Street Style: London Africa Fashion Week

The best of the rest at London Africa Fashion Week:

Mara and Marisa flew in from Holland to film the event for a documentary they are making. They describe their style as 'funky, eclectic and free' and they like to mix vintage with high street and designer. Mara also moonlights as a stylist– can’t you tell?

Mara and Marisa

Bisi is a fashion designer at Elevogue designs and she has cleverly added embellishments to Nigerian fabrics and given them a slight Western look. We are feeling her sandals!

Bisi

Dress: Her own design














Annette Boateng is a blogger (www.annette-hothappenings.blogspot.com) and model and she certainly looked it at the fashion show. She did colour blocking exceptionally well. Love the bright lip.

Annette Boateng

Jacket and top – Zara
Jeans – Forever 21
Shoes – Carvela
Bag – Louis Vuitton














Singer Szjerdene (www.myspace.com/szjerdene) caught our eye in the busy press room – we just had to take her picture. The gorgeous top she is wearing is one of her own designs and she made the whole outfit pop with bright pink lips and droolworthy orange shoes from Kurt Geiger.

Szjerdene

Model Njeri was modelling one of her stunning neckpiece designs. Pick one up at Portobello Market.

Njeri

There were so many gorgeous ladies at London Africa Fashion Week! Case in point – Lydie from the Ivory Coast. We love everything about her look, including her natural hair. She describes her style as elegant with a tinge of rebel.

Lydie

Scarf – Hermes
Top – Lingerie worn as outerwear (very on trend!)
Skirt – Bespoke from South Africa
Jacket – BCBG
Bag – Anya Hindmarch












Lanyero’s beauty was striking and was made even more apparent by her very short hair. With a face like hers, why not? She made the top she is wearing and says she has a mix and match style and will wear anything – vintage, high street or designer – as long as it looks good.

Lanyero

Elodie was a really sweet girl. The French native likes to wear men’s clothes and add African influences, a bit of wax print, some colour – anything to put an African spin on her urban wardrobe.

Elodie

And last but by no means least we finished the day with Marsha. A stylist and model, she based this outfit on her lipstick! Love it!

Marsha

What do you think of these ladies looks?

It was lovely seeing so many brown skinned beautiful ladies working their style at London Africa Fashion Week. The beauty and talent we saw that day was inspiring – we can’t wait until next year!

Street Style: London Africa Fashion Week

Sonia is a designer at Kamondi – a brand making tailored suits for men and women.

The fit on the suit she was wearing was impeccable! We wanted to rip it off her.

Top: Warehouse
Suit: Kamondi
www.kamondi.co.uk




















We especially liked the little African touches – see the piping on the trouser pocket? Nice.

Trouser pocket

Street Style: London Africa Fashion Week

Sally Horwill is the face of Real Hair by Clara (020 7107 2250) – a range of hair extensions made from 100% virgin unprocessed Remy hair.

She is wearing a few of their tracks underneath her own hair to give that extra bit of oomph.

She describes her style as ‘a bit of rock chick mixed with glam; elegant and floaty’ and says she is a definite lover of biker boots.

Dress: Dorothy Perkins
Belt: New Look


















She has such a cute smile. And her make up was on point that day!

London Africa Fashion Week 2011

Last weekend we visited the inaugural London Africa Fashion Week – a chance to see the best new and emerging fashion designers from Africa. The event also showcased the fusion of African culture, fashion, style with London's unique and diverse cultural heritage.

Models at Africa Fashion Week London

While there, we got to sit second row (ah the benefits of being press) at the 3pm fashion show and were able to see the latest collections from designers Maze, JB by Afrique and J by Jak among others. (only down side: you never feel quite as fat and short as you do when you’re in a room full of models!)

We were glad we were even able to get in to the venue (The Gibson Hall on Bishopsgate, London) as the event was so over subscribed; over 500 people had to be turned away! A nice ‘problem’ for the organisers!

We also met some ah-mazing fashionistas – these ladies knew their personal style and worked it!

Each day this week we’ll be showcasing who we think did it best in our Street Style section. Let us know what you think of the ladies style!

Dilapo likes to mix vintage accessories with high street clothes which we think she does to good affect here.

Cardigan: Monsoon
Skirt: Reiss
Belt: Vintage
Sandals: NW3 Hobbs



















Do you think she does a good job mixing vintage and high street?

Street Style: Shorts

And we mean shorts – not culottes, Capri’s or cut offs – we’re talking thigh skimming here. As seen at Marc by Marc Jacobs, 3:1 Phillip Lim and Isabel Marant. And look how these ladies in New York rocked them. Perfection.

 

To carry them off with confidence, tone those legs by walking instead of getting the lift or escalator at the train station, get off the bus one stop early or go for a brisk walk in your lunch hour.

Shorts by Therapy

For a casual look, wear like these ladies or with flats and a boyfriend blazer.

In the office wear with chunky platforms and fine knit jersey. And put on some opaques if your legs are blotchy or you forgot to shave.

Street Style

Loving this lady at Barcelona Fashion Week. The hair, the oufit, the simple accessories – it all works!