28.7.13

Chic In The City

LOOK 1: Top: Reiss | Skirt: Fashion Union | Shoes: Oxygen Boutique | Clutch: Coast | Necklace: Anthropologie

LOOK 2: Top: French Connection | Skirt: Coggles | Shoes: Reiss | Clutch: Coast | Earrings: Van Mildert


I couldn't sleep so I decided to get creative. Which of these two looks would you rock? The flirty pretty pastel look or the bold, modern and elegant look? I think my style is more like the outfit on the right. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

*For those of who may not know, I am a freelance stylist. If you require any styling services, feel free to shoot me an email at: kikilehin@gmail.com.*

Xo

Kike.

22.7.13

Heat Wave + African Print Giveaway


Blazer: H&M | Shorts: Suzy Shier | Sandals: Ardene | Clutch: LightInTheBox | Watch: Avon

Total Outfit Cost: Approx. $84

I was so excited when I found these sandals at an Ardene store at the mall for only $19.50. I usually don't buy heels in-store or in Canada, but as soon as I saw this style I knew I had to get them.They're only 4 inch high and they're so comfy and versatile! Most of all, I love all the little gold details and the fringe zipper behind.

The temperature is rising so much these days. It's super-hot everywhere! I had to throw on these high-waist A-line shorts to cool of a little. I get so tired and out of breath after walking outside in less than 15 minutes. Do you have any tips and tricks on how to cope in the heat?


Giveaway Challenge


I am giving away this gorgeous hand-made Ankara (name for African print in Nigeria) Clutch to One stylish blog reader. The challenge for this giveaway is creativity. I want to see your style, so 

1. Complete the Rafflecopter widget to gain points.
2. Leave a comment telling me how you would style this clutch in a Summer outfit.

The giveaway will be open for 2 weeks after which I will choose and announce the winner in an outfit post on the 5th of August . This Giveaway is open to all over 18 years and Canada and US residents only. If you are under 18 years, please get permission from a guardian. GOOD LUCK!

Giveaway Rules


Xo

Kike.

17.7.13

I Am Beautiful - Faith Imaralu

The main idea behind IAB is Empowerment, Motivation and Success. Many of us know that there are many issues concerning body image, social stratification and general emotional and psychological well-being of people. These issues have lead to too many devastating ends such as depression and death- in the form of suicide.
                                                                                                           
I would like to use this series as a way to destroy all that negativity and build up the self-confidence of our generation that is being tampered with by so many sources.

Relax and Enjoy...


                                                                                                                                                                                                                            


1. What is your Name?
Ehimare Faith Imaralu

2. What is your Nationality and Where do you currently live?
I am a Nigerian and I currently reside in Ontario, Canada

3. Which age group do you belong to? 0-17, 18-25, 26-40, 40 and above.
18-25

4. Describe your personal style.
I will say it's classy and elegant with a twist of casual chic. I dress age appropriately taking the weather into consideration, as well, and I love to be confident in my outfits. My policy is, “If I don’t feel it, I don’t wear it”. I love heels and flats but you will never see me in heels at school unless I'm making a presentation. I basically dress for myself and nobody else.

5. What makes you feel beautiful?
Knowing that I can brighten up someone's day either with an act of kindness or by smiling. Like my high school friend says: “Faith, your smile makes my smile smile”. It is not just the physical, but the ability to connect with someone and make their day or even more.



6. What do you think of the current issues concerning body image and race?
Ahhhhhaaa, I love this one. People need to understand that you can’t really have a perfect “V or S” shape. If you are not born with it, there is little artificial stuff can do. You can’t belong to a race were people are predominantly on the curvy or slender side and expect to look like a person from a different race. Dieting or denying yourself of the essential things your body needs is killing yourself while looking at the mirror and saying you look good. 

For instance, eating once a day and supplementing with a specific drink which some girls do, or eating mostly protein based food (guys) and excessively being obsessed with the gym is not going to provide you with the necessary nutrients, vitamins or body size you want. Taking supplements isn't going to help because after a while, it can become toxic especially the fat based ones. Since I knew ABC, I can’t remember when Anorexia or Bulimia became sexy. 

Avoid excess sugar, salt, and fatty foods but please, feed and take care of yourself. Know your body and adjust your lifestyle to carter for it. You can’t be like B neither can B be like you, so love your body and let it be radiant. If someone does not like it, tell them to get lost. (BAM!)

7. Do you think the media has had a negative or positive influence on these issues? Why?
I will say the Media has reinforced the skinny trend. People on the curvy side are called fat, given names, and asked to go fix their flappys. There are more ads about weight reduction and gym memberships than there are about health living and nutrition. Photos are edited to give abs and skinny curves that might not really exist.


8. What do you think of the current fashion industry and trends?
I really don’t mind. Although some designs make me wonder how the concept came about, I understand fashion is fashion. As long as you wear what fits you and is appropriate to your size, then it's cool.

9. What advice would you like to give?
Just be you and enjoy even the littlest things in life. Don’t feel bad because of your looks or way of expressing yourself. Though some people might hate it, there are others wishing they can pull it off just like you.

10. Share a fun fact about you.
Unlike popular belief, I am not a fan of books although I love intriguing/suspense novels. I love to watch action movies at home, try out new recipes or go to the countryside/tourist attractions.


LOL @ your 'get lost' comment in question 7. Just like Faith, I find that people will always talk about anything, so it's BEST to be yourself always  This way, you are happy and you cannot be bothered by what others say or think. Do you agree with Faith? I'd like to know, what Influences your daily outfits?

Xo

Kike.

15.7.13

Casual Monday - Walk WIth Me Downtown


 Blouse: Urban Planet | Denim Jeggings: Urban Behaviour | Shoes: JustFab | Bag: Suzy Shier | Wristwatch: Avon (Men's) | Necklace: Ardene

Total Outfit Cost:  Approx $77.50

Lots of pictures... I know!!! So I took a stroll downtown with a friend the other day because even though I've lived in Windsor since 2011, I've been downtown less than 3 times. Of course, I've driven through it and hustled for the bus there too, but I never actually had the chance to walk on the streets and just take in beauty of the streets. Needless to say, I was very excited to be able to make time out to go. We had so much fun and I found more interesting locations to shoot OOTD pics.

I wanted to look stylish, but not too dressy because Windsor is a really laid back city. I wore some of my Summer wardrobe staples in this outfit to complete the look effortlessly. Where do you live and what's the fashion like there?







Xo

Kike.

12.7.13

My Summer Must-Haves... And Why

Grab your coffee: This is gonna be a long post. I couldn't stop typing.

It's quite difficult knowing exactly what to bring out for the Summer season until you experience the heat on your skin yourself, at least that's what it is for me. For me, the most important factor I consider whenever I get ready to go out in this huge microwave is comfort. I could care less about what I look like when I'm indoors, so I just lounge around in my nighty (YES!) or some t-shirt and huge sweatpants plus a pair of different coloured/patterned ankle socks.

So, now that we've experienced some of the hot Summer weather even though it's not very stable, I can confidently pin-point some items that are definite must-haves for the crazy weather.

1. Maxi Skirt

I'm not the kind of girl who likes to show off legs/thighs/skin. As a matter of fact, if you ever see me in anything that does not cover up to my knee or a couple of inches above, then best know that I had to stir up a lot of confidence and have a lecture/counselling session with myself before making that decision, so please don't kill that vibe. As a result, I love anything maxi. I prefer maxi skirts to maxi dresses because they are obviously more versatile. You could play around with maxi dresses too but you would have to layer, but in this 40 degree heat, layering isn't exactly what I would love to be engaging in.


2. Loose Fitted Tank Top/Any Tank Top

Honestly, these tops have been saving me all summer long. Just pair them with something more comfy like shorts/skinnies on the bottom, and you're set. They can also be very versatile. For example: You could wear a very loose low cut tank and have on a stylish bandeau beneath it, then pair it with a flowy maxi skirt/shorts/boyfriend jeans. They come in all sorts of styles, lengths and colors, so it's always fun trying to mix and match them.


3. Single Sole Heels
Be it sandals or pumps, single sole heels are a definite must have for Summer - trust me.  I know wedges are the rage for Summer but honestly, I'd rather have something light on my feet that some heavy block because I barely have any energy to even lift up my feet to walk in all this heat.

Apart from the fact that single soles are on trend, they can also be very comfy and make a simple outfit look so chic in the blink of an eye. These shoes can be very tricky to shop for. These days, there's so many of them. I can't even stress the 'so' much. There's the ones that look so cheap and tacky, there are the stripper looking ones, there are the really high scary leg-breaking looking ones, then there's the normal acceptable looking ones, and then the fancy/creative looking ones which tend to be annoyingly super-expensive. There's a whole range of styles to choose from plus they go with everything. Just make sure you try 'em one and walk around in them or read lots of reviews before you purchase one.


4. A Lightweight White T-shirt/Long Sleeve Blouse
I love to wear loose clothing. I'm a firm believer that you can wear anything loose and look good instantly by adding a pair of high heels and making a few adjustments on your body. So, I'm loving loose white shirts for the summer. They're comfy, fresh, and most of all, they go with everything! Just think about it. All you need would be some minimal accessories, and an optional statement necklace. For example: Imagine a loose fitted white long sleeve blouse paired with denim skinnies + a nice pair of single sole sandals/pumps + some nice sunglasses. So simple and yet so chic.


5. A Gold Wristwatch
I read somewhere that every lady should have a gorgeous everyday gold wristwatch, and I couldn't agree more. No, no, no. I was not influenced by the writing. I have always seen the huge difference a gold wristwatch makes to every outfit. For me, it's not just wristwatches, it's gold everything. Anytime I try to shop for jewellery, I always end up picking all the gold ones. Even though I manage to get something with colour, majority of it would still be gold. I have two major gold wristwatches. One is lady-like and fitted to my wrist and the other is loose and chunky. I interchange these two more often than any other piece of jewellery I own. Actually, most times, they're the only pieces of jewellery I wear. The rest just sit there and pile up.


6. A Pair Of Cat-Eye Sunglasses
Last but definitely not least is a pair of sunglasses. Duh! This is not just any ordinary pair, but it's cat-eye. Yes, we need to protect our eyes from the scorching hot sun, but thankfully there's a more modern and fun way to look even more stylish while doing this. You can take a pair of cat-eye sunglasses to the next level buy playing with size, frame colour, and even lens colour. It definitely adds that little extra something, only this time, it's not little. It serves very much like the single sole sandals to me.


What items have you found to be your definite summer must-haves?

Xo

Kike.

10.7.13

IAB Is Back.

After several weeks of putting IAB [I Am Beautiful] on hold for so many reasons, IAB is returning. For those who don't know what IAB is all about, you can check out this post here. It contains all the information you need to know about IAB. The next IAB feature will go up next Wednesday. As a refresher, here are the 10 questions you need to answer to be featured on IAB:


IAB Questions
1. What is your Name?
2. What is your Nationality and Where do you currently live?
3. Which age group do you belong to? 0-17, 18-25, 26-40, 40 and above.
4. Describe your personal style.
5. What makes you feel beautiful?
6. What do you think of the current issues concerning body image and race? (Eg. Body size, interracial marriage). And how important do you think these issues are to the well-being of people?
7. Do you think the media has had a negative or positive influence on these issues? Why?
8. What do you think of the current fashion industry and trends?
9. What advice would you like to give?
10. Share a fun fact about you.

 The Reason For IAB

The whole idea behind this is Empowerment, Motivation and Success.

Many of us know that there are many issues concerning body image, social stratification and general emotional and psychological well-being of people. These issues have lead to too many devastating ends such as depression and death- in the form of suicide.

I would like to use this series as a way to destroy all that negativity and build up the self-confidence of our generation that is being tampered with by so many sources. For example: The media (Including social media)

Anyone can participate in IAB, so it doesn't matter if you have a blog or not. However, if you are a blogger, this is a great way to show what you've got. To get answers to any questions you may have about IAB, go to this post to see all the FAQs answered.

So if you would like to get featured on IAB and share your views, send your answers with 1-5 CLEAR pictures to kikilehin@gmail.com to be entered.

You never know whose life you are saving by doing this. Read previous IAB entries.

Xo

Kike.

1.7.13

Relaxed Fit

 Blazer: Suzy Shier | Top: Ebay | Pants: River Island [Option 1 & 2] | Shoes: Urbanog
Total Outfit Cost: Approx. $50

So I've been trying really hard these past few months to shop my closet. This means I've been avoiding purchasing new items. I got a clothing rack to put up all my new and barely worn stuff so that they're visible and I can think of ways to wear them. In the process, I found this harem pants I got about 2 years ago in Ghana, so i decided to style them to church on Sunday.

How often do you shop for new stuff? Enjoy the rest of this long weekend! Happy Canada day!

Xo

Kike.