ARCHITECTURE AND FASHION

 

I am always bemused when former classmates from Arch school seem surprised to find out that I run a personal style blog. I mean what is so shocking about that? As any design aficionado will tell you, there is a very close link between the disciplines of architecture and fashion.  Unlike most art forms say sculpture or painting, these two aren't merely concerned with the aesthetics of the finished product but its functionality too. *Form follows Function* is a mantra commonly heard during desk crits in studio and I bet you Tim Gunn thinks it too when he's giving sage advice to the aspiring designers on Project Runway.

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest

#MY256STYLE

The newly revamped African Woman Magazine has teamed up with Jumia Uganda to run a social media campaign showcasing unique Ugandan style dubbed #my256style where entrants post pictures under the hashtag and tag both @Africanwoman_magazine and @Jumiauganda to stand to win shopping vouchers with the online retailer.  Needless to say yours truly is giving it her best shot. Instagram link is to the left of this post.

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest

ALL BLACK & BLUE

I'm all about the Red + Blue combo lately

I have to start off with a confession;  my mum HATED this look. See the top is actually this dress I last wore 2 years ago and when I walked in (it was my muffin's grad party and I was seated at the high table) she immediately WhatsApped something along the lines of what a bore I was for cutting the dress!

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest

SEEING RED

Or Maroon. Or Burgundy. Or Masala as Pantone will say, depends on the lighting really. Lately I've gotten into the habit of planning outfit mood boards when I have a fancy occasion coming up. For the evening reception part of this wedding I was thinking red, midi length, body hugging, long sleeved or off the shoulder. Then the hunt for this perfect dress begun in earnest.

What I was hunting for.

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest

Introducing the latest in minimalist Lingerie...the C-String

"Brevity is the soul of lingerie" - Dorothy Rothschild Parker (Vogue, 1916)

No...this is not a hairband

What do Gwyneth Paltrow, Kendall Jenner, Jamie Alexander and Governor Peter Florrick’s intern have in common? They all dared to go bare – or at least made us think they did.

Jaw-droppingly gorgeous!

With cutouts, sheer panels and formfitting designs ruling the runways and red carpets, who can blame them? French panties and thongs just don’t cut it anymore…when you throw on your freakum dress last thing you need is to worry about bunching undergarments, visible panty lines and in the case of thongs, errant strings creeping into view.

Designer Stella McCartney nailed this trend in her Fall 2011 show!

Cleverly employed sheer paneling to preserve your modesty while at the same time piquing the imagination of onlookers! This is what I call a win-win situation

But then again going commando is not an option. Granted there’s a certain freedom to be enjoyed by having a cooling breeze blowing through your nether yaya with every swish of your gown, the worry of flashing almost outweighs it. Let’s face it, not all of us have the brevity of Peter Florrick’s intern on the latest season of the Good Wife.

So what’s a trend loving stylish girl to do? Hit up Purple Rain Fashion Uganda, that’s what. Purple Rain exclusively stocks the latest in minimalist under garments – the C-String; your all in one answer to visible panty lines, muffin tops, squashed bits and Bridget-Jones-type-granny-panty situations. 

Oh Kim...so close, so very close...if only your stylist had Purple Rain's number on speed dial!

Available in a wide variety of colours and fabrics, we’ve got you covered (pun definitely intended) whatever your preference maybe!

Lace, Satin, Cotton... White, Red, Polka dot, Animal Print...You name it!

Eve - the original fashionista!

Think of it like the modern version of Eve’s fig leaf – it covers just the essentials and leaves you free to wear whichever style, cut and fashion you fancy. And the best part – it's as comfortable as your birthday suit! So what are you waiting for? Order a pair or ten while stocks last. Free deliveries in and around Kampala City centre.

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest

Maxi dresses for the win!

Was totally feeling my croquet braids after all the trials and tribulations I'd gone through for them! Let no one tell you its an easy life having natural hair!

Is it just me or has every other weekend this year been taken up by weddings or christenings or a shower of some kind? I seriously don't recall a single weekend when I felt well rested at the end of it all. On the plus side, its always a great opportunity to pull out the glad rags one doesn't wear to work or church. Like at my friend Philippa's wedding.

Paired my maxi dress with some nude heels, gold jewellery and a heart ring to celebrate the love. I'm cheesy like that :)

The couple is quite the conservative born again type so I figured I couldn't go wrong with a maxi dress. The reception was held at Wonder World Kansanga where I spied this double staircase I just had to pose before!

Ignore the huge Mutebile poster. Turns out the building is some university or other and he's chancellor.

Love this dress to bits! The back (sorry I don't have a pic of it) reminds me of the white grecian gown Serena van der Woodsen were at the white party the time her and Dan woke up at the beach the next morning. My dad bought it for me a couple of years back ad I'd never really had chance to showcase it till this wedding. 

 No, I did not catch the bouquet! This was just the a souvenir from all the festivities. Have a great weekend!

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest

PAPLERAYN & CANDLE-IT LAUNCH

This has been a long time in coming but it makes up for it by being picture heavy. Boy is it picture heavy! I can't even promise to caption them all! Lets start by setting the mood;

Me gallivanting all over the place in between stints of working the Candle-It station. My outfit is a crop top and skirt combo from Warehouse (originally a dress but I felt it veered a little twee for the occasion so I took scissors to it and got a good tailor and voila!)

This picture was when I realized I need to switch to a matte foundation. I'm all shine instead of glow.

I'm pretty certain the long face here was due to noticing how shiny I was in the pic above.

First look at the entire outfit. These shoes are the most comfortable heels in my closet right now and feature in nearly 50% of my outfit combinations. Available to order from www.paplerayn.com

Back to the candle station. I had to be here else people were going to take a bite outta them thinking they were real cupcakes. *True story*

THE DECOR

 

The event was held at Bodaboda Garden City Rooftop and was a Red Carpet affair.

Candle-It supplied the decor and as night fell, candles in mason jars outline the mini-runway.

Couldn't resist taking a pic of this beautiful light fixture that cast such amazing geometric shadows

But enough of that, you want to see the fashion, right? Let's dive in then. All outfits showcased are available to order from the Paple Rayn website

WOMENSWEAR

Great stuff for corporates and the best part is its delivered right at your door!

These here are some of the male models that night. This is at the press line before Paple Rayn worked its magic.

MENSWEAR

Quite the transformation, no?

CANDLE- IT TABLE

ESTEEMED GUESTS

Guest of Honor and noted sharp dresser the Honourable Mike Mukula

The lady of the evening (centre)

Bet you wanted a close up of those shoes - also available at www.paplerayn.com

UBC's famed lifestyle and fashion presenter was in attendance.

The Emcees for the night - outfits by Paple Rayn

Cocktails and Food were on the house

About to launch the website - peep me in the background hurrying to my vantage point :)

GOING...

GONE!!!

 

And we're live!

It was such a fun filled night and a great culmination to months of hard work. Now show a sister some support and check out Uganda's first online shopping and home delivery website!

Share on Facebook| Share on Twitter| Share on Pinterest