Eight designer clothing looks you NEED to have in your wardrobe:

We often get caught up with looking at what first world countries are doing in terms of fashion, show-biz or just about anything. We sometimes forget that we need to support each other locally in order to truly prosper. SA Fashion Week, for me, is my chance to show my support to local talented designers.

SA Fashion Week was held from the 20th to 24th of September. There were three sessions a night where all attendees got a chance to witness the South African fashion scene. We got treated to front row tickets, nail bars, coffee stations, photo-booths and gift bags each night. The best part, however, was watching the runway shows. These were my top picks, straight off the runway:

(If the images appear blur due to it's high resolution quality, click on it to see it clearly)

1) Heart and Heritage - because who doesn't love pink and hand painted clothing?

2)Clive Rundle -because you'll look like the coolest kid at fashion school.

3) Etsa - EVERYONE NEEDS THESE PANTS. EVERYONE.

4) Yadah Exclusive Designs - because you deserve to feel like an African princess. 

 5) Lumin - because they're the winners of the Sunglass Hut New Talent Search and we can see why.

 6) Sheila-Madge - because these pictures speak for themselves.

 7) Sheila-Madge 

 8) Somerset Jane - because this printed bird fabric and cut-out trousers scream edgy.

All runway images shot by Planet Ivan.

Another exciting aspect of fashion week (aside from watching the shows) is a chance to see and wear local designer clothing. This Fashion Week I had the privilege of wearing 'Heart and Heritage' for two nights and 'Urban Zulu' for one. 'Urban Zulu' can be found at The Zone at Rosebank and 'Heart and Heritage' can be found at Convoy Store in Melville. 

Photography by Layla Shaik.

Wearing Heart and Heritage

Photography by Layla Shaik.

Wearing Urban Zulu

Photography by Layla Shaik.

Lesley (Owner of Convoy and designer of Heart and Heritage) and I in her own designs.

Bag by Merwe Mode

Photography by Lydia Wessels

Next time you're in the mood to spoil yourself or in the market for a gift for a friend, pop into a local designers store and have some fun. Lets be honest we all love the fast fashion chains and international brands but to truly thrive as an economy we need to support each other. The best part about buying local is that you'll get something exclusive, beautiful and hand-made if you're lucky. 

Trust me, it will make for a good story when you're telling all your friends and family where you found all your wearable treasures. 

Time is a Blessing:

Can you believe it's the second week of September already? If you're living in South Africa you'll know that September brings with it my favourite season, Spring. 

(If the image appears blur due to the high resolution quality, click on it to see it clearly.)

The flowers may have started blooming but to me it feels like we've skipped Spring and went straight into summer. That's okay - now everyone can start wearing flowing dresses and breezy shorts while having icy treats everyday, ah the life.

I bought this dress just last week at Mr Price which I thought would be perfect for my first Spring blog post even though I'm a few days late. 

I am currently in love with these two trends: off-the-shoulder clothing and bomber jackets!

Full outfit from Mr Price

Lipstick from Laboutique.za - Huda Beauty in Famous

I'm sure most of you will agree that it's that time of the year where things are crazy busy. Either you're getting ready for final exams, matrics are writing prelims, assignments are piling up or work pressures are increasing. 

I just want to give you a friendly reminder, not only for you but for myself, to appreciate each moment of time you're given. I may not get a chance to blog enough because I have a nine to five job at a fashion publication, weekends are filled with family and friend activities and fashion launches and events almost always.

But then I think to myself, what a blessing to have my time filled with such wonderful things.

Time is a blessing and we need to make a little time for everything we love whether it's a hobby like blogging or just pampering yourself. Fill your time with something that matters to you. 

With that said, happy belated Spring and good luck to all of you with the next busy, few months before the end of the year!

xx

Photography by: Layla Shaik Photography

The RMfashionary Make-Up Kit:

Whether it involved me playing around with make-up on my friends when we were younger, doing a make-up course at LISOF or just trying out new products for myself, I have always been a fan of beauty products. Make-up is a key aspect when it comes to doing shoots for my blog and so I thought I'd share a bit about the make-up I use.

Since this is my first beauty post I'd like to keep it short and sweet and just share some tips about how I like to do mine.

Tools:

Foundation: A mix of Max Factor (Miracle Match) and Mac (Face & Body) foundation.
Primer: Maybeline Baby Skin Primer for my face and Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer.
Concealer: Mac Studio Finish and Essence Soft Touch Mousse Concealer.
Brows: Mac eyeshadow in Embark.
Blush: Mac in Raizin Matte.
Contour: Clarins Summer Bronzing and Blush Compact.
Highlighter: Benefit - Girls Meets Pearl.
Eyeshadow: Too Faced Chocolate Bar.
Eyeliner: Rimmel liquid liner.
Mascara: Rimmel Scandal Eyes.
Lipstick: Rimmel Provocalips Skinny Dipping and Riri Hearts Mac Pro Longwear Lip Pencil.

Fact: I hardly wear one lipstick colour at a time, I like to blend colours to make new ones because I find it more fun.

Top tip: for applying foundation when you're in a rush - which I always am - squirt the foundation into the palm of your hand. Rub your hands together as if you're applying face cream and then apply the foundation to each part of your face. No brushes needed!

Fact: The Raizin Matte Mac blush comes out quite deep on my skin and so my perfect blending tool to even out the blush are the Swiitch Beauty brushes. I love the round shape of the brush which makes blending really easy.

Tip: Apply as little product as possible, less is more when it comes make-up. The trick is to blend until you're happy with the look. Remember that you can always apply more product later.

I look forward to doing more beauty blogging in the future and can't wait to share more of my favourite products with you all.

Videography by: Layla Shaik Photography

Mercedes Benz Fashion Week S/S Overview:

Fashion Week, a four day event which generally leads to me asking one question "What am I going to wear?'' Luckily, SA has some amazing local designer clothing to choose from. I collaborated with "Convoy Shop," a store based in Melville (Johannesburg) for all my Fashion Week outfits this year.

Convoy Shop is home to six SA Designer's clothing lines. The three designers I chose to wear from the store were: Merwe Mode, Selfi and Heart & Heritage. Each look was unique and boxy in its silhouette.

Merwe Mode provided the perfect pair of statement culottes, since the legs of the pants were so accentuated and in pink- my favourite colour. 

(If the images appear blur please click on it to see it clearly. This is due to the high resolution of the picture.)

Another look from Merwe Mode:

Selfi stole my heart with both a pair of culottes and a culotte jumpsuit that was simply elegant. 

Just before I left the store, I stumbled across the bubbly designer, Lesley, from Heart & Heritage. She was dropping off her new range for the store and this navy & orange peplum styled top caught my eye instantly. Heart & Heritage will also be showcasing at the next SA Fashion Week and if what's in store is anything to go by, she is surely a designer to watch.

Top: Heart and Heritage

Pants: Selfi

The four days of Mercedes Benz showcased Spring/Summer collections from various designers. Overall my favourite collections from Fashion Week were:

Marianne Fassler; because of the fun take on the a-line skirt and live music during her show. Click here to see more.

Orapeleng Modutle Style Avenue; because of the glamorous and elegant dresses that flowed down the runway with wide brimmed hats.

Stefania Morland; because of the large ruffled dresses that resembled romantically decorated cakes.Click here to see more.

Maxhosa by Laduma; because of the print on print, preppy burst of colour of clothing that entertained all of us watching.Click here to see more.

Rich Mnisi x Maps Maponyane; for always showing us new ideas about how to wear clothing.

All runway images supplied by: African Fashion International
All streetstyle shots done by:Layla Shaik Photography
My hair done by: Runway Rae

Maverick and Jane:

For the first time RMfashionary collaborated with an exciting new culinary brand, Maverick and Jane. Maverick and Jane is a new gourmet popcorn place that opened at The Zone in Rosebank. The retro-look store is the first of its kind in South Africa.

(If the images appear blur due to its high resolution quality, click on it to see it clearly.)

I had the privilege of meeting the store owner, Rayhaan who talked me through the entire concept of Maverick and Jane, inspired by the store owners passion for food and people. Rayhaan travelled to the Nebraska corn fields to find the perfect corn to use for his gourmet popcorn vision. The corn is said to have a superior texture , taste and mouthfeel than the usual popcorn. After tasting it myself I can definitely say this is true.

The brands slogan is "Choose Adventure" which was inspired by the story of the couple Maverick & Jane who were said to be true adventurers themselves. From the way I interpret the brand its the perfect slogan because every gourmet popcorn flavour on offer takes your taste buds on an adventure!

Some of the flavours on offer are:

From the savoury flavours the "Olive Oil and Herbs" was my favourite. The sweet popcorn flavours got a bit more tricky for me because they were all equally good in my mind. Although if I had to choose, "Hazelnut Rocher" wins first place for best flavour.

Besides the popcorn flavours there are also a range of unique slush flavours like pink lemonade, bubblegum and lemongrass & kiwi, my favourite was the bubblegum one for sure.

To enjoy the fun adventure of Maverick & Jane popcorn tasting to the fullest, I decided to go dressed in a popcorn inspired look. Runway Rae did my hair up in a big way by teasing it and curling it to resemble the look of popcorn. I wore a denim skirt with a popcorn badge on it that I just got recently from Zara, with a plain polar neck top and -the very latest from MRP- light up sneakers.

See the video below to experience my Maverick and Jane adventure with me. You can check it out on my instagram too @rmfashionary

Photography and videography by Layla Shaik Photography

Hair by Runway Rae

Location: The Zone @ Rosebank

Getting back to it:

I've been working crazy hours at Sunday Times but it's all being spent doing what I love so I don't mind all that much. Except my blog takes a hit when I get so busy.

None the less here's our comeback. Layla Shaik Photography and I collaborated to film our first ever fashion video! You can see it on my Instagram or click on the below:

I absolutely loved how this one came out and so we have decided to film our  entire fashion week experience which I can't wait to share.

As you know I am a bargain buying guru. I found THE perfect winter knit on sale at Country Road. It was marked 50 percent off and it wasn't the only great find in store. 

(Click on the image if it appears blur due to its high resolution quality.)

Jersey: Country Road 

Skirt: Sewed my by gran.

Shoes: Aldo 

Bag: Zara

I also found these stun worthy heels at Aldo marked 70 percent off. I guess this Joburg shopping festival is living up to expectations  after all. Sales are on till the 9th of August so be sure to head to the malls for some much needed retail therapy. I know I did.

Photography and videography by Layla Shaik Photography