Patricia Odera, Author at Tique a Bou

Posted on September 13, 2019 September 13, 2019 by Patricia Odera — Leave a comment

Shopping online for the first time!

So you have been scrolling through Facebook and an advert pops up with a black dress to die for, you click on the image and it is instant love (the type of love you feel when you have a plate of nyama choma in front of you), the price is right and the vendor is saying they will deliver to you. All sounds perfect, you place your order online and that black dress will be hugging your curves in a matter of days. What could possibly go wrong, Kenyans are shopping daily online? Saying this, it is important as an online shopper to stay safe when purchasing items online. At Tique a Bou we have come up with a short summary on some important points to help you stay safe when shopping online:

Do your homework! – Us inhabitants of planet earth (Kenyans included) currently live in a review based era which is fantastic news if you want to do some due diligence before buying those heels or palazzo pants online. Start by seeing what other customer experiences with the online shop have been. You are able to access these on social media channels e.g. Facebook, Google Reviews and Trust Pilot;
Is there a human behind the screen? Always ensure to see if it is it easy to get in touch and speak to a real person? When you call the helpline what type of impression do you receive from the individual on the other end? More often than not, follow your gut feeling on this! Equally importantly; check the online shop’s email address. It’s easy for anybody to make an email account on Gmail or Hotmail for example so always ensure the domain name is in the name of the company, for example, [email protected]/[email protected];
In the instance the item arrives and you are not happy does the store offer refunds and exchange? Returns & exchange policies tend to be a nightmare however a genuine online shop which provides this service will always have a dedicated page where their terms and conditions are clearly stated. Make sure you are able to locate this on the website and are happy with the terms before you make your purchase;
Paybill is your best friend – Do not pay for a product to a personal M-pesa/Airtel number, always ensure there is a Paybill Number for a registered company, Safaricom has a strict policy for companies to obtain a Paybill number. This keeps you more secure and you are able to escalate any issues you may encounter with either Safaricom or Airtel;
Security – Whenever you check out on an online store’s website, always ensure the website is “https” secure. This can be found at the beginning of the website e.g. https://www.onlinestore.com this means your personal data is encrypted and cannot be compromised. Any debit/credit card details you enter will be kept on a secure server which no one can access;
Deliveries – Does the online store use a reputable courier to make deliveries to your specified delivery point? This further enhances the credibility of the online store, in the unfortunate instance you have an issue you can report the online shop to the courier company.

At Tique a Bou Clothing we are doing all of the above and more! Our customer’s are paramount, we provide next day delivery to all major towns and cities including Nairobi and Mombasa, have a dedicated helpline – 041 2247 222, a secure check out portal and we use Fargo Couriers to ensure your products reach you the next day. Our customers also have a lot of good things to say about us, why don’t you have a look on:

https://www.facebook.com/tiqueabou/reviews/

Happy shopping and stay safe online!

Love

Patty x

Posted on July 21, 2016 July 27, 2016 by Patricia Odera — Leave a comment

Handbags New In!

HANDBAGS NEW IN!

Well it’s that time again. Yes, New Arrivals time. Amongst various trendy dresses, we have a selection of new handbags newly touched down in Kenya!

At Tique a Bou, we love handbags. Why you ask? Because they’re brilliant. They go with nearly everything, you can wear carry them on a night out or carry them to the office, and they’re durable. Most people reading this will have that favourite handbag they take everywhere. It’s been with you to work everyday for the last year, its faithfully protected your most treasured belongings, and lets be honest… it’s probably looking a little worse for wear right now!

HOBO HANDBAGS

With that in mind, we’ve searched out a few new styles of handbags, some of which you may never of heard before. Like the all new and shinning Hobo Bag, both available in Nude and Tan, which we have to say besides the slightly odd name, is pretty fantastic!

The Hobo handbag would look fantastic with nearly any oufit, but we think it goes really well with the Navy Wide Leg Trousers or the Pleated Shoulder Plunge Shift Dress for a smart yet simple look.

GRAB TOTE HANDBAGS

But what really caught our eye, was the Orange Snake Skin Grab Tote Handbag. This little number has an orange snake skin outer, which on paper sounds unusual, but in person looks great! It’s subtle, not bold which makes it perfect for everyday use. It comes complete with a cute material handkerchief style tie, and a shoulder strap which transforms it into a shoulder bag.

FASHION TOTE HANDBAGS

If you’re looking for a more official handbag, the Oak Fashion Tote Handbag is a good choice. The material is thick faux leather which is very sturdy and perfect for carrying things to and from the office. This handbag has polished gold metal detail which provides an instant statement look.

For more info on handbags and how to pick the right one for you, check out this article.

Check out all our New Handbag Arrivals here including the ! If you’ve got any questions or for more information, get in touch with the team here.

Posted on March 7, 2016 March 7, 2016 by Patricia Odera — Leave a comment

Leopard Open Back

Hey guys, am back! So excited to show off my sexy Leopard Spots and open back.

First off, the picture on the website does not do justice to the skirt, looked like a one of those wraps you wear to the beach, and the front slit looked a bit blaahh! From the website, I was not so impressed, but I got it, wore it and loooved it! It has a lining, so you are not exposed from the front slit, and elastic waist band and the material is cotton and not transparent.

I wore it with the Gold chain Bodysuit, two things that make this worth buying, the Gold Chain. If you are lazy like me, lets just say you wont fuf around looking for a chain to accessorize, second, the material is thick, like a scuba suite!

If you love the outfit as much as I do, you can get it from here

Lots of love

xoxoxoxoxooxoxox

Posted on January 6, 2016 January 6, 2016 by Patricia Odera — Leave a comment

Out of the box thinking

Hi guys,

We keep hearing the phrase “Think outside the box!”, but everything around us screams something totally different. So yesterday trolling on the net I came across an article from Gilbert Ross; 7 Things You Must Know to be a Free Thinker. It’s a really good article and thought I should share a few thoughts that got me thinking.

1. Creativity is your natural birth right

We stereotype creative thinkers as artists or bohemians who are different than the rest of us. Well that is plainly false. We are all endowed with the gift of creativity. Education, or rather schooling, has successfully stripped us from that natural disposition. It has molded us into mechanistic and reductionistic images of humanity – into cogs in the wheel. The schooling system is designed to make people think within the same parameters – those laid down by the dominating view of society and culture.

2. Group thinking and herd morality are you enemies

Group thinking is the silent enemy of free-thinking. We unconsciously follow the rhythm of the crowd. When the crowd shouts, we feel compelled to shout. When the crowd panics, we panic. Emotions, sentiments and ideas can be very contagious. So is thinking. It’s quite easy to follow the line of thought of your peers and those in authority. Yet as we become sedated with group thinking, we lose the power to claim the authenticity of our own mind.

3. Perspective is key

The free-thinker knows the power of perspective. Perspective changes everything. What we feel or think about something can dissolve or flip the other way round just by changing perspective. Even the strongest of views and beliefs can change when a newer perspective is reached. What seems like loss can be seen as opportunity just by changing your perspective. Adversity can turn into a learning opportunity; problems can turn into a solution; what is failure from one perspective can be seen as a launching pad for success from another.

4. Knowledge is provision

Conservative, authoritarian, religious or institutional structures resist change forcefully because their worldview rests on the premise that their knowledge or beliefs are absolute. Even Science can and did fall in this trap at times. Yet the free-thinker is sure of only one thing – that knowledge is provisional. What we think we know today will be debunked or dramatically changed by what we know tomorrow. Free-thinkers run away from individuals or organisations who claim to know something, or worse, know everything. They are fully aware that we haven’t got the faintest clue yet, despite big leaps forward, about the world, life and the Universe at large.

5. Defying institutional pressure

My favourite quote has to be from Albeit Einstein “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing its stupid.”

Society had two major forces at play. One is a top-down control transmitted hierarchically through the institutions. The other is a force of change, novelty and innovation which is built bottom-up from individuals and slowly accepted and adopted by larger social structures. One crazy innovative idea from a free-thinker on the fringes of society can be taken up by some influences and spread virally through the mass media until it becomes a norm. OK this is a simplistic overview but it’s enough to show the basic mechanics of social change.

Free thinkers are those individuals on the fringes of society cooking up shockingly new ideas. They refuse to succumb to institutional pressures of uniformity and control. The institutional top-down forces are there mainly to preserve their status-quo, the stability of the social system and its identity hence they resist novelty and change. The power of the free-thinker on the other hand, lies in constantly defying these institutional pressures to abide to the rules and accepted norms of society.

Note: These ideas are all courtesy of Gilbert Ross. You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and his blog Soulhiker and more importantly you can take his course at Udemy.

Posted on January 6, 2016 January 6, 2016 by Patricia Odera — Leave a comment

50 Shades of Blue

Am having one of those long weeks that am a slave to laziness. So much so going for a wee is a major task! I have not done my hair in like two weeks, not because am broke, but I cant be bothered with the hastle. Am one of those people that when having my hair done, as soon as they start the first line or braid, I want to stand up and leave. Cant be bothered with sitting there whilst someone is at it on my head 🙂

Having said all that, you might understand my current obsession with tying a wrap on my head. Can’t be walking around with matutas on my head! (though I wish I could). They are great for hiding bad hair and look really stylish, poshish and can be worn with anything!

Lets discuss my outfit. First things first, ever had one of those days you go into your closet and you feel like you having nothing to wear? Either that or your bored of your usual stuff? I have that all time. That’s when I decided to visit my nephews closet for inspiration.

I paired his Cherokee shirt with a pair of my skinny jeans. The Stilettos I got from Tique a Bou and my new fav bag, also from Tique a Bou. To accessorize… a pair of loop earrings and I was good to go.