By Rita Okoye

Every year comes with its peculiar trends, each year overshadowing the previous one with refined and new creativity. This is because in the world we live in, change is a constant. The world of fashion is not excluded from these changes because within the last ten years, a lot of brand names have come to the spotlight but only a few have been able to gain the recognition they deserve.

One of the few clothing lines that has been singled out for its exceptional achievements in the fashion industry is the Zinny brand.
The brand was launched in 2017 by the designer Ezinwanne Uzoaku Anah.

She started the line to showcase modern femininity. The brand provides contemporary women’s ready-to-wear and bespoke dresses that beautifully blend simple design with sleek architectural elements and richness in African cultures.

In 2018, the brand was recognized by Guardian Life as one of the “Fast-Rising Designers to Watch,” highlighting the effort the brand has put into becoming one of the best. In 2019, Ezinwanne Uzoaku Anah showcased her first Spring/Summer 2019 collection at Lagos Fashion Design Week and in 2020, the designer was nominated for Designer of the Year at the 2020 African Fashion Design Awards. This sums up a three-year roll milestone which goes to show the level of commitment and dedication the designer poured into her designs.

Apart from her designs, Ezinwanne has also made a name for herself with her collaboration with fabric giant Vlisco, a famous textile company. She was also selected as one of the finalists for the esteemed Alara Emerge Fashion Fund, reflecting her potential to make a groundbreaking impact in the industry.
The Zinny brand has designed and launched so many unorthodox collections after it was launched. Some of these collections are the island-chic collection, Afro tropical collection, etc, just to mention a few. However, in this write-up, we will be uncovering one of the bizarre collections called the Parabea Collection.

Let’s look closely into these dresses!
In the Parabea collection, we will be critiquing three flamboyant dresses. The first of the dresses is Zinny’s Collection is a representation of sassy and elegant. It was solely created to put you in the limelight. Carrying the fit-for-all attribute, a lady in this dress can never go wrong.

The dress is an all-occasion two-piece fashion clothing consisting of a blouse and a skirt. The design was created with a mixture of quality pink Chiffon fabric and Ankara print. The Chiffon fabric is known for its lightweight, elasticity and breathability. It also allows the body to access air, especially in a hot environment and its elastic attribute makes it compatible with all sizes.

The top part of the dress was particularly crafted with the Chiffon fabric to accentuate a lady’s femininity. The dress is patterned with a high round neckline and short puffy sleeves, while the bottom part of the dress is a mini skirt made out of Ankara print with unique designs.

The upper half of the skirt has a belt-like band which emphasises the waistline and gives the dress a shaped and curvy appearance. Wanting to give a different narrative to the usual plain skirts, the designer brilliantly added a slant pleated design tailored from the upper right part of the skirt to the lower left part of the dress. Some other features of the dress are the zipper and slit at the back of the skirt which give room for ease.

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However, one minor setback for the outfit is the transparency of the blouse. Due to personal preferences and beliefs, some clients might choose not to go with the outfit because the dress showcases a part of the body they do not want to be seen. As a suggestion for upscaling the cloth, nothing has to be changed, rather a chemise or camisole can be added as part of the fit.

How to style the dress
The picture is one of the many ways the dress can be styled. However, there are other variations you can try. Being a two-piece dress, the dress allows you to be stylish in your dressing. For instance, you can decide to wear a silk blouse on the skirt of the fit or for a more casual occasion, you can decide to wear the Chiffon blouse with black jean trousers or a nude-coloured palazzo.

For additional flare to your styling, you can complement your dress with a wig, braids or scarf, some added accessories like some jewellery or a leather belt and for footwear, options like heels, sneakers, sandals, plumps, etc would also help you stand out in the dress.
Whichever way you decide to style your dress, you are sure to look exquisite.

The second piece in the Parabea Collection is a spectacular dress which stands for everything positive and was crafted out of the inspiration of a beautiful morning, hope and thriving. The designer created this dress for the bright, happy-to-go look with a touch of class and simplicity.

This two-piece design consists of a top and a skirt. It was created with premium yellow Crepe fabric and Ankara print. The top part of the dress was made mostly with Crepe fabric with a touch of Ankara print and it consists of the following designs— a high collar neckline, a wrap illusion, an elastic waistline and bishop sleeves. The high collar neckline is highlighted with the Ankara fabric used just around the neck area; it also has a button which allows ease to the neckline. The wrap illusion is the slanted design created on the dress to make the outfit look like a gown or a one-piece. However, upon close look, you will find that it is actually two separate pieces.

The waistline of the top was designed with some elastic, this helps the dress sit better on your body and gives the cloth some firmness. The bishop sleeve is actually a long-puffed sleeve with a special design from the shoulder to mid-elbow length before flowing out into a puffed shape.

The lower part of the dress had an opposing design plan from the top. In the case of the skirt, the Ankara print was mostly used with a touch of the Crepe fabric. The selling attribute of the skirt is that it is flair with a belt-like design and two Cargo pockets.
The flair attribute of the skirt gives room for enough ease when in the skirt, the belt-like band amplifies your curves and two Cargo pockets which are a kind of patched pocket with flaps and this feature gives more room to accommodate more.

Styling the dress
Riding on the similar trait the dress shares with the first piece of the collection, it can be worn separately and paired with some jewellery and other accessories to match the event it will be worn to. However, the highlighting feature of the dress is that it can also be made to look like a gown depending on how it is worn. This just gives a wider room of possibilities of what could be achieved with this outfit.
The designer, Ezinwanne Anah brilliantly coined out this third dress in a bid to recreate a flowery look. Flowery looks in women’s clothing give the feel of a feminine, soft and dainty woman. From the image, we can all agree that the third design of the Parabea collection is the perfect representation of a “floral” appearance.

The dress screams simplicity and stylish trends. The dress unlike its predecessors is a one-piece gown with various captivating features which we will be exploring.
The dress is a mini dress with an asymmetric neckline, balloon sleeves, triangular slit and a pleated flair skirt. The mini feature of the dress signifies that the dress length falls above the knee area, the asymmetric neckline is a unique type of neckline with a slanty look, and the balloon sleeve is actually an elbow-length puffed sleeves which give a posh appearance.
The triangular slit is one of the glaring features of the dress that gives it that flare. Lastly, the pleated flair skirt is an intricate design created from pleated gathers added to the bottom part of the dress which allows fluidity.
However, for a suggestion, the triangular slit can be placed on both sides rather than one to create room for balance and to minus the oddity factor.

Owning the style
When it comes to owning the style, you have to go with what works for you. One of the best ways to own the style is represented in the images above but to fit your preference, here are some ways to go about it.
How you look in this luscious dress depends solely on how you style it, if you are going for a formal look then jewellery, subtle makeup and beautiful heels are your best bet. But if it is a more casual scene, then you can go without make-up or stick to some eyeliner, lip gloss, or jewellery and further accentuate the look with a pair of sandals or sneakers.
As the curtain closes on the 2022 Parabea collection, it’s an undeniable fact that the Zinny brand has many more beautiful collections to unveil to you. The designer has proven that the brand is capable of standing the test of time and coming out refined.
So, when the time comes, sit back and fill your eyes with Zinny’s luxurious designs.