A few weeks ago Giorgio Armani's Acqua Di Gio Absolu landed on my desk. Now, subsequently I claimed that its smell is, in fact, superior to that of coffee. And considering coffee is the main reason I get out of bed every morning, it was mostly controversial to me.
But, calling a spade a spade, it is so good I want to consume it. But it consumed me instead, finding it's way onto my body but every single day.
And, it's a men's fragrance.
The fragrance's tagline is: The new sensuality. Ultimately, that means seeking to pleasure all the senses. Whether in smell, aesthetic or practicality, both men and women's fashion and beauty aspire to that.
It definitely hit the spot in terms of scent.
And because I was so impressed with the perfume, I bought a Nivea men's roll-on to see whether it would benefit me in any way too. I've been using it for a week, and it really, really works MUCH better than most women's deos I've tried. Practicality: check!
And onto the aesthetics.
Rachel Kolisi recently said that 80% of her clothes come from her husband, Siya's wardrobe.
Which made me consider menswear.
Last weekend a few Instagram's caught my eye. They were all snapped at SA Menswear Fashion Week, held in Cape Town.
Local designer of Chulaap, Chu Suwannapha is a wizard when it comes to prints. He's been called the 'Prince of Prints', so I'd say, he's legit.
I absolutely loved his street style wear, a polka dot shirt worn with jeans and black shoes, layered with a check/plaid blazer in red, white and blue.
I tried to mix my prints like Chu:
I would've never chosen either item to wear on its own, but together it works.
I also spotted Mawande, designer of XM's street style look, another lesson in playing with prints.
Wearing the very same shirt I wore in the 'Chu look', I styled polka dots and stripes two different ways a la Mawande in a mixed and matched look.
And I added a nice pair of jogger tracksuit pants.
To me, sensuality was achieved as my senses were happy. I was wearing a great fragrance, felt fresh and dry and with one shirt, three looks were achieved - all inspired by menswear.
Why gender segregated products still exist beats me.
Images: Marisa Crous
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