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: Accra Corporate Girl series — light, confident, and full of stylish energy, Tell me again what is fashion, LGBTQI+, Most beef burgers are completely overpriced, and Bulgarian Cultural Centre Restaurant Cyril Mussels

Accra Corporate Girl series — light, confident, and full of stylish energy: The Power of Neutrals: Building an Elegant Corporate Wardrobe Palette for the Accra Girl. Because sometimes, quiet colours speak the loudest. If there’s one thing the Accra corporate girl knows, it’s that first impressions matter — whether she’s walking into a meeting at Airport City or sipping iced coffee at Café Kwae before work. But here’s the secret: you don’t need loud prints or bold colours to make a statement. Sometimes, sophistication whispers, and her language is neutral. Yes, beige, ivory, taupe, and soft greys — the tones some call “boring” — are actually your ultimate power palette. Think of neutrals as the cool-headed, effortlessly classy friends who always show up looking put together, no matter the heat or the hour. Why Neutrals Are the New Power Move In Accra’s fast-paced corporate world, where the heat is real and the hustle never ends, neutrals are your wardrobe’s calm amidst the chaos. They make you look composed, intentional, and professional without even trying. A cream blouse paired with tailored camel trousers says, “I mean business, but make it chic.” And the best part? Neutrals mix and match like besties. You can build five polished outfits with just a few core pieces — and no one will ever notice you’ve repeated a skirt twice this week.

Tell me again what is fashion. Pharell Williams, the singer and winner of 13 Grammys, that guy who does not know that good hats come in different sizes very early on decided that it's all in a name. Once your name is known you can sell anything, hats, watches, bikes, even fashion. In 2014, he appeared on the cover of New York-based men fashion magazine Adon. He then released a collection created with Nigo, Japanese fashion mongol for retail giant Uniqlo entitled “I AM OTHER”,. In 2017 he designed a €1,000 sneaker in collaboration with Chanel and Adidas. In 2020 Williams launched Human Race, a skin care brand and in 2021 the winter line “Premium basics” together with Adidas Originals. On February 14 2023, Valentines day, Louis Vuitton announced that Williams had been appointed their new men's creative director, a position left vacant in 2021 by the death of Virgil Abloh (Ghanaian parents) and Williams displayed his first collection during Paris Men's Fashion Week in June 2023 (that was quick, 4 months....). And to make his is personal ego trip still more noisy, Williams' wife and their four children caused a sensation at the Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter 2026-2027 show on January 20 in Paris, just by showing up. Williams married his longtime partner, model and fashion designer Helen Lasichanh on October 12, 2013 and there are no rumours about divorce, but that may come, just to keep the story going. In December 2025, Mr. Williams paid one of the highest prices for a Paris property in that year, $ 73 million. For a house, with a roof on it. There's money in fashion, there's money in music.

LGBTQI+ used to be LGB only, but they keep on adding. LGBTQI+ stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer (or Questioning), Intersex, and the + includes other identities like Asexual, Pansexual and more. Intersex refers to individuals born with variations in sex characteristics, such as chromosomes, genitals, or reproductive organs, that don't fit typical binary male or female classifications. Pansexual refers to being attracted to people regardless of their gender identity or biological sex being open to connections with anyone. One almost needs to keep a note book to stay abreast with all these abbreviations. Be happy if none of this applies to you, who wants to belong to an absolute minority group whilst the subject is either taboo or sneered at or forbidden entirely, sometimes punishable with prison sentences. Some simply condemn and claim that the bible..... but don't forget that story about the first stone. Reality is that some people are completely left handed, and no matter how often you beat that hand they will still be left handed. So telling them to change is a waste of time. Unfortunately some are born with similar things, but now on the sex level, call it wrongly programmed. Let's not make too much fuss about it, as long as no minors are involved.

Most beef burgers are completely overpriced. I've mentioned it earlier, a big beefburger is maybe 200 grams of high fat meat at maximum 25 GHC (cheaper than lean meat) a bread bum at maybe 5 GHC, some onions and other things, say 40 GHC, off you go. So you'll have to do a lot of explaining to me why that has to cost 200 GHC and more in certain places. Same thought goes for pizzas and shawarmas. But there seems to be quite a crowd who can afford this, so no wonder the fast food joints are rising from the ground like mushrooms after rain. And, hélas, mostly no bon appétit.

Bulgarian Cultural Centre Restaurant Cyril Mussels 10 Kakradamu Road, Cantonments, Accra, serves beefburgers as well, last count was 90 GHS for a reasonable size cheese burger. They are competing with 80/20 Burgers and Fries just down the road where the entrance price is 115 GHC for a burger, but no proper seating there or knife and fork and napkin. And there's Tipsy Gelato for ice cream, opposite, prices starting at 50 GHC. Back to Cyril, a very unusual dish is their mussels. They are delicious, and huge, really huge. Rumor has it that they originate from New Zealand and came into Tema harbor hanging onto the hulk of ships. Anyway, Cyril's manager claims he gets them from Tema, and goes there during the weekends to pick them, so call first, if the man has a wedding or funeral to attend there are no fresh mussels. A big plate for 2 with 2 big pieces of Bulgarian bread goes for GHC 290. Bon Appétit, yes.

Lydia...

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