INTRODUCE  BROGUES & FOOTWEAR WOES!
A brogue is defined as a durable, comfortable shoe with a low heel often having decorative perforations and a wing tip( the bird-like feature with perforations) see Right tan brogue. To know more about them if interested see this website: www.liveabout.com. 

I posted on Instagram about why I wear brogues also called wingtip shoes in America. I struggled with foot pain for a long time, some of it being occupational related and the foot pain woes began. interestingly the main foot that causes me issues is the left foot(see image below). I am generally flat_footed and I would probably wear Size 6 shoes too if my arch was raised.

True foot posture is lower pic(flat arch) & top pic is forcibly done.

A cousin of mine laughed at me once when I was wearing completely flat shoes by saying I have cankles. I knew it was not normal for me to be having cankles at my age & again when I am not pregnant. Like the famous cankles, Kim K got from pregnancy the picture.

Kim Kardashian ankle cankles during pregnancy

I went to see the podiatrist/chiropodist who are specialists trained in minor feet surgery and care. This is where they first informed me that I should only wear shoes with a slightly raised low heel and laces to secure my feet firmly or velcro plus an insole to raise the arch if I am wearing flats. They advised me never to wear flat shoes completely as this will cause foot pain. I was initially stubborn as I love a cute flat shoe (see flat pump as you scroll page) and as a lover of lovely fashion looks, this felt like a limitation. Oh boy! did I learn a big lesson when I started to get knee pain associated with flat feet and wearing the wrong shoes. My feet would ache at night & I would worry so much about "What if I have arthritis?"

This is when it dawned on me to start wearing the shoes I have been advised to wear and to buy insoles. In all honesty, I had been informed by a Doctor when I was 21years old that I have flat feet & should wear insoles to help prevent problems in my joints. It was a time I had started a new job where I was standing for very long periods and ended up with a condition called Plantar fascitis(link below). I bought trainers called sneakers, canvas shoes, runners or gym shoes and put my insoles in them. I wore them daily and even at work and gradually the foot pain started to lessen. Eventually, the pain disappeared and even the cankle on my left foot disappeared 👍 which was great and more attractive for my legs. If I became stubborn the cankle would return + the pain. To cut a long story short, this is why I wear brogues and I like them a lot.

For those who may not be aware of what a trainer is, see picture on the left. They are also an example of what a velcro shoe is. Velcro is the fastening which secures the shoes without shoelaces making it hassle-free. Most children's shoes and trainers are velcro fastened as it is easier for children to coordinate.
To buy these check out various websites and search for Adidas Stan Smith shoes. They come in various colours and will cost you about 75-pound sterling(UK).





On the right is what a flat pump looks like. Pumps are originally high heeled shoes but in millennial modern times, I find most people talk about their flat pumps. In this post, I will call them flat shoes. As much as I like these shoes a lot and wished I could wear them, my feet sadly rejected them. 

They are very trendy with other styles such loafers, ballerina flats, boat shoes, mocassins which can all look very classy + girly smart. The reason I could not wear them was that they do not support my arch as they are too flat. They also do not firmly hold an insole in a firm immovable position which means the insole will be ineffective in its function to support my arch. Wearing an insole in a flat pump can cause more pain than it is worth especially in the knees and at times I would find my lower back would also start ache. Flat pumps, you may look simple, smart and trendy but I have had to say goodbye to you. Black ballet pumps available at H&M for approximately 30 pound-sterling (UK).

On the left is what a raised arch insole does. Some of these can be bought pre-designed from a good pharmaceutical store in a small foot, medium foot, and large size ranges. There is no one size fits all so it is a case of buy, try and review. I Initially bought some chiropody designed pharmacy insoles which cost about 20-pound sterling in UK money. Then when I felt I was still struggling when I was being naughty wearing flat pumps, I saw a high street chiropodist who custom made long raised arch insoles for both my feet priced at 180pounds. Talk about expensive, and they were full length so could only be worn in trainers. As this became a diagnosed condition, I asked my Dr to refer me to a National Health Service(NHS) podiatrist and they same,  custom made me some half raised arch insoles for both feet. I have been using these ever since interchangeably in different shoes.  I must admit, I have been very compliant with looking after my feet since. I have ensured I do the following:

• wear flats with a slight heel.
• wear flat shoes fastened with shoelaces.
• wear trainers/sneakers for long walks/stroll. Trekking.
• wear my raised arch insoles in flat shoes at all times.
• change my insoles when needed as they can become less effective through frequent usage. As foot pain or swelling starts, I know it is time to buy new insoles or at least every 3 months.

An example of trainers/sneakers that I would usually buy is like the Black Adidas Original X_PLR simple but elegant and trendy which are fastened with shoelaces. I simply place my raised arch insole in them and I am good to go. Wearing these has been very therapeutic for my feet. These can be purchased by searching on various websites as the name has been given and they will cost you about 70 UK pounds sterling.       
                                     

A few flat feet facts we may not know are the following : 
Flat feet can be genetic which is my case as my mother has flat feet. Children tend to have flat feet and this usually corrects itself as they grow. Pregnancy, excessive weight, Diabetes, wearing incorrect sports shoes and some musculoskeletal conditions can predispose us to get flat feet. As I mentioned earlier, knowing that one has flat feet is the most important 1st step to managing them and enjoying healthy feet all your life. Insoles were developed to help manage flat feet and prevent some of the flat feet related pain and symptoms. If you suffer from flat feet there are many ways to manage flat feet so you can enjoy wearing shoes and walking pain-free again. As I am not a chiropodist /podiatrist my advice is simply for your information only but if needing professional help please contact your personal Doctor or visit your local podiatry/chiropody clinics.       

I will put links below to get you started with your journey to great flat feet care

Info on 

Flat Feet:  https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168608.php   
          

Info on insoles:

National Health Service(NHS) advice(UK based):https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/flat-feet/

Podiatry/Chiropody role:https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/foot-problems-and-the-podiatrist/

We have only one pair of feet and surgery to correct flat feet is usually very risky and at times not beneficial. It is therefore important to care and look after our feet as we need our feet immensely. As a lover of fashion and fashionable looks, I am also an advocate for wearing clothes and shoes that will not affect your physical health and wellbeing. It is difficult to cover up bad feet when the damage is done as opposed to body scars. Let's care and look after our feet the same way we would our faces. I have been thinking of going for regular professional foot massages as well as massage therapy helps with muscle relaxation and removal of tension which can make us prone to foot injuries/pain as part of foot care. Since I have written this I am setting myself a challenge to get this done and review results with you later on in my blog as I revisit this issue.

Disclaimer: This blog article is in no way aiming to provide professional healthcare advice which is only delivered by qualified Doctors, chiropodists or feet therapy practitioners. If by reading this blog you can relate to some of the problems, do visit your Doctor or seek other professional advice. 

Thank you for reading my blog and hope this has inspired you in caring for your feet.

                                                                  💗Faith Faden

                                                                    Founder: VAAC 

    Afro-Fusion Looks and Being You

In this blog, I would like to introduce Afro-Fusion wear which is a combination of African inspired looks mixed or fused with a eurocentric touch and other cultures where cultural appreciation befits. 

Fashion is a word that conjures up many thoughts when spoken. I remember knowing that I always liked to coordinate my clothes or if not able to, I would always be keen on wearing a lovely outfit. At times people made me feel insecure when I turned up by saying to me "why are you over-dressed?," even when I was simply looking smart and not overdressed. I started to try and underdress if there is such as thing as under dressing.

I wear a uniform at work and my colleagues have mentioned how I am always smartly dressed even in my uniform. I realized that it is how I present myself in general- I always like to be smart, elegant and feminine apart from when I need to go to sleep.

Being myself meant accepting that liking fashion is not dirty nor is it defamation of character, although some people think liking fashion makes a person vain, shallow, self-centred and a lost cause in life.I know friends who feel guilty if they state they like fashion so they live pretending they don't really like it or then wear clothes that misrepresent them in character or personality. 

Looking fashionable is not the same as breaking your bank accounts for fashion- that is not wise at all. We do not all have to wear designer clothes, adorn ourselves elaborately or wear makeup but it is essential that what you wear represents YOU. 

This means a lot to me as comments such as these:

                                       Why are you looking so dull?

                                       Why are you overdressed?

                                       Why are you underdressed?

                                       You look so shy in your clothes?

                                       You dress so scruffily.

                                       You don't look African or this or that?

And many more comments said in passing to us would not upset us if what we wear truly represents and reflects us. If I am happy shy then being told my clothes make me look shy should not upset me as It's my truth. Same if I was having a dull day and wore dull clothes then being told my clothes are dull should not matter much to me.If being scruffy is me then being told I am scruffy should not affect me negatively. They are judgements as people judge all the time so best to ignore them when we know and own who we are. So what? If I my clothes are dull or simple but I'm happy inside.

If it does affect you then I suggest perhaps you are not being yourself maybe or learn to ignore it? 

                           This why I have titled this blog post 'Afro-fusion and Being You.'

Sapele Ankara dress (Left) Jean and Jumper(Middle) Abuja Ankara dress(Right)ight)

Fashion is a form of expression meaning it is also an art. If we look at cultures and dressing we realise that how people dress is part of cultural heritage, identity, expression, and uniqueness. Before cultural assimilation which has diluted some cultural fashion art forms, how you presented yourself was significant. Culturally inspired wear differs greatly from fashion inspired looks because when dressing for cultural events; it is usually important to keep to the traditions and ensure you do not deviate too much from expected cultural expression. An example is a white wedding which seems to have distinct looks and guest expected attire. We are living in a very diverse world now where social media and affordable air travel has meant cultures are blending together in many ways that cultural appropriation, appreciation, and assimilation is now fusing into our daily look & our fashion inspired looks.

South African Ankara Top

I grew in a very post-colonial time where fashion trends were largely eurocentric or American celebrity inspired. I listened to Hip-Hop and RnB so of course my idols then were the singers Brandy and the late Aaliyah(RIP) so you probably can guess what type of clothes I wore. Growing up I never saw African clothes being sold in a shop. The closest icons/  role models representative of me where Black Americans so I chose to copy and emulate their fashion trends. Truly it never mattered to me to wear African outfits; in fact, WE  did not grow up with a cultural dress. We were that colonized and assimilated into European style and art forms apart from our names and traditions. 

Coming to England truly was an eye-opener for me. All of sudden there were all these people I had read of when I studied world geography and world history in real flesh. I had a fast introduction to Geles, African wrapper,  Hijabs, Niqabs, Abayah, Ankara, Asoebi, Cholis, Churidar, Kilts, Kente, Dashiki, Saris and Sombrero's to name but a few. Invites to events also came with specific dress requirements, for example, wear green Asoebi and green Gele head wrap. This was a challenge as I never wore this before and I had no idea either. Comments came from some of my West African compadres such as "You mean you never grew up wearing African clothes, Hmmm, What type of Africans are you people?" Initially, I felt a bit judged but I came to a realization that I cannot erase my past and what I did not encounter either such as all these so-called outfits. I am still alive, fully grown and African despite not having worn something African. Phew! Thank God clothes cant truly define me and who I am.

I am a firm believer in that nothing in your life is a waste as you can always learn from each and every situation you meet.

You just have to take the good forward into your future, discard the bad and toxic, learn from the mistakes and be willing to change where change is necessary. Be ready for transformation meaning adapt to new things. A butterfly did not always have wings but transformed & acquired wings.

I made friends from West Africa and as part of cultural assimilation, I got a few African inspired outfits and looks for myself. When you haven't been used to a certain way of dressing, it truly challenges your mindset. I needed to know if it is ok for me to wear African clothes to the shops for example. At the time I did not meet many Africans in the town I lived in. I did not want to be the centre of attention and besides was it even appropriate in the city?

(Right) Rockabilly style dress & (Left) Dress from Bestseller Denmark

Then It began to dawn on me that there is fashion looks and culturally inspired looks. I am an African and there is nothing wrong in the assimilation of African fashion. One should wear what they are comfortable with only and this avoids the insecurities and discomfort that comes with not being yourself. I am comfortable with African looks but I am also comfortable with fusing them to eurocentric apparel. In the future, I am looking to have Afro-fusion inspired looks and outfits which incorporate other cultures in the global world. Watch this space.

Casual Jeans, Ankle boots and Camo style jacket.

In all honesty, I have mainly seen African Mama's wearing African fashion looks to weddings, events, and church mainly. I am yet to see our clothes being worn in mainstream jobs apart from when one works in Africa or is in the beauty, fashion or entertainment industry. Eurocentric clothes seem to dominate the corporate arena but as you can see from my blog posts and my Instagram page @faith_faden&vaac that African clothes can be worn well corporately. Just like Afro natural hairstyle trends and looks are now worn in all sectors of society due to Black & Minority Ethnic people challenging and owning the narrative of beautiful hair. This too is possible with Africans challenging the professional look status quo and owning our own narrative. Most importantly is being yourself and comfortable in your apparel.

The aim of this article is not to bash or judge anyone or culture but to encourage and inspire.I would love to read and know your experiences in this lifestyle topic.

Thank you for reading my blog.

💓Faith Faden

Founder: VAACVAAC

Love of African Ethnic Wear

I decided that I will aim to be authentically honest as far as is possible in my blog posts. I know some people will judge me but hey, my truth is my truth. 

You would be surprised to know that I did not always grow up proud to be African. I liked being African but had not fully embraced it. You may wonder what I mean and if this is possible? The best analogy is of  Marty the Zebra in Madagascar the cartoon movie knowing he was a Zebra but not fully understanding it until he met other Zebras when he was stranded in Africa. There was that realization of what being a Zebra was and later he had to embrace it, live it and love it.

To watch see 🠞https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0351283/

I was very ignorant of the importance of one's heritage. There was that naivety that came from being a post-colonialism child and the narrative history that this came with. Fast forward to many years later in England after some really painful and not so great experiences - I suddenly was awakened to my identity as a Black African woman. I started to accept everything about being born African including both positive and negative narratives.

 Authenticity begins when one accepts everything about themselves.

Authenticity does not mean staying in one place/or one mindset.

Authenticity accepts to change, move and reshape whilst remaining authentic.

As I transformed into my authentic self, came the love for African clothes and African inspired themes (for outfit details see Instagram @Faith_Faden & Vaac). To my West African brothers and sisters it may seem strange but historically Southern Africa was much slower in gaining independence and free cultural expression hence we were slower in harnessing African inspired themes. You can say we were to blame, but truly there was a naivety to it all. Thank God our eyes are opened now. As I slowly introduce myself in this blog, all these themes will develop more as I seek to help others be authentic and live in their authenticity as I truly believe this is the best way to living a life of being whole and content.

One of the fairytales I liked reading when I was a little girl was Snow White and the 7 dwarves (so colonial I know). The Queen would always ask her magic mirror  the following question; "Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" Her mirror always told her she was until her stepdaughter Snow White was more beautiful than she was and so the magic mirror told her Snow White was the fairest which upset her greatly.

 [https://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/snowwhite/story.htm]

I had my magic mirror moment when I suddenly embraced myself and despite the opinion out there about Africa and Africans. Being African is great, it is colourfully diverse as the people and continent of Africa are. There is a wildness to it and it is beautiful. God, do I love being an African now. I was born in Africa and I epitomize being an African in Europe. I am also very mindful to utilize the acquired knowledge of transcultural living which is my current reality.

 My desire is to channel out who I am positively to the global world. 

Thank you for reading my blog and for more please join this family for more fashion, thoughts, and inspiration to live life as your Best Self.

💗Faith Faden

It was a Sunday after leaving church and I decided to take a picture by this town feature. Northampton is a small town and when I moved here from London I was quite disappointed. It just seemed like a town without much to do. The only positive was the realisation that my closest family lived here. London had everything going socially but there was something missing. In London I had to keep up with the trends, the "I've got it all together look on the outside but inside I am just lost."

It led me to do deep soul searching and though London (for me) was one of the best cities to live in, I really missed my family. It was not enough to earn so much money but forfeit treasured moments with close family. All depends on your circumstances, of course, if you are an international in London then you'll make do with your city family. It wasn't the case for me so I chose family over finances, over trends, over so-called city girl lifestyle.

Do I regret it moving? No; as I found myself in Northampton. This is such a laidback town so much that I had to learn to be myself and not be in a rat-race life. I can go to the town centre dressed in very simple clothes and no-one truly bats an eye lid - how refreshing. I also got to know my family, develop a bond and just love each other. 

Would I go back to London?  

Well, I have learned to never say never especially in things like moving, travelling and opportunities. At my age, I believe most people are seeking and aspiring for some sort of success. I came here to bond with my family and this has successfully been achieved. It has done many wonders for me in many ways. I have gained my identity(more to come on this in the future), gained new good and meaningful friends and I have become part of a new varied community. I have learned to adapt to my environment and renew my thinking so I can just live life. To sum it all up→ Home sweet Home.

Finally! In this post, I showcase things I love such as flowers and I never realized until my younger sister told me you always purchase clothes with flowers. Can you imagine, not even being aware of what seems to be obvious. Anyway, I saw the affinity towards flowers and it helped me re-jig my wardrobe so I am not always "flower heavy" on the outfits. The outfit worn in the 3 pictures above is a way to wear floral clothing but in a minimalist flower statement. I am flowery but not too flowery. It is just seen in the detail to make it look trendy, feminine and smart casual. I posted the outfit details on my Instagram account[ faith_faden_wears_vaac] if you are interested. After I made the post, a friend of mine who is not on Instagram came to surprise me with flowers the following day. talk about coincidence. Anyway, it just re-affirms my affinity for flowers whether on clothes or real flowers.

                                     What are your clothes wardrobe must-haves?
                                        What are your specific "go to styles"?
                                     Are you a big city person, small town  or a country dweller?
          Would you choose a life away from family for money or have family and forfeit family?

                               Thank you for reading my blog and for the support.

I am back : watch this space

I initially started this blog in 2012 with the desire to pursue what I enjoy, dressing up smart and well. I called it Vintage Arts &Afro Chic(VAAC) with these reasons below in mind:

Vintage is from my love of purchasing items that are timeless like a vintage wine which can still be enjoyed many years later. I admire vintage looks/buys and clothing buys that can remain elegant and relevant many years later. An example is the Duchess of Sussex's wedding gown and evening dress which can be worn many years later due to its timeless design see link:
https://goo.gl/images/MBp6ko

The Arts are for artistic expression in many things creative and not just limited to fashion. It can be real art in terms of paintings or furniture and ornaments too including bespoke finds.

Afro is representative of my cultural roots and heritage being a Black African woman. I will always endeavour to showcase African looks, art, sisters, and developments to influence the dialogue showcasing our own development and evolvement. I feel we need to inspire the next generation.

Chic represents the expression of elegance, style, and fashionable looks.

Watch this space for more........!!

YES! VOGUE Africa edition. Amazing covergirl and dress and above colour blocking  ethnocetric  colours for a pretty young girl look. Perfect for a summers day. Minimal hairstyling with the flowers adding the innocence to it.

Lydia from TOWIE (Vintage Glamazon)

 She oozes vintage and 60's glamour. Fab and in the 2nd picture and i added this to this blog as i love the anklet pompom slippers. So chic and the vintage retro heart.