Lydia's Weekly Lifestyle blog is for today's African girl, so no subject is taboo. My purpose is to share things that may interest today's African girl.

This week's contributors: Lydia, Pépé Pépinière, Titi. This week's subjects: How to style joggers for the office, combining comfort with workplace-appropriate style, Chinese fashion, What is luxury? and Hibiscus Restaurant pizza and fruit juice

How to style joggers for the office, combining comfort with workplace-appropriate style. The trick? Styling joggers in a way that says “professional” without sacrificing the ease they were made for. Here’s how to take your joggers from casual to corporate without raising eyebrows at the Monday morning meeting: Balance with a Structured Bag Soft pants need a structured partner. A boxy tote, satchel, or classic crossbody balances the casual nature of joggers and adds a refined edge. Skip the slouchy hobo bags or sporty backpacks — they’ll lean too far into weekend territory. Tuck It or Crop It When choosing tops: A tucked-in blouse or shirt defines your waist and adds polish. A cropped sweater or jacket keeps proportions balanced, especially if your joggers are high-waisted. Avoid oversized or tunic-length tops that can drown the outfit in bulk. Bonus Styling Tips Jewelry: Add gold hoops, a delicate chain, or a minimalist watch to elevate the look. Layers: A longline coat or trench in colder months pulls the whole outfit together. Iron/Steam: Wrinkled joggers look messy. Always press or steam them for a crisp finish. When Joggers Aren’t Office-Approved. While joggers are becoming office-friendly, they might still be a no-go in ultra-formal or conservative environments. If your dress code leans toward the traditional, test the waters with structured ankle pants first, or save the joggers for casual Fridays. Office Joggers Cheat Sheet Style ElementPro TipFit & FabricTailored, structured, neutral. Top Layer: Add a blazer or cropped knit Shoes: Leather loafers, boots, or minimal sneakers Accessories: Structured bag, simple jewelry Tops: Tucked-in blouse or fitted tee Joggers at the office aren’t just a trend — they’re a reflection of how the modern workplace is evolving. With the right styling, you can feel like you’re in loungewear while looking completely pulled-together. It’s comfort, but make it corporate. So go ahead — redefine your 9-to-5 style, one jogger at a time.

Chinese fashion. The fashion world is ruled by the mighty ones like Adidas, Burberry, Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and so forth, and these brands are not just fashion, they are prestige, and people pay serious premiums to buy those items, to show that they can afford them. Majority of these brands are West European or North American. And the Chinese are not immune to these prestige symbols and represent a big market share to these big fashion conglomerates. In Paris, which many still consider the center of the fashion world, the big fashion shops like Lafayette, Printemps, Bon Marché and those at les Champs Élysées employ Chinese speaking staff to welcome the Chinese customers. But let’s try to look into the future. Chinese fashion designer Guo Pei designs Rihanna's dress for the MET GALA In the 60's Japanese cars were considered the worst quality and cheapest thing you could buy. Today Toyota has the most reliable car and hardly anyone in Ghana again buys Peugeot or Volkswagen.
Guo Pei And the Chinese are already here with cheap and cheerful Shein, Temu and others and to make it more palatable they start to incorporate local fashion brands into their offerings. And when will the Chinese replace these Diors and Louis Vuittons? It is just a matter of time, but soon you'll be looked at in a funny way if you still wear a 10,000$ Rolex, rather than a Peacock at 3500$. Peacock watch

Rolex watch

What is luxury? If you don't have much you may be dreaming of driving a Benz or having a Rolex or eating in expensive restaurants. And the list of things you want to have will be long. But funny enough for those who can afford all these things they are not luxury. For them luxury is a good night's sleep, having time to have breakfast with their spouse and kids, having a good relation with family and neighbours, being able to put their phone away for a few days, walk outside and inhale fresh air, things like that. Of course it is easy to say that a Benz or a Rolex is not luxury if you have one. But still, reflect on what you have and what you (don't) need.

Hibiscus Restaurant pizza and fruit juice. Hayford road, Airport Residential, Accra. This restaurant is hidden in the Alliance Française Cultural Centre compound. They sell many French dishes and Italian pizza's which were not impressive and quite fat. We had draft beer and pineapple juice. The juice was not fresh but from a pack. I could see the man behind the bar making very attractive looking cocktails, but also from packs. Pity, I think Africa has a lot of fruits to offer? Prices are a bit up, apart from the usual taxes there's a service charge of 7 % on the tax included prices, which I never noticed on the menu though it may have been mentioned somewhere. It's like insurance contracts, the exclusions are hidden in the small print, in this case the inclusions. So all in all there was a 31.5% on top and you pay about 45 GHS for a 0.5 ltr draft beer and 225 GHC for a pizza. There's another little restaurant right near the entrance towards the library called Mama Cuisine which sells Ghanaian dishes. Same sort of pricing and a not so obvious service charge. Next time I'll go to Melcom I'll check if they play the service charge game as well, after all that guy who checks your receipt against the goods in the bag needs to be paid.

Lydia...

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