A Vibrant Summer

ferisshirley
Dec 12, 2023
2 min read

Updated: Dec 13, 2023

Most people can't wait for Summer to come around. In South Africa, Summer is also wedding season, holiday season and Christmas season. Lazy days to spend with loved ones around the pool, on the beach and around "braaivleis" fires.

In Cape town we are spoilt for choice when deciding to have a picnic on a wine farm or in Kirstenbosch gardens, going to the beach, the theatre or just catching up with family and friends. For all these delightful activities, we want to look stylish, but also cool and comfortable, especially in this season's high temperatures.

The secret? Choose styles and colours that suit your body and personality, because even the most expensive and trendy outfit will not look good on you if you don’t feel confident in it.

Usually, there are more than one style and colour trending each season. This gives you the choice to choose what suits you, tweak some styles, or skip it altogether. No fashion police will come to arrest you!

Fashion Trends and colours for Summer 2023/2024

The Pantone colour for 2023 was Magenta, but there were many more fashion-colours to choose from, so if Magenta was not for you, it did not matter one bit. The Pantone colour for 2024 is Peach Fuzz - a colour that some people claim make them nauseous. Remember that you can also choose a colour in the peach family, like orange or apricot if you want to give a nod to the trend.

Bright colours like Lime and Red are making their presence known. Blue, Nutshell (Brown) and Rooibos, our very own unique colour, is making an international appearance! White, of course, is a Summer classic.

Polka dots and stripes are never really out of style, but this season, there will be an abundance of these patterns to choose from. Oversized shirts and shirt-dresses are cool and comfortable, exactly what we need.

Maxi dresses and skirts are available in fabrics like linnen, denim and cotton. The cargo pant trend looks uber cool, but may not be for everyone. These are also available in satiny fabrics.

Waist coats worn with or without a blouse or t-shirt, paired with short or long pants. Pants are wide- or straight-legged. Metallic skirts are worn with t-shirts, a white button-down blouse or denim jacket to tone it down.

ACCSESSORIES: Bags, shoes, sunglasses and jewellery.

Totes, big bags and straw bags are readily available. Comfortable shoes and sandals like Birkenstocks are best sellers. Sunglasses are big and bold. Chunky gold jewellery are supposed to trend, but I don't see that happening. Bold earrings, not necesarily in gold, seem to be the preferred choice.