Its Sunday again. Kwanza now just wacha I stop that storo of ati I will be trying to post everyday. It is too stale. Anyway as I have stopped copying Sai, I am back to my usual style. This is one of the dresses I got Kui, but she left it, we loved it on her, even Angelina can confirm it, but Kuis wasn't convinced, now I have taken it! Was thinking of selling it but Angelina insists I keep it.

Its from Gikosh by the way - a Dorothy Perkins. We were to go to Uhuru Park Today and I would have won this with my big hat? but devil of laziness that has entered this house is unbelievable.

Oh and that is Fanta. For those who have not met him,

STYLISH READER OF THE MONTH!

Had I known a peplum could look this good in african print, ningeenda kwa fundi kitambo sana! Anyway meet my good friend Sharon. Our second stylish reader. Between she is one of my biggest supporters, and since you all wanted someone to lead the pack, here is a leader.
Now you can follow, send me pictures of your stylish selves.

This is exactly how I would have shonad this, okay by that I mean the length. I love
loooove that length  and the print is just lovely. I have printed this picture out and I am
going to the fundi kesho. And let me add that if you are going to do this length and style,
 do it like Sharon, keep it simple. The african print in its self is usually very busy and
majestic on its own. Dont try many madoidos like this girl below.
But I get the idea, I know what they were trying to do with that yellow. The heels are nice though, and I can tell from the look on her face that she too is not convinced by that dress. This outfit is not part of the the 4 dresses on the heading, it is a dress yes, but, well just no.

Anyway having been inspired by Sharon, I went to google to get more inspiration, well I did not get any that I think beats Sharon today, look at that yellow dress up there. But I came across this blogger Nelo, she is really good check her out. I love her already.
Nelo is blogging at FASHIONATI go visit. Look at how pretty she looks in that dress. 

COFFEE AND CRUMBS

So fashion things are happening and for a good course, Liz just brought this to my attention, the Fashion High Tea; it was on Caroline Mutoko's wall, now this looks like an event I must attend, lakini the damages!! Anyway I am trying to reach the Grace. But now that she has not responded maybe all of you should just call her and tell her, "Dama has to come to that thing on our behalf!!!! ebu give her a  ticket!!" Maybe she will listen to you.

Thats about it for today. Talk soon.

04:07

Hey Ladies, now I am making this post and I am making it for the last time, and I dont want to keep repeating the fact that I am doing this for free.

Can we try and help each other in this. There is the facebook page and then there is the blog. In the blog I give more details and I do accept questions. On facebook it teasers and other stuff; So you can imagine when I give you my number just so you can ask me where can I get a pencil skirt. I already give you loads of info. Use it.

 So I am going to run through this again and really then we can just move on.
I want something where do I get it?. Before you ask me or anyone else this question, you have to know your budget. Somebody texted me the other day that they want a tight pants, where can they get them and how much. I was just buff! tight? tight for what size, how much, Should I list all shops in nairobi for you again? Then she asked me how often should she go shopping in a month? Very very frustrating. How should I know? As often as you want! you can go shopping 5 times a day every single day of the week, you can spend you waking hours just online shopping when shops close. But can you afford that?

Please CLICK HERE, to refer to the original post. Of how I thought it best to go about it. For the sake of repeating and WASTING TIME!!! let me do this again (let me just remind you here - feel free to feel bad about yourself- that I am doing this for free so I can't write here, write on facebook and then give phone support. We need to be moving forward with fun things! like new outfits, new shoes, new shows, new bloggers, new inspirations!! and the not so inspirational ones like the Kisumu Fashion week, just so we can laugh. Surely!!!!! Ok it was not exactly a laughing matter. Indeed a sad moment for Kisumu on the fashion front.
  • KNOW YOUR BUDGET!
    Top Earner
    This means you can buy a dress for 20,000KSH without flinching. If you are this kind of girl, you dont need to sweat much, your main problem is time to go shopping. I have given you a list of designers here, KENYAN designers who make very good fashionable clothes, CLICK to go to my high end suggestions.
    You know also of Kikoromeo etc etc. At the junction on Ngong Road there are amazing shops with great clothes and shoes, check them out, at Galleria too. And because you are the woman who travels, take my advice of picking up a fashion blogger and get tips from there, because that is all you need. TIPS. Then shop everywhere you go, Paris, Newyork, Milan etc. We envy you!


Above is Anna Adero's Spring/Summer 2013 . View other Kenyan Designers on my watch list HERE.
  • Middle Class Earner
    You can comfortably buy a pair of shoes at 6000KSH. This is a good range, it means you can do both high end (occasionally and at the same time buy cheap). In town and at most malls there are clothes shops, I suggest you keep it to the stalls in town. They are very many, just walk around CBD, prices of stuff range from 1500 up, Tom Mboya street, Kimathi, going huko nyuma of Odeon and so forth, inside Kenya Cinema Building as well, just walk around town. You will get what you need. You should also be knowing or having a regular guy who goes to Gikomba or Toi, ask you friends if you dont know, or at the salon where you do your hair.
  • Low End Earner
    You are the reason I started this blog. You dont have much money, but you want to look good. So it means you cant afford to buy a tshirt at Mr. Price for 1200KSH; what to do? GIKOMBA AND TOI market are the places to go. Since I have been to Gikomba I think it is the best place to go as they have a much wider selection than TOI, I think Gikomba is 10 times bigger than Toi. Both Toi and Gikomba have sections. So it is a bit easier to navigate. Meaning Tops and Blouses one area, skirts one area, jeans one are, bags one area; dresses one area like that, like that!, and you can also just ask, any of those people selling where are the skirts or trenches etc, they will direct you. There is even a section of just white things only.

    They have everything on this earth that is wearable. So dont ask me where to get what, whatever is in your head, it is there, you just have to look; prices at Gikomba will range from 50KSH-2000KSH depending on what you are looking for. Shoes are expensive at Gikomba so don't even bother looking there. Unless you are those people who spend money they dont have and then start crying later when now you need to pay for serious things like school fees! Shoes are sold at bus station for 300-500KSH. So you might want to check there.

    Around Nyayo, Tuskys langata road, in the jioni, there are stuff sold just at the busstop, Nyayo bus stop is right opposite Nyayo stadium, there are some stalls there (a bit expensive)but in the evening hawkers bring clothes and just lay them there on the sidewalk, you will get sweaters tops, trousers, jackets etc for between 150-450KSH
    Then there is Ngara, I have just passed there, so I am not sure what the prices are, but I have been told that they are also in that range of 150-700, from town it is easy to find, they too have a wide selection it is a market.
Toi's Online shop which I am yet to update, but you can keep checking here. CLICK. 

Why Toi is good for the top earner too. Most shops that have new things, have what is in season; so treat Gikomba, Toi, Ngara etc as your vintage stop. Most things at the second hand markets are last season, so if at the beginning of Winter you probably will get lots of Spring/Summer stuff. And at the end of Summer, Autumn/Winter stuff. And then they have some really old old stuff that some grandmothers somewhere finally gave up. True Vintage!

Finally if you can't do that by yourself, I will either take you shopping or I will just do the shopping for you, at a fee of course.

And it can't be said enough that shopping can become a disease, so please keep it to your budget, buy clothes, shoes and bags because you have the money, it is extra money that is why you are buying another pair of shoes even though you have 20. Even for the top earners, shopping can make you a sad person if you dont do it wisely.
There is no point of looking good and you are going hungry. Take care of basics first!

HAPPY SHOPPING!!!!
04:05
Due to serious laziness and running up and down, I have nothing of maana to present. So I have decided I am going to list here a few black mamas that are very fashionable and very fashion forward. Go visit their blogs and learn something;

Now on the clothes I have things are getting thick, sijui I just open a mtumba shop, because you guys have just gone haywire! so I am inclined to revise my previous points on how to shop. I am going through the list of what you people want and well, its is opening a shop worthy, so I want your opinions. If this is really a worthy cause, concidering it was not the master plan! And I do not know if I can do Gikomba/Toi every other day! Those who have been there know the drill.

Anyway while I think about it, I do have in mind those who want me to go get them something but am on hold coz am thinking (SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!!) I really loved that movie, and I have never used that phrase so there it is.

Ok let me not get off topic
  • So picture above is of designer and style blogger Folake is the editor of Style Pantry, a street style blog with her vintage finds, lookbooks, campaigns and more
  • Christina Brown is a writer and blogger of Love Brown Sugar which represents style for the curvy women.
  • Karen is a London transplant from New York who blogs about her stylish outfits, street style and some DIY projects at Where Did You Get That.
  • Jessica of Vintage Virgin, is a stay-at-home mom who  lives in Texas and blogs about her gorgeous vintage finds.
  • Patrice, above is known for her big hair and moniker/blog AfroBella, blogs about fashion, beauty and of course natural hair.
  • And I found something too for the boys and young men, so dont complain, they are very good and very fresh, young fashion. Go learn something. Travis Gumbs and Joshua Kissi.  Just see some of their raves!
    "We fell in love with the dapper look of these NYC guys long before their blog Street Etiquette was picked up by The New York Times. If you appreciate well-dressed, tailored men, then these are your guys." 
  • Talking of men and boys, I have met Collo, a vey stylish man, he has a shop in town, he does Gikomba too. So this is on that other looooooong list of to do things. I will go to Collo's shop we pictures. You have a look at the and we move from there.
  • Meet Collo.
So lets continue...

  • Claire is a fashion journalist and editor of Fashion Bomb Daily which covers style, fashion show reviews and daily fashion news.
  • Shala started getting heavy coverage in the fashion scene in the past year-or-so and blogs at Shala’s Rabbit Hole.
  • Kathryn (above) I think is another me, Kathryn will tell you how to look fly and save money on her blog, The Budget Fashionista.
  • Snow White might be the fairest of them all, but Natasha might have the fashion and beauty competent down pat on her blog Snow Black Blog.
  • Jessica Andrew and Andrea Arterbery blog at Glamazons pursues life, liberty and the fabulous.
  • Ludget is a dapper male blogger for Dapper Lou. My male peeps here we go again, and really it is about time a male kenyan started blogging fashion, ama there is one you know about, I blog him. 
  • Mattie is the fashion and beauty blogger behind her brainchild Mattieologie.

  • Patrice (above) definitely knows how to be frugal. She’s the blogger of Looking Fly On A Dime. Just like Toi!!!
  • Uzo is a stylist and blogger of J’adore-Fashion. And finally..............

Okay that is that for today, I will continue kesho or whenever and then I will list the kenyan fashion bloggers!
Cheers
Dama.


02:49
Ladies, so let me say it again. For those who dont remember, I started this blog because I wanted to show my Nairobi women, how so easy it is to dress well and at an affordable rates. That is the reason I called it TOI. Please go through the links and get the concept. I am here to inspire, that is why I also send you links to other better more experienced bloggers so that you get the idea. That I ended up selling just sort of came with it.
I dont really sell clothes. I don't have a stall or shop where you can come and pick clothes. But I do shop for people. And this too came about as people wanted to have what I was getting at Gikomba.
What you see here in the Toi shop, is what is left after I go shop for people.
I can also come to your house and we go over your wardrobe and just spice it up, see what goes with what, and see what to add.

So this is how shopping for you should work; You give me the money I go shop or you pay me and I come with you. As you know I have another regular job. Blogging as it is dont pay:-)

If something is not clear please feel free to mail me and I will clarify that. I can go out on a mission to look for you stuff. While on that mission if I get something nice that is not your size I will pick that too at my cost (this something nice is usually my size) then if someone really likes it, you can buy it because I will put it up anyway. I try to photograph the pieces I get from the market.

So on to good things. We have been lagging behind in Make Up. 
Jules is still working on the eyebrow video tutorial, yes it is taking long, but you know somebody has to put beer on the table. So meanwhile this pictorial smokey eyes tutorial that Christine sent me will just hav to do: I love it, I am going to try it, though I dont think us dark women do smokey very well, but that is something  we can debate. 
Let me know what you think.

Before I say something about the block heel, look at the heel and toes of these two women, that is how an open heel or peep toe should fit you, your toes should not be sticking out of the shoe, and your heel should not hang out. 
A shoe looks good if it fits perfect. That you choose to buy a small size and you know very well you will get cones is your thing, that is okay if the heels are closed. Suffer in silence, happens to me all the time:-) I have bought a shoe size 40 and yet I know it really is tight, I am a size 41, but they were so damn cute and they were the only ones left, my eternal excuse of buying shoes a size smaller!

I know block heels are not usually that cute, but they are comfortable, and if you can get lucky and get a really good one it can be sexy. I saw a lady jana evening in town, with a black one that look almost like this; Sexy and you are walking upright, not struggling in your own shoes. Has happened to me too, but only in drunk moments. So here is to the block heel!
Please make a point of coming to the blog! I can't ask you enough, so I dont have to post twice, here and on facebook:-) 
On the 17th I have a request to take one of the girls to Gikosh, so those who want to get on that bandwagon, buzz a woman!

COFFEE AND CRUMBS

I missed Blankets and Wine. AGAIN.. Really I shall never go to that event at this rate, and my favourite electro band Liquid Deep was there! if that, a blanket and a good bottle of wine cant motivate me then I dont know what else shall:-)
But I see one blogger that I follow went. So there is a picture! Miss Vavavum



00:01
So as I said I went shopping, so here is a quick run of the clothes, I will not talk much, Louis Otieno is back on air! who wants to talk under such circumstances? I love sheaths, and I did not get to shoot them all, so whoever wants official wear, buzz a woman!

Looove love this sheath, sexy at the back, serious at the front, you can pair it with a colored jacket and when you hit the after hours party, take off the jacket and bring sexy back!!

Tutu asked me to get her a dress for a garden wedding, then she did a disappearing act on me last minute, imagine that:-) But it got right off my hands. I added the details at the neck and as you might have noticed I had not finished by the time of the shoot, I suggest a black belt to go with it, but tie it higher. The fabric is great!

You know this skirt from TOI, the sweater is from my sister, its a very deep blue, couldn't get it well on camera, but you get the idea right? (aki I need a new camera). Love my dancer shoes here, I got them from Bus Station for 300bob!!!!!!!
I realise I shouldnt have done the glasses, but you are here to see the outfit. We have discussed this outfit extensively on Facebook. Now let me categorically (there is a word I always wanted to use) anyway that is not a bra strap, and it is not those tu thingys of hanging a dress, it is the strap! it is a strap, it does look like a bra strap, but it is there for a reason, if you see the dress you will get it. I paired it with my jeans shorts, because you just cant walk around in this town bila.
The top Mary is wearing is from Gikosh, the ankle boots are her own and the rider leggings are mine, I like the look, the top is sheer, and can be done with shorts as well, feel free to wear this with flats, or just heels and in cold weather you could do it with boots.

I dont think I need to add anything to this look.

COFFEE AND CRUMBS

So, the other day Angelina, went food shopping, and you know the way I had been complaining that there is no variety of food in this country. As it is I did not know where to shop. She got seafood!!! Cray fish, and prawns. - you can get fresh, live seafood at China Center on Ngong Road. At Joyus on first floor.
So there I have told you and look what she created!! Delicious like a nonsense! In fact now we are going to make this thing a weekend affair. All through January. Next weekend is Crab and Calamaris (If we wake up early that is) It works like any other regular fish market you might have heard of, you go early you get good fish, you snooze you loose)
Ebu angalia hiyo maneno!!!!!!!!! bon appetite!
And if you think we are not real, come and TRY US!!!!!! We have food and we are not afraid to use it, oh and we love fashion most! and if you are thinking this is not us, I will post a step by step from buying to cleaning to cooking. God bless those crayfish, they died an honorable death!! Cheers my people, be good to your stomach as we are, and remember FASHION IS ALIVE in KENYA!!!  

JUST DO IT!!


15:49
Yeah the year has begun on a tragic note for fashion in Kisumu. It is therefore with great sadness and heaviness in my heart that I present to you Kisumu Fashion WeeK. So I think with all the fashion weeks that went on across the nation last year Swahili, Naivasha, Nairobi etc etcetera Fashion Week, Kisumu too decided they shall not be left behind.
I was not at the event, but my girl Helen brought it to my attention. DEPRESSING!!! you know the way I love my Kisumu City, now why have they gone and done this to me?

Ebu look at that banner. They sat down, they because this thing was not pulled off by one person, c'est pas possible! so they sat down and decided, we shall cut off the "H" join it with the "O" then we shall put the "i"  in the "O", how creative! lets clap for ourselves.
And lets not talk about that thing there that looks like a woman, how sad is this.

Anyway I went to their facebook page and got a mini heart attack.
The hell is this?!!!!!! and why? Even my 6 year old niece Muthoni agrees that this is a bad outfit. If a child can see it s bad? I rest my case. and I see that they decided to throw mats all over the floor, you cant call that a runway, have you noticed the girl barefeet there at the back, now please note she wore opato (bathroom slippers) to fashion week!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why is this one undressing? Even as I write this, I can feel the heaviness in my poor frail heart. I have not seen so much bad at once in one room. They should ask for the Lord's forgiveness and repent!! And as much as it hard to believe (because now I know your ass is judging as by this disaster) Kisumu is a metropolitan metrosexual city! There I said it.
Wolloooloooooo yawa I beg ma sista! Abomination! God Forbid! You can tell by the look on her face that she is thinking "whuat are these on my feet!!!!! my mouth is stuck

Anyway since my mama always said to try and find the good in everything and all things, I tried to find some good pieces in there but it was tough.
I think this has potential, its is not a killer but under the circumstances we can call this genius. Just work with me
   
The wedding dress (below) too has some kidogo potential, see that embroidery? obviously some woman in kisumu still loves those vitambaas my grandmother used to cover everything in the living room, including the radio, stools, newspapers, sofas, sofa arms, pot (yeah you know the pot the one of drinking water, dont pretend) And the iron box disappeared too? Yawa!
ANYWAY!!! I will not got to Kisumu soon. This has been an embarrassment. For those who want to see more of this disaster there you go.. KFW's facebook page.

COFFEE AND CRUMBS

Did I say happy new year already? well there it is. Bloging has been made easy because people are sending me fabulous material, Christine told me about Mimi G. and I had to blog the diva at once. You know the way I am a DIY freak, not that I have done something of maana of late. My sewing machine broke down and is being fixed, so am on hold; Let me just mention here that I did home science, as in a subject in school, we had those manual pedling sewing machine, (sad times)
Anyway Mimi Goodwin is like the reigning queen of DIY and since I do not want to bore you with details of how I am going to start following her, go to her page and admire or learn! http://mimigoodwin.blogspot.com/
Here is a link to what she did the whole of last year. AMAZING!!  Now get out your needle and thread and get sewing.

Since I have been lagging behind in the men's department, I will be throwing in here some male blogs I like (I think I already said that sometimes back) anyway there is this guy that I really like, my male readers, I hope you like him too, and ladies, if your man is dressed poorly here is a start, PATOUSTYLE
please note some of his style is very eccentric, but you dont have to copy everything,. be inspired.

Before I forget, I went to Gikomba before the year ended, so I will be shooting those today and kesho, so will upload those when I can.


00:38
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