Short ‘Iro’ & buba style: African Traditional fashion style

‘Iro’ and ‘buba’ style

This short ‘iro’ which simply means wrapper skirt and ‘buba’ meaning top/blouse is a perfect excuse to show off your fabulous pins. This Nigeria’s traditional attire can be worn to weddings, birthday parties and casual occasions.

Charlotte looks savvy in this fuchsia pink ‘buba’ blouse which features fuchsia pink & purple fabric sleeves & round neck. She completed her look with a mini fuchsia pink and purple ‘iro’ wrapper which she tied on the side. She accessorised her look black & gold metallic stripe strappy heels with a necklace, bracelet and watch.

The knot in the wrapper can be tied in various ways i.e. front, side depending on the look you want to achieve. Fabrics such as cotton, lace, ankara/wax, silk, chiffon, brocade, sequin and velvet can be used to make stylish ‘iro’ and ‘buba’ pieces. The original traditional ‘buba’ neckline used to be round but now you can go all out and choose a style that suit you be it a V-neck, off the shoulder, cowl neck, sweet heart neckline or scallop neckline.

The wrapper ‘iro’ can be long, short, mid-length, loose or fitted depending on how you want it to be. The sleeves don’t have to be long and wide as the traditional iro and buba as you can opt for short sleeves, three quarter length sleeves, sleeveless, spaghetti sleeves or fitted sleeves.

Another way of rocking ‘iro’ and buba is to wear them individually.  The wrap skirt ‘iro’ can be teamed up with crop tops, spaghetti tops, t-shirts or bodysuits. And if you’re on holiday or at the beach why not wear your ‘iro’ as a sarong for chic beachwear. The blouse ‘buba’ can be worn with skinny jeans, shorts or culottes.

Share your thoughts on this ‘iro’ and ‘buba’ fashion style.