Thursday 27 September 2012

STYLE ON A SHOESTRING

Who ever said you cannot be stylish or fashionable on a shoestring? It is a myth to think that you cannot be chic because of want of money. My Italian friend who always looks as if she just stepped out of a fashion shoot, promotes the idea of "dressing up" a bargain, by combining an expensive or high end item with items found at bargain stores. The alternative is to ad some glamour by simply replacing inferior buttons with good quality or more extravagant ones, or adding trimmings, and voila! Imagine the classic you know whose jacket aka Coco in a boucle weave spruced up with Castellano Beltrami's luxurious trimmings on the cuffs, intended for upholstery - yes that is right - and it makes for one spectacular piece!  I guarantee you some awe inspired looks wearing that, so prepare yourself for envy girls! You can make a statement with your outfit no matter how much it cost. You should perhaps only invest in one good quality garment per year if funds do not allow you to splurge on upmarket designs on a more regular basis. I often combine a designer item with simpler accessories or the other way around, and being selective about quality, and not price, you can go a long way. One store that comes to mind when I think of fashion on a shoestring, is H & M, the Swedish chain with stores across the world. Not having H & M in South Africa, is quite a disadvantage, but fortunately, I get to travel abroad on a regular basis allowing me ample opportunity to shop the world. It will be a welcome addition if H & M would open it's doors down South! Come on girls, should we not lobby a protest against them for not being here?
 
Take a peak at what's in season around the world, where the trees are shedding leaves, where gloves are taking centre stage, animal instinct is unleashed in faux fur and the winter woollies are being unpacked....all from H & M's look book.
 
Have a look at www.hm.com for what's in store
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday 26 September 2012

IN BETWEEN SEASONS

With spring not entirely sprung yet, I am reluctant to stash away all my winter clothes. We continue to experience  winter and summer in the same day. We do however long to slip our feet into more summery shoes, and let go of the winter slumber. With mornings still rather crisp, and afternoons slowly warming up, we have to improvise about what to wear. Hence the stunning pair of Neon shoes from last year, bought at Zara in Seville, Spain. I could not wait to unpack them for summer to combine it with a light jacket and top, feeling much less weighed down from winter's heavy cloth!
 
 
Shoes (Old) and over sized clutch - Zara, Jacket - Truworths,Top - Studio W at Woolworths, Necklace - Sass Diva, Pants - Trenery
 

Tuesday 25 September 2012

Spot On!

Spot On!

Orange trench coat
indressme.com

Wallis high heel sandals
wallisfashion.com

Polka dot handbag
$91 - welikefashion.com

J Crew j crew
jcrew.com

LEADING LADIES

The show may be over, but the spirit remains..... These are a few pics of what Emma Farrow presented at London Fashion Week, for Unique, Top Shop. If you would like to read the full story on Emma's show, follow this link: www.londonfashionweek.co.uk
 
Looking forward to another season of Print!




Does the simplicity of this outfit define it as Unique? To my mind, absolutely!

Thursday 20 September 2012

GUCCI GLAMOUR

For those of you who follow fashion weeks around the world, it is a loss to not be able to attend both Prague and Milan this year, as the two events overlap with a few days. Don't despair, thanks to modern technology we can follow all, with some shows being  streamed on line allowing us a front row seat without leaving home. Gucci kicked off in Milan with a strikingly beautiful array of colour as can be seen from the photo below, and much to my joy, in one of my favourite colours, Lime Green or Yellow, as some like to call it.
 
Photograph from www.theguardian.co.uk
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Wednesday 19 September 2012

MULBERRY MANIA

Mulberry never ceases to amaze, they overwhelmed the front row with a jaw dropping and spectacularly beautiful show at the London Fashion week, on at the moment. Here are just a few pics from there 2013 Spring/Summer collection, white is my firm favourite at present, enjoy!
Photographs from www.londonfashionweek.co.uk






Blackout

Blackout

Three more reasons to go shopping now, to get a skater skirt, a peplum jacket and wedged ancle booties. Are'nt these pretty?
Miss selfridge
missselfridge.com



Madison harding
shopbop.com



Tuesday 18 September 2012

MIX AND MATCH

Ever noticed how in a consumer market, the concept of mix and match has become redundant ? But not if you are a fashionomic, a fashionista with a sense of economics like I would call it. That brings us to the aspect of cost per wear, how often to you reckon that out? Perhaps I am not that pedantic, but it does crop up in the back of my mind immediately before I decide to splurge on an expensive handbag or other extravagant fashionable item. If I don't think of it as a timeless piece, I will think carefully before I part with my money. But sometimes we buy things we know, is only going to be stylish as long as the trend lasts, and then it becomes a little dated. This is how I considered the jacket below, which was a little vibrant for it's time, and became a little outdated just to soon. However, it somehow found it's way back into fashion...... and so the story begins.
 
So what's that got to do with style? Well, just about everything, a fool and his money is soon parted, so I often consider how many outfits I can create with a single piece, which leads me back to the subject of mix and match. I took this simple printed jacket which I bought for a cruise about  two years ago, and re-styled it with more recent trends. The initial idea was to combine it with stripes to create a nautical look at sea. Just when I thought that the little number had served it's purpose, print returned in full swing! I subsequently mixed it up with more recent items, and voila! One jacket, four outfits. I am sure there is something in your wardrobe that would serve the same purpose, giving you instant return on your investment!


 
Combined with Coral, and Navy pants
Jacket-Queenspark, Pants-C & A, Shoes-Zara
 

Jacket & Pants as before, Top-Stradivarius, Shoes-Woolworths
 
 
 Jacket and Pants, as before, Top-Studio W, Shoes-Zara (old)
 
 
 
 Jacket as before, Top-Primark, Necklace-Sassdiva
 
Hope you find some inspiration to whip up a few more outfits today, remixing the same items!
 

Tuesday 11 September 2012

MB FASHION WEEK NEW YORK

Summer is in full bloom at the MB Fashion week in New York, judging from the colourful palette, it seems bright colours continue to rule the next season. The intermittent rain in New York did not deter the supporters either, although it may have caused some sporting events to be interrupted. Come rain or wind, the fashionistas are parading in their high heels, sporting numerous styles.

Looks like we will be seeing a lot of Orange this year, the designers are set on burning the flame. These Orange outfits featured in the collections of Monika Chiang, Chado Ralph Rucci and Carolina Herrera - don't just pack away the bright colours girls, the rainbow prevails for another season!

All photographs from http://www.mbfashionweek.com/

 


Monday 10 September 2012

FEEDING MY SHOE FETTISH

Much to my delight, my week in Cape Town allowed me ample time in between presentations to hunt for shoes.  Obviously I put this opportunity to shop to good use! It is at Canal Walk shopping centre where I found this beautiful new shoe store, belonging to the same group as Aldo shoes (to which I am sure you need no introduction).
 
Walking into Call it Spring shoe store, is like taking a walk in a summer country garden, with prolific flowers in full bloom, in every colour of the rainbow. I could almost hear the sunbird humming above these pretty little things, looking for nectar! I duly succumbed and found a pair that would compliment my summer kaleidoscope. 
 
Have a look at what's in store, inspirational for summer, not so?
 
 




And this little pair found a good home..... and happens to be a perfect match for my newly found oversized clutchbag in Pistachio, from Asos!

 
 

Monday 3 September 2012

HIDDEN GEM

 The hunt for stylish venues continues.....I stumbled across this little gem when working in Bredasdorp recently, a beautiful town in the Overberg and on route to the well known place of Arniston, a seaside resort and village. Set in a historical building with a beautiful garden, the Bredasdorp Square is right in the centre of town and conveniently situated next to the courthouse were I was working a few days ago. I took advantage of the opportunity to walk around town when the court took a lunch adjournment  and found this delightful gift & decor shop with a bistro that serves delightful lunches, right next door in the same building.

 
The Bredasdorp Square


Trout & Avocado  Salad, a working girls lunch, counting kilojoules!

Beautiful decorative items

The Interior of the Bistro