Currently Obsessed

1.

 Image c/o christalrock
My fashion style has been likened a lot to Erykah Badu by people I associate with every now and then. Truth be told, I didn't really know much about her(at least fashionably speaking, yaa digg??) I have been going through her music videos,fashion style posts about her and she really IS something! I also figured, years later, that I do know her songs. Fashionably speaking, her style is very eccentric! I love what she does with her hair, how she accessorizes, I can relate. Comparing her to myself, I think dress a bit safer than her(but then again she is a musician,eccentric fashion is life!). Come to think of it, I think my acquaintances used the comparison due to lack of a better word: eccentric/edgy (this a note to all ye acquaintances) Musically speaking she is alright like ALRIGHT!! Been listening to her music a lot lately

her video...
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CPCs7vVz6s

2.ohh yeess!!!!

I am very much obsessed with these 6-inch pointed toe pumps... the pictures say it all, shoegarsm!!

3.

 I have mentioned before that I am a photography enthusiast. Not just fashion photography but all forms, especially abstract.Instagram is THE place my fellow photography enthusiasts!(depends on who you follow though) I came across Mutua Matheka. Oh my??!! his work is amazing!! He captures the most random thing but the angle, the lighting and all that photography mumbo jumbo he uses to take the photos is simply beautiful! here is a link http://mutuamatheka.co.ke/ 

(oh and the website is one of the coolest i have come across)

4.

 This one right here deserves a standing ovation! one Bikozulu. I love to read just about anything especially humorous, relate-able, well written pieces. I am a sucker for a good read! Bikozulu is just the site! The  writer has a magnificent way with words, I wake up and sleep reading this site! link:http://bikozulu.co.ke/

5.Natural African hair, call me cliche and what you want but I am very much in love with African hair. Our salonists and society as a whole have shunned the beauty of natural african hair. I am still searching for a good hair salon in the city that can actually manage my transitioning hair. See my naptural friend's hair rant here http://beautifulafricanwoman.blogspot.com/2013_03_01_archive.html embracing da kink in my hair.

I am currently in my transitioning phase, I want to see my real afro(I permed my hair at age 9, I barely remember what my afro looked like) then eventually lock my hair. I have been stalking several natural hair sites and constantly calling my naptural friend of Beautiful African Woman for hair advice. My hair is making great progress. I am amazed by the little curls around my hairline, the shrinkage,oh and minimalist make up is winning too!

6. This is actually a daily obsession, make it for life even. Karla's closet! she is beautiful,elegant and damn right stylish! she seems effortlessly cool... I love her jewelry choices and how she rocks her hair.

7.Hats,hats,hats!

 These are my second comfort escape, the trilbys, the wide brimmed sun hats etc

 8.

The Sartorialist. I love the combination of good photography and short but concise writing. He also takes shots of random peoples style, I find this site quite mind opening(again fashionably speaking) Fashion is not about confining and conforming, it is all about creativity. I draw most of my fashion inspirations here. See link http://www.thesartorialist.com/

9.

 The Mr.price blog is my one stop site for everyday inspiration.I love the site concept and the relate-able content posted. To top It up is there stores all over the city. Thanks to this blog, I never fail to know how to match up outfits.

10. 
And finally!! Chico Leco presents!! I came across this as I was reading one of my favorite blogs Dressupnation. These are videos with great styling concepts, video production and directing  techniques and great work from the models and designers involved.Very good choice of music too!

Below is my favorite one!
http://www.becauseartislife.org/2013/04/cl-presents-katungulu/ 

Miss Vavavum

Xx

Anniversary!

A year ago today, I coordinated my very first fashion show for an organization I am part of. To-date, that day still remains the very best day I have had in my adult life. I got to do what I love  most; dress up, work with models and designers, styling and putting the whole event together. See some of it here http://missvavavum.blogspot.com/2013/01/happy-new-year.html. Coincidentally my birthday falls on the 14th too(July) so 14th of every month is always a special day. 
My outfit choices are largely influenced by the days' weather. Ideally, I prefer wearing vintage-style dresses/skirts on Sundays especially when attending church. The weather seemed shifty, I chose to settle for a mix of vintage and 90s grunge.(currently my favorite style picks)
I wore a mustard colored vest, blue stone-wash mom-jeans(high-waist jeans mothers are notorious for wearing, only these are more slim fit) and red pointed toe pumps(they are currently trending) 

A closer look at the mom jeans,red pumps,bag 

 I am currently in my hair transition phase(permed hair to natural) I want to lock my hair once I'm fully natural. The turban, besides being an accessory can also be useful in covering up bad hair. When searching for turbans,I prefer bold prints and color. Generally, I love to accessorize, depending on the outfit though. The jewelry must always work together with the outfit. With today's' look i preferred to just wear earrings. Again i felt this look a statement on Its own.

 See my different turbans here.http://missvavavum.blogspot.com/2012/11/of-everyday-looks-and-turbans.html

I can't have worked with models and photographers and not have picked a pose or two...

I look forward to more 'best days' in my fashion career!
Miss Vavavum
Xx

From day to night, leather style

Leather is back like its black! (for serious lack of one-liners hehe)
 Leather has made a comeback this year, in all colors and clothing types. In the past and currently, leather clothing was and is mostly associated with bikers and rock fans; their jackets,pants,boots and even  vests!  Wearing colorful leather can be tricky but rarely can one go wrong with good old black leather pants! The weather has been rather dull lately, my leather pants have been my comfort.
For the daytime outfit, I wore my leather pants high- waist x my sheer cheetah print top tucked in and layered with a denim boyfriend shirt. I finished off this look with blue slip-ons. I went for nude  -colored lipstick, foundation and black eye-liner. Denim and slip ons are the easiest way to give a relaxed feel to just about any look. The denim shirt was very thick,It was fairly warm. I discovered that nude lipstick adds an amazing glow to the skin in daytime.

This was my outfit to a rugby match that was held earlier on that afternoon. With the denim shirt, the look was simplified, so to speak write(I kid) The nude make up was subtle enough too. Unfortunately my team never made It to the finals. 
Some of the games watched...
Photos courtesy of Kenya Rugby Union

  More photos here http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151503291967420.1073741839.125968887419&type=1


For the night out look, I left the denim shirt, I untucked the cheetah print top, changed to my nude-colored pumps. As for make-up, I changed from nude lipstick to bright red lipstick,same foundation and eyeliner. I maintained the same jewelry and I was set for the night. For night parties the louder the make-up, the better! Animal print and leather are a perfect mix for a night out! As you can see, the pumps took the outfit up a notch = chic

And that right there is the simplest way to wear one outfit, from day to night!

Miss Vavavum 
Xx

Of breakfast dates and laughter

Friends... when you are up they are there, when you are down, they are still there, in sadness, in joy the love is all jolly...
ok maybe i am not that great a poet :/
As I have said time and time again, I just cannot survive in this world without friends! The breed of people I call friends are by far the funniest, silliest,interesting, smart and of course beautiful lot! Any day spent with any of them, is a day filled with tear-shedding laughter!
So just before Easter I got together with my long time friends for a breakfast date. Buut being the extremely timely people we tend to get, we met up a couple of hours later, too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. We were at the ArtCaffe for a milkshake as we caught up and chatted.
The heaven sent milkshakes...(clockwise from top-left: vanilla milkshake, freshly squeezed strawberry smoothie,choc-chip vanilla milkshakes)

The service was alright, the ambiance was Ok too, I like the whole artsy theme about it. Definitely my regular breakfast spot from now on!

Later on we had pizza pies, at the food court upstairs after some shopping.

 
I went for my mint peplum blouse and distressed denim pants and nude pumps. The peplum is always a great item to wear for a date, be It with girlfriends or the boyfriend. It's very dressy and it can be dressed up or down depending on the occasion. The distressed denims relaxed the look a bit, given that the blouse is a bit formal and the nude pumps was to add some 'oomf 'to it (vavavum-ising) The slim belt was to give my waist some pronunciation.

 Imelda looked lovely in stripes and denim, check out her  neck piece!

Happy moments...

Miss Vavavum
Xx

Top 'vavavum' box braid styles

Box braids are a form of protective hairstyling, it helps the hair grow and gives one a break from the everyday open hair. If you have a lot of hair like myself, it can be a bit challenging to come up with creative ways to style the braids. Below are a few examples of ideas on how to style them.
First there is the ordinary up-do, all you need is a scrunchy, big enough to hold all your braids.

•  Hold all your hair where you wish to have the bun
• Ensure that all the braids are intact and properly arranged
• Form a ponytail then twist the hair firmly around the scrunchy and this will be the end result... 

Alternatively, you can part some of your hair on the front, and twist it to the side. Lower the up-do to the center of your head or do it like mine. This is perfect for the office lady :)

 You can also opt to twist the parted hair to the side and tuck it back into the bun, to have this...

this hairdo is perfect for vintage style outfits, the front and side view...

 

 When the braids are freshly done, It is rather difficult to style them. However I discovered the below hairstyle is not that bad. First you need an elastic hairband, 

• Part front hair to the side.
•  Then twist it anticlockwise(or clockwise)
•  Hold it the twisted braids firmly with your hand.
• Part some hair from the other side(the free side) fasten them  together with the band.
•  If it is not too painful,braid them together and form a little bun as shown.

A 'sister' to this hairdo is this one below, Greek inspired. 

• First part hair at the middle,
• Twist it to the respective sides and fasten it together into a tiny bun at the back as above.This looks great on people with round faces.

And now...*drumrolls* onto Le Hairstyle of the year. This is by far my favorite hairdo, Its funky just how I like it! For this, all you need are at least 3 hair pins.

•  First bend so that all your hair falls
• Select some hair from both sides of your head
•  Criss-cross them at the centre
•  Do the same with the next batch of hair on the sides of your head. However  ensure to firmly hold the criss-crossed hair together, to avoid it being loose.
• Continue criss-crossing until the tip of the head. At this point you can braid it all together into one.

When the braid is complete, you can either pin it back, for a Janelle Monae hairdo.

OR you can pin it to the side like I do.

To achieve this!

 Miss Vavavum
Xx

Of Colorful friends and Pizza

I cannot stress enough how i am a huge pizza fanatic! A few days ago i met up with the usual suspects for a quick lunch in between classes (the things we do for love?!)
The oh-so-glorious pizza :)(after some of it was massacred)

Annette's mix of earth colors and beaded accessories, the turban, the coat detail

full look...

check out Julie's color mix, the nails , her DIY bracelet, the mix of pearls and gold was very eye catching. Look at her thick mane?!

her full looks ...

yours truly exercising her diva rights on the staircase (vanity  :D)

This was my attempt at monochromatic look(ish) a blue floral top, blue skinny pants.A closer look at the top,braidstyle, my triangular shaped earrings, and my books :D

 Miss Vavavum
xx
 

Hair-story

First and foremost, WE HAVE A NEW PRESIDENT! and congratulations are in order to my fellow Kenyans for maintaining peace during the election period :)
Now on to the business post of the day...
It is said that hair is the woman's glory... I think i am one person who takes that statement a bit too seriously! I love my hair! regardless of whatever I do to It. It is one of the most important assets of myself. I think hairstyle,just like one's fashion style speaks volumes about a person. I have experimented a lot with hair all in the name of being adventurous.(more like my loathing for the ordinary)

In 2008/2009 I was just finishing high school, my hairstyle consisted mainly of twist braids and my own hair, worn long or just pony tails...

Early 2010 one day i just decided to put the Mohawk which was the craze back then.(I have no recollection as to what led me to this decision)

(BTW i have no affiliation with rock, then or now)

I did various Mohawk styles then i colored my hair red-maroon and eventually  did the big chop some time around July 2010, 

I kept the short hair until December of the same year, it became more of a fringe...(my little brother and I)

sometime in May 2011, I decided to do a short fringe weave, this was my first ever full head weave and i loved it!(forgive the poses, these were in back then) I loved the whole Cleopatra feel about it. This was one hairstyle i enjoyed matching outfits for.

In July 2011 to the end of the year, I reverted back to my short hair, a bowl hair cut this time. The color had changed on its own from red to this (again this pose was uber cool those days)

To give my hair a break, I opted for box braids which were a hit at the time...

In January 2012 i reverted back to my bob cut, my hair was still freshly red...

 

Later in the same year, I changed my hair cut, my front hair was thinning and fast, i opted a cut that flatters my hair more. This was sometime in July last year, It was Bruno Mars inspired...

Towards the end of last year, I opted for box braids, my hair grows really fast, it became frustrating to constantly visit the barber almost every weekend!  I now want to grow my hair, I want to have dreadlocks, It has been my ideal hairstyle ever since i first saw them. I love that It so African and not too common either. And lets not forget my favorite comfort and scape goat on bad hair days, the turbans.

I am currently in my transitioning phase(from permed hair to natural hair) , trying various hairstyle(ok just one) I will stick to protective styling like braiding and occasionally wear my natural hair. I get my hairstyle tips and inspiration from my very close friend of Beautiful African Woman Here are some of the pics, more of them on my Instagram
these are the Bantu knot out. I am also trying the minimalist make up this time :)

and as of yesterday, i  kept the bantu knots for 2 days given the whole election period, i was barely leaving the house.

Miss Vavavum

Xx