Still very nice..

Hi beauties, the title of this post is "still very nice" but I am not referring to my outfit; I am referring to the weather. It is in the late forties today and most unusual for the state of Minnesota which can be called "Minne-snow-ta" in a fun way! Yeah this is a snowy state and in previous years, we would have been buried in heaps of snow with very cold and chilly temperatures in November. Right now, a lot of people can still do without jackets here. In Minnesota, we wear shorts in forty degrees temperature like it is right now because to us, this is pretty warm as opposed to our usual below freezing temps. In this post, I am wearing a grey fun skirt from Express with a white frilly top from Loft (I love that store; very beautiful fashion for the corporate world) I accessorized with an Aldo over sized black bag and black leather Zigisoho pumps from Designer Shoe Warehouse. My necklace is from Victoriassecret.com.

 My prayers go out to those victims of Storm Sandy; so much devastation in those areas. I know it can really be difficult dealing with loss of any kind especially the loss of lives. Possessions can aways be recovered butves can never be replaced. However, God can redeem any situation no matter how bad. If you are in those areas, please know that now is the best time to connect to God and hype up your faith. Do not wait for any man or government even though they'll try to do their best. God alone is the only one that can heal those wounds in the heart and lift up any spirit. His intervention in any situation is always a miracle; baffling to all humans. I continue to pray for you.

 

 

 

Have a wonderful weekend.

 

Beauty

Ojo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grey tones- From Night to Day

Hi Everyone, nice to be back in Blogs Ville, the beautiful virtual world! I have not done an outfit post in almost two weeks and this is supposed to be a fashion blog. **eyes rolling** I did sign in to make comments about one or two things relating to fashion though. And it was my birthday on the last day of October too. Yes, my birthday is on Halloween holiday but I do not care about that holiday much. I was born and raised in Africa and though I knew about the holiday at a very young age but it has never been my cup of tea! I do believe in spirits but only Godly spirits. I do not want anything to do with witches flying on brooms and devils but this is not to offend anyone who celebrates the holiday.

I am still enjoying all the birthday leftovers even though there was no official party. In this post, I am wearing an after work party/dinner outfit; a grey camisole top and floral Nine West pleated skirt I got from Tj Maxx. Interestingly, it's officially Fall season but the weather is in the fifties which is a little odd. I accessorized my outfit with a Nine West black clutch and grey Zigisoho pumps. I love round toe pumps but I know  pointed black toe pumps would have been best for this outfit. In fashion, it's always good to be comfortable so I chose comfort over style.

One more thing I'll like to say about this outfit is that the weather was a little cloudy and this also might not be the best choice of outfit for a cloudy day but blogging about fashion is fun because you can do critiques on fashion do's and don'ts and I rather do a critique on myself than on others.  My biggest style/fashion makeover has been infusing a lot of color into my closet. Before now I used to dress with the weather and I'll be grey when the weather is grey (as with this outfit) and be blue when the weather is blue which is not totally wrong but sometimes fashion or what we wear can influence our mood too.

A wardrobe malfunction which should be a No-No in any lady's outfit is the peeking bra straps and deep v-neck as can be seen in this picture. I always have a survival kit on hand to fix this; some pins to strap the bra to the outfit and a tank top in the same color would help to cover the chest area. Sometimes though, some tops do not look nice with a tank underneath as with this top which is a camisole and supposed to be worn under a jacket.

Below are pictures of this same skirt (which is my one of my favorite skirts) worn with a jacket and a crisp white shirt; very suitable for work. See more pics here

Beauty

Ojo

A Birthday Wish

It's my birthday..Yay!!! Hurray to a new year of great beginnings and loads of fun. I know I am a year older today but I feel years younger and I have a zillion things to be thankful to God for!

I did not have time to snap pictures today because of a thousand reasons...:) I have been super busy lately and can not wait to get a break so I can catch up with blogging. Also, I did not have a birthday party but I got loads of gift bags and cards which I am still busy opening right now.

Do you know what my birthday wish is? "It's a secret!"

Have a wonderful time the rest of the week. **Cheers**

Photo Credit: free-extra.com


                                                                    Beauty
                                                                        Ojo

Knock off, Imitation or just Fashion?

Hi everyone, we finally had our first snow for the season yesterday. The weather was still quite warm so the snow just melted as soon as it touched the ground. Now it's official; the winter is almost upon us...:) This post is on one of my favorite things; SHOES!

This unique pair of shoes was made by designer Charlotte Olympia and the most unique thing about them aside from the beautiful Animal prints is that they have a recognizable and unique sole. Just like the unique red soles of Christian Louboutin's shoes, these platform soles stand out for their different and stylish soles.

 

 

 

 

 Just look at them from different angles and if you are a shoe lover, you will know that you can not pass up on this one. They will definitely make an impression anywhere they go.





I guess that is why those high end designers make a lot of money. Their designs are always innovative, fresh and unique. And let's not forget the fact that they are usually made of quality materials too and would stand the test of time.




If you do not know, designers also have a patent right to their creations and a law suit will follow when you try to copy their design. So, that being said, "Why did I make this pair of shoes the subject of this post?"

 

As you ponder about my question, can you look up at the title of this post again and also take a good look at the pair of shoes below and when you are done, slowly scroll unto the next picture and tell me what you think?

 

 

I guess the difference is obvious; the prints are different and the color and style are slightly different but still close enough to pass off as if they are from the same designer. However, this shoe above is made by Colin Stuart who is a very reputable shoe designer himself and you can purchase his shoes through Victoriassecret. This is his latest design and why I do not know if he got permission from Charlotte Olympia to copy his unique style, I do know that this is a classic case of "Imitation" or "Knock-Off" as some people would say. This Colin Stuart version retails for less than $200 while Charlotte Olympia version goes for close to a $1000! Hmmmmm....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have always been a fan of Colin Stuart because his shoes are very affordable, comfortable and beautiful and I have over fifty pairs of shoes of Colin Stuart design in my closet. (yeah, I am a shoe lover!...:)) I happened to be browsing the Victoriassecret shoes collection a couple of weeks back when I saw his latest design which I recognized immediately as being very similar to Charlotte Olympia's shoes. I was somewhat disappointed at this copy-work and even though I badly wanted to place an order, I had to refrain myself. And this was really hard, if you have been reading my blog, you'll know that I love prints. I actually did a post a while back on shoes in which I mentioned Charlotte Olympia's design and you can read it here.

 

 

 

 

So, what do you think? Will you call Collin Stuart's design an "imitation," "Knock-Off" or just fashion? Afterall, there are many designers who recreate cheaper versions of what they see on the runway or what they see on the red carpet during Academy awards. Or is it okay for the big designers to copy and then it becomes a "knock-off" when that unknown designer in China does it?

 

 

Come to think of it, it seems Colin Stuart has actually been copying Olympia for a while. Just look at the shoes I am wearing in the pictures below which are Colin Stuart designs purchased through Victoriassecret.

 

 

See more pics here

 

 

 See more pics here

 

 

See more pics here

 

So what do you think? How will you answer the above question?

 

 

 

Thanks so much for stopping by my blog and reading my posts. And thanks a lot for the comments; they are highly appreciated. Have a wonderful weekend.

 

 

 

 

Charlotte Olympia Shoes Credit: Google.com/ Colin Stuart: Victorias Secret.com

 

Beauty

Ojo

The First Lady's look...

Hi beauties, I never intended to ever talk about politics or anything related to it on my blog but as I watched the last Presidential debate, my thinking had a "make-over."...lolssszzz!! I am sure the fashion I saw was just too fabulous to ignore that I just had to comment on it. My best moment was when the debate ended and all the family members present got on the stage to hug and shake hands. As I looked at the screen, I saw beautiful dresses donned by all the ladies present; the Romney ladies looked very fabulous in their dresses and high heeled shoes but I apologize I do not have any pictures to show of that particular scene. Now let's get to the main lady's look. And as always, I am just going to comment on the outfits without making references to the designers or particular events/occasion. This is not a commercial blog and is not for promotions or political campaigns so, we'll just stick strictly to my rules...:)

This grey/black dress worn by Michelle Obama was actually stunning and I loved it. It was a very fabulous choice for the occasion especially for the fact that it had sleeves. We all know that the first lady is famous for her sleeveless outfits which show off her gorgeous arms. I for one am not so much a fan of sleeveless dresses all the time and I usually prefer cap sleeves if I feel the need to go sleeveless. However, we all have different tastes and sleeveless dresses on the first lady are just fine. By the way, do you know that the first lady was wearing this gorgeous dress a second time as seen in the pics above? "Yay!!" to being green!!

By the way, both ladies looked so beautiful and radiant and they looked even  more exquisite with their cool accessories; their better halfs...:)

I loved how simple their jewelry were; very much in my alley. To learn more about their outfits, check out an article in New York Magazine here.

The picture above shows Michelle in the grey/black dress the first time she wore it. She kept it very simple and classy.

The second time which was the last debate night, she wore the dress again and pumped it up by using a beautiful black bow sash on her waist and a fun brooch on the neckline. Below are pictures of some of my favorite looks of the Fashionista First Lady.

This look is so so gorgeous and the statement necklace indeed makes a statement!

 

I like the way she used a jacket to achieve a different look in the above pictures.

This white dress is very classy and if you can see the sneak peek of her shoe, she added a pop of color with a cool shade of green.

Flawless...the fit and color scheme is so unique.

Flaw..flaw..flawless! The colors work so well together and the print shoes and gold belt tie the whole look.

This is a very edgy look..I was actually surprised to see this pic...:)

The casual ensemble of the first and second ladies are very chic but I love Michelle's look the most. The cropped pants look great and the cobalt blue color is just awesome!

Which of the looks above do you like best? I am going to reveal mine...

 

And the winner is **drum-roll pleasessszzz!!**  This is my best look of the first lady ever and I am really inspired by it.


Photo Credit: huffingtonpst.com/2012/10/23/michelle-obama-debate-dress-thom-browne-dnc-photos-pictures_n_2004730.html


                                                                   Have a wonderful week.
                                                 
                                                                                   Beauty
                                                                                       Ojo

Plaid in the wind..

So, it was a very windy day. There was a coolness in the air that signaled the approach of the Winter Season. However, it was hard to decide what Season was actually upcoming; is it the Winter or the Fall? Trust me, it is the end of October and it does not feel like either.

I decided to dig into the closet to enjoy some more of the Summer outfits before either the Fall Season or the Winter Season finally make up their mind to show up...:) It was very windy like I said and I wanted to put on something playful and colorful. The outfit I ended up with did not identify with being playful or colorful but rather safe. So, maybe, like the season, I needed time to make up my mind on what outfit actually represents playful and colorful. However, since I couldn't really make a choice, I decided to go with an outfit I had not worn in a long time.

Wearing this light blue silk shirt and a black and white plaid skirt which is a super conservative look!

The ear-rings and necklace are thrift finds...

It was so so windy I had to practically hold unto everything. Have you ever been out when it is very windy and you have to hold your clothes down so that the wind does not undress you? I felt that way when I was taking these pics and debris kept flying all around me

I like this white and black plaid skirt a lot and have paired it with black and white blouses which are pretty predictable. This light blue shirt was somewhat a fresh twist to the ensemble. Come to think of it, it seems the plaid/tartan trend is gradually becoming a trend.

Can you guess where I wore this super-conservative look to? Church of course! You know, it is Sunday.

                                    Take care everyone. I wish you a fruitful and funweek.


                                                                               Beauty
                                                                                  Ojo