RuBe’s Closet - Modest Fashion and Lifestyle: Mimco

Friday, 14 August 2015

Fearless Faux Fur Coat

Welcome Back readers and a Hello to new readers,

This has been a short week, but one filled with so many good things and I sincerely hope its been equally rewarding for everyone else. I believe in the power of positive thinking, of dreams and goals; and working to make that a reality. In the spirit of Women's Month, I urge every woman out there to take that inner strength and turn all your sorrows into lessons, step on those obstacles in your life and move into a place where your tomorrows are filled with promise.

This past weekend I attended the First Lady Affair, an event aimed at empowering women and highlighting the importance of taking time out to care for yourself. As women we are all caretakers and nurturing in various roles, as dutiful and loving daughters, as overloaded mums, caring spouses and hardworking employees and business owners. The message I walked away with was that there are times in life when you are beaten down, and we have all had those experiences, yet we carry on with poise and purpose. And despite our own baggage, we have no idea what the woman next to you on the bus, in front of you in the queue or driving that luxury car is dealing with. So be kind, always and try to reserve judgement - it's actually really therapeutic, to walk through life with this positivity.

Let's be strong women and make a concerted effort to uplift one another instead of adding to those life lessons beating us down.

Today's OOTD features a vintage fur coat, from Human Image, an outfit I put together for a mid week coffee date. I think its so important to dress for yourself, fearlessly, so even though this coat is just glam personified- I decided to make it work for a morning meeting. I paired it with part leather leggings, boots and a long length tunic white shirt (Few and Far Collection) under a knit. Living in Cape Town means layering to account for season changes in one day. All items except the coat and shirt are recycled from previous seasons, of course!

Outfit details:

Vintage Fur Coat from Human Image

Mango Sequin embellished knit

Spree.co.za Leggings (shop similar here)

Few and Far Collections shirt

Woolworths leather boots

Cotton On on beanie

Stance sequin socks from Spree.co.za (shop here)

Pauls Boutique shopper

Mimco bracelet

Colette Hayman necklace

Caio for now,

RuBe xoxo

Modest Oversized OOTD

Hello again lovelies,

The crop top has been the rage all summer and since I'm more of a modest fashionista I haven't really followed the crop top trend. Until I found this oversize boxy embossed top on one of my favourite online stores, Spree. The main thing that caught my eye with this top, was not really the fact that it was a crop, but more the beautiful embossed fabric. I am a huge fan of prints, beautiful fabrics and the way they drape, so it's important to me what the fabric composition is. Which brings me to a few tips I feel will be helpful for those contemplating online shopping (locally or internationally).

One of the significant factors (for me personally) when buying online is to check the care guide to determine the quality and durability of the fabric. Since I cannot touch and feel it, I need to ensure that it is of good quality and will retain its shape after washing- its also very important that light coloured items are not only dry cleanable. This just works out way too pricey!

An additional tip, is to know your measurements in cm's, as brands sizes vary, Australian and American brands are usually bigger, and try to familiarise yourself with European vs South African sizes. I even take it a step further and measure my foot dimensions too, in the case of purchasing shoes from overseas online stores, ensuring a perfect fit.

As a fashionista, I love new trends and fashions, but I will bypass certain ones, comfortable in the fact that it will not suit me, my body type or my personality. I tend to frequent international online stores as they are usually ahead of the trend curve. In doing so I have learnt some important lessons such as the importance of knowing your exact measurements, asking questions about the fabric, delivery lead times and whether customs is paid upfront (this is a very important question as customs duties are exceptionally high! A maximum of 54% including VAT).

A very important aspect of buying from international online stores is to ensure the reliability of the store and that you have a money back guarantee. Whilst it may very hard to return an international parcel, the reputable online stores offer a full refund and this generally will put my mind at ease when needing to make payment.

This outfit features my online purchase, which I was very impressed with since it was very well priced and the quality of the fabric was really good. It also washes and retains the shape perfectly!

I paired it with a grungy boyfriend jeans, silver sandals and a striped tank to add interest to the embossed fabric.