Polka Dots

Outfit: Dress - Cotton On, Shoes - Edgars, Leather jacket - Bombshell at YDE

Late afternoon thunderstorms coupled with this little Polka Dot number from Cotton On leaves me feeling like Minnie Mouse meets Singing in the Rain. I am thrilled with this little number as it is both striking, girly and reminds me of my five year old self. Yes, I was that little girl who longed to be Minnie Mouse with her cute pink high heels and sky high bow. And at twenty-two, that part of me still hovers around and presents herself when it comes to polka dots. I love polka dots. Too much. End of story. Only now at twenty-two I pair polka dots with a leather jacket and sky high heels, not an alice band or magic wand. 


Oh, and let me not fool anyone with my hair in these pictures. The super slick hair is a result of the hairdresser and come tomorrow my hair will be back to it's usual lion/Tim Minchin like style. Ah well, it was fun while it lasted. 


S. 

There's a fine line between soft and hard

Sometimes I think I suffer from fashion schizophrenia. At times I want to be the girly girl in soft pink dresses, feeling so pretty and feminine like my Rose inspired dress from Zara. Other times I want to be hard and edgy, choosing clothes like a soldier chooses their armour. But with the soft falls of this River Island jersey (a favourite of mine) and these tough and tight jodhpurs by Marion and Lindie  (a local design team), a balance between both personalities appears to have been met. 

 I think it's the details of both of these beautiful pieces that really makes the outfit:  

The rise and fall

Soft curves and hard lines

Love the detailing on these jodhpurs. 

And perhaps it is fashion schizophrenia, but I think an outfit like this embodies my own personal style. A style, which for example, seeks to blend elements of masculinity with soft femininity. Or that mixes the hardness of a black leather jacket with the sweetness of a lace dress.  That's what makes clothing exciting for me - the constant invention, the contradiction and the sense of empowerment that pairing a tight pair of jodhpurs with a soft and comfy jersey can bring. 

S. 

What a weekend!

On Friday afternoon, I was part of the lucky group of people who attended the marriage of friends, Chris and Nicola, at the Red Ivory Lodge, in Hartbeespoort. As the first of my friends to get married in our friendship group, it was such an exciting occasion as our whole group made the hour long drive to witness what was the most beautiful wedding. On a number of levels the wedding was incredible - from the venue itself where the chapel looked out onto the exquisite Magaliesburg landscape, to the Grecian inspired wedding dress of the bride, Chris' beaming face as he saw Nicola come down the aisle and lastly an evening spent 'squeaking some takkie' (ie dancing) with some great friends. 

The reception hall. I love the pond. Thankfully no one fell in! 

The magnificent view from the reception hall. 

 And what did I wear?...

This beautiful rose textured dress was a Christmas gift from Zara.
It just the most special dress to wear and makes me feel so pretty.

 

A bit blurry I know, but I think thats because I trying not to laugh. 

For me, this a meaningful day as not only are Chris and Nicola a wonderful couple who truly deserve one another, but the ceremony itself really spoke to me. Chris and Nicola are friends from Church and as is such, the ceremony was centered not only around their love for one another but as well as their love for God. The union was not only between themselves as individuals but also a union between them as a couple with God.  For me, this resonated so deeply and is so exquisite. It's something that I personally desire so much in my own marriage one day in the future. 


Secondly, the night of silliness and dancing with good friends was also an opportunity for reflection. A year ago around this time, so much was happening in my personal life, so much was changing and I was so fearful of 2011 and what it would mean friendship wise and university wise. Terrified even. But a year later, having achieved my second degree with merit and forged strong friendships with people who love me so much, I am so grateful for how blessed I have been. And a night of dancing with these people was a perfect way of remembering and celebrating how far I have come. 


What a special weekend. 


S. 

A flower that blooms...

 I know that here in South Africa the average temperature is 28 ° and that wearing boots, tights and a dress is 'slightly' mad. But sometimes when inspired, like I was by this dress, outfit posts  sometimes defy reason. I love this smock dress from Jay Jays (another sale purchase), and I immediately thought that the perfect way to wear it was with tights and my fabulous suede boots bought in America. While you will seldom hear this sun worshipper of a South African wishing for cooler weather, I will admit that I look forward to wearing this outfit come Autumn time.

 Outfit: Dress - Jay Jays, Boots - somewhere in Cleaveland, Ohio (I have long forgotten where exactly)

A note on the title -
It's not just gorgeous weather, the dress or the beautiful light of sunset making me smile. I am now fulltime at Pleiades Media, my mother's PR company, and this job coupled with my own early forays into the world of online publishing (more on this soon), make for incredibly exciting times in my world. It's just the most awesome feeling to be walking in purpose, with direction and acting on the dreams I have for myself. So as I see myself blooming in this world, I find myself so happy.  


S. 

One dress - two ways

Post festive season shopping is always fun with the finding of sale item gems such as this  flapper style dress from Trueworths on sale for R90. I have mentioned before that I adore the 1920's and the Great Gatsby is my all time favourite book (my 21st birthday was even 1920's inspired) so if the price tag wasn't enough to tempt me, the style of the dress certainly did. And after an alternation by my gran to get it to fit properly, I now have a beautiful Flapper style dress that would make Daisy Buchanan jealous. But more than the soft peach colour and black lace, I also love the flexibility of this dress which allows for it to be transformed from a date night dress, into something a little edgier with the right high heels, black leather jacket and some seriously tight skinny jeans. 

 Outfit: Dress - Trueworths, Polka dot tights - Woolworths, Leather Jacket - Bombshell at YDE, Skinny Jeans - Country Road, High Heels - Steve Madden