Hello my loves! I hope you have been taking care of yourselves during this time. I have been in self-isolation for just over a month now and I’ve started to feel ungrounded, unbalanced, and scatterbrained! Usually when I feel out of it, I take a step back and do things that nourish my soul – hence today’s blog post!
I get a deep sense of satisfaction from supporting businesses owned by black women in Canada which is why I am bringing you a little lookbook featuring Ayinke Fashion. This brand has the goal of sharing Africa’s heritage through wearing it. Since Ayinke Fashion understands budgets, it’s also a very affordable brand! Ayinke Fashion currently has 4 clothing designs and 4 fabric options to choose from with each design. Fikky, the owner of Ayinke Fashion was kind enough to gift me 3 pieces to show you guys. Keep reading for my thoughts on the pieces.
First Impressions
Ayinke Fashion sent me 2 dresses and 1 skirt; the green Ajoke dress, the navy Asunke skirt, and the pink Arike dress. I love how, since this is a Yoruba brand specifically, all the names are Yoruba and start with an “A”, it’s a lovely touch. My first thought when unboxing these beauties, is that they are perfect for spring because of their bright colours. Of course this is nothing new for my Ankara lovers as we love colour. Another reason why I think these pieces are great for spring and summer, is because of the light, breathable fabric. Now, onto the each specific piece. I am a size US 6 if you would like to use me as a reference. To see each piece in motion, watch the IGTV lookbook video I created below.
The Ajoke dress (Shop Here) is a fitted dress that is flattering to all body types. I chose the green and purple fabric for this design and I love how it looks. This dress is so comfortable! I could sit and move around with no problems at all even though the dress has no stretch. A huge bonus for the dress is that it has pockets! They are nice and deep, and don’t affect the shape of the dress. It’s perfect to slide your phone into it.
I followed my rule of styling prints and picked the green colour to style with. That is why I paired it with a pair of pastel green pumps that bring more colour and life to the outfit. I also took some simple studs to accessorize because this dress is clearly the star of the show.
I think this is a beautiful dress to wear to work, and formal events. As soon as outside opens up, you’ll be ready to tackle the world looking fabulous!
The Asunke skirt (Shop Here) is a beautiful high waisted pencil skirt that is defined to emphasize your waist and hips. I picked the blue fabric for this design. My advice for this skirt is to go a size up, especially if you have a curvier body type with hips.
I styled this number with a white loose-fitting blouse and tucked it into the skirt for a more polished look. I then added a pair of pink lace up pumps to add a little more colour to the look. Paired with a pair of pearl studs, this look is brought together really well. This look is perfect for the office and even for a dinner or drinks after work.
The Arike Dress (Shop Here) has to be my favourite number out of all the pieces! This is a lovely dress featuring a cinched waist and an A-line skirt. I picked the pink fabric for this design and I think it’s perfect. I love how feminine I felt in the dress.
Since the dress is a showstopper, I kept the heels neutral so that all attention would be drawn to the dress. For jewelry, I added small gold earrings, a pink bracelet, and a gold bracelet.
I would wear this dress to the office, an event, a picnic, the possibilities are endless. The refined aura this dress gives, definitely makes your job easier because you don’t need to do much to adorn it.
All in all, I love all the pieces and I that Ayinke Fashions for sending them to me so I could show them to you. You can find all designs by clicking HERE. Tell them LadiesTakeNotes sent you!
What are your thoughts of each dress? Do you see yourself wearing them? Which dress was your favourite? I am so curious to know, let’s chat in the comments below!
xx Abby
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