This week fashionista, Samantha Bob-Lucus, shares with us her key wardrobe pieces as part of our
‘Wardrobe Intimacy’ feature.
Enjoy!
My Key Wardrobe Pieces :-
By Samantha Bob-Lucus
With fashion there is no right or wrong, though there are surprises. I’d like to think of myself as a surprise in the sense that I don’t have a particular style or a coordinating wardrobe. The main idea is, “wear what you think looks good and see what happens” – for me this is the best theory to go by, less opinion to an outfit means greater confidence… right? However, finding 7 key items in my wardrobe, screamed out for opinion, unable to part with the clothes that just didn’t quite make the cut. After much indecisiveness, I managed to narrow it down to the things I just couldn’t live without in my wardrobe, the finer things in life….
I start with my essential accessory which is my thin tan waist belt. With no exaggeration, this belt is my ‘everything’ and as far as my wardrobe is concerned, it goes with everything. In my opinion, the waist belt is the best fashion creation ever to be made - no matter the size of a person it gives the illusion of a smaller waist and a cute hourglass figure. The dress that I wore the belt with in the picture is currently my favourite piece in my wardrobe. I chose the fabric myself and my sister made the dress as she makes and designs African style garments – this is a bonus for me as you can imagine. Something about the candy pink and contrasting blue drew me to it, and that is what I love about tribal print, the vibrant colours just shout out “I’m here!” without even saying it.
Being originally from Sierra Leone I was in on the tribal trend since a young age which is why I’m so happy that the fashion world has finally embraced it. And as for the style of the dress, my theory is that you can never go wrong with a maxi. At 5 ft 2, I like maxi dresses as it elongates the body without having to wear heels although, this specific dress does require them. I do unfortunately have a slight feeling that the maxi trend is slowly going to fade, as everyone is wearing them these days. It’s only a matter of time before people get tired, though for now I am quite content. I love the trail detail on this back of the dress in addition. When a dress has more to admire on the back, you know that it’s special.
Above pic: Maxi Dress – made by my sister, Waist belt from Primark
With a huge colour contrast I move on to my ‘blacked out’ outfit. All black is indeed regarded as a safe option but like the maxi, it’s hard to go wrong with it. My biker jacket is a key item in my wardrobe mainly because it can give any outfit an edge no matter how plain. I wouldn’t normally regard it as my obvious choice of outerwear, but I feel it brings out the ‘Alexa Chung’ in me, and can be rocked with a pretty dress or some simple jeans. When you have a jacket that can work with numerous outfits it is recognised as a ‘good buy’ and this one is indeed, ‘good’’. In the image I wore the jacket with my strapless playsuit. The trouble that I have with playsuits is that I absolutely love them but they just don’t seem to love me. Something about the fitting doesn’t seem to look right on me. The playsuit that I’m wearing in the image however was love at first sight and yes, it is a simple one but sometimes simple works (with the right accessories). I knew that Topshop would pull through for me - as they always do.
Above pic: Biker Jacket from Warehouse, Playsuit from Topshop, Court Shoes from Primark
On the cheaper side of things, are my suede beige shoes from Primark or Primarni as I prefer to call it. I’m a huge fan of the court shoe as it elongates my legs and has an elegant look about them. I was on the hunt for a pair for so long and before almost settling for a one priced at £60 on ASOS, I came across the same pair for £12 in Primark. My joy was indescribable as you can imagine. Since I bought the heels last month I’ve worn them at least twelve times. They are slowly becoming that ‘24/7 pair’ which may not be good in the long run, though once I find a black pair, all will be restored. My hunt for a decent baseball jacket was also long, though I finally managed to find it in Urban Outfitters. I had a desire for the true leather style one, though the concept of summer approaching defeated this idea as it would have been too hot. I had hoped for the true ‘baseball jacket’ look with the puffy oversized style though the concept of possibly looking like my dad in the 80’s came into thought. So finally, the one that I found proved to be a perfect purchase having a feminine style, due to its slight fitting though it also has the laid back look that I was hoping for. It’s light fabric and cool tones are also ideal for the summer period.
And finally are my tiny denim shorts. These shorts somehow have found their way into every single outfit that I’ve worn this summer and I’m sure they will do the same for winter. Recently I have embraced my legs like never before yet, there is always the worry of showing too much. I realised that by buying the shorts one size bigger, they don’t cling to the thigh and for once comfort is introduced (this doesn’t occur often where my clothes are concerned). And that in a nutshell is my 7 key wardrobe items. Ones that I can’t live without, ones that express me, ones that I may need to fight for if somebody attempted to steal…
Above pic:Baseball Jacket from Urban Outfitters, Shorts from H&M
END
To be featured in our ‘Wardrobe Intimacy’ feature and share your key wardrobe pieces, please email yolande@lagenevenorth.co.uk
Reactions were certainly encouraging at the launch party, held on the fifth floor restaurant of Harvey Nichols in London, where A-listers were queuing up to pester and praise the designer, whilst sipping on cocktails equipped with ice cubes amusingly spelling out ‘BANG’.
