DIY Styling.

 I love how traditional weddings have now given us scope to play around with African prints in a way we never have before. Whether Xhosa, Zulu, Mosotho or Vhenda, we're all starting to embrace African fashion unapologetically.

But as a Xhosa girl, I must say I am ashamed to admit that I do not own umbhaco (Xhosa traditional attire). I unfortunately did not manage to make time to go and get umbhaco made for me for the traditional wedding last weekend. However, I'm a woman with a plan. I just felt that I had worn my other traditional ensembles one too many times - you can't repeat distinct prints such as those of my traditional outfits more than once for big events. 

So on the morning of the traditional wedding (can you believe it? I went to bed having no idea what I am going to wear to an entire wedding the next day) I went to a boutique in East London that stocks an array of South African designers' clothing and looked for a doek with the most vibrant print. I found a doek from the PlusFab range, which does not cater clothing for people my size, so I bought a doek. I got home and started playing around with the fabric, wrapping it around my a-cups in various styles until a stroke of genius in me created the off-shoulder crop top you see here, held together by safety pins for the day. I complemented the new creation with this Miss Port (Craig Port) ruffle tulle skirt and Ronald Sassoon platforms. I must say it was quite a crowd pleaser even on my instagram. 

And that, fellow stylistas, is part 3 of my 3 part wedding review posts. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I enjoyed the wedding festivities.

Let me know if you would be interested in a tutorial on how to make this crop top or one like it.