let's get together!

you + me + everyone we know market // part 3.

some fashion to expect...

• Margot Molyneux
• Treasure Hunting Is Fun
• 2BOP
• Moth Clothing
• Sweet Rocket Jewelry by Steffany Roup

• Babette Clothing

(more to come)

mungo & jemima officially launches new website.

visit mungo & jemima's new website.

take care clothing: winter sale.

spring has sprung and what follows are usually some awesome winter sales. this one started last weekend, but as they like to say, rather late than never. take care clothing will be selling some beautiful winter stock at 50% - 75% off at their annual winter sale. if your fashion motto is "less is definitely more" than this one's for you. make a stop this weekend. if the sun is shining like it is today, then there's really no excuse to miss it. hope you all have a beautiful weekend... ♥

Lanvin to translate a dream.

just this morning, Lanvin for H&M has been confirmed. check out the video of alber elbaz sharing why he said "i do" to H&M's invitation to collaborate.

Lanvin x H&M. Yes, please!

H&M designer collaborations have become the defining point of modern retail hysteria in the fashion industry. it's one of those things you have to experience to truly understand, but it's what the high fashion fanatics and street fashion kids are desperate to buy into every time it hits.

since the release of these H&M designer collaboration 2010 videos earlier this week, the online fashion community have been freaking out - yes, you need to check out the ridiculous use of capitalization and exclamation marks - guessing, googling and debating, leaving an endless trail of comments, links and retweets. speculation is leaning strongly towards Lanvin, but there's still much debate happening and the question still stands.. could it really be?

rumour has it that the voice overs are all that of Alber Elbaz and that they've simply been tweaked to sound more masculine, feminine, soft, husky, less french, etc. to suit the actor in the video. so no, that's not Frida Giannini of Gucci - just very well casted.

Lanvin still remains one of the most high-end (unaffordable) fashion brands. so a collaboration with european retail/high street giant, H&M is seriously cutting down on the space between hi-fashion and fast-fashion. i won't continue... it's the same debate that gets fired up every time a designer decides to make their brand H&M-affordable.

so to end off, my fashion-knowledge-equal, quoted not too long ago, "his (Alber Elbaz) fingers are like chocolate eclairs [...] it drives his work. he's mentioned countless times, that if he was thinner his work wouldn't be so light and effortless. my statement wasn't a diss." and we can take two things from that... 1. an Alber Elbaz quote never goes unheard (refer to above videos) and 2. there's going to be some serious delicate draping involved in this year's capsule collection. 9 september couldn't come faster. ♥

david west spring/summer 2010

so, i'm pretty sure that i'm the very last to have this post up. haven't quite taken to this new found urgency that the blogging community has adopted. i still prefer to wait and let the wind of hype blow over, while pondering over things. although, have a sneaky suspicion that there's only a few of us left who actually prefer to do things at this (delayed) pace. ahh, the pressures of the blogosphere... but i digress.

back to the wonder that is david west. leaving "strictly sexy" behind, this season west adopted the pleasantries of 1 part 50s housewife, 2 parts awkward good girl. high necklines, cinched waists and full, knee skimming hemlines were the order of the day - sculpting a sweet 50s silhouette. the candyfloss pinks, baby blues, ankle socks and peter pan / frilly doily-like collars brought about a nostalgic yearning for our once frivolous childhood wardrobe.

the pretty and the lovely was clashed with references to 60s pop culture - pop art printed ankle socks and boyish shoes screamed "wham! bam! kapow!" and was perfectly matched by the cartoonish sound effect soundtrack, allowing for a few smiles from the poker-faced fashion crowd.

the conversations after the show mostly revolved around deciding among ourselves the most wearable piece in the collection - the breton stripe tee, the pencil skirts and the pleasant checkered dresses came out tops. the print posse were over heard having exactly the same conversation. my favourite of the collection was definitely the dresses made entirely (yes, he had us guessing) out of foam. an interesting fabric choice, that moved ever so swiftly. how wonderful would it be if we could all wear candy floss foam dresses and sway from side to side.

the collection was in fact hard to pin down and not as simple as a few shapes, one or two key patterns and a recurring accessory here and there. west went completely outside the lines. the collection went from simple ginghams to macro florals, pastels to blacks, full to slim and boat hats to sun hats to top hats. yet still, every look complimented the next and together formed a wondrous collection, with serious quirk.

south african fashion weeks generally tend to be more commercially-driven, which in most cases results in more leading-edge fashion, as opposed to cutting-edge. so, it's always great to see conceptual designers pushing the envelope, reminding the fashion editors why they love their job and making the buyers shift nervously in their seats, trying to eye out the most wearable piece in the show. no matter where in the fashion hierarchy you sat, everyone was on the edge of their seats, waiting in anticipation for the next look. it really always is a pleasure to view the work of david west.

a very special thank you to the lovely talitha snow, fashion and portrait photographer for agreeing to shoot the show for me at such late notice. ♥

suzaan heyns spring/summer 2010.

editors and bloggers have been raving about suzaan heyns since she first stepped onto the scene with her impressive autumn/winter 2009 collection. this year, i was lucky enough to be invited to her show to see the 360 of her designs.

this season's collection was almost a complete break away in mood from her autumn 2010 collection. no drama. no harsh aesthetics. no heavy tones. the collection was quirky, pretty and for lack of a better word, refreshing - especially in respect to heyns' past collections.

the show was accompanied by a running commentary - introducing the model, what they were wearing and amusing snippets about model. the randomness of the commentary was extremely amusing and at the same time, intriguing. a simple voice-over brought the models and the show to life - introducing the designs as well as the personalities wearing them, reminding us of the human aspect of adorning clothes and maybe even making a statement about the people who choose to wear suzaan heyns or perhaps who suzaan heyns chooses to wear her designs.

the looks were made up of a beautiful pastel palette - cool hues and fleshy tones in mostly powder blue, ostrich eggshell yellow, toned down taupe and teal, with a few complete looks in traditional khaki, which i can only assume is influenced by heyns' afrikaans upbringing. many of the looks were topped off with brown leather belts and lace-less boots and brogues. this, i was most impressed with as many local collections' downfall are their accessories and shoes... usually turning to big retailers to complete their look, which never does justice to their designs.

the collection was soft in colour as well as textures - mostly cotton and viscose, but not forgetting her textile of choice, heyns' was able to squeeze in one statement leather piece (the pale yellow leather skirt), which really stood out for me. also, the triple collars, double collars, strappy cut-away shoulders and in fact all the beautiful necklines that so magnetically draws the eye. seeing suzaan heyns on the runway really was a treat. it's inspiring to see a local designer, who time and time again shows such a well-executed collection, with clear concepts matched with a tailoring and fit that passes with flying colours, even under the exposing spotlights of the runway. heyns' presented a slightly different aesthetic this season, one which i look forward to following in the seasons to come.

CTFW. day two. david west.

CTFW. day one. front row.

suzaan heyns spring 2010 show invite.

dry goods opening.

it's happening this friday. you should stop by. more deets here.

PAPERGIRL ride day: what they wore.

the cat's meow in "the wood".

thrift stores are great for cheap thrills, but it's usually the vintage stores that have your mouth salivating and head spinning. whenever i hear of one opening or accidently stumble upon one, i always hold my breath before stepping in, hoping for the v. best and not just another empty promise of "fine" vintage pieces. on that note, i'm happy to announce that we have a new addition to the small cluster of quality vintage stores in the city. the cat's meow has been open for just over two weeks and is located a door or two down from the old biscuit mill. i get the vibe that's it's a mother/daughter business. i spoke to the mother two saturdays ago, with her wonderfully comforting irish accent, which is always fun for me cause i get to slip in somewhere in the conversation... "ooh, i was born in ireland, you know?" yes, cheap thrills, gotta love them!

the store is open 10h30 - 15h30 tuesday to friday and open during the same time as biscuit mill on a saturday. it's quite a large space, in comparison to most vintage stores in cape town, and the owners are super lovely and helpful. sure they've been welcomed to "the wood" with open arms... make a stop, hold your breath and enjoy the sigh of relieve when you realise what a gem it is. ♥

PAPERGIRL exhibition + ride day.

PAPERGIRL SA is finally here! it's all happening this month. check out the events on facebook.

+ deadline : 20 june

++ exhibiton : 25 june

+++ ride day : 26 june

vintage unworns at the rarely worn sale.

so turns out that the "rarely worn sale" wasn't quite my cup of tea, but the macaroons and bubbly more than made up for it. what can i say. last season h&m leather jackets for R1000 and mr price shoes marked up by 100% doesn't really make me giddy with joy.

the one thing that did get my heart pulsing was the exquisite collection of vintage unworn frames and sunglasses they had. the chic girl standing next to the glass cabinet shared that it's all vintage, mostly from the 60s and 70s that herself and her partner were able to buy over from a retired optometrist. she assured me that the collection is huge and what was on show was only a fraction of the stock. think paloma picasso, diane furstenburg and mic mac. they made my heart extremely happy.

they go for anything between R400 and R1500. they don't have a name yet... but i really think they have room to build it up as a brand. it reminds me extremely of linda farrow, who i adore and who similarly started out with a small collection of dead stock. the good news is they plan to start selling at the biscuit mill design tent really soon... so keep your eyes open and prepare for the hipsters to pounce. ♥

double booked.

two sales happening this wednesday! you gotta love sale season... and it's beginning of the month too so there's really no reason to miss out. here's what's happening.

jewellery designer, Steffany Roup and designer behind Take Care clothing, Jessica Harwood have combined their studio warming with a group sale at their new studios in Woodstock. jewellery design label Skermunkil will also be making an appearance - selling their end of range stock at ridiculously reduced prices and some selected items at 10% less... i've been looking for something pretty for my sister from skermunkil so am super excited to see what they'll have.

Place: 504 Woodstock Industrial Centre, 66 Albert Road.

Date: Wednesday, 31st March

Time: 17h00 - 20h00

check out the event of facebook.

if you're in town, then there's also a little vintage sale, treasure hunting is fun! happening at Beleza. it's been organised by 3 ladies who've just started a small vintage clothing initiative. they'll be sourcing and selling a treasure trove of vintage finds around the city bowl. this is their 2nd sale... be sure to check it out. the venue is lovely... bring your friends, order a cocktail and have a look around.

Place: Beleza Restaurant, corner of Burnside & Kloofnek Road, Tamboerskloof

Date: Wednesday, 31st March

Time 17h00 - 19h00

check out the event on facebook.

i'm going to try make it to both. yes, have my cake and eat it too. i deserve to... just got paid and the bank balance is looking healthy. hope to see you all there. ♥

rarely worn sale no.2 //

i regrettably missed the first one, but from what i've heard there were some major bargains and i've actually been secretly awaiting this ever since. so i'll definitely be making a stop this time around.

it promises to be an evening of bubbly, socialising and 'rarely worn' fashion labels on sale at bargain prices. the ladies behind it are doing it all in the name of charity and recycling unworn clothes. now, how can you say no to that. check out the facebook event here. hope to see you there! ♥

17 style council.

Fashion editor at 17 mag, Taugheedah is in desperate search of 4 fashion savvy girls between the ages of 18 & 21 to be part of their Style Council. If you got style and always find yourself giving fashion advice then this might be perfect for you! For 12 months, you get to pose for photoshoots, give style advice to other girls and get flown around for local fashion weeks and events. If you or someone you know might be interested, email taugheedah@seventeen.co.za before 4 april with your name, city, full-length picture and why you think you should be a member of their Style Council. Spread the word. ♥

a single (beautiful) man.

if you're a regular here, you'll know i tend to deviate from fashion sometimes and touch ground with my other great love - cinema. fashion people, bare with me.

so i've said this before, but i hate hype. i will go out of my way not to watch, buy or try something just because of the (usually hysterical) hype surrounding it. it tends to mist up your vision so much so, that what might actually, in reality, be rather mediocre, might appear to be "absolutely brilliant" or "sooooo forward-thinking" and on most occasions, for me at least, the hype tends to lead to major disappointment.

surprisingly, Tom Ford's A Single Man didn't receive much hype locally at all. despite appearing in a number of international magazines that i've been flipping through the past few weeks, i really haven't heard much about it around town and not even from my trusted name-dropping acquaintances.

prior to the release, i think there were two schools of thought: 1. "Tom Ford is brilliant and everything he touches will naturally be brilliant too." and 2. "What gives him, a fashion designer the right to think he can direct a film?" i was pretty open-minded about it. on the one hand, he is a designer and not a filmmaker and it does irk me when models want to be DJs and actors want to be designers. on the other hand, Ford has taste. period. Ford would not have allowed this film to be released unless, it was pure perfection. i walked into the cinema knowing this yet still, i was completely blown away and... speechless, which i never am after a film.

it was an aesthetically poignant film! the reality Ford created was saturated with an unobtainable beauty and visual perfection. there was not a hair out of place or a crease in sight. Ford is known for being immaculate - in his design, appearance and now in his filmmaking too.

the script was skeleton-like, which really forced you to focus on the cinematography, the grainy footage and visual brilliance. the close-ups and extreme long shots were painfully intimate and always eloquent and a number of scenes resembled campaigns from a modern Vogue. it has Ford's signature scribbled all over it. if you do anything this week, make sure this is it! if you have a weakness for beautiful things, you will appreciate it for what it is... and please note, this is not hype, this is an honest, heart-felt recommendation.

Wishful Monday: VPL & Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer

time has been of the essence these days. so much so that the "fashion" label in my gmail is threatening to hit the triple digits. my monday evening has consisted of diving head first into newsletters and mails from dazed, whowhatwear, refinery 29... sigh, the list is endless. this is usually when i begin to wonder how i even find the time to sign up to these things. a complete mystery.

naturally, there would be something worth sharing... and here we have it. these sweet things from VPL & Orly Genger by Jaclyn Mayer Fall 2010 Collection brought back fond memories of hong kong design duo, Daydream Nation's accessory collection circa. 2008. only, VPL & Genger are a whole lot tougher and tad more elegant - pleasantly surprising since the material of choice is as simple as rope, chain and some tie-dyed material. anyone of these beauties would've made my monday.