Accessories are the key to, and often the
guardian of your style. They help create perception, context, depth and edge to
an outfit. Accessories, I believe, tell a wonderful story that makes one’s
outfit more than it would have ever been. Accessories are the missing piece,
the element that ties an outfit together. No outfit should exist without an
accessory.
Coco Chanel famously once said “Before you
leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one accessory” however, I must
disagree – my sentiment is that more is more when it comes to accessories in
this era. This is very true of my subject, Tumelo, affectionately known as
Tyra. Tyra possesses a box of glittering, gold plated, colourful and textured
treasures; from which she layers each piece as if she is organising the
chapters of her autobiography. Each piece is from a different part of her life
and thus each piece holds a memory. Whether the memory is short or long, old or
new; she chooses each piece relevant to the time of day, the season and the
occasion. But one thing remains, each item says something about who she is,
where she has been and maybe, where she is going. In a way, her box of
treasures serves as her guardian of her identity, the protectors of her style.
Tyra carries her memories. I, use my
accessories as my security blankets. As fun as it is to be adventurous with
style, dressing up and trying to fit in with the denim shirt and converse
wearing, nose ring having cool kids of Cape Town is hard for me. So my
accessories keep me safe and give me a foot in the door when surrounded by the cool. I think this comes from
my mother pulling down a beautiful vintage brown leather suitcase almost every
long holiday when I was younger. In this suitcase were my mother’s clothes from
yester year. Perfectly tailored pencil skirts, ruffled shirts, sexy dresses and
high waisted jeans that do fit me... in my dreams. So we have come to the
conclusion that my mother’s beautiful vintage clothes will probably never fit
me, but her vintage clutch bag will always fit in my hand.
Accessories are items that no matter what
size you are will always fit into your style, you will always be able to wear
your grandmother’s pearls, your aunt’s clip on earrings and for me, I will
always have a piece of my mom with me when I rock her clutch bag! There is a
sense of security in this notion, knowing that something that holds memory,
history and sentimentality will always ‘fit you’ and will never go out of
fashion.
Whether you layer the different facets of
your identity like Tyra, or whether you use your accessories as a reminder of
your mom like I do. Accessories will always guard your style choices, defend
the simplicity of your little black dress, give an extra edge to those Aztec
print shorts or add something golden to your 21st birthday dress.
Accessories will always have your back.
Here are the snaps of some of Tyra's stories, my stories and some other wondering souls :)
THE SHOOT
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| Tyra - Preparing for our journey down long street |
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| Tyra's Box of Treasures |
In The Playground!
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| My Mother's Vintage Clutch Bag |
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| Using Hair as an accessory. And don't you just LOVE the African print scarf! |
Much Love and Even More Dopeness
Koosh: The Lil’ Black
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