Multipotentialite Tamika Karelse is the epitome of a style connoisseur. With a flair for blending timeless silhouettes and avant-garde designs, the 22-year-old digital creator is a trendsetter who constantly unearths innovative ways to redefine contemporary fashion.
Hailing from Gqeberha and currently based in Cape Town, Tamika’s Instagram feed is the perfect mood board for every fashion girl. An all-rounder, the fashionista is also an aesthete with a passion for crafting beauty and lifestyle content, using her platform to seamlessly blend her varied affinities.
Whether she’s curating the latest fashion trends, doing beauty transitions, or sharing the day through her lens, Tamika’s bigger aspiration is for her content to resonate with those who seek both inspiration and connection. Through her platform, the fashionmonger aims to empower her audience to embrace authentic individuality and self-expression. Her motto? “No one is you and that is your power!”
The multi-hyphenated digital creator is our ‘My Favourite Things’ feature for this week and she shares a list of ten things that she absolutely loves below.
Oversized blazers (thrifted blazers)
One item I will ALWAYS have in my wardrobe? An oversized blazer. It is the one piece with the most wear for me, it’s my go-to outerwear piece. Throw it on over an outfit to level up your look or use it to layer up through the seasons. I love finding blazers at thrift stores because it has a unique and lived-in feel, but it’s also where the gems are. About 85% of my growing blazer collection is thrifted and I love that each one has its own story and is one of a kind. You can totally find good ones in-store as well, H&M blazers in my opinion never disappoint!
Matcha
I’ve just rediscovered my love for matcha and I’m hooked again. I know it’s not for everyone but besides loving the taste of matcha with some creamy oat milk, I love the benefits that come along with it, think antioxidant rich and boosting brain function. Matcha is my favourite afternoon pick me up for a natural burst of energy. And… who doesn’t love a fun afternoon drink?!
Arts and Crafts
I’ve put it under this category because I love anything artsy, my downtime activities usually include some scrapbooking, colouring in or watercolour painting. To be honest this makes my inner child so happy because these were some of the activities that made me happiest when I was younger and that feeling has not changed now. Being online most of the time with content creation and feeling wired, activities like these, help me disconnect and be present. I also love anything creative that I can make and physically see come to life, so this feeds into that.
Pilates/strength workouts at home
At-home workouts are just what works for me, I love that I still can prioritise movement and taking care of my body but from the comfort of my home. As someone who works from home, it creates a good split in my day when I carve out time to work out and I can set aside this time when it works best for me. My two favourite forms of moving my body are Pilates and strength workouts, I feel strong and confident in my body by incorporating a mix of these into my weeks. Two of my go-to online instructors for pilates are Lottie Murphy and Move with Nicole, their pilates workouts, add calm and mindfulness to my day. Madfit & Juice, and Toya are two channels I always come back to for my strength sessions.
Mixing metals + chunky accessories
My love for the last few months has been mixing metals! There’s something about a mix of metals that adds so much interest to your outfit and a bonus you get wear out of all your jewellery pieces whether it’s gold or silver. I always was the kind of person who stuck to wearing one type of metal depending on my outfit. My favourite thing about this is curating a stack suited to my outfit, a mix of chunky and dainty jewellery to create a statement. I feel it’s the perfect way to elevate my outfits, I’ve received so many compliments when wearing my jewellery pieces.
A series or movie to end the day
One thing about me? I will spend the end of my day watching a series or feel-good movie. Give me all the feel good vibes and drama. Ending off the day with a series or movie feels so comforting to me and I have something to look forward to at the end of the night. Whether it’s a quick episode of my current series, a re-watch of an all-time favourite series, or a movie, it’s a part of my evening wind down, paired with a cup of tea and a treat I look forward to. Some of my favourite long series are: How to Get Away with Murder, Gossip Girl, and Suits. Shorter series like Bridgerton and The Bold type are an easy re-watch for me. Or making the theatre kid in me happy watching my musical favourites like The Greatest Showman or Hairspray.
Peanut butter and chocolate
It should be no secret that I have a sweet tooth and two of my favourite flavours are (dark) chocolate and peanut butter, if you haven’t tried this combination yet, you need to! My favourite sweet treat flavour? Chocolate and peanut butter. Favourite brownie? Chocolate and peanut butter. My chocolate bar of choice? Chocolate and peanut butter. At this point, it may be an obsession, but there’s nothing some creamy peanut butter and dark chocolate combined into one cannot fix. My go-to peanut butter and choccy treats are the Okja peanut butter choc chunk bomb, Wildsprout Peanut butter cup, and Nova peanut butter and dark chocolate, trust that if I have any of these, I am a happy gal!
Tapered square nude nails
Am I in my clean-girl era? Because on repeat my go-to nail design is a tapered square with nude acrylic. I can’t get enough of it! Now as someone who has done almost every design under the sun and experimented with all the fun charms, designs, and colours I find myself returning to basics. Simpler nails, instantly make me feel and look put together and can we talk about how seamless the regrowth is, it doesn’t look obviously grown out and feels much easier to maintain. I also love it now because it’s versatile and looks good with any outfit I wear. A tapered square is also my favourite nail shape of all time.
Chunky dad sneakers
Comfort, functionality, and style wrapped up in one. Now I know dad sneakers have become super trendy, but I love chunky sneakers, even after this trend fades out, it’s staying in my wardrobe for the long haul. I’ve fallen in love with the silhouette and style, specifically of Nike and New Balance chunky trainers. Catch me running errands, elevating basic outfits, and having these as a new staple in my wardrobe.
Morning affirmations + journalling
My mornings are one of my most cherished times, I truly believe how you start your day sets the tone for the rest of the day. Two of my consistent rituals are my morning affirmations and journalling. These practices I’ve stacked with other activities I do and now I can’t picture my mornings without them. I love incorporating my morning affirmations while doing something I do every day that’s pretty mundane, like making my bed, brushing my teeth, or getting ready for the day. Lavendaire affirmations on YouTube are a personal favourite and add intention to my day. Still, I also love the idea of recording one yourself and playing it every day. Journalling is an activity that helps me get out everything in my brain, the good the bad, the confusing, I love doing it in the morning because it’s usually when I think of everything most. As a certified overthinker I cannot tell you how much this helps me stay present and process everything I have going on. These two things have truly changed my day-to-day life cultivating so much more mindfulness.
