Summer's here!

I've been missing in action for the past month or so...bad bad blogger yes I get it! But to celebrate that things are looking up and that summer's upon us here in South Africa I take the time to round up some of the summer trends I'm most excited to try out this season.

One for the boys...

So, my male friends are always asking me why I don't ever blog about something they can find interesting... Well, basically it's because I am absolutely clueless when it comes to men's fashion trends and generally I try not to speak up about things I know literally nothing about! So when I came across this super-hot pic of Pharrell on pinterest I thought: 'Gosh, that man sure does look fine...' and immediately thereafter starting surfing the net looking for pics of similiarly fine-looking men!

So in my uninformed state I've noticed a few things about what makes guys look fashionable to the average woman. Look at this pic of Pharrell...He's got confidence! He pulls off a simple tie, vest and coat combo with a staggering amount of swag and makes an average, run-of-the-mill outfit look superbly fashionable! Secondly,any women loves a pair of tight pants...you can say what you want about your boyfriend looking like he's stolen a pair from your own closet, nothing makes a man look hot like a tight pants worn with lots of confidence! Third, a good coat. A quality coat makes me take my eyes off any old, goofy cartoon emblazoned t-shirt a guy could be wearing underneath and immediately tells me this guy's got some credibility in the style department. Just take a look at the three great looking guys photographed in New York by men's street style blog trashness.com.

So there you have it boys,  the countdown to stylish men's fashion from a complete outsider: 1.Confidence, 2.Tight Pants, 3. A Good Coat.

A warm and fuzzy feeling...

I need to try this trend before summer strikes in South Africa (which, believe me, is not too far off.)...warm socks showing beneath boots not only provides that extra bit of warmth but also takes you to the front of the fashion pack when it comes to being on trend!

Green eyeshadow....Really?

So I’m pretty sure about one thing, I am no beauty blogger. No sir, I pretty much know nothing about beauty trends and tend to spend much more time reading the fashion pages than the beauty pages. Yet everyone likes to experiment every now and then, don’t they? And my experiments usually end up on the pages of this blog.

So here goes nothing...I tried green eyeshadow! The colour my non-beauty blogger, ill-informed mind associates with the words ‘overdone’ and ‘tacky’. But still they sell it in the store along with blue (which I don’t think I’m brave enough to try just yet) and purple and all the colours of the rainbow. So some better-informed consumer out there must be able to make green, blue and purple eyeshadow look pretty, right? So I decided to give it a shot...and ask my readers whether it’s a yes or a no...what’s the verdict? Let me know!

Complimentary fashion

I've developed an obsession with something I've dubbed 'complimentary fashion', which entails styling an outfit using a colour palette made up of complimentary colours. For those of my readers who's not so clued up on the meaning of artsy terms like complimentary colours... I've included a colour wheel in this post as complimentary colours are defined as colours that can be found on opposite sides of the colour wheel. So to join in my current obsession take a walk on the wild side and pair red and green, orange and blue and purple and yellow for some over the top complimentary fashion! Seen here, I've paired my latest Sass Diva find a green statement necklace, with a red top from Mr Price (previously worn here).

The best things in life are free!

I read in the latest issue of Elle magazine (which is a page-turner, make sure you get your hands on a copy!) that designer Jessica Hische once said: “The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”

Makes you think doesn’t it? What do you do while you procrastinate? For me this blog is procrastination central...a clear sign that this should be my one and only passion. Yet somehow I’ve not been able to get around to much procrastination this past year and my journey has been stuck in productivity land. Studying like crazy and turning out assignments like some high-powered factory machine.

Yet there’s still one little thing I make time for...getting dressed in the mornings. Yes, it’s a requirement not a mere procrastination, something that each and every one of us are required to do every day. So I spend that extra few minutes to think what I will wear, to think how others will view my outfit and whom I can reach with a colourful splash of yellow. But most of all I think of myself. I grant myself that one last indulgence left in a busy schedule...to step out in an outfit that wasn’t just thrown together two minutes before I grab a piece of toast, gulp down some coffee and set off on yet another chapter in my hectic journey.

I might not be able to share all these outfits on this blog until I’m finally able to call myself a university graduate at the end of the year, but I can give you this: those few extra minutes spent putting together a masterpiece of an outfit. Believe me it’ll make everything worthwhile!

Furthermore I’ve decided to re-evaluate what really makes life worth living...friends, family and the precious moments spent with them...those are the things in life that are free. And you know what they say, the best things in life are free...

I’ve posted some pics of a red and blue themed picnic a friend recently hosted at Irene diary farm...also let me know what you do when you procrastinate! Take a moment to think about it about it and you might just experience something of a revelation.

Time to make a statement!

So you might be wondering where I've vanished to these past few weeks...well I been writing my end of the semester exams at university and FINALLY I'm finished and ready to get back to blogging, eating, sleeping and basically all the things that make up a reasonably normal life. In between I'll be facing the crazy changes that my life will be undergoing in the coming months till the end of the year...Yes, I'll be finishing my degree, searching for a job, possibly moving to a new city and in between hopefully keeping all my readers up to date and fashionably informed!

On to the more fashion-like things that need to be discussed...lately I've been somewhat obsessed with statement necklaces and recently went on a spree at Sass Diva to acquire me some statement-worthy items! So watch this space for some posts! Meanwhile here's some pics from me pinterest account!

Break out the burgundy!

The hottest new colour of the season is a lovely mix between red and maroon, the kind of burgundy that reminds you of a yummy red wine and wipes out memories of ugly maroon school uniforms. You’ll see this burgundy in all its different shades hanging out in all the hip stores...and I was finally able to get my hands on my very own beautiful burgundy piece. This oversized burgundy sweater was hiding in Mr Price when I was feeling in the mood for some retail therapy and promptly rescued me from my fashion rut.

I had some impulsive fun on the University of Pretoria campus shooting some pics of the outfit I threw together the very day after I went home with my new number in tow. Things are winding down on campus as the students prepare to go into exam mode, so I was able to sneak in a few pics without feeling too awkward (shooting fashion blog pics on campus can do that to you...) Luckily my boyfriend’s quite the amateur photographer and definitely not scared to act the role of pro fashion photographer!

Paired with mid-ankle boots, a chunky ring, and a golden chain necklace this sweater transforms from average to fashionable with help from winter’s three key items. What would you pair it with? Leave me a comment and let me know!

Till next time, happy weekend! xxx  

Nails go viral!

The moment I saw that 36boutiques had launched their new Nail Store , I simply had to blog about it! You can now buy the latest nail colours from Essie and Incoco online at 36boutiques! How awesome is that? I chose a few off my favourite Essie colours on display in the 36boutiques nail store to share with you...

 Essie - 'Tangerine'

Essie - 'Bobbing for Baubles'

Essie - 'School of hard Rocks'

Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign

The Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2012 Campaign shot by the legendary Steven Meisel featuring the two newest models of the moment Daria Strokous Nescher and Katie.

Brogues: Fashionably flat

The fashion world will always fondly remember the brogue as the shoe that made flats fashionable. All over the world front-row fashionistas are seen at fashion shows trading sky-high heels and skirts for capri pants and brogues. They come in all shapes, sizes and colours from laced-up brown leather to moccasin style yellow suede. For those of us who’re not quite ready to give up heels you can even find heels fashioned after the ever-popular flats.

To guide you in your shopping for the world’s most popular flat, I spent some time browsing two of South Africa’s most popular online shopping sites, 36boutiques and Zando, in order to bring you my pick from their collection. 

The brogues in the pics are the newest addition to my winter wardrobe, I got these suede brogues from Mr Price for only R119,99!

It’s never too late to say goodbye to heels and hello to the fashion world’s answer to fashionable flat: the brogue.   

Van der Tlale

Van der Tlale, the exclusive range designed by iconic South African designer David Tlale, has finally launched in LEGiT stores. Naturally, the moment the range hit the stores I rushed to my nearest LEGiT store and fought my way through a throng of toughened SA fashionistas to set my eyes on the much anticipated designer range.

The range certainly lives up to expectations,  with items abounding in sequins, metallic colours and faux leather , all set to be the stars of this seasons fashion trends.  

Choosing my two favourite items from the range to post about proved an unbearable challenge. With so many glittering items and embellishments to draw my attention I had to actively fight the urge to break my tight student budget and walk out of the store, arms filled with  magical VDT items.

So, after much thought and deliberation my two favourite items from the VDT range proved to be a sexy pair of gold shorts and a lovely white gold-sequinned vest. The metallic shorts would go perfectly with black tights and ankle boots for winter and the vest would look superb paired with jeans or even tucked into a high-waisted skirt.

Let me know what your favourite items from the VDT range are! Check out more pics of the range on the Legit Blog

Happy shopping lovely readers...