Fashionable Self

Style and fashionable sense of self is definitely something which matures over time and this is very closely linked to ones growth as a person.

Fashion reflects society. It reflects global change and in some movements in particular it can be an influence for change itself. One of the clearest examples of this is the link between women’s freedom and the manner in which gender defines clothing.

When the suffragettes first demanded the right to be acknowledged as full and equal member of society with the same right to vote among other aspects of life that men had at the time the only method they had at getting attention was by being somewhat provocative. This meant breaking social norms like … wearing pants (#gasp). At the time women and men dressed in entirely different ways and this enforced the divided between them. Today it might seem odd that a woman simply wearing pants was worth social outcry (possibly as odd as a woman not being able to vote?). Today there are still places in which women are prevent from voting or taking part in politics, namely Saudi Arabia and the Vatican City (oh and monarchs, dictatorships etc but that hardship is at least gender equal). One would not be surprised to note that in the mentioned areas along with restricted political freedom women’s dress code is also highly limited… guess what? No pants.

Another example of dramatic change occurred in and around the periods of world war where an emphasis on practicality and movement overruled elegance and delicacy as money disappeared and efforts were required from every person regardless of gender or wealth. Fabrics changed to decrease costs and women’s dress code evolved as they were forced into previously male dominated professions. This was reflected by pioneering men and women like Paul Poiret a Parisian designer who left behind strict corsets for free loose fitting clothes (on the very runway). He reflected the societal changes that were occurring in his designs and in doing so influenced massive change in the fashion industry.

Whenever a revolutionary step is taken whether it be in the liberty of a specific group of people, political unrest, religious rebellion or even global weather changes, fashion will simultaneously evolve.

This can even be seen in the role fashion plays in one’s life as an individual.

Being someone who is only 19 my style is definitely not absolute and has a very long path before reaching a stage of surety and until I get to that point the role my clothes play in my life is going to change as I change. How could I possibly have a set style when I haven’t even determined my internal set of morals or my position in society? What I am on the outside needs to reflect and build on what I am on the inside.

I was doing an interview in which one of the questions was “what is the most consistent colour in my wardrobe” and, although those of you who are regular readers will know that the answer is quite obviously black, it was not an answer which came to me so readily. This is not because I hold any resentment against black but rather that this colour is relatively new to me. When I originally showed a sustained interest in the fashion world I don’t think I owned a black item of clothing. To me colour was important and I believed quite heavily in the myth that pale people can’t wear black (this is very, very, VERY, false by the way). I wore lots of bright colours and plane blue denim jeans. I contrasted patterns and textures and focused on investing in interesting statement pieces.

At the end of last year however I rediscovered the beauty and power of basics and as this year has progressed most of those basics have been in the shade of black.

I don’t think that this has coincidentally transpired alongside my personal transformation as a young woman in society. I grew up, moved into a new place, and most importantly I actually started to confront my socially prescribed beliefs.

I have grown my knowledge on the world and have taken a step up as someone who speaks out and gets involved. This requires one to be assured of oneself, passionate and brave (the last of which I am still working on) and as I step up and represent myself and the ideals which I now stand for a larger more impressive stage I needed to be wearing something worthy of this and this new look is somber and dignified. Simple and composed.

But the clash and the craziness (and the passion) still holds a prominent place in who I am and how I dress.

All images by Justice Machaba (@justicemachaba)

What I am wearing:

Knitted Polo Neck Jumper – Woolworths (last season)

Black Over-sized Coat – Woolworths (last season)

Black textured stockings – the bottom of my sock draw

Rose Gold Chain – Vintage

Black (oh dear I can’t remember the name of these) Shoes – Edgars 

Black Gypsy Dress – MrP Clothing

“Fashion is about dressing according to what’s fashionable. Style is more about being yourself.”

Oscar de la Renta

x J

MrP Pop-Up Store Review

Fashion is an amazing idea, it’s an art and incredibly vibrant industry but it still has its flaws one of which is it’s socio-economic elitism.

All Photos by Refiloe Mokgele (ie All Zuri)

In order to enter into the over-priced world one tends to need to be wearing well known international (international actually meaning western) and expensive brands and this means that because a) I am from ‘Africa’ (ironically the diversity and culture has not yet been used as a source for style inspiration) and b) I cannot possibly afford to live in the top brands, even the ‘everyday’ brands like TopShop and Zara. Because of this, I am not given an equal opportunity to prove myself and hence forth enter the fashion world.

For me fashion is not about the place an item of clothing is from or the expense of obtaining it but rather about the art of styling a particular outfit. This requires creativity, bravery and individualism.
And although it may no longer be the prime focus of the fashion industry or at least something that is drowning in the commercialised aspects, it is what drew me to the industry and what I am determined to keep as the emphasis of my fashion journey.

One of my saving graces as far as actually finding stuff to wear has been MrP/Mr Price.

Mr Price is an interesting place. It has the unique characteristic of reaching almost every single South African which means that its stores contain a variety of different styles… which can sometimes be discouraging.

I along with some of my peers are on the lookout for upcoming and on trend designs that are modern and perceptive but this sometimes leads to frustrating and unhelpful shopping experiences as the general Mr Price store is difficult to work through, crowded and not at all organised…

But…

MrP has come in to change this. MrP is the new name which comes with the redesign of the Mr Price clothing brand and with it the style of the store and the business. The branding is modern and on trend and growing to contest with the alien brands like Cotton On and Factory (for some reason these are all Australian-not sure how Australia got such a firm hold of this market but anyway).

MrP works off a similar theme of being for the youth, being exciting, colourful and creative.

Along with this has been a new emphasis on joining the common trends and supplying the general populous with clothes which mimic the high end brands at a fraction of the cost.

I am very excited about this move by Mr Price and I love how a brand which has been a crucial part of my fashion career is taking a bigger step in joining the industry.

There are two concerns that I do have. Obviously I still want MrP to be accessible to all South Africans and so I hope they maintain their price range even though they have stepped up on their advertising the most important aspect of Mr Price was that it was affordable. On top of this I think as a South African brand they should maintain a connection with the various cultures around it and so I would like to see more South African inspired wear available in their stores.

Also it would be nice to see “made in RSA” in the labels rather than the Chinese equivalent as support for the South African textile and clothing manufacturing industry is desperately needed.

Aside from this the brand has come a long way and I am really excited to see where it goes from here.

One of their new endeavours has been the MrP Pop-Up stores. They are like retail’s version of flash mobs. Small concentrated stores that come out of nowhere.

They only exist for short periods of time to create excitement and knowledge about a brand. MrP has taken advantage of the hipster-life-style found on Long Street in Cape Town and Braamfontein in Johannesburg (but I believe this has since closed) and is targeting the group of fashion forward young people who hang around in the areas. The store has so far been around for one month and is moving into the second with the new month having a different theme to the last. In august the store was 90’s inspired with bell-bottom jeans, grunge chokers, t-shirt crop tops etc. It was fun but had only about ten items in the store in total making the store clean and concise and most importantly easy to shop in. The idea was to focus on a particular trend movement and almost honour it with it’s own personal show. The different themes will move us through the spring to summer fashion period utilising the consistently changing weather and hence dress. The second theme of the store (September addition) which I must admit I haven’t had an opportunity to check out was dedicated to the 2014 winner of the Elle Rising Star Design winner Tamara Cherie Dyson’s limited edition MrP line. This helps create excitement around the brand and works on my previous wish of the brand strengthening its links with South Africa.

When I visited the store I did not thinking I would buy anything and left with a dent in my bank account and three new items of clothing (plus a free necklace!).

The first item and the one I was most excited about was my Suede-Style (just wannabe leather not the real thing) A-line Skirt which made an appearance in my last blog post (Read it here next). This particular style of skirt has taken the world by storm (practically overnight) and every fashion blogger has invested in a version of it (hence why it is so diversely used). Whether it be leather, denim or corduroy everybody is wearing it.

And I was searching for it. Although TopShop quickly introduced it, it was impossible for me to justify the expense and so you can only imagine my joy when MrP had it as a main piece in their first pop-up range.

The second item which admittedly is slightly too big for me (they didn’t have my size but I didn’t want to lose the chance so I went ahead and bought a big size so now I have to live with my decision) is a Maroon Knee Length Side Split Shirt with a high neck and giant slits down each side. The shirt style is also a popular one although usually it is floor length rather than only touching the knees but I do like this alternative length however if I see the traditional t-shirt side-split floor-length piece I’ll be sure to grab (hey MrP wink wink). I feel very grunge/goth in this look and channel my inner dark diva. Also the necklace was a giveaway that the store had with every purchase of 2 or more items which I was very happy to take. It is a play on the stone/crystal trend and comes with a leather string so you can wear it as you will. I opted for a layered choker style because I’ve decided chokers really suit my hairstyle and that’s that.

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The next piece was a bit of risk for me to buy and was a 90s inspired Little Black Dress which they call the Gypsy Dress. It was originally knee-length which I really liked (it has hence for shrunk in the wash and although it is possible that res-washing had something to do with it I’m going to warn you to watch out when washing it if you do decided to get it). It has embroidery detail along the sleeve and body that creates a gap that breaks the stark black. I like this too but am slightly worried about how I am going to wear it in summer when I don’t have black stockings to hide my multi-coloured underwear (oh well – I’ll cross that road when I get to it).

The dress also came in white which had an entirely different vibe just by a colour change but was also pretty. It has large belled sleeves which I am genuinely in love with. I used to hate ‘belled’ things because it reminded me of fairy-type shirts I used to wear in my unfashionable past and I steered away but no more dear friends will I shy away from over-sized sleeves.

I want to turn over a new leaf and start wearing eccentric platforms and teasing my hair to make its volume treble its natural state. I think I am attracted to the rebellious state of mind that 90’s teenagers lived in (or the idealised protest-starter, world-changer, hate-destroyer 90’s kid at least).

Thank you MrP for making some of my fashion dreams an affordable reality and trust me I will be spending many more hours in that store. Also please pretty please correlate your everyday store with these ideals…

“Fashion is a great thing, it’s a way to express who you are” – Zendaya

x J

Back to Basics

I spent my entire school career at a school which required a uniform. The non-creative monotony of blue tablecloth checks which controlled my fashion life in high school were good for one thing: I did not have to wake up every morning and decide what to wear. Since coming to university I have come to realise the daily struggle of getting up and having to concentrate my energy on coming up with a unique, practical, weather-appropriate and fashionable outfit. Honestly, the process is exhausting but I have built up a new appreciation for the basics and their versatility.

I have now noticed that one can never have too many white t-shirts but I definitely have too few. One of my only ones is this MrPrice item. There is not much descriptive to be said about white T-shirts (I mean it is pretty self explanatory). This one has a V-neck and has a slightly longer back hem than front hem but it is simple enough. It goes with everything. I am going to start scouting for some more plain white Ts and I think if you are looking at investing in your fashion collection, concentrate on the basics first and one of the most important is the plain white T-Shirt. I even think that this is more crucial than  (style gods please don’t hit me for saying this) the Little Black Dress.

Another great basic is the perfect pair of blue jeans. Now as you might be able to see mine are becoming a bit loose and are starting to fade but in their prime they fit me like a glove, were the perfect depth of dark blue and made me think those jeans were made for a greater purpose than stretching over my thighs and ‘bootay’. This obviously meant that I wore the jeans to death (okay not quite death, not even close as they are clearly still wearable but still they aren’t the perfect pair of jeans I once had). Finding a pair of good jeans, the right pair of good jeans, will change your fashion-life. You see a good pair of jeans will be with you when you need them, they will support you when you are feeling confused and uninspired, they will get along with every shirt in your cupboard and they have this unrealistic power of producing a confidence boost every-time you put them on.

The accessories for this outfit – which are crucial for a basic outfit – were my beach inspire sandals, my old owl pendant and chain which is beginning to age but I think it looks cooler that way, and my purple CottonOn sweater which is a personal staple piece as it goes with everything that I own ( I haven’t succeeded in finding something I cant wear it with so far)

I would also just like to mention the beauty of the day I took these photos on. It was the day that the Cape Epic began. It’s start was from UCT and so I went and watched for a brief moment. I wish that I enjoyed running or cycling because when ever I go to these events (and I spend a lot of time waiting at the start and finish behind the supporter line) because their is such an atmosphere of energy and festivities.The athletes are reaching the moment that they have been training for, for months and possibly even years and that ‘goal-reaching’ excitement is very inspiring. At the Epic’s start this is coupled with the background of UCT and Devil’s Peak and it makes for a great way to spend a Sunday morning.

x J

(P.S. It’s test week currently so please excuse the lack of posts)

Black and gold

A new look. Don’t worry I am working on a blog post that isn’t about fashion but for the moment bare with me. I just got a new playsuit. After the misfortune of having my black jumpsuit shrunk in the wash I have been looking for a new one and although I have not found an affordable one yet, my eye did move to the short version while wondering through the Cotton On store. I like this because it is simple and so can be easily styled with loads of accessories. I also love the fact that you can dress this down with a pair of sandals and a cardigan or dress it up like I have with a nice chunky chain and a pair of killer (and sadly these are also feet killer) heels. I like the way this shows off my waist but is also loose and comfortable although I must admit that I don’t know how comfortable I am with the strapless shape as I am slightly self-conscious about my arms but I reckon one has to take the occasional risk.

I haven’t had an opportunity to wear it out dressed up like this but I have been wearing it a lot. Of course it is probably obvious that I am still following the black on black trend. Over all I think this gets a successful tick in the ‘staples’ box (I think a little black playsuit is just as good as a little black dress) and I think I will be wearing this for a while still.

My hair, I am always playing with my hair

I like to throw in that splash of orange

Here you can see the pockets put to use

That valedictory dress

 

 

As I spoke about in one of my earlier posts, I recently had my valedictory dinner. A special evening where my grade and I celebrated our high school career as it comes to an end. It was a formal event and one which we got to dress up for. Most of the girls went for black and I got a few fashion inspirations for when I search for my ‘little black dress’. Another big favourite was formal jumpsuit. They are the new in-thing so a few girls were trying it out with varying success. I however was one of the few who delved into a bright colour. I don’t usually wear green but I do love the style of this dress which is what caused me to try it on and I fell in love. The colour works surprising well with my light skin and dark hair. The flow of the dress is classes and sleek. I love the modern cut and how it makes my body look. Of course it couldn’t be a ‘me’ outfit if I didn’t have something clashing. So my accessory colour became the vibrant and crazy orange. The style of my necklace is a that of tradition in South Africa. It is an old necklace which represents culture and heritage in South Africa. It felt good to have something to do with home. The necklace does not come from my personal culture but it does come from a culture of my country and that is very important to me. Other than that I looked for clean and simple (black and orange) accessories. It was a classic yet crazy look and the mature version of my style.

The little black Coat

Being this age is great. Everything is a celebration. We are constantly celebrating lasts and first which means that there are parties all the time! Okay I am over exaggerating I am a bit of dork so I am not at parties all the time but I am attending substantially more than I ever have before which means that I get to dress up. Unfortunately and fortunately it is winter at the moment. This sucks because sometimes a beautiful outfit looks really rubbish with a jersey but otherwise winter fashion is fun and suits my style quite well so I enjoy it. I went to a recent 18th, it was a dinner (not too formal but not too casual) so I dressed in a-skirt-and-stockings look (one of my favourite combinations of winter). I don’t like wearing too much black so I grabbed an olive-green skirt instead of a black one although I think black would go just as well. I had to add my splash of colour with the scarf which tied the beanie into the outfit. Beanies and Scarves… what would winter fashion be without them.

I finished off the whole look with a short black coat. This, I have to admit, is my sister’s but I often borrow it. I think that having a good coat especially a black one is as key to having a nice winter wardrobe as the little black dress is key to style as a whole. This one is not so long but not so short that it should be called a jacket and it went well with the skirt and stockings.

Over all I felt warm and I think it turned out looking quite well. What do you think?

A big scarf is great in winter.

Beanies don’t always have to be extremely casual.

Maybe the brown shoes didnt go so well.

Rings can always add that extra element that you were looking for.