Who remembers a time when turning thirteen was the coolest thing in life? Stepping into high school with your ‘ fresh outta primary school swag’, a new crew, new attitude and most importantly entering the pinnacle of life as a teenager! There I was, thirteen years old, new school in a city that wasn’t home.

A lot of people don’t know this about me but I actually did a stint in the beautiful City of Kings and Queens for high school. Everything was foreign to me, from the language, pop culture and most significantly for me, THE FASHION! I remember walking in town a wide-eyed mess, for the first few weeks, fascinated by absolutely everything and trying to take it all in! Animated faces and spunky outfits, I was never ready!

I quickly learnt that in the City of Royals ANYTHING GOES, my poor parents had unintentionally sent me to the hub and capital of creativity and freedom of expression! Instead of only getting an academic education, I was also blessed with a fashion education that serves as the foundation of my versatile style today.

Back home in Harare, I never understood why no one got my fashion point of view and I would often get upset! I always felt and still do sometimes, misunderstood and judged for my style because it wasn’t the ‘norm’ and it was a little ‘out there’. But you know what? Looking back, I totally get it now! My thirteen year old fashion sense was born, ignited, moulded and my mind was conditioned in one of the best fashion schools in Zimbabwe, my second home, My Bulawayo!

A city where looking like you are about to break out in dance or you just stepped out of a music video is the norm! A city characterised with boldness, vibrancy and confidence! A city that raised me to be fashionably confident and boldly expressive no matter what others may think or say.

So I would like to share one of the very first fashion lessons I learnt in the City of Royals, SOPHISTICATED CASUAL! The first thing I noticed about the Kings and Queens of Bulawayo, is their ability to dress super casually but still have an edge, a quiet sophistication to their looks. They all manage to look so effortless, whatever the look is.

So for this post, I decided to go back to my fashion roots and pay homage to the city that raised me, stylistically, by creating my take of sophisticated casual!

I paired a simple black chiffon blouse with a pair of brown ankle grazers. Ankle grazers are a great staple to have, you can easily dress them up or down, depending on your preference and the occasion. I love the fit and comfortability levels of my ankle grazers and I paired them with a red pump, for a touch of drama. How cute is it that my red pumps match my fire hair? I actually get to experiment with using my hair as an accessory! Super exciting.

One of the great things about this outfit is that its easy to wear, anyone can pull it off and put their own spin on it! Its definitely a user friendly, effortless and casually sophisticated look for the summer.

Xxx

Nyash