Happy Days

I've been missing my traditional clothes because the coldness has made it impossible for me to think of anything other than bundling up in thick layers. I pulled out one of my traditional long skirts and decided to rock that to church..and pretty much the rest of the day.










Skirt- custom made, Jacket and belt-F21, Blouse- Target, Shoes-Michael Kors(from TJMAXX)

Its My Blog-versary!!!

Well kind of... My actual blogversary was sometime in August, but being that i kind of forgot, i'll recognize it today. Ahem.
I can't believe its been a year since i started blogging.I love this blog so much. I've learned so much and i am grateful for each and every reader. Thank you guys for all your encouraging words and even you lurkers, thanks as well.
I figured, i'd repeat a favorite outfit, last worn in my earlier days as a blogger, in commemoration of my blog-versary.






dress (bubu)= custom-made

photocredits go to the Manfriend!!

Meet the Family

I went to a wedding over the weekend and native attire was not required but i relish the rare chances i get to be completed decked out in my native clothes. So i dressed up. And as I like weddings i usually enjoy them, and this one was no exception. A very beautiful and blushing new bride and adorable groom, lots of laughter and food and dancing all made for a great time. However, I did discover that no matter how many times i do the electric slide, i still have to relearn it every time i do it in a public setting... i draw a blank for the first 2mins...lol. but after those first 2mins, i'm usually good. lol
Here's a mini shoot of me and my siblings and what we all wore to the wedding.
We'll start w/ me: I'm wearing a custom made ankara outfit. Its a long skirt with a fish tail (favorite) and blouse




Next is my younger sis known as "The Lachmeister" on the blog she's not in native clothes because she had to go to work, and didn't have enough time to run home and change into her native clothes. She met us at the wedding. She's in an Anthropologie dress


Next is my youngest sister, known as "The Nimsta" on the blog. Dressed in a mustard brocade buba


Lastly, is my youngest sibling and only brother, he's probably referred to as "Little One" on the blog. lol. He's in a brocade tie-dye shirt and jeans (he prefers being as casual as possible)

A better view of the my brother's shirt.

So here they are, some of my favorite girls and boy aka my photographers...lol

Inherited

As with most of my native clothes, i inherited..cough *borrowed but never returned* this outfit from my sweet mom. I rarely dress up in the outfits completely wearing the top and bottom together unless there is a special event. Again i like borrowing *cough stealing* native pieces from my mom because there's so much history behind them. That and because that's the cheapest way for me to get my hands on native clothes being that i cannot sew yet. I plan to learn to sew basic patterns before this year is over.

Asymmetrical

The ASA (African Student Assoc.) at my school had a Fashion Show, and of course i had to go. Except, my camera was uncharged (of all the days) and died 2 mins into the show. There were some student designers there with some pretty impressive pieces, unfortunately, i cannot show them to you.
I'm wearing a dress i made with the bottom piece of cloth from one of my native outfits(the wrapper from a buba outfit). Unfortunately, the only pics i have of it came out a bit blurry. I will find better pictures. Or a better camera.

Black Mondays: Friday's Post

I hope no one minds, because this is the outfit i wore on Friday to the early hours of Saturday morning. It's black, so i hope its ok even if its what i wore on Friday. I had a very busy weekend so i didn't have very much time to post pics of my outfits. This outfit is an example of what a perfect outfit is to me. Typically, for a day like this, i would have preferred to be in a dress, but given the weather on Friday, pants had to do. I had to go to school, work, then back to school for a banquet and then out to a club for some much needed dancing with some classmates.
I'm wearing the blouse of one my native outfits but to give it a modern twist to take me to work, i wore my black jeans. Throw in the flower clip for that splash of random that i love and boom! Perfect day to night outfit. At least for me. By the way, these shoes are some of the most comfortable heels i own. My feet didn't start to ache till 2am.








coat-f21, sweater- proenza, blouse-custom made, jeans- dots
Photo credits go to the Man who always finds my good side, my Manfriend!

A Family Affair

My mother's birthday was on Sunday, so i spent a majority of my weekend planning with my sisters and my dad. I love to plan things and watch things unfold and come together as planned so i had a great time. I 'm usually the one planning family vacations, trips and date nights for me and the Manfriend.
On the big day, we actually had our family portrait redone (because i oppose contacts) then headed home to cut the cake and have dinner (and dancing). It was fantastic, we had a family photoshoot, then food and then dancing...it was a near perfect day.

here's what i wore for the day. We started with a casual clothes..everyone got to choose casual clothes that reflect their personalities... i'm in love w/ blazers right now, so of course i wore one. I'd planned on saving this blazer for the spring, but i couldn't resist wearing it for the photos.

This outfit:
Blazer (Express)
Black Top (F21)
Jeans ( Express)
Shoes (Bakers)
Blue Flower Headband (Beauty Supply Store)

Then we changed to our native attires. These were custome made for us, we chose the colors. And thankfully the seamstress understood that i walk fast, so my skirt blossoms from the knees downwards to allow plenty of leg room and big movement.

I'm posting my sister's outfits as well. Lachmeister is on the left, and Nimsta is on the right. These are all nicknames as i'm posting these pics w/out their permission...or with their staunch objection. But as the oldest child, sometimes my say gets to override theirs. Its basically the same style, a shirt and a long skirt, but w/ differentiating details; ruffles and ropes and different cuts for the top.

Photo credits go to my sisters for my photos and i took the pics of them.

By the way, they gave me permission to put up their pics :-)

Friday- African Attire

I'm wearing one of my nigerian native outfits in its entirety.The last time, i wore just the bottom piece. Click here to see how i wore just the bottom. Today i've got on top and bottom, and my favorite black blazer to give it a bit of office-appropriate sophistication.

I walked into the office this afternoon, and to my happy surprise, the office was decorated in colorful X-mas decorations. There seems to be a palpable excitement in the air. Is it just me, or do people seem happier at this time of year? People seem nicer, more at ease and even more jovial. And i have to say i really love it.

Hopefully, i will be attending a holiday party tonight. I say hopefully because lately, i'm really tired when i get home at the end of the day. So when i make plans to go out later in the evening (after work), i end up sleeping right thru numerous alarms and phone calls to wake up and go out. I 'm glad i have understanding friends and family who have not given up on me even though it seems i have a problem staying awake after 11pm. Again, hopefully history does not repeat itself.

This is what i wore:
Native Atire (Custom-Made)
Blazer (Thrifted)
Shoes (Joey O)

Photocredits go to the Magnetizing Manfriend!

Sunday- African Clothing

Maybe i'll make every other Sunday, "Native Day", which will be the days i wear my native attire or incorporate my native dress into my outfit. i wore this lovely number to church, as you can see, i love color. This attire actually belonged to my lovely mama, and she passed it down to her firstborn, me. In the part of Nigeria where i hail from, the clothes that mothers wear when they're younger, are passed down thru many generations(doesn't not have to be the firstborn), depending on how well the children keep the attire.
This outfit is called a Buba ( not to be confused w/ a bubu, which is what i wore the last time i dressed natively).I know they sound a bit alike, but the attires are named for the style of the outfit. The bubu, is a flowy dress, while the buba is made up of a top and a bottom. The bottom piece is called a wrapper(i'll show more pics to break it down). But here it is...feel free to ask for any clarifications..
Native Attire (Custom Made)
Sandals(DSW)
Clutch (Target)


Photocredits go to my sis Lachmeister!

Africana Goes Native

Happy Sunday everyone!
I figured, since this blog is about an Africana's wardrobe diary, its only fair that you get to see me in my native clothing. I don't dress up too often, not because i don't want to, but because there are so few occasions for me to do so. But this morning, i felt inclined to dress natively. In the part of Nigeria where i hail from, this is called a Bubu. This is what i wore:
Bubu (Custom -made)
Silver Shoes (Dillards)

Photocredits go to the awesome Lachmeister.