Sunday, August 10, 2014

Goodbye NYC :(


"One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years." - Tom Wolfe

The quote above perfectly describes my emotions towards New York City at the moment, part of me feels like I "belong" here. When I just got here it was completely overwhelming, too busy, crowded and made me feel disconnected. Now, I can't believe that my stay here is over! The other day, I helped a few people that needed help navigating through the city and felt incredibly proud of myself, haha! Especially because that was me four weeks ago. :)

I wore this outfit to start off my last weekend here. We (my friends and I) planned on visiting the National History Museum, but ended up just catching up, reminiscing, shopping, and riding through Central Park. It was such lovely day! I plan on going to Coney Island today, I'll try to take more pictures! 


Oh, and I wore this dress in another blogpost! Incase you're interested in other (more summery) ways you could wear it! :D (see here)





Printed Gather Dress - Zara
Grey Cardigan - American Apparel
Black Sun-glasses - Aldo
Yellow Satchel - Accessorize 
Brown Flats - Payless
Hoop Earrings - H & M

Stay Smart; Stay Beautiful,
-Onivie

Tuesday, August 5, 2014

A Lupita Nyong'o Inspired LookBook

Salut mes beautes intelligentes,

I am very pleased and excited to share my very first styling project with you guys!!! This was also my first time directing and styling a shoot, and part of what I worked on during my time at the Fashion Institute of Technology this summer. The client I chose for this project is the one and only Lupita Nyong'o - an academy award winning Kenyan actress! I chose Lupita for this project because not only does she have a great sense of style and color, but I wanted to go for someone that would serve as a good challenge for me. I was starting to get accustomed to styling for my skin tone, and body type, and so I found this project very refreshing and unique. You can view more of Lupita's style, here :)

We all know Lupita is known for wearing juxtaposing colorful dresses that elegantly complement her skin tone, which is why I went with bright colors with pieces that show off her superb figure, and took a few risks with the printed patterns. I gravitated towards African print in order to incorporate her culture (and mine - reppin Naija lol), and highlight the fusion between African prints and modern day wear (African Fusion, as I like to call it. :D). Thank you for reading, and enjoy!

O N E

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

Dress: Anthropologie
Grey Purse (Clutch): Aldo
Grey Heels: Aldo
Emerald Earrings: Anthropologie




T W O

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

Stella Jean Dress: Matches Fashion (here)
Red Purse (Clutch): Aldo
Red Heels: Payless



T H R E E

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

© Photo by Alexandra Genova

White Cropped Top: ASOS (here)
Printed Scuba Skirt: ASOS (here)
Nude Heels: Aldo
Purse: Aldo
Stud Earrings: Aldo

Here's a link to the video I made about the project/shoot, in case you'd like to view how the outfits look worn, and all that jazz: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkuVOmYr2RQ&feature=youtu.be

Model: Illy Ali
Photographer: Alexandra Genova
Stylist & Creative Director: Yours Truly - Onivie

Many thanks to Illy and Alexandra!!! Couldn't have done this without you two :)

Stay Smart, Stay Beautiful,
-Onivie