House of Divas

House of Divas is a clothing and styling center run by Toke Oyegoke and Labake Ojutalayo.  They focus on designing and producting high quality outfits that are exclusive and mind blowing, for all walks of life.  They work with each client to create an individual style that suits them perfectly.  While most outfits are custom made, they provide off the rack clothing that can be tailored in case of an unplanned or unexpected event.  House of Divas' goal is to make "YOU" a DIVA in your own right.  After all "IMAGE IS EVERYTHING"! 

Take a look at a few of their custom designs:

Below is a video of a sample design collection for Monday through Sunday.

 

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Labels to Know - GREY

Fashion label GREY is made up of the trio - Rukky Ladoja, Obi Obioha, and Tola Ayanwale (where Rukky does the majority of designing).  Based in Nigeria, the vision of GREY is to provide daywear that makes women feel special.  Everyday clothes are what you live your life in.  GREY is unique in that they strive to offer their clients a range of chic fashion staples at reasonable price points.  These designers work to fill the gap for fashionable yet comfortable clothes for women who are interesting, intelligent, and capable. 

This label currently does not have an online store, so getting merchandise is a bit challenging for those of us who live outside of Lagos, Nigeria; however, their contact information is provided on fashion fashion blog.  Here are a few recent designs from their 2012 collection:

Ok these are from the 2011 collection but just too fabulous not to post!!  LOVE!!

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Dress Like a Goddess

Etsy is one of my favorite websites to window shop so imagine my delight when I came across RiverOfRomansk's exquisite little shop.  River of Romansk "is whimsical, romantic and enchanting...recreat[ing] an era of dainty loveliness; of sash and ribbons, satins and laces.. all of which are reminiscence of a time more dreamy and innocent."  Anyone who knows me would ROTFL at the idea of me being excited about ribbons and lace but how can you not fall in love with these elegant dresses?

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Tees for the Natural

I'm all about representin for natural black beauty, especially in a society where silky straight is the most politically correct hair type.  There is something about rockin my fro or a colorful scarf and wearing a natural hair t-shirt that makes me feel extra confident.  Not to mention the positive comments and compliments make me feel extra awesome.  Sometimes you have to toot your own horn! Here are a few t-shirts that I'd like to add to my repertoire...WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE?

ThreeLittleBirdsTees on Etsy - $19.95

Bon Bon Vie - $25

Cafe Press - $26

I Love My Hair - $34

Close up of I Love My Hair t-shirt

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Black & White

I don't remember photography being this difficult when I was on the yearbook committee in high school.  I couldn't get the right lighting with these photos but I enjoyed this outfit.  I was going for kind of an 80s vibe with this look.  I put my hair into a faux-hawk and left the shoulder pads in this blazer that I got from the thrift shop.  I carried the black and white color scheme all the way down to my shoes.  Sadly this is the last time I'll be able to wear these shoes.  I broke the heel while I was out!!

Blazer - thrifted

Top - The Limited

Bottom - thrifted

Shoes - Steve Madden

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Color Block

I apologize for being missing in action over the past few weeks.  I assure you it's for a very good reason but it's too soon to share (I know, it's not fair).  In the meantime, I'll share with you an outfit I wore over the weekend.  I'm loving this color block trend.  I often color block (even before it was "trendy") but I decided to try a different combination of pieces and colors.

I'm still in the learning process with my camera and tripod so please be patient with my amateur photos.  I'm going to get better...I promise!!

Jacket - thrifted

Tank - Marshall's (Anne Klein)

Stretch Jeans - Express

Sandals - Baker's

Jewelry - misc

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April Shopping

Over the past month or so, I have been working on building a new wardrobe.  I've dropped two dress sizes with my recent weight loss and my closet is bare.  I've been trying to work with the few pieces I had but the repeats were just a little too frequent for my preference (even with my remixes) and wearing super baggy clothes is not sexy.  During a recent shopping adventure, I picked up a few new pieces:

• 3 blazers
• 2 jackets 
• 2 pair of pants
• 2 tops 
• 1 jumpsuit 
• 1 pair of sandals 

Yes, I even bought white pants!!  Now that I have a tripod (that's what we single girls have to do) and clothes that fit, I'll be posting more photos of my outfits.

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Mega Millions

As I'm sure you know, the Mega Millions Jackpot hit a historical high of $656 million last week.  I've only gambled three times my whole life -- twice with someone else's money (lol seriously, I'm THAT cheap) but I put my $2 into the pot this time around.  The immediate cash payout for a single winner would come to $474 million. WOW!! That's a lot of scratch.  

Of course with so much money up for grabs, the conversation among my family, friends, and coworkers (before the winning numbers were picked and we all discovered that we didn't win) was, "What would you do with a half a billion dollars??"  No, no, not the obvious, "ordinary" stuff like paying off bills, buy a cool house, drive your dream car, get a maid, make sure your family and closest friends were taken care of, blah, blah...who cares.  I mean the one crazy, insane I'm-rich-and-I-know-it thing you would do with your money.  That answer is nothing I had to dwell over for any period of time.  I would go Mariah Carey on my closet.  Yeah, super crazy.  I know you've seen and drooled over it before but I honestly can't get enough of it.  Would I have an associate working there full time?  YES.  Her job would be to put together outfits for me each day and rotate my clothing so I don't accidentally wear the same thing twice...ewww!!  That's what poor people do! My "used" clothing items would go towards a charitable cause.  I would resell the items at a crazy discounted price (for "less fortunate" fashionistas) and the proceeds would go towards Dress for Success, an organization I currently volunteer for.  What would you do?

For your viewing pleasure, I've added a few photos of my...errr Mariah's closet.

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Open-Toe Shoe Pledge

The time has come.  The leaves have returned to the trees, flowers are blooming and the weather is warm.  It's the perfect opportunity to step out with those cute peep-toe or open-toe shoes that have been buried deep in your closet for the past several months.  It seems that every year there are serious violators who give this time of year a bad name.  I took this pledge from Yoli Loves in a effort to stop "winter feet" from appearing in spring and summer.  I urge all of you to take the pledge too!!

I pledge to follow the Rules when wearing sandals and other open-toe shoes: 

I promise to always wear sandals that fit. My toes will not hang over and touch the ground, nor will my heels spill over the backs. The sides and tops of my feet will not pudge out between the straps. 

I will go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. 
I will not cheat and just touch up my big toe.  

I will sand down any mounds of skin before they turn hard and yellow. 

I will shave the hairs off my big toe. 

I won't wear pantyhose even if my misinformed girlfriend, coworker, mother, sister tells me the toe seam really will stay under my toes if I tuck it there. 

If a strap breaks, I won't duct-tape, pin, glue or tuck it back into place hoping it will stay put. I will get my shoe fixed or toss it. 

I will not live in corn denial; rather I will lean on my good friend Dr. Scholl's if my feet need him. 

I will resist the urge to buy jelly shoes at Payless for the low, low price of $4.99 even if my feet are small enough to fit into the kids' sizes. This is out of concern for my safety and the safety of others. No one can walk properly when standing in a pool of sweat and I would hate to take someone down with me as I fall and break my ankle. 

I will take my toe ring off toward the end of the day if my toes swell and begin to look like Vienna sausages. 

I will be brutally honest with my girlfriend/sister/coworker when she asks me if her feet are too ugly to wear sandals. Someone has to tell her that her toes are as long as my fingers and no sandal makes creepy feet look good. 

I will promise if I wear flip flops that I will ensure that they are actually flip and flop, making the correct noise while walking. I will swear NOT to slide or drag my feet while wearing them. 

I will promise to go to my local nail salon at least once per season and have a real pedicure (they are about $35 and worth EVERY penny). 

I will promise to throw away any white/off-white sandals that show signs of wear... nothing is tackier than dirty white sandals. 

Don't keep this to yourself - pass it on to other sisters. 

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Afrocentric

Afrocentric by sociallite featuring canvas handbags

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March Wish List

Sometimes thrift stores and clearance racks just aren't enough for me to get my shopping fix, so I spend a lot of time drooling over fashion pieces that are either out of my price range or simply not in my budget at the moment.  Here's to wishful thinking!!  Which one is your favorite?

Adia Kibur Multi-Strand Neon Bead & Crystal Necklace - $174.00

Zara Printed Shirt with Bow - $79.90

ASOS Fiorelli Havana Satchel - $134.29

Zara Patent Leather Slingback w/ Contrast - $79.90

Jimmy Choo Sefton Scarf - $450.00

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