Tag: winter style

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.

Outfits

Wintry tones and cozy knits

by s.a.bLeave a Comment on Wintry tones and cozy knits

How is everyone keeping with lockdown day… what is it now? 93? It’s been a while since my last outfit post… mainly because I’ve not been bothered much with putting together any interesting outfits but also because I’ve been working like a maniac and there has been little time to post. In the meanwhile, Winter has most definitely arrived here in South Africa, and if yesterday is anything to go by, it’s going to be a cold and miserable one… Most days are spent at my home office desk, sitting through various video meetings and progressively getting more frozen, so I’m mighty glad I never acted upon my idea to just leave all my warm knits in Europe…

I’ve been wearing a variation of today’s outfit most days in the last week, although I rarely put on shoes, it’s mainly slippers and Birkenstocks at the moment… And who can blame me, when there’s nowhere else to go but my home office? It’s usually a cashmere knit as a top, jeans (how skinny or loose depends on how tired I feel in the morning, as well as whether I had a little bit or a lot of bread the day before…), and slippers… So when I put together today’s outfit it seemed a little more photo worthy than normal, and here we are.

The top here is not a top by the way, it’s a cashmere mix dress by McQ, and I’ve had it for more than five years… Remember what you read about designer pieces being investment pieces etc.? All true. I wear this dress every single Winter: it’s super warm, with a tiered detail, and usually falls to just above my knees. Here I lifted up the bottom part, hooked it up with three little safety pins that hide in the folds, and there you have it, fun sweater look with a dropped waist detail.

I added some black skinnies with a lot of stretch (what would lockdown life been if someone hadn’t invented elastane, I wonder?) and that made my outfit. Then I remembered I hadn’t taken my Hermès Kelly 32 out for a little tour of the house in a bit, so I brought her out: funny how she still has a twilly on, usually I don’t bother with twillies around handles, except if it’s the height of Summer and I’m going for long day of meetings, they avoid any moisture from my hands to transfer onto the leather.

I added a cashmere and silk shawl: this one is another one that I got from the men’s side at H, some seasons I don’t like any of the designs they have on the women’s side, so I cross over… and I share it with Hubby Dearest. Not only does it have a gorgeous grey blue colourway, but the design has loads of stars and sketch-like drawings, which I love.

Ok. Before I go, I need to leave you with a word on these boots. Chanel has been making a version of these in the last couple of years, but each time I’ve tried the leather version it felt horribly stiff and gave me visions of painful afternoons ahead, and let me not tell you how much I hate the version with the patent tips… but this pair, in the softest possible suede, in a go with everything grey, was just perfect, and it was waiting for me at the Heathrow shop on one of my stop-overs, with the nice duty-free discount as well. I am obsessed with them. By the way, anyone else missing jet-shopping at the moment? I know I do…

With love, S.