my v colorful handmade Rainbow dress

y’all dont understand im obsessedddd!

I’ve been saving a screenshot I took over a year ago. I saw this dress pattern on TikTok—some lady spent a billion dollars on a simple white dress with this structure. It was absolutely stunning, but it was too plain for me to spend over $500 on ONE dress. When the opportunity came in Lagos to get some dresses made, I knew exactly which dress I needed to draw inspiration from. After some adjustments, a little tweaking, and adding some va-va-voom to it, she was born!

Towards the end of my trip, I went to the tailor, and she literally had 3 days to make this dress and a couple of others. I didn’t have time to go fabric shopping, so she went for me and sent over some pictures. I can’t lie—I was super skeptical about the ankara (ahn-kah-rah), the Nigerian fabric print she found. But I was pressed for time and knew the silhouette would do most of the talking anyway. After day 3, the dress was ready, and I needed help putting her on because, baby, if there’s one thing Nigerian tailors are known for, it’s finding your waist and making sure it’s as tiny as possible!

When I was finally zipped up, no words could enter my mouth. So without further ado—

I didn’t want to take the moment away from her, so I paired her with minimal jewelry and shoes.

This dress is a true testament to the incredible talent of Nigerian tailors and the beauty of Ankara fabric. If you're ever in Lagos, I highly recommend visiting local tailors to get custom-made dresses. It’s an experience like no other, and you’ll leave with a unique piece that’s perfect for any occasion. Whether you're looking for Lagos fashion, Nigerian styles, or just a one-of-a-kind dress, the tailors in Lagos will make your fashion dreams come true.

-xoxo

Mutanu