TGIF!

This is a good day to blog 'cos it's Friday i'm in my happy place!!!

This is a bad day to blog 'cos I have nothing to blog about.

Needless to say, I am pretty excited 'cos I get to see my girl model this design tonight:

I am happily jealous of her 'cos I think its a fabulous dress, it has been worn by Kelly Rowland!! (pictured above).....and I find the designer, Kosibah, to be very talented!!! I plan to be all up in the VIP section soaking it all up!!!! Thanks, Ms. Mac!!!

Project Runway brought to life for me. Yay!!! I really would like to meet Kosibah 'cos I think he is rather talented and we have sooo much in common. For instance, we are both nigerian, we are both nigerian and we are both Nigerian lol. I kid, i kid....but i really would love to meet him. They say appreciation makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well so I figure if I tell him how much I appreciate his pieces, in the future, someone would appreciate mine. Very altruistic of me no?? :-).

Anyways, if for no other reason at all...i'd like to tell him that I love that hue of pink!!! and ask if I could borrow the dress for a weekend :-).

Not really sure which other designers are going to be there...but fingers crossed to it being a good night!

Sheesh..So many exclamation marks in this post. Did I mention i'm excited!?!? lol

P.S. I love you more than I did yesterday, but no nearly as much as tomorrow :0)

Functional Accessory

Certain elements/aspects of fashion are tied to our subconscious. For instance, a woman in heels evokes sensualism and the overall effect is oftentimes “sexy;” Business suits are synonymous with professionalism, white evokes innocence and red evokes sexualism and to the simpleminded black is synonymous with grief. Besides the feelings clothing items and/or colors conjure, have you ever wondered if your accessories evoke certain subconscious reactions or could ever be symbolic?

Generally, I consider silver accessories to be sleek and modern, whilst yellow gold to me invokes feelings of ancient wealth, and noblilty. And when I think about what my mother calls “costume jewelry” (anything that falls between silver and gold, does not necessarily make a dent in your pocket and can be found in ANY store); it invokes feelings of playfulness.

Recently however, another form of accessory has crossed my path. One which I had hardly given much thought to: Pearls. Thus far, my only association with this accessory is that I have read the book “The Girl with the Pearl Earring,” (which by the way is a brilliant read and recommended by me), and a few years ago, I bought a string of faux pearls because I thought they were fashionable (they still are btw). However, in thinking deeply about these flawless creations, and what they connote, I must say, it has been a remarkable thought process (all 10mins spent thinking :-). I read somewhere that “Diamond’s must be a girl’s best friend, but a string of pearls is the badge of a lady.” And sadly enough this is true. Every female wants the bling of diamonds, but noone really deems it necessary to have a string of pearls in their jewelry box. Or maybe diamonds are today what pearls were to the old-school ladies? Who knows? Needless to say, since reading this saying, I have had what you could consider an 'Eureka!' moment. It goeth thus:

Have you ever noticed that some of the most powerful women seem to wear a string of pearls around their necks?

Sandra Day O'Connor, Margaret Thatcher, Condoleeza Rice,

Queen Elizabeth, Hilary Clinton ...

Why is this so?

My theory is this: For many of these high-powered women, ruling in a male dominated world, their pearls are a way to still retain their feminity. It seems to me that pearls seem to have done the impossible: which is to transcend both style and fashion to become a purely functional piece. Nancy MacDonald Smith sums it up perfectly when she asserts that there is something about pearls – their air of cleanliness, their association with feminity, their purity of color and form – that is very inviting. Pearls are high status enough to be aspirational, yet familiar enough to inspire warmth.

And herein lies the crux of my blog today:

Pearls - like clothing items, and other accessory types make a statement. However, what makes pearls unique is that they are in and of themselves a definition rather than define the wearer. Any gender can wear silver/gold accessories and you really don't need to look very far to realize that diamonds are no longer just a girl's best friend. Just ask 50cent, puff daddy(pdiddy? diddy?), Kanye west (or turn on MTV/BET). Pearls on the other hand are a statement accessory that play into our subconscious: associating pearls with ladies.

I must confess that this revelation is not going to find me running to the nearest shop to pick up my very own freshwater pearls. However, I wouldn't mind finding these in my jewelry box :-)

Political Blog

OK I know this is a blog about the functionality of style. However, as it also serves as a therapeutic outlet for me, I am going to use this medium to outlay my frustrations about politics.

I am not a Republican (no surprise there) and I think it would be blasphemous of me to classify myself as a Democrat (as I really don’t follow the party). I am however a citizen of the United States of America and a distant – although not ardent - observer of this election process. I must confess that I take all politician's words with a grain of salt: as I believe each individual to a certain extent is trying to either advance their career, or attain greater power. My measure of who to take seriously, and possibly vote for, is therefore determined not only by the individual who is going to do more good than harm in their quest to attain a higher position, but also the means in which they choose to reach this end.

That being said, based on my observations and following of this electoral process, I, like I’m sure every other citizen out there was surprised by the VP choice of McCain. However, I held my peace and passed no judgment on this individual until I had heard both sides of the story.

Needless to say, I watched her speech yesterday, and I was really saddened by what I saw. Besides the jabs that were made towards the “opposition,” I saw a woman who clearly knew nothing of which she spoke. Big Empty Words with a touch of cynical humor. It has been hailed as a well delivered speech; but give any actor a good speech and I doubt you’d be disappointed in the outcome. It has been said that “people who live in glass houses do not throw stones” yet it seems like members of the McCain camp have not gotten this memo.

If the main criticism of your opposition is a lack of experience; what sense does it make to choose a second-in command who sees no distinction between her level of experience to that of the “community organizer” (forgetting that he was a community organizer over a decade ago and has since gotten unparalleled experience). If your main criticism of your opposition is that he is a good orator whose only ability is to draw crowds; it would make sense to choose a second-in-command who is just as good an orator. However, the McCain camp fails to realize that it is one thing to give a good speech yet another to give a speech that is not only accurate but also reflective of you (considering the whole idea is to show yourself to the world). In sum, I say to Sarah Palin: George Bush called, and he wants his speech back!

How dare the McCain camp try to bamboozle us into thinking being a good member of the PTA with a pretty face and ability to throw in a few good punch lines qualifies you to become the VP of such a great nation. No offense to Sarah Palin as I’m sure she in her own right has been a commendable governor of Alaska, however, she needs to return in a few years, after she has been schooled in National affairs (talk less of Foreign affairs). America is looking for a breathe of fresh air. However, we need a breathe of fresh air that can hold their own within the International Realm. You cannot take a crash-course in “How to Become a Vice President”, when the welfare and lives of millions (not 9000) people depend on it (both in and outside the US of A).

Let us therefore learn the past (a la George W. Bush), watch the present (and the magic tricks politicians are trying to pull off) and create the future!!!

Rock your vote y'all @ http://www.rockthevote.com/

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest. Moving right along...

...Is anyone else loving Leanne from Project Runway???? Now, that’s a small time girl making big waves – talking the talk and sewing the sew (corny?!? lol I’m allowed one corny line per post). And she says she’s never left the country?!?! She coulda totally fooled me with the fashion she designs. Someone get the girl a passport. Sheer Genius!

Her Bio:

This Portland native first got her itch for design at the early age of 12, after designing ballet costumes. A graduate from the FIDM in San Francisco, Leanne was the recipient of the Levis/Dockers Fashion Designer of Tomorrow scholarship. Much of her designs are influenced by her five-plus years as a graphic designer and can be described as innovative, structural and sophisticated, resulting in a style that's unquestionably her own. Her feverish appetite for fashion and creation probably appetite for fashion and creation probably lent a hand in naming her line "Leanimal," currently being sold in Portland, New York, and Seattle. < http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/5/bios/bios.php?designer=leanne>

Loving her!!! Some of my Leanne favs below:

Click Here are more pics of the design at the bottom...'cos that picture does it no justice!