Kosibah 20th Anniversary Event

Earlier this month I had the great honour of being invited to the Kosibah 20th Anniversary Event and the launch of Bienvenue 20 collection held at the amazing The Institute of Directors, 116 Pall Mall SW1.  I was thrilled that two of my designs would be included in the fashion show, a lovely large red flower hairpin and matching hand beaded bouquet, how excited do you think I was!  Accompanying me was my good friend and website designer Tamzyn.

Image by White Gold Images

Dressed to impress we joined the other guests for canapes and champagne and were able to have a close look at some of Yemi Osunkoya's designs that were displayed in the beautiful reception room.  Yemi established the Kosibah brand in London in 1991 and chose the name Kosibah in honour of his mother who gave so much support in his pursuit of becoming a designer.  The name Cosiba comes from the Republic of Benin and is the day name of a female child born on a Sunday.  I met Yemi through Twitter and have always been impressed with the way that Yemi always takes the time to converse with all his followers and was thrilled to meet Yemi in person just before the show started.

The show was amazing.  Lord and Lady Boateng opened the event with a message via video link and as the collection was inspired by the ballet, we were treated to two ballet dances which included The Dying Swan from Tchailovsky's Swan Lake.  A saxophonist serenaded us and during the show a soprano added to the magic of the night.


The fashion show was in two parts; evening wear followed by the bridal collection.  The designs were stunning, the evening dresses were tailored to perfection and had a real Parisian feel.  I would have to say I instantly fell in love with the very first dress which was an elegant, just below the knee, fitted black dress and when the model turned around there was a striking flash of orange as the back had been cut in a deep V-shape with the material from the V being folded back and trimmed with the exciting orange accent (apologies for my total lack of tailoring technical knowledge here!).  The model was accessorised with red leather gloves, red corsage and matching fascinator, the overall effect was - I Want That Dress!

Image by White Gold Images

Then came the bridal gowns.  The collection gave a soft romantic feel that echos Yemi's inspiration of the ballet. The variation in styles and cuts meant that there was a design to suit all body shapes in the Bienvenue 20 Collection.  Brides have a real dilemma though as all of the dresses were beautiful - how to choose?

FO Photography

Then came the penultimate bride in a beautiful strapless design with a full skirt, cascading soft frills down the front and embroidered flower detail on the bodice with tiny flowers scattered throughout the skirt in a way that conjures up images of confetti.  The subtle red embroidery of these flowers was picked up in my hand beaded bouquet and the matching red hand beaded hair pin.  I would have to say that I found it very hard to sit down at this point as all I wanted to do was to shout out "I made that".  But ever the professional, I stayed sitting and just grinned like mad at my friend.

Image by White Gold Images

Here are some behind the scenes images that I was kindly given by Yemi.  How amazing does the model look, if only I could pose like that!

 













The reason I waited before I shared this amazing event with you was because I wanted to show you some of the images from the photo shoot that was held a few days later.  These unofficial images taken at The Hempel Hotel really capture the elegance of Yemi's designs, plus I am rather proud that my designs have been included again.

Image by Chris Dunn

Image by Chris Dunn

If you would like to see more of Yemi's designs, please visit the Kosibah website.  Thank you Yemi for an amazing evening x

You can see my designs used in the show on my Tiara Heaven website here: hand beaded bouquet and large beaded flower.

Heres a list of all the fabulous people involved in Kosibah 20th Event:
Venue styling/Tablescape (above): Cedar Event
Couture Stationery and Invites: Lovicci
Florist: Blue Sky Flowers
Heirloom Bouquet: Tinygems
Chiavari Chairs: I am Wedding Hire
Soprano Singer: Lisa Carlisle
Mini Ice Cream Cones: Ice Angels
Cake: Elizabeth’s Cake Emporium
Stylist and Choreographer: Adebayo Jones
Hair Stylist: Kasia Fortuna
Makeup artist: Kemi Kings Beauty
Compere: Diana Dalia
Bridal Tiaras/Headpieces: Claire Ogden Designs
Saxophonist: A I Romantic Sax
Hats/Fascinators: Lyze Bamigbola-Silas
Videographer/Showreel: Laja than Life Productions
Handbeaded bouquet and hair pin: Tiara Heaven

A Celebration of Cupcakes

Yesterday a good friend of mine wished me "happy cupcake week" and handed over a gift of a lovely blue, pink and yellow note book as she knows that I am such a huge fan of the sugared creations.  I would have to admit that even though my kitchen is filled with lovely images of cakes on everything from tea towels to cake tins, I did not have a clue that a week was set aside every year to celebrate the naughty little treats.  So as an avid follower and with so many brides opting for a tower of cupcakes instead of the traditional wedding cake, it is my duty to find out more!

Cupcake week is from the 12th to the 18th of September and started in 2009 by British Baker Magazine to encourage food outlets and professional cake makers to experiment, feel pride in their cupcake creations and to enjoy increased sales gained through the National Cupcake Week exposure.

Cupcake makers are encouraged to join in the competitions and many use the success of their sales to help raise funds for the partner charity CLIC Sargent, which supports children with cancer.  

If you would like to read more about this delicious event go to the National Cupcake Week's home page for information on competition winners and some lovely recipes.  And if you want to give me some of the cakes you make, I am more then happy to try them - yum! 

I would like to give a special thank you to Rachel of Bournemouth based Lets Make Cupcakes who gave me these lovely images of cupcakes.  If you want to find out how to decorate your cakes like a professional (mine taste great but they do look like the icing bowl has tripped over and spilled its contents all over my cakes!), then check out her website www.letsmakecupcakes.co.uk

Above all, have fun and get baking!

Louise x