Since the Swingin' 60s, the T-shirt has long been a means of getting something off your chest, and telling the world what we cared about. The Groovy 70s saw shock tactics triumph, with the likes of Vivienne Westwood making political and controversial t-shirts such as the most popular design which featured a swastika and an inverted crucifix under the word 'Destroy". Then came Katherine Hamnett in the 80s, an English fashion designer who's best known for her oversized t-shirts with large block letter slogans. Her designs were adopted by pop bands, and her t-shits could be seen everywhere from music videos to the streets. At one point, Hamnett was photographed shaking hands with then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, dressed in her own t-shirt with the slogan "58% DON'T WANT PERSHING", a reference to polls showing public opposition in the United Kingdom against the basing of Pershing missiles in the country.
Hamnetts designs were copied all over, which brings me to a man by the name of Henry Holland (shop here). Holland gained attention with his bold, 1980s-inspired t-shirts that displayed catchphrases such as "Flick yer bean for Agyness Deyn" and were modelled by his model friends and fellow designers.
His tongue-in-cheek t-shirts were a massive hit and we have since saw high-street giants such as Topshop and River Island coming out with there copy-cat editions, re-introducing the slogan t-shirt to the mainstream fashion scene. Recently, they have become celebrities weapon of choice in order to make a statement too, making their feelings clear.
I personally love slogan t-shirts. Why? Well simply because they are the best way to get something off your chest without even saying a word. It's a way of expressing your viewpoint. Slogans work on so many different levels, they're almost subliminal too. They are a great way to convey your thoughts, opinions and even your personality to the world. And most importantly, they make any outfit FUN, 'coz that's what fashion is all about right?
A friend of mine, Libby from http://libbyroselondon.blogspot.co.uk has started this thing on her blog called 'Music Monday', where she posts new music, or song she is currently loving at the moment (on mondays, obviously) and I thought it was such a great idea, so great that I've stolen it!
First up is Rick Ross *grunts* Today was the release of his sixth studio album 'Mastermind' which features the likes of Jeezy, The Weeknd, Kanye West, Big Sean, Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, French Montana, Diddy, and Jay-Z (to name a few). I'm yet to listen to the album, however, given the big names he's pulled out the bag, I'm pretty sure there will be a few club bangers.
The first single to come out from the album is 'The Devil Is A Lie' which features Jay-Z. He explained that song saying, "We’re pushing the envelope once again and it’s just one of those records I can’t wait to hit the streets. We went in another direction but it’s just one of those records that’s gonna speak for itself and everybody’s gonna have their opinion of it, but it’s most definitely what the streets need."
Last but certainly not least is none other than the man himself… R.Kelly. Where do I even start? 'Black Panties' is the twelfth studio album by the R&B singer, 12 ALBUMS!!! In my opinion, R.Kelly is undeniably one of the best male vocalists of our time. This man can sing anything from Pop to Gospel. And he has stood the test of time.
Now, when I saw what R.Kelly was wearing for his performance for last year's BET Awards (spikes galore) I was like "oh no, he's going through a mid-life crisis, blah blah" and to be honest I was reluctant to even listen to the album. Then came the song with Lady Gaga which saw the two dancing all over each other, I was so confused as to how that collaboration even came about, but I must say the song grew on me. Black Panties is not R.Kelly's best album, but I am loving it nonetheless. Don't expect to hear songs like "I believe I Can Fly", "I Wish" or "U Saved Me"… Oh no, "Kells" has gone back to his 'Bump N' Grind' roots. Guest features include Ludacris, 2 Chainz, kelly Rowland, Young Jeezy, Future, Migos and Juicy J which give the album a contemporary sound. The cover has the classic 'parental advisory' logo and believe me when no person under the age of 18 should be listening to it. It's basically all about sex and the woman's lower region. I will never look at an Oreo in the same way again after listening to 'Cookies'. My other favourites on the album include, "Legs Shakin'", "You Deserve Better", "My Story", "All The Way" and "Every Position". (Basically the whole album) And for all of you haters out there, R.Kelly has something for you in "Shut Up". He shuts down critics and ex-friends who declared his career dead.
Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a great week so far. Can you imagine my excitement when I woke up to see the sun had come out to play? I mean… don't get me wrong, it was still a bit nippy out but it was far better than what we've witnessed these past few weeks with the horrendous rain! Anyone who knows me, knows how much I hate winter. I just can't wait for it to be summer again.
Bought this side split jersey dress from H&M a few months ago, for only £7.99 (well cheaper for me, with my employee discount haha) and I love it. I love anything burgundy to be fair, its just the colour of the season isn't it?. I wore a plain black vest and mini skirt underneath as the dress is quite sheer, my beloved leather jacket, and my faux fur scarf to shield my neck from the piercing wind.
Bit of a late post from last week. I don't even know what took me so long to upload it, but hey, better late than never. For once, the weather in London wasn't that bad so I figured it was the perfect time to whip out my new faux leather shorts I got from work. Ofcourse it only rained later on. I swear this weather is so uninspiring when it comes to dressing up, I hate winter. Anyway, hope you all have a blessed week. Till the next post :)
If you're sad like me and obsessed with shows such as Love & Hip Hop, Real Housewives of Atlanta etc. then I am 100% sure you know all about Being Mary Jane (if you don't get to know!) All these shows have one thing in common and that is LOVE. You see it all on these shows. Men cheating and vice versa, being the other woman, being second best, unrequited love, falling in love, you name it. Yes, you may argue that they're scripted, it's not real, it's for our entertainment and so on, but truth be told… We have all been there, and can relate some way or another.
What I always find interesting is how these women handle these situations they find themselves tangled and caught up in. And the saddest reality of them all is the patience within these women that endure years of endless cheating and lies. Why is this? Is it fear? Are you appeasing your loneliness? Self-esteem issues? And the craziest thing of all, is that after all the bullshit, you turn around and make excuses for him! I won't even mention the other thing, because I refuse to believe that that alone can make any woman stay (you know what i'm talking about.. yes that!) One thing I've learnt in the past is that 9 times out of 10, that man will never leave his wife/girlfriend for you, he's having his cake and eating it too.
Let me make one thing clear, I am not talking about married women here. There are many cases and a thousand reasons why married women choose to stay and try to work things out, the main reason being the kids etc. I'm sure after 20+ years of marriage the thought of just upping and leaving is the most daunting challenge ever. But, we won't go into all that, because firstly I am not married and secondly, that is a whole 'nother post in itself. I am referring to some of you ladies out there. What are you waiting for exactly? A ring to make it all better? (sarcasm)
"Ain't nothing like self-love".
I think the biggest mistake any women can make is thinking she can change a man. I see it all the time. But do you know what you're doing girl? You're making him "better" for the next one. Why spend years moulding someone into your 'perfect' guy for someone else to swoop in and "get" the re-modified model? Or maybe I'm wrong… Maybe you can change a man, maybe you will be the one to make him see what he's been blind to? Mmmm…
"The RIGHT guy will arrive at the RIGHT time, without you having to change… Neither of you will be PERFECT, but you'll be PERFECT for one another".
This post comes after a conversation I had last night with one of my girls. She was telling me how happy she is, and how good it feels to actually be with someone who feels the same way about you. No second-guessing yourself, no mind games. And I felt so happy for her. I couldn't agree more. I wondered for a split second why some girls settle with being second best. Don't they want to know how it feels also?
We sounded like two old (but wise) grandma's talking about relationships and how "bad boys" would not get you far in life and that rubbish myth about nice guys finishing last. And it's moments like these when I think about how much growing up my friends and I have done over the past years. Talking about real things in life. Don't you just love those deep, meaningful, thought-provoking conversations with your girls?
To be honest with you, this post could go on forever, there is so much to talk about surrounding this topic, but I think I will leave it here or ill be here all night. What are your thoughts? Why do you think some women choose to stay for so long? Can you relate? Comment below :)
Disclaimer
I am no relationship expert. I'm a work in progress myself, but the mistakes I've made in the past have been a lesson and most importantly a teacher. I'm simply expressing my thoughts and opinion, thinking out loud. If you're offended, well maybe something I said hit home and maybe you need to wake up and smell the coffee…
I know what you're probably thinking… Yes I do have tiny feet, I'm a size 3. My lovely boyfriend got me a pair of Jordan 5's for my birthday after months of pestering him. As you have probably gathered, I am not really a trainer sort of girl, infact, apart from converse and the odd platform trainers these Jordan's have earned the title of my "first pair of proper trainers".
Well, technically speaking that's not entirely true. I have very fond memories wearing pink K Swiss Tongue Twisters, who remembers those? That alone should tell you how long it's been since I had trainers lol.
I've been planning to wear my new babies since I got them but for some weird reason I felt so maternal towards them, I didn't want to wear them outside incase I got them dirty, but I finally did it, and guess what? The minute I made it as far as the train station, it rained like I have never seen it rain before (typical!).. I was so gutted.
A leather jacket would've completed this look, however, I didn't take any chances, it's been so cold lately I decided to wear my parka jacket instead. Kept the outfit quite simple, perfect for a long day at uni.
At midnight on the 13th of December, bitches across the world were proclaiming how KING BEY "gave them life" over the world's best kept secret… Her self-titled album, and not just any old album, no, no, a VISUAL album, complete with 14 songs and 17 videos. What a total surprise right? I mean, she literally created history. What other artist has ever even thought to do that? She dropped the album with no warning and no promotion. Beyonce is a pure and utter genius, she didn't have to promote, she had everyone doing it for her!
I absolutely love Beyonce, but after the 1st listen of the album I was probably the only person in the world rolling my eyes into the back of my head. Don't get me wrong, one or two (or three) of the songs were doing it for me, but the rest I was just not feeling. You see, i'm one of those people that need to listen to something a gazillion (is that even a word?) times over before I make up my mind on it. This was a whole new Beyonce. Ratchet Beyonce. Beyonce that literally dedicates the whole album to Jay's package and bedroom skills kind of Beyonce lol. I still don't know how to feel about this to be honest, how sex is the core to all the songs we hear nowadays. Not only that, but the endless tweets about how Beyonce "slayed" lives just annoyed me, I just couldn't fathom how sad some people sounded, idolising someone in this way, it baffled me. Why is it okay for Beyonce to sing/talk about sex so much and act a certain way but when the likes of Rihanna and Miley Cyrus do it it's a different story?. Can anyone relate? no? Didn't think so…
Fast-forward a month and some days, I have finally caught on, I got on the bus. Yasss hunty! (ratchet behaviour due to listening to the album). On a serious note, I take back some of the things I said and my pre-judgement about the album. I have been listening and watching the videos non-stop and I must say it was a very creative and clever move on her part. She has definitely shut me up and set the bar very high for other women in the industry.
What did you first think about the album? Has your opinion changed? What's your favourite song? Comment below :)
Hey! I'm Mpho, a 22 year old Fashion Journalist student who blogs about life, style, fashion, music, and captures her everyday life in photographs.
☎ CONTACT ME
mpho.sishuta@btinternet.com
