A guided shopping spree in inner city Durban factory shops

Shopping in central Durban is like stepping into another world for the day, somewhere deep in Africa.

Mielies cook on the sidewalk, music pulsates, vendors ply an astonishing variety of wares on the pavement and the humming throng of people moves like a swift flowing stream around it all.

Last month I joined professional image and fashion consultant and speaker Lynne McMaster on her popular ‘Shopping & the City’ experience.

Lynne takes groups on the shopping trip of a lifetime in this inner city jungle of mostly Chinese and Indian-owned factory shops.

Of course you could do it on your own, but Lynne’s intimate knowledge of where to find the best buys in the labyrinth of vendors, coupled with her on point fashion knowledge, makes her highly sought after as a guide.

One of the ladies in our group had been on the tour several times (Lynne is always seeking out new stores for this very reason).

The focus was on the latest fashion and Lynne gave us the low down on exactly what was on trend and how to wear it.

She advised on all our purchases, making sure we bought items that suited our colouring and body type.

I found I was much braver as a result and I came home with my shopping bags bursting with things I doubt I would have chosen on my own.

I was also surprised at the high quality of the clothes we found.

Lynne’s great eye for fabrics quickly picked out good buys, rejecting poor quality and workmanship. I completely updated my wardrobe with the latest trends, and on a shoestring!

My two best buys for the day were a funky pair of leopard print loafers for a ridiculous R25 and my most expensive item, a faux red leather jacket for R350, which was an absolute steal.

The variety of funky jewellery available was also impressive and so cheap.

There was also a lot of really ‘out there’ clothing and accessories that would be perfect for the next dress-up party!

On average her clients spend between R3 300 (51 items) and R800 (13 items).

Lynne, who has been taking women into town for about eight years, says the shopping tours were inspired by how beautifully African women dress.

“The ladies who worked for my hairdresser at the time always looked so beautiful and stylish, yet I knew they were not earning huge salaries. They said they went shopping ‘in town’. Often too I would stop a woman in the street and ask after her outfit. Durban’s CBD was the most common answer.”

She decided she had to check it out for herself and was so impressed by what she found that a new business venture was born.

Contact Lynne at 082 520 1412, dressbylynne@mweb.co.za or find her on Instagram: Dress_South Africa or Facebook: Dress South Africa.