LONDON - The fashion week season is almost upon us. For many it can be a dilemma! Fear not because our Style Panel is here to show you some key pieces that can help you pull off that desired look. Fashion weeks give you the opportunity to let go of what the trends are saying and just be you. Over the last few years, street style has become a very popular blogging subject. It has almost allowed the "weirdos" in fashion to have a field day in expressing personal style. Fashion is a complicated industry, one minute jumpsuits are "in-style", and the next "if you are seen in one you become the joke of the season"!
However, my feeling is what fits the finger goes! So in other words, wear what best represents who you are. Style is timeless, it is individual.
As usual our Style Panel does not disappoint.
Lisa Chiwira ((Personal Stylist)
My whole working life is in fashion, so it is important that most days, and that is really 7 days of the week, I try to look stylish. There is no denying fashion plays a major part in my life. I see it as an art which inspires me when creating my daily looks. I do not like clothes to look like they're wearing me, I prefer the opposite. I do this by mixing textures, colours, proportions, tailored and casual pieces.
This week the challenge was to show off my style preference. I love simple, tailored clothing with a sophisticated feel. I wore the red halter neck which is very open at back and decided to make it look a bit more "respectful" by teaming it with an over the knee skirt, which is playful with just my knees showing at the front. The studded belt and the chain on the shoe is a way of jazzing up the outfit. I paired up fuchsia cropped pants with a neutral coloured top to tone down the brightly coloured trousers and completed it with black heels plus a studded choker.I also love how I put together the little beige skirt with my hubby's blue & white shirt to give it an androgynous and fresh feel, finished off with very feminine white heels to balance things up. Like I always say, one doesn't need loads of money to look good. The simple things create the best looks! Remember to look good effortlessly.
All these items are from United Kingdom (UK) high street stores, which are Zara, H&M. Many if these pieces can be found in fashion boutiques in Zimbabwe.
Nyaradzo Mugarisanwa (Knitwear Designer)
The words that describe my wardrobe are feminine, masculine and statement pieces. I have so many looks and styles depending with how I feel on the day as well as the occasion.
Feminine
I wear a lot of bright colours in the summer. My feminine side comes out and I live in bright summer dresses. My favourite colours are yellow, orange, purple, turquoise and cobalt blue. As soon as it starts warming up outside, I dust my brights as well as my prints. This dress is a vintage dress I got from America and a combination of my favourite things which are colour and print. It has shoulder pads which add form and structure. I love the cinched in belt that narrows and balances out the outfit. If you have a small waist, belts are good for drawing attention to that area. I wore mellow accessories as the dress itself is loud.
Masculine
In winter my dress sense becomes moody with the weather. All I want to wear are greys, blacks and ox-bloods. Sombre colours to suit my mood. This is a simple chiffon shirt dress I bought a few years ago from Select. The under dress is separate and allows me to achieve different looks with the chiffon top layer. I step away from the feminity of summer and become more masculine in my dress sense. Pretty is a word that ceases to exist until summer.
Statement Pieces
Others invest in handbags, I invest in standout pieces. In the all-black look I am wearing a bejewelled leather bib I have had for 5 years and chunky junk rings. The dark colour lends itself well to the standout pieces I am wearing. I also wore a thin double-strand gold chain, neon earrings with the bright dress to make the look fresher and wore gold heels to break up the colour.
Pamela is a Zimbabwean fashion journalist and fashion accessory designer based in the United Kingdom. She can be contacted on pamsamasuwo@live.co.uk