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