the african fashion collective: tiffany amber by folake folarin-coker

tiffany amber's collection featured simple, embellished dresses in stunning hues:

the embellished





lots of bling bling and beading transforms these pieces from run-of-the-mill to memorable. strategically and thoughtfully placed, the embellishments add doses of razzle and dazzle in a way that isn't gaudy or offensive.

the ankara pieces







keeping it simple but clever is transforming a staple piece like a trench-style coat dress into something more by fashioning it entirely out of ankara. stepping it up a notch is mixing and matching ankara with other fabrics a la the classic brown trench with its ankara belt, beaded pockets, and contrast ankara cuff detailing. don't even get us started on the back.

misc

this piece fits right in with some others because of its color but it's also a stand-alone piece because it's a simple, draped silk jersey (?) dress with a belt in place of the bling.

our verdict?

granted, none of this is ground-breaking or avant-garde...but avant-garde doth not fabulous make. we'd wear every piece in a heartbeat, that much we know. that said, a clear "tiffany amber" stamp on each piece would have been refreshing. folake folarin-coker knows that ankara and embellishments are the keys to many, many hearts, so she focuses almost exclusively on them without really doing anything new. she did play around a little with lengths and shapes but overall, one gets the sense these are pieces from a designer who didn't quite break free from her comfort zone.

the african fashion collective: stoned cherrie by nkhensani nkhosi

"Stoned Cherrie, established in 2000, is an African lifestyle brand that is expressive of urban culture in South Africa. Our vision is to become a premier African brand pioneering a Cultural Revolution in Africa. The brand was started in an effort to represent afro-urban culture by creating a platform for self expression. We have built brand equity over the last six years by representing this culture in a way that is truthful and that takes fashion out of the realm of pretense, emulation and frivolity."

source: stoned cherrie

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without further ado, we present to you south africa's stoned cherrie. vibrant, sophisticated, and modern are the adjectives that came to mind when we saw nkhensani's brilliant use of color, textures, and range. she can do it all - from pants, to dresses, to skirts, to jackets - and so can the stoned cherrie woman.

dresses - maxi-style

two-toned, fabulous color, great detail at the neck -- red carpet ready.

dresses - short and sweet

playful, sophisticated, time to play. from mini and muted to mini and vibrant in one broad stroke without missing a beat? we call that brilliance.

skirts + blouses


poet sleeves, ruffles, romantic but with a backbone. we love how she combines her stunning, delicate silk blouses with strong, structured leather skirts. we especially like the last two looks - her use of ankara/african print in the belt, collar, and sleeves, and the dramatic print poet sleeve blouse and high-waisted leather skirt. mouthful, yes -- but it works.

pants

not our favorite looks, but noteworthy nonetheless. notice the collar and sleeves in the first look and how she contrasts the stunning colors. for the second look, we don't think the pieces work as well together, but give us those high-waisted pants in every color and we'll make it work. trust.

misc - the jacket, the skirt suit, and the dress that didn't quite work

love the structured jacket and the detaling. we'd probably wear ours with a belt and the fiercest pumps on the block.


we like that she attempted a delightful skirt suit but we're not a huge fans of this look. a fitted skirt and 3/4 sleeves in another color could've been a 10/10.

don't like it at all. a little too much going on here that just doesn't seem to fit in with the vibe of the rest of the collection.

accessories

she kept her accessories simple - we spotted colored tights, a beaded belt, plain, colored pumps, and the conversation piece clutch pictured above.

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our verdict? nkhensani's platter is rich and varied and anticipates as many looks as there are occasions in a busy, on-the-go fabulous woman's life. stoned cherrie put on a complete show that wasn't afraid to mix and match and throw it all in without coming off as chaotic and ill-executed. nkhensani, we're very proud.

xo

photos from kk+ and wwd.

the african fashion collective: momo by fati asebuela

subdued, reserved, no va-va-voom. momo could've blown our minds but didn't, which makes us wonder why not. we've seen her BRING it. we remember her fabulous dresses from thisday's africa rising event in london:

...but her fabulousness didn't quite make the leap to new york. instead, we got the following:

the de ja vu dress:

so-called because we've seen it before, and this is probably the most boring version yet. simple, straight-to-the-point, nothing to it.


this dress is perhaps a relatively more refreshing take on the sheer trend:


the print dresses:


too cliche, too boring, too "i copied and pasted this fabric on this boring silhouette because i couldn't be bothered". yes, we see the nods to wildlife...but there's something unnervingly tame and flat about these pieces.

this one isn't so bad...


...there's a fluidity and quiet playfulness about it that we like. must be the length and the sleeves.

color + jackets:



these pieces are saved by their gorgeous colors. otherwise, they'd be pretty flat, too.

mix-and-match:

we see some attempts at sprucing things up here and these are probably our favorite looks from her show. a little more in this direction and much less in the drab lane and we'd probably have many more complimentary things to say. having hats and basic patent shoes as her only accessories didn't help much. granted, some of these pieces might look a little more alive with the right accessories but the point of a runway show isn't to give us a blank canvas; it's to tickle our imaginations awake. thus, we absolutely should've seen more accessories on the runway and then we could've taken our cues from there and added our own personal touches. that said, the actual dresses themselves could've used considerably more work. what happened to all the little details?

we're keeping our fingers crossed for an outstanding comeback for momo because we know fati has it in her to be amazing. this collection is by no means a reflection of her potential.

xo

the african fashion collective: xuly bët by lamine badian kouyaté

xuly bët: n someone who breaks through appearances

fur, latex, bling bling, plaid, sequins, denim, velvet, obama. enter stage left xuly bët by mali's lamine badian kouyaté. no pretty little girl sitting in a corner blending in with the wall paper-type stuff here - the xuly bët girl is distinctly of the edgy made-you-look-twice, OMG-she's-wearing-VELVET! variety. in four words? street style meets runway.

some highlights:

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- the obama dress:

because obama is the new cool. period. and because everybody and their mama wore obama tees, almost went into cardiac arrest manically screaming "YES WE CAN!!!", and because if we could do it all again, we would. (p.s. does the dress say "this is not a machine"?)

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- "ghana must go" is the new plaid:

...and here's how to do it, mr. jacobs. yes, we called you out. mr. bet, thank you for the funky, fresh interpretation and bumping louis vuitton's obnoxious version out of our cerebrums.

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- seeing red...and black:


lots of red and black in this collection, which we've also noticed in other shows (hello diane von furstenberg). apparently, red thread is to xuly bët as red soles are to christian louboutin...which explains a lot.

- a closer look at the accessories:


we're digging the brooch (way to keep africa kinda sorta close to your heart) and the ankara clutch. subtle nods to africa are the new ankara. we think.

- favorite piece:


looks like it has no business being in this collection. and that's precisely why we love it.

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closing remarks: okay, so we're mostly girly girls and there's nothing "in-your-face" about us. simply put, xuly bët isn't our cup of tea. that said, we respect his artistic vision and we're positive there are many, many people out there for whom this collection will strike a chord. sadly, those people will have to excuse us as we're just not "hip" or "fun" or "cool" enough. we'd rather wear chiffon.

xo

photos shamelessly borrowed from seattlepi.com
&
bellanaija