Naija Lately: Exciting Looks I Spotted On Some Stars
Vintage! Vogue!! Voyage!!!
If a foreigner asked you to describe Naija in a word or two off the top of your head, what would you say? My response might be ‘glitz and glam' or anything along the lines of peak beauty and entertainment.
Our people possess a great depth of creativity, and the fashion houses, stylists, and style influencers are at the top of the food chain. Whether clothed in local or global brands, our celebrities were insanely fantastic to look at in the last 31 days, showcasing ethnic costumes, couture, urban fashion etc., especially since we hosted a few noteworthy events. So on this fashion episode, we will be covering looks from those events, on Naija streets and abroad, etc.
Let's gooooooo…
A round of applause for the awarded best-dressed stars at AMVCA's Cultural Night, our favourite cousin-duo, Neo and Venita Akpofure, defining opulence and poise in their Itsekiri ethnic outfit tailored by Amy Aghomi. Get into the fabric!! I watched the BTS clip where Venita said her outfit made her feel like King Midas…“If King Midas was a woman,” and I just had to nod in agreement because nothing screams 'golden' than this style representation!
Other native looks; Liquorose (still from Cultural Night) wearing the most stunning colour combination, custom-made by Prudential Atelier, and embellished with just the right amount of stones on the fabric draped around her lower body. Word on the streets and on marble is you can never outdress a Nigerian bride, so imagine how proud I felt when I saw Andrea Iyamah in this upgraded and fully beaded Edo-bridal staple, designed by Andrea Iyamah herself for her traditional wedding ceremony. Bringing this section to a close, we have DJ Cuppy, styled by her mother, Nana Otedola, in an Indigenous aso-oke raffia skirt, paired with an adire buba and complimentary gele, for a special reception with the King of England at the Buckingham Palace, as she serves as one of the international ambassadors for the King's Trust. Her jewelry and gold Prada shoes rounded up the look so beautifully.
Now for the actual award ceremony... When I tell you Veekee James' power muses stole the entire show, because how can we possibly label this level of craftsmanship—of corsetry—of fine couture?! The designs are a case of intricate details on bold silhouettes, and three out of her five muses for this year's AMVCA stood out for me: Toke Makinwa, whose edgy but aesthetically pleasing outfit is, in fact, a fully hand-painted tulle fabric by iGerald Arts, Tomike Adeoye, an angel in a sheer embellishment jumpsuit with deconstructed asymmetrical blazer detail, and Osas Ighodaro, a constant muse of the Veekee James brand, sculpted in this brilliant rendition of abstract lines, accentuating her curves, and the fabric taking advantage of her skin colour.
Other celebrities that thoroughly understood the ‘assignment’ were; Eku Edewor in a flowing, vintage, baby-pink dress by Vicnate, and decorated with the most gorgeous choice of gemstones for a neckpiece, Simi Drey in Midé was just so beautiful and futuristic…permit me to add that the breastplate fashion will never go out of style, and Idia Aisien in this outside-the-box ensemble by Emagine by Bukola. Let me quickly explain something to you, Idia's look was easily my top 5 at the award ceremony, firstly because it was daring, and then, just so well put together…the bodice, coral pop colour on her skin, hair placement, the puffer jacket, tiny purse, and so on. Every single aspect translates vogue and voyage!
My best-dressed male from the award season, Vine Olugu, sailed the revolutionary route in a statement navy blue suit by Tjwho, and Adunni Ade presented sophistication and Hollywood glam on a platter in Ann Cranberry. I loved every single thing about this look–I'm talking from the top of her head to the tail of the dress…black and white has never looked so good! And finally, Enado Odigie shining through in Emagine by Bukola with the most incredible train plaited to perfection.
Now celebrating the premiere of Savage's debut film, Water and Garri in Lagos– Osas Ighodaro wore a flattery commercial two-piece from 2207 by TBally. My favoured look of the night was producer and lead actor, Tiwa Savage, cosplaying as a modern bride in this floor-sweeping white dress by renowned Albanian designer, Valdrin Sahiti. Lastly, Jemima Osunde, a WAG cast, adorned in a customized, corseted two-piece with metallic illusion by Komeh Swish.
Still on WAG, Tiwa Savage was brown and blonde in NYC for the United States premiere. The new actor stunned in a three-piece monochromatic suit made-to-order by Helen Anthony and a pair of dark sienna Louboutin pumps.
For street style, we have Tiwa Savage, still on her worldwide tour for WAG, interviewed on Okay Africa in NYC wearing an Off-white look from the FW24 collection titled Black by Popular Demand. Dodos, the queen of urban fashion, rocking ultraluxury brands on the streets of London—Adidas Originals' Gazelle Indoor in yellow, the trendy bubble skirt in a black mini, Prada Mini Re-edition 2000 Nylon Bag in beige, white long-sleeve top, navy blue jacket, and sunglasses. And of course, Nonye Udeogu reppin’ boubou fashion on the streets of Lebanon with one from Elegante by Kikelomo, paired with a white-collar top and black bottoms, both visible underneath the see-through black gown, a headscarf cut from the same cloth, medium Lady Dior bag in black, beige footwears, and sunglasses. If you catch me rocking this look, please mind your business, okay?
A few weeks ago, Johannesburg hosted the premiere of Bridgerton's third season with some Lagosians present; Lilian Afegbai pronounced as royalty henceforth, was clothed in Kud's rich colours…I mean how else would we tell Madame sips tea and sits on a throne?! Hilda Baci was also uncovered to be the Kingdom's Fairytale Princess in this lavender dress by Liv×Eve Bespoke. I fell in love with the colour, gloves, sleeping beauty pose, and flower details on the corset and hair. Finally, we have Queen Charlotte disguised as Kimoprah in SBM (styled by Maklinscout) and you cannot convince me otherwise. Little Miss Regal took the win for this segment!
Tweed reigns supreme in the fashion world! Adeola Adeyemi, CEO of Beauty by AD, paired her ivory-coloured tweed suit by Liza Nuella with black stiletto pumps and a medium Lady Dior bag for the Pan African Makeup Summit by EATOW Global. The loveliest thing about this look is the pant-length and arm cut-outs with rope definition. Another tweed moment I loved was from fashion IT girl and modern minimalist, Temi Otedola, wearing an all-white blazer and flare skirt to a Christian event in London, and might I say that combining tweed with satin is the most immaculate thing there is!!
Colours, patterns, and more colours! Henrietta Itepu looked heavenly as always to the launch of an Aesthetic Clinic in her black–base power suit by Olars Grace, with orange, mustard, and white colours patterning the blazer's front, plus track-sole leather shoes and a gold purse. Media mogul, Mo Abudu showing us how to rock floral prints in her high-neck blue maxi dress and lightweight outerwear by Banke Kuku, while moderating a Women's Summit at Abuja with the Duchess of Sussex in attendance. To close this article, Designer extraordinaire, Veekee James gave us a quick tutorial on blending colours in this pink and orange cooperate set by Erikan (one of her subordinate clothing brands).
That is all for this episode, and I hope you loved reading through this piece as much as I enjoyed curating it.
Ps, I do not own rights to any of the pictures used.
Ps 2, did we all witness the beauty that was the outfits on the 77th Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet?
N.B. I apologize for holding back our “recent favorites” content for two articles now, due to the length of our fashion episodes. It is temporary, and we will get back on track as soon as we can ❤️
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