Style Revelation: Solange

I just want to take a moment to bask in the glorious, colour-blocked and daringly patterned light of Solange's style, and reflect on how her dressing has affected my own.

First of all, her coral coloured lipstick. When I first bought a coral lipstick (by Revlon) I was afraid to wear it out in public because I thought it made me look like a clown with my afro. Solange changed that for me, and for this I thank her. (Also her skin is flawwwwless).

My boyfriend and I's afros were this big during high school. It wasn't even the 70's. It was literally like 2 years ago. I wanted to get my hair chemically straightened when I was 11, but then I started thinking about why I wanted to, and I realised I didn't need to 'whiten' my look just because I was one of the only black girls at my school. Seeing famous ladies with their natural locks makes me appreciate all the cool I can generate with a fro.

I have never loved colour blocking more. Plus, Solange wears great sunglasses.

I see these pants in my dreams...

My primary school uniform was this ^ kind of green. Sometimes I felt like I looked like a tree with my brown skin and green top/hat/school dress. Since then, I don't like to wear green clothes or nail polish or makeup. Green nail polish also makes me feel like an alien. BUT, look how Solange rocks the green with the larger-than-life hair. Might try wearing that green jumpsuit I bought, even though it also reminds me of a garbage man getup. Garbage-chic?

This is just a great photo.

If my scalp wasn't so sensitive, I would love to wear butt-length braids. Otherwise, I know for a fact that this dress wouldn't be flattering on my thick thighs, but the colour is fantastic. Also, those shoes would make great wedding shoes. noted.

Making leopard youthful but not trampy. I like.

Mixed prints make my heart skip.

This is just kind of creepy and fantastic.

I also love how Solange jumps between glamorous red carpet to hip street style. And they both work so well for her.

Yellow is my favourite colour to wear. Perfect accessory to darker skin ;)

A popsicle I wish I could frame.

One of my favourites. I love her all-over pattern looks, which she also dons in her video clip in South Africa.

So that's it for todays fangirl moment. When I start posting my own outfits it will definitely be clear how Solange inspires me and my wardrobe.

Wishing you a fab Sunday.

All images from Pinterest (tagged 'Solange') and Solange Inspired

Rupaul's Drag Race

image from logotv

Isn't Rupaul just fantastic...

My friend sent me this video two weeks ago and I immediately began watching season 5. [I usually start watching a TV show from season 1 and finish the whole thing, but because this is a reality competition show I thought it would be fine to start at season 5. I just felt like I had to justify my season choice decision. Because these things are important]. 

I admit, before watching Drag Race, I have had little to no contact with drag culture, except watching Priscilla Queen of the Desert. I absolutely loved that film, it is basically the only Australian film I would actually recommend to anyone [ouch]. I never realised that the reason I loved Priscilla so much is because drag queens are so beautiful and brave and stunning and rhinestones and glitter and ughuhgugh. 

Image from dailymail

Anyway, so I got sucked into Rupaul's Drag Race and finished season 5 in a day. Then I found out that there was Rupaul's Drag Race Untucked which was a 20 minute program showing the queens backstage bitching. The shade of it all.

The reason why I love Drag Race is because it is the ultimate reality TV show. I heart reality TV, I think it's so trashy and superficial and unintentionally campy, which are all great things. But Drag Race takes it to a whole new level. 

Drag Race has elements of all the competition reality shows (mainly ANTM and Project Runway, but also Idol) as the queens are put through series of challenges that test their skills in walking the runway, sewing runway outfits, designing things from floats to magazine covers, singing together, dancing together, basically any sort of obstacle Ru could through at them, he did. And it is so exhilarating.

Also, because the show is about drag queens, the unintentionally campy nature of reality TV just becomes plain camp. Plain, delicious camp. Plus, Ru and the producers are so aware of it, and they take it further by exaggerating and exaggerating the conventions of reality TV to the point where Drag Race doesn't become an escape, as other reality TV does, because it makes you so aware of how scripted it is.

For example, the show follows a very tight script where almost everything Rupaul says is either a catchphrase, drag lingo from Paris Is Burning (which I now have to watch) or a reference to one of his songs. Plus, the product placement in Drag Race is hilarious. Ru is always plugging his music, available on iTunes, or asking the girls to enjoy an Absolut Cocktail in the Interior Illusions Lounge.

So, look, I'm just fangirling right now, but this is seriously a fantastic show. I have learnt so much about drag culture just from this show, and watching families come together in support of their sons is really touching. Many a time have I cried. I have also been shown a way of how reality TV can become more than just reality TV. ahhhh. TV.

Palm Beach

These are some shots from this past autumn when we went on a road trip up to the beautiful Palm Beach. Summer is so long here in Sydney, which is so different from where I grew up. I've been trying to embrace it, but it's not a month into spring and already 30 degrees. Hopefully I can get sweaty old me to the beach sometime soon.