Lights… camera… action… Click! Lol
Who doesn’t like to be the talk of the town at any event? Turn heads and take all the compliments because of their stunning outfit? African fashion has remained on the billboard of fashion for the past decade and it continues to evolve. African prints popularly known as Ankara or Dutch wax has continued to give western fashion a run for their money because of its usually colourful, skin-friendly and pocket-friendly features. Hence the perfect outfit material to design outfits for a special happy occasion like wedding, anniversary, birthday, graduation ceremony or even a celebration of life? It would amaze you that all it takes is just a little bit of creativity and you will look stunning and classy even the tabloids will want to have a brief session.
At ATMkollectionz, we pride ourselves in curating contemporary ready to wear African inspired designs with high quality African wax print that have constantly set trends in the global fashion industry. Our collections are designed to not only make women feel and look beautiful but to empower them ensuring they remain true and authentic to who they are.
In this blog, I want to share 5 ways to style your favourite African outfit to a special occasion to celebrate Black History. It worth noting that understanding the colours of your Ankara outfit can help you decide the complimenting accessories to include. When styling your Ankara, it is ideal to bring the lesser colour to the limelight. This may differ for some styles but usually, when matching your Ankara with a different fabric, pick the colour that is less obvious on the Ankara as this is a great way of matching your colours. I don’t subscribe to using totally different colours if the ankara has more than 3 colours. Of course you can match with a different shade of colour that’s already there
You may ask, “How do I style Ankara for special occasions?” While many styles are out there, it may still be challenging to decide on what suits your taste and how to combine your Ankara to achieve a unique style. Follow these 4 simple steps to style your Ankara.
- Look like a Boss-chic for a Corporate Event
African prints are increasing been seen in the corporate world for high profile events. Many African American women have now championed wearing ethnic styled outfits to mainstream event. It adds colour to the previously bland corporate world well known for black and grey suits. Here our model is wearing a 2-piece African print Blazer and Trouser set (our Oma Set), this style has also been worn by Beyoncé and many celebrities.
- The Princess Look
If you are like me, you may like to recreate already existing styles by removing some things and adding new cuts and curves. Depending on the nature of the occasion, for example, a wedding, you can create a beautiful design with Ankara by adding tulle or lace trimmings to various parts of your outfit giving it a fantastic new look. For a dinner or ball, you can decide to add tulle to your dress to give it a princess dress finishing. With Ankara, you can readily explore all your options as it gives you so much to play with. Ankara combined with lace to give it a fresh new look
- Baby Doll Look
Do you like your outfits short and sexy, then this baby doll African princess look is the perfect choice for the self-confident woman? Pair your outfit with stilettos or pumps and a clutch bag and you are good to go!
- Style your Ankara with Gele
Asoebi is a very common term for African wedding guests, wearing the same outfit with friends and peers as well as people you have never met is another way of breaking the ice at an event. Here you can see how I am rocking an asoebi outfit with a group of ladies I have barely met, and we already look and feel like friends.
- Let your African accessories do all the talking
I feature a very good friend and business associates pieces in this blog because she designs and curates the perfect accessory that can totally transform your outfit. You can handpick accessories to match your outfit from a range of neck pieces, earrings, bangles, waist bag, hair bands and scarfs to give a complete look.