South African Fashion I

South Africa is called the Rainbow Nation because of all of the different peoples that live here. This post highlights the fashions of a particular people, the Afrikaners. The Afrikaners are the descendants of primarily Dutch peoples who have lived in South Africa since 1652 but spread through-out South Africa in the early-mid 1800.


Women wear youthful, feminine, layered clothing. Skirts with leggings or a wide-leg pants are popular. Clothing materials feature a lot of flowing fabrics such as jersey and velvet. Sheers are very popular as well--lace, tulle and organza. The effect is very lovely.  In the pictures above, women from the shop Signorina's exemplify the autumn version this style.  As for shoes, ballet flats are quite common and until recently, Roman sandals were everywhere but the change of the season has brought out knee high boots in full force. Most women also are carrying very large baggy purses.


Men's clothing tend to be skinny pants, fitted shirts--jersey or button down and scarves are popular--even before the weather grew chilly.

Hair dye is very popular with both men and women. Bold black and blondes seem to be the most popular colors. Foiling is frequently seen. Women put a lot of thought into their hair whether short and asymmetrical or long and layered. Men's hair is short and spiky with a slight mohawk feel or cut close to the head.  Click this link or this one to see some realistic hairstyles.