PENDA SARR

15 days in Dakar

7:52:00 PM

Hey everyone, Happy New Year! May 2020 be filled with blessings, happiness, success, peace, and love for us all. We're about 3 weeks int...

Hey everyone, Happy New Year! May 2020 be filled with blessings, happiness, success, peace, and love for us all. We're about 3 weeks into the new decade and I've definitely been working hard to stick to my resolutions.

So, quick update, I've been a bit MIA because I was back home in Senegal for the holidays. This was
was probably my best December/January break yet! It was filled with the regular Christmas/New Years festivities, but there were also many weddings and birthday parties during my time yet so it was quite the eventful vacation.

Of course, I had to pack some cute outfits for the trip, so I wanted to show you guys some of my favorite looks that I wore while I was there. I hope you like them!

Look 1:

This is the one of the first outfits I wore. I wanted to go for the business-casual look because it's effortless yet still put-together. I actually wore the blazer because it was a tad chilly that day, and I wanted to make sure I didn't catch a cold (I ended up catching one anyways but that's another story). The blazer itself has an oversized feel to it, so I could still move around throughout the day without it feeling it too tight.

Outfit details:

T-shirt: COS

Blazer: Missguided

Jeans: Boohoo

Shoes: Gucci

Look 2:

This outfit was laidback and to me it gave that clear "don't bother me, I'm on vacation" look haha. I really wanted to wear my converses that day and since I often like matching my shoes to my clothing, I paired it with a cropped cream top and some basic denim shorts. I honestly wish there was a music festival happening that day because this would have been a cute look to wear but I just went to get drinks by the ocean instead haha.

Outfit details:

Top and shorts: Forever21

Shoes: Converse x Comme des Garçons

Look 3:

This was one of my favorite outfits during the trip. I had a wedding to attend to so I bought this traditional three-piece set from Meya Boutique(https://www.instagram.com/meya.boutique/?hl=en), an extremely talented Senegalese designer. In Senegal, weddings are usually two-day events. The first day is the traditional wedding and the next day (or a few days after) is the reception. The set itself is made up of a beautiful red cape, an off-white silk dress, and a gold belt. It's a very original piece and I got tons of compliments on it. Special shoutout to Senegalese tailors because wow, they are amazing!

Outfit details:

Cape, dress, and belt: Meya Boutique

Earrings: Zara

Look 4:

I actually had another wedding on the same day that I wore the outfit in the pictures above. It was the reception so I moved away from traditional wear, and opted for an all-gold look. I didn't have much time between both events to change my shoes and accessories, so I kept them. Luckily, it worked out since I wanted an all-gold theme. Apart from the beautiful design, my favorite part about this dress is of course, the slit!

Outfit details:

Earrings and shoes: Zara

Look 5:

I had another reception to go and I wanted to step out of my comfort zone a bit, so I decided to wear this one shoulder emerald dress. The dress is fully pleated which I thought was so beautiful, that's what initially caught my eye. The fabric was light so I was able to move around throughout the reception and dance as much as I wanted to without having to worry.

Outfit details:

Dress: ASOS

Earrings and shoes: Zara

Look 6:

This look was for New Years Eve. My friends and I were going to a party by the beach so I wanted to wear something that was frivolous, sexy, and cute. You can never go wrong with a little black dress, especially one that's off-shoulder and has a slit (two of my favorite things!). The dress' material is quite stretchy but it still had that nice tight fit to it.

Outfit details:

Dress: Pretty Little Thing

Shoes: Zara

Earrings: Madewell

Africa necklace: Etsy

Look 7:

To switch things up and wear more flashy colors, I paired this mustard crop top with my favorite wide-legged red pants. I never thought mixing yellow and red would look good on me but I gave it a try and I ended up really liking it! I was going to a lunch by the beach on this day so to finish off the look, I wore a clutch made by an artisan from Cote d'Ivoire.

Outfit details:

Top: Pretty Little Thing

Pants: Zara

Shoes: Mango

Look 8:

Classic looks are usually my go-to, so you know I had to wear some during my trip. I went to brunch at Lulu's (one of the best cafes that serves fresh and organic food in dakar) on this day. I paired a white blouse with jeans and green sandals. The designs on the shirt are blue, green and white, so I thought wearing shoes that weren't going to be white would be a nice pop of color.

And of course, my bag of choice was my clutch from Abidjan. I've been so obsessed with it! It was gifted to me a while ago and I wish I knew who the local artisan was, I have to ask the person who gave it to me soon! ;)

Outfit details:

Top: Mango

Jeans: Boohoo

Shoes: Zara

Look 9:

Don't you just love a good suit? This was one of my last outfits in Dakar. I had a birthday party to attend and the theme was all-white so I thought wearing the two-piece and pairing it with gold accessories would look nice. The party was loads of fun, and everyone was dressed beautifully. Surprisingly, a lot of the guests wore white and gold so I guess I did something right haha :).