La Vie Bohem

Rainy Day Fashion

The last thing you need to top off a dull drab winter is an ugly raincoat. A coat - like anything in life - should be a statement. Of course functionality is key, but there's nothing wrong with looking fierce at the same time.

The 1940's-50's saw a huge change in all fields of design from furniture to architecture to fashion. This meant that women's fashion was slowly doing away with all the impractical, labour intensive, uncomfortable and expensive elements. American fashion saw a huge flux in relaxed sillhouettes, stretch fabrics and ready-to-wear labels. The downside was that fashion began loosing it's pallor and theatricality.

Around about this time we started seeing lots of trench coats and rain coats that resembled body bags more so than fashion.

Judy Garland was a fabulous fashion icon, but this coat was so manish. While big and floppy is in and trenchcoats are having a quasi-1940's/90's revival, it is important to stay away from the puffy doughy silhouette that is so easily accomplished with regular coats.

You want something clean, sleek and cheeky. If your'e going for length, remember long lines for drama and a flattering figure. You'll want to layer it with other interesting garments, or play with something short and flirty underneath.

Katie Holmes has the right idea, but the scientologist serpant god that controls her brain obviously lost the plot when it came to her styling.

This piece by Stella McCartney is a great example of trend. 3/4 sleeves are huge right now, as is the colour yellow. Stella always sticks to eco-friendly materials, so this coat is probably synthetic free, but a lot of designers are going for the pvc look in keeping with the S&M trend that is popping up all over the place.

Rosenwerth has a great selection of black or white PVC raincoats that are light, sexy and youthful: the perfect coat to take you from winter into spring and still be on trend. With our sale still on, all coats are half price. Don't miss out!

Cnr Kildare and Main street
Newlands
Cape Town
South Africa

(021) 674 2910

Rosenwerth Trend Report

Right now, it's all about 1940's glamour. Think high waists, shifts, wide dress pants, zoot suits, gloves, big sunglasses, and a bright red lip. Throw in a fedora if your feeling cheeky. Tom Ford of Gucci has added a whole smoky pimp ambience to this theme.

Bearing seasons in mind, Rosenwerth has gone for a lighter fabrication and colour pallette, lending our 1940's glamour a great resort feel.

These wide dress pants are made in a slightly stretch twill with some organdi trim. They look very elegant with a high heel and a chunky belt. Otherwise, try the more classic button down shirt-dress silhouette in a lightweight linen.

This look works for both young and older women. Add some rope wegde heels and a wide brim hat for a saucy yet sophisticated look.

Moving into Spring/Summer, South African fashion is seeing a lot of nude tones and stripes. European trends that are filtering through include florals, classic stripes, lace, and panelling. The bohemian music festival look is very 'in' right now. Think maksi skirts, playsuits and gypsy blouses.

Italian design company Etro gave us a stunning collection of print on print florals for S/S 2011. This particular silhoutte has been quite popular across several design houses and has proven to be one of the major looks of 2011. Rosenwerth has gone for our own one shoulder playsuit in a relaxing earth tone viscose.

This look is all about accesories. Dress it up for smarter occasions, or go casual for the upcoming beach and music scene. Or throw in a floral blouse or maksi skirt to stir up those youthful and romantic spring feelings.

This skirt has some lace panelling on the hem: a trend that is very 'in' right now. In terms of stripes, fashion is seeing a lot of classic horizontal stripes. These looks by Marc Jacobs captivate both this trend and the current fixation with 40's sillhouettes and yellow very well.

Rosenwerth has gone for a bit of 60's chic with some Piet Modrian colour blocking style shifts, as well as a range of cardis and off-the-shoulder tops in blue and red stripe.

Fashion is already seeing a huge interest in 90's androgynous power dressing. Think slacks, flat shoes, suspenders, overshirts, blazers and men's hats for a clean and sophisticated look. Dolce & Gabbana have hit the nail on the head with their upcoming A/W 11/12 collection.

Go for layers and mix it up with some black turtle-shell sunglasses and small thin-strapped leather bags. Rosenwerth has interpreted this trend for Spring/Summer with some youthful blazers and pleat collared shifts in hammered satin.

Evening wear is classic with a twist. This season is all about interesting collars. Carrying on from last season, we are seeing a lot of boat and princess necklines. Chokers are very 'in' right now, and as we move in to Spring/Summer, we are going to see this trend move into dresses with light-weight sling necks. This bias cut sling neck dress moves like water, feels and looks very glamorous.

Rewmembering that yellow is this season's colour, spice it up with some deep plunging v-neck-lines or bodices with interesting strap and chest/neck details.

This Rosenwerth dress is perfectly on trend and is just a taste of some of the amazing new couture pieces that will hit the runway at the Elegance Couture show on the 10th of September at Canal walk. Show starts at 8pm in the central court and will feature 10 other designers like Stephania Morland, Paul Van Zyl, Hip Hop and more... Prepare to be transported.

Remember that this year fashion celebrates the women's liberation struggle: Everything from the 1940's suffogate movement, to the equal rights workforce movement of the 90's. Remember, women are powerful. So have fun and go bold. Dress the way you feel for fashion's sake!

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Rosenwerh Newsletter

OPEN DAY

THE APPLIQUE NEVER FALLS FAR FROM THE TREE

What is applique??? Essentially, it involves the sewing of one fabric over another to create a picture, texture, pattern or design. Applique was first used as a way to mend flaws in old garments and was traditionally only ever used as such, but throughout later periods of history applique became an art form to enhance, or even, to become the centre piece of a design itself.

However, something you may not have known is that applique has deep roots in west-african culture, and that applique is - in a sense - a symbol of Africa.

As you may have noticed, Rosenwerth has a current obsession with the 1940's style period, a period that is most popularly revisited for that 'vintage' look because it was a unique period in history where women's fashion was both beautiful and comfortable. This decade also happened to be rife with applique and other embellishments that were previously seen as 'wayward' or simply wouldn't have been considered due to fabric shortages during the war. Look at these photos and notice the prolific use of applique in different parts of the garments, in particular in the hats.

So in celebration of the 'African-ness' of applique and our deep reverance for 1940's fashion and the significance of this era in the women's liberation struggle, Rosenwerth is turning its attention to applique. Here are some examples of the hand-crafted applique coming from our work-room. We are heading in a very exciting direction.