I went to London and Paris in November/December to visit a friend for two weeks. Naturally I was most looking forward to the shopping I was going to be doing. Living in South Africa where our fashion options are extremely limited - online and offline - the shopping possibilities of international travel excite me way too much. For weeks before I was already adding items to the cart of my favourite online shopping sites. How do you contain yourself when you have endless shopping possibilities - Oxford Street, Regent Street, Champs Elysees, Asos, Missguided, Pretty Little Thing, Public Desire, I Saw It First, Missy Empire, Nasty Gal, to mention A FEW of my favourites - and you only have 24kgs of baggage weight? After an hour of repacking at the airport and perfectly balancing my check in luggage to 24kgs and hand luggage to 10kgs, wearing two jackets and carrying two handbags - I came home with some really cute finds. Here are a select few of my favourites:
Gucci Marmont Mini
AKA the designer bag of my dreams. I have had this bag on my goal board for about 3 years and being able to finally buy it was a moment of mixed emotions. Mostly excitement but also a little bit of WTF are you doing. To be able to buy it from Selfridges on Oxford Street made the experience even better. Because it is black and gold it is really versatile which is exactly what I wanted for my first designer bag - something that can be styled with virtually anything. The only time I wouldn't wear it is with beach wear - save that for the straw bags.
Not only was I lucky enough to be able to buy my first Gucci bag but my amazing business mentor, Steph, spoilt me with the matching Marmont Card Holder. Something else I had been wanting for ages.
Missguided Cream Oversized Teddy Jacket
This is something I have wanted to add to my wardrobe for a while so a trip to London during winter seemed like the perfect time. Missguided is quite pricey but you pay for their quality. This jacket was £65 but I got it at a discount of £35 (R625) which I think is really good compared to what we pay for jackets in SA.
The reason I love this jacket is because it is really warm and comfortable but also trendy. I got it in cream and oversized so that it is a contrast from my other go to casual jacket - a fitted leather jacket.
You can turn your average jeans and sneakers look into a stylish but still casual look or pair this with jeans, a lace bodysuit and heel boots for a night of bar hopping. I also really love this jacket paired with a skirt or dress - I definitely see it paired with a pleather skirt and some heels on a windy Cape Town evening.
Side note: This jacket got stolen (along with my car) so I had to repurchase it on my recent London trip - at full price! #fun
Nasty Gal Animal Print Skirt
I thought I was going to give this animal print trend a skip, then I decided I would just buy a few hair accessories - and here we are a couple months later and my closet is starting to look like the animal kingdom!
I bought this skirt because I LOVE A-Line skirts, I think that they are so flattering and because I could wear it in London with stockings but still wear it in Cape Town for summer. I paired it with stockings, knee high boots, a turtle neck bodysuit and a leather jacket for a winter look. For a summer look you can dress it up or down which I love. It looks cute with a casual crop top and slip on mules, a cropped knitted jersey with sneakers, a bodysuit and a pair of heels or add a blazer for a more sophisticated look.
The Blazer Dress
I have never had an interest in blazer dresses but I saw an influencer that I follow on Instagram wearing one and I really loved it so I decided to buy two from Nasty Gal. I love pieces that can be worn in both summer and winter and styled up or styled down which I think can be done with both of these dresses.
I love the blue colour of this dress which is why I bought it, I think it compliments my blonde hair well. It can be worn with a strap heel or court shoe and a hoop or stud earring or dress this down by rolling up the sleeves and throwing on a pair of sneakers and even a waist bag.
I seldomly like tartan print designs, this one I love! It is different to anything I've seen and I really like the padded shoulders, it gives the dress a sophisticated and fashionable look. I would dress this up with a pair of heels or knee high boots in colder months.
Topshop Faux Fur Bag
There will definitely be mixed feelings about this one but I LOVE it. I love having pieces that are statements, different and not your usual buy. I saw this on Lissy Roddy's instagram (see below) and loved the way she styled it with so many different outfits.
This is definitely the star of the show so I would pair it with neutral colours like black, creams and whites. It can be dressed up or down, a little dress and heels or cycling shorts, a knitted jersey and sneakers. I can't wait to wear it on my next London trip and during Cape Town winter.