BHF Magazine
Contemporary. African.
Contemporary. African.
4.28.2010
Fashion Japan: What is style?
There is fashion, and there is style.
This is something that we have established on this blog. You can have all the Dior and Prada and Louboutin and still have no sense of style (hmmm). Style is a personal essence; it evolves as we do, with time and age and season, and somehow it remains the same. For example, one person's style may be elegant. That elegance will be reflected in her 20s, 30s, 40s even though the clothes will change with time and aging/maturing.
My first reaction to this is hideous. How did you leave your place looking like this?
It turns out that its not about fashion so much as it is about style, and style is something personal, something that cannot be bought. Style is a reflection of your personality, it is who you are. You can have fashion, but you cannot pull off style as easily.
So right not im confused. In as much as style is about dressing first and foremost for yourself, what about elegance and wearing pieces that actually go together? I was browsing Tavi's blog (Style Rookie) and i have to give it to her, the fashion commentaries are great. But her personal style?? NO. She dresses like an old lady (I hope im not destroying my future in fashion by saying this) it is just not happening.
So is style something that we can critique, something that we are allowed to critique? If style is personal, can there be something like a bad sense of style? What determines good from bad sense style? If you have a dreadful sense of style, does is mean youre a dreadful person? hahaha ok that last part was a joke. loool
Ok but you get my drift. You certainly do not have to be dressed in the latest Miu Miu platform and Balmain jackets to look good. But Blue Doc Martins with striped pants under a silk blue dress, a lace thing to top it all up??!!
xoxo.
4.27.2010
A different way of accessorising.
Two of my favourite bloggers, Fashiontoast and Cherry Blossom Girl, have featured a new trend that i like. Wearing chains on your shoulder/arm of a strapless dress to give it an edgier androgynous look. What do you think?! I love it!
Rumi of fashiontoast
Alix of the cherry blossom girl
Could this be a way of reconciling two of the strongest trends from last year, i.e. the tough rock girl look from the eighties, and the more feminine flowing look of the seventies? Jak & Jil wrote about it back in Nov '09, check it out here.
Also, i don't recall seeing this look in the recent fashion weeks, i wonder how it started...
Check out body jewelry shop the chains of love & litter sf
Check out body jewelry shop the chains of love & litter sf
4.26.2010
STUNNING
I was browsing through some blogs earlier and came across this picture on Fashion Gone Rogue. Isn't it stunning? Just giving me more ideas for the White & Ivory Goddess shoot i'm planning....
Model: Zuzana Grogorova
Magazine: Marie Claire Italia May 2010
Photographer: Thierry Le Goues
Editor: Ivana Spernicelli
4.25.2010
Dress the way you want to be addressed.
Do you think that they way you dress defines who you are?
Do you remember that episode in the Dave Chapelle show when he is talking about the "whore uniform" ( Watch clip here). He goes on an elaborate metaphor (?) about a guy dressed as a cop but who isn't one. His conclusion:
"Just because i am dressed this way does not make me a whore!"
source: fashiontoast
Thoughts in procrastination
Hey!!
So I am writing this as a divergence to this treacherous paper I have to finish. Which does not say that the message therein is any less important.
As i ruminated (as my French prof likes to stress ruminer le texte!) on the subject of self-love, i gradually understood its active and quotidienne (daily) meaning. Loving yourself is a feeling that comes from the individual, as opposed to his surroundings. However, and i believe most importantly, it is the way you treat yourself on a daily basis.
Think about it, when you make a mistake, do you say something like "How could i be so stupid?". When you eat, do you make the right food choices or impose your body to the sacrilege of cookies and ice cream everyday? Do you take the time to really take care of yourself?
I feel like taking care of yourself physically (exercise, food), emotionally (don't chastise, constructive criticism), financially (saving), and/or spiritually (why are we here) is the true reflection of loving oneself.
If, like me, you:
-stay up late on all/most days, and when i say late its not an overstatement
-live on a diet of chocolate, confectionnery, coffee and nothing much else because cooking is just too much trouble
-avoid the subject of spirituality because it raises more questions than unswers
-don't save for a rainy day
-insert other bad habits here
Fear not! Firstly, it takes a month to make/break a habit.
Secondly, this is a definite sign that you should take more time with yourself. One thing i know for sure is that not knowing yourself, not knowing who you are is a recipe for unhappiness. For what is man's main preoccupation in life, if not finding happiness? Take time to give your body rest each day, to exercise, to cook, to read the [insert religious book]. Take the time to love yourself enough to bother yourself!
Gosh!! I sound like something out of O-magazine! If you think this is all bullocks, so be it. I personally believe that the happier, more self-assured person is one who knows what they are made of. It's the difference between fashion and style, you can dress fashionably with no sense of style! Because style comes from the individual, from knowing who you are, from essentially self love.
Adios!
So I am writing this as a divergence to this treacherous paper I have to finish. Which does not say that the message therein is any less important.
As i ruminated (as my French prof likes to stress ruminer le texte!) on the subject of self-love, i gradually understood its active and quotidienne (daily) meaning. Loving yourself is a feeling that comes from the individual, as opposed to his surroundings. However, and i believe most importantly, it is the way you treat yourself on a daily basis.
Think about it, when you make a mistake, do you say something like "How could i be so stupid?". When you eat, do you make the right food choices or impose your body to the sacrilege of cookies and ice cream everyday? Do you take the time to really take care of yourself?
I feel like taking care of yourself physically (exercise, food), emotionally (don't chastise, constructive criticism), financially (saving), and/or spiritually (why are we here) is the true reflection of loving oneself.
If, like me, you:
-stay up late on all/most days, and when i say late its not an overstatement
-live on a diet of chocolate, confectionnery, coffee and nothing much else because cooking is just too much trouble
-avoid the subject of spirituality because it raises more questions than unswers
-don't save for a rainy day
-insert other bad habits here
Fear not! Firstly, it takes a month to make/break a habit.
Secondly, this is a definite sign that you should take more time with yourself. One thing i know for sure is that not knowing yourself, not knowing who you are is a recipe for unhappiness. For what is man's main preoccupation in life, if not finding happiness? Take time to give your body rest each day, to exercise, to cook, to read the [insert religious book]. Take the time to love yourself enough to bother yourself!
Gosh!! I sound like something out of O-magazine! If you think this is all bullocks, so be it. I personally believe that the happier, more self-assured person is one who knows what they are made of. It's the difference between fashion and style, you can dress fashionably with no sense of style! Because style comes from the individual, from knowing who you are, from essentially self love.
Adios!
Vogue A.F.R.I.C.A
What would Vogue Africa look like?
(See for the critics below on "Africa is not a country" argument)
It seems i am a litte late in joining the Vogue Africa bandwagon, but i am so happy to have found this online community, thanks to a referral by a friend. The group was started by talented France-based photographer Mario Epanya. It is a beautiful idea, one that its due time has arrived.
I firmly believe there is some amazing talent in Africa that has not been explored/exploited enough. Yes we know Stoned Cherrie and Christie Brown, in the same way you know Versace and Giogio Armani (we don't care that you can't pronounce them either!), but there are some Marc Jacobs and Jason Wu talents that for a long time been working in the shadows. There is some raw refined talent, many of them in the diaspora with jobs and lives like yours and mine, engineers and accountants who retire in the evenings to their drawing boards and sewing machines.
We need to get these artists/historians out in the open. What better way than Vogue Africa??
For the critics: By having a Vogue Africa magazine we are not saying Africa is a country. I just want to get out there. This is pure business sense. Yes the population of Africa is about the same as of Europe, so why not have Vogue Nigeria and Vogue Egypt and Vogue South Africa just like we have for Italy, Spain, France, U.K... ? Let us be realistic: take South Africa for example, whose population is about that of Italy (I actually looked up the figures) or of Nigeria which is significantly more than that of the U.K. But what percent of the people in South Africa and Nigeria would afford to buy the magazine? It makes no sense to publish in one country for one country when the sale margin is not enough to cover costs and make a sizeable profit. Also, we all know that if i buy a magazine, I will share it with almost 10 people, friends and family.
So before the pundits write this one out as well as those ignorant things propagated by fashion magazines in particular, admit to yourselves that this would be a great idea!
4.22.2010
EVENT: Africa Fashion Week New York 2010
Executive Producers: Adiree Fashion Agency
Events will include runway shows, exhibitions, networking events.
Info (models, Designers, venues, sponsors, etc): http://africafashionweekny.com
Can't think of anywhere else i'd rather be!!
Tickets $150/show, but you can apply to be a volunteer!!
4.21.2010
4.20.2010
D E N I M is the new B L A C K
VOGUE GERMANY
MAY 2010
MODEL: CATHERINE MCNEIL
STYLING: NICOLA KNELS
PHOTOGRAPHER: KNOEPFEL & INDLEKOFFER
source: Fashion Gone Rogue
4.19.2010
Adefunke Adegbola
Feminine. Elegant. Confident.
Adefunke Adegbola is the embodiment of the modern African woman- industrious, driven, and abundantly talented. A journey that has taken her from Chicago to L.A. and numerous magazine covers; fashion shows from Miami to South Africa, Ella Brown Couture has firmly secured its spot at the frontline of African Fashion. Her exclusive boutiques are in Lagos, Tokyo, Los Angeles, New York to name a few. Her line has expanded from fabrics to jewelry and accessories, with specialisations in bridal wear. Her look is sophisticated charm, and represents a woman who is confident in her successes.
4.18.2010
S I M P L I C I T Y
The theme from South African Fashion Week Summer 2010 was simplicity. This means a lot of solid, pure colours like white and turquoise. Check out how designers played around with this theme but still maintained the personality of each piece. I was also pleased to see new names (new to me anyways) like Gugulam, Soda, RjKay and Karen Monk Klijnstra** - they were actually my second favourite.
B I A N C A W A R R E N
Designer: Bianca Warren
Designer: Bianca Warren
C H I M E R A
Designer: Bekky Beukes
Designer: Bekky Beukes
S O D A
SAFW/DAC Fashion Fusion Network
SAFW/DAC Fashion Fusion Network
S I L V E R S P O O N
Stephanie & Dieter van den Bergh
Stephanie & Dieter van den Bergh
N O N E U R O P E A N
Designer: Tarien Malherbe
Designer: Tarien Malherbe
S I E S ! I S A B E L L E
Designer: Isabelle Lotter
Designer: Isabelle Lotter
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