Barcelona Beauty

 

It's a rare and beautiful thing to find a man who can shop for you. I am proud and humbled to say I have found one such anomaly. On a recent business trip to Barcelona, The Boyfriend returned with a bounty of brownie points. (Bearing in mind, that aside from sizes, I didn't give him any guidance.) Whether you're interested in fashion or not, I think you will appreciate the never ceasing wonders of the modern man!

Zara is one of my favourite stores to visit overseas. Above, a soft cream tee with repetitive butterfly
print & a longer-length, black knit vest, great for layering in winter. 

These delightful lingerie sets are from a store called Intimissimi, an Italian brand that offers
beautiful & feminine underwear, basics, pyjamas and more.

Turquoise & cerise pink (short) tunic dress from Zara.

And The Shoes: a pair of authentic, hand-made wedge espadrilles from the renowned
La Manual Alpargatera shop, near the Las Ramblas in Spain, that put espadrilles on the international
fashion map. They're such a beautiful stone/dove grey – feminine and really versatile.

This Season's Must-have Reversible Dress

This extraordinarily delightful child is my niece, Olivia. In this photo, Olivia wears a reversible Valentine's day dress from The Crazy Aunt Company (that was sent to her in England by her Crazy Aunt, me!). See her modelling it on the blog or place your orders online here.

Design Indaba Finds 2011

Yesterday I descended the rabbit hole to soak up the visceral Cape Town Design Route at the annual Design Indaba. I'd been lapping up tweets from the seminars during the week, so was eager to see what the expo had to offer. I'd thought that Sunday may be quieter, but despite the sunshine and blue skies, the crowds were out at the CTICC. As I wondered the maze of the floor plan, being jostled and nudged, I wished that this meeting of cool creatives happened more than once a year. Judging by the turnout, my sentiment was shared.

Onto my finds - a mere taste of all that was available. I have a passion for Skermunkil jewellery, so I didn't need any prompting to add another piece to my collection - a tiny copper heart, fired in blue on one wide and a minty green on the other. Two unusual perfect colours that will blend in and stand out in their own way. Hearts predominate, but you will also be charmed by the birds, kites, flags, hot air balloons, rabbits... (Check out the Skermunkil blog or buy some gems from the Beatnik Bazaar online shop. In fact, you'll find a lot of beautiful, hand-made goodies that were available at the Indaba there.)

The wooden heart earrings and beautiful bicycle-etched heart brooch are by the talented Durban designer Genevieve Motley. Overheard in her stand: "I wish this stall was bigger"! So to make way for her fans, I went with two classic pieces, but was seriously tempted by the bird pendants and earrings, rabbits, bird cages, foxes, flowers... I can't do it all justice. Check out Genevieve's designs on her site.

I've been looking for a comfortable, leather bag in a neutral, versatile colour. Enter Klone - Urban African Design - and their unfussy, well-crafted designs. The style of the bag I chose is called Flying Springbok, in soft "dessert" leather. Klone has collaborated with the iconic visuals of Karin Miller to create bags using modern water-based, eco-friendly inks and recyclable fabric.

Finally, after meandering around the show, getting inspired by the creativity and talent the Indaba attracts and enjoying some sushi from the Earth Fair Market. I ended up at Sarah Jane Webber's I Love Leroy stall and bought a soft, blue, elastic waisted, vest dress with side pockets. Then I left before the CTICC parking and my post-payday revelry bankrupted me...

Until next year!

PS I picked up a fun shirt for The Boyfriend from the creatives at On Top Of The World - putting Cape Town on the map! They've flipped the world - literally! - on its head with maps depicting Cape Town on top of the world!

Polyvore

It's like paper dolls for grown-ups! According to the website, Polyvore is the "largest community of tastemakers where people can discover their style and set trends around the world". So you can be the stylist, art director and designer, creating an editorial layout fit for the pages of a fashion magazine. Inspire and get inspired.

Purple in print

Purple was my pre-teen colour of the 90's, and whether I overdid it a little there (purple and blue duvet set with matching sponging on the walls may have done it!) I grew out of love with purple. But it's growing on me more and more (yes, I know I may be picking up on this one a season too late, but I had an aversion). Purple can be very striking in print, or worn as a statement colour (my mum has a fabulous signature, rich purple coat). Below, is the print I donned for work today – a mini blouse dress in a sheer satin, with a waisted tie belt picked up on my trip to England in December.



My Mum's purple coat reminded me of a poem she loves that has become one of my favourites, "Warning" by Jenny Jospeh.

When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple
with a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
and satin candles, and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired
and gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
and run my stick along the public railings
and make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
and pick the flowers in other people's gardens
and learn to spit.

You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat
and eat three pounds of sausages at a go
or only bread and pickles for a week
and hoard pens and pencils and beer nuts and things in boxes.

But now we must have clothes that keep us dry
and pay our rent and not swear in the street
and set a good example for the children.
We must have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practice a little now?
So people who know me are not too shocked and surprised
When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple.

Ribbons and bows

This gorgeous large black and cream rosette (from Dorothy Perkins in the UK) can be worn as a brooch or a hair accessory. I wore at the collar of a sheer, black, button-up shirt-blouse.

Fashion Friday's Red-hot Look

While not the bravest colourist, I think a red day dress against tanned skin with classic accessories, looks amazing. (Inspiration courtesy of The Sartorialist's shot.) So I found one for my Friday Lust Look, all from of the fabulous Joy store I mentioned yesterday.







Check out local blogger, Being Brazen's, take on the red dress here.

Pink brogues

It's been a rather dark week with long hours and high stress levels over deadline, but my new dusty pink brogues from Mr Price brightened my day yesterday (and for just R69.99, noggal!).

Introducing Olivia

I've mentioned Narina's gorgeous Crazy Aunt creations before. Here's one that was made specially for my niece (7 week old) Olivia, who lives in England. Olivia herself was created in South Africa while her parents were on holiday here almost a year ago. I'll definitely be putting an order in with The Crazy Aunt Co for Christmas!

Gorgeous Gifts

The perfect, personalised gifts for my friend's two year old, Rylee, thanks to the talented Crazy Aunt Narina. Check out her blog and more gorgeous creations here.

Hand-embroidered Foldable Tote

There's nothing like a hand-made, one-of-a-kind piece. Find out how to make this cute, hand-embroidered foldable tote (how useful!), courtesy of QueenAndCorgi's Alex, on her site here.

Proudly African

Porcelain African continent on brown felt ribbon, courtesy of Keyna-B. More like a trophy pin – I love that!

Button Up

I love how quirky button brooches can change and develop an outfit by adding a new facet. These are some from Skinny Laminx that I added to a formal, tailored grey wool blazer.

Featherweight

Simple, classic, elegant – all the things that make a gorgeous accessory.

Owl City

An unusual tiered owl brooch, courtesy of colleague, occasional blogger, day-dreamer and fellow brooch-lover, Keyna B.

Beautiful Brooches

I love, love brooches. I especially love brooches in the shape of birds and hearts – my favourite motifs. Lucky for me, I work in an office with a handful of women (we are seriously outnumbered by high-fiving, in-joke sharing, sport-talking blokes) who like brooches too. I so appreciate every brooch I spot – the often simplified, iconic shapes and patterns, the use of colour and sparkle, how it's been combined with an outfit and how every brooch usually has its own story and journey. This one is real vintage, a hand-me-down from mother to daughter, striking on a turquoise coat.

My LookBook 2: Some of My Favourite Things

Today's is one of those outfits composed of a few of my favourite accessories...

• The colours – Red, white and navy. There's no US patriotism happening here, I just love the combination. Maybe it's a throwback from my teen years, with young, fresh-looking gorgeous Tommy Hilfiger models on my bedrooms walls. But I think it's the classic nautical theme. And I just plain love navy.
• The stripes – I love stripes about as much as I love navy. This cardigan (nautical theme?) is one of my favourites.
  
• The white shirt – Dressed up or down, there's nothing more classic or empowering than a tailored white shirt.
  
• The scarf – A favourite accessory of mine, scarves are functional and stylish and I often use mine to add colour to an outfit. This one has sentimental value. It belonged to my late aunt who always looked immaculate and stylish. She wore bold, bright colours, which in my monochromatic world, I find inspiring. My sister chose it for me when she was sorting out my aunt's wardrobe after her death, because, of all the scraves, she thought this one said me. My sister, my mum and I all have one, each chosen for its appropriateness. I value the connection, to them and to my aunt.
  
• The Postman belt – This vintage belt is a hand-me-down from my boyfriend. He bought it off a postman for R5 while he was at Rhodes University. I love how worn it is, I love its history and I love that it was his long before we met.
• The ring – A gift from my boyfriend from the streets of Paris. I know, right?! We found a little jewelry shop (Metal Pontu) in the lanes, which makes interesting jewelry from recycled metals. We'd both promised ourselves – travelling on the rand – that we would only buy things we loved and classics we would keep forever and remember Paris by. We chose it together and this was his Paris for me.
  
• The boots – It's such a cliche: "Invest in a good pair of boot". But these leather riding boots have been one of the most useful purchases. They've happily carried me through two seasons, on local and international streets and I love how they are wearing in. I remember the day I bought them, shopping with my mum and having buyer's remorse over the expense on my card, while we sat and had coffee. She lives far away and these boots, in a strange way, are an evocative link to her.
  

My LookBook1: Only Boys Wear Blue

I woke to the sound of rain being whipped against the window by gusts of wind. Like most mornings, rain or not, I could think of nothing better than staying in bed all day. And, like most mornings, I attempt to remain under the covers for as long as I possibly can, by planning what I'm going to wear that day, rationalising that it'll save time later.

It normally starts with shoes, which are dictated to by the needs of the day (Meetings? Will I be walking anywhere? Going for a drink after work?) and the weather. I decided today was a brogue day. And so the rest of my outfit was born. I love wearing my boyfriend jeans with brogues; love the combination of blue and tan and love incorporating more masculine clothes into stylish, feminine work looks! Following the emerging theme, the most sensible and natural choice was my boyfriend's light blue shirt, cinched in at the waist with a cream and tan belt. I accessorised with silver bangles, delicate leaf-shaped earrings and one of my favourite hats – a wool, checked fedora in grey, blue and tan – that I picked up in a thrift store in Pennsylvania. It's amazing how an outfit can change your mood. Today, I feel comfortable, confident and in control.