Friday 30 August 2013

TOM FORD'S FRAGRANCE LAUNCHES IN CAPE TOWN

Any women remotely interested in fashion and having a fondness for fragrance, should familiarise herself with this man, and the brand, Tom Ford. A legend in the making, and calling himself the Chanel of the 21st century, he sure is a force to reckon with.  I was elated to have discovered that Tom Ford launched his fragrance and lipsticks at Edgars stores at the V& A in Cape Town on Wednesday since we no longer have to wait to pass trough duty free when travelling to get it or to shop in Sandton. The event was attended by numerous media members who shared in the excitement of the new line of products, toasting to the future with a flow of decent bubbly  and delicious canapes. The brand introduced sensational perfumes and lip colours, with really lasting power. With a kaleidoscope of colours, there are shades for every taste and skin tone, from Berries to luscious Reds. A man of note indeed, who knows how to conjure up a fragrance that lures you into his parlour. With tones of Patchouli, Sandalwood, Vanilla and Bergamot, the sultry Black Orchid won every women over. It leaves subtle notes of spice taking you to far away places, making your fragrance the envy of all. I cannot wait for the brand to launch the full range of products, and who knows, perhaps we will see his collection of clothes soon? The brand is strongly associated with luxury and exudes opulence......










Monday 26 August 2013

WHAT I WORE CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK

The beauty of an event like Fashion Week, is that it poses a creative challenge, and allows you the opportunity to wear something perhaps a little more flamboyant than usual. One has to bear in mind that it is a creative platform, and being to "dressy" might render you looking like the mother of the bride, which is not exactly what I wanted to achieve. I have seen many artistic creations and a multitude of full skirts worn with jersey tops and loud shoes, with the bottoms making the  statement. The full skirt seemed to have stolen the show of the front row being a popular trend that attracted much attention. I gravitated towards the reliable Black ensemble since it was in the evening. However, I could have added more colour to break up the monotony of Black, or perhaps have worn more bold accessories, making the look more trendy. I decided not to veer away to far from my comfort zone, so I only added a geometric print top to break the "cocktail" appearance of the all Black ensemble. I added a pair of Gold tipped shoes to brighten up the look. The feathers was my own addition which I had carefully stitched onto the seams of the jacket, the latter being made of a very fine taffeta. In conclusion, I would say that you do not have to shy away from flamboyancy at Fashion Week, as it is mostly clashing colours and mixed prints that received the envy and turned the heads!

If I wasn't going the get "snapped by the paparazzi, at least I got noticed when my feathers started shedding, creating much laughter every time I left my seat!
Photograph-courtesy Roger February who represented www.spree.co.za



With the charming Dana,(left) a reporter from Nairobi wearing a full skirt from Kluk CGDT, and Juliana Roux,(middle) captured by www.sdr.co.za
Jacket - Reserved Clothing
Bag - Chanel 2.55
Shoes - Dorothy Perkins
Earrings & Spectacles - Vintage




Thursday 22 August 2013

DURBAN FASHION FAIR 2013

Durban takes to the runway today with it's much awaited annual event kicking of at 16h00 with the showing of four emerging designers who returned from an internship from Milan (yes, your eyes are not deceiving you!).  The inauguration includes Sanele Cele with his label Tempracha, Mthokozizi Ntaka with his collection known as Randevour, Jacqui Emmanuel under her own name, and Modesta by Pinky Dlamini. No doubt, Durban is about to rock the continent! To those of you who were disappointed about the much loved Gavin Rajah who wasn't showing at Cape Town Fashion week this year, the good news is that he will also be showing at the event. The fashionable extravaganza continues well into the weekend with a number of other designers including both newcomers and emerging designers who interned under the skilful talent of the Milanese. The event will also be hosting well known SA designers like Leigh Schubert and Colleen Eitzen who needs no introduction. David Tlale will be showing a new collection on Saturday. David never ceases to impress with his flamboyancy, and having taken New York by storm, we keenly await to see what he has in store.  Saturday will also be seeing one of Africa's rising stars, Mina Evans, a designer from Ghana who studied locally and abroad. The show will also be introducing Diego M from Milan. The list continues with names like Dax Martin, Duke by Sandile Mngadi, Tribal Skin by Thulani Mnguni and Terrence Bray. The list is not complete, but I hope this preview has tantalised your fashionable taste buds enough to rush of to computicket to book your seats! Don't forget to take the purse as the event will end of with a garment sale on Sunday! Next stop, Milan.........
 
The talented Mina Evans
 
 
The Italian duo, husband and wife, Diego Mazzi and Manuela Bortolameolli, the "M" in Diego M. They will be presenting a capsule collection on Saturday, presenting garments that are hand made using uniquely printed leathers.
 
 
 
 

 

Tuesday 20 August 2013

PRETTY AWESOME AT FASHION WEEK

Two of our foremost designers, Ruald Rheeder and Cheryl Arthur, co presented on day 1 at Cape Town Fashion Week recently. Cheryl, also the  co-founder of South African clothing line Hip Hop, now sports her own label. Her spring/summer collection has just been launched, and the show saw a soft and flowing variety of silky prints in very wearable garments, with form as important as function.
 
Her collection consisted of stunningly beautiful digital prints, representing a great variety of shapes and designs fit for just about any shape and size. It's comforting to see a designer who has real women in mind when designing, bringing fashion to the curvaceous!  
 
Ruald presented a men's collection with a distinct nautical influence, ready to set sail in the South Seas.....
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday 17 August 2013

FINDING MYSELF IN THE FRONT ROW AT MBCTFW

The diversity of outfits and different styles worn by the audience at Fashion week events across the globe, is a subject to be discussed independently from the runway. Fashion is what we are being dictated to, and style, the way that we interpret it to make it our own. One could walk into the atelier of a designer and have garments custom made, and then combine it in a manner to create your own look, or you can buy pret-a-porter and just wear it as is,  or you can give it your personal signature by styling it in a manner that turns heads, or simply to make you feel comfortable. The Black & White trend was something that has been sported by many women, and I only mention women since the event is mostly attended by females. I've also seen a good share of flamboyancy, which I seem to think is quite at home for the event.
Some attendants wore spectacular outfits, and some seem to think  of it as a freak show, clearly the latter was not given any space on my precious memory stick which I chose to save for the chic and fabulous. Naturally, I am featuring my own outfit since it falls into the category of Black and White, and besides, it is a blog about how I interpret style! The David Tlale show took place outdoors, with Table Mountain as a backdrop, he could not have opted for a better venue!



Courtesy of Mercedes Benz, Juliana and I were entertained very lavishly in the lounge, and shuttled to the front row for David Tlale's show that took place on the Eastern Boulevard on the highway, and below, yours truly is engaging in conversation with the king of fashion, David Tlale who stunned New York in February 2013 with his elaborate designs and flamboyancy.



This stylish women was sporting the Black & White trend with serious finesse....


The uber chic and stylish Juliana Roux, sporting Kluk, as in Kluk CGDT, a well established designer team from South Africa, and highly sought after designers. Juliana wears a beautiful brocade dress with a full box pleated skirt, and lace overlay with a slight peplum.


The flamboyant foursome, also featured above, an Italian group of friends, the two guys being Carlo & Carlo hair stylists from Seapoint, Cape Town, known for their ability to create hairstyles that leave you breathless, and guaranteed to turn heads!


Photograph courtesy of www.sdrphotography.com


And the birth of my outfit, but with temperatures having risen to about 24 celcius in Cape Town on Saturday, the outfit was not complete, and the silver fox fur had to be disposed     of....


Shoes from J Renee, at Spitz
Pants - Country Road
Zebra Print Blazer - Belle Epoque
Handbag - Chanel
Neck Piece - Sass Diva

Thursday 15 August 2013

STREET STYLE CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK S/S 2014

Street style as seen by myself, is obviously influenced by my own taste, as I tend to only want to take the photographs of outfits that I would want to wear myself. Like art, I suppose, it is in the eye of the beholder. I was watching the style spotter of an on line store taking photographs and was horrified by the fact that so many of the girls snapped by them,  wore outfits that would rather have been appropriate for the beach as opposed to a winter fashion event! However, here are a few of my favourites spotted at the Cape Town Fashion Week...






Tuesday 13 August 2013

WHAT I WORE MBCTFW 2013 DAY 1

It's hard to imagine that something so frivolous can take up so much time. When considering what to wear to an event like Fashion Week, the first thing that comes to mind is off course being fashionable, after all, it is Fashion Week!  Following this dictum blindly would however undermine my own principle to a large extent as I do not religiously follow suit.  I prefer to glean from fashion and only adopt trends that really suit my figure, rather enhancing features as opposed to concealing it. After having just about unpacked my entire wardrobe, I decided to take a cue from previous events by leaning towards something more flamboyant.  That lead me to the bright colour, matching gloves, a cap to perhaps preserve some composure in the South Eastern wind for which Cape Town is notorious, and  a pretty loud pair of lace stockings with high heels to elongate the legs. Since I needed  both hands free to photograph the shows, I decided to be practical and wear a cross body bag big enough for a purse and yes, the lipstick which I cannot survive without. All in the  name of vanity and looking trendy.....
 

 
Coat - Asos
Cross Body bag - Mulberry
Shoes - Topshop
Gloves - Firenze
Scarf - Moda Italia
Lace Tights - Bijenkorf
 
 

Sunday 11 August 2013

MERCEDES BENZ CAPE TOWN FASHION WEEK S/S 2013

The Rosenwerth collection needs no introduction locally as it's been established since 1962 by the Doyenne of SA Fashion, Elzbieta Rosenwerth, who arrived here a few years after post war Poland. The label is currently under the helm of Gabi Rosenwerth, who is sure to continue it's success and perfection. The brand is synonymous with luxury and finesse, exuding chic and timeless style. They capture the essence of femininity with soft flowing lines yet it represents perfectly structured design.  They produce both a pret-a-porter range and bespoke couture. The range presented us with pastels, hand printed linens, cotton organza, printed silk, and edgy denim. The quality of craftsmenship is so good, one can almost wear it inside out. The label continues to lead the way with a distinctive cut and style, sure to hold it's own!







 
 
 

Friday 9 August 2013

MB FASHION WEEK CAPE TOWN DAY 2

The Habits label took Cape Town by storm when they hit the catwalk last night, and most certainly lived up to the audience's expectations. They took to the runway with an all Black collection of evening gowns and suits, leaving us breathless. Habits is no stranger to the well heeled in Cape Town, and synonymous with elegance and sophistication. Jenny le Roux, the creative mind behind the label, exudes finesse and is always dressed with the flair associated with French women, giving affirmation to the fact that an all White crisp cotton shirt is a must have item in any women's wardrobe. The Black collection was followed by an all White in the purest cotton and linen, reminiscent of a tennis match in a bygone era. The Whites were worn with Plimsolls, ready to prance about in comfort and ease. What distinguishes this label from the rest, is it's relative ease to wear. The final entrance saw a blast of colour with dresses so desirable, few could resist the urge to hook up onto the website ordering it straight away. The final entrance saw a monochromatic outfit with a full flare skirt in awesome horizontal stripes in Black and White, worn with big and bold beads around the neck. Most garments can now be ordered on line at www.style36.co.za so go on girls, be my guest......