BEHIND THE wardrobe

If you need some fashion inspo or if you’re just a bit nosy (guilty!), keep reading: our style icons dished on their favourite shops, gave us some advice, and shared stories about their most sentimental pieces.

Algria Ferreira

Do you have any sentimental pieces of clothing in your wardrobe? I have a pair of drop-crotch jeans that I bought 20 years ago, and to this day it’s my favourite pair of jeans. My second-favourite piece is a silk bralette from Stefania Morland – a little piece of art right next to my heart. Then there’s a sparkly sequinned top that I wear at least once a week, and a barely-there cashmere vest. And I don’t go anywhere without my cashmere pashmina – it was a gift from a special friend who understands my love for the French brand Zadig & Voltaire.

Any jewellery that’s close to your heart? I am never without three tiny little rings on my left hand. They are so skinny that they look more like threads than rings. They were designed by Famke – she was the very first baby I ever babysat, and is now my favourite jeweller! I also wear three little hearts from Gas Jewellery around my neck; I never take them off. And then I have a red thread around my left wrist that is inked on permanently – that’s my loveline for my son, Dax.

You spend a lot of time on your feet; what kind of shoes do you wear to work? I have always had a thing for shoes; I love sandals that are chunky and wrap around my ankles. I think it might be from the very first pair of sandals that I ever fell in love with. I was four years old and I thought that all the men in the pictures in my children’s Bible were wearing the most beautiful shoes that I had ever seen! They were chunky leather sandals and they wrapped around the ankle, Roman style. I usually buy my sandals from Zara or Country Road. The chunky Chanel-inspired ones that I’m wearing with socks in the picture are actually my lockdown purchase from Country Road – they were R799. l love them; they’re the colour of a vintage petticoat!

How has your style changed over the years? The truth is that my style has not changed at all! I have always loved a masculine denim, a little sparkle and something special on the foot. I realised during lockdown that all the things I love, I have loved for more than 20 years, and that every single thing in my wardrobe has a little history that makes it super-special.

Is there anything you wore in the past that you look back at now and cringe?

I worked on a shoot the other day and we shot a T-shirt with shoulder pads. It looked beautiful on the model, but I could never go there again. Many moons ago, in the early ’90s, I had shoulder pads in every single T-shirt I owned. I am not very tall, and as a result I ended up looking like a footballer.

How did you become interested in beauty? My mom never wore a drop of makeup, but she was beautiful and I could see how her moisturiser (which was inexpensive and smelled amazing) made her feel. This was my first experience with ‘makeup’. My love for painting faces started more because of the fact that I realised I could make women feel beautiful and make a difference to their world with my brushes.

What is one thing that you wear all the time because you know it suits you?

My most prized possession is undoubtedly my Dsquared2 jeans. The very same pair I bought 20 years ago. I just asked my son what he thinks my favourite item of clothing is, and he said, ‘Your jeans!’