Will Crop Tops Ever Become a Trend In Nigeria?

Each time I pick up one of these top fashion mags in Nigeria to read, I am appalled when I read fashion write ups ranting about the 'crop top' as an emerging fashion trend in Nigeria. The magazines talk about the summer and how the crop top is the perfect outfit to remain stylish and comfortable for the season.  It's understandable, that we are going global and so is our fashion drive but the crop top becoming a trend??? That's pushing overboard, in my opinion.

First and foremost, it will be important to note that this post isn't coming from a religious angle, so don't get me wrong, infact, I sometimes admire crop tops on celebs who rock it for concert performances.

The crop top is one fashion trend that will probably never trend on our streets in Nigeria. It may be feasible amongst those with  rides to attend events and all they have to do is to get into their teensy weensy piece, step into their posh rides, drive down, alight at the venue and go enjoy the event or

Noticeable Features at the LFDW 2013- Custom-Made Prints

Designers in Nigeria are doing everything humanly possible to notch up their game to meet and possibly surpass world fashion standards.

Gone are the days when designers relied solely on Daviva, Vlisco, High Target and the rest of the makers of African prints popularly called Ankara to make outfits, these days beautiful pieces of customised prints are daily churned out by various designers, making it possible to have both an exclusive design in a exclusive print too! isn't that good news??? To me it is!
I remember vividly a jacket made from Ankara by one of the top designers in Nigeria (lipssealed on the name of the designer)  in a particular African print, the print was as ubiquitous as mosquitoes in water logged area in an under developed country and to top it all, the boyfriend blazer was about N30,000!!!
At this year's Lagos Fashion and Design Week, I was impressed the large quantity of custom-made prints in all types of Fabrics.

JEWEL BY LISA
 



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MAKI OH





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This Season's Hottest Hue- White!

White is a colour that symbolizes purity. It's a colour that suits all skin tones but particularly looks better on darker skin tones reminiscent of milk poured over a chocolate candy. Celebs, street chics and party poopers can't get enough of the all white everything trend. While some don all white others mix the whites with a touch other colours.

Stars on and off-duty are choosing white as their colour of choice, from creamy tuxedo suits, to a white court shoe - handy then, that it's this season's hottest hue. But who to take as your white outfit inspiration, and who to avoid? Wearing all white is not gender related as some erroneously believe that only females should be all decked in white. Come see how different dudes and chics style their white pieces after the cut...

Trending: Gold/Silver Plated Metal Belts

Metal belts are so in! Either strutting the red carpet, runway or even the streets of Lagos, the gold/silver plated metal belts are as ubiquitous as mosquitoes in a swampy area. These amazingly chic metal accessories have now made cinching your waist with a belt fashionable again. The metal belt adds a touch sophistication to every outfit, making that simple outfit edgier.

Stylish return to our roots in African Prints (1)

African prints have always been in vogue but these days,the traditional styles have been ditched for trendier, sleekier and more modern styles. In the past, our parents were the major enthusiast of the traditional 'Iro and Buba' but we find that these days the younger generation have embraced it almost more than the older ones and even the traditional 'Oleku' have taken new creative dimensions.

Also, we'll notice that African prints has transcended the days of limited outings, where people were only comfortable wearing the prints at family events, owambe, Sunday services and Friday outings, it has become a major catch at various events, ranging from red carpet events, to on-stage performances, to video clips and even the Beach!

Just the other day, I was at Moofa's flagship store in Dolphin Estate when I noticed a modern version of the traditional wrapper and blouse which was made of chiffon in African print, styled as a long wrapper and a shirt blouse,and the likes of Alter Ego haven't neglected our roots which is evident in her Nwando and Aso Oke Oleku outfit(Pictures of these will feature in the part 2 of this article).

For a lot Africans, with special reference to Nigerians, there are always parties to attend over the weekend where one aso ebi or the other has been selected to ensure a uniform, glamour-filled and a colourful event, but the headache of most people, especially women is that the styling of the material selected. As a result of that, I have decided to do a special picture filled article of the different ways you can 'mess' around with your African Prints in the most fashionable and stylish manner.

View African eye candy after the cut...