The Black Mannequin

Sunday, December 31, 2017

Thank You

Hey Guys & Dolls,

It has been forever. I feel like I almost don’t know how to do this anymore but I’m gonna give it a go.

Firstly, I want to say a massive THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart to all you beautiful people who have supported and stay supporting me.

2017 has been a trying year for me in so many ways but that journey has brought me to a place where I am so much more comfortable with my life, my choices and myself.

Despite being a ‘go with the flow’ kinda gal, I’m very structured. I make a lot of plans and I make plans about how to go achieving those plans.

However, 2017 really laughed at me because I didn’t achieve one single thing that I set out to do this year. I would go as far as saying I kinda fell into the things that I did accomplish this year with no pre-thought or planning. It still sounds twisted to me.

I am so grateful for all of my moments- the good, the bad, the ‘I don’t actually give a f&^%s’ and the “I cannot come and die’s” because I wouldn’t be in this headspace that I am in right now. For the last 5 years, I have been rushing my journey trying to attain something that wasn’t even for me and now, I’m on a different path; chasing a goal I didn’t know I wanted.

So to answer the question many of you have asked me …Will I be shutting down the blog?

I don’t want to make promises about the future of ‘The Black Mannequin’ as I came extremely close to shutting down the blog permanently in October but I literally couldn’t bring myself to do it. Whilst I always find solace in my art, it is with great sadness that I have to temporarily shut down my blog.
I cannot say when I will return but once again, I want to thank every single one of you for supporting me and getting me here.

Here’s to an amazing 2018.

love always,

Destini

Red-y Or Not

Hey Guys & Dolls,

When I witnessed Kendall Jenner in an all red outfit on the Fendi Catwalk, I knew straightaway that it was something I was going to try.

She had red earrings, a red handbag, a red coat and red boots. The only thing she rightly skipped out on was a red lip because let’s face it; a red lip is actually an outfit on its own.

Now as an avid red lover, you can just imagine the butterflies I felt seeing this and the thought of myself in all that red damn near gave me heart palpitations as red happens to be my favourite colour.

As it isn’t cold enough to don a coat yet, I really couldn’t fulfil the full potential of this outfit so we will just call this one a prelude.

Jumper | Pants: Marks & Spencer

Shoes: ASOS

Leave me a comment below.

I am Destini Monet and you have been reading ‘The Black Mannequin’.

Inspired

Hey Guys & Dolls,

From a stylist and blogger’s point of view, I can positively say that 2017 has been the year of GUCCI and I am absolutely here for it.

From championing a maximalist approach which included everything from ruffles, prints, layers, embroidery and a cacophony of colour to the rebirth of the double G emblem that is synonymous with the power fashion house.

I really love the new creative direction of GUCCI under Alessandro Michele and the way inspiration has been taken from the past and modernised for a new audience.

Whilst I currently don’t have everything I would love from the GUCCI collection and I am not particularly fond of the embroidery overload that was present on everything and available everywhere, I found a way to incorporate the trend that threw the high street into frenzy, when I came across this Leather Jacket. This inspired jacket allowed me to play with the trend and gave me some colour without overwhelming my personal style.

I paired it with my mustard cross-body bag, which I recently found out was a dupe for the FURLA ‘Metropolis’ shoulder bag.

I absolutely love the FURLA ‘Metropolis’ cross-body bag as it embodies transition in every way. The sophistication and simplicity of it makes the perfect day and evening bag; giving you the opportunity to justify the cost against performance/wearability.