A bittersweet Christmas

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas because I did. This  Christmas was the best one I've had in years, but it was bittersweet. My Aunt who had been in hospital for a couple of days passed on the day after Christmas, I've been feeling so down but she looked so sick that it wouldn't have been fair for us to ask the Universe to keep  her any longer. I can tell my dad is devastated, she was the only sibling he had and although she was a troubled soul and their relationship was strained, he still loved her and wanted the best for her. Seeing my dad so down is making this whole situation hard for us. I've been writing a lot so I can cope with all of this, my relationship with my aunt was not perfect by any means but I loved her regardless of everything and although she has never told me she loved me,her showing up every now and then to see us let me know that she cared. I hope her soul rests in peace and that she is in a much better place.

Loss

My inner Geisha came out to play

I honestly cannot believe that it's December, I swear time is just running so fast and it's quite scary. I finally did a shoot in the kimono I made and I am completely in love with the pictures my niece took. I love how vibrant everything looks and how I accidentally placed myself so perfectly in front of the tree. It took me such a long time to finally do this shoot and I am glad I made time to do it, not only do I love designing clothes but  I also love dressing up, it always makes me feel good. I am a sucker for kimonos and this is by far my favourite kimono. This shoot was inspired by Geishas and the  beautiful kimonos they wear, I also remember watching Kill Bill a few years ago and there was a character called Oren Ishii, who wore kimonos in some of the scenes, I think she made me fall more in love with them. For this look I decided to pair the kimono with tassel earrings, which are my current obsession  and I put up my hair in a pony tail to show off every detail on the kimono. What I love about this kimono is I can wear it up or down with jeans and a simple t-shirt and it would still look good.

Sweet solitude

Burnt orange in all it's glory

 

I love wearing colours that compliment my skin tone and throughout the years I've  learned what works well and what doesn't, I can say I've mastered the art of choosing colours that make my melanin pop lol. For as long as I can remember I always wanted to make myself a burnt orange outfit, so I finally managed to make myself one and it came out exactly as I had imagined it in my head. I sketched the design first before making it because sketches work as a map for me, the design consisted of an off-shoulder top and a skirt with a high-slit. I even had Fulani inspired braids to suit the whole look.
Shooting this look was such a tedious process because I prefer shooting when the weather is nice and sunny and on the first day we tried shooting the weather was just awful, the sun kept disappearing behind the clouds, the second time around it looked like it was about to rain, so that meant no sun again. It was only after the third attempt that the photos came out perfectly.

Let go

Lights.Camera.Fashion

  

The Universe has been so good to me, this year has been such  great year. There has been so much growth in my personal life and business, a lot has been happening in the last few months and I am extremely grateful for each and every blessing that has come my way. Everything I have ever prayed for is happening and it feels so good to see it manifest.

 

Last month was also another hectic month at our business and in between all the work, we also had a TV interview which was so much fun to do. We had to discuss a dress we made for a client and even though I was sick as a dog that day, I still did my best. This was our first TV interview and we really did a fantastic job for first timers. Looking back at where we started I can honestly say we have made so much progress and this is because of our insane work ethic and the good working relationship we have. I am beyond proud of how far we have come and I look forward to doing even more.