MOSCOW STYLE, THE PACKING LIST

Traveling in style always poses some practical problems as you have to be find a balance between being comfortable, wearing shoes that are made for walking, looking chic and feeling great at the same time, not to mention the luggage restrictions. When the cold suddenly sets in, you start layering, and when my head is covered, I am ready to go! The Russian weather took us by surprise in Moscow as we were prepared for autumn, but met with much colder weather. I always travel with a blazer to fix things up, and being smitten with denim and culottes, I found the perfect match to meet all the requirements for traveling in style. Blazers are timeless, and the weight of this Brocade jacket the perfect travel companion as it gives you a few options to style it in different ways. My boots were made for walking, the tights kept the blaze at bay, and the blazer could take me anywhere. If it was any warmer, I would have draped the blazer across my shoulders sporting the micro trend. A cross body satchel keeps your hands free (for shopping of course) allowing you to take a brisk walk, swinging the arms along to contribute towards burning up some calories after the morning's indulgence in our fabulous hotel's sumptuous spread, the Royal Aurora Marriott, smack in the middle of all the designer stores on Petrovka Street. With Dior on our doorstep, Chanel next door, Gucci across the street, and Burberry decorating the next corner, I had to look the part.... My Astrakhan hat was a very cute discovery in a fur shop hidden away in a small street completely off the beaten track. Keep your eyes open for these little gems when exploring a city! Packing list: Breton Top, Equestrian Scarf, Brocade Blazer, Denim Culottes, Printed Tights, Snake Print Ankle Boots, and Cross body satchel.

Blazer - Belle Epoque

Denim Culottes - Country Road

Tights - Department Store

Fur Hat - unknown store, Moscow

Ankle Boots - Solsana, available at www.superbalist.com

Satchel - Gucci Disco Bag

 

WIDE LEG PANTS

The high waisted wide leg pants is a no stranger to the fashion scene, and comes and goes in different styles. This is a great trend to create height, wear them longer with high heels to even elongate long legs more! At a statuesque 1,78 metre tall, I take pride in succumbing to this trend, towering over the rest of the world!  This is not a style that suits every body shape, but very forgiving to pear shapes. I often take shelter in wide legs as it conceals the accentuated and well rounded shape of my child bearing hips, and it creates a little drama to the look. It's a great trend for work clothes as it could be teamed with a crisp White cotton shirt to create a more serious look. I sometimes wear heels that give you vertigo extending the impact of wide leg pants to a dizzy height. It leans itself to a multitude of styles, and if the length gets to much, don't feel shy to cut it to size to give a cropped look and turning it into culottes instead.  To avoid creating to much bulk, keep the top to fitted styles when wearing this trend. My look was inspired by flamenco dancers for SA Menswear Fashion Week.  I knew it was  a little dramatic when I bumped into someone who asked if I was going to a theme party. I replied "yes", I'm on my way to fashion week..... after all, challenging convention is what fashion is all about. My flare sleeves contributed towards the drama and the hat was carefully shipped as hand luggage all the way from Ronda, Spain. I added some hoop earrings and a low bun with flower embellishment to resemble the flamenco dancer. 

 

 

A GRAND AFFAIR

If the previous post was not enough to convince you to attend this lavish event, this review sure will make you reconsider next year! The winelands hosted a grand affair with the annual Le Kap Lifestyle Fair in association with Lamborghini, becoming one of South Africa's premier lifestyle events. With a free flow of  Veuve Cliquot for VIP guests,  and delectable fair prepared by our very own celebrity chefs, the event was meant to stimulate just about all the senses. When the invitation says "Royal Ascot," hats are almost obligatory. Taking shelter against the heat, we were lavishly entertained by the sounds of Sterling EQ, a trio of musicians needing very little introduction. The music was followed by a stunningly beautiful parade of fashion, all by local designers. Craig Port presented a feast for the eyes showing his latest swimwear collection, modelled by bodies looking like they've been chiselled to perfection. With perfect summer weather, guests had the option to picnic in Victorian style on the well manicured lawns where they could indulge in fine food and a choice of wines presented from various estates. Like usual, Jacques Le Grange Couture held us in awe with his spectacular collection in Black, doing the industry proud. The classic Italian label, Luisa Spagnoli, displayed a beautiful collection that would have been the envy of Grace Kelly. Our own Thula Sindi hosted an equally beautiful collection with some pieces that might become collectables. Guests were not in the least deterred by the heat, daring it out in the open, only to be scorched by the rays of the unforgiving African sun to watch the show jumping event. The tents were filled to the brim with chic and glamorous attendees enticing their taste buds with the delicacies on offer.  The multiple aspects of the event, the scenery, combined with life's finer things, translated to a superb event, a true showcase for style. 

The charming Jacques La Grange,right, with one of his bevy of beauties who modelled his collection.

Conversing with guests, wearing Belle Epoque, Trenery and customised hat.

Sterling EQ

The power behind the throne, Le Kap's Steve Swanepoel 

The beautiful Pnina Fenster, Editor of Glamour Magazine, and Tawela Twala Ngambi, radio host and self confessed fashion addict!

Thula Sindi Collection

Craig Port, Swimwear

Feathered Dress by JacquesLaGrange Couture

Neem Abra wearing Naeelah Jumat

Esther Meshoe, entrepreneur and philanthropist 

Winemaker, right, Jean Vincent Ridon from Clos d'Oranje

The elegant Roshan Isaacs

MADE FOR THE MIX , INSPIRED BY...

When Cape Town hosts an event, it is done for an audience across the world as it doesn't just have the mother of all  mountains, but a reputation for presenting events with flair and style. The J & B Met is high on the social calendar and a well established horse racing event as mentioned in my previous post. It attracts numerous people and gives the city a substantial economic injection, not to mention the fashion industry who otherwise experiences a rather quite month during January. The fashion cognoscenti stimulates the industry with conviction, making sure that they are seen wearing garments from local designers of which there is no shortage. Some go out of their way to look like a spectacle, others do their best to uphold the elegance of a bygone era. My perception of the races, is one of sophistication and elegance, and so it should be, in true tradition of equine events. 

There is a huge element of extravagance with themed costumes dominating the scene, all of them milling around on high heels hoping to be snapped, and obviously competing for the best dressed couple. The overwhelming majority who prances around on the lawns seem to think of the races as a spectacle to sport their most outrageous looks, and perhaps there is also room for this phenomenon. Having attended as a media member, I mostly gravitated towards aiming my lens at the more glamorous daywear and captured the looks that I thought of as being classy and fabulous as opposed to outrageous, spectacular or dramatic calling for a stage instead of a race track. 

My outfit was carefully selected to blend in with the theme but still enabling me to feel comfortable and looking fairly chic.The massive flower in my headpiece was inspired by the abundance of Cape Fynbos, the indigenous flowers that are endemic to our beautiful province. The colour Red was decided on because it exudes energy to represent the stealth and speed of the horses. The style of my dress is inspired by the middle ages and called the "Juliette" dress. My shoes are made of pony skin (no, not horse's hair, but hair on hide), with a leopard print representing Africa. The gaming token on my purse was in line with the act of gambling and betting. The entire combination was made for the mix........

With the talented and charming designer, Portia Masimula, and her model, right in one of Portia's Ostrich feather creations. 

Hat - Handmade

Dress - Belle Epoque, "The Juliette"

Shoes - Zara

Purse - Unknown

Sungasses - Dior 

Photography , other than where I appear in it, my own handiwork done with a Canon