Current situation: Lying in bed with my electric blanket on full, on top of the layers upon layers of clothing I have on, as well as a hot cup of tea and rusks. Dramatic? Maybe. Cold? Definitely. My first full-blown Cape Town Winter and I am not coping. Although I lived in the Western Cape for three years during my University days, I was fortunate enough to escape the Winter months each year as it was our mid-year break. I would go back home for three months of blissful Durban ‘Winters’, it really was the best of both worlds. That aside, there is no more running and hiding from the fearfully cold Cape Town anymore. Every cloud has a silver lining and in this particular situation my silver lining (and my silver lining in most other situations as well) is the delicious Winter fashion! I apologise if my title is a bit misleading. A Winter Love Affair? Why yes, a Winter WARDROBE love affair – the best kind of affair there is.
Living in Durban limited my wardrobe in more ways than one, which I have mentioned more times than necessarily so I won’t go into that discussion in detail. One of the ways I was limited was in the Winter fashion department. Winter in Durban is nothing more than a Summer’s day in Cape Town and so this year I have excitedly flung myself into puffy jackets and large boots with no looking back.
The first mention worthy item of my outfit is this bell-sleeve black embellished top. The fabric itself is much thicker than expected and has a beautiful fit. It is very comfortable and figure flattering and surprisingly eye-catching. For a simple black top its sleeves precede it’s self. I love the stylish element the sleeves add and the subtle slit in the back of the bell-sleeves really add that perfect finish. I have been dying to dip into the embroidery trend at the moment but nothing has really caught my eye enough for me to wear. There have been a couple of pairs of really nice embellished jeans and ‘DIY’ denim jackets in stores, but I am really cautious with my denim and have held back a bit. However, I saw this top and it was quite literally love at first sight. More so than ever before I believe less is more and this top represents that sentiment perfectly.
While it unashamedly serves no purpose other than its aesthetic appeal, my favourite thing about this outfit is the cute black cotton hat. My boyfriend makes sailor jokes whenever I wear it but I love it and it really is a fun accessory to play around with this time of year.
As you know by now I love to have fun with all types of fabrics in my outfits so these black velvet boots were on my wishlist for the longest time. They are the perfect mid-calf silhouette boots and are oh so chic. I searched here there and everywhere for a pair of boots like this and managed to finally find what I wanted online (see outfit details below).
Last but not least I have to mention my little black bag! It is the cutest, most stylish little bucket bag that I have had for a while now and have got a lot of use out of. It was surprisingly cheap for such a good quality bag and I like to think of it as my take on the iconic Céline bag. Okay, it probably costs the same amount as a centimetre of fabric that a Céline bag costs but it looks good nonetheless and that is what matters. Side note: It looks small but is bigger than you think. This little bucket bag can hold a decent amount of stuff and has a nifty latch in the front to ensure all of your things are safely stored away. See? I can be fashionable and practical as well when I want to be.
Outfit Details
Hat – Cotton On
Top – Forever New
Jeans – Topshop
Boots – Superbalist/Daily Friday
Bag – Studio W
Watch – Marc Jacobs
Overall what I have tried to portray with this look are one or two of the bigger trends in fashion right now, but in a subtle way that my own personal style is still shown and able to come through. I revert back to what I use to say in my earlier blogger posts: wear the clothes, don’t let the clothes wear you *snaps fingers*. A lot of people have been asking me more and more about my make up lately; who does it for me and what brands I use, so very quickly I’ll mention that I do my own make-up and will do a post on it soon enough. Here I have done a very natural brown smokey eye, false lashes and bright red lipstick, which is Ruby Roo by Mac – every girls must have red lipstick! The red lips really accentuate the pop of colour in the embellished sleeves and tie this Winter look together.
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