CLASS & STYLE - MEN'S FASHION featuring FASHION DESIGNER & ICON - UNIC MWANA

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Unic Mwana is a fashion designer based in Washington DC. He is an artist with an extraordinary talent in men's outfit and also very skilled at portrait drawings and sketches. When you think of class and style, he is definitely one of the dope guys who comes to mind. His sense of fashion covers all areas of outfits, casual, corporate etc. Unic shares his love for fashion with LynnVille and few thoughts about his sense of dressing. 

LynnVille: What inspires your designs?

Unic: I am inspired by beautiful art. As an artist my creativity has always been deep and very futuristic so even as a designer, I choose to use my art creativity on clothes. 

LynnVille: What are your views about fashion/style?

Unic: As for my fashion style, I have always been fashion forward - inspired by Europeans styles but created my own trend cause I hate doing what everybody does. I started off by putting clothes together and just go out and the public always had some positive feed-backs, so to end my fashion is more of artistic work.

 

It's normal that guys love ladies who dress well, look good, classy with good shoes and good hairstyles. But sometimes you forget that these ladies want you to do same too. I'll give you tips on some of the things we look at *winks* - Your shoes, belts, wristwatch, hair-cut, shirt, poise etc. Guys, plsss try and put in a little effort especially when going on dates, business meetings and your games. Know what outfit to match for each occasion. No matter where you're going ... look cool, classy and stylish, just like Unic.

AH-MAZING!!! For a second I wished to be a guy and actually dress like this. In church, this month is our month of strengthening and I've brought you something to strengthen your wardrobes loll. There's something about class, anywhere you go to it makes you stand out from others.

Click ---> U&M Kingdom  to Unic's facebook fan page
Follow Unic on instagram @ the_real_king_unic_dailystyle

To be featured for men's fashion, email lynnville1@gmail.com. 

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Tutorial for Amazing Styles with Box Braids

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Hi dearies,

how've you guys been? It's been a great week so far, taking a chill pill and enjoying life to the full. So I decided to braid my hair after a long exile on weaves; I took a bold step and gave it a try. It's almost 3 years now; I can't stand the pain and definitely can't take the looooong time it takes to complete it. Not to mention, having about 3 people pulling your hair from all angles, but all of that could not stand in my way this time. I definitely needed a change from weaves; it was really nice to feel the cool wind on my scalp. Instead of the normal packing up or letting the braids fall, I decided to  be a lil bit creative with the way I styled it. Some of you have seen the pictures I posted on instagram, twitter and facebook and I am pleased to say the tutorial video  is finally here. Thanks to those who said they were interested in learning the styles cos I didn't know I could put in this kinda hardwork couplde with my regular 9 - 5 job and other activities. This is my first ever YouTube video, I put it all together for you. I hope you like it and will subscribe to my channel cos I'm thinking of other creative things to do on the channel. Thanks also to all you beautiful people who follow LynnVille, thanks for the support, you guys keep me on my toes and when I remember you I always want to do better. My love for you made me complete this video (lol)...so tired and needed rest after work yesterday but I felt guilty cos I have been promising this video and still had not done it. 

PS: The video is not so clear cos I was so tired while filming it, apologies...the next will be better. Still a work in progress :)

XX
Lynn

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DRESS TO KILL…BUT DON’T KILL YOUR BANK ACCOUNT

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Walking to my desk one morning, with my bagel and caramel cappuccino Starbucks coffee to spark up the day; next thing I heard from one of my team members was “Lynda, I’m sure you spend all your salary on clothes”…HAHAHAHAHA; I laughed so hard my coffee spilled. I turned again to look at her and in fact laughed even more. HELL NO…Who does that? I hardly even shop (for real).

As much as we want to look good, fashion and style is something you must possess on the inside before it can reflect outside. It is that thing in you that can transform any piece of clothing into a beautiful outfit, it is that charisma and poise that goes with you when you dress up; it’s about your inner self. Style is not seen in the number of clothes hanging in your wardrobe or how many designers clothes you have. Style is a definition of your inner self and how it is reflected on the outside. No matter how many clothes you have, you can still go wrong with body fitting, colour combination, wrong matching or poor accessories. Fashion is one of the easiest things to do; but yet kinda complicated. You have to understand its language in order to communicate effectively.

Having said that, so many people have the mindset of “dressing to kill” and this drives them to do crazy things just to fit into a particular class. So how do you dress to kill without killing your bank account???

Define Who You Are: This is the first thing you have to do. Ask yourself who you are, what you represent and how you want to be addressed. Who you are will be seen on how you dress, what image will you be portraying if you dress different from who you are? Let your dressing reflect your image.

Know Where To Shop: The bible said “My people perish for lack of knowledge”. Absolutely true because some people’s fashion sense has perished for lack of knowledge of where to shop. They have the money, but just don’t know the right shop for what they want. So they use the money on the wrong clothes and end up with fashion police, loll. As a young lady, you don’t go to a mama’s shop to buy clothes cos you will buy something that will make you look older than your age.

Shop According To The Size of Your Wallet: Yeah…this is where a lot of people get it WRONG. Watch confessions of a shopaholic. Why heap up debts for yourself all because you want to shop more than you can afford? You can admire Vicky Becks (Victoria Beckham) but sweetie, your pockets aint the same size so don’t get yourself in trouble. Refer to No 2… there are shops where you can get beautiful outfits that will not cost you a fortune. It’s no use buying a top for £575; then a skirt to go with it for £320 when your monthly salary is £1000. Who are you trying to impress? No one is going to stop you on the way and ask how much your outfit cost or how much your total look is worth. You don’t have to compare yourself with anyone; dress to impress yourself and be content with what you have. Best advice, shop when things are on sale and you still get quality for a good price not armed-robber salary price. With £50, I can buy 4 good looking clothes and still dazzle on the red carpet. Fashion is how you put the little pieces together to create a unique style, you don’t have to spend a fortune to look good.

Prioritize - Buy What You Need NOT What You Want: Sitting opposite me in the office is a wonderful colleague (a guy) who is a shopaholic. He goes out for lunch and comes back with new shoes, more than twice lolll. He has more shoes than a lady. One Thursday morning, he send me a text saying he’s shopping on Oxford Street (really??? Instead of coming to work) and then he strolls in late to work with this ah-may-zing blazers. In his words… “I just couldn’t let it go, it was originally £110 but on sale now £30”. He has so many blazers but just wanted to add that to his collection. This morning, I mentioned to another colleague that I haven’t bought anything for myself since December 2012 cos I’m trying to be discipline with shopping/spending so I can save money and she goes “What??? I can’t do that”. She said she does not earn as much as she wants to spend so she spends what she gets… sooo funny. This is what happens to so many people. If you don’t need it, save the money instead of putting yourself in unnecessay debt.

Put A Check On Yourself: You may be able to skip through step 3 above and decide to shop according to your wallet size but if you have friends who love shopping around you…then you need to keep a check on yourself. If you can’t win them, PLS don’t join them. Instead WEAN them. I fell into a trap sometime in 2010; went shopping with two friends and I ended up with 2 items for £110 and the worst part was that I did not even like these outfits myself but my friends thought it was “to-die-for”. Fortunately for me, there’s a refund and exchange policy in England (if say na naija I go just cry cos I was still a student then). I got back home feeling so unhappy…the next day I took them back cos I didn’t even need them in the first place. So how do you put a check on yourself? When they come knocking, give an excuse to go somewhere; leave your credit/debit card at home if you could not find a good excuse. Go with them, but when it’s time to pay just start searching your purse and say “ouch… I forgot my credit card” with a sad look L on your face. Tell them you’ll come pick it up the next day (lol). There’s always a way to put a check; you just need to know your friends and how to work with them. 

Recycling: Some people think it’s a crime to repeat a dress you’ve worn before; NO there’s absolutely nothing with wrong with that. What will be wrong is repeating it after 3 times in a week. I’ll tell you what I do; I have some clothes I’ve only worn once in 6 months. So I do not wear these clothes for a long time but when I wear them again, people admire it as though it is new. Whenever I am tempted to buy something new, I stand in front of my wardrobe and say to myself…”Lynda, there must be something here that you can wear and eventually I find something to wear after many trials in front of the mirror trying to pair outfits”. There’s always a way out.

Try Something Different: If you have a dress that you’ve always worn in one pattern; probably cos that’s how it was set on the mannequin when you bought it… It’s time to try something different. For example, I wore one of my dresses to work today but I usually wear it with a waist belt or a blazer but today I decided to do something different. I put a waist coat on it…I loved the outcome J. If you have a long sleeved shirt, try folding the sleeves to create a funky ¾ turn-up sleeve. If you’ve always used a white shirt for that blazers, try to add something colorful to the outlook. Spice up your look, let there be something new about your dressing every day, step out of the comfort zone.

There are more tips to give you, like knowing what kinda clothes best suit your body shape; what accessories to match your outfit; colour combination, how to pair your clothes, and finally your composure/poise/charisma. After all is said and done and you cannot compose yourself, your fashion sense would be incomplete.

I hope this was helpful, now you can dress to kill without killing your bank account. 

XX...Lynn

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STYLING YOUR HAIR...The Lady & Her Looks

Friday, November 2, 2012

Hi dearies, Welcome to NOVEMBER… this year was a very fast one. I recently saw a post on Instagram that said “Build your dreams or someone will employ you to build theirs”. This inspired me, more like a wake-up call that I can achieve my dreams come what may. The fact that November is here already does not mean you cannot achieve that dream you intended to achieve in 2012, keep PUSHING until something happens. Remember, Joseph’s miracle happened in 24 hours; even though the kinda miracle you desire has never happened before, you’ll be the first to receive it. Sure you screamed a loud AMEN!!

So today I’ll be talking about hair… “The lady and her looks”. I believe in natural beauty and totally love the fact that some ladies prefer to rock the Afro look. However, I am also of the opinion that the charisma of a lady is not complete without a good hair on your head whether long or short. But whichever you choose, take proper care of it in a way that you dazzle every time you step out. Martin Luther King said “The hair is the richest ornament of women”; I can’t help but concur with this. A lady may wear Christian Louboutin pumps, Karen Millen dress, Michael Korrs wristwatch and Prada bag but this perfect combination of expensive designers will not be noticed with a shabby hair. There’s more to your hair than meets the eye, it’s just like ironing your clothes before wearing them so you don’t appear scruffy. Same way, you give your hair the perfect style before stepping out of the house. No doubt, there are some “bad hair” days (I’ve had that too) but there’s always a way to curtail it.

Part of my hair rant today is also to give you a lil' hint as to how you can D.I.Y when it comes to getting the perfect hair style you want. If you’re like me (tired of going to the salon and not getting value for money spent) then you’ll be glad to learn a few tips on how I get my hair done. I actually fix most of my extensions myself by just sewing directly into tracks woven on my head, but I recently found an easier way to do that. Unfortunately work won't give me a time to do a Vlog (video blog) on this but will find a way pretty soon. Many times when I post pictures on Instagram, Facebook or my dp on Whatsapp, I get questions about my hair. Most of which are: how did you get your curls? What hair did you use and what length? What do you use in styling the hair? What hair products do you use? All of that will be answered here. I recently posted a pix on facebook and I got an inbox specifically about my hair…it made me smile. I’ll post different pictures of my hair styles - extensions, braids and my natural hair. Whichever style you choose, be sure to bring out the best in order to add some sparkle to your total outlook. 

Hair Tutorial – How I got my L-Shaped Weave.

It’s really easy with less stress, I sat on my bed while fixing this weave.

                      How you can style your hair to achieve great curls 

To achieve any of these looks, you’ll need bendy rollers or a tonging iron.  I start with combing out the hair, then spray TRESEMME heat protector on the hair (this is to protect your hair from damage caused by the heat). Then roll my hair with Babyliss Pro  hair tong and brush out the curls to get the volumes needed. When using bendy rollers, I apply styling mousse before rolling the hair. This helps to keep the curls in place for a very long time, usually till the end of the day. After brushing out your hair, use a small brush to apply edge control to hold in the edges of your hair just like the third pix. When the edges of your hair are not neatly held, it looks rough. 

                                                          ROCKING BRAIDS

Yeah…I braid my hair too but once in a while cos I can’t sit down for long hours let alone bear the pains from the braids. So this is how I style my braids. Don’t always pack up your braids, experiment a little, try something different with the styling. I wasn’t particularly happy that I had braids on when my friend’s birthday dinner came up. I prefer to have weaves for a dinner party but it was short notice and I had no option so I had to improvise. I think I like the way it came out, no one knew it was braids till they came closer….create your own style no matter the circumstances.

                              STRAIGHT HAIR AND NATURAL LOOKS 

OK…very few people have actually seen me on my natural hair. WHY? This is because it makes me look way younger than my age. Considering my “cute n petite” stature (I have grown bigger oh), I could pass for a 16 year old and it gets really embarrassing when I’m asked to prove I’m older than 18 (no mind oyinbo people, dem no dey fear face). So, I hardly carry my hair but once in a while I let fresh air flow into my scalp…very refreshing J. From these two pictures, I look really older with the straight hair and younger with my natural hair, even my pouting didn’t help.

I hope this post was helpful to you. So, long, short, braids or natural, straight or wavy, any one you choose, give that hair a great style. Have  fabulous weekend…XX.

Lynn

PS: The cap to sew the extensions on is called DOME CAP, sold in any hair shop.

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SAPHANI ACCESSORIES

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

SAPHANI is an accessories store based in London, started by 2 sisters, Chenai and Samantha. They came up with the idea of making our own earrings initially, because of the lack of unique, conversation starting accessories. Nothing in the high street shops was particularly inspiring or exciting, not to mention big. We love big, loud, noticeable things so we decided to try our hand at making our own stuff. 

The name Saphani was inspired by the bible verse Isaiah 45:3 which reads "I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places..." Saphani is the Hebrew translation of "hidden treasures" so we took our name from there. Our items are unique, undiscovered pieces hence the idea of them being "hidden."

Our desire is to create design and handmake jewellery for those who like to stand out, but we also want to provide an expanding range of accessories sourced independently in the near future.

SAPHANI at the Fashion Mist Show in London

Lovely SAPHANI accessories on display

She's wearing saphani earings

Buttons

To see more of Saphani Accessories products, please visit www.facebook.com/saphaniaccessories1 and our website: www.saphani.bigcartel.com

You can also shop for Saphani Acessories in asos market  https://marketplace.asos.com/seller/saphani/collection

I get so inspired when i see young people doing great things an these two sisters have inspired me. There's always something you can do; just find a need and strategise on how to meet it. Indeed we don't really find most of these bold and beautiful African prints accessories here in London and now Chenai and Samantha has made them available. I'll be posting my pix soon with a Saphani Accessory, get yours now.

XX

Lynn

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