Importing clothes into SA 101

If you ever contemplated buying clothing overseas and bringing it to South Africa then you need to read this.

In this post I plan to tell you exactly how much it will cost you as a normal "man on the street" to import clothes into the country. There are two ways of bringing clothes in to the country that I can think of. You can bring them in as part of your luggage from a foreign country as long as the new clothes are below R3000. New clothes above R3000 if declared at customs at whatever point of entry you use to enter South Africa will attract Custom Duties and VAT.

The other option is to have the clothes delivered to you in SA; you will then be viewed by Customs and SARS as importing goods. What that means is you will be liable to pay Custom duties as well as Value Added Tax on the invoice value of your purchase.

How will you pay this: If you are using a private delivery company; they will be notified when your package arrives at Customs and they will be provided with an invoice for the Duty plus VAT. You will need to pay the duties before your goods can be released and safely delivered to you. If you have the goods delivered to your local Post Office i.e. you don't use a delivery company as previously mentioned, you will have to collect the goods yourself at the Post Office and settle the Customs and Vat right there and then. The cost of it all: Over and above the price of the garment you payed to the overseas vendor; the customs and vat will be calculated as follows: Cost of the garment  after translation into Rands is R4,300 Custom Duty will be  R4300* 40% = R1,720 Value Added Tax (VAT) will be R4300* 21% = 903 IN TOTAL CUSTOMS FEES = R2,623 The custom duties and Vat could end up at more than 50% of the Purchase price of the garment The cost of importing clothes is very high, this is to discourage importing of clothes from foreign countries and encourage buying locally and supporting the local manufacturing and textile industry. To learn more about this topic visit the following websites: SARS Website South African Info Website

BOOTS FOR DAYS

If you love me and you want to show me just how much...Then BUY me one or all of these boots. That is all.

All available at Style36 with next day delivery.

DIESEL

HUNTER

HUNTER

ERROL ARENDZ

HUNTER

Ultimate Strapless Wonderbra

I am more than happy to spend my hard earned money on companies whose mission it is to make women's lives easier...better and more fabulous.
More often than not products aimed at women over promise and advertisers like to think if the product is pink we will buy it...

I found a product I just have to share. Its reasonably priced, delivers on each promise and it’s in different colours.
If your bra cup is C or larger then you know the pains of the strapless bra. Most so called strapless bras slip and you must keep pulling them up and some just do not provide the much needed lift and hold to the ladies.

I call this bra the magic bra, the official name is The Ultimate strapless bra from Wonderbra.
This is the only strapless bra you need to have, when I read the label and it said "Now you can Jump, dance, play..." I thought there they go again over promising.

But to my greatest delight this bra is comfortable, has maximum hold and gives a beautiful lift. No slips. No pulls.
Make sure you get yourself measured first so that you buy your correct size.

Where to buy it

For R420 you can get this bra at the following outlets:
- Edgars
- Truworths
- Zando.co.za
- Wonderbra.co.za



Camo and Sequins

Hello dear readers, I know I have been MIA yet again. A lot has been happening, taking me away from blogging.

I wore this look to the Hospice night of the stars fashion show on Human rights day. The fashion show was raising money for Hospice; more than a 100 celebrities donated their time and dared to cat walk for top designers like David Tlale, KLUK CGDT, and Black coffee down the longest runway I have ever seen. Celebrities like Somizi, Khanyi and Kuli Roberts were very entertaining; all in all it was good fun for a great cause.  The clothes were fabulous, David Tlale showed his New York fashion show collection and I fell hard for the Loin Cloth and Ashes lady like dresses.

What I wore:

This look look blends two trends together; sequins or as I like to call it the "bling bling" trend and the grungy military trend. I adore the comfortable military boots, and the camouflage shirt is a studded  stunner. 

Hope you like this look.

 About the look:
- Shirt- Mr P
- Dress- Jo Borkett
- Boots- Edgars
- Clutch- Mr P

AUTUMN/ WINTER TRENDS

Grazia and Jo Borkett hosted a winter trends readers night in Sandton this Tuesday.

Champagne and macaroons in hand, the Grazia team took us through what we can expect to be wearing in a few weeks from Jo Borkett in line with fashion trends.

You can expect more peplums (Yay), brocade (not a fan, would rather leave this fabric to grand ma's curtains), leather, camouflage, prints and lots of knit wear. I'm excited to wear some leather and camouflage; I also can't wait for winter knits for when a coat is just too much. 

Another surprising yet interesting trend is velvet, my friend and I went gaga for Jo Borkett's velvet skater skirts in black or maroon. This winter will be full of lush, feminine and luxurious fabrics.    

What I wore..

I wore black and white slim leg pants with a cropped t-shirt and a tux blazer. The pants are very comfortable and casual, pairing them with the tux blazer made more a little more dressier. The blazer is from H&M, the pants are Cotton on and the tank top is from Mr Price. 

The shopping..

What do you get when you put a group of women in a Jo Borkett store with everything on the floor at 30% less?..Madness!

The jacket of the season..

I fell in love with the ox blood clutch with studs, and the most beautiful leather sleeves winter jacket.

The Fashion..

Long time..

Dear readers,

Its been a while since my last post, this is due mainly to the fact that I no longer have a camera. I dropped my camera with the lens extended a while back, now the lens is stuck and will no longer extend fully.
If any of the blogs on Nikon and Canon cameras are anything to go by, after trying all the recommended "fixes" with no luck I should just throw the camera away.
I will get a new camera eventually, hopefully one that is a lot more sophisticated than my previous one which really was for taking holiday photos and certainly not for blogging.

Enough about my camera woes, what I wanted to talk about is Arts on Main in the the Maboneng Precinct in Johannesburg CBD.
I went to the living room, a lounge like cafe this past weekend for a late lunch, and never have I felt the pain of not having a camera more sharply than then. Arts on main is simple gorgeous with the old city feel of the buildings,cute coffee shops, art galleries and boutique stores like LoinClothandAshes all in one place, it is the perfect place for any art lover.

The living room is on the rooftop of one of  the city center buildings, whilst enjoying a Margarita you can also watch the sun setting in the city's sky line.

The only problem is that you have to drive in the cbd midst speeding taxis, possible smash and grabbers and one way streets to get to Arts on Main, but once you are there you realize it is worth it.

To see all the cool stuff that happen at Arts on Main at the Maboneng Precinct such as markets and events visit their website http://www.mabonengprecinct.com

My boyfriend took some photos with his Samsung phone, he was gracious enough to lend me some for this post.

I will be going back to Arts on Main for a valentines movie screening. If you have nothing to do on V day, see details of the movie screening of Paris Je Taime hosted by Arts on Main.

Thanks for the visit.

Gifts for under R200

My crazy friends and I had the ridiculous idea of getting each other gifts of  not more than R200 this year, that is a little over US $20. Crazy as it was I loved this idea, the low budget would force us to be inventive and a lot more consideration would go into the gift..which would give it even more meaning. Once I started looking for the gifts I quickly realized the nightmare I was faced with. But I never back away from a challenge and in the end I was pretty happy with what I found for my friends. The even harder part was willing myself into not keeping everything for myself *hides face*

Gift one: Who doesn't like a party top?

This wonderful embroidered top is too cute for words, and as previously mentioned I kind of wanted it for myself.. It's from Forever New and it was on sale at R175. Score!
I think this top is so versatile, it can be worn with jeans for both a casual and a semi casual night look. It would also work with a flared skirt and a blazer or tailored high waist shorts.


Gift two: All wrapped up in gorgeousness..

This scarf is just amazingly fabulous...I couldn't resist also buying one for myself..
It's colorful and silky and can be worn in soo many ways. Weather worn around your neck as a scarf or as head wrap this scarf is sure to impress. The friend I bought this scarf for is a little conservative when it comes to print and color..she prefers simple and less noisy...this scarf is the opposite of that, the perfect little way to nudge her ever so slightly away from her comfort zone.
The scarf is also from Forever New..retailing at R195..awesome price!

Gift three: Bag it!

If your are buying a gift for under R200 you must surely go to Mr Price..so I did and I was not disappointed.
I got this vintage look bag for R79, I was shocked out of my socks and also very happy about that number. If this was not the last one I would have also gotten myself one. It's soo lady like and so stylish, perfect for a lunch out or a night out. It can be carried as a clutch or as a bag. I love the neon Pink that is showing through the cut outs.
Because this gift was so dead cheap, I still had a budget left to buy something else...I found the cutest phone cover at Forever New. It was also on sale for R60, I just couldn't resist the girlylook of this pouch..too cute.

This just proves you don't need to spend a lot to show the people you love that you care and appreciate them. 

PURPLE SKIRT

I love ladylike dresses and skirts. Clinched at the waist, 50s style, just below the knee frocks make me feel like a woman. They are understated and sexy..with a lil glamour. Classy, understated Gorgeousness. I think I am always on the look out for 50s style clothing; if I had the time I would troll vintages stores in search of aged treasures.

This purple Christopher Strong skirt is one of my power outfits; I wear it when I need to feel like I can take over the world... 
The skirt sways when I move and it has big pockets enough for a blackberry, a lip gloss and and car keys..whats not to love!

I tried to keep the rest of the outfit quite simple, because I felt the skirt is quite present..

About the outfit:
- Skirt- Christopher Strong @ http://www.koop.Sarie.com
- Shirt- Woolies
- Shoes- Guess

SHOPPING AT SARIE!

Sarie, the Afrikaans women's magazine has the most adorable online store. They stock clothing from Christopher Strong Michelle Ludek, Habits and many more.

I did the happy dance when I found this site; just the other day I was complaining about how there aren't enough stores with local designed clothing.. 

The fact that my Afrikaans is unusable didn't matter, I would know the word skirt in any language. This site is soo much fun and it really has a wide range of clothing..from a longish list of designers.

You must visit it; the site comes in English as well if your Afrikaans is also lacking.

http:///www.koop.sarie.com

Thula Sindi

OMG, this new arrival at 36Boutiques.com is to die for. 

Its a Thula Sindi Denim dress with dots and leather trimmings..Amazing! In typical Thula style, this dress is classy and ladylike. I love that the leather bits and the asymmetrical cut bring a little playfulness..
Adult looking denim is how I describe this dress...It is a must have.

Its going for R 1,399.

Please go to http//www.36boutiques.com to see and buy the dress.

BAD SERVICE AT ZARA

Zara JHB is one of the saving graces of fashion. A cute dress here and a boy-friend blazer there, at somewhat reasonable prices keep me going back.

However the shop assistants at Zara are the most sour and morose bunch I have come cross in a while.

If it’s not the snooty gate keeper at the fitting rooms unable to even say hello, his interest only on scanning the clothes and keeping you behind the line; then it’s the sulky walk around-s whom I thought were there to be my personal shopper, however I soon realized how wrong I was when a request for a different size led to a gloomy shop girl dragging herself across the store as though the sound of her shoes were reminding me how much they didn't need my money.

What a pity and a shame because I really like Zara. But the clothes aren’t worth the abuse of the fitting room assistant shouting at you to stay behind the line. I may be a bit sensitive but If I am spending my money I damn well deserve some respect.  

LOVELY CHEAP

Look what lovely things I found; the best part is how cheap they are..

Chanel chic!.is this crop jacket, bound to add a touch of class to an outfit. Mr Price is selling it at a complete steal..R139.

Its made from from crotchet like fabric and has 1/3 lenghth sleeves. The stitching is really good on it too.

This is one of my best finds ever.

The black borders are a leather like fabric and they add a little edge to this jacket.

These peep toe boots are both cute and tough at the same time. Pretty tough to resist at Edgars for R349. I love the leather buckles and the peep toe is too cute.

Is n't this the cutest satchel bag you've ever seen?

There is also a back ,white and grey version. Retailing at a not so bad R250 at Woolworths. Satchel bags are back this season and for seasons to come hopefully...I'm loving this trend very much.