Grounded Narratives

Hello loves. I hope it's not too late to say happy new month. It feels like eternity since I was last here. So much has been happening that I hardly know where to begin, haha! Over the last month, I have had to dedicate a lot of time to two things that are very important to me:  I have been working on personal growth, mostly on positivity as has been clear on my social media channels (Facebook and Instagram). You know those times when you feel like you need to refocus on things, recharge your batteries and re-evaluate your life? That has been me over the last month or so.   I have finally managed to take a much needed step in the running of my shop, Botique i2s. As you are well aware, when I started my shop, I ran it online. But with time I realized that I needed a central place where I could meet those clients to whom I couldn't make deliveries. I spent a good chunk of time looking for a space that would be both convenient and comfortable for my clients a...

Red is a powerful colour to have in your wardrobe be it in the form of a dress, skirt, trousers, blazer, shirt or even shoes. It instantly changes your outfit from plain ordinary to a chic, thought-out one. I have had these red skinnies for two years now and I am yet to get my money's worth in wears. I keep forgetting about them like my red shift dress. I styled them with a blue polka dot vest and light pink blazer for an afternoon of running errands and making deliveries for my online shop. My white loafers, silver earrings, wooden bangles and burgundy handbag completed my outfit. Have you invested in a pair of red trousers? Thank you for stopping by.

I love a loose silhouette almost as much as I love a form-fitting one. And when that silhouette comes in the form of a shift dress, I go weak at the knees. To top it all off, a red dress, a colour I have never owned before, makes this one of my favourite dresses yet. I bought this red shift dress when I was expecting Elly. I think I wore it once, if I wore it at all, and then, because I loved it so much, I stored it for "future" use. Of course I forgot about it and only discovered it last week when I was looking for a dress to give to somebody. I wore it with a denim shirt in a school-girl kind of style and added my tan wedges and navy blue envelope clutch. A light lipstick, up do and some statement earrings (which Elly had removed by the time I was taking these pics) completed my look. I am not too comfortable with short dresses even if I own quite a few of them (see why in this post). This was another attempt at me accentuating my positive and trying to fall in l...

These have to be the most versatile pants I have ever owned! Dark blue skinny jeans are a must-have in any girl's wardrobe. I've had these for the last 5 years and I cannot complain. They have seen me through many travels, a few parties (as part of a last minute outfit choice), and of course moments when I didn't feel like thinking too hard about what I want to wear. After wearing them for three consecutive days (in an effort to see if I can style them differently) I have now come to the conclusion that when styled well, dark blue skinny jeans can look chic whether paired with a t-shirt, boyfriend shirt or feminine chiffon blouse. Below are 3 ways to style your dark blue, or any dark coloured, jeans. 1. Dark Blue Jeans, Purple Top, Nude Mary-Janes I wore this outfit to meet my mum (was dropping something off to her at work). I love the contrast of fitted trousers with a loose tee. To make the outfit look intentional and not like I had just run out of the house...

Fringe is very in at the moment. And I thought what better way to try out this trend than with a DIY. I bought this random t-shirt and after considering what I would do to it to make it more interesting, I decided to cut it up and make a fringe top, perfect for this hot weather we are currently experiencing in Nairobi. For an afternoon of running errands, I paired it black skinny jeans and these sequin canvas shoes that I love because they aren't just ordinary canvas shoes, they have sequins and instantly glam up even the simplest of outfits. I didn't go all out with my make-up and instead chose a simple purple lip and groomed 'brows. My black Hermes bucket bag, black earrings and ring completed my outfit. Would you wear a top, skirt, dress or even jacket with fringe? Do share in the comments below. Thank you for stopping by.

Late last year I had my first ever TV interview, which I have yet to write about. For my TV debut, I opted for a jumpsuit (was given very handy tips by my very good friend Kui, thank you girl!). I wanted to make it different since this would be the third time I was wearing it in three months. So I added a sequin vest which I held in place with a slim belt. A turban, necklace and orange platform heels completed my look. I had an awesome time at Ebru TV. I spoke about my blog, my love for fashion and how I ended up turning to blogging as an outlet. I also talked about the different opportunities and ventures (like personal shopping) that I have managed to get into. I also spoke about how to dress for the weather. All in all, I had an amazing time and still can't believe I had that opportunity. It's moments like those that usually help me remember why I chose to do what I do. Particularly when the going is tough, it's nice to know that someone believes in me enou...

Ankara is an old new favourite of mine. I have not been courageous enough to wear full ankara hence the broken down outfits. Do you remember this ankara peplum coat? I wore it over Christmas. This is it's skirt which I opted to pair with a tucked-in crop top and some off-white peep-toes. You know those days when you don't want to take any nonsense from anyone and you are just daring someone to speak to you badly for you to bite their head off? This was one such day. I decided to counter it with some heels, purple lipstick, a throwback hairdo and my purple feather earrings. By the end of the day I was back to feeling like myself again. Do you see the power of dressing up? You always end up improving your mood. What do you do when you are in a foul mood to uplift your spirits? Do share in the comments below. Thank you for stopping by.

When I was in college, I never needed an excuse to shop. I would leave class and decide, "Why not go and see what new and interesting clothes (and shoes, my biggest weakness), I can buy today?" The situation got so out of hand that my friends started saying I was a shopaholic and that I needed to go to Shoes Anonymous. I remember when it came time to move back home, when I started considering how I would transport my things, that I began to panic. With airline weight restrictions, I knew that I would have two choices: (1) To shell out a large amount of my savings just to pay for overweight luggage or (2) To pay for shipping costs. I didn't like any of these options. Even though I wanted to transport three and a half years of my life across the ocean, I knew it wouldn't be possible. So I decided to empty my closet. This was my first ever major closet edit. While separating what I wanted from what I could leave behind, I realized I had accumulated so many c...

I recently got rid of most of my closet so now I am trying to get enough wear from the clothes that I have left. This skirt is one of my favourites and go-to piece for when I have no idea what to wear. I love the fact that it makes a statement by itself, and so I often end up dressing it down. I paired it with a black vest and light summer jacket. As one of my style resolutions is not to leave the house without jewellery, I added a statement necklace, some embellished earrings and charm bracelet. Do you have clothes that you turn to when you don't feel like dressing up? Do share in the comments below.

One of the best things about the warmer weather is the influx of crop tops that you see on the street. Last week, while running a few errands in the CBD, I was fascinated by the number of young girls I saw rocking this trend. I was so happy to see the different ways in which they chose to style this little number that I got even more motivated to maybe add a few crop tops to my closet. But when you've reached a certain age (yes, I went there) AND had a baby, some trends can be a little difficult to pull off, particularly if they require you to bare your mid-section in public. Not all of us can boast of having a flat tummy months after child-birth so wearing a crop top can be a bit challenging. But why not pair it with a high-waisted skirt or trousers? I believe these two trends were meant to be paired together. Hence, my outfit two Sundays ago. This skirt was actually a maternity skirt which I shortened and made slimmer. I paired it with a DIY crop top, which was a t-s...

Happy new year everybody! The holiday is quickly becoming a distant memory and I thought I would share with you how I celebrated Christmas and rung in the New Year. This was Elly's first Christmas and I wanted it to be special. She fell sick just before Christmas, as did I and I felt so bad that we couldn't go all out with our celebrations but we tried and I think baby girl enjoyed herself. Elly enjoying her Christmas presents On the 20th of December, we attended my aunt's wedding which we had been looking forward to the entire year!! I had such a good time, met A LOT of relatives and danced to my heart's content. I had planned out my outfit for months but at the last minute, I got a gift from my grand-aunt and changed my entire wardrobe. This was a dress which I made into a skirt. I paired it with a sequin top and I added gold accessories. My hair is my statement accessory at the moment, so I topped off my outfit with a Mohawk and red lip. On Christmas da...