SPOT REMOVER

Unlike a certain Ms Deville, we can wear polka dots without having to resort to slaughtering animals, and we can rock it with different prints, like stripes and spots. This post features  a collection of polka dots found on various websites and blogs over an extended period of time. Whatever the trend, it remains stunning!

 

 

Photograph by www.fashionmagazine.comm

 

Photograph by www.fashionallwomenstalk.com 

 

RED HOT POKER

It's hard to imagine shopping for spring clothes if we are on the verge of winter, unpacking winter woollies and boots. When leaves start to fall, vineyards turn rusty red, the sky turns grey, temperature drops, and the morning air becomes crisp, I would much rather slip into something heavier, cuddling up. However, the advantage of the rest of the world unveiling their summer gear, is that we get to have the pleasure of shopping for a season ahead! No need to even leave the office, unless of course you are headed to the Northern hemisphere soon, allowing ample opportunity to stock up on next summer's trends! On line shopping has made it so easy to stay ahead of trends, leaving you proper chance to view what next season brings..... cannot wait to get to H & M for this beautiful Red attire! On line shopping also has it's pitfalls, but that's a subject for another day! But since they do not deliver in South Africa, I would have to get there soon.....

 

IN BETWEEN SEASONS

Today's style challenge was to find something that is suited to the weather. It is  neither hot, nor cold, rendering me decision less in front of my closet. However, the slightest hint of cool weather justifies my quest for heavier fabric, as I have a particular fondness for winter clothes. Needless to say, it led me directly to the "in between" space where I had a blissful moment of textile ecstasy bending under the weight of this tactile jacket.  I recovered this timeless "Chanel" like jacket from the hidden away lot,  bought from Zara a year ago, with matching pants in a very pale Khaki, not suggesting to much cold, yet fresh and light enough to still dress in the spirit of summer. My style tip on in between seasons would be to layer, like the Norwegians do, and peel it away as the day gets progressively warmer, yet it still allows me to look fairly "dressed up" for the office.

 

 

 

Jacket - Zara

Top - Albufeira, store unknown

Bracelet and Pearl neck piece- Koh Panyee Island, Phang Nga Bay floating village,Thailand

Trousers -  H & M

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Handbag - Louis Vuitton

Painting by Hanle Mynhardt

 

 

VINTAGE REVIVED

Do you share my sentiment about stacking things away that become dated because the shape is out of "season", yet you cannot discard it perhaps because it is a good piece of clothing? I tend to gravitate towards buying pieces that are going to last longer than just one season, and try to invest in more timeless items, especially if it is made of good quality fabric and keeps it's shape, no matter how many times you send it to the dry cleaners. I have also discovered that putting it in the tumble dryer on low heat with laundry softener sheets, revives clothes without spending exorbitant amounts of money on dry cleaning. I would not do this with an expensive piece though, but for ordinary pieces worn once, it gives an instant lift. The jacket worn below is made of a soft mock suede, and was purchased a considerable while ago at Queenspark. I revived if from the "archives" and gave it a lift by turning the collar up, almost like a Nero collar, and giving it a good old steam cleaning, worn with Orange, the colour of my mood today, vibrant, zesty and energetic! Hope it rubs off on you all! The messy bun was in the spirit of being casual today. The bun holder can be bought from Accessorise, I used the large bun for this messy hairdo. You simply make a pony tail, slip the bun over the ponytail, distribute the hair equally, and voila! Tip- do not look in the mirror when you style your bun to get this effect!

 

Jacket - Queenspark (old)

Baggy Chinos - H & M (old)

Top - Wallis

Shoes - Studio W at Woolworths

Silver neck piece - Siem Reap Market, Cambodia

Sunglasses -  Ray Ban

Bag - Mango (old)

 

TRAVEL LIGHT

Travelling light is a concept I learnt the hard way, especially if you continuously have to bear the crunch of outrageous charges on excess luggage. This brings me to how to pack when travelling abroad. The best advice ever received is to roll each item carefully and fill every space in your bag, not allowing any gaps. Fill the vacuums on the sides with smaller items like socks, tights and underwear. Plan your wardrobe carefully by laying out the outfits in full view, swap items around and create multiple outfits by simply mixing and matching. For mid season, I always travel with at least one pair of Black pants, jeans, and perhaps light weight Chinos that can be worn with a trench. A Breton top is a staple item, since it can create an instant preppy look, or if you are cruising, a very trendy nautical look! I go nowhere without a crisp White button up shirt and flat Ballerina pumps that can easily be matched with most other items. I take shoes in different styles, flat ones for walking and exploring, more sophisticated ones for evenings and nights out perhaps to a theatre or less casual dining establishments, and a pair of boots for sudden bursts of cold weather, and perhaps, a pair of loafers in a classic style. I have also learnt to listen to my dear mother, and accordingly never travel without something warm, not even in summer, unless of course you are headed East to the tropics where the temperature never drops below 25 Celsius  even in winter, like Cambodia or Thailand perhaps!  The outfit below allows me with a few options to re-mix and wear each of these items in the ensemble at least twice again with just three pairs of pants.  My next destination is Europe in mid season, hence at least two jackets and long sleeves, more likely to be needed than summery dresses! In any event, one must not exclude the option of perhaps having to go shopping if your clothes are to warm. The clutch is not very practical for travelling, but this trip requires this particular item for a special occasion! The two tone shoes can take me any where after sunset.....voila!

 

 

P U Jacket - Queenspark (old)

Shoes - Next

Polka Dot Button Up - Cotton On

Pants - Trenery

Clutch Bag - Zara

Neck Piece - Sass Diva

Bracelett - Hermes

HOLDING COURT

There is always humour to be found in idioms. As you may well know I am a lawyer by occupation, and when we hold court, it has a different meaning to the expression, "holding court" as known by royalty. When you are not appropriately dressed for court, the judge would perhaps say "I cannot see you". So it follows that if you are a person of vast girth, it would seem as a compliment. When royalty refers to "holding court" it has an entirely different meaning, and I quote from idioms.thefreedictionary.com, hopefully filling your day with a smile:

 

"hold court (humorous)

to get a lot of attention from a group of people by talking in a way that is entertaining, especially on social occasions

Usage notes: In the past, a king or queen held court when they talked to the people who gave them advice."

 

It brings me to style, when I dress for court, it has to be rather quite, demure and in Black and White. Hence the many Black suits and White shirts in my wardrobe. Being occupied by court this week, it doesn't leave much hope for styling inspirational outfits, although I can imagine wearing Black and White in many different ways, it might still not be considered "court attire" as can be seen below, obtained from www.fabsugar.com , beautiful outfits or not?

 

 

HELLO SUMMER

HELLO SUMMER by fiftyfabulous featuring leather bags

Notte by marchesa
marissacollections.com

Dolce & Gabbana leopard sandals
$99 - harveynichols.com

Meredith Wendell leather bag
bloomingdales.com

DANNIJO chain necklace
dannijo.com

Viva la diva
$10 - nelly.com

ONE by Maslin Zebra Hide Beach Towel
shopbop.com

Shell Decorative Object - #F3997
lampsplus.com

Seagulls and Peaceful Blue Ocean Waves at Sunset. Soft & Dreamy Beach...
etsy.com

OPUS TO SNAKESKIN

My fondness for animal print as depicted in my previous post, continues today with a take on snakeskin. There are numerous ways to style this jacket from Jenni Button, but having regard to the glitz and glamour of the textile and particular print, I prefer wearing it with something more demure. The jacket is rather striking, and with the print being rather loud, I would be reluctant to team it with anything that detracts from the beauty of it's design and print. My elegant friend Hanle complemented the snakeskin look with her beautiful soft chiffon top, worn with very flattering skinnies and ankle cuff shoes.

 

Jenni Button is a South African designer and most sought after.  She is the creator of Jenni Button (Pty) Ltd in South Africa.  They have stand alone stores in a number of the top end shopping centres. I understand that Jenni Button International was recently introduced as her export label.  The general look is not exactly "everyday day",  but rather cutting edge glamour with distinct elegance and style! Instead of being met by over zealous sales assistants, the stores have stylists who assist in creating a particular ensemble and who advises in a very subtle way. I was met by the stylish Nadia, holding the snake skin jacket below, a stylist at the Canal Walk store in Cape Town. Nadia gladly assisted me in styling my outfits and finding the right size......

Jacket - Jenni Button at www.jennibutton.co.za

Pants - H & M

Snake print Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Clutch - Jimmy Choo

Lurex Top - Dorothy Perkins

Neck Piece - Thai Craft

Photography by www.shanenewmanphotography.com

 

 



BRAVING THE WILD

It was great fun spending some time with a professional photographer in a proper studio, doing a post for leopard print and sharing in the expert knowledge of these men at work, making light work of posing! (pun intended!). They literally work miracles behind the scenes, setting up magic lights in a studio creating a very soft ambiance and tranquil atmosphere, not to even mention the quality of photography! As you may well know by now, I have a particular fondness for leopard print and all other animal print for that matter. I joined forces here with my friend Hanle who had just as much fun striking a pose! We decided to do a collaboration on how to wear print and both arrived with outfits consisting of leopard and snakeskin, the latter which I will be showing in a later post! Who said you should'nt wear leopard and stripes together?

Photography by www.shanenewmanphotography.com

My outfit : Breton Top - H & M
Leopard Print Shirt Dress - Jungceylon Sidewalk Sale
Neck piece - Thai Craft
Pants - C & A
Shoes - Zara
Clutch Bag - Jimmy Choo
Hanle's Outfit: Top - Own Design
Pants - Truworths
Shoes - Charles & Keith

 

 

CLASS ACT

With Paris Fashion Week in full swing, Alexander Wang created a magnificent collection for Balenciaga who pulled a class act with a unique show, the beauty of which lingers long after the show is over. I was in awe when I came across these beautiful pics, shown at Fashion Week recently. The theatrical look of Balenciaga's textiles takes it to another level... I see rounded shoulders slowly finding their way back onto the scene. The concept is particularly flattering for those of us with narrow shoulders, as it gives you instant volume in the upper body, and no doubt taking emphasis from hips away, so a special word of welcome on behalf of the pear shapes. Remember the 80's when our shoulder pads made us look like football players? The current trend seems to be a lesser version and far more on the feminine side of things.

 

Photographs from www.fashionologie.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

TRAVEL, TOP SHOP & TOP CITY

I am so privileged to be able to live near, and work in a city as beautiful as Cape Town. Most people whose ever been there are green with envy, and most of them would like to be able to live in the mother city. Cape Town attracts a large amount of tourists from abroad, and obviously commands high end labels for the sophisticated market. Hence the influx of more of the luxury and high end brands like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Gucci and the likes. We have also been seeing many of the high street stores like Zara and Top Shop coming to our continent. No doubt, Cape Town is very trendy and fashionable, and caters for all tastes and styles. We see a variety here, from bohemian, trendy, classy, elegant, funky and whatever you can imagine. In a cosmopolitan city, anything goes. I was overjoyed to finally have received confirmation of Top Shop opening there in April when I paid a visit to the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront yesterday. The V & A is a very popular stop and a "must see" for anybody who visits this stunning city for the first time, with fashion, food, flowers, department stores, home ware and dining options abound. Top Shop caters for a broad spectrum and is always on trend.  Welcome Top Shop, all eyes on you!

 

The dress below is on my shopping list for the opening of the new store.... A skater skirt is just so versatile, worn with tights, a cheeky pair of heels, and a cropped jacket, and this could become a winter staple!