Tag: tiered dress

Outfits, Uncategorized

Summer… here to stay

by s.a.b3 Comments on Summer… here to stay

Summer in South Africa is usually a long, sweltering affair that starts around early October, and lingers all the way until the very end of March. In Johannesburg it gets particularly hot and stuffy most days, with sometimes a welcome relief storm in the late afternoon… This week we’ve not had much rain, maybe later today or tomorrow. I cannot wait.

Someone asked me earlier if I missed working in the office, and I candidly replied that no, I mostly missed the aircon at the moment (cue slightly shocked gasps)… That is not entirely true, as I miss the personal interaction with many of my colleagues that a MTeams screen can’t really convey, but it seems I’ve gotten used to it by now. One thing I do not miss at all (besides menial time-wasting office politics, I did not like those in London and still don’t in Johannesburg) is having to dress formally and wear high heels during the warmer months. In fact I wonder if I’ll ever be able to go back to heels over three inches!

These days I’m spending my days in long floaty dresses, like this beauty Merwe Mode made in this colour just for me. I am in love with the light fabric, the tiers, and of course it twirls beautifully, not that a serious grown-up like me ever twirls, no… What I love about maxi dresses is they look best with flats, and in the last seven months I’ve worn mostly flats; sometimes I fancy it up by wearing my Coco slingbacks or my Orans but usually it’s some version of the ones you see here… The bad news is all my pretty heels are languishing in my closet, and I’m not sure my feet will ever want to wear them again.

Although I do dress casually most days I try to fancy things up a little with accessories, like my Gucci Horsebit 1955 bag, which I wear with the strap fully extended, and a couple of glitzy Chanel necklaces… Let me reassure you, the necklaces were out by the minute I sat down for my first Teams meeting of the morning, and the bag is languishing until it’s time to log out for the day and go get my nails done (it’s time: I’ve had the same mani for three weeks, some nails have started to peel).

How about you? How is your style evolving this year? Anyone still wearing heels? If yes, where!?

With love, S.

Outfits, Uncategorized

Still in Winter but yearning for Spring

by s.a.b1 Comment on Still in Winter but yearning for Spring

Here we are… still in lockdown but with harder restrictions than a week ago, and still very much in Winter: a bitter wind has joined the frozen temperatures meaning my habit of wearing bare legs with skirts and dresses even during the cold months will have to wait a little more. In truth, I’m getting a little bored of my usual working from home attire, especially as it means I’ve not worn any of my more formal clothes… That said, this week I received a few jackets I had ordered in London, and then my lovely seamstress delivered a few of my new pieces, including a copy of my favourite tiered dress in a more wintry fabric. And suddenly I was able to find my outfit mojo again.

First, a word on my jacket, by MiaGiacca… It is all 100% handmade by the beautiful Maja, who one day decided to eschew fast fashion and create beautiful pieces that look elegant and timeless no matter what you match them with. We exchanged a few messages on Instagram after I found her and agreed on the tweed, cut and chain trim (also handmade…) and after a few weeks my gorgeous jacket was delivered in London, waiting to be redispatched to me here… The jacket is not only gorgeous it’s also super light and exactly at my measurements, meaning the fit is perfect. I will be coming back to Maja for more and in the meanwhile I think it could be fun to do a post of how I can style it in more or less formal ways…

The dress is a replica of one of my absolute favourite white dresses (I realised by digging it out to take it to my seamstress to copy that I do own quite a few white dresses) in a lightweight checked fabric I found in one of my recent outings to the fabric store… The shape is oversized with exaggerated tiers, something I love as it feels very modern and unstuffy. Lightweight fabrics are perfect for South African winters because you can layer them and not feel too warm in the midday sun.

If you ever want to elevate a casual look, do it with accessories. That is why I love shoes and bags so much. With a tote and a pair of Stan Smiths this would be a perfect relaxed outfit, here I added a pair of my favourite slingbacks (they truly are my favourites: they are comfortable and chic, and in my view when you find a pair of shoes you love so much it’s totally justified to have them in various colour combinations…) and my beautiful little Coco Handle, both by Chanel.

There you have it… a look that wants to be for Spring but works for the freezing temperatures we’ve been having of late. I hope you like it.

With love, S.