NGOSIKADZI Wrap Dress Goes from Day to Night

I have been having a lot of fun styling the NGOSIKADZI dresses for the blog, and I’m even more certain that print dresses will be a big trend in Harare pretty soon (I have already spotted quite a few printed frocks, and I’m soo glad the trend is finally taking flight). This post focuses on the NGOSI wrap dress which was a huge highlight for me on Sunday (24 August 2014), as I took the dress from Day to Night; with two looks that I’m going to share in this post. And I will honestly say I was truly a highlight as everyone kept complementing the dress – a lovely feminine print if I must say so myself :).

Pretty in PINK

I love the colour pink, and I’m not ashamed to say I own a few pink pieces in my closet (check out Pink Nostalgia here). So when I had the “AHA” moment of styling this dress in pink, it was a visionary ‘Modern African Princess’ (this is the theme I was going for). I paired the frock with some of my favourite pieces, keeping in mind to match with the colours on the dress:

1. Pink blazer from Truworths Zimbabwe – this is my go-to blazer that doesn’t let me down and looks good with just about anything.

2. Pink head band from Bling Bling – Lost accessory but found right in time for this look.

3. Silver Bubble choker – great solid colour that works with just about anything, and adds a quirky/edgy pizazz to any look.

4. Zara Black tote – I personally think totes are great to carry anything and for an uber stylish feel; bonus points if it’s black because black is a neutral colour that blends in with anything.

5. Black pumps – since I took this look to church, pumps where the preferred shoe choice to keep it neat and polished for the church environment.

6. MrP Sunglasses – I don’t think any outfit is complete without sunglasses, and this particular pair is a go-to favourite, #BigAndBoldSunglasses.

You can't go wrong with Black accessories.

African Themed Wedding

Later in the day I took the dress to an African themed wedding; #NaijaZimWedding – which was absolutely beautiful at the Wild Geese Lodge. Although a lot of the reception party took a modern route to dressing for the ceremony – I was glad I was one of the few who opted to go African. There’s soo much I can describe of Wild Geese Lodge but it will take two good blogposts because I wouldn’t want to leave out any detail. But I will say the lodge is a great recommendation for any wedding, conferences or party – with a 10 km radius out of Harare, if you are coming from Harare drive.

For the evening I switched from pink to black and gold, with a black peplum jacket form Jet, Gold Envelope clutch from Sapatos and black sandals from MrP. I kept the silver neckpiece and the sunglasses, whilst my hair went from sleek pushback in the morning to a low pony tail for the evening. I must say I loved the sunset over the lodge that it was a perfect scenery for a photoshoot by the stairs of one of the buildings – a hazy but golden light as the sun goes down. An “African sunset” it was.

That beautiful African sunset.

Forgive my poor home pedicure but these MrP sandals are too adorable!

Scenes From the Wedding

With that said, I hope this post has inspired you to invest in a print dress this season, because with these two looks in one day – I guarantee you there are a ton of ways to style and rock a printed frock for the summer!

With these two looks, I want know to know which one is your fave NGOSIKADZI Wrap Dress style? Sound off and share your thoughts.

Stay Gorgeous,

Tendai Sophia.

My Weekend Ensemble - Pink Nostalgia

I have been going through a lot of forgotten pieces in my closet as of late, primarily due to my annual spring cleaning fest where I push all the winter clothing at the back of the closet and push the summer ones forward – for easy accessibility. Whilst doing that I came across my good ol’ blush pink sling purse and pink denims I bought for my birthday when I turned 19! I remember it was just around the time colour blocking was picking up on the international front and Pink was an obvious choice for me. So I went for bright pink denims! I wore these beginning August on a Sunday and decided to stick to two tones – nudes and pink with a nude blouse, scotch jacket (with brown highlights) and of course the blush pink purse topped off with black boots. I’m sure a lot of nostalgia is in order on the blog this coming Summer season as I keep finding pieces that have been tucked away for ages!

I always love a bit of Nostalgia – (something old, something new and something borrowed), in my life because all these pieces have a story behind them resonating at some particular point in time. Goes to show that fashion just runs through my system.

Whilst we are at it, my good friends from Deck Magazine picked up “Is #ZimFashion late on Fashion trends”, in their fashion and style section – another good discussion article that delves into what’s happening on the #ZimFashion arena. What’s a community of fashion without a little debate right? Do sound off and share your thoughts.

All the same, find me on Instagram @tendaitoscie and let’s get snapping!

Stay Gorgeous,

Tendai Sophia.

I'm into these @womanandhome_sa Go Golden sunglasses from their August issue.

Is #ZimFashion late on Fashion Trends?

I’M BACK! After a month long hiatus with a trip down south, myself and the blog are back; with fresh new content to indulge in. Whilst I was unexpectedly away on a trip to South Africa I had a lot of free time on my hands – observing and watching the entertainment industry in South Africa. I remember indulging in watching a lot of VUZU TV with V Entertainment and being glued to their 5^th birthday celebrations in Durban July. I remember focusing soo much on what the presenters were wearing – their look, style and fashion! They were always fashion forward and stylish, with my favourite personality being Dineo Moeketsi. Every time the VUZU 5^th birthday ad came on, the only thing I concentrated on was her short pink long sleeved jumpsuit with the gold belt to match - It was my fave!

Ok! Enough narrating and let’s get straight into it! The FASHION TRENDS – I started drawing a comparison between SA fashion and Zim fashion. SA fashion was somehow not any less different from American fashion – what you see in the mag is what you got in real life – fashion conscious, always on point and always on trend. There were different looks to suit different personalities and different stores to cater to different individuals which really ran down to your budget. My obvious shopping stint was Mr Price, The Hub, and Ackermans. But whilst I was doing this, I continued to observe what the trends where, what was dressed on the mannequins and what the current clothing campaign ad was. My conclusion ran down to the following items that where trending on the streets and stores in Joburg;

1. Crop top - short, cute, sexy, stylish, bold and printed! Crop tops where a big trend that dominated the shelves in MRP (Mr. Price). Not only embraced in the stores but with SA bloggers too; with looks from superficialgirls.com zeefashionista.com and fabulously-pink.blogspot.com. Back home the crop top trend quickly came in some stores and died, having spotted a few if not a handful of stores that carried a few crop tops. Not sure if it was a lack of popularity or the trend might officially come later on, only time will tell.

Chenai Muhwati from Fabulously Pink blog wearing a crop top with a matching skirt.

Carlinn from the very popular SA blog Superficial Girls wearing a crop top and Midi skirt both from MRP.

2.Cheeky shorts – denim cheeky shorts where in an upcoming ad campaign with Jays Jays for their summer collection which was slowly starting to take flight. Back home in Zim, I’ve spotted a handful of stores with cheeky little bum shorts but none worn on the streets.

Cheeky summer shorts worn by Carlinn from Superficial Girls, accompanied by the Bowler bag.

3,Circle/Midi skirts – just before I left, MRP’s summer ad campaign had a feature on ladies circle skirts both printed and plain. When I googled it the trend seemed to be going into its second season. Here in Zim however, full length or short circle skirts are embraced by local designs such as Mucha Couture, Blaque Excellence and Shashiko.com, as for the normal individual – I can recall myself and blogger Sharron Mungazi of Deffinatly Shaz who have taken on the trend publicly. But it’s safe to say, I’ve seen it picking up in parts of the city. I remember getting a circle skirt made late last year and my tailor of choice had a difficult time understanding why I chose a circle skirt and why I wanted a flouncy silhouette. Needless to say I had to look for a new tailor and new fabric!

A pic from Sharron Mungazi's blog - Deffinatly Shaz, wearing a deep blue Midi Skirt.

Back in June I did a second post with my print Midi skirt

Once again Chenai Muhwati also rocking the trend on her blog.

4. The Bowler bag - The bowler bag is a round little fellar that has three straps in  total; two shorter straps on each side and one long shoulder length strap. The bowler is super cute and comes in a block colour that can be accompanied with lighter or darker hues such as the one below. Once again, Sapatos had these bags in stock around June and Edgars has a colourful string of bowlers as well. Greatermans also had a few ‘Dazzle’ bowlers before it shut down, and street style wise I spotted a handful of ladies carrying bowlers.

Bowler bag
Sourced Online

5. Ankle Wedge boots – ankle boots where the winter boot of the season, whilst the wedge cut was a popular trend. If I remember correctly MRP, Legit, Ackermans and The Hub stocked on the wedge boot with both zip ups and lace ups. Which automatically meant the young and fashionable where taking on the trend strongly! Coming back home the trend was alive with my own ankle wedge boot from Sapatos, and a few boutiques in the city stocking some. Trend wise it wasn’t known, with a lot of individuals still opting for the good ol’ knee length riding boot to keep warm.

Ankle Wedge boots both from MRP during the winter season.

Ankle Wedges from Sapatos back in June.

6. Snoods – snoods were a big trend during July. Both men and women, young and old were rocking a snood, either knitted snood or the fabric type. The usual long wrap around scarves seemed to be a thing of the past. In Harare however I have only ever spotted a snood once at Joina City’s Sapatos.

Ladies Snood in Woolworths

Men's snood wrapped around a mannequin in Truworths Men.

7. Pullover knits – pullover knits were the order of the day. Whether lightweight or chunky and bold – they were stocked up in a lot of the stores and on the individuals as well. When it comes to knits at home, it hasn’t been fully embraced yet, especially the imprinted sweatshirt or one with graphics and print. Some of the nice pullover knits can be found in Edgars or Truworths – but it is usually streamlined to one look and not a variety.

Ladies stylish pullover knits on the mannequins by studio.w in Woolworths stores.

8. Wellingtons – I’m not sure what the fascination was but wellingtons where a winter favourite. Wellingtons are rain boots that had been given an updated and somewhat fashionable look. Wellingtons where just as popular as ankle wedges than your ordinary knee length boot, with bright colours, funky designs and characters for both the young and old. I haven’t seen a Wellington in Harare, as of yet. I’m still to find out, although they aren’t really my style.

Little kiddies Wellingtons in a variety of colours - also in Woolworths.

With the trends covered above, here is the verdict:

Can we Question Moral values to Fashion?

Where are we on the trend scale? Are some of Harare’s fashionistas too late or we put soo much reliance on tradition and patriotism that soo much of our trends are muted or non-disclosed to the public? You only see shorts, short minis and crop tops at suburban events or parties where the gate is closed and no one knows what’s going on inside OR at a night club where like-minded individuals hang out and understand each other. Taking a mid-bearing crop top to the streets or cheeky bum shorts out on the town may seem sketchy and not the brightest idea as society might shun you, look down upon you and more or less label you. The scenario is even worse if your mode of transport is combis and not your own personal car! Safe to say don’t go there..

Money or Fashion fad? Is it worth it to spend?

Not all cases of fashion trends are late in Zim. Some are on time and on point, if you have extra cash to spare in some of Harare’s top boutiques. Imported labels from Europe, America and South Africa are the norm, and the price tag is too hefty for a normal wallet. In most cases you find yourself calculating ‘the opportunity cost’ when it comes to buying a designer blouse once off or use that money to buy three cute blouses in Powersales. Options are limited as the designer blouse is one of a kind whilst your cute blouse from Powersales is worn by three other different women you bump into in the CBD. Creating an individual look is a challenge which really runs down to your finances. If you are not hesitant, kumabhero is always an option to check out.

What do we say about trends? Can we embrace them?

When we talk of trends we talk of the in-thing! What’s hot, what’s happening at that moment! With the economic scrunch in Zim and the textile industry still trying to revive, a lot of individuals just want to be clothed and not look at trends because it is costly, unbeneficial and sometimes the fabric makes you question twice on your investment. Whilst a country like South Africa can invest in trends, the same cannot be said about Zimbabwe. Until we rise above our economic scrunch, trends are the least concern on any ordinary Zimbo’s mind. Putting food on the table and paying school fees is top priority!

So there you have it - What do you say about trends in Zimbabwe? I have covered numerous articles on trends and I have tried a few here and there on the blog. A lot of reliance with the trends I have covered where either tailor-made or assistance from close friends who constantly cross the border between Zim and SA. Now onto you, do you think #ZimFashion is late on global trends? What are your thoughts?

DISCLAIMER: This article is in the views of the writer. From travelling to South Africa and back home – I only observed, asked and noted down notes through my own research. I’m not affiliated with any of the brands mentioned in this post. I'm always on a quest to question Zim Fashion; by redefining it, bringing it to your attention and finding solutions through this blog.

*The #ZimFashion debate continues! Check out the first post that covered "What's In the Fashion Industry in Zimbabwe", and weigh in.*

Tendai Sophia.

The GLAM Project Collaboration with Concrete Jungle NGOSIKADZI

The GLAM Project is my blog styling venture, which focuses on affordable, fun and chic fashion straight from myself. It’s something that I’ve been working on for quite a while now, and if you check links on the blog and on twitter, you can see a lot of my outfit posts have the hashtag #TheGLAMProject. The GLAM Project is really my story of styling clothing in an economy where fashion is linked to a lot of cheap imports, expensive goods and the tailor becoming your best friend to alter and design your preferred clothing. This is where The GLAM Project comes in, I try to link all of the fashion problems I face and create something exciting out of the negative – I don’t believe in turning a blind eye to something that could be potentially good; if and only IF you choose to change it.

With The GLAM Project I channel that through fashion, by mixing and matching, scouting around town for good finds and sometimes giving in the sacrifice to invest in a good piece that lasts long in my closet. So The GLAM Project is really my journey to creating classy, sophisticated, edgy and chic fashion in the streets of Harare. 

Earlier this month The GLAM Project took on its first collaboration with Concrete Jungle NGOSIKADZI (renamed from Concrete Jungle Fashion) to bring you two of Ngosikadzi African print dresses in Dutch wax African print, with the fabric texture being Kitenge from East Africa. Now this is a first blogger style collaboration so expect it to be super fun, affordable, chic and directly to YOU! The dresses in question are in two modern styles; the classic wrap design embodied by renowned international designer Diane Von Furstenberg (DVF), who introduced the dress in the 1970s. The tent dress is the second dress from Ngosikadzi that has a V neck slit at the back and embodies a 60s shift dress silhouette.

For each of the two dresses I will be giving you 3 looks in the following categories; a casual look, glam look and a quirky look – which runs down to a total of 6 looks. These looks will be flowing onto the blog for the rest of June and into the month of July with fun tips and suggestions coming from you!

Since African print is a really big trend right now, it’s only feasible to incorporate it into the winter season with fun and feminine ways of layering, which will also show bits n’ pieces of my personality.

With that said, my mission for this GLAM Project is to show support to our own designers and the textile industry, so any queries or questions OR how you wish to be featured on the blog as an emerging/upcoming designer, do email me or Tatenda with signaturetoscie@gmail.com or Tatenda with cjfashionzim@gmail.com.

The Wrap Dress – Casual Look

This wrap dress is absolutely super cute with the bold print and the little heart details. The fabric is a bit light for the winter season, so I did some super layering with a chunky knit cowl neck from Edgars, which picks up the strong red and purple detail very well. I let the dress speak for itself by toning down the rest of my look with a black peplum jacket, black stalkings and black ankle boots to keep warm. My personal favourite sunglasses to finish the look, and a bold watch to add a personal touch. What’s beautiful about the wrap dress is its timeless factor – it’s a go to piece that comes in many silhouettes, whether flared (like this one), straight, A-line, knee length or maxi long; as well as in different sleeves (this one in particular is sleeve less). You can take it from day to night, from the office to the happy hour and should be an important piece in a woman’s closet just like the LBD and LWD.

Yours with The GLAM Project,

Tendai Sophia!

My Weekend Ensemble: Edgy + Chic

This week it’s a second round with the ankle boots from Sapatos. I’m always looking for something that complements my character, and these wedge boots completely fit the bill. I wore this look on Sunday, which was also Father’s Day; due to internet connectivity and load shedding I couldn’t post anything on Instagram for my dad, but I will honour him in this post by saying he is the BEST dad ever! A lot of the times there is more emphasis on women’s groups, organisations and celebratory holidays, but if you take a closer only one day a year is set aside just for the men, which is Father’s Day. To which some men out there are pretty cool dads! Kudos to them!

So my ensemble this week is Edgy + Chic; I was thinking of black and accents of grey, something fun and warm yet still chic to wear to church. I paired a black cape peacoat, with ankle boots and a vintage black and grey pullover from my mom’s closet. The original idea to this look was to add a black scarf, but instead I switched it for a bullet grey neck piece from bling bling, and finished off my accessories with a yellow watch and matching gold chain bracelet. These jeans are my favourite pair of denims right now because they have a loose fitting to them, which comprehends the boyfriend jean trend (which I adore). I absolutely love the faded hue detail over the overall blue shade of the denims, and they are super comfortable too.

Quick tip: you can accomplish the faded hue bit by scrapping an old pair of denims with sand paper. Best trick in the book!

So Sunday’s look embodied an edgy-chic persona with the blue jeans, black detail, choker neckpiece, pullover stripes and wedge ankles that complete the chic look I was going for.

Still on the topic of Chic, myself with #TheGLAMProject have teamed with Concrete Jungle Ngosikadzi to style two African pieces for your fashionable convenience. One a tent dress and the other a classic wrap dress in African print. These style posts will be rolling out all of June and July, so I’m excited to experiment with some of my closet styling tips, and get you in on personal blogger fashion!

But all the same, do remain Gorgeous,

Yours in a Cape coat and choker neck piece;

Tendai Sophia

My Weekend Ensemble: Print Skirt + Ankle Booties

I wrapped up with the school in the past week, exams finished, now I wait for the fate that my results will bring but I surely hope for the best. In the past week and during the weekend, I have been using my time to read up on some of my favourite SA blogs (Superficial Girls, Baked The Blog and Mr Price’s In The Fashion Loop), trying to find ways to inspire myself to give you and the blog the best content relatable to Harare (I think I’ve succeeded in keeping the blog tres local and talking about Zim fashion, and making my outfits also relatable). So my main focus is to make the blog better especially with the photos. It’s been two years on and still my main goal is to give you high definition photos; which I’m still working on – cellphone photos aren’t making the cut for me anymore (hence I’ve opted to slow it down on the outfit posts). So I’ll keep you posted on that endeavour.

So my student life is temporarily over (Although I miss it already), but I guess it means more time to work on the blog. I’ve quite a few posts already lined up, one which is way overdue on Mafikizolo’s Nhlanhla recent fashion (did you see her evening gown on the MTV MAMA’s 2014 show?! Gorg, right!). Anyway onto the business of the day, is a style post with my vintage print skirt (that I believe is a 2 in 1 because it’s a midi skirt on which I altered the hem into somewhat a circle skirt, but still looks like a midi..) and ankle boots. I pretty much broke a fashion rule with the wedge ankle booties, because apparently tiny girls can’t rock a thick shoe due to our tiny calf, but I still went for it because I love this boot. I bought this boot in Sapatos at @JoinaCityZW, and I love it for its classic black colour and the fabric detail in the front and extra points on its comfort.

For Sunday’s look I paired the boots with the print midi skirt, nude blouse and caramel-inspired (brown) blazer finished off with a Mr Price woven belt. Sunglasses are from a FAIRLADY issue back in November 2013. The boots were a part of my Winter Preparation kit, where I acquired myself with three distinct and must have pieces this winter; the statement coat, knit scarf and ankle boots. Now we all know Sapatos Footwear and Luggage is a part of the Signature Toscie fam (big fan we are), and it’s exciting to note that Sapatos in collaboration with “With Love Foundation” are bringing you Fashion Forward ZW. One winter night of a fashion show at @JoinaCityZW on Saturday 5 July 2014, which launches my good friend Blaque Excellence’s S/S 2014 collection. Tickets start at $20, for any more information do contact @Fashion4wardZW or info@nailamanagement.com.

Now as noted, this blogpost is entirely about #MyWeekendEnsemble, which is another good inspiration to help you rock print skirts this winter. Yes, the weather is taking a turn for the cold in Harare.

With that said, I leave you with pictures of my weekend look.

Yours in New booties and Vintage prints!

Tendai Sophia!

Harare Store Review: Sapatos Footwear & Luggage Boutique

Sapatos is just the most divine, elegant and uptown boutique with elegant decor in the city’s Joina City. It hosts a range of South-African and UK Label ladies shoes (Yes, I spotted a BCBG shoe and ZOOM shoes!) as well as handbags and accessories. The boutique is relatively new having been operating well over a month now. It’s got some really up to trend handbags such as the envelope clutch and satchel purse (which I’m obsessed about and will one day own!). I also spotted some really lovely ladies loafers and boat shoes and some really stylish shoes for the little ones. ZOOM shoes were fetching from $45, which for non-locally produced shoes; it’s a really good price. I was even happier when I saw the handbags and purses were fetching from $25 starting with the oversized envelope clutches (which were just divine!). The satchel purse (that I truly adore fetches from $50; the one that I liked was $60 which isn’t bad for an international label being sold in Zim.) The store also hosts shoes and bags for the gentlemen who love class and sophistication and appreciate man elegance. (To be quite honest I think every man, whether your Hip-Hop fab should have a Man purse, Yes one of those Man purses!). Not to forget the store also hosts athletic gear and some school shoes!

I’m very proud to say Zimbabwe is definitely catching along with fashion standards in terms of the sprouting of shoes and handbags boutiques around the city. More so these boutiques are doing their level best in offering some really lovely and satisfying shoes (although they are not locally made and some of these boutiques charge crazy expensive prices, I’m glad that they are giving it a try). Thumbs up to these peeps who are catering for a Quality shoe fetish gap!

Stay Gorg and Glam

GD

I'm more of a Bag-lady, so forgive me for the bias.

The Satchel purse

I'm pretty sure this was a ZOOM shoe...

An array of Envelope cluthes....I die

This one was my favourite

How cute are these satchel purses?

I cannot forget Gentlemen...