Around the World in 80 Dresses

You should not miss out on Young Designers Emporium (YDE) when in Cape Town. Their shops are a showcase of young talent. Dresses, tops, pants, shoes, handbags, you name it. The jump suit intrigued me because of its lovely night blue colour. Sometimes I like to brighten it up with a flowery blouson from Forever New just around the corner. It associates as well with jeans. Cape Town is a good hunting ground for new and upcoming designers. They come and go as competition is fierce. A walk along trendy Long Street is a must. Some are aspiring at ethnic chic combining traditional South African patterns and beads with modern design. They focus on the new black middle class albeit even more so in Johannesburg. At Egoli , the city of gold, the New South Africa is showing her colours.

The iconic South Atlantic yacht race is The sports event in Cape Town’s summer season. It is the longest continent-to-continent race in the Southern Hemisphere and has a history going back to 1968. The competition is fierce. Boats from all over the world are taking part. At the Royal Yacht Club at Table Bay the excitement is palpable.  I happen to witness the arrival of Mercenario 4 from Argentina at the shipyard. Argentina used to be my adopted home country for a couple of years and I am looking out for the beautiful light blue flag with the yellow sun. The Mercenario had started in Uruguay’s port town Punta del Este in November and arrived in Cape Town in late December, in time for the start of the race on January 1st. It goes without saying that I put on some blue and white combining a simple striped shirt with a linen skirt by Luisa Spagnoli and a French scarf honoring my second home with a hint of bleu-blanc-rouge . To recover from all that excitement we...