{OOTD} | Chasing Pink

Dress – Topshop | Leggings – Woolworths | Boots – ZARA | Frames – Prada

Today I am (finally) sharing the photos I shot with Zeenat from Pursuing Pictorialism when I was in Cape Town. I had literally just gotten off the plane (a 7am flight!) and I was feeling like the walking dead.  Zeenat, however, was so good and patient with me and managed to make me look so calm and refreshed!

I felt that since I was going for a MAC event I had to go with a black outfit.  It was one of the last warm days and I got to wear this lovely jewelled collar dress from Topshop. I love wearing my dresses with leggings and if you get it right with colours and textures you can end up with a really chic look. Also your legs are warm and cosy! I’m wearing my favourite Zara boots again. As I’ve mentioned before, they are so versatile and can be worn in many different ways!

I really wanted the pink lipstick to pop because it was the only colour in my outfit. I wore a mixture of Candy Yum Yum and Viva Glam Miley (obvs) and Zeenat really managed to capture the vibrant pink. You can still get your hands on Miley’s hot pink Viva Glam lipstick (ZAR210) and lipglass (ZAR200) at your nearest MAC counter. Remember that 100% of the selling price goes to the MAC AIDS Fund to help adults and children living with HIV and AIDS.

I really loved working with Zeenat on these photos and I hope to work with her again in the future. She even managed to get my thick glasses (#BadEyesightProblems) in with no glare! You can find her on Instagram @PursuingPictorialism. If you’d like her contact details for a booking please pop me an email or tweet and I will forward them to you.

Until next time

“Pink isn't just a color, it's an attitude!” – Miley Cyrus

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

{SA Fashion Handbook Feature #4} | De Oranje

I was a bit slack yesterday because I had a million events to attend so I didn't put up my feature. I have some amazing content to share with you next week so yay!

Anyway here is the outfit. I took an otherwise dull outfit and brightened it up with some pumpkin accents.

For full outfit details follow this link to the SA Fashion Handbook
http://fashionhandbook.co.za/lady-zaa-im-wearing-thursday/

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

(Shot in 4th Avenue, Parkhurst Johannesburg)

{SA Fashion Handbook Feature #3} | On Wednesdays...

WE WEAR PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For full outfit details check out the link below to the SA Fashion Handbook
http://fashionhandbook.co.za/lady-zaa-im-wearing-wednesday/

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

(Shot at the University of Johannesburg)

{SA Fashion Handbook Feature #2} | Noveau Punk

When I woke up yesterday morning, it was so cold that I literally felt like wearing everything grey and charcoal that I owned. Sanity prevailed and I managed to narrow it down to this layered outfit. I added the plum boots for a little bit of colour, I bought these on my first shopping trip with my fashion BFF Shaheeda.

For full outfit details follow this link to the SA Fashion Handbook

http://fashionhandbook.co.za/lady-zaa-im-wearing-tuesday/

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

(Shot in Sandton City, Johannesburg)

{SA Fashion Handbook Feature #1} | More Issues than Vogue

All this week I have the privilege of sharing my outfits with the SA Fashion Handbook in their What I’m Wearing blogger series. The 1^st featured blogger was Trevor Stuurman of Stuurman Style Diary. Check out his looks when you’re on the site because I really love his style.

For today’s look I wore a statement tee that is a favourite amongst fashion bloggers worldwide. I hope you like my interpretation. I got it from Laiqah who had it custom printed but she is unfortunately out of stock now. Check out her styling of the tee here.

For full outfit details please follow the link below to the SA Fashion Handbook.

http://fashionhandbook.co.za/lady-zaa-im-wearing-monday/

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

(Shot in Melville, Johannesburg)

{OOTD} | NY Hates You

Vest – The Lot | Shirt – Mr Price | Leggings – Cotton On | Shoes – Topshop | Necklace – Metropolis | Ring – Dansk Smykkenkunst Denmark

Hey there rockstars! Okay so don’t get me wrong, I LOVE New York even though I have never been. It’s a stunning city that I’ve always dreamed of visiting and is the home to my (And Shaheeda’s) favourite show ever… Gossip Girl. In fact Dr Ahmed Kathrada told me that it is his most favourite city in the world (apart from Johannesburg of course!) and that I should definitely visit it sometime. It’s just that I also love being a little cheeky and rebellious so I couldn’t resist this vest when I saw it in the window at The Lot.

In this look I gave the vest a very grungy pairing with leather leggings, chunky shoes and a plaid shirt. Plaid is almost on its way out so I’m trying to get as much wear out of my plaid pieces as possible. I had to add some Ruby Woo to the mix and the red lips finished off the outfit really nicely.

It’s going to be a crazy and cold week! Stay warm… and sane! ;)

Until next time

“A lot of the time when I write about the person that I love, I feel like I'm writing about New York.” – Lana Del Rey

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox

{FASHION TIPS} | Shopping For Faux Leather

There are many reasons why people don’t wear leather. For some it’s ethical, others practice veganism and some cannot afford to pay that much for an item amongst many other reasons. I personally think it’s an incredible, classic material but I am unfortunately allergic to it. Even sitting in our cars makes my throat go dry, scratchy and uncomfortable. Leather is a huge trend for Winter and I will be sharing some tips I follow when shopping for and wearing faux leather pieces.

§  Make sure the material is good quality – The material must not be too thin or too shiny (I’ve seen some ridiculous ‘liquid leggings’). Genuine leather is usually quite textured and grainy, so don’t look for something that’s quite smooth. When going faux, good quality makes all the difference

§  Make sure the stitching and work is done well – The amount of care and attention to detail that goes in to crafting from genuine leather is incredibly high. When purchasing faux leather items the stitching and quality of work can be quite shoddy. Make sure you pick out pieces that are tailored and well-made. You want to fake it, not look like a fake.

§  Don’t overspend on faux leather – Faux leather was invented by humans in a lab so it’s probably not going to last too long. While a genuine leather jacket will last you forever, a faux leather one will probably last you three seasons if you’re lucky. I’ve seen faux leather items that cost almost as much as real leather ones but this is just a no-no. Faux leather ages horridly.

§  Go for pieces with faux leather accents – Collars on shirts and dresses, panelled leggings, sleeves; these are all ways to add a bit of leather to your outfit. Accents make faux leather look well, less faux. Faux leather goes well with wool, cotton plaid and denim.  Do make sure that the other fabrics on the piece are of good quality too, though. I once bought panelled leggings and the fabric was so thin… it was a total disaster!

§  Try patent – Patent is fabulous and the point of it is to look plasticky. Faux patent leather will look less faux in patent. You barely can tell the difference between faux and real patent. There are some lovely faux patent shoes in the stores right now.

§  Keep it simple – Try not to do too many faux leather items together. You want to look classy and put together.

   Here are some faux leather items that are in stores now.

Until next time

Love and sparkles

Zaakira xox