Style icon Enhle Mbali Maphumulo recently did the unthinkable when she wore her wedding dress for a second time on the runway.
This past weekend she stunned again by wearing the same Gert Johan Coetzee dress to two red carpet events in one week (SAFW & Cell C Playing 4 Pink Polo) as part of the #SkipCareChallenge.
Enhle is making a powerful statement and stands by her decision to boldly recycle her clothes, “Most women cannot afford to wear a valuable item of clothing only once so they need the confidence to repeat with style” adds Enhle.
Fashion designer Gert-Johan Coetzee says the trick is to repeat without repeating – “Change things around and find ways to refresh the look” comments Gert.
Here are a few of Gert’s style repeating hacks –
• Pair it differently. Add new elements and colours to the overall look with a sweater or bright shoes. Bold belts can really alter the shape and catch the eye.
• Change yourself and not the dress. Be strikingly different and make a statement with your hair, your makeup or your accessories like a statement handbag.
• Restyle the garment. Shortening a dress, re-shaping the neckline or dyeing it a new colour are obvious ways to rejuvenate a garment but you can also add an element like a patch or some buttons, or create a ragged hemline. Clever tailoring can work wonders.
One critical element in a successful repeat is cleaning the item properly and caring for it well. Which is how the Skip Care Challenge came about, to demonstrate that with proper maintenance, the item can look new for longer and be worn again, and again and again. This requires the use of high quality products like Skip liquid detergent with fibre care technology. It also involves hanging garments carefully and paying close attention to labels, and following instructions like “do not tumble dry”.
For more information on Skip care visit, @SkipSouthAfrica on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Published on behalf of Ogilvy & Mather Cape Town