And darkness I became.

Out of this slender, feisty, red-headed beauty came the maddening sound of a voice that could shake the heavens and turn the world upside down.

In the middle of the madness.

Although she identifies more with being British, I still can't help but see Sade as a beautiful, talented and gracious Nigerian woman. I suppose one can attribute that to her name and the fact that when I first heard of her, the description given to me had no mention of her British maternal parentage. This song ranks in my top 5 Sade songs ever. From the wonderful harmonizing duet, to the soothing and uplifting feeling of the lyrics and melody. Vocally, Sade is incredibly blessed. Her voice possesses so much depth, passion and sensuality. No word is without emotion. Mmm...I wish I could look as good, and pull of white lace as effortlessly as she does. There's something so classic about this black and white video. Gotta love those dance moves.




P.S. Does anyone have any idea who the man in the video is (other than a back-up singer)? I wouldn't mind being seranaded by him any day.

Nu Shooz.

When my package arrived from Urban Outfitters this afternoon, amidst the rain and in the wake of the aftermath of tragedy, it seemed like perfect timing to help me get my mind off of things. Not only was I excited to receive the package, but the UPS man that delivered them to me was one tall portion of the finest hot chocolate - and a funny one too. HA! Just had to put that out there and give the man props. Anyhow, both these shoes below satisfied my slowly-growing shoe fetish and come highly recommended from me. Not only are they a piece of cake to strut around in (this coming from a certified tomboy), but they're just as yummy to look at as the delivery man. The first pair, 80%20 Scarlett Wedges are my favourite of the two and seeing as the Eileen Shields Tara wedges are a little out of reach for now, these'll make a fine substitute.





I've had my eye on the second pair, made by the wonderful Dolce Vita label, and the months of waiting for them to go on sale have paid off. Not to mention I got an additional 10% off on each. Both are sure keepers. So here I am, sharing the love.

Death Be Not Proud.

Just when I was finally getting know you, you've been taken away from us all. I already miss the man you were shaping up to be. So full of humour! We're all still in denial, cousin. The circumstances are just too surreal and unreal to swallow. Only yesterday, my sister and I were talking excitedly about having you come over and visit us during the holidays. And now, it seems as though you've taking the longest vacation of all.

If love were enough to bring you back, then you'd be back with us a thousand times over.

Alas.

title taken from a poem by John Donne

Come on Eileen.

At $300, if I were to purchase these shoes they'd be the single most expensive thing I've ever purchased or had the pleasure of owning - besides my laptop. In my world, $300 goes a looooong way. On the other hand, I rarely splurge or treat myself to anything of quality. Luckily, Eileen Shields - the creator of these oh-so-awesome platform duo-tone wedges - has a great return policy. Nevertheless, I'm terribly indecisive. HELP??

photo source anywho

Lungs.

This time next week, I'll be at Florence and he Machine's very first NYC show. If it weren't sold out, I'd encourage you to buy a ticket. The week needs to speed up so next Tuesday can come around fast. Cannot wait to hear her perform songs from her/the band's debut album Lungs as well as her cover version of the Cold War Kids' Hospital Beds. But from her entire discography, Cosmic Love is the song I long to hear the most. What a magical, heavenly, powerful and intensely passionate song! Pretty much sums up the way I feel about Florence and the Machine.



photo sources: 1; 2.

Tut, tut, French Vogue.

More often than not, fashion pushes the fringes of society a little too far - at the expense of art. But what these artists fail to understand is that whilst art is a creative medium of expression, one has to remain culturally and historically aware of their environment and thus, take social awareness into perspective. Being sensitive to issues of past and present help one to sufficiently analyze the context in which one presents their artwork. Too often, in the world of fashion, we see countless pages of models in so-called 'ethnic' settings amongst locals or indigenous peoples, standing out in the foreground as some sort of fair and angelic deity - as if to illustrate the various spectrums of race, class and most especially beauty.

This particular fashion editorial was brought to my attention via this posting on the Jezebel website. But instead of writing a four-paged letter analyzing the issues that have been raised surrounding this spread, I would encourage you to read some of the comments posted on the Jezebel website.

On a personal level, I wouldn't classify this as racist - at least I am not offended by it racially - but that does not mean that I approve of it either. I am yet to discover the rationale and true reason for them 'painting' Lara Stone in shades of brown, but if all they wanted was a model with a brown complex then why not hire a model whose skin is that shade? Don't know about you but I'd really love to hear the explanation behind this spread. How many times have you seen a model of colour painted white for the purpose of beauty and entertainment? Yeah, I thought so.

What I'm trying to say is that in my opinion, this portrayal just wasn't necessary. Whether or not this fits the all-round definition of a 'blackface' stereotype, the fact that it conjures up racial connotations is enough to label it a fashion faux-pas. This is pure cultural insensitivity. Let's not repeat this one again, French Vogue, or any other magazine for that matter.

Comments welcome!

Source:TFS
Paris Vogue October 2009
Photographed by: Steven Klein
Stylist: Carine Roitfeld

Little girl red.

(Nigeria 1989 - I'm the wee one in my beautiful mother's arms)


(Kenya 1995 - The awkward bony-legged one in the red. No idea why I look so angry.


(Kenya - The eager beaver behind the kid with the knife, haha)



(Kenya - All smiles!)


I miss lil' ol' me. My childhood was golden.

Say winter's killing you, like you can't stand the season. It has no smell or flavour.

These days, I'm never bored. Thanks to genius' like these guys who take it upon themselves to record and upload videos like this one on to youtube. This video is doing a good job of making me want a Mac laptop more than ever as well. Pure humour!



In other news, I just can't stop listening to Hanne Hukkelberg. Put my iPod on shuffle and her tip-toey Scandinavian voice came seeping through my earphones on a tiresome Tuesday morning, whilst sitting on the 4 train making my way to school. There's something about her voice and the melodies she sings that end up sounding like a stormy lullaby. I could almost hear my bed beckoning me to come back for some unfinished business. That business being the business of sleep. Lately, sleep hasn't been coming as easily and naturally as before. I suppose it is in part due to the fact that not only has my coursework doubled (tripled maybe!) since the previous year, but it's the first semester since I started college that I've been employed. Not a big deal, I can handle the two. But throw a few parties, concerts and my volunteer position in the mix and you have yourself one heavy load. Seems like Hanne resurfaced in the nick of time.





Other recommended tracks:
Do not as I do
Cast Anchor
The Northwind
Berlin
Pynt
Cheaters Armoury

(photo source)

P.S. If you like what you heard, you'll undoubtedly love The Tiny and Stina Nordenstam.

T-Pain, you have my vote.

WARNING: This is hilarious!

And if you want me I'm your country.

Riding the subway is never really a memorable event for me. On occasion, one does witness an array of bizarre happenings in subway cars but seeing, let alone having a conversation with, someone who's received a substantial level of fame just doesn't happen. Well, unless their face is plastered on a poster of some sort on the platform. But as luck would have it, as I was riding the four train uptown, two ladies hopped on the train along with a throng of other passengers. One of the two looked strikingly familiar, not to mention absolutely gorgeous. I knew that I'd seen her before and I knew exactly where - she had to be Nina Persson from The Cardigans. Those dimples where unmistakable. And indeed she was!

Had such a great conversation with her, an absolutely down-to-earth cool-as-a-cucumber personality. She also mentioned her second band A Camp, a music project comprised of her, her husband musician Nathan Larson and Niclas Frisk, which you should all plug in to. Love Th. Cardigans even more now!

Black: Day & Night.

easyfashion.blogspot.com; alltheprettybirds.blogspot.com

Go Slow.

photo: Owen Wilson

Yeah, so everybody's talking or blogging about these guys and now it's my turn. My friend Emily who resides in Manchester put me on to these four youngsters. Going by the name 'The xx' and hailing from South London, their self-titled debut was produced entirely by the band themselves. Released late this summer, the song that's been receiving a lot of blogger buzz and airplay over in the UK - 'Crystalised' - is a follow-up to their first single 'Basic Space'. After previewing both of these songs, as well as some of their other material, via youtube I was hooked. The band's minimalistic approach to music only intensifies their appeal and is a major breath of fresh air. Guided by the dual vocals of a deep and sultry sounding male voice, coupled with a slightly hoarse and airy female vocalist - both singers possess a passionate sense of depth. Together they make an excellent and soothing duet of sound.

The xx's songs always feature a signature steady bass-line with an occasional melodic guitar riff, and drumbeats provided by a drum machine. With this basic cocktail, one could easily assume that the majority of the band's songs would end up sounding the same. As with many-a-band, one can detect a signature sound coming from The xx that is present throughout the album. But each song finds its own way of differentiating itself from the others - whether lyrically or through the melodic arrangement. The xx's dark and minimalistic sound is entirely unique. I'm having a hard time finding another band that sounds like them. Here 'em live here.

49 and counting!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY NIGERIA!