you think some clothes actually make us look bigger and fatter? Fashion experts like me tend to believe so. There are many opinions about this. What makes you look fat and what can take 10 pounds and a few inches off your waist? Among the many recommendations that the experts keep repeating on TV programs and books, I believe that the following work the best:

1. Positive focus
If you are overweight (later on I will teach you how you can know whether you are or not), first of all, do not feel bad about your body. You would be nothing without your body and it hell supports you when walking, talking, breathing, so love it. Continue Reading »

A video showing a selection of clothes that were show cased at the Air New Zealand Fashion Week Liberty Catwalk 2008.