Karenhappuch Ibiara On Her Styling Inspiration for The September 2020 Shoot!

I was humbled when I got the call to style the current reigning Miss World Uganda for the September issue of SatisfashionUG. When I look at Queen Oliver Nakakande, I see a humble, dedicated and vibrant young lady full of sincerity, a young lady devoted to changing the narrative of the girl child in  Uganda. 

Following the 2020 Spring/Summer trends I already knew I wanted to put her in coral pinks, saffron, and chives and in my mind, I knew Kai’s Divo was the go-to brand for this shoot. You can never go wrong in any of his pieces, they are empowering and perfect for the confident modern-day woman, just like  Queen Oliver.

Style is a unique way of showing who you are to the world. Colour wise, I had to incorporate a shade of Purple because nothing else speaks empowered more than Purple for women. I also chose pantones and maintained just one look with prints to focus on the simplicity of the Queen. Styling is a perfect opportunity for total-look dressing, whether it be a hero frock or head-to-toe look to create a strong visual impact. The most exciting styling trend of this season—big surprise!—was the mash-up of clashing separates and designers’ collective advocation of personal style over fashion. So I went with personal style on this one using Yana_Ug and Kanelja pieces.

The protective shape of Kai’s Divo’s skirts cocoon has recently  been everywhere. Think of it as a new take on circular fashion that envelops the body, paying homage to Romeo Gigli and Cristóbal Balenciaga along the way and I had to incorporate it with the Head to toe black leather jumpsuit. This also inspired the coral pink gown from Yasmin K.

It was fun styling this shoot and working with the entire team, Giulio is so amazing, and I love working with him, he understands trends and mood boards. The makeup artist was very patient, creative and hands on when needed to be, especially with the Ankara dress makeup. There’s a joyfulness and an urgency in this mix-up of styles, patterns, and shapes. You do you. But don’t forget, don’t get taken up otherwise everything becomes a mess.

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