Ika Adage #14: Swim You’re on a journey to a final destination where you have to swim to get there. Its a process of continuous, repetitive steps; swing your arms, flap your feet, breath and repeat. As the journey progresses, the ubiquitous routine gets boring, repetitive. Your arms and leg get tired and frustration seeps in; Am I there yet? Why am I not there already? Doubt trickles in as well and you start to question; Maybe I’m not swimming fast enough. Maybe I’m too weak. Will I make it till the end? Why did I decide to do this? This is stupid. My arms hurt. My legs are cramping. Then suddenly, you’re soaked with panic and start splashing around frantically looking for another way out, forgetting that you’re still surrounded by water… and the final destination is still yet to come. Then you become horrifyingly aware of the ever increasing burns in your muscles. Your lungs are filling up and your panic level is multiplying. You’re drowning. The final destination is way too far. I will never make it. Why am I drowning, you say. Well, maybe because you’ve stopped swimming. It is boring and is taking too long, you say. Maybe you underestimate the the importance of swinging your arms and flapping your feet. Maybe you neglect the fact that you’re a lot closer to where you’re going than where you’re coming from. Because you fail to look back and appreciate how far you’ve come. Because you fail to realize that the mind is a powerful place and thoughts can cripple as much as they can build you. Maybe you don’t yet understand that you are what you think. Because you become so caught up in the final destination that you forget to focus and appreciate the journey. Maybe you thought it would be easy but now realize how wrong you were. You forgot that it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you’re moving but with each swing of your arms, each flap of your feet, with each inhalation and exhalation, you’re pushing yourself farther away from the starting point and closer to ending point. The crippling cramps remind you that stopping is a lot worse than slowing down. Then you realize that despite everything, you’re moving and there’s no point going back. That you’re far too deep to not make it all the way. That it’s either you hug the ocean and become one with it or keeping swinging, flapping and breathing; but you cannot do both simultaneously. That it’s okay to cry because the this same ocean will wipe away your tears and comfort you. That it’s okay to take a break, tread, feel the sun on your skin, inhale the salty air while learning a thing or two from your surroundings. Maybe it is then you will see those ahead of you, those behind you and understand that you’re not alone. That these people are also going through the same thing you are. Then, you will be appreciative of where you’ve come from, where you are and be motivated to keep moving. You will be grateful for the mere fact that you’re still breathing because you will see people hugging and becoming one with the ocean before your very eyes. You will also see people fighting their way through and you will wonder how they’re doing it. Then, you will understand that they didn’t stop. That they might have slowed down, flipped on their back, or changed their swimming technique but they did not stop. So you will keep swimming because the ocean has hugged many and many have hugged the ocean. Because you understand that this is an eternal, deadly embrace where the beginning and the end become one. So you keep swimming because you will not be one of them. Keep swimming, Miss LAJA
AfroGrunge Happy New Month, lover! Saying hello to October and goodbye to showing skin. The temperatures have dropped so quickly and you can imagine I’m trying my best to hold onto the scarcest bit of warm weather. Probably the last time you’d see my show this much skin from this point on… till next Spring of course! If you didn’t know, it was Nigeria’s Independence day on the 1st of October! She turned 55 years of pure swag! Proudly Nigerian all day, tomorrow and forever! I felt really grunge and rebellious in this outfit. I love mixing different fashion trends from various cultures with various African prints (ankara in this case). It really shows the versatility and adds a delicious twist. I was really inspired by blogger Luanna of LeHappy. She consistently gives me life with her look, ughh! Every. Single. Time. The look is very 90s but I added my twist by pairing it with ankara shorts. I’ve had them for a bit but had been looking for the best way to style them. This sleeveless blazer though, it really came through with the outfit. I’ve been wearing it wayy to much, it pulls together everything! I’ve been meaning to try out the grunge look for a bit and when I saw the “messy” hair and dark lips (you know I love a bold, dark lip) added to the whole aura, I had to throw in a prison squat. *wink wink* I hope you have great weekend and I’ll talk to you in a bit! Outfit Details Ankara Shorts: LAJA Styles Top: Target Blazer: New Look Booties: Mix No. 6 Always, Miss LAJA
White Out Oh, white. White, white. One of my least favorite colours to wear mostly because I stain everywhere and everything. Plus, if it’s not worn well, you look bigger. Am I the only one who feels that way? Hopefully not. However, I had an all white event and literally had to DIG and RAVAGE through my wardrobe to find something to put together. Ended up picking up a few things but I had mixed feeling about this outfit. After shooting and looking over the pictures, I thought hmm, I kinda like this. It’s very out of my comfort zone just how my blog pushes me every single time. Of course, I had to throw on an ankara jacket to make the outfit more Miss LAJA, haha! I added the orange clutch for an extra does of colours since you know, I’m all about that colour life! Anyways, I hope you enjoy you enjoy your weekend! I’ll talk to you in a bit! Outfit Detail Jacket: LAJA Styles Croptop: Charlotte Russe Skirt: Rainbows Shoes: Audrey Brooke Always, Miss LAJA
LAJA Unseen #7 Enjoy and don’t forget to check out the name of the pose above on LAJA-gram (@miss_laja). Any guesses? Leave them in the comments below! LAJA Unseen #6 | LAJA Unseen #5 | LAJA Unseen #4 The “I was trying to pose but almost fell down” pose The “Teach Me How To Dougie” Pose The “Pull Ya Hair, Pull Ya Dress” Pose The “Puppet LAJA” Pose The “I Heard You Call My Nameee” Pose The “Oh My Gosh, Could It Be” Pose *In a British Accent* The “I Pray No One Smelt That” Pose When You Spot That “Free Food” Sign And You’re Ready To Slay Anyone In Your Path. Always, Miss LAJA
Cottage Away From Home LAJA goes on another one of her adventures away from home. Her arrival reveals two sides she simultaneously embraces and struggles with. Something about the cottage forces her to confront both sides. To understand that the two distinct parts form a whole, one LAJA. What in the cottage, how and why, we’ll probably never know. But, she left with a different view of the world, ready for her next adventure. Outfit details Dress: LAJA Styles Earrings/Bracelet: Fulfill Jewelry Belt: Express Always, Miss LAJA
Fans And Leopard Really transitioning for Fall. I’ve been all about that dark and neutral look for a bit. Especially with my lip colors. Can’t seem to get enough of those deep burgundy, brownish-reds. I even got a nail polish in that color. Looking forward to the fashion aspect of the season but not so much the change in weather. Boohoo! Speaking of which, I’m quite about to do something that Lord help me, is just eeek! It was one of those screw it or shall I say, YOLO moments and I’m nervous as heck while writing this. It probably doesn’t help typing it on here but it does help me blow off some steam. I’ll share what it is in due time. I feel it deserves a special post whether things go well or not. It’s just one of those life experiences that despite the outcome, there’s always a lesson learned. So wish me good luck even though I’m talking in circles, hehe! As for the outfit, fans and leopards prints mixed together are very interesting. I love how both color palettes play off each other. It tickles your eyes (good luck imagining that) and I ended up really liking how the combo turned out. Gosh, my facial expressions in these photos though, I couldn’t stop laughing. That’s why I love sunglasses, they control your facial expression and leave everything seamless… Seamlessly cool. Hope you enjoy the rest of your week and I’ll talk to you in a bit! Outfit Details Ankara Skirt: LAJA Styles (very few remaining) Shoes: Calvin Klein Bracelet: Fulfill Jewelry Always, Miss LAJA
LAJAdages, Your Quotes #5 I find it interesting seeing how people of different backgrounds, cultures etc react to the same adage. I had a conversation with 5 people on theirs. See them below and read mine here. What’s comes to your mind after reading this adage? There’s no right or wrong answer so don’t feel you need to have some genius epiphany (equally great if you do!) Comment it below and let’s have a discussion! Always, Miss LAJA
LAJA Poppins In the middle of shooting these pictures, I felt so Mary Poppins. My outfit was just short of a little hat (still finding my place with them, not the biggest fan) and my matching umbrella. So there you go, introducing LAJA Poppins. This is another vintage ankara dress, courtesy Mummy LAJA. The sequins, buttons and even the design is so Mummy LAJA and I love it. It’s a very classy look and I went with the feel of the dress with a sleek up do and swarovski teardrop earrings. The first fall look on Miss LAJA, signifying the transition into fall. I find myself reaching out to deeper, more earthy shades. I look forward to shooting more outfits, yay! Speaking of which, New York fashion week is already here and I’m looking forward to peeping some of my favorite designers as well as be on the look out for upcoming ones… virtually, not physically. I know I will visit a couple of shows with time but for now, experiencing fashion week through my laptop will do. Wait, I would actually wear this ensemble to as show. The shoes aren’t too high to slay my movement and the dress has so many key elements in itself. Anyways, love it! I’ll wait till then. I hope you enjoy the rest of your week and I’ll talk to you in a bit! Outfit details Dress: Vintage Ankara courtesy Mummy LAJA Shoes: BCBG Purse: Antonio Melanie Earrings: Fulfill Jewelry Always, Miss LAJA
LAJAdages, YourQuote #4 I find it interesting seeing how people of different backgrounds, cultures etc react to the same adage. I had a conversation with 5 people on theirs. See them below and read mine here. What’s comes to your mind after reading this adage? There’s no right or wrong answer so don’t feel you need to have some genius epiphany (equally great if you do!) Comment it below and let’s have a discussion! Always, Miss LAJA
Blue Jeans I’m excited to share the second look from my #AnkaraInDisney trip. Yeah this isn’t Disney but I explain why the shoot had to pushed forward. Read the hilarious story here and peep the first outfit here. I love the concept of jeans and ankara. It’s something I have never done before and I look forward to combining African prints with other materials of different tectures… especially this fall. I have very few of my LAJA skirts left so you can pick them up while they last here. It’s so funny because while shooting these pictures, there were two elderly ladies sitting right next to me. They were having the typical girl talk that included boys (seems like the topic doesn’t loose interest even with age), friends, family, leisure and life in general. It was obvious they were best of friends and it was adorable listening to them while away time. I pray in my later years I have a girlfriend that I can talk about absolutely nothing and everything with.The moment was too precious. In other news, I’m back to braids! Yes, these are braids and I’ll most likely do a post about it. As you guessed, I’ve missed braids so much and it had been a while since I last did braids like these? Flashback to the fish bone braids, remember those? These are similar if not the exact same thing. Stay tuned for that article. I hope you enjoy your weekend and for those of you heading (or already in) school, I hope you have a kick ass start to the semester! As always, I’ll talk to you in a bit. Outfit details Ankara skirt: LAJA Styles (available) Crop top: Charlotte Russe Shoes: Anne Michelle Bracelet: Fulfill Jewelry Always, Miss LAJA