Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, this week's subjects: Shimmering Elegance, Fall, winter, spring and summer fashion, and The Pan-African Youth Orchestra

Shimmering Elegance: Amit Aggarwal's (India) 2024 Collection. Ladies and gentlemen, step into a world where tradition meets innovation, where the old blends seamlessly with the new world, crafted by the visionary Indian designer Amit Aggarwal. In his much-anticipated 2024 collection, Aggarwal once again proves why he is a force to be reckoned with in the realm of haute couture.

Innovative materials and techniques: Known for his revolutionary use of materials, Aggarwal pushes the boundaries of fashion with his latest collection. Drawing inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of India, Aggarwal seamlessly fuses traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge techniques. In this collection, we see a captivating interplay of textiles like never before.

From intricately woven Banarasi silk to futuristic metallic weaves, each garment in Aggarwal's collection tells a unique story. The designer's signature use of recycled and upcycled materials adds an eco-friendly dimension to his luxurious creations, making a powerful statement about sustainability in fashion.

Fall, winter, spring and summer fashion collections are being launched right now, with major fashion show New York Week leading the pack, starting on 5th September, followed by London on the 13th, Milan on the 17th, and Paris on the 23rd. So someone who wants to attend all of these shows can do so within 3 weeks (for 4 fashion weeks), so the organizers seem to coordinate among themselves.

I wished the same thing would happen in Ghana where our current 2 major fashion weeks, RODR (Rhythms On Da Runway) and AFWK (Accra Fashion Week ), are three weeks apart. Not everyone presents his collection on these 4 big international shows, for example, Eli Saab, Fendi, Max Mara, and Miumiu have already run their shows independently. Expensive business? Between 10,000 and 1.7 million Dollars to run a show, I read on the net, depending on the stage set up and the environment created. And the models? Here are the top 5 earners per annum: Karlie Kloss: $20 million, Kendall Jenner: $18.5 million, Chrissy Teigen: $13.5 million, Gisele Bündchen: $10.5 million and Ashley Graham: $10 million. That is not only for fashion shows but also for photoshoots and all sorts of contracts. Naomi Campbell is the 7th highest earner (she's 54 anyway), but her net worth is estimated at 70 million $. Top models can earn up to $100,000 or more per fashion show, $50,000 to $200,000 or more per day for commercial shoots, and $1 million to $5 million or more per year for long-term contracts with a top brand. And not top models? From zero to 3000 $ per show. So enjoy Ghana where prices are more affordable.

The Pan-African Youth Orchestra (Initiated by Ghanaian master drummer, Zorkie Nelson in 1988) performed at the +233 Jazzclub and Grill (Dr. Isert Street, North Ridge, opposite Ghana Broadcasting, (but you get there from the Alisa Hotel, down), Accra) last Sunday, true to the 233 motto: “keeping music alive”. The stage climbing of the orchestra by itself was worth the view, 20 nervous youths passed in a long line, all dressed in blue-white African print tops and white trousers in front of a cheering crowd, and then started banging on various sizes of drums and fontomfroms, cowbells and gomes accompanied by about 8 atenteben (bamboo flutes). All in all a very rhythmic event, and very much appreciated by the crowd, whilst the conductor kept the tempo with hands, arms, ostrich feathers and his hips.

When the show was over the now happy and less nervous youth left the stage under much applause but an “encore' was demanded, so they all had to come back, and this time it was a line of smiling faces with white gleaming teeth that passed in front of the crowd, to give their 2 “encores”. The performance started with a solo gourd xylophone performance followed by a kora show, though I didn’t quite understand the purpose of the moving bright coloured psychedelic lights on a big screen behind them. Neither did I understand why the show had to start one hour late, are we teaching our youth how things are done here? The Greek salad is still worth it with plenty feta cheese, but the olives are now pitted (seeds removed) and cut into slices, somehow less of an “olive taste”, (and less chance to break a tooth on them). The pizza is still crispy.

Lydia...

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