Hello Everyone, Happy New Week!

Hopefully your week is hitting a cherry note! Today I'm back to talking about the Economic situation. Yes! That’s our topic for today. Being a country heavily dependent on imports and with the dwindling exchange rate powered by a “silent devaluation” of the naira we are really not smiling. The direct impact being that prices of goods and services have increased significantly depending on the item in question.

On a daily basis, small businesses are shut down because of their inability to restock as suppliers have hiked up prices. Medium to large businesses struggle daily to stay afloat, likewise a lot of popular names have been forced out of business as a result of poor performance.  Consumers - ultimately everyone falls under this category - have cut back on their expenses, buying only what is needed and managing without the wants. Inflation rate is comfortably in double digits. 

The common slogan has become “Buy made in Nigeria, Grow the naira” and I’ve joined voices in chanting this slogan. As much as I agree that not all imported products have their indigenous variants in terms of quality, specifications and all that qualifies them for standardization, we have to find a balance. I personally do a lot of shopping online for myself, family and clients (as an image consultant) but sincerely the conversion rates haven't been in my favour lately, also taking into consideration the recent restrictions on daily/monthly spend from the bank end.

Truth is, we really have to start patronising our own, and this is the reason i've tagged this post the "The search from within". We have gotten quite impressive as I've seen a lot of creativity spring up in this generation, especially in the fashion and style industry. Talents are discovered daily and social media is filled with loads of these designs/creations.To this end, I'll encourage us once more to support our local brands, so we can someday soon as a nation, make the list of "global economy influencers". 

Ps:If you produce anything and you are willing to use this platform to showcase your product, contact me (details on profile).

Enjoy the rest of your week, and remember to keep that image untarnished.

Hello lovely people

I definitely missed writing and reading your comments in the past year. Its been a very intense year, so much going on in my life which I would be sharing in due season. I trust everyone is doing well and enjoying this very rainy season. I wonder what happened to August break?! Maybe our meteorologists will help answer that question.

As a Nation, our beloved Nigeria has been faced with major economic hardships ranging from the impact of the fall in oil prices, to increase in pump price of fuel, slow economic growth and further depreciation of our "dear Naira", to name a few. Furthermore, Inflation rate has almost doubled and is expected to rise further. Ultimately, times are not the same! I'll pause here with the discussions on Economics, not like this post is about that, I'll be back to this in my next post.

I'm just excited to be back on track with all the good stuff and I promise not to go AWOL again, its not nice "that's me warning myself".

Have you ever wondered why August is so eventful? In case you haven't I'll like to make us think it through; August break, August meeting-that's for my Igbo Women though. hehe....and Wikipedia has it that August has the highest number of births in America. Interesting, huh! 

Personally, it's a very special month because it started a very important chapter in my life. My husband and I got married in August so we celebrated our 7th Marriage anniversary last week and this year's celebration was most spectacular because we renewed our vows.

I also know so many special "Augusta's" and "Augustine's" in my life, hopefully you know this is only an attempt to rhyme, those aren't their real names, and they would probably bite me when they get to see this.lol

Lastly, God bless all my special August celebrants with happiness, long-life, good health and their heart desires. I appreciate you all so much for the roles you play in my life.

I wish you all a splendid week and remember to Stay Stylish!!!

What's your "Style-spiration" - (Part 3)

Happy Sunday Everyone!!
Trust your weekend has been as expected. I bring you the last in the series of the above topic. Sit tight and read. 😀

Timeless Style (Classic style); Have you ever outgrown a dress size, yet you want to acquire same dress in a bigger size or even get a designer to repeat the style for you? That’s called TIMELESS. Style that stands out, regardless of the season, year or environment. With timeless style you can own it in several colors, or gladly replace pieces when they get old. They often come in “handy” and we mostly refer to them as “must have pieces”. Quality is best when choosing timeless pieces because you will own them long enough and even pass them down when you chose.

I like to refer to it as “cheap style” because you can own a timeless piece for decades and each time you wear it, it comes across as up-to-date. By cheap, I don’t mean the item is necessarily cheap; sometimes it can cost an “arm and a leg”. Pieces like denims, shorts, LBD (little black dress), the casual tee, fun blazers/boyfriend blazer, are examples of these pieces.

Writer's Style-spiration; It is possible to fall within all three categories, and that’s where I belong. I love vintage, occasionally I try my hands on In-Seasons, and I also indulge in the classics a lot.

Have a cherry week!

What's your "Style-spiration" - (Part 2)

In my last post (see here http://thecubedwoman.blogspot.com/2015/06/whats-your-style-spiration-part-1.html), I began a three - part series titled "What's your Style-spiration". The goal is to help identify what inspires your style decisions. Today, I'm sharing with you the second part of the series which is;

In-Season Style; is style right off the oven, fresh and very modern. It’s not for the faint-hearted, rather it’s creative and experimental. Creativity gives rise to fresh styles and rids off limitations. Typically, some rules have to be broken to display creativity. Examples include, the concept of floral and pattern, pattern-on-pattern, color-blocking (the bold mix of colors you never thought could be blended), prints-on-stripes, lace on velvet, e.t.c

Usually designers, fashion industry leaders and trend-setters fall under this inspiration type. Here's an example of an "in-season style" creation put together by me using Polyvore.

See you soon with the third part of the "Style-spiration" series. Till then, Stay inspired!

What's  your Style-spiration (Part 1)

Style-spiration is a customized word I came up with and it was coined from two words “Style inspiration”.

Try to answer the W’s that lie ahead. WHAT drives you to put together clothing pieces and step out confidently? WHO is your style icon and WHY? WHY do you want to look a certain kind of way? WHAT will you never be caught wearing?

Many people have a signature look, while others just keep an open mind and inhale whatever comes their way when acquiring clothing pieces. I would be taking you through a few of my re-searched most common style inspiration types:

Vintage (often referred to as Retro fashion)is style from a previous era usually ranging from 20 years and beyond (20 -100 years). Its style that was synonymous with the pre-90’s era considering that we are in 2015. The term is “liquid” since it’s defined within the context of time.

You may be considered a vintage lover if you’re a fond of frills, pleats, red lipstick, tie-neck blouses, tweed, ruffles, mid-length free flowing bottoms or dresses, peplum, bogus hairstyles, ball dresses, our good old lace fabrics, and things that scream 80's. Here's a dose of my classic vintage styling for you to admire, the pictures are courtesy Polyvore.

For sometime I tried to understand the idea behind the various Mother’s day celebrations marked all over the world. I guess it’s because, while growing up I don't recall hearing about these many dates. However, social media has brought everything to the fore-front and as such ignorance is no excuse.

Going by the history of Mother’s day; the Greek, Egyptians, Americans, Romans and British had their symbolic representations which made it memorable. And as a result, it appears as though we have so many days to celebrate our mothers.

 

Mothers are an integral part of our lives and we can’t deny the fact. They are typically the vessel God uses to bring every creature into the world. In my opinion, what matters most is that we make it count and celebrate them in actions and words (Mother and Father) everyday as opposed to once a year.

I decided to share a picture of my last Sunday “Mother’s day look” below. Please feel free to send a picture of your Mother's Day style or anything that signifies a beautiful Mother's Day to you. My e-mail address is stylemergers@gmail.com. Any picture sent will be shared on the blog in honor of the parties.

 

 

 

Thanks for stopping by and remember to Stay Expectant!!!

 

 

 

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Comeback 

Hello Esteemed Readers
It’s been a long break from blogging and I'm grateful to you all for standing by amidst the lengthy absence of activity on this space.

I took time off to attend to my ever evolving lifestyle to care for our new baby, assuming a new job role at work, and considering the hassles involved in getting domestic help not to mention the associated risks, juggling all of these required some sacrifice.

Thanks for your understanding J

The big announcement is that "The Cubed Woman" is back and it promises to be as exciting as ever. You’ll notice the blog site has an all new outlook and there’s more to come. Stay tuned and watch the transformation take place.

Thanks and have a relaxing weekend.

Stay Expectant!!!