I’ll be honest, autumn and winter are my least favourite seasons of the year. I’m a summer baby, so initially living in Durban was the absolute best. The weather is always pleasant and at its worst, there is one full week of cold weather in the year. For the rest of the year, the weather ranges from humid/warm to humid/hot. April marks 2 years living in Durban, and I’m missing my winter wardrobe. I haven’t worn boots since 2018, my beloved leather jacket and coats have been abandoned at the back of my closet and I’m craving a good layered look.
Since I still work from home I plan to spend more time in Johannesburg (and maybe Cape Town if I’m lucky) this autumn and winter so hopefully, I’ll actually be able to wear more of the pieces I’m going to discuss below.
Shackets
A hybrid between a shirt and jacket, the shacket (or overshirt) is the perfect layering piece. It’s more relaxed than a blazer and jacket and a lot thicker and more substantial than a normal button-up shirt. You can style it opened over a light knit and denim, throw it over a dress or wear it buttoned up and belted as a top. It’s versatile and depending on your style can go with tons of looks. I popped into H&M and saw some beautiful colours. Even though we can’t shop H&M SA online I’ve shown some examples below.
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Chunky boots
I don’t know when I became this person, but lately, I’ve become obsessed with thick, chunky-soled boots. I love the juxtaposition of a feminine dress paired with a hard, almost masculine, and rock/punk boot. My dream is to own a pair of Prada Monolith calf-length boots but at $1890 a pair (that’s R28000) I’ll have to settle for a dupe.
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Outfit
Oversized Blazer | ZARA
Crop Top | ZARA
Leggings | ZARA
Mules | ZARA
Handbag | Mango
Sunglasses | Tom Ford
Necklace | KBT x JimnoJean
Loungewear Sets
In 2021 we’ll continue spending a substantial amount of time indoors so investing in good quality loungewear pieces in luxe fabrics is a must. I’ve bought my fair share of loungewear over the past year but my favourite so far has been the Limitless Contour Collection from ZARA. The fabric is soft and so comfortable. If there’s one thing you get from this post, I would suggest a set from this collection. In these images, I’m wearing an XS – S crop top and M – L leggings from the collection.
Plush, cushion bags
Think soft, squishy, unstructured bags that make you want to squeeze and cuddle with. Made popular by the likes of the Bottega Veneta Pouch, Padded Cassette or Chanel 19, soft, cushion-like bags will continue to be on the rise as high street stores continue to create dupes and bags inspired by these designer bags. I tried this on for size with this Bottega Venetta Mini Twist inspired bag from Mango that I’m wearing in these images. I love it so much I’m looking to add another variation of this style to my collection.
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Second Skin Tops
Second-skin tops are basically form-fitting, lightweight long sleeve tops, that might as well be your second skin. I’ll admit, typing it out even makes these tops seem uncomfortable but worn in autumn, these can be a practical layering piece that allows you to still wear a lighter, summer item in the colder months. This means I can take my beloved silk slip dresses and tiered dresses into autumn by layering a long sleeve second- skin stop underneath. Ganni and Marine Serre stick out to me as brands leading the charge in this style.
What styles are you looking forward to wearing this autumn?
