those camera clicking city kids (part one)

as promised, more Q&As with some of the most notorious bloggers on the web. STREET STYLE BLOGS have become a bit  of an online movement (okay, that might be an understatement) and i wanted to know what these image-makers were thinking so i tracked them down and asked them a few questions. i have a lot of love for these kids behind the camera who document street fashion and capture the essence of street style in their city... just so they can share it with us. i feel the love everytime i click. 

(this boy is so on-trend it gives me goose-bumps. the 'tache, the rolled up trousers - i like, i like.)

Q&A with LIISA & SAMPO, the ladies responsible for HEL LOOKS (Helinski, Finland) - this is quite a serious one... hope you enjoy it.

Why do you take photos?

To document interesting and individually dressed people who dare to stand out and create their own style. Doing Hel Looks is fun. We get to meet lots of new people who inspire us. Also, we love clothes, fashion and photography.

How did you get into street style photography?

We’ve always been big fans of Shoichi Aoki. Hel Looks is a tribute to him.

You remember the first photo you took?

Yes - it’s actually the very first photo on our site. It was taken at Tuska – a heavy metal festival – in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki.

Where do you tend to go to take photos?

We always carry our cameras on us. Whenever we see something interesting we stop and ask to take a photo. We don’t usually go out looking for people to photograph.

What camera do you use?

Canon 5D.

How do you decide who to shoot?

We photograph the people that surprise us.

What sort of style is unique to Helinski?

I think personality and the courage to stand out. In Helsinki, we are not that interested in mainstream fashion. We like to create our own style.

The amount of fashion on the internet is rapidly increasing and Hel looks is a big contributor. How do you think your site and other similar sites are contributing to the world of fashion?

They are helping people to become more aware of what’s happening in other countries and cities. Also it stresses the importance of individuality.

questionable tan-lines.

i apologise for posting about Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes once again... but you know how some people are all about MJ bags (clickity click here >>> Bryan Boy) well i'm all about the shoes. these M by MJ s/s 09 sandals make me smile. i feel ridiculously happy just looking at them. i have a terrible weakness for strappy flats... which usually leaves me with questionable tan-lines by the end of summer.... but questionable tan-lines as a result of wearing these shoes would definitely not be a problem... no no. they are simply adorable and the ribbon! lets not even get into my obsession with ribbon.

i think a little trip to the new MJ store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong needs to be made (i'm making a mental note as i type this) even if it is just to hold them in my hands for a few seconds... possibly minutes...

who's that girl?

jetlag is keeping me awake... yes still (my body just refuses to adapt to the time zone!) and i've got a "to blog" stickie that is taking up a lot of screen space... i can no longer see the left hand side of my wallpaper... so i thought it would be good idea to do some bloggity blogging.

i'm doing a bit of backtracking... this is a blog idea that occurred to me a few days before leaving the Cape Town... but please bear with me. i promise it's worth it.

the girl i refer to is LULU. LULU, the girl who sells vintage clothes on Church Street (off Long Street) between the elderly ladies of the Church Street Antique Market and the asian dude at the end of the road selling fur coats. i'm sharing this with you because one - i've found so many great things there and surprisingly not many people know about sweet LULU and her stall and two - LULU is just such a great girl with a i-wanna-steal-all-your-clothes-sorta-style that i just couldn't resist but to kiss and tell.

LULU was actually stuck in an adorable green cotton dress when i was taking my last peek around before leaving on a jet plane. while helping her out of the dress we got chit chatting. unfortunately i wasn't able to get a snapshot of LULU - i left my camera at home. yes, i know what you thinking - bad bad irresponsible blogger (!) but i did make up for it and asked all the necessary questions. LULU is there everyday of the week except weekends (of course) and thursdays (when she is out restocking) and if you give her your digits she will kindly send you a message when she has new stock. i probably won't get that message until next year (sigh) but please pop by the stall to check out the amazing vintage clothes and don't forget to say hi for me.

team intern.

just a super quick post. it's my last day in the Cape Town so have a million people to meet, coffees to drink and places to be. i'll be in Hong Kong in less then 48 hours and in between shopping up a storm and eating too much noodles (it's just what we like to do in the east) i'll be returning to the world of interning - this time at WGSN Hong Kong. if you know who they are then you most probably work in fashion. 

i'm almost sure that my work is going to start seeping into my blog posts. so i thought it would be appropriate to give a bit of a shout out to my fellow interns whose blogs are always fun to read and a bit of a peek into the glamourous world of fashion. STYLE SPEAKS LOUDER is an intern at British ELLE and HIPSTER MAGAZINE INTERN would like the publication she is working for to remain anonymous... but i'm sure you can all figure it out. here's to coffee-making and the 20kgs of clothes we have to lug around with a smile on our face! 

lost and found.

i've spent a good few hours today rummaging through my wardrobe - trying things on, taking things off, putting things in and taking things out again in an attempt to put together the perfect traveling wardrobe - whilst keeping in mind that i will probably be working among Hong Kong's most trendy fashionistas. anywho... i found this second-hand dress in my wardrobe that i forgot i had. i bought it a couple of years ago for mere pennies. don't know why i never got around to wearing it... maybe it's cause of the odd length of the dress (mid-calf-ish) which i find kinda unflattering... but i think it would make a fab-u-lous shirt dress - roll up the sleeves, hitch up the hem and look-a-there another dress to add to the pile of dresses dying to get a spot in the delsey. discovering lost clothes is really not helping the packing process! i need help.

(apologises for the clothes that seem to be engulfing the room and just the general air of messiness... that's just how i roll when it comes to limiting my wardrobe to 20kgs... hence the scale on the floor.)

local design goodies we love.

a visit to the THE OLD BISCUI MILL was a pretty perfect start to my saturday morning. it wasn't the local food market that had me going gaga this time though. i don't know how long THE DESIGN GOODS MARKET bit has been around for exactly, cause as most will know i haven't really been around in the Cape Town... but lets just say there was some rather covetable threads hanging from the rails. i can't help but agree that local is rather lekker. there was a impressive selection of well tailored, good quality, local goodies (including my long-time favourite local brand COPPELIA). all of which got me rather excited about the local in fashion in South Africa.

i didn't get a chance to properly check out those cute strappy leather sandals close to the back of the tent though... anyone know who they are by? help a sister out cause my summer-ready feet desperately want a pair!!

i dream in fashion frames per second.

a brief note: this post has nothing to do with the the real world and has everything to do with the little imagery world that i tend to visit from time to time in my dreams.

a/w 08 still has me spinning... obviously. last night i dreamt i was working the Miu Miu a/w 2008 headgear. i was a synchronised swimmer!! (golly, it has been a stressful week.) it must be that the headgear reminds me of those head-tight swimming caps i use to wear as a child for my weekly swimming lessons. i, along with the rest of the synchronised swimming team (yes, there were others!), were head to toe in Miu Miu and nattering about Miuccia Prada's choice of colour for our headgear. who dreams about stuff like this... seriously?!

a hipster and proud.

i've recently started to dig into a few south african fashion blogs. my favourite atm is SOUTH AFRICAN STREET STYLE - it's got the perfect balance between what's happening locally and internationally.

i loved Mr Dan Pinch's recent post entitled hipsters will inherit the earth. according to the little questionnaire at the end of the post i'm a hipster... and rightly so. i do drink too much vida coffee and i do read One Small Seed, religiously. i'm a hipster and proud - and why shouldn't we be? we're fueling consumerism and keeping the economy alive... well at least that's what i'm hearing through the blogvine.  and also, this might sound a little cheesy but... it reminded me that however confused i am sometimes about where i come from (don't ever ask me where i'm from... most of the time i'm not sure myself.) a very big part of me is south african... yes, a south african hipster and proud!

missing out on Louise Goldin.

okay i admit that leaving my intern position at British ELLE  just weeks before London Fashion Week s/s 2009 was probably not one of my finest moments. my biggest regret would be missing out on the Louise Goldin show. i'm a little late on covering this, i know... but it's still deserves a post. i thought Goldin's s/s 2008 was simply fabulous but s/s 2009 just takes the whole damn chocolate cake. it might not be the fashion world's favourite collection but it's my fave by far. ahh... what i would give to have been there... 5 rows from the front, wiggling in my chair trying to get the best view of the catwalk. 

when Goldin showed her first collection everyone about town was oohing and ahhing over her fabric of choice - "i didn't know you could do that with knitwear!" she's wonderfully brilliant at creating contrast - using soft knitwear to create strong structured shapes. that contrast was created once again in this season's collection - structural futuristic shapes contrasting with soft delicate materials. the soft, pastel colours, which is quite new to Goldin, makes for a flirtier and more feminine collection. i particularly like the touch of elegance and prettiness (in a v. Stella McCartney sorta way) that the huey colours and delicate fabrics (both knit & silk) create and bring to the collection. the body suit is a winner too. i can't quite see myself wearing it but it is rather lovely, isn't it? 

hopefully... fingers crossed*... i'll make it to next season's show.

the young ones.

i was flipping through a hong kong esquire yesterday (yes, i have resorted to reading anything i can get my hands on and it just happened to be, on this occasion, a men's magazine in a language i can't quite read!) and i come across an article about a 12 year old fashion blogger. i was immediately intrigued...

apparently there's a new wave of young fashion bloggers in the US and TAVI (above mentioned blogger) author of STYLE ROOKIE has had quite a respectable amount of publicity in the past few months. i can imagine the disapproving looks and uproar she has had to experience. in her latest post she attempts to defend herself (not that she needs to) and she gives a shout out to her fellow young bloggers.

honestly, i didn't realise that there were 12 year olds that were so fashion conscious and so stylish, believe me it took me by surprise, but i think it's great that there are kids who know who Rei Kawakubo and Martin Margiela are. there will be no disapproving looks coming from me - i actually like the idea that there's a new generation of budding fashionistas who are choosing to express themselves creatively through fashion.