ON SUNDAYS WE WEAR WHITE

Today's post is a hit and run, I am in the middle of preparing for crucial exams so am literary burning the midnight oil studying like crazy. A girl has got to grow her career so some sacrifices on leisure and finances have to be made.
So this is not really a whole white outfit, but most urban myths believe that plus size cannot do white or low back. Well this is an out inspo that you really can.

 

 This is my tired with the photographer face (I always forget to tuck in those annoying shoulder strings)

low back top is actually peplum bought on sale from HnM

Skirt-Primark 

Wedge Shoes- Clarks

PLEATED SKIRT

Can a plus size girl wear pleated high waste skirts? Oh yes you can. I have worn this skirt previously on this blog and its clear its a favourite item of mine. I honestly think pleated skirts are timeless items and they are always stylish and on trend. I wore this recently at an out of town work retreat; decent enough to wear in front of the boss but still comfortable enough. For some reason I have been loving shades of orange and peach recently, so you will be seeing more of that in future. Tell me what do think you think of this look?

T-Shirt-Mr. Price Nairobi

Shoes-Store 66 Nairobi

Skirt very very old- Primark UK

A BLACK DRESS AND CONFIDENCE

I have been thinking a lot about how to make this blog more meaningful. It's easy for me to write about clothes because I love fashion. But at the same time I have so much else going on in my life which mirrors similar experiences and life challenges that other women go through. So I have decided to start a black dress series, for various reasons one is I where lots of black (obviously) but black is such a timeless, ageless and trend surpassing colour and I think women are the same. I will be having black dress series just to share life and encouragement.

Today I start the black dress series with confidence as my conversation piece today and because this is something that affects us women so much. I have gone through quite severe low self esteem especially when I was younger I was a geek (still am) severely shy and am sure it's a challenge that so many of us go through. We are usually our worst enemies; critiquing our bodies and trying to achieve beauty standards that are so unachievable. I have been there too. Its interesting I have actually never been slim and of course the never ending struggle for weight loss and self acceptance. I am not sure what works for people but for me fashion is actually what made my confidence start growing. I discovered I had a natural knack for style. Eventually I was the go to person all my friends went to for style advice.

But the advice I would give my younger sisters, is don't sweat the small stuff. I promise it get's easier as you grow older. I love myself so much now with all my flaws curves and bumps. I think I AM PERFECT. I AM THE BEST VERSION OF ME. So live my life to the full and try to enjoy every minute of it. But if losing weight, or dressing up or hanging with friends is what makes you feel better about yourself do it. Just remember you are perfect and there will be no better version of you ever

 

RELAXED SUNDAYS

I love chilled and relaxed Sundays where I vegetate in the house the whole day and just as the sun is setting get out of the house to look for a sundowner and psyche myself for the week ahead. As you will probably notice my style is generally quite simple. With time, and as I have grown older my style has become more minimalist don't get me wrong I still love me some colour Am an African woman after all, but I find I need clothes which transcend trends and therefore stay in my wardrobe for a while. Black, grey beige, denims and whites basically neutral colours have the magic staying power.

I always feel for a plus size girl you always need to be careful about the proportions of the clothes you wear. For example this t-shirt dress is quite short but because it is loose with a high-low style it flatters without being to risqué

 

Dress Woolworths, Bag-Mango, Shoes- Zara

PLUS SIZE SHOPPING IN KENYA

Does Kenya have a plus size industry you would ask? And I would say yes and no. Yes because most African women tend to be on the curvier side with the vast majority being between size 12 –size 16. As result you have (and this is where my no comes in) an accidental plus size fashion industry because most Kenyan girls are generally curvy. So the plus size fashion industry in Kenya is not an industry per se, but it’s just how we are anatomically built and as a result almost everyone will buy plus size clothes seeing as plus size is any size from 12 and above. So how about the fewer number of women who are sizes 18 above, where would you go to buy clothes that suit your style and size:

Cheap

Well for cheap clothes, you can look no further than your nearest second hand stall. The most common second hand markets are Toi and Adams arcarde just off Ngong road. Here you will find lots of vendors with lots of cheap variety of second hand clothes many from various international brands and many quite new. You could also go to Gikomba where all the bales are opened; but this needs stamina and grit. When I was younger these were my usual haunts for cheap clothes and one of the best ways to spend an afternoon with girlfriends. Of course there are several second hand retailors dotted in various markets all over Nairobi and in Kenya. So put on your flat shoes and go grab a bargain

Cheap to Average
Your good ol' tailor. I think this is the most fun for me because I get into the creative process of designing what I want to wear, fabric choice, colour and style. My tailor Maurice is probably one of the best tailors I have ever met, constant fights on delays not withstanding. Tailors in Nairobi/Kenya tend to vary in price. If you are big girl and you see something in a shop not your size, don't despair, just look for a good tailor. The fabric shops I highly recommend are Memsaab in Westland's Nairobi (a bit pricey but a huge selection of the best fabrics you can imagine) and Nairobi textiles within City center down town.

Average

In the middle on Nairobi town are what are called exhibition stalls. With individual vendors renting small 6 by 6 glass stalls which are crammed with cheap Chinese imported clothes and shoes. I have to confess I am not a fan of exhibition stalls. I find they do not make for an enjoyable shopping experience what with vendors haggling for you, the excessive bargaining for over priced clothes and the quality of clothes is usually questionable (I stand corrected) however you could find some fashionable clothes here; I see many stylish women in beautiful body con dresses bought from exhibition stalls.

The other average shops are Mr. Price shops a South African brand located in most major malls in Nairobi. They carry quite a variety of trendy and hip clothes at surprisingly low prices. Up till recently they had a dedicated area for plus size shopping, however this was stopped as they felt that they were not getting as many plus size clients. I used to get my denim from here but not anymore which is disappointing

Expensive

Woolworths is another South African brand that is quite popular in Kenya. It has good quality clothes hence the higher prices. The other advantage with Woolworth’s is they have regular end of season sales with pretty low prices so look out for those. Woolworth’s is actually my favorite store in Kenya and this is because the clothes they stock appeal to my minimalist style. They have a wide variety of basics and beautiful denim. They do have a wide variety of plus size clothes and you will likely get good variety of plus size clothes in stock

Truworths is part of the same South African brand as Woolworth’s and Mr. Price is way more expensive for its sister store brand but with good reason. The clothes are really well made and the quality of fabric is superior. Sales unfortunately are not that often. But I love the Truworths store for various reasons. It is the one store that really has a good selection of plus size clothes. As opposed to many stall that will have a separate plus size section, Truworths will have same outfit from regular size to as large as size 24-26 which is amazing. I have without fail found my favorite denim pieces from this store

Dichotomy I must confess is a store I discovered very recently on my first visit to the newly opened Garden city mall. the store is beautifully and simply designed similar to luxury store you would find in fashion capitals of the world. I have not bought anything here yet, but I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this high end retail store has beautiful clothes in store up to size 20 and they can have your clothes made to order if the sizes are too small for you. How amazing is that. I will do a review of their clothes once I get something. The fabric used here is rich and luxurious. What makes me love this store so much is that it’s a Kenyan luxury store with clothes made locally in Kenya. If you of the buy Kenya build Kenya mentality, then this is the store for you

These are current shopping favourites. Tell me below if there is any place I should try looking for plus size clothes

BARCELONA

I was in Europe in the summer for work in Barcelona and I took advantage of my proximity to England to visit family and friends. Spain is so beautiful, Barcelona blew my mind away and the people are equally nice. Just watch out for the pick pockets. I was pick pocketed at the airport immediately after arriving, which made the start and the rest of my trip really challenging. But thanks to technology my family were able to send me money ASAP. So all was not entirely lost.

I took this photos on the bridge while walking to the Maremagnum mall found herein Barcelona city. It's a beautiful mall built on the Mediterranean and accessible via an opening bridge. So every so often pedestrian's have to wait on either side of the bridge to allow yachts to cross under the opening bridge. Barcelona is a shopping Mecca and Spanish brands like Zara, Mango and Stradivarius are found cheaper here. However since I was going to England after this I didn't do much shopping because I had luggage weight restrictions on the flight from Barcelona to England

My style in this post is simple and basic, summer in Spain is quite hot and humid so piling on the layers is really not advisable. Tell me what you think of this look.

Have a good week ahead

Flying over Cairo with a stunning sunrise younder

What am wearing: Boyfriend jeans and shoes- Truworths Kenya (old), White Tee-Mr. Price Kenya, Bag Woolworth's Kenya

NAIROBI WINTERS

I do not for the life of me know how to pose for blog photos. I always stand ramrod straight never sure what to do with my hands or am always caught unawares doing something random. Exhibit 1 above and 2 below

Poncho-Primark (UK), Boots Woolworths (currently on sale) Bag-Mango, Floppy hat-H&M, Long sleeved t-shirts- Mr. Price

Nairobi winters are a bit schizophrenic if you ask me, it will be freezing cold one minute and hot in the next. I wore this beautiful poncho (blanket....) that I bought in Primark on a recent trip to Europe for work. Its perfectly heavy for the cold but easy to shrug off or just drape on my shoulder when the temperatures warm up.
Happy Monday and the week ahead