What's yours?

After months of brainstorming, when you finally came up with a fabulous Fashion show concept for your summer range, somehow it ended up in a trash can like many others even though every one in your production team seemed in sync with the concept. Do you get caught up wondering why you allowed the 'crew' to flip the script on you without a warning despite all your efforts put into writing this phenomenal masterpiece?

Are you still upset at your previous album producer for not being able to share your vision on the project, hence your music sounds alot like 'the other album' no one ever spoke about!

Maybe it was your music video or your manuscript with a million editors coming along with a million bits of feedback that got you side-tracked on your dream pursuit?

Evidently at the 83rd Annual Academy Awards everyone must have left the house with intentions to dress to impress, but when they hit the red carpet, a few of them realized it was too late to turn around. Despite the wardrobe success or tragedy, many  held their heads high up, looking fabulous in every way all the way!

Mi-Top 5 Glamour statements on the 2011 Oscar's Red Carpet:

1. Halle Berry in Marchesa
2. Cate Blanchett in Givenchy Couture
3. Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang
4. Camila Alves Kaufman Franco
5. Amy Adams in L'Wren Scott

You may not make it on the countdown, but only you can celebrate your individuality. It may take the whole world a while to get it, but when they do, more power to you!

Let me know who were your best dressed at the 2011 Oscar’s red carpet as you catch up with me for more in MI-World next week.

Yours fabulously,

Liz Ogumbo

Ladies, when you leave the house on a beautiful evening to go and watch ‘Liz presenting KenSoul’, you definitely make and effort to put yourself together! It does not matter if you are coming to watch the show or if you are a part of the band or even media! You do everything within your means to make sure your dress is right and tasteful, your shoes are banging and your clutch yells out “Hot" "Hot" "Stuff!” every time you snap it open to pull out your lip-gloss!

If I was going to watch my own show, I would feel the same way too. However, even when I am going to perform, I have found myself sitting and wondering about what to wear to fulfill my expectations of how I want it to be along with the audience expectations too while I’m at it.A dress that will not ride up and down my thighs, or even create too much attention towards my 'Nyash.'

Like everyone else, I also want to look hot, fresh, sexy in a subtle way, free, elegant, feminine, bold but classy; I want to ensure that I come in and exude all that energy within me and leave behind a beautiful-yet-refreshing feeling amongst the audience.

The issue I have with finding the right dress is the minute I am standing in front of 10 hot dresses but somehow none of them CUT it.

After a whole month of my album tour in South Africa, I discovered that despite my fashion ‘ufundi,’ I had to learn the hard way on what really works on stage and what does not CUT it!

No sooner had my hot purple stretch mini dress began to rise up every step I took as I undoubtedly sang my heart out!

Its funny that I am the 1^st person to critic the girls who have their dresses so short but cannot handle it, hence they keep pulling the dresses down. Then suddenly, I get this urge building inside of me to rip off the damn minis from them and replace with a 'leso!'

Unfortunately 'karma' brought it back to me on that lovely evening as I presented KenSoul to my lovely audience. It was a similar problem in a different way. I am very confident about my extremely long, sexy legs so that was definitely not the problem. The problem was that I did not mean to come out and showcase my ‘nyash’ too but the dress was rising pretty fast!

My heart started to beat at a faster pace as the audience seemed to have their eyes glued on me more and more, then the song made it’s way to climax so quick and the dress too!!! Urgh!!!! The dress was just on the verge of climax when suddenly I had no choice but to do the same damn thing! I gently and slowly pulled the dress down rhythmically and got my new flirty, girly dance going on for about a minute or so to make it look like it was a part of my KenSoul act!

You should have seen the audience and how their eyes lit up even more. I felt like I was starring as the big star in a big hit musical story!

Whether you are a performing artist, news anchor, show hostess, comedian, actress etc I have a few tips for you. Besides making sure you pick a dress based on a few things such as your mood on that day and the mood you want to set, the venue set up, the stage height, what time of the day and on and on………

My top 5 tips on how to select the best dress for Showtime!

1. Who are you and what do you represent.

Let your dress reflect who you are with no shame in your game.

2. What is your body type?

Ladies, please do not try to fit in something that will make you look like a basket, or vice versa. Accentuate your curves and cover the extra extra pumpkin rolls that no one wants to see.

3. Put on some color to brighten you up or ‘glitz n’glam.’

4. Be careful about your dress lengths and the fabric.

Stretch cotton  (90%++cotton and 10% or less stretch) work best for me. Whatever you do, STAY AWAY FROM POLYESTER or you will smell worse than you ever imagined.

5. No panty lines please.

If you cannot afford it, please wear no underwear (as long as you do not vodoo the audience)! It’s better than the lines.

Feel free to share any other dress tips based on your experience on stage as you catch up with me soon for more tips on what shoes work and what just doesn’t CUT it for Show time!

Yours fabulously,

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Like‘Fugees' "Ready or not!" RED cannot hide

Besides wearing red for a cause like the 5th Feb which is the official day for the fight against heart disease in women, http://www.goredforwomen.org, do you know how many times I have gone into my closet and decided to pull out that red dress, or skirt, or blouse or even blazer, yet made it out of my room with a green or blue or yellow dress instead?

Many women and men are wearing red for different reasons http://documentthesilence.wordpress.com/wear-red/ but there is no confusion that red exudes sex appeal. Different red dresses for different times; From the left, Hedi Klum looking stunning in this red gown. The second is a picture of myself enjoying a simple 'House of Imani' piece, then american actress Jessica Biel in another stunning piece accentuating every part of her feminine curves and finally the last is one of my hottest, yet simple pieces for the RED's is this ‘simple- yet-‘everything a woman needs in her closet-onto her body' piece by BB Dakota, http://dakotacollective.com. Keeping it simple is my tip on how to wear red and still exude your femininity and sex appeal without trying too hard.

According to http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081028074323.htmI, red enhances men's attraction to women! So did you ever wonder why the guy you met last month keeps turning his head to look at other women in red lipstick every other minute, while you on the other hand are keeping it nude and simple on gloss!

And while we are busy celebrating this special colour, some players and doing the same in the soccer fields this world cup season!
Well, guess what? While I try to adapt to other red pieces in my wardrobe, I am still yet to wear that red lipstick and red nail polish on fingernails but rather on toe nails which not many may see much of, and suddenly my new fad, red lingerie which I have adapted to slowly based on my man's fantasies!

Red underwear is definitely a bedroom asset; thank God for Victoria's Secret and La Senza. To sum it all up, you will never go wrong with a hot pair of red heels like some of these I came across on www.heels.com through MI Q5; could also be pumps, stilettos, boots or open -toe sandals!

Funny my friend Imran bought me a pair of RED Aladdin pants on his last trip to Hongkong and I have still not put them on. I have tried to pull them out twice though. The first time I put them on and took them right off telling myself that it was too cold to rock those hot red pants. All my excuses for getting around them.... maybe I am still scared!
I don't know how many of you are scared of red but truth is, if you coordinate your red items well, you can make them work for you and not against you. Also please remember that if you mess up on reds, it will really be a big mess like some of the red options below.

Not very sure why Bollywood actress Kangna Ranuat http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kangna_Ranaut has her legs way too wide open for her pretty red dress! Ladies, I!  think we need to take a crash course of what's sexy and what is trashy!Did you know you can acually sell without selling?

Then we have the hot Spanish actress, Penelope Cruz all dressed up in redon a red carpet literally looking like the red suit is wearing her! I think it's too red from head to toe, and it really does not flatter her beautiful curves and femininity!

Then we have an ensemble by Bella Matata, http://bellamatata.com . Honestly this is so much red that I still don't get. Feel free to send me your comments and tell me tell me where you would wear this to!

A good steal from www.stylehive.com, this chic hand knit from Peru on stylehive.com. This could accentuate your Saturday-laid-back jeans look; from the masaai market, to mum's place for lunch to a movie and possibly to watch a live performance right after. It's an all-day-accessory.

Then this sleek red pair of thin red frame glasses, a red hot franchi clutch and the brass bracelet from www.2ols.com amongst many other ways you can get red without losing it!

If you cannot figure out how to celebrate red in style, at least accesorize!

Yours stylistified,

Liz Ogumbo

What do you feel like doing when you wake up in the morning to a new bright day that was never even promised?

Do you just jump out of bed, say a prayer, take a shower, put on your grey suit and black shoes, grab coffee and head to your 8:00-to-5:00?

When the day is over, sit in traffic, pass by and pick up some chips or pizza then sit get home, eat and glue yourself on DSTV till you get up in a scare in the wee hours of the morning and realise you have a few hours to freshen up and start the routine all over again??

...Or....

Do you laze in bed for another 2 hours after your alarm goes on, flip the channels though and through until you dose off again 2hours later, and when your day finally begins, it is over before it began!

Why do we get so caught up in our own comfort zone we have a choice to alter and make more lifestyle-friendly. How long do you sit on an 8:00-5:00 job for 15 years and blame the world for not allowing you to kick-start your power? Your dream? Your passion?

Are we not supposed to work our way into sooner than later, shaping life into what we have always dreamed of? What efforts do we put in really? And if we do not put in the effort and make changes when we need to because we are comfortable, who is to blame 20 years later when you look at your achievements in life and you cannot find them?

Seriously, are you living for "them?" Or is it about you? When they retire and only fly around the world in and out of board meetings, where are you?

Some of you have said their is no opportunity! How can there be no opportunity when there is you? There is no other opportunity but YOU and you have the power to push yourself beyond measure. Like R. Kelly sang it, I believe that I can fly too and so can you! just make sure you fly once you beleive!

We have so much to work with but could we be too scared to get to the next step? Are you scared of standing out for your own achievements so instead you bury them so that you do not stand out but fit in!

Fit into what?

What are you fitting into? How dare you just try to hide and bury all you have to fit in!

Get out of your back side, and while you're at it replace your grey and black suits with hot colorful ensembles and stand out! Some of these things only come once in a lifetime and if you do not take it and run with it then, you might as well go back and sit on your back side!

Gosh!

Like my "Less is more;say it in black"collection that I launched in Malindi last weekend, I also left with a lesson taught; "Less is more- Don't talk back!"

For myself, It was certainly a trying humid evening on the 6th of March with my Man on my left side and his sister on my right hand side as we sat and waited for the show to begin.

I was FUMING if you know what I mean! Not the first or second time, but here I was still trying to figure out how to deal with some rubbish thst just popped. But damn! Thank God for ‘PATIENCE' the virtue that just checked into my system after D'empress herself checked me on the spot!
"You cannot let these things bother you! You are here for a bigger picture and that is what you will do!"

So I took a long walk to release the bad energy that was building up by the minute.

I had worked hard on putting this collection together and it is important to me especially in this year and time as 2010 is the year for bold, self-expression.

Bold, timeless and elegant, my 'Less is more - Say It in Black' collection presents a series of dresses that are the perfect attire from the office work day to the evening cocktail party.

A must-have for the modern African woman, the Say it in Black collection invites women to embrace self-definition through sleek cuts, provocative design and attitude that comes from the inside.

‘I believe less is more. When you ooze confidence, few people will disagree with you. Through the Say It in Black collection I have minimized fuss and accented the beauty of our individuality as African women. My philosophy is that every day should be celebrated as an opportunity to make our mark. Say it in Black says it all.

As I interracted with a few people after arrival into Malndi that morning, I could smell a dead rat, but it took me a while to see it.

Later in the evening when I sent out one of my assistants to put Imani pamphlets on the table, The organiser disprespected her and publicly humiliated her and within a few minutes, someone came to my table requesting that I head backstage. As I rushed there, I found my assistant who had broken down and was ready to leave. When I listened to the story of what really happened, my blood was boiling, my hands were shaking and my heart was beating at higher rate and I had to take over backstage work, hence miss my show. I was not upset at the fact that I missed my show, I was upset at the fact that out patners disrepected us.

DEFEAT EVIL WITH GOOD!

You may not see or feel it's effects immediately but it adds more value to your life!