Much has changed the way we shop and dress over the past 12 months, and so looking to a new season of fresh deliveries requires a little more tact. Focus on quality and investment pieces that are built to last, and most importantly, take care of your clothes.
It's also important to enjoy the opportunity of self-expression. Model Yasmin Mohamud reflects on her personal style and how its inspired our autumn fashion shoot.
"My personal style is very important to me as it says something about me to those around me and can also reflect what I stand for as a person," says the 19-year-old, who also studies Biomed at the University of Auckland.
"Clothing gives an idea of a person's character and takes their confidence up to the next level. A good outfit can always turn a bad day around for me. You can't have a bad day and a lousy outfit that's just miserable."
As her debut photoshoot with rising Hamilton-based photographer Samiira Wali, Yasmin displays her passion for modest dressing with a twist.
"Being photographed by Samiira is always a blast and shooting for Viva together was such an incredible experience. The best advice I've received is to wear what always makes me feel the absolute best."
Bright Spark: Interesting Colour-Blocking
As we explore in our quarterly magazine, Viva Volume Three (on sale now), wearing a mix of saturated brights provides the perfect tonic for uneasy times. Colour-blocking, popularised post-recession in 2008, has made a return to our wardrobes think brights mixed with earthy hues as designers offer up an array of colours for us to choose from depending on our mood.
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Advertise with NZME.Above: Twenty-seven Names jacket $560. Kate Sylvester shirt $329. Vintage brooches, $60 each, from Go-Jo Recycled Clothing. Ricochet skirt $279. Moscot sunglasses $535. Hijab model's own.
Second Skin: Tailored Leather
Leather in an assortment of separates is a surprisingly chic focus for the new season; from the full leather blazer and trouser set at Stolen Girlfriend's Club to Kate Sylvester's autumnal-hued coats and skirts, leather smartens up. Keep a lookout for the extensive range of vegan leather options on offer too.
Above: BW 36.174 leather dress $899. Knueffermann silk shirt $269. R.M Williams scarf $109. Mi Piaci heels $280. Columbine tights $15.
Beauty Note: If there’s one beauty lesson we’ve learned over the last 12 months, it’s that life is too short to play it safe.
Go to town with a dramatic eye and matching glossy lip for maximum impact. Make-up artist Sarika plays with luxurious and decadent jewel-inspired colours and textures on the skin, eyes and lips. "I have accessorised the eye with Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette, created luminous skin highlighted with M.A.C PRO Illuminate Face Palette, and these statement lips are styled with M.A.C Carnivorous Liquid Lipstick and Lipglass."
"I love makeup because it makes me feel confident and feminine" says Yasmine. "To me, beauty is about the process of transforming myself into who I want to be, and who I want to be is a chic, put-together woman."
Full Focus: A Modest Dress
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Advertise with NZME.There are sartorial lessons to be gleaned from modest dressing. Full sleeves and full-length hemlines evoke a sense of elegance, dignity and grace.
Above: Vampire's Wife dress, $1498, from Workshop. Jasmin Sparrow earrings $829. Custom hijab made from viscose, $8 per metre, from The Fabric Store.
Bees Knees: The Knee-High Boot
The rise of the knee-high boot has found its groove this season with a variety of textures and heel heights, making the knee-skimming length a preferable choice underneath a tidy mid-length skirt or dress.
Extend the colours of autumnal leaves to the home with Bremworth Carpet's 'Britomart' rug a warm and inviting addition to any interior with its rich terracotta hue. This limited-edition rug is made from 100 per cent New Zealand wool. For pricing details visit Bremworth.co.nz.
Comfort Zone: Cosy Textures
Teddy-bear fabrics, enveloping coats and squishy bags that hug your body wardrobe items of late have responded to complex times with clothes and accessories that do plenty to ease stress and anxiety.
Cosy up in this full-length Ricochet coat (available for pre-order) the perfect size for everyday essentials.
Camilla & Marc shirt $420. Kate Sylvester skirt $699. Vintage amber brooch, $60, from Go-Jo Recycled Clothing.
Craft Works: Nostalgic Lace
We’ve honed in on the power of nostalgic textiles and accessories in recent months, and this season designers have re-examined the beauty of lace.
While there’s the desire to wear minimalist, fuss-free textures, there is also the delicate power of something that procures a more mindful approach to dressing lace requires much time, attention and care when wearing, cleaning and storing a textile that encourages us all to slow down and be present.
Above; Gucci dress $11,000, earrings POA and 'Jackie 1961' bag $3030. Vince skivvy, $142, from Mytheresa.
TRAILBLAZER: A cropped blazer
It's not unusual to experience four seasons in one day in our corner of the world, so outerwear that works around the clock in any situation is desirable. Opt for a tidy blazer with neat shoulders even better, one with practical pockets like this Sylvester blazer $399. Gucci silk scarf $755. Gregory scarf POA. Viktor & Rolf glasses, two single-vision pairs for $459, from Specsavers. Vintage amber brooch, $60, from Go-Jo Recycled Clothing Boutique
Model / Yasmin Mohamud. Makeup Artist / Sarika
