From Merch Online Ja

Every Friday in our column “Style Selec’tings” we scour the web for the week’s best in clothing and accessories from Jamaican stores and designers. This week we highlighted a few nice dresses and accessories to keep in mind for a hot summer weekend.

First, take a look at what is available from new online store Merch Online Ja as they have adorable accessories and dresses in stock for ladies–we particularly like this abstract mini– not to mention a few fine pieces like tribal print mocassins and streetwear shirts for men. The online store also provides delivery in the Kingston area  so check them online for details. Peace-Is of Bianca reminded us all over again why we love colorful accessories when we peeped this shot of a few of their lovely bracelets in stock. We thought they’d go nicely with double or triple stacked rings (such as those pictured above from Merch Online).

Shhh boutique is new new new! The store just restocked summer merchandise with their relocation to 31 Upper Waterloo Rd. Peep the business chic look from them below and the many more new dresses they have available for preview online. The store is also providing personal styling services for those shopping mavens in need of a little pick-me-up in the beauty department.

We of course had to post these two lovely images of colorful summer dresses from Style Savvy and Flirt Boutique. We are all about wearing that bright patterned dress with style and grace this summer. It’s such an easy goto when the summer heat has your brain melting like butter.

Peace-Is of Bianca

(L) A new dress from Shhh Boutique and (R) styling from the store.

Style Savvy

Flirt Boutique

The post Style Selec’tings: Pretty Little Dresses, Simple Accessories, Summer Heat appeared first on Kingstonstyle.

We are holding a sweepstakes now until next Wednesday for you to have a chance to win TWO tickets to #NoFilterJa, the party experience that gives you the power and influence of the electronic dance music scene locally and internationally while still by offering two events in one explosive day. Check out the event page here for more information on the event and follow the link for your chance to win two tickets for this exciting event next weekend: http://woobox.com/rs2zrv

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Black zoot suit, floral shirt and black bowler hat.

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Confidence is the best accessory.

Check out this on-trend fashionista in a dare-to-bare-it-all grey jersey unitard/bodysuit. This is a bold look and she paired it nicely with a lucite platform bootie, pink geometric clutch, a simple gold necklace and most importantly, confidence. Confidence may be the most important accessory of all.

Grey unitard/jumpsuit, lucite heel, pink geometric clutch.

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An insta-hit! The doors of the new Famous Nightclub in Portmore.

It’s no mystery why Instagram has become a huge part of our social media lifestyle (follow us at @kingstonstyle and we’ll hit you back). Afterall, we are a website that takes pride in showing the best in Jamaica’s street fashion through photography. As you could imagine we also have our own fascination with following Jamaica’s fashion elite, musically inclined, production movers and shakers, retail kings and queens and other fabulous bloggers. We wanted to share some of our favorite instagram posts out of JA from the week, what we call “Insta-Hits.”

At the top of our list for insta-inspiration this week, a photo from the opening-this-weekend Famous Nightclub in Portmore. This latest KLE group project focuses on dancehall entertainment in the St. Catherine Parish, a market the group saw as a huge opportunity for development (see Kevin Bourke’s interview in The Star for details). We posted this image from PJ Wright– of Wright Image and Dream Entertainment fame– as he shot the front entrance way to the new club, which we are loving the style and design of.

We pulled the below photo from Amita Webb’s instagram of her in a Style Savvy dress that we are just loving. She looks elegant and fresh in this color while on set for her show, CVM TV’s Fiwi Choice. We also spotted an image from dancehall artiste Konshens instagram while he is on tour. The photo gives us a sample of his simple but very on point accessory game. Gotta love a pair of RayBans and a shiny gold watch. Lastly a somewhat goofy but very sincere photo of musician Chris Cab sporting a very tropical Rep Ja “Yeah Mon” tee while on tour in the United States with Collie Buddz.

The post Insta-Hit: Famous Nightclub Opening, Amita Webb’s Stylish Look, Konshens’ Simple Accessories appeared first on Kingstonstyle.

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Episode Five winner Renardo Lloyd’s design.

For the fifth installment of Mission Catwalk this last week the theme asked designers to create a garment inspired by a hair and makeup look created by the style team. The episode gave the designers an opportunity to create a more formal design and many of the designers excelled in this area. It was Renardo Lloyd who took the cake with his lavish red evening gown in a body hugging silhouette, a design now available at Lee’s Fifth Avenue in Tropical Plaza. The delicate detailing around the model’s décollectage gave the the dress a particularly striking look.

Last week’s challenge winner Shernica Mayers gave an intriguing design as well with her knee length geometrically intricate black and white dress. The fine construction of Mayers dress hugged the model’s body perfectly, a fine example of tailoring. The designer to go home this episode ended up being Makisa Lewis for her silver mini dress with detachable peplum/scarf. Which was your favorite this episode? If you haven’t seen it yet, visit the site to see the photo album and check for the youtube release.

Shernica Mayers geometric design.

Makisa Lewis goes home for this design.

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When it comes to attending parties, a purse is sometimes the last thing on your mind when you’re preparing to wine up your body. Even if you’re ready to wile out, a purse doesn’t have to be an after thought to your ensemble– for some of you it may even be the focal point. This trendy look from a party-goer at Mojito Mondays shows us just how striking a purse can be against the mild tones of your outfit. We are loving the pop of color from her lipstick shaped purse, adding an extra flair to the outfit.

Black sequin crop, gold chain fitted cap, thigh-high socks, black studded sneaker pumps, high-waisted black shorts.

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Designer Mikaila Brown at her home hosting a “fit” party for her customers.

Cheap clothing is easy for us as consumers. We pay little and when the clothes deteriorate we just throw them out and buy more. This demand for cheap clothing contributed to the fashion industry’s decision to mass produce garments in underdeveloped countries with blurred regulatory restrictions. Now with the recent factory fire in Bangladesh killing over 1200 garment factory workers, the stakes are higher than ever.

A new page is unfolding in the fashion industry. It might not be immediately apparent but like a seismic wave the impact is being made on designers everywhere to be more socially and environmentally responsible. L.A. based American Apparel got it back when they started in 2003. The demand for designers to provide more consciously engineered garments for shoppers is what catapulted mega clothing producer H&M to develop their environmentally and socially Conscious Collection for 2013 (H&M recently signed an initiative in Bangladesh with other key retailers to finance regulation of garment factories).

One designer riding that seismic wave is Jamaican born Mikaila Brown, aka Aliakim, an educated social activist turned fashion designer with a drive to collide both worlds. Brown is an interactive designer, using social awareness imagery in her clothing as well as engaging her consumers personally– she recently hosted her own “Fit” party, captured here by Alicia Hugh, where girls tell the designer exactly how they feel about the pieces fit and style. We had the opportunity to ask Brown a few questions about her first collection”Enlisted” and how social consciousness ties into her own creative process. See what she had to say below.

This is your first collection, a collection that you’ve described as creating awareness through fashion. Can you explain what wearable awareness can be found in Aliakim designs?

ALIAKIM is a distinctive accessory and clothing line that blends fashion with activism. Each piece uniquely melds cultural images with high-end fashion elements to artistically raise awareness to current world affairs. The mission of this fashion line is to provide cultivated women everywhere with clothing and accessories that express their advocacy as sophisticatedly as their femininity. Giving meaning to the term “revolutionary chic”, it is the intention of this line to put the “wear” in “awareness” and, as a result, inspire change.

Wearable awareness in this collection is most apparent in my custom fabrics, which flip counter-cultural images of things considered sad, bad and other people’s problems, like grenades, brass knuckles and child soldiers, into visually stimulating visuals like butterflies and flowers. War meets Nature and thus is more relatable. My intention was to visually and stylistically empower my customers. It’s hard to be a wall flower or a push over while wearing a skirt adorned with brass knuckles. Famed fashion photographer Bill Cunningham said it best when he said  “Fashion is the armor to survive the reality of everyday life.” My primary inspiration and thus motivation with this collection is to provide women with an armor that is strong, discernible, and commanding.

You have a Doctorate in Anthropology and a creative investment in fashion, as a native Jamaican living overseas, what social changes would you like to see in the Jamaican fashion community if any?

There are many things I love about being Jamaican. Our sense of style is high on this list. From mesh tops to tams, we continuously set global fashion trends. Another one of our strengths is the powerful way we use words. From the idioms, the adages and now the dancehall lyrics, Jamaicans have always had a lot to say and they usually say it with a lot of panache. I have been really inspired by the way that graphic t-shirt lines coming out of Jamaica blend these two strengths through the creative use of  distinctive Jamaicanisms. In keeping with my belief that what you wear is your calling card to the world, Jamaica fashion lines that utilize popular Jamaican sayings creatively promote and convey our natural witticism and insightfulness. The only problem is that a majority of these lines are aimed at a male consumer. I’d love to see more of that same ingenuity and thoughtfulness in Jamaica’s women’s wear scene.

You had a “fit party” (pictured) in which girls tried on your designs and gave you their opinions on your pieces. Fit is an important part of design, can you tell us what that experience was like and how a fit party works?

It is imperative for me that I make clothes that women actually look good wearing. I produced this collection in India last summer completely in  a vacuum because I was there alone. As soon as I got back, it was critically important that I get my samples on real bodies and ensure that they fit well. This was my inspiration to host a “fit party”, basically a party that made sure that the fabrics lay well on the body, the cuts complemented multiple types of female frames and most importantly that women felt beautiful and empowered wearing the clothing. My intention is to make clothes in conversation with my customer. This fashion line should not TELL women what they should wear, but rather ASKS their input on it. The fit party allowed me to get this feedback first hand.

As a social activist, what future plans do you have in connecting social awareness, fashion and sustainability together?

I have a lot of exciting plans for blending fashion, awareness and sustainability. At the end of this month I’m moving ALIAKIM’s headquarters to New York, where I will open a design studio. In this space I will host a series of interactive sales parties, which I call Vogue Village (VV) Parties. The purpose of a VV is to not only sell ALIAKIM merchandise, but also talk to women about what their personal style says about them. It is an opportunity to remind them of their power and the ways in which they convey that through their fashion choices. Its very Oprah meets Avon. I am also in the process of outlining a series of panels, events and articles that showcase the relationship between culture and fashion trends, as well as the role of fashion in social change. Overall, my goal is to continue to establish myself as an activist, who uses fashion as my medium of advocacy.

Photographs Courtesy of Alicia Hugh

The post Social Awareness Makes its Mark in the Aliakim “Enlisted” Collection appeared first on Kingstonstyle.

A piece from D’Havia shot by Wizzi Dread

Relaxation on the beach is definitely a priority for us this summer. Whether it be in our very own backyard or overseas, we know for sure we’ll be taking in the fresh air and warm sea in style with either a) a pair of cat eye sunnies or b) some mirrored Raybans (hopefully) and most absolutely a colorful two piece to show off those summer curves we’ll be sporting (also hopefully). If you’re on the look out for summer additions to your wardrobe, take a peek at locals D’Havia who’ve created summer collection of two pieces and coverups for beach cruising.

We’re vibing with the collection of pieces–shot here by Photographer Wizzi Dread Productions–which are both colorful and eye-catching in zigzagging prints, tie-dye oranges and pinks, simple chain detailing and nude mesh. There’s even a vintage high-waisted suit in stripes which, if you remember, we said was on-trend in our previous edition of Style Selec’tings: vintage swimwear edition. Summer is (basically) here, so stop counting down the days and start stocking up. We know we are.

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