summer 2011 trend thats STILL hot

So with summer on the way, and hitting stores now in a big way,

here's a trend that is still hot and gorgeous:

stripes!

As seen a bit last summer, stripes will still be combined with

elegant florals and other patterns to create unique looks with this timeless trend... 

as well as, obviously, standing alone for punchy pieces that

add big statements to the more plainer outfits

So it seems nautical is here to stay, for this summer again at least :)

brill!

my book list

 Happy Thursday everyone!

I've been so busy lately I've hardly had time to read

which, in winter, is a pathetic excuse... so I got myself two three new 

amazing books, thought I had to share:

1. The Gashlycrumb Tinies - By Edward Gorey  

This short and sweet book, given to me yesterday by my cousin Chloe after I came across the image 

of the front cover online randomly one day and posted it on her Facebook wall (We love anything

cute and creepy and Tim Burtony). The entire book consists of sketchy

black & white illustrations, each one accompanied by a short poem about a child and the

way in which they die... sounds absolutely disturbing, I understand, but if youre a lover

of these creepy/sad/cute things you'll love this book. Morbid but totally sweet.

2. Kat Von D: The Tattoo Chronicles

I am a HUGE fan of tattoos and absolutely love this girl... This book

is so beautifully put together with photos (taken by Kat herself) and illustrations 

done by her with interesting stories of some of the tattoos she's done on a couple celebrities.

More of a "coffee table book" (but one you'll most definately read, not just

look at the pictures) this book is gorgeous and a great buy if you love Kat and Tats ;)

3. Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children - By Ransom Riggs

Another creepy cute children haunted type of book, this one was actually only released

earlier this month, and already Fox has closed the deal on this one and bought

the rights to make the film!!! So before that comes out I'd DEFINATELY go out and get this one!

It is fulled of creepy vintage photos of scary ass looking children, each one a character

in this book. (If you liked the movie The Orphanage [2007] you'll die for this book...

it really is amazing and I'm only half way through!!)

Another great aesthetically pleasing book with a great thrilling story line :)

Let me know if there's any other great books out there that I should buy !

xx

New Romeo & Juliet film causes fuss

Good morning all!

 ................................................. 

So this post is going to include TWO interesting pieces in one... 

firstly let's talk about the new 

Romeo and Juliet film that's set to release in 2012...  

and WHO are the star crossed lovers this time?

None other than Hailee Steinfeld (the new face of Miu Miu) & Douglas Booth (who

was seen in the Burberry campaign ads next to my fav. Emma Watson 

in 2009)

**  ALSO to be in the film is our fav Upper East Sider Ed Westwick as Tybalt (Juliet's cousin) **

So what's making this new flick so controversial? Hailee and Douglas are apparently gearing

up to bear all for the camera, being only 14 & 19 respectively... Personally 

I don't see a real problem with this... do you? I think alot worse can be put in a film...

*mind starts thinking back to the human centipede... yes. i watched that! lol*

And speaking of  :

 

(which you can go to over here)

do youself a favour and go check out their F/W 2011 campaign!

as mentioned in a previous blog, i am loving my "granny-core" at the moment, and Miu Miu

have some gorgeous pieces in their collection, including a to-die-for 

glamour nana knitting bag, as well as old school pretty sunnies and lots

of browns, peaches and beiges... LOVE!!

enjoy!

xx

Amy Winehouse

On Saturday 23rd July the world lost one more

amazingly creative and beautiful person

and one of my favourite artists...

Apparently her record label are thinking of releasing her album with

what ever has been finished, so even if it is only a few

songs, im sure all her fans would die to own it!

Amy wasn't only a talented singer, but a fashion trend setter too,

and was hugely successful with her range for Fred Perry last year...

you can see a few of the items on sale on their site here!

 Amy had been wearing Fred Perry

for years and it only seemed fit

for her to create her very own

uniquely AMY range for them.

Apparently Fred Perry were

happy to report that Amy had a great

hands-on approach to her range

and was invovled in everything

from choosing colour palettes to fabrics 

and styles...

Amy told Glamour Magazine (UK):

"The collection I've done is so classic, because their style and my style are pretty much the same. Fred Perry is my be all and end all. I've always loved it, always worn it, and it feels like a living dream." 

no matter her faults, it cannot be argued that

amy was an incredibly talented and interesting person...

sad moment indeed.

 

RELIGION comes to South Africa

FINALLY Religion clothing is available in South Africa...

I came across this beautifully dark and glamorous lable (for guys and girls)

when i first spotted this little baby:

yes... a moment of silence is needed for this piece...

 Founded in the early nineties as primarliy a niche t-shirt range, RELIGION

clothing inspires the glam rock chick in us all with their

constantly experimental garments, sexy prints, sexy washes

and sexy textures as well as, of course, their

strong musical influence.

this lable now has a huge fashion following, including 

the likes of Agyness Deyn and Kate Moss <3

 

So yes! Now available in South Africa, RELIGION has

launched here with their amazing Autumn/Winter 2011 range which

you can view on their website over here!

it includes grungy prints, biker jackets, heavy gauge knits and dresses.

the range is dark with strong emphasis on gothic prints

and interesting textures with strong colours: blacks, off whites and greys

truely a f***ing beautiful range!!!

below are a few images from their spring/summer 2011 range

which you can view here...

not 100% sure where exactly in SA you can find them, 

so the second anyone knows please comment on this

post and let me know!

enjoy kids

xxx

the Fanning sisters

The Age Issue

featured in the august 2011 issue of Vogue are the Fanning sisters, Dakota and Elle

my two new favourite sister stars*

In this issue they talk about each other, style, fashion and borrowing

each others clothes... and their Hello Kitty obsession (snaps!)

definately two to watch for style inspiration... I mean, just LOOK at this pic:

xx

Jane Marple

with spring on the way I am constantly looking

for new style inspiration, and together with my absolute love

for anything cute and asian, i have come across the most 

amazingly, conceptually beautiful fashion lable:

Jane Marple 

Since the website, which you will find here, is only partially

in english, i was unable to find out if this lable is in fact

named after the popular character Miss Marple, from

Agatha Christie's crime novels, however the style pretty much

reflects that idea...

Over here you will see our

leading lady

Miss Jane Marple

(actress: Joan Hickson)

..........................

 and so in a nutshell, the style? Miss Marple slash Jessica Fletcher Granny Core?

 

i'm not entirely sure how to describe it, either way 

i want i want i want! 

;)

so on to the website:

 

 ..............

as you can see, careful detail has been taken into 

creating a visually gorgeously yummy website! every little

detail has been taken into consideration. yes, a little difficult to navigate

due to language barriers, however what a great

place to visit for inspiration! really, wow.

after you've browsed around the site, go take a look at the 

garments in a bit more detail (as well as delicious accessories)

over here at their online shop!

  ..............

granny core FTW!

enjoy!

xx 

hellothula ...

hellothula

good morning tuesday people!

since this is mostly a locally (south african) based blog,

i jump at any opportunity to boast about our local talent... my new found being

HELLO THULA

 Jessica, from port elizabeth, has her own jewellery range which

i think is gorgeous! to quote in her own words:

"Each piece of jewelry by thula is designed, and handmade by myself with craftmanship being the main focus.
Thula jewelry is made with strength & durability in mind, pieces will not bend or buckle over time."

Jessica also does custom orders, so that's also great to keep in mind!**

Her blog, which you can find here is beautifully put together and features

other interesting designs and cute photos! She has also got an Etsy store

to make it easier for people overseas to purchase her treats, which you

can visit over here

below are a few screenshots from her blog of some

of my favs:

 Her rustic yet glam style makes her designs beautifully unique,

and her packaging carries through a prominent "african" hand-made

feel

now all that's left is to visit her blog.....

gogogo!

xx

 

 

The Peter Pan Collar

Trend Alert!

As i have, i'm sure you've all started noticing these 

delightful little collars slowly creeping their way back into fashion...

but where did this cute-as-a-button design come from?

popular for its rounded edges (usually worn with a bow or some sort of tie) 

this collar became popular with little boys again in 1904 when the film hit theaters,

as they all wanted to dress like their fairy tale hero! However, 

"the peter pan collar" 

(which, by the way Disney changed to a sharp V-neck for the 

film adaptation of J.M Barrie's classic)

was formally known as 

"The Little Lord Fauntleroy suit collar" in the 19th century and

was usually made of delicate late and almost always worn with a bow.

Soon after this the collar made its way into young girls' school uniforms,

and was popular as the design was soft, feminine and modest...

Now with the recent revival of classic vintage styles, the

peter pan collar has made its comeback for female apparel

(please please let me know if you see any mens designs with this collar,

i have yet to come across any and would be interested to see some!)

below are some examples from Topshop:

www.topshop.com 

Take note how the collar really hasn't changed all that much...

all the more vintage for us <3

enjoy!

 

Mori Girl

What's my favourite thing about Japanese culture, besides their AMAZING

animated films? 

Their massive array of fashion subcultures and trends ^.^

Mori Girl

is my new fashion heart throb. And what a great style to draw inspiration from

with spring on it's way! Okay, so what exactly is "mori girl?"

Mori Girl is a style that has taken Tokyo by storm in the last 2 - 3 years.

"MORI" means Forest in Japanese, and it is easy to see why this name describes 

the style. The idea behind it is that the girl is meant to look as if she climbed into

her grandmothers attic, found all of her frilly, lacey, romantic beautiful old clothing and wore

it into the woods, emerging some time later with everything looking even older 

and slightly raggedy and torn. It is about layering aged lace, crochet, soft knits to create

a warm, sweet natural feminine look that is slightly rough around the edges...

It is a beautiful mess that lies somewhere between The Secret Garden and Alice in Wonderland.

Mori is MORE than just a style to some. It includes activities such as knitting,

tea parties in the woods, drawing, old fashioned cameras and photography and not to forget

accessories that tell stories - dainty pearl rings, pocket watches, woven bags, little hats, lockets and 

of course flowers in your hair!

Want to be one? Here's how:

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-a-Mori-Girl-%28Forest-Girl%29

Enjoy

x

 

 

Cape Town Fashion Week 2011

hello monday!

and what an amazing saturday evening I spent with four friends at 

CT Fashion week

if you're into fashion and have never been before i seriously recommend 

making a visit next time!

all in all i was very impressed with the set out of the whole show, 

everything was very professionally put together and everyone who attended looked stunning :)

** not to forget to mention our incredible 

cotton candy bubbling smoking cocktails... 

definately a HUGE WIN with the girls! --> note to self: hunt that recipe!

Unfortunately I wasn't sure whether I was allowed to take along my cam or not, 

so decided to leave it at home... 

otherwise I would've had some amazing shots to post! 

... next time definately!

Stefania Morland's show stood out the most for me 

What was pretty unique about her show was that she had a model walk on near the end, 

wearing this soft flowing fantasy-like ball gown and 

beautiful deer-like twig headdress with little birds on the branches,

trail held by another girl, and once she reached the center she started to sing... 

The entire audience was captivated!

For me the best outfits were modeled for Thula Sindi. His garments just "popped" for me. 
Of all the designers I saw he was the first to bring in detailed prints. 
His collection included beige, browns and nudes paired with lots of 
shimmery gold bits and accessories and frills. 
The entire collection was very "blingy" yet sophisticated and fun! 
Below is a vid of his set... filmed on my blackberry so not the BEST quality, 
but it'll give you an idea of the atmosphere at fashion week :) 

 
 

So I was lucky enough to see five designers:

1. FABIANI

2. THULA SINDI

3. DANIELLE MARGAUX

4. LEIGH SCHUBERT

5. STEFANIA MORLAND

There were quite a few similarities between each lable, 

although each and every one held their own space on the runway. 

Trends and styles that were seen across all designer lables included:

a rather sombre and natural colour palette, with splashes of bright and spicy colours 

(Gold, Turquoise, Green, Yellow, Cerise... all very bold).  

Lots of tiered ( layered) dresses, tops and skirts. 

"See-through" garments were pretty evident.

A lot of satin garments and/or trims.

A few garments with geometric patterns contrasted 

against soft and flowing fabrics.

All in all, each designer carried through some sort of South African feel, 

and watching all of these amazing 

outfits file past me really made me appreciate our local talent.

The models seemed comfortable in most of the garments and every piece seemed

to flow through the air and had great movement, attention to detail and colour. 

Must say, I was extremely impressed!

We really do live in a beautifully talented country!

x