Fashion Lookbook : Day 10 - Dress-ing it Down

A few weeks ago my mom got the invite to her end of year function. It turned out a little lame because she had borrowed a stunning brown dress to wear for the occasion, and the invite stated the theme as 'black and bling'. It took all my powers to convince her that she could DEFINITELY not wear the brown dress, and soon we were off to the mall. Granny and I convinced her to buy the younger-styled, prettier, more expensive LBD at Foschini.

BEST DECISION EVER.

Some things in life you just can't compromise on, and this was one of them. The dress looked stunning on, and it definitely had wear-again potential (yay me!).

Yesterday morning was Rijk's dad's birthday breakfast, so I decided to dress the dress down and wear it as a maxi dress. A lot of the maxi dresses in the shops are being sold with a loose-ish top over them, so I decided to try it out.

I first tried an orange tee similar to the ones that come with the dresses, but you could see the bling through the material. Then I tried a sheer button-up collared top and tied it at the waist instead of buttoning it up. Perfect!

Here you can see my rendition, and below is my mom wearing the same dress for her do. 

The bling on the dress adds to the formalness, so the shirt over helped hide it a little, wothout covering it completely. It also added a nice pop of colour.

Once again, the moral of the story is that there are lots of possibilities, we just need to open our eyes and mix and match until we find them!

Have a grand week

Roxy X

Cotton On - Stellies ; plus cheaper alternatives

Firstly, apologies for neglecting my blog for the past month. Secondly, if you're a 'student sonder sente' like me, don't even bother reading this post. Today I was reminded, yet again, why I only buy things on sale at Cotton On.

The shop itself is absolutely beautiful: well-lit with pretty pictures and attention to detail. Very modern and chic compared to boring old Woolies and Edgars. Downstairs (the female section) is very full, but upstairs (male) is spacious and cool. 

There is a large variety, because it is a large store. I'm not even joking when I say it's probably ten times the size of our sad little Somerset West shoppie. There are both winter clothes and summer clothes available, as well as a large range of shoes.

There are some 2-for-1 specials, which aren't that bad:

2x leggings = R180
2x tops = R250
2x high wasted skirts = R250

There are also nice colourful elasticated headbands for R50 that I definitely recommend,  especially if you don't want to spend so much money. 

The only sale item I spied was mens' hoddies that were R250 on 50% off sale, and R125 for a hoody these days is a steal. 

Even though everything else is super pricey, I would advise you to still stop by every time you get the chance. I bought a pair of beautiful dark green skinnies on sale for R100, and my friend got red ones for a crazy R50 just last week. When Cotton On has old stock they need to get rid of, they put the items out front and mark them down ridiculously. It is because of these sales that I am still a fan of Cotton On.

A birdy told me that there is going to be a sale tomorrow, so head on down to check it out. Feel free to let me know if you hit the jackpot!

On the contrary, dresses identical to the plain ones on sale at Cotton On for R120 can be found 2-for-1 for R140 at Fashion Express. I have to also mention that Pick 'n Pay Clothing has THEE most beautiful formal-ish dresses for under R150 - to the extent that I literally want to buy one of each! Factorie also has high wasted skirts for under R150 if I'm not mistaken. So just a reminder that before you get caught up in the Cotton On excitement, first consider if it's worth it to spend so much on a single item of clothing. 

In other sale news in Eikestad Mall, Edgars is having a 33% off all jeans sale, and Fashion Express is having a 33% off all shoes sale. Typo (even though it's not really fashion) is also having a 33% off everything sale as well.

Here is an example of the dresses also available at Fashion Express (this is a picture of a top but the dresses are just a bit longer)

The black dress is but one of the beauties being sold at Pick 'n Pay clothing at the moment. 


Have a great Friday, and happy shopping!
Roxy X

SALES !

Short and sweet. There are sales at Factorie and JayJays. I'm very broke, so because I can't buy anything, someone else has to take full advantage of this opportunity for me!

The knitwear at Factorie is on sale for under R130, as well as pants for under R200, and t-shirts and tanks for cheap as well. There are some long sleeve tops great for spring because they're thin but still long. The high-waisted skirts are R80 (not on sale) and they have really pretty patterns on. If you didn't know, a Factorie opened literally next door to JayJays in the Somerset Mall recently. 

JayJays has sale on almost everything, and at Stellies you get student discount if you show your student card! The sales are crazy with really pretty blouses for under R100!

I definitely recommend going to check it out, to keep updated like their Facebook pages here: JayJays and Factorie. 

If you buy anything, let me know so I can be jealous!
Roxy X

Plan Ahead for Summer

From looking at online bloggers' fashion trends, headgear seems to be big this season. Blommies are great right now seen as that it's spring, but handkerchief headwraps and headbands in general are sprouting up everywhere as well.

I know that bandannas are being sold at The Lot in Stellenbosch, but the variety is very small. If you have any inside scoop on where nice bandannas or flower crowns are available, please let me know!

I put together a few pics as ideas, feel free to use them as inspiration. 

These pics I got off a site called Urban Outfits.

These pics are from one of my favourite blogs, She Wears Fashion.

These pics are from weheartit.

These pics are from LookBook.

Here you can see that celebrities such as Rihanna and 

Lana Del Rey are also wearing bandannas and flower crowns.

If one doesn't work, try the other. If you don't like either, start your own new trend! Don't be afraid to go big this summer. 

If you're studying, enjoy your holiday! If you're still at school, don't worry yours is around the corner! :)

Roxy X

Fashion Lookbook : Day 9 - The Inspiration of the Granny Boots + Wearing a Dress as a Top

As I said in a previous post, my famous Gangsta boots have been sent in for repairs. I got 2 pairs of Tommy takkies in compensation to wear to varsity seen as that I have no other 'winter' shoes - and didn't want to spend a lot of money. Of course both pairs' size 8 is too small for this giant over here. For short spans of time I can live, but after a 4 hour mall sesh my feet were broken! What's a girl to do? Why, go visit Granny, of course.

My dearest Granny lent me her brown ugg boots that have a proper thick sole and white woolly stuff on the inside. Perfect for rainy varsity days! Unfortunately the boots are a size 7 so my feet STILL break, but hey at least they warm! Only when I had to plan my outfit for the next day did I realize what the REAL problem was ... I own nothing brown!

Whilst searching high and low through my (and my mom's) cupboard, I came across the leopard print dress I wore to my matric dance after party. My stocking are laddered, so that was a no-go. I decided that this was my best option, and that I'd just have to make it work.

I first tried tucking the skirt in to my jeans, but it was too long. Then I tried pulling the skirt up and laying it flat over my tummy with the top part over, but that was awkward. Eventually I found the solution. I pulled the skirt part properly over my jeans and then folded it over twice. The end product looked like I was just wearing a longer-length black top underneath! Result! 

I ended up happy with the result, and hey, I found a new top! Even though sending my boots in forced me to make this discovery, I got them back yesterday and am VERY happy that my babies have come home.

Have a great week

Roxy X

Strappy Ankle Sandals for Summer

While browsing around Mr Price the other day, I noticed how many sandals and heels have an ankle strap. I immediately thought of one of my favourite fashion blogs, Song of Style.

Here are a few of the options available at Mr Price (I got the pictures and prices off their page) and then I also included a few examples of how they were worn on Song of Style, and also an example from Le Fashion Monster blog.

These stiletto heels are almost identical to the ones seen on the blog. The black and white pair is R130 and the red is R160.

These ones have a thicker heel, but still have the sandal strap over the toes and the strap around the ankle. The black and white ones are R160 and the blue ones are R130.





 If you're not into heels, you can also create this look with flat sandals with the same style. All of these sandals are under R100.

 

Taking note on a small thing like this can help you get the look before everyone else. Keep an eye open on the trends overseas and you won't regret it.

Have a great Wednesday!

Roxy X

Fashion LookBook : Day 8 - fashion inspiration

Hey guys, long time no post! Sincerest apologies, I've just been really busy (and lazy...) LOL. Nothing much has changed since my last few posts really, except that I've started gyming again and have come down from 63.7kg to 62.6kg. On the 26th of June 2013 when I completed my Wednesday a Week weight challenge I weighed that in the morning, and this evening I weighed 62.6kg - if I had have weighed in the morning it would've been even less. So that's at least one positive - losing anything is better than gaining. I've also been trying to eat more healthily with less cheats and less carbs. On the days that I have cereal for breakfast, I have a salad and fruit for lunch; the days I have pasta salad and fruit for lunch, my mom makes me a smoothie for breakfast. Either way I try to have minimum to no carbs at supper. 

It's really great to know that I have inspired quite a few of my friends to change their lifestyles and start eating healthily as well, because it's much easier to do together. My friends also inspire me though. Two of my best friends I met this year, who have become a huge part of my life, inspired today's outfit.

My famous Gangsta boots broke this week, so I had to take them in to be re-soled. This sucked a whole lot more than you think, because I have NO other warm, winter shoes! I ended up pulling the "I'm going to gym" thing for two days in a row and wore a tracksuit with takkies all day. Today thankfully had no rain forecast, so I could wear my Tommys.

A while ago I asked my gran to donate all her jerseys that she doesn't wear anymore to me. One of them is a dusty blue colour with random patterns around the neck going down in really bright colours. I never really liked it because it reminded me of a clown, but Jodi gushed over it so much that it inspired me to wear it and see what response I would get from everyone else. Sula often wears collared tops with big, knitted jerseys with Tommy takkies. I borrowed this look of Sula's and paired my jersey with my white collared top to match my white Tommys.

I'm still slightly skeptical and feel like a clown, but let me know what you think!

Fashion inspiration can really come from anywhere. Sitting at a coffee shop watching people go by is a great way to get ideas. Movies and celebrities are great too. A friend introduced me to a site called Lookbook: "The #1 source for fashion inspiration from real people around the world." 

Looking at bloggers from over seas puts you in the know for upcoming fashion trends. I noticed one of my favourite American bloggers wearing boyfriend jeans about a month ago, and they're only starting to pick up here now.

If you have an idea for an outfit (inspired by someone else or not) go for it and wait to see what people say. If it's a hit, great. If it's a miss, just don't wear it again! Go with your gut, and at the end of the day it's you who must be happy with your look anyway, not anyone else. Use inspiration from others to conjure up your own unique style. You never know who might be inspired by YOU!

Have a fanTAStic Friday
Roxy X