This Imane Ayassi collection was one of the best collection I have ever posted on ciaafrique. He is such an amazing designer. In case you missed it  a year and half ago you can check it out again.


Cameroun Designer  Imane Ayissi  recently  showcased his  summer 2012 collection in Paris. Born in Cameroon, Imane Ayissi arrived in France in 1990. This lover of fabrics has tailored for himself a strong reputation in the Afro-Caribbean community. In September 2002, he presented his eight collection Vogue Africa in the Daniel Buren Circus in Paris.Imane Ayissi draws his inspiration from the pre-colonial Black continent to create a global fashion which goes beyond the ethnic label. He works his fabrics in a soft and pure way in order to reveal harmony and magnify the elegance of women, elegance being the key-word of this creator. Chic, distinction and a touch of aristocracy are features of his dresses. Innate respect of women that reveals without undressing and suggests the body rather than shows it, is characteristic of this designer who resorts to some daring to help those he dresses with their seductive power.Entire collection after the jump.

Photos: June Ambrose

Image Via madisonplus.com

 Last year the color blocking  trend took over the world of fashion and beauty,. It made my life so much easier  pairing 2 colors that usually don't go together and get away with it because of the trend. Have you ever thought about Blocking your makeup?Uhmmmm that's a big risk to take  but I think its worth trying. Here are a few pictures that you may or may not like

  For those of you who don't know  yes I do have an instagram  but I set my profile to private because I do have some intimate pictures in there ( no not naked pictures , I don't do that ). I have pics of my hubby and my sons .So I  thought I'd keep you up to date with some stuff happening in my life right now. Below are the stories behind each photo

Salut dolls,
Its the end of the week and I am  always excited for the weekend. I would like to thank the dolls over at Shadders for keeping me on loop about this fab Ghanaian fashion house AjePomaa Design  Although I had never heard of AjePomaa before this is their sixth collection.

INSPIRATION
The inspiration for this collection was taken from the silhouette of the Great Gatsby from the period of the1920s. Silhouettes then, represented a lighter and free spirited time. This new collection modernizes the fashion of the roaring twenties by adding a burst of color using color blocking and intense vibrant prints.Fearless Evolution represents the ajePomaa Gallery woman as bold and reborn, having evolved from her past self. The use of chiffon fabric represents a light and unrestraint feel, combined with bold complex wax prints, to show an explosion of vibrant colors such as canary yellow, heather grey, apple green, bright blue and burnt orange. This represents an intense evolution.
Adding soft detailing such as neck ties, knife pleats, and flowing silhouettes gave a bit of feminine
panache to the collection; a contrast to the androgynous style of the Twenties era.

Yesterday Kim K tweeted a pic of her and the lovely entrepreneur Lala Vasquez Anthony at Market America World Conference at the American Airlines Arena in Miami which I posted on ciaafrique's page yesterday.She sported  this cute ankara skirt by Ciaafrique's fave Nigerian fashion house Jewel  by lisa. The skirt  is very similar to the one Catt Sadler wore a few months back.  I think she really rocked it but I would have loved it better without the blazer.  What do you think ?

If you are reading this post chances are you a reader of this blog or an upcoming designer trying to find ways to show his or her collection during some of the most reputable fashion weeks in the world: New York, Paris,Milan,London etc... Let's be real there is no magic tricks to show your collection but  this post can help you think about ways to get there. These questions crossed my mind a few times before and I also always wondered how do designers make the list for New york fashion week for example. Before thinking of showing your collection at any reputable fashion week I would suggest you establish yourself locally first, work on your skills  and work your way from there. I went on the net to find out some info about this question and stumble upon this blog called Search for Style . The blogger of this site Alexandra writes about different ways you can show your collection and also warns the designers about how expensive it is to put fashion show together. Here is a snippet of her post.

Behold the hidden secrets of the new Vlisco fabric collection named Silent Empire. The drama of a frozen opera with a touch of blossoming wit reveals spiritual ambiguity. A restrained yet ceremonious composition of graphic shapes further emphasises a sense of a serene stratification. The layering of details in patterns creates a cultured perception of the designs. The boldness of the designs is tempered by a colour palette dominated by muted earthy tones and alternating with intense shades of blue and lime to create an eye-catching twist.      

Beautiful Editorial in the February 2012 edition of l'officiel Paris Mag. I guess they are  paying tribute to my beautiful city BAMAKO. I can see some Burberry pieces here I also hope that they use a few African designers for this editorial. Me like it a lot
 More under the cut

For someone like myself who had relaxed hair almost all my life transitioning to your natural state can be very difficult not only for you but  also for your significant other. When I decided to go natural I did not want to go trough a transition process I just completely shaved my head. My husband did it for me and to this day he still cannot believe I went bold for some time before my hair started to grow. To tell you the truth if you continue to use your wigs and weaves here and there then most people might not even notice the state of your hair. Men sometimes act like they don't really care about our hair but trust me they do. At the end of the day the person that sees you without your big wigs and weave is him so if he wants to know what's up then tell him about your hair. I found this hilarious and very informative video on youtube  that could really help you start that conversation with your man about your hair. This guy knows more about hair than I do lol . Check out the cool video below.

 I found these cute little shorts on Etsy a few days ago and wanted to share it with you. Obviously this is not the time to wear shorts especially if you live in Canada but summer is just 5 months away. These are made by BombeSurprise  and they cost about $85. I think these shorts are really good to have in your wardrobe. Check out more options below

 You all know by now anything Solange knowles will be posted in this site. My doll  rocked the pages of Instyle Magazine February 2012.  Love love her unique sense of style. More pictures below.

I have been named by Africa Style daily as one of the top 10 people to follow on twitter.  I was really excited  to see my name among some women that I admire so much ( style pantry , Naturalbelle, J'adore fashion). So in case you do not follow me on twitter yet please do @CIAAFRIQUE.  I talk about everything Gossip, fashion, style , (rant from time to time)and more....

Its the end of the week  and I am so ready for the weekend , well not because I have some to do but anyways. So when I wore my clothes this particular day   I thought that it was not that cold outside but OH BOY....IT WAS FREEZING. After a few pics  I could not take it anymore so I threw on my cardigan. Here is what I am wearing:

 Yes, those are the words an Indiana mother had her son writes on a cardboard and have him stand  on the side of a busy street for 2 hours.  This story is making headlines accross the US. We know sometimes people are sentenced by the judge to hold signs as part of their punishment but to see a mother do something like this is a first for me . I guess this mother is tired of her son's ways and  took matter in her own hands.