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Tuesday, October 19, 2010

the secret's out...


So it's official... the JHB CBD is one of the coolest, most exciting places in the world.  I had one of the funnest Sunday afternoons selling vintage clothes & hanging out with wonderful creative people in a sexy warehouse space in Jeppestown.  The event is called Dirty Little Secret & its a little vintage pop up fashion, music & performance art movement.  There's so much to say about that day but pictures speak so much better.







































































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Friday, October 1, 2010

Elle New Talent Awards... a well deserved victory

So often at South African Awards shows I walk away asking the question "who did _______ have to sleep with to get that award?"  I'm not just being a big sour meanie but sincerely, many of the awards that are dished out, especially style or fashion related ones, leave me screaming, "Why GOD!! HOW??" at the television, PC or publication I'm reading which's why it was so refreshing to applaud & celebrate a winner who was truly deserving of his prize at this year's Elle New Talent Awards.  The man in question is the extremely gifted  designer Cleo Droomer.  His meticulous attention to detail & ability to perceive the collection in its entirety are far above the current industry standards let alone those of 'young' designers.  It was a pleasure to be a part of the beginning of what will no doubt be a long & successful career for this budding star.



Rather than just telling you what I thought this collection represented I thought it would be best for you to hear it in the designer's words.




Every collection has a showstopper and this jacket is an absolute masterpiece of construction.
 
Pay attention to the fully lined interior.


This fabric was designed by Cleo Droomer from manipulated South African flags and then printed onto the fabric.  Unbelievable.

Look at this dress.


Pwetty little clutch bag.

And this is the man. So if you bump into him in the street give him a hug & congratulate him.  He's very sweet too, he'll probably hug back.
Just in case you were wondering... there were actually other designers.  My personal favourite was a brand called "Lisp" designed by a super cute, funky young lady called Oriel Barnard.  She says the collection is an ode to the rock star, groupie culture & her clothes are designed for "the ultimate groupie".  I must admit when she initially said this I rolled my eyes & prepared for the worst but was ever so pleasantly surprised at how cool & wearable but still conceptually strong the collection was.


This is the detail on the bottom of a beautiful mesh bodysuit.

Oh yay!! Here's the bodysuit.





How ERRMAZING are these leather shorts.  If you don't already know this... I have a mild fixation with leather shorts.... I personally own two pairs!
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The Top 10 by "Two"

The SAFW team haven't been the only ones hard at work this week; Jackie Burger, Chris Viljoen, Cheska Liackman, Kirsty Stoltz & the rest of the Elle Mag team have been working up a sweat putting together the Elle New Talent Cocktail party, fashion show & one-on-one sessions (which all went extremely well - will tell you more about these later!) & the Elle/ Mastercard Style week at Sandton City.  Re: the Elle/Mastercard Style Week, if you haven't already stumbled upon it, it's definitely worth a look.  It started yesterday (30th September) with a presentation by Jackie Burger & Chris Viljoen on the Top 10 Trends for the season & the pop-up retail installation will be set up until the 3rd Oct.  Some of the top retail & designer brands are featured & looks have been put together specifically by Jackie Burger & the team for shoppers to browse.  There are give-aways & you can get discounts & there are going to be a few more trend workshops like the one I went to until it's over.  Anyhoo... this is starting to sound more & more like a press release & all I actually wanted to tell you was what was said about the trends & how I then went to the "Two" fashion show later on & it was as if they had gotten a sneak preview of Jackie's notes before the presentation & created they're whole collection around that.  



This is Linda.  This man is so suave. And clean.  I don't even know how one gets that clean.  I always feel ashy & crusty around him.  He's virtually flawless. Must be a virgo.


This is the Elle family.  I love this picture because they actually look like a family.  If you've recently relocated back to Earth from some planet outside of our Galaxy let me introduce you to the Chris Viljoen, Jackie Burger & the gorgeous Cheska Liackman.


How beautiful are these Ferragamo shoes? They're mens though (just my luck!) and the softest most beautiful leather you've ever felt.

And these boots???? Dear Dream Man, please can you come visit me wearing these boots!

These are Jackie Burger's little suede broques.  Very cute.

This is the lovely Emily who is responsible for all of Elle Magazines blogging & tweeting so now you know the face of @ElleMagazineSA (for all you fellow twitter fiends).


Ok so, trend 1.
Revival of femininity captured here in the ruffle detail of this dress



Trend 2.
Stripes - seen below at the trend presentation & this pic show's "Two"'s interpretation (yay! not yet time to throw away all the nautical gear we bought last season).

Trend 3:
The Lean Cigarette pant

Trend 4:
The Scarf


Trend 5:
Lace as an off-shoot of the 'Underwear as Outerwear'


Trend 6:
The New Suit
*there;s a whole of safari utility inspiration all round*


Trend 7:
The utility trouser with visible ankles


Trend 8:
The shirt dress & the functional oversized bag
The bit about the bag was particularly interesting to me because it was said that bags are no longer "statement" bags in the way we know them to be. They are going to be cleaner, more minimal in design & more functional as you can see here! Love that because every girl knows that pretty bags are all very well but is sucks when you have to "cull" the contents of your regular bag to fit into your sexy sling bag & then find out later that you left your lip stuff at home!








"Two"
Trend 10:
Prints - exotic, geometric & floral (ditsy's been coming through with a lot of designers this FW).

"Two"
Trend 9: 
Denim on denim
Although these items weren't actual denim they were definitely an ode to the trend.  It was almost like a soft 'denim-look' cotton, hmmm, maybe it was denim. Oh well...
Also, if you didn't already know, please note: the two denims being worn together must be EXACTLY the same or COMPLETELY different.  Nothing worse than looking like u were trying to match & just not getting there. eek! Personally I prefer complete mismatch, light faded denim shirt with dark jeans.

"Two"
Trend 3:
The Lean Cigarette pant & the utility pant that I mentioned above


"Two"'s rendition of the lace trend.

 Monochromatic colour trend - black, white, grey.
The peg leg pant is also still a big deal!

"Two"
Underwear as outerwear.
I love this trend. A lot.  It's so so sexy & has a vintage feel to it.  All the lace & corsets & visible brassieres tickles me.


















In addition to what you see above, it should also be mentioned that "colour" is still important for this season.  We've been flooded with talk about monochromatic this & nude that but there is still a place in the world for all us colour junkies. Coral & yellow are particularly important this season.  Sadly though, accessories are going to need to take a bit of a back seat.  Ooh, I also found it interesting that lower... wait for it... kitten heels were called out as being bigger & more important than the high heels us shorties all trust & love.  It doesn't mean throw them away but I was just letting you know.  All in all, the key message is a return to femininity & sensuality: higher waists, slim fit trousers, kitten heels, lace, corsetry, mid-calf dresses and timeless basics.  Sounds right up my alley!
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