double denim danger.

a certain friend and i have some major issues with "double denim" or what some call "denim on denim" - basically teaming jeans with a denim shirt/jacket/waistcoat. no matter how much we try to control ourselves we always break at the seams and end up staring rudely, shaking our heads in disapproval and then turning to give one other a knowing look that can only be described as "wtf was he thinking when he woke up this morning?"/"someone needs to tell the poor thing what he's doing is wrong".

okay, so i get it, denim has made a little bit of a comeback - not that it really ever left - but it's catapulted back onto the catwalk - think Balmain, Gucci, Alexander Wang. now, i'm not sure if there's any connection here, but since the trend has been identified by the big guns and "double denim" has been given the red flag (in the form of a Hermes scarf of course. this is fashion not racing, after all.) my friend and i have been doing the double-denim-disapproval-stare a lot more frequently. i'm afraid that said friend and i are fast-becoming the minority.

then again, i get how some people have the urge to double it up. i mean, when they're marketing it with images like the one above, even i'm tempted to ditch my dirty stares for nods of approval. might also have something to do with the fact that there's something v. Edward Cullen about those models. anywhooo... getting back on track now... although the greater fashion power is telling you double denim is okay, i'm just reminding you little fashion trend sponges to think before dressing. i think less is definitely more in this case. few people can pull it off and if you're feeling confidently daring then i say, "umm, go for it?" but otherwise let's try leave it to the Lee Cooper models, yes? can we at least agree to disagree?

excuse me, is that a rhino on your head?

i know there was a bit of a craze over in London awhile back when wearing headpieces adorned with life-sized birds was considered "trendy" or whatever else you choose to call it. don't ask. i'm not quite sure either. might have had something to do with achieving that wierd and whimsical look. here in Africa we have chosen to move rapidly up the food chain. if there's anywhere in the world where a designer can place a hairpiece styled to resemble an antelope on a catwalk model, it's Africa right? Nigerian-born, British-based designer Eyola Adede who recently showed at Arise African Fashion Week has upped the crazy-headgear game by sending her models stampeding down the catwalk sporting animal hairpieces. wierd yet strangely wonderful.

could the inspiration have come from Martin Martin Margiela SS09's much-talked about wig? forget heel focus. keep your eyes on the hair. v. interesting (and bizarre) things are happening. i eagerly await Angie over at iFashion to reveal the designer responsible for the brave hairpieces. roarr.

images from iFashion

on second thoughts, think one of the pieces were featured in a mag i read not too long ago. >> off to rummage through my ridiculous heap of magazines. will be back shortly.

okay scrap that. i stand corrected. still don't have a name. drop me an email, if you know.

update: finally... the hairpieces were designed by Japanese pop artist, Nagi Noda for an exhibition that took place May of last year in Tokyo.

Androgyny.

putting on a fashion show to raise money reminds me a little too much of high school, but i guess if it works you got to work it hard. students at Design Academy of Fashion in Cape Town have put together a fundraising event/party at The Assemby and will be exhibiting their designs to raise money for their final year fashion show. 

design institutes like DAF is where local fashion talent is being nurtured and where the future of local fashion begins so if you don't have any prior arrangements and have R30 to spare, show your support and be there in your boy clothes. the theme is "boys will be boys and girls will be boys" - something i'm sure i saw on the cover of a Dazed magazine a couple of months ago, yes? dressing like a boy hasn't been this fun since i was tomboy in my pre-teens, so it really won't be hard to stick to the theme. also girls, it's the perfect opportunity to ravish the boyfriend's closest - i'm thinking Diane Keaton in Annie Hall and maybe a little 80's power dressing.

not much has changed since 1992.

so, this is how i was kicking it back in 1992. okay, that might be slightly misleading. this is one of the better outfits, but quite a charming little outfit at that. no doubt the workings of my mother. completely fell in love with the straw boater hat - v. Marc Jacobs SS09, non? am now wondering which box of old clothes it's hiding in cause it would be a nice addition to the summer wardrobe. as for the Peter Pan collared floral dress and black Wayfarers - too cool for school, right? perhaps should have re-thought the shoes though. criiinge.

independent fashion bloggers.

Jennine Tamm of Independent Fashion Bloggers has been networking and updating on fb and sending out emails so often that i haven't really found it necessary to visit the site in recent months. popped by for a visit just moments ago to find the site has been made-over. v. delayed on this, i know. it's a whole lot of prettiness and there's a spanky new section dedicated to techy blog stuff that some of us (yes, me included!) are rather clueless about. 

i'm so impressed with how the community has grown since i interviewed Jennine last summer! check out the new site and join the community if you're an independent fashion blogger. also, congrats Jennine & Rocky on the wedding! wishing you much love and happiness. ♥

Tomorrow's Society.

conversations about eco-fashion and sustainable apparel usually bore me. not because i'm not for it, because i am. it's just all the talk has become painfully boring. however, i find myself rather looking forward to an event i rsvped to on fb - been pondering over the concept of recycled clothes and the creative possibilities involved.

TOMORROW'S SOCIETY - thought up and headed by the creative thinkers over at Capsule Creative - is a project/event that aims to promote sustainable fashion. it's an innovative and inspiring concept involving your unwanted clothes and the skills of some local designers and photographers. clickity click here to check out the event page.

we're on to phase 2 already - the recycling/creation process. only a few weeks until the designs and images are revealed. here are the deets:

When: 25th June 2009 @ 6pm

Where: Vida Wembley Square

The Designers: Christopher Strong. Cameron Foden. Timothy Wang. Natasha Liebenberg of LiebenCut. Juliane Visnjic of Unknown at Mungo & Jemima.

The Photographers: Brett Rubin. Natasja Fourie. Justin Badenhorst. Leah Walker. Jesse Leigh Elford.

see you kids there.