LEOPARD SPOTTED RAINCOAT?

Murphy's law has it that it never rains when you are wearing a rain coat, perhaps because it is commonly perceived as a utility item, and not a fashion accessory. So it follows that when I have an umbrella with me, it doesn't rain either! I changed my mind about the raincoat's function when I walked into Bershka recently and saw this little animal print parka. It is as light as a feather, and can be folded up neatly to fit into your hand luggage for travelling, or perhaps just worn as a fun item. I thought it was a little funky, adding something quirky to my otherwise rather quite closet. Now I look forward to the next rain, unless Murphy continues to reign...

 

 

 

Raincoat / Parka - Bershka

Turtleneck Top - Primark

Pants - Country Road

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Bag  - Mulberry

Neck Piece- Epiphany

CAMEL IN THE CAPE OF STORMS

Unlike most other people, I look forward to winter since I associate it with all things that brings nostalgia to mind, milk porridge as a child, soup, pancakes, log fires, white holidays, and last but not the least, warm winter woollies and boots for frolicking in the cold! Winter just allows you to wear so much more variety, as opposed to summer that gets sweltering hot in Africa, leaving you with fewer dressy options.  This brings me back to the efficacy of layering, when indoors, just remove the top layer, and when you're cold, step right back into your coat of arms, guarding you against the onslaught of the Western Cape's fierce wind and rain in winter. The cape has made it's come back, and is always a welcome guest in my closet for it can easily hide bulk collected around the waist due to warm stews and winter delights, and leaves you enough room to manoeuvre around with comfort. It has a certain allure, making me feel all dressed up. Although it may be perceived as a little formal, it could just as well be worn with jeans and boots, creating a more casual look. This little Camel cape was bought about 3 years ago, but was instantly revived from the trend archive when I scrolled down the street style pictorials of February's fashion weeks in Europe. If the likes of Giovanna Bataglia wore it then, it must still be a great trend here.....

 

Cape - Miss Selfridge

Gloves - River Island

Bag - Louis Vuitton

 

ENDANGERED SPECIES ON THE CATWALK

The vast land, and the bounty of Africa's animal kingdom, is part of my genetic composition. Hence my passion for animal print, allowing me to nurture the trend and simultaneously promoting the abundance of my homeland. The Zebra is probably one of the most beautiful animals in the wild, defending it's young with a kick that could leave even a lioness breathless. Yet it does not deter the lion from preying on the Zebra, with their young being a favourite meal to the king of the jungle. Their Black & White coats exude beauty, and they move with such elegance, no wonder the trend returns to the catwalk with such conviction. The print allows this blazer to by re-styled in so many ways, the next combination would probably include the introduction of a third colour, adding some spice to Africa!

 

 

Blazer - Belle Epoque

Pants - Country Road

Shoes - Next

Bag - Celine Boston Tote

Sunglasses - Bucharest Street Market find

MIXED PRINTS REMIXED

The greatest fun about winter is that you could wear short skirts without having to concern yourself with pale legs due to lack of sunshine, by merely covering up in tights! The texture of winter fabric is just so soft and warm to the skin, and the tights ad a little quirkiness to an otherwise plain outfit. The concept of mixing trends continues in my outfit today as I have mixed different textures, prints and styles, creating a smorgasbord of trends. It also allows me to comply with dress requirements for the office, being slightly formal or corporate but not to intimidating. Short cropped jackets are just so versatile, and this one leans itself to being styled up or down, perhaps also with a longer shirt or top revealed under the jacket, but for now, I have styled it a little less casual. The Chanel type style and fabric works vey well combined with jeans, adding a little chic to an otherwise casual outfit. How would you wear this type of jacket for a casual look?

Jacket - TLD

Skirt - Country Road

Scarf - San Remo Street Market

Tights - Primark

Suede Wedge Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Jewellery - Chanel Vintage, Nice, France Street Market

WINTER SOLSTICE AND THE ART OF LAYERING

If you live in the Southern hemisphere, today sees the winter solstice, with the sun being at it's most Northern point in the sky. Technically, this is the middle of winter for us, and to optimists, the dawn of improving weather conditions! The reality is, that the Western Cape will most likely still see a lot of rain and wind before things warm up. This brings me to appropriate winter clothing. Travelling  Norway in search of the elusive Northern lights before, taught me that there was no such thing as bad weather, just poor clothing, as canvassed by the locals in Lapland. They wear layers of clothing with thermal underwear and peel away the different items as they warm up during outdoor activities. The moral of the story is, if you are not correctly dressed, you will be cold, but if you consider the elements and not allow the harsh conditions of cold weather to dampen your spirit, you could happily frolic in the snow  without attracting frost bite! With that in mind, my husband and I set off last year on a snow safari, hunting for the Northern lights, wearing layers of clothes that protected us from the cold, and allowing us to linger around a fire at a Sami tent in anticipation of the Aurora flirting with us. Being dressed in Canada Goose snow proof clothes, and sub-zero boots protecting our feet, we could extend our time outdoors, awaiting the kaleidoscope of colour of the Aurora Borealis. She slowly made her entry, briefly blinked at us, and disappeared into the dark of night......The key to my survival in today's cold weather, was to heed to the advice of the snow people, hence the layering in my look today.

 

 

 

Coat - Zara (Old)

Skirt - Queenspark (Old)

Collar - Unknown

Cuff- Foschini's

Boots - Taft Shoes

Tights - Debenhams (Old)

Handbag- Prune

Red Snowproof jacket - Canada Goose

 

BROCADE

It was love at first sight when I first laid eyes on a Brocade blazer by Balmain as featured in a previous post, however, the decision to buy it, was curtailed by the fact that I could never justify the cost per wear, and being prohibitively expensive, I decided to settle for the less extravagant version of Brocade. I put pen to paper and had a blazer made to measure from upholstery material, normally only associated with furniture. The stability of a textile so heavy, leans itself perfectly for coats and jackets, as it contributes towards the fit and holds it shape forever. I am fortunate to be able to employ the skills of a designer and pattern maker who can virtually create any style and whose craftsmanship is the closest to haute couture. The precision with which she measures and cuts, is awe inspiring, allowing you to get exactly what you want. To be able to have garments made to measure, is a great advantage if you have a large imagination with access to good textiles, hence my shopping adventure at Komolka Stoffe in Vienna, where one could get lost in a wonderland of fabric, and where you can find similar Brocade fabric. If you are pear shaped, this particular length and cut of the blazer lends itself better to straight leg pants as opposed to the ones I wear in this post, but distant dry cleaning facilities rendered my unable to retrieve my favourite woollen pants in time for the spur of the moment urge to wear this blazer today.

 

Jacket - Belle Epoque

Pants - H & M

Shoes- Woolworths

Handbag - Celine Boston Tote

Polka dot Top - Woolworths

Neck Piece - Sass Diva

Bracelet - Hermes

 

BEAUTY WITHOUT CRUELTY

As some of you who read my posts on a regular basis will know by now, I firmly believe in sustainable fashion and promoting the concept of fair trade in manufacturing. It is a relief to see how many manufacturers have agreed to the improvement of conditions in response to the recent tragedy that killed several people in a clothing factory. That said, it follows that I also support and promote beauty products that do not allow animals to be used as guinea pigs. I wholly support organizations like The Body Shop who supports the concept and who has become internationally known for the responsible and animal friendly development of their products.

 

Tomorrow sees the opening of another store in the department store of V & D in Amsterdam. The Body Shop complies with the Humane Cosmetic Standards, which are set by the British Union for Abolition of vivisection, and regarded as the highest standard in the industry in as far as it relates to animal welfare. Congratulations to both V & D for associating with The Body Shop and wishing you much success on the road ahead! If we all support institutions like this, the world could become a much friendlier place for all of us, no matter how big or small.

 

 

BODY TYPE REVIEW

 

My relationship with clothes started with my maternal grandmother, whose love for fashionable clothes and acute awareness of being well groomed, made a lasting impression on me, firmly imprinted into my memory. She would dress me like a mannequin, and taught me to turn around in the mirror to view my outfit from all angles. I always endeavour to put it to good use when deciding whether a particular style or cut suits my body type or not. Even though I would love to, it is exactly why I do not wear skinnies, as it is not flattering to pear shapes, and hence the straight leg pants as opposed to skinnies, living up to my concept of dressing your body type instead of your age. These printed pants immediately caught my attention, and being a rather straight cut, I find them a little more flattering! The beauty of straight leg cuts is that it elongates your legs if you are on the short side. If you want to take it to the next level, step out in high heels, adding instant illusions of height!

 

 

 

Jacket - Reserved Clothing

Pants - H & M

Shoes - Zara

Bag - Louis Vuitton

Bracelet - Hermes

Sunglasses - Hermanus Street Market Find

Turtle Neck - Primark (Old)

WARDROBE MALFUNCTION?

Do you sometimes suffer wardrobe malfunction staring at an overloaded closet not being able to really see what's in store? If there is one thing that unites women, it's the concept of not having anything to wear in spite of a closet bursting at the seams.... Don't despair dear friends, there is hope at hand. One way of solving this problem is by having regular stock taking or wardrobe audits. The easiest way is to unpack everything, then group things by sorting into different lots like jackets together, informal wear, long sleeve tops, button ups etc. Now take your favorite item, perhaps starting with a blazer and display it on a hanger or flat surface. Compare and match various items with it until you find an ensemble that you have not worn together before. Now move on to bottoms and accessories and mix and match. If you have a separate clothes rail, you could assemble outfits like this for an entire week at a time, taking the hassle out of guesswork before work in the mornings. You could go one step further and take photos of your favorite ensembles allowing you instant access and creating a database from which to work, and of course you can use it as a reference. Have fun swopping items around and see how your wardrobe can work for you. I guarantee that you will be surprised at the volume of new outfits! Let me know how it worked for you!

The collage below is an example of where to start. I merely took a few Black and White items and rotated them around creating a multitude of outfits. What fun it is to digitize your wardrobe!

MARKET DAY OUT

If the concept of casual clothes pose difficulty because you only shop for work wear, and you think you have nothing to wear over weekends, my only advice would be to stock up on jeans and "flatform" shoes.  You could easily spice jeans up by wearing it with a blazer without looking to formal, and create a casual look at the same time. My most welcome addition to casualwear apart from jeans, are flat booties. I decided that mid season is most suited to the acquisition of this Camel coloured parka. I matched it with an old pair of chinos, and some animal print for a casual day out. The shoes were not exactly my idea of chic, but considering the fact that fashion had to follow comfort for a day out on the feet, I succumbed to an overbearing pair of flats in a matching print. The extra wide fit was intentional to create some comfort for my left foot which is still in rehabilitation from surgery a year ago, rendering me a little less able to hop around on high heels all day. No need to mention that the procedure was partially required as a result of not having respected the natural form of my feet when buying shoes in earlier days. Funny how we have to endure so much agony before we learn, not so? Saturday took me to the Neighbour goods Market in Woodstock, Cape Town, where your taste buds are tantalised beyond your imagination. I enjoyed having the taste senses stimulated to the extent of saturation! With more than 100 stalls of tasteful delights, it's hard to contain yourself!

 

Parka - Reserved Clothing

Chinos - C & A

Boots - Dorothy Perkins