Ghanaian Prints for Fall

What do you get when you send a fashion retard into a fabric store in Ghana, tell her to pick out cloth and then give specific designs to a Ghanaian seamstress to work her magic and transform the fabric into beautiful clothing?

With the help of the internet, the Marie Claire magazine that I found on my flight to Accra, and a very creative seamstress, I think I successfully avoided a fashion disaster. I handed over my fabric and hoped for the best! Tops are about 4-5 Cedi each and dresses are 8-10 Cedi each. The seamstresses have their own catalogs of traditional Ghanaian styles if you want typical Ghanaian clothing. I opted not to pick Ghanaian styles to increase the clothing's versatility in the US. I also don't think I'm curvy enough to do Ghanaian styles justice.



The seasmstress, Afriye, worked extremely fast and called me in after just a week for fittings. If there was any fabric left over, Afriye would design some extra tops for me! I highly recommend going with someone to the fittings so they can be an extra set of eyes for the little details. Shout-outs to Charlotte, Szoa, and my favorite dress-making partner, Mawusi, for helping me. Generally, simple styles are the most successful. After all of the minor adjustments, I think I'm very proud of what I was able to come up with! Afriye is a wonderful seamstress--I even got approval from Mawusi for Afriye's dexterity and creativity. So, if you are ever in Kumasi and would like to get something tailored...I'll pass Afriye's contact information onto you.

Are prints in this fall season? Well, even if they are not, I think Emily would approve of my wardrobe extension into print outfits! What do y'all think?