FIFTYFABULOUS, Stylecuratrix: Dorothy Perkins

Showing posts with label Dorothy Perkins. Show all posts

Saturday, 8 March 2014

TABOOS AND TRENDS

Yesterdays taboos are tomorrows trends. I was raised with the idea that White shoes are a taboo, and that the shoes should never be lighter than the seam. Sounds a little archaic to you? Well, it fact it is. There are a number of fashion dos and don'ts that we grew up with that now appear to be primitive and outdated. Here I am again, challenging convention, or perhaps simply ignoring outdated rules. My soles are much paler than the pants, I am wearing different prints together, and I feel ecstatic about the liberation. One more advantage of being a girl of a certain age....

Blazer - Charter Club

Pants - Dorothy Perkins

Shoes - Valentino Rock Studs

Top - H&M

Clutch bag - Jimmy Choo

Saturday, 1 March 2014

KALEIDOSCOPE

The brighter the better..... looking on the bright side of my wardrobe, I was faced with the challenge of wearing print that is not only bright, but rather bold and loud. The print is inspired by a tropical garden, allowing it to be worn with a multitude of rainbow colours. I chose to wear a dress that toned the look down, balancing it with shoes that picks up and reflects on all the colours of the print. This coat is a marvellous item to dress up jeans, and to spruce up a simple pair of cigarette cut pants, perhaps with heels a few inches higher....... after all, the sky is the limit. The twist in the dress works it's magic in slimming down the waist, and the rouged effect leads the eye to the middle. This is a great style if you want to elongate the appearance of the body, and distract from the midriff, particularly after a month of many celebrations.....

Dress - Dorothy Perkins

Coat - D & G

Shoes - Valentino Rock Studs

Wristwatch - Gaga Milano

Sunglasses - Dior

Wednesday, 11 September 2013

OVERSIZED COATS AND PRINTED TIGHTS

Like most things subjected to an audit, you should always balance things out, only this exercise performing an audit of my wardrobe, was completely devoid of balancing! So I delved a little deeper with my evaluation and arrived at the horrifying conclusion that my entire kaleidoscope consists of primarily Black, White, Citrus and Coral colour schemes, leaving me with a huge discrepancy! The absence of colour suddenly left me feeling empty, and completely lacking a sense of adventure. The only way I could do a balancing act was to add a little funkiness with print. Given the fact that my profession does not allow much creativity or opportunity to display my sense of dress adventure, I naturally gravitate towards the corporate colours and styles. If you're in the same rut, the easiest way of introducing some excitement in your mid season outfits, is by wearing printed tights. Printed tights should not however be worn with anything to busy making it appear like a jigsaw puzzle. Combining to much accessories could also render it looking a little Burlesque! A simple pair of pumps or high heels would suffice, and if you wear a skirt, unlike me, show a little leg to emphasise the print! If you shorten the hemline to just above the knee and wear it with high heels it instantly elongates the legs, and worn with a flimsy little box pleated skirt, who knows where it will take you? Be brave girls.....seeing this in print, definitely spurs me on to shorten the skirt's length! An over sized coat like this also requires the hemline to be tapered down and should not be worn with to much bulk in the bottom since it could easily make you look to heavy.

Coat - Asos

Turtle Neck - Primark

Skirt - Studio W

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Handbag - Louis Vuitton

Tights - V & D Amsterdam

Monday, 26 August 2013

WHAT I WORE CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK

The beauty of an event like Fashion Week, is that it poses a creative challenge, and allows you the opportunity to wear something perhaps a little more flamboyant than usual. One has to bear in mind that it is a creative platform, and being to "dressy" might render you looking like the mother of the bride, which is not exactly what I wanted to achieve. I have seen many artistic creations and a multitude of full skirts worn with jersey tops and loud shoes, with the bottoms making the statement. The full skirt seemed to have stolen the show of the front row being a popular trend that attracted much attention. I gravitated towards the reliable Black ensemble since it was in the evening. However, I could have added more colour to break up the monotony of Black, or perhaps have worn more bold accessories, making the look more trendy. I decided not to veer away to far from my comfort zone, so I only added a geometric print top to break the "cocktail" appearance of the all Black ensemble. I added a pair of Gold tipped shoes to brighten up the look. The feathers was my own addition which I had carefully stitched onto the seams of the jacket, the latter being made of a very fine taffeta. In conclusion, I would say that you do not have to shy away from flamboyancy at Fashion Week, as it is mostly clashing colours and mixed prints that received the envy and turned the heads!

If I wasn't going the get "snapped by the paparazzi, at least I got noticed when my feathers started shedding, creating much laughter every time I left my seat!

Photograph-courtesy Roger February who represented www.spree.co.za

With the charming Dana,(left) a reporter from Nairobi wearing a full skirt from Kluk CGDT, and Juliana Roux,(middle) captured by www.sdr.co.za

Jacket - Reserved Clothing

Bag - Chanel 2.55

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Earrings & Spectacles - Vintage

Monday, 1 July 2013

WINTER STAPLES ELONGATING THE BODY

If all else fails during winter, resort to layering with your favourite staple. A coat length just above the knee is extremely reliable and most suited for the unpredictable Cape of storms, never mind the fact that it is a hot trend! Our current weather changes at least three times a day, almost as temperamental as a menopausal women. Since you never know how hot or cold the afternoon would be, (much like hot flushes) you should not let the morning's rain and wind deter you from covering up in layers, hence my pea coat from my favourite Italian store, Piazza Italia, combined with multiple trends including layering, prints, and heavy statement neck pieces! My recent visit to Europe, frolicking the clothing stores, brought me to the conclusion that if there is one staple that we should invest in if you haven't already, it's this kind of coat. It looks equally perfect dressed down with jeans and ads instant glamour to your looks if combined with heels! The mid length also tends to elongate the body if by any chance you are horizontally challenged! Needless to say my fixation with animal print is continued in this blazer, representing multiple different prints combined with leopard. It also promotes the concept of different prints worn together, as the sunglasses deviate from the print on the blazer although it is in the same colour scheme. I added a touch of Turquoise to break up the monotony of winter's darkness.

Pea coat - Piazza Italia, Florence

Blazer - Jenni Button

Top - Zara

Pants - C & A

Clutch - Prada

Neck Piece & matching bracelet - Honey

Sunglasses D & G

Shoes - Dorothy Perkins

Friday, 28 June 2013

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...