Stylin' - Langebaan

I am off for a few days of R'nR in Langebaan. I will let you know on Sunday if I find any style statements up the west coast of southern Africa. Till then...

Koos - Hout Bay Gallery

Aneequa - V&A Waterfront

Black tunic dress and red accessories - especially the peep toes and light weight scarf. Love the scarf.

Freedom Day - V&A Waterfront

Just loving the old skool pac-man t-shirt that Leonita is wearing.

decorex 08 - Cape Town International Convention Centre

This annual event in Cape Town is as busy as ever. For anyone who is contemplating or experiencing the renovations hell that I am in currently, this is a great place to get ideas and information.

Spotted there some ladies in good casual winter wear with short sleeve knits and layering being de rigueur this season with your jeans.

La Senza Lingerie Warehouse Sale

At the Zambezi Room at The River Club in Mowbray, this lingerie sale runs until Tuesday, 29th May. Featuring 3 bras for R150 and sleepwear from R50, I am told that this sale is excellent.

For more information -
Tel: 021-447 7718 (office hours) or 083 341 4351
Saturday 9am - 6pm, Sunday 10am - 4pm, Monday - Tuesday 9am - 6pm

Winter is Coming - V&A Waterfront

After several hot and sunny days, the mist has come to Cape Town today. This means our wardrobe changes and it is time to don this season's riding boots. Vicky combines hers with a metallic bag (from Woolies) and a timeless black wrap dress - every lady's wardrobe needs one.

Leigh - Cavendish

With the Cape weather being so crazy-warm at the moment, it is appropriate for folks here to be wearing all the beautiful spring/summer 08 looks right now, rather than waiting for the end of the year. There is no excuse to be behind the trend curve!

Here Leigh is rockin' a Stella McCartney-esque floral tunic dress that is totally up to date.

Amy - Kloof Street

An unseasonably hot day in Cape Town, and Amy manages to look fresh and stylish in this strapless, leaf print dress.

Caroline - Cafe Neo

While I am a huge fan of classic, simple style - I am, at heart, a bit of a revolutionary. Caroline's outfit has classic style with a military twist, and a great dollop of rebel yell (with respect to Billy Idol). Simple black and denim combo, with biker boots and goggles. And the hat. You know how I love the hat.

Abongile - Cape Quarter

Loving the scarf and the hat - two essential winter 08 items that Abongile wears well.

Opening - Cecil Skotnes: A Private View

Thomas is the curator (together with Pippa Skotnes) of this newly opened and completely charming exhibition at the SA National Gallery. Providing a fresh insight into the great South African artist, the exhibition has Cecil's more intimate work on show, including his bowties, aprons and beautifully presented Christmas cards to his wife, Thelma.

Thomas, wore his own father's bowtie to the opening in homage to Cecil Skotnes.

The Capetown Dress - by TIBI

As a style guide for Cape Town, it would be professionally remiss of me not to profile one of the spring/summer 08 ‘it dresses’, the Capetown dress by TIBI. Available in red and the photographed yellow, this silk crepe sleeveless dress with an embellished neckline, is worn as a mini by the young and slim of leg, and as a gorgeous tunic by others.

From the latest collection by designer Amy Smilovic for TIBI, based on Out-of-Africa-meets-the-50s, this dress is a huge success for the large international department stores and Net-a-Porter.

How fitting then that it should be named after our beautiful city.

Opening - Steven Graham Gifts & Decor Store

Seen last night at the opening of this new decor store in de Waterkant, Julie accessorised in these gorgeous beads from the store (found in the goody bags, along with the most beautiful roses) and Phillip, wearing the gents must-have of the season, the waistcoat. Along with my favourite Converse trainers.

The store is a work of genuine love and the pieces in store are a blend of art and decor items. Figurative canvases, voluptuous ceramics, stunning fabrics on the cushions, and enthusiastic staff all combine with the most delicious aromas to make a visit to the store a wonderful experience. You can find it in The Rockwell in Prestwich Street.

Michelle - Caledon Street

As we transition from our glorious long summer, irrevocably into the Cape winter, it is hard to know what to wear that is warm enough for the chill in the breeze, but light enough for the sun that still shines so bright. Michelle shows us how to do it with simplicity and style.

Donna - Cape Quarter

Beautiful lavender spring dress with purple leggings and green gladiators. So pretty.

Sean - Kloof Street

Well dressed guys in Cape Town are rare, so I was pleased when I saw Sean in his pink shirt with white accessories and jeans. He looks fresh and stylish without looking like he is too neat. Good relaxed glamour.

Grey on Grey - Green Point

I loved this very casual layering of grey over grey. You all know by now that grey is the neutral of winter 2008, so this is just some inspiration on how to do it for dressing down. Melanie is a visitor to Cape Town from Germany.

Leopard Print Shoes - Wakame

Beautiful, classic shift dress and wooden beads set alight with leopard print stilletos - this is exactly how to wear this trend.

Alison - V&A Waterfront

I loved the clean simplicity of this outfit. The beautiful blouse with the on-trend volume sleeves and the gold gladiator sandals just enhance a simple pair of shorts. As ever, style is about not trying too hard.

Green Tartan - Woodstock

Dazzling. This fine gentleman is a vision in green tartan and I actually stalked him to request this photograph. There are so few chaps in Cape Town that would, or could, dress this majestically. A little eccentric, a whole lot of stylish and charming to boot. A rewarding encounter in a busy day.

Bryni & Jenilee - Kloof Street

So seldom do you come across young women - photography students at Varsity College - who look trendy yet fresh and stylish and appropriate. The beautiful floral sprig cotton tunic, belted in pink, and the white shirt with small red dots, worn by both girls made them really stand out in the midst of the try-hard, wannabes of their peers.

Rashida - Long Street

Possibly the coolest girl in Cape Town, Rashida was standing in this doorway in Long Street when I walked past. The pop of citrus colour in the wall, her shoes and on the dress, coupled by the way her leg parallels the shadow, makes this my current favourite photo on the blog.

Shirley - Wembley Square

This is an H&M blouse. The pattern and the teal collar make it a very current piece. And wearing it with a squishy red bag (from Woolies) ensures that the whole outfit is not predictable.

Kirsten - Green Point

Kirsten gives us lesson in how to do the hoodie, skinny jeans and baseball boots without looking slobby. The boots are silver, the lightweight scarf (essential winter 2008 item) is tied carefully, the jeans are dark denim and the whole outfit's fit is narrow without being skin tight. I loved the 'tude in the photo - although she was actually a lovely smiley girl.

Lauren - Green Point

Currently back home on a holiday from teaching English in South Korea, Lauren caught my eye with her brilliant orange handbag, yellow flip flops and barrow-boy cap. Great youthful dress-down glamour.

Nikita - Cavendish

Nikita really stood out amidst a sea of people mooching around Cape Town in their sloppy gear on a rainy Sunday. She was polished and shiny, in the nicest way. Being very tiny, she has used the solid colour block, 60s beehive and cowl neck to create a very clever length line that gives her an additional few inches in hight. Note the ribbon in her hair, opaque tights and patent pumps. These are all excellent - and really affordable - trend items for winter 08.

Kelly - Old Biscuit Mill

Great Alexandra Hoger navy blue dress and Crayon shoes. Excellent wooden beads. Fantastic smile. Kelly is a fashion student and this bodes really well for the future of CT design.

Chica Loca - Wembley Square

Loving the colour of the cardigan - this stunning teal 3/4 sleeve cardi is a classic piece for winter 2008.

Karen - Country Road Launch, Claremont

Wearing a gorgeous sixties shift, Karen has updated the dress by wearing leggings, although kept the authenticity with the alice band and brass earrings.

The Country Road collection for Woolworths is fantastic. It is really worth a visit for everyone, as I think that the basics for a classic winter wardrobe is right here. Just edgy enough to be contemporary and avoid slipping into boring, but classic enough to form the backbone of any self respecting winter collection for some years, across most age groups.

Stand out pieces include a grey pencil skirt with buttons in the front, the chunky knits in general and several of the evening dresses. Colours are grey, navy blue, black and red with hints of green and purple - just right for this season.

Pricing is better than expected - around the same sort of mark as the W Collection - pricey but not exorbitant. It is always good to welcome new design to our shores, and this one is more affordable than most.

Let me know what you think - and what you believe are the best pieces in the collection.

Shy Beauty - V&A Waterfront

I met this really lovely lady at the Waterfront where she was having coffee with her equally stylish friends. I fell totally in love with this simple grecian-inspired dress, which is from Blue Bay in Green Point. The simplicity and gold braid detailing are fantastic and she wore it so well with her black and gold gladiator sandals and lovely golden bob.

The shot is not great as a result of her very actute pain at the attention she was getting from me and everyone else, so apologies for that. Sometimes the most lovely of the people we meet don't see the beauty in themselves.

Country Road Launches

Country Road, Australian sister company to Woolworths, is launching tonight as a trial in Woolies Cavendish, V&A Waterfront, Sandton and Hyde Park. I will let you know what I think of the merchandise once I have seen and tried on some of the goodies on offer.

Anthula - Green Point

Many ladies feel that as they move out of their twenties and thirties, that they can no longer be stylish and trendy. The very beautiful Anthula shows us categorically that this is not the case. Wearing a beautiful silk chiffon, empire line tunic top, and jeans, Anthula is dressed in perfect casual glamour with no excessive accessorising and a cool and simple line. Which epitomises what this blog looks for in stylish Capetonians.

Frock - R.I.P.

It is a very sad day for Cape Town ladies. Natalie Becker has sold her label Frock and closed up shop on Kloof Street. I am delighted for Natalie as she stops for a moment to refresh her creativity and relax a bit. But all the ladies who have shopped Frock for the past few years are left wondering where they are going to get their pretty, beautifully made, girlie but trendy clothes from now on.

Natalie, who is wearing a beautiful soft blouse and shorts from her last collection above, is such a talent in Cape Town design. We all hope that she emerges next year reenergised and ready to try something new - something that can replace the great gap that we are going to now have in our wardrobe staples, season after season.

I chatted to Natalie last week and she spoke about how her Frock experience has been incredibly rewarding. Many of us have gone on this journey with her as she sharpened her design skills over the years - particularly in tailoring over the past year. But with great personal development comes great stress and the constant need to bring out something new every few weeks, takes its toll on a designer who places such importance on getting the fit absolutely right for her ladies.

With an absolute commitment to her core customers, Natalie needs to step back from the mass market she has built up, and rethink how she wants to bring her designs to us in the future.

With several of my favourite wardrobe pieces by Frock, I know that I can't wait to see what Natalie comes up with next. With an ability to lengthen my legs and flatter my waistline, I need a supplier of this sort of design - desperately! I am sure we all do.

Wishing Natalie all the best, I promise to let you all know as soon as Natalie comes up with her next venture.