mariankihogo.com » Style Diary

Transition

marian — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 16:55:47 +0000

Satin turban | KARL, Karl Lagerfeld biker leather vest | faux fur | Kenzo dress | Nicholas Kirkwood x Peter Pilotto heels | faux leather legwear | green cupro trench | Ozi neckpiece by bespoke jewelry curator Anita Quansah

The power of an interesting outfit is its ability to transform, adapt and transition. My outfits (usually layered to the hilt) are in a constant state of metamorphosis with elements being added, adapted and removed through the course of the day.

The black and white KARL, Karl Lagerfeld vest looks like a part of the above outfit but in actual fact a piece I only tried on briefly at the NET-A-PORTER preview of the collection.

A reminder that a great outfit is in a constant state of transition.

More dates in the style diary.

Bugcopia

marian — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 23:36:22 +0000

Photos by Lost in talent

Satin turban | vintage top | faux fur

The joy of vintage is daydreaming about the previous lives of the pieces.

For me it is the stories behind each pre-loved piece that enthralls; who danced in them most joyfully, who fell in love dressed in that piece, who made the piece their own.

In the case of this vintage top, who wore the ladybugs, flew with the bees and flitted with the butterflies.

More dates in the style diary.

Pink Bohemia

marian — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:14:07 +0000

Kenzo pants | Ozi necklace by bespoke jewel curator Anita Quansah London | Edun t-shirt | Urban Outfitters vest | vintage belt | textured hat | stole | letter necklace by Maria Francesca Pepe | vintage boots

There are pink girls and there are non pink girls.

I fall in the latter group but every so often the right shade of pink pushes me into the area between those two groups that I like to to call Pink Bohemia.

These velvet Kenzo pants are the quintessential gatekeeper to that kingdom. Closely matched by this hat that can only be best described as the mix of a teapot cosy, sea urchin and swimming hat. For a texture lover, it is unadulterated joy.

Pair with the statement that is the Anita Quansah London necklace and my highlighter bright faux fur and the utopia is complete.

More dates in the style diary.

Balancing Act

marian — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 21:28:11 +0000

Kenzo dress | Ozi necklace by bespoke jewel curator Anita Quansah London | Tripp NYC pants | white Topshop t-shirt | MOMO scarf | hat | Christian Louboutin heels

I’ve been wearing these heels two days in a row. Constantly and probably fell asleep in them too.

I am big on the belief that a good thing (that does not hurt you) need not end. It sort of shines bright from within and around you.

Oddly enough, the Louboutin steel pin heels found their match in the Kenzo end of my closet both days in question. That makes sense as the Kenzo aesthetic shines bright in its own big way. Weave on up and their union with amazing Ozi the necklace by bespoke jewel curator, Anita Quansah London.

If this was some shoe awards of some sort and I had to thank Mr Louboutin, I’d no doubt repeatedly make mention of that fantastical orange hue. Does it get any more apologetically orange than these heels?

At this point I would like to interject that the needle heels is the only kind of needlework that I’m conversant in.

Old dates in my style diary.

Dream Induced

marian — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 23:10:27 +0000

Photography by Oliver Rudkin

Ana Šekularac | Ozi necklace by bespoke jewel curator Anita Quansah London | vintage bag | turban with vintage brooch | vintage faux fur

On special occasions I like to return to my true loves. A return back to the labels that I have come to know and trust.

Ana Šekularac makes the most breathtaking dresses with such attention to detail that there is almost dream like quality to them.

Her work has firmly become a favorite of mine.

It was a joy to add to this, more dreamy elements like the Ozi necklace by bespoke jewel curator, Anita Quansah London and Kirkwood’s spring summer 2011 heels for Peter Pilotto.

There is something quite special about wearing a one off piece that has been crafted from many parts; reclaimed vintage, semi precious stones, precious beads etc.

A special night (in this case, the St Martins Lane & Marian Kihogo dinner to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of Mariankihogo.com) delivers to marked in the most special pieces.

Old dates in my style diary.

Arrival

marian — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:09:18 +0000

Photo by Les Garcons De Glasgow.

Alexander McQueen dress | assorted jewellery | vintage bag | turban

Birthdays, moments and that perfect dress or lip color all have one thing in common, an arrival.

Be that joyfully anticipated (my 30th birthday on day of photo) or unexpected (the unplanned but in the moment photo), they will undoubtedly arrive. When they do, they shall find us waiting, languid in our arrival.

Old dates in my style diary.

Textural Studies

marian — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 02:48:27 +0000

Photography and copyright: Robert Cassidy x The Style Scout.

Ella Sharp dress repurposed as skirt | vintage lurex stop | vintage coat | scarf under hat | leather crop pants | vintage bag | assorted jewellery Marc Jacobs tail | vintage bag

True love stories have no end. Such is the case with my love affair texture. There is no end in sight. Where there is lace, velvet, leather and faux fur, they will get mixed. Life is so much better lived in texture.

There is a school girl feeling about this vintage bag that enchants. If that school girl appreciated discrete luxury and craftsmanship, she would be blue for this bag too.

The vintage scarf beneath the vintage hat becomes headdress can be layered too. Why should garments have all the fun?

Old dates in my Style Diary here.

Sinuous

marian — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 22:50:10 +0000

Image: Matthew Hinchliffe of FLYER News

El Huracan dress by Ella Sharp | scarf as headpiece | assorted vintage jewellery | faux fur coat | Cherry Lush lipstick by Tom Ford

I am drawn to garments that morph as you do. The days you feel glamorous, they do that with you. The low-key in between phases, well they pare back to suit that mood too.

Ella Sharp’s lace Tango (that would be the Latin dance and not the drink of the same name) inspired dress, entitled El Huracan, has that quality.

A winner at the BrandAlley Evening Black Dress competition (honored to have been part of the judging panel), Sharp’s El Huracan is much more than an evening dress. With its high neck and finely constructed panel form, there is a sinuous character to the it that felt reassuring.

That assured state of being, that is versatile enough to adapt to suit the circumstance, was just what I wanted on the night of the Screen Nation Awards 2011.

I attended the event with AMAA award winning actress Ama K.Abebrese (a nominee for a best actress award). On the night the dress did its thing (emote a retro glamor that is the love child of the Tango and old Hollywood) but more importantly, it also let me do mine. It let me do me.

The perfect garments are those that fulfill their duties while giving us the room to grow. They travel with us. Like the sinuous twists and turns of a river or the Tango, they like the El Huracan evolve as we do.

They follow our lead on the journey that is the personal style led experience.

Ella Sharp talks about the design here.

More on BrandAlley’s Evening Black Dress competition here.

Catch up on my Style Diary here.

70′s Cloud

marian — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 16:37:04 +0000

Photo:
Hannan Saleh.

Crumpet crew knit jumper | Crumpet crew knit jumper |
Maria Francesca Pepe tubular necklaces | silk scarf as headpiece.

I like that this image by the lovely Hannan Saleh expresses everything I was feeling outfit wise.

I’ve long had an affection for light pieces of cashmere. Prints and I go way back. Pair the two together in the form of designs by Crumpet and it is set to be a lifelong love affair.

I think knits are more fun when mismatched. It is one part geriatric meets one part stuffy librarian. Some of the most stylish people I know are either elderly or librarians (it is something about the fact that both parties don’t really give what they wear much conceived pre-thought). So the two of those concepts combined works for me.

There is a 70′s vibe going on about this printed crew neck that drew me to it. The cloud print on the pants are genius. There is something about clouds that I find strangely comforting. It was all about a need for comfort on the day I wore this outfit to New York Fashion Week. Not a sloppy comfort but the sort that finds haven in that which it feels connected to.

The cashmere plus the faux fur capelet was not the most weather appropriate outfit for sunny New York but once an emotive dresser, always an emotive dresser.

Read the rest of the Style Diary segment here.

Cruella

marian — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 21:41:49 +0000

Photo:
Melyavila for Style Italia.

Vintage 1960′s dress | Tripp NYC Dalmatian pants | Maria Francesca Pepe tubular necklaces | silk scarf as headpiece

I have this thing about vintage. It is either a piece I am going to wear to shreds or it is not coming home with me.

Giraffe (name I affectionately call this dress. Doesn’t the print look oh so Giraffe like?) and I have literally been joint at the hip.

There is a methodological madness to the print that I find calming. In my head, Tripp NYC creates their print pants solely for me. These have the most adorable Dalmatian print thing going on.

Yesterday I was all up for the cross breeding of Giraffe and Dalmatian.
Where else in the world are you going to see the lovechild of a Giraffe and a Dalmatian? As seen in the image above by Melyavila for Style Italia. the double animal print may exude a little Cruella but what my style mood dictates that I must follow.

Read the rest of the Style Diary segment here.