The White Shirt Dress

Well, here I am, writing my first ever style post. Never did I think my blog would go in this direction. But it’s been some time coming, and I just haven’t been able to find the right moment to bring this new feature to life on Eleanor J’adore.

I think the introduction of it now comes at a very pivotal time in both my life as well as that of South Africa’s. Let me explain: In just over 2 weeks the rest of the Cape Town Naturally organising team and I will host the first ever Cape Town Natural Hair Fest. I know for a fact that for many of the women who will attend and for a great deal of women in South Africa who are considering returning their hair to its natural state, the journey back to it can be a tumultuous one. Fraught with anxiety over what the congregation will say when they go to church with hair not straightened to within an inch of its life; scared of facing discrimination at work because no one is used to seeing them wearing their natural hair and being told its unprofessional; annoyed by their mother-in-law telling them that a woman must always look her best for her husband (implying that her curly hair is a sign of not caring about her appearance); or staring prejudice at school in the eye for choosing to wear their hair naturally, embracing one’s curly hair can be a tough and sometimes lonely ride.

That’s why my aim with these style posts is to show women that yes you can look beautiful, professional, respectful, or any other positive attribute that is so often only reserved for those with straight hair. And just because you’ve decided to go natural doesn’t mean you suddenly have to change up your entire look. Your natural hair can comfortably fit in with your existing aesthetic, whether that’s formal, laid-back or funky. It doesn’t really matter, as long it’s really you because that’s part of what embracing your natural texture is all about.

I’ve often been told my style is very simple and I tend to agree. This white shirt dress is case in point – just a classic shirt dress which I’ve dressed up with a pair of high-heeled black pumps – super simple, but to me incredibly chic. I’m also very minimal when it comes to wearing jewellery, not because I don’t like it, but because it usually ends up being little toys for my baby.

I think this blog entry has been rather lengthy for an an outfit post, but I really did want to get across the motivation for my venturing into style blogging. It’s also very important for me to make clear that I’m doing this to provide inspiration, so it’s not about going out and buying all the clothes that you see me in on here. So many of my clothing isn’t current anyway, with a lot of it being a few months old already. But because people generally do want to know where items are from, I’ll leave the details at the end of the post. Just keep in mind that it’s really more about seeing what you have in your cupboard and how you can work with what you already have.

That’s officially enough talking from me. Thanks so much for reading and do let me know what you think of this post and of my new venture in the comments below.