Its a Boutonnière type of day!!

IT'S CALLED A BOUTONNIERE!!

 

Keeping in line with the menswear theme I’ve got going on today, I thought to write a little about boutonnieres!

 First, if you’re probably thinking; what on earth is a buttonier……bottoner…..buttiniini , hold on, for I shall tell you!

A boutonnière is a floral decoration, usually a single flower that is worn on the lapel of a jacket. The word boutonniere itself is a French word which is gotten from the word button hole.

 

Traditionally, the flower itself is a white gardenia or carnation but you can alternate with a red rose, however, there are no hard and fast rules these days as you are free to coordinate the color with your outfit.  A boutonniere no longer has to be an actual flower, I mean to be honest in Lagos how many people have time for real life flowers? Not to mention the sun that will wil it the minute you step out. Thank goodness nowadays they come in fabric form, metal, knit, feathers and other materials.

 

I have to say that until recently, boutinnieres weren’t really considered part of fashion for men in general and Naija men when they are throwing together an outfit, unless its their weddings and they manage to stick some awkward “flower” on the lapel of their jackets. That’s just too bad because I feel it adds a bit of debonair to an outfit and  it definitely gives an otherwise boring jacket some life.

 

Test of Quality

All you fellas out there feeling like you have the best tailored jacket in all the land, come closer. First check that you have a button hole on your left lapel, a well stitched one with room for a flower’s stem to fit through.

Second, look behind the lapel and check if it has a buttonhole latch or a small band to hold your stem in place. If your jacket has these two things, you have got yourself a good jacket or better still, a very knowledgeable tailor.

In the event that your jacket is lacking in this, it’s still ok, you can still wear a boutonniere, its just that you’ll have to keep pinning through the lapel fabric causing wear and tear to that particular part of the garment.

And if you want to go all the way and stand out from fellow boutonniere wearers, you can get yourself a boutonniere vase and rock the look to the maximum. The truth is, it takes a certain kind of confidence to war a boutonniere; its definitely for that guy that doesn’t mind standing out and having all eyes on him.

 

***word of advice, please refrain from wearing green boutonnieres as it is usually worn proudly by homosexuals. I don’t really see why an entire color has been cordoned off for them but that’s just the way it is apparently. But if you’re good with the color green, then please by all means go hard!!

 

 

For Him

A Splash of Color For The Men!

 

Been gone for a minute! I missed updating this blog. Its been a crazy week at work, I didn’t even have time to think much less write something for the blog. Thankfully I can take a breather for now!

For a long time, I’ve always been absolutely smitten by the idea of colorful socks on men. Like if I spied anyone wearing socks other than black or white, I’m instantly happy.

I can’t really explain it but I love it and I love it even more when guys get into the trend as well! Sure there are guys who dress sharp in their nicely ironed shirt and pants with the occasional interesting skinny tie or pocket square but the minute I spot a bit of color at the ankle, just that little bit where the pants end and the shoe starts, yeah that place, it add so much character to a look without being too obvious.

I literally want to scream I. FIND. YOU. INTERESTING!!

Picture a guy trying to talk to me and all the usual toasting and stuff to get my attention and as a normal naija girl, I be frontin and acting like I don’t even speak the language! Lol….cut the long story short, if you had on an interesting pair of socks apart from the conventional black and white, I would be very interested but naturally I’ll feign slight disinterest, lol (what? That’s the way they do it in Lagos o, or so I’m learning). But its better than a moment ago when I wasn’t having any of it.

Point is, it just shows that you put some thought into it, even if it’s totally off color and weird, I still give you kudos. It’s not always going to be about the sharpest suit or the baddest tie, sometimes, all it takes is just a tiny detail like that.

From checkered to polka dots to squares to stripes, they can all be incorporated into your every day wardrobe.   And for the men who feel designs and patterns are just a bit much for them, then there are always block colors to pick from, as seen below! Don't be afraid guys, give it a go!

 

 

 

 

 

 

TOYOSI FARIDAH KEKERE-EKUN's INDUCTION!

INDUCTION

 

The 20 piece photo exhibition was held at the omenka gallery in Ikoyi on February 23^rd. the photographer Toyosi Faridah Kekere Ekun had been working on this project for over a year. She was inspired by a tragedy that occurred in her life in 2012 when she lost a dear friend. This was a artistic impression of what she went through emotionally and a  sort of induction into what life truly is and its impact when it hits you. The pieces were truly profound, deep and utterly beautiful; one would know that this must have come from a dark, confused place or a place of deep sorrow and sadness.

But she came full circle and presented us with great pieces that are well worth it. I was happy to see people snagging up a few pieces barely an hour into the exhibition. I was thoroughly enjoying a piece named “her” when I heard someone behind me say “that one, yes, I want that one” and that was it. Sold!

The female model in the pictures is UJU, a known face in the Nigerian modeling world and she was simply amazing and so full of expressions but in the subtlest of ways. There was a shot called asphyxia; in it, the model is being choked and force fed water. It’s a hard shot to capture so she must have done that severally to achieve the perfect shot.

Congratulations on a successful exhibition Toyosi and we certainly hope to see more!

I am sorry I couldn’t take pictures to show you because of intellectual property and so on but if you have time, the exhibition  can be viewed at her studio in Victoria Island, it's worth a view!

LPM IS 5!!

HAPPY LPM!!



 

The popular le petite marche clocked five on Sunday march 2nd 2014. The event was hosted at factory 34 with vendors and their wares in full display. There was such a huge turn out of vendors and shoppers that there was hardly any room to turn around!

 

There were so many awesome things to  look at and buy but mehn! I just got shaken down by a shady policeman on the way there so I had limited cash.

Anyway! here are a few things that caught my eye!

 

I absolutely loved this coral piece from Maison de Accentuer! so colorful. I wish I could get a moment with it and photograph it all day but I had to keep it moving. As I said, there were lots of vendors and loads of people looking at stuff so I had to make do

 

 

 

 

 The amazing all natural handmade products from Ajali made me really happy. All their products  are natural. I fell in love with their beeswax and dried rose petals lip balm. Everything smelt so heavenly and more importantly edible (hehehe)

 

 

 

 

I spotted this lovely piece from Desire 1709 . My friend and I both agreed that it looked like "rich lady" jewelry. It had a vintage piece to it, which I absolutely love plus the people at the stand were so nice and friendly. They let me take as many shots as I wanted.

 

 

 

 

 

Another special piece from desire 1709. This could easily sit atop a simple black tube gown and do all the talking. its really spectacular in person!

 

 

 



 

 

Make up from Stella's addiction! they had a very lovely red matte which is giving Mac's ruby woo a run for their money if you ask me. I know that the ruby woo will dry out eventually and can feel a bit off after a while but when I swatched this magnolia red, it felt different. probably give it a try

 

 

 

Here are a few other things that caught my eye, enjoy!