Dpipertwins.....Badass

I stumbled across something today on Instagram that made me want to do a fashion blog post. Dpipertwins . These two ladies are so bad-ass!!!!!! I kept looking for more and more of their designs. They use African print to make such modern and cool designs. Their earlier collections were not focused on ankara designs but I think they do their best work with African print. Oh and they are twins :)

I am still in my Lemonade obsession phase so even as I work on this post it's playing in the background. Bad-ass is what that album inspired in me and I'm on the look out for all things bad-ass more so bad-ass chics  the Dwomoh-Piper twins

From their own site below:

Danielle and Chantelle Dwomoh-Piper are Models, bloggers and Designers based in New York.Since the start of their fashion and accessory line," Dpipertwins " they have been blazing the fashion trail with features in WWD,Elle SA,Essence,HuffingtonPost,Black Enterprise,Today's Black Woman Style Report, Amsterdam Newspaper and The New York Daily Newspaper, as well as appearances on the Rachael Ray Show, NBC’s Today Show, Good Morning America, and placements in Vogue Japan and so much more. Their designs have also been exhibited at fashion weeks all over the world, including New York Fashion Week, Arise Magazine Fashion Week, Glitz Africa Fashion week in Ghana, Caribbean International Fashion Week, Fashion week in Los Angeles and their talent has been recognized on a wide array of media platforms in New York and beyond

Immediately I saw this image on IG I wanted both dresses. The plunging neckline, the maxi length and the prints make these dresses classic pieces that are so versatile.

I really can't believe that they have beep churning out dope collections from 2010 and it's only now that I am seeing their work. Below are some of their outfits that I loved

I love everything about this whole outfit. The attitude, the styling, the play on proportions and mix of stripes with plaid. No one is messing with this chic.

The play on colours of the stripes is so smart like. 

Grown ass woman sexy!!!!!! The fit of this dress makes it the hit that it is. Effortless transition from work to evening.

Dwomoh-Piper wins. The boots won me over .

That little side cut turns this ankara tee from ordinary to flirty

Who knew you could do this???????? Love love love

Giambattista Valli Couture 2014: Inspiration for Bridemaids outfits

I was catching up with project runway season 13 and the alternative bride challenge caught my attention. I applaud those who are able to stay true to themselves even if it means going against the grain in the eyes of society. Several of my friends have gotten married and if you do a search for bride-maids dresses the result is more often than not a very narrow range; a fact that irritates me to no end seeing as I have been a bridesmaid a few too many times. This brings me to this post which was inspired by project runway and my own personal experience. I am hoping this post will be resourceful for a bride or bridesmaid who would want something slightly different( not different to goth proportions) yet still within the traditional wedding umbrella.  Haute couture is fashion that is constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. While Couture is not made for the ready to wear market, I still feel it can provide a rich source of inspiration for your different design needs. The two design houses whose couture collection always has me in anticipation  in January and July during Paris Fashion week  are Ellie Saab and Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli is an Italian designer and three celebrities come to mind to reference his work; Amal Alamuddin, Lupita Nyong'o and Blake Lively. Below are dresses from his Spring and Fall 2014 Couture collections that perhaps may provide an alternative design idea for bridemaids.

My favorite from Spring 2014 Couture collection

Merlot red.

I love stripes and this would be such a cool bridesmaid outfit more so for a black and white wedding.

nuff said!

love love love!

This was the outfit Amal wore in Venice the day after her wedding with Clooney of course :-)

Another favourite. When Lupita wore this outfit it got folks talking as none were on the fence on it. Those who loved it, loved while those who hated it did so completely.

This would have to be for a very non traditional bridesmaid and an open minded bride.

LONDON FASHION WEEK SS 2014: PREEN

Preen is a pretty established brand. This collection has a lot of neon colours, cutout prints, asymmetry and some pretty street urban designs that I would definitely wear. I absolutely loved the shoes! The silver metallic top with yellow mini skirt was my absolute favourite though I loved so many pieces in this collection.

THE DESIGNERS: Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzi have firmly established Preen as one of London's most distinctive and successful labels. They met when they were both eighteen in the Isle of Man where they grew up and began with a small boutique in London's Portobello in 1996. A sophisticated client base was soon established which today also include Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, Kate Moss and Kirsten Dunst.

LONDON FASHION WEEK SS2014 JOHN ROCHA

John Rocha is of Chinese and Portuguese ancestry, born in Hong Kong before moving to the UK where he is largely known as an Irish designer. This was all about romance and evoking that ethereal feeling. I am usually wary of floral patterns but in this collection it makes you want to grab the outfits. The gowns are feminine and the detailing like the crotchet adds an interesting factor to them. The last dress which has a  mesh like detail was my favourite.