Folashade, a Deputy Director of Education and Vice Principal, Oke-Ira Junior Grammar School, Lagos State, was all smiles before family members, friends and well-wishers on Saturday.
They hailed her as hard-working, dependable and beautiful within and without.
Elder Akinlolu, a business mogul, socialite and amiable community leader who has contributed immensely to the society, hails from Ilesha, Osun State.
In this season here are fashion trends to boost your look for any occasion.
Check out ideas for your next engagement, whether a casual get together, a work or holiday party, here are our top tips that will make you look fashionable for the occasion.
IN spite of the erratic weather, sneakers have been one of the biggest trends on the red carpet this season. Whether it’s colourful or subtle, there are plenty of celebs who love this look. Sneakers is a fashion trend that you wouldn’t want to miss, it is classy and sexy!
Since the beginning of the year, the whole world has hopped on board the sneakers madness train! Pair it with pants, shorts, tops, shirts on dresses, even on natives!
Sneakers tips
•Apart being a great sporty trend, sneakers can be mixed with non-athletic staples like structures blazers and leather pumps to create a work-appropriate and fashion-forward look.
•A white sneakers top over any colour is easy and comfortable. For a bolder move, try neon sneakers!
Despite the array of colourful designs on the fashion scene, stripes have been one of the biggest trends on the red carpet this season. Whether it is colourful or subtle, there are plenty of ladies who love this look. Stripes dress is a fashion trend that you wouldn’t want to miss, it is classy and sexy!
Since the beginning of the year, the whole world has hopped on board the stripes madness train! Pants, shorts, tops, shirts, full-on dresses, all made of stripes! Sometimes it is the skirt or parts of the sleeve or perfectly colour of the two.
Worn by celebrities like Ina Dima-Okojie, Kaylah Oniwo, Zainab Balogun and several other Nollywood A-listers over the months; wear them with flats or heels and chunky jewellery pieces for a top-of-the-world look.
HAT’S hotter this season than a little white dress? This is not my first trend alert for the little white dress. But it really is a trend for this season, and if you are in any doubt, please take a look at the fashionistas who have successfully worn a little white dress (LWD) in the past months, starting with my favourite, Betty Irabor, in her well-structured look.
The beauty of this staple is that it goes with anything, you can dress it up or down and it’s far less common than the LBD. The fresh LWD works for pretty much any occasion, from a classic fit-and-flare to bodycon dress to lacy bohemian option, there’s a perfect LWD out there for every sense of style.
Idia Aisien, these days, is considered one of the best dressed celebrities in showbiz! She is a super trendsetter who has a great sense of style. Do you want to copy her look! Here is your chance to try her style and get inspired from her look at an event last week. If you are not making it all the way to the red carpet, that doesn’t mean that you can’t look as good as the dashing leading women.
Idia add a bit of flouncy flair wearing a velvety baby pink camisole with lace trimmings and pants suit. She wore her hair in back-swept Nollywood style, complemented her lips with neutral lipstick and shimmering eye shadow. Her rock neutral stilettos sandals, stud earrings and spiral arm bracelet made her really stand out; and she slayed it all with aYves Saint Laurent bag.
She’s a real fashionnista!
Don’t let the rains dull your sense of style! Now, this is a season that will not go away in a hurry. Covering up most parts of your body is what you need to do in this cold season. No piece of wear does this well than sweater. And when you are thinking in terms of the sweater to wear, it doesn’t have to be the normal, swollen pullover or close-fitting knotted jackets with or without sleeves. You can combine a good jacket and a stylish sweater with either skirt or pants (trousers) under. And these can be worn by both sexes. Men are not left out; brighten up with stylish turtleneck and V-neck sweaters. Neckline trends come and go like weather, but a turtleneck sweater has earned its place as a classic come rain or sunshine.
Go for long-fitted hand length tops. Search through your wardrobe, you will certainly get a few things to work on. That way, you won’t have to look dull. Gone are the days of wearing sweaters on formal wear. Some sweaters are now being worn as main wear.
Remember, the most important thing is that you must make a fashion statement despite the showery; you do not have to look dull.
Julia Amadi Obi is an artist and interior architect. The amiable woman is the better half of famed photographer, Kelechi Amadi Obi. She graduated as a painting major and over the years she demonstrated her love for the palette through jewelry and later ventured into creating beautiful interiors for her clients. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, the CEO of OMA collections talked about life as a motivated designer, providing design solutions for her clientele, family and more.
What are the things that occupy your time at the moment?
I am an interior designer and landscape artist. I do this through my company known as OMA collections and designs. It’s has been a very interesting journey and I derive pleasure when I give my clients what they want and they are satisfied with the outcome of our services.
How long have you been doing this?
I have been in the sector for over ten years and you learn new things every day. I was trained as an artist at the University of Benin. I have always been interested in the look of interiors. That desire actually prompted my self training and self development.
I went online and in the process I learnt a lot from what other people had done or were doing. It is actually the same principles and once you know what should be done, then you can adapt to what the environment and get the desired result or even something better. So, I just applied what I learnt to interiors and added that to my landscaping business.
What was it like at the beginning?
Initially, I would say that it was challenging in the sense of finding the right suppliers for the thing that you wanted for each job. Also there was also the challenge of trying to meet the demands of our clients and even surpass their expectations. Over the years, this changed gradually and now we have mastered the art and we understand all those areas that were a bit problematic at the beginning.
How would you describe the sector now?
It is booming at the moment. I will also say that in spite of the economic challenges, the sector is really booming. Also, you will find that more people are more informed; they know what their needs are and they are ready to go for it in their own way. The truth of the matter is that many are very comfortable with Made in Nigeria Products, unlike what we had in the past. That has also helped the industry to grow locally and a lot of people have discovered their talents in different ways.
What are some of the challenges you encounter while doing this?
There are a number of challenges and one of such challenges is getting good finishes. The second challenge would be getting trained hands to do the job, skilled hands who can properly install certain finishes. However, I would say that things are improving and getting better. You can see a lot of creativity at work and things are really better than what we had in the past.
Who are your targets?
I have numerous clients in the industry. Interestingly, this includes my private clients who really like to be private as well. I work mainly on residential projects and mostly my clients are private clients.
What would you say makes your brand different? What’s unique about the things that you do?
There is a lot of competition in the sector but I think that the ability to showcase the lifestyle that you are portraying and that naturally make the job interesting for me. Here, you have to make your design meet up with the lifestyle and standards that your client wants to be projected. You also must be versatile and take their needs into cognizance and make a difference in the things that you do.
Your husband is known as an artist and a popular photographer. How does this influence the things that you do?
Are you talking about influencing his work or mine… Talking about blending the two, I would say that my husband is a great source of inspiration. When it comes to documenting my work, my husband is very supportive and that has really help. It is quite interesting because we are both in the creative sector.
How did you meet your husband? Did you meet in school?
No, we did not meet in school (Laughs). We met as professionals, as artists. I trained as one and the experience is very interesting.
What are some of the things that you share in common with your husband?
Creativity is something that we share in common. In addition, he is also a very caring and good husband.
He is a busy man and you are also busy travelling to meet up your clients demands. Is it easy creating time for the family?
Yes. We just try to find a balance and that is very important for couples. No matter how busy you are, you must strike a balance.
If you have to advise Nigerian women today, what would you tell them?
It is actually about striking of balance in whatever you do. Your career is about what you love, it is about what you are trained for and you obviously want to make a difference. The family comes first for me. So, I always try to strike that balance where I make sure that I meet the needs of the family as well as the needs of my career.
Are there some Nigerian women that you admire?
Yes. Lots of them. Our women are doing a lot of great things and they need to be appreciated. Where do I start from? I would say that from my industry, I admire Mrs. Jumoke Adenowo, the award winning African architect, entrepreneur and philantrophist.
I also admire Titi Ogufure, the immediate past president of the Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN). Ogufure is also the CEO and Creative Director of Essential Interiors Consultancy and publisher of Essential Interiors Magazine: Essential Traveller, the inflight magazine for Aero Contractors and Essential Woman, a magazine for women in business.
How has being a member of Interior Designers Association of Nigeria (IDAN) influenced what you do?
There are a lot of advantages and being a member means that you can get whatever information that you are looking for in the industry. In addition, you are sure to be sorted out , if you run into any problems or difficulties that you need answers to in the business.
Who or what inspires what you do?
I would say that I am inspired by creative minds from all over the world especially in the world of intelligent interiors and landscaping.
What do you consider as the greatest influence in your life?
I consider family and friends who spur me on to be the best as the greatest influence in my life.
What do you treasure most in your life?
Family. That is what I treasure most in life.
How do you relax?
I usually relax with meditations and retreats.
What do you like to wear?
I am comfortable with decent and creative fashion.
What would you not do in the name of fashion?
In the name of fashion, I would not wear anything that is tacky and clueless.
GREAT accessories can make your world go round and round. You can express your glamorous side with luxury stilettos heels which is the vogue among the fashionistas. They are the rage now and they will certainly blow your mind. There are different types of exciting stilettos foot wears. We have the patterned, rubber, and leather stilettos and they are mostly adorned with beads, ribbons, flowers, sequins, gemstones and buttons. These adornments always make them look elegant.
stilettos shoes have captured the imagination of fashion buffs this season. And nothing guarantees you that special outstanding look than a stylishly and perfectly cut shoes. With the help of the right footwear, you can move from looking ordinary to looking very fabulous.
Today’s high heel shoes are more stylish and are usually worn over all kind of dresses. They are everything you could want in a pair of sexy shoes, from strap sandals, peep toe to covered shoes with sexy heel shoes. They are the most elegant shoes of the season. They are a must have for women of style, who need to look classy and different.
The pattern and style may vary per season, but the high heels shoes will forever remain in fashion.
We are Nigerians and Owambe is one thing we love a lot. Whether the country economic state is in shambles or not, Nigerians will always have reasons to party. Everyone wants to look stunning and exceptional at any events and generally go overboard spending on unnecessary things.
Being a wedding guest can be rough on one’s bank account especially with the increasing cost of aso-ebifabric. From the cost of makeup, shoes and accessories, attending weddings these days will probably put a huge dent in your wallet. Here are some tips on how to slay when going for an owambe:
* Wear what you have. Not everyone is brave enough to try this but it works. After spending so much on aso-ebi lace, you shouldn’t put them at the bottom of your wardrobe. See those expensive fabrics as an investment for future events. If you already have an existing dress matching the colour palette of an upcoming owambe, why not dust off the fabric, slay and save you coins, more importantly, if you cannot afford it?
* Keep your style simple and trendy. Don’t be too extravagant, dress simple and moderately and you definitely look hot. We all love to look in an all shades of penging way and on fleek at an owambe but then follow the “KISH” Keep it simple and hot.
It is possible to slay in a simple, yet stylish outfit. From jumpsuits to off-shoulder dresses, there are a variety of classy, yet affordable designs to choose from.
Feel comfortable. Whenever you are going for an owambe always ensure you are comfortable in whatever you are wearing. Study show that your outfit can affect your emotional state. Therefore, if you want to have a good time at a party, wear something that makes you feel comfortable and attractive. Avoid wearing anything that makes you feel awkward. Otherwise, you may come across as awkward at the party.
Smell nice. Each time you are going for an owambe endeavour to smell pleasant that even when someone pass by you the person would be like,” Uncle you smell nice”.
Look charming. While the men look dapper and maintain their sweet boy status, women are now expected to slay, styling up themselves to a whole new level.
Put up a smile. No matter the situations or mood you might be when going for an owambe smile and never stop. It is one of the best make-ups you can wear when you want to slay for a party.
Wear perfect footwear that matches your dress. For the ladies you could put on heels. For the men, you could wear a shoe or sandals to match the dress.
Consider the occasion. Whenever you’re going for an owambe consider the type of attire you would for the occasion and do a perfect combination.