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.

damn synthetic stitching.

while on a mission to find a winter coat last week, i stumbled upon these insanely on-trend harem pants - 100% viscose, drop crotch and perfectly tailored - at Promod. have you heard of them? no? neither have i. anyways, the sales assistant tells me they were marked down from R490 to a measily R80. my only guess is that the "the drop-crotch" is not yet a favourite with the ladies, hence the steep price cuts? similar pieces have appeared in a number of local collections - Christopher Strong by Elaine du Plessis (Elle SA June 09) and Stiaan Louw (Design Indaba Magazine 1st Quarter 09) - and they're going at about R750-R1200 a pop. so, yeah, can you say "bar-gain"?

one minor problem though. they're purple. not feeling the purple so much. the idea was to dye them navy, cause i'm really feeling the navy this winter, but a trip to the local tailors this afternoon didn't quite go as planned. unless i didn't mind sporting a pair of navy trousers with v. visible plum purple stitching, no dyeing would be taking place. damn synthetic stitching! i hate you. 

i'm gonna have to force myself to feel the purple. i'll let you know how it goes.

A Collaboration Made in Heaven: Stiaan Louw "The Next Generation" Campaign shot by Brett Rubin

i know that these images have already been well, if not over-circulated. i also know that you've done the jaw-drop. i know you did, because i did too. Stiaan Louw seems to be the go-to words on the fashion scene atm and i hate to be predictable but when i mentioned being blown away by some menswear lines in my recent "menswear on exhibit" post i was no doubt refering to Stiaan Louw's new collection... but i guess you knew that already.

so we know the clothes - besides being pure perfection - has got everyone who cares about fashion talking local and talking menswear, which is more than enough reason to be loving Louw. i will rant no more. but if we take focus away from the clothes for just a second what we have here basically is a killer advertising campaign! Brett Rubin, who recently did a fantastical (v. Liebovitz in terms of it's majestic-ness) fashion editorial for the latest issue of the Design Indaba magazine, has made this the most inspiring local collaboration i've seen for a longtime. it's interesting that we're slowly picking up on the international advertising trend of designer/photographer collaborations. i recently saw something similar with local streetwear label 2bop and South African photographer, Xander Ferreira.

to put it simply - Rubin has done for Louw what Juergen Teller has done for Marc Jacobs and i love him for it.

the hedonist in me.

ACNE SS09 has me aching with envy. the dresses are crazy beautiful this season - it's a pleasure just to look (and drool). i'm always so impressed with their stuff and really surprised at how they're not more well-known around town. maybe, more so since their collaboration with Lanvin on a capsule collection. i have a tingling feeling that these elastic strap sandals were made for me, though. hmm. yes, i'm aware that it's almost full-blown winter in the Cape Town and a pair of elasticated sandals really shouldn't be the apple of my eye, but i've always been guilty of wearing inappropriate shoes for the weather so that's really not an issue here. the angle of the photo doesn't do the shoe much justice, but please trust me when i say, they are beeeautiful. i'm impartial, perhaps. i've been gaga over shoes with thick elastic straps since Marni did some a few seasons ago. gosh, these "shoe envy posts" are becoming rather frequent, aren't they? but i guess when you want but can't have, the only thing left to do is wish... and blog.

menswear on exhibit.

so doing some morning reading and mr berry over at we-are-awesome touched on a subject that got me thinking. last week, South African menswear designer, Cameron Foden chose to showcase his collection as an exhibition as opposed to a catwalk show. it got me wondering whether that has anything to do with how Foden wants his collection to be received? or how any designer who chooses to "exhibit" their collection wants to be received?

there is certainly a trend of designers choosing to "exhibit" their collections in an open space where the pieces can be taken in, carefully viewed and discussed. i like the process of viewing and being given the time to process what you see, which as most know is just not case with catwalk shows. model no.1 enters, struts her stuff and before you know it model no. 2 is out and your eyes don't really know where to go. it's all too quick and the whole scene sort of reminds me of those flashy MTV ads. this debate really echoes the fashion vs. art debate. traditionally, fashion belongs to the catwalk and art/design belongs to the gallery, but the lines are clearly blurring here.

i haven't yet seen the entire collection, but i'm really impressed with what i've seen so far. the collection reminds me a lot of British womenswear designer, Louise Goldin's SS09 collection, which i expressed my love for not too long ago on the blog. i think it's the structuralism and geometrical padding that has my brain jogging.

i've felt a little out of touch with local fashion since i've returned. i think i'm slowly getting back on track though. so far, however, i've been blown away with the cuts and shapes seen in a number of menswear lines, which is great for the guys. i don't think i can hear another male complain about how women have "soo much" to choose from and work with and they have "nothing". you boys are slowly running out of excuses.