Monthly Archives: July 2012

MBFWCT – Ruald Rheeder & Thula Sindi

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On Friday evening I got to experience the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Cape Town energy first hand when I attended the Ruald Rheeder & Thula Sindi show at the CTICC.

The place was buzzing with fashionable folks with photographers everywhere trying to capture Cape Town’s best “street style”.

People certainly went all out.  I guess this is one of the few opportunities one gets to take your look to the next level without being judged for being too weird or over the top. Capetonians can be quite reserved.  It’s nice to to see people having a bit of fun with it all. 

Excited to get inside and start the show!

Clouds and I were lucky enough to spot Thula Sindi before the show and snapped up a quick pic:

He is such a total sweetheart! I would wear a belted black bag for this man. Like seriously.

Once inside the main auditorium, it was awesome to see that the place was totally booked out.  It shows Capetonians were out to support in full force.  I like it. :)

The show kicked off with Ruald Rheeder and I think this opening screen pretty much summed up his range:

Bright, fun & in your face.

His collection included both mens & womenswear which covered a kaleidoscope of colour.  I loved the crisp tailoring and the playful edge of all the pieces and these were some of my favourite looks:

Photo credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo; Source: http://afi.sdr.co.za/

Photo credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo; Source: http://afi.sdr.co.za/

** You can check out his full collection on the African Fashion International website here.

Next up was Thula Sindi…

I tweeted the following immediately after the show:

@thulasindi collection oozed sophistication and sexiness. Beautiful prints, flowing dresses, gorgeous black sequence.

The perfect summary I thought.  His range had you covered from day to night and I fell in love with several of his pieces.  Just look at these:

Photo credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo; Source: http://afi.sdr.co.za/

Photo credit: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo; Source: http://afi.sdr.co.za/

By the time we hit the finale I was kinda sad that it had come to an end… I could have happily sat there for hours on end, watching beautiful dresses parade by…

Pure bliss…

** You can also check out the full Thula Sindi collection here.

But oh well, all good things come to an end, or so they say.  Luckily I found something really awesome in my goodie bag:

Thanks Mercedes-Benz, I love it! ;) Could I swap it for another colour though? Totes OK if not, just wanted to check…

So tell me, who else attended Cape Town Fashion week?  What was your favourite show?  What’s your new must-have trend?  Share people, share. :)

xxx

Fashion lovers come out to play

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Inside The Reserve

Last Thu eve I attended the GQ & Glamour Craig Port Mercedes-Benz Cape Town Fashion week afterparty.  Sjoe, that’s a whole lotta name for a party, but then again, it was a whole lotta party. ;)

This FTV sponsored soiree took place at The Reserve in St Georges Mall, a venue which never fails to impress, and was coordinated by Jill Groger from Zebra Square, a lady who’s synonymous with top class events.

Now sadly I missed out on the Craig Port show which took place earlier that evening.  So this meant I missed out on these gorgeously fun & flirty dresses:

Photo by: Source: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo;  Source: African Fashion International (http://afi.sdr.co.za/)

And the beautiful lines of this guy’s pecs & abs swimming trunks:

Photo by: Source: Simon Deiner / SDR Photo; Source: African Fashion International (http://afi.sdr.co.za/)

And that ladies & gentlemen is why I have a passion for fashion. :)   You can check out more images from the show here.

But everyone knows it’s all about the afterparty, right?  While sipping on F Vodka cocktails and snacking on yummy canapes, I got to say hi to hunky sweetheart, Lushwill Rossouw, who’s just been announced as the Season 2 Bar-One Manhunt winner.

Lushwill is a personal trainer by profession which explains that hot bod in his Twitter profile pic (do yourselves a favour ladies and go check it out: @lushwill)

Another Bar-One Manhunt hottie on the scene was Dene Botha (who also strutted his stuff in the Craig Port show).  Here he is alongside stunning actress Alex McGregor:

Now you might not believe this, but Alex is actually the nerdy girl from the 2010 hit SA movie, Spud!  I kid you not. Check it out:

She’s certainly no nerdy girl in person, that I can guarantee you.  You’ll be seeing her again in the follow up Spud movie which starts shooting soon as well as in Confinement – a film set in German occupied France, but shot right here at our very own Cape Town Film Studios.  She plays a French girl who falls in love with a German soldier (played by my very own Bjorn Steinbach), but then her family locks her away in their basement to keep her away from him and she’s forced to escape to a fantasy world to survive… I’m really looking forward to seeing it.

Bjorn and I with another one of my favourite boys, Siv Ngesi.

Siv’s been a very busy man.  You’ll be seeing a glimpse of him in the upcoming Nelson Mandela movie, Long Walk to Freedom, he’s got a hot new stand-up show called Race Card (which should be hitting Cape Town in October) and he’s featuring alongside Rob van Vuuren in soon to be released SA movie, Copposites.

Some of the stand out fashion moments of the evening for me came from TV/Radio presenter, MC and all round fabulous lady, Jen Su:

Hot pink paired with the cutest Union Jack clutch – to celebrate the kick off of the London Olympics of course. Loved it.

And then no couple does it better than Elrico Bellingan from Luxo and his lovely girlfriend, Ritza:

Love the blue & brown statement glasses Elrico is rocking and Ritza’s look is very Victoria Beckham, so sexy.

This was such a fun night out and it certainly set the scene for the Thula Sindi & Ruald Rheeder show which I got to attend the next day.  But I’ll tell you more about that in my next post…

With mypartners in crime, Clouds & Leigh.  Lovin’ our moment on the red carpet.

xxx

London street art in Cape Town

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Last Sunday I popped into Pepenero in Mouille Point for a friend’s birthday drinks…  En route to the loo of all places, we stumbled upon something really awesome.  Don’t worry – it’s totally above board. ;)

They are featuring a really cool exhibition by photographer Gabrielle Weeden.  The collection is called “London street art” and consists of photographs of graffiti she took while in London which she has done some post editing on in Photoshop and printed on canvas. 

Some of the pieces have a bit of a Banksy feel.  If you don’t know who Banksy is… really?  I’m judging you a little right now.  :)   He’s like the biggest name in graffiti / street art.  Actually, Google him right now because he’s just done some really cool pieces in London for the Olympics. 

But back to Gabrielle’s pieces.  These were some of my favourites:

I know a few ppl who need a can of this. hehe

I love chimpanzees. Period.

Toasters & hearts… what’s not to love?

This is EXACTLY why I don’t trust cats.

Hipster bunny. Too much of awesome.

They cost R1500 for an A2 size and R2500 for an A1, which is pretty decent considering printing on canvas aint cheap.  There are a few other odd sizes as well…  If this is your kind of thing, pop into Pepenero to check them out.  Or contact Gabrielle on:

Phone: 082 800 3925
Email: gabyweeden@gmail.com

xxx

Indiemode online fashion store teaser

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There’s a new online fashion player on the horizon.  It’s called Indiemode, their home base is here in Cape Town, and they’re due to launch on 31 Aug.  My retail therapy addicted soul is smiling big time. :)  

It’s going to be focused on the ladies (sorry boys!), but hey, who knows what the future brings…  They will also be focusing on proudly South African designers only, so think all things with that unique SA flair, locally produced and original.  In this way, Indiemode will be providing a platform for our local brands & designers to get some much needed exposure.

If you are a local designer who wishes to showcase your things on Indiemode, you can contact their project manager, Dani Jibrail at dani@indiemode.co.za

They already have a whole host of local talent who will be featured with their launch.  They include:

Oh and looky looky, you’ll even be seeing me striking a pose or two. ;)

Duck Egg – not just something you can eat, also a colour you’ll be wearing this summer…

Check out their Facebook page or follow them on Twitter for more info.  Or pop on over to their website and subscribe so long, that way you’ll know immediately when the site is up.

xxx

Tour through France with Societi Bistro

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Week 7 – Burgundy: Beef Bourguignon

Today Societi Bistro kicks of their 10 week Tour through France!  Sing it with me… Voulez-vous coucher avec moi… wait, wait, doesn’t that mean something totally inappropriate?  OK, scratch that, let’s rather just focus on the food.  ;)

Now you might or might not know this, but French cuisine is very much region based with some French dishes even carrying the name of the place where it originated (think quiche Lorraine for example).  So the folks at Societi Bistro have decided to introduce you to some classics from 10 different regions, all paired with some top local wines.

Week 6 – French Alpes: Hartenberg 2007 Shiraz (a beautiful wine)

Each Wednesday they will launch a new 3 course menu, kicking off this evening with Îsle de France – Paris (aaah, I ♥ Paris) and then slowly working their way down to the island of Corsica on 26 Sep through to 2 Oct.

I attended a pre-launch luncheon this past Sat and got a little sneak peek into what they have in store.  If you’re a lover of French food, you’ll certainly find something there which is going to tickle your fancy.

For exact details on what will be on offer each week, click on over here.

Just remember, you will need to make a reservation.  So don’t just think you’re gonna be all cool & casual and you’re just gonna pop in like you’re some rock star or something. :)   Make sure you plan ahead so you’re not disappointed.

Now I’ll leave you with some sweet treats to tempt those tastebuds:

In the spoon, a little taste of Week 7 – Burgundy’s dessert: Poires au Vin (Poached pears, red wine, spices, crème fraîche) and then Week 3 – Pays de la Loire: Crêpe Angevines (Crêpe, Cointreau Apples, Chantilly Cream)

xxx

Dermalogica Pamper party

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Last Thu evening I totally got spoilt at the Dermalogica on Wembley.  BIG SMILE.

Wembley Square also happens to be the home of my gym.  I will admit, as I was sipping on champers I did feel slightly bad as I watched people walking by in their workout gear, looking all fit and healthy… and smug and stuff. ;)   But at glass number three the guilt melted away faster than your make-up in extreme humidity.  Hehe.

Not only were we treated to some (OK lots of) bubbly, we were also served amazing sushi & snacks.  I was totally helpless… the temptation was way too strong… I had to cave…

OK OK, maybe just one… one platter that is…

My invite to this evening of bliss was thanks to the lovely Leozette from Red Carpet Concepts.  This chica is seriously one of the nicest PR people I’ve met to date.  Absolutely love her.

Me & Leozette

Other ladies on the scene included Tori from Kiss Blush and Tell  & of course you should know my friend Clouds from And Lollipops already:

Tori, me & Clouds

As well as Allison from Skinny bitches in the Making:

Allison was worried about showing too much boob in this pic. I said – “Phulease lady… there’s no such thing as too much boob! Boob = double the hits!”

Turns out the flowing champers was to soften the blow of the Dermalogica Face Mapping to follow.  Just in case there was bad news like “Don’t worry you don’t look a day over 45 daahling” :)    Just kidding!  The face mapping was actually quite fun.  Basically they inspect your skin with this sci fi looking headset with magnifying lenses to see if you have any areas on your face & neck which needs some special TLC.  Dermalogica divides your face into 14 sections.  Each section to them has its own quirks and special care needs and you need to treat it accordingly.  They also chat to you about your concerns so they can factor that in when they make their recommendation of which products you should be considering to get you to beautiful looking skin.  My concerns were anti aging (because I’m now in my 30s… gawd that still hurts everytime I have to admit that little fact) and also hyper pigmentation / sun damage.  Aren’t we all?  Sunscreen is such a must these days.

Here you can see my face mapping results…  It’s quick & easy, only took about 15min. 

After completing our face mappings we then moved onto the DIY facial area where we could get hands on with the Dermalogica products:

We kicked off by taking off our make-up with the Dermalogica PreCleanse product.  Then moved on to a good wash with their Special Cleansing Gel.  What I liked about both these products were that they didn’t leave your skin feeling tight.  I so hate that feeling.

Then we were given their Daily Resurfacer finger glove to give our skins a good scrub:

Ta da!

This one was a total hit with everyone.  Clouds and I joked about taking it to work and whipping it out while sitting in meetings.  How would that be for multi-tasking…

Oh, don’t mind me… continue with your feedback on that blah thing I wasn’t really listening too in any case…

Another office winner was definitely the AGE Smart Antioxidant Hydramist which is something you can spritz onto your face throughout the day to give you some extra moisture & oomph.  This is especially awesome if you work in a highly airconditioned environment (like me):

And the really great thing is that it doesn’t mess with your make up.

Next we treated our skins with a AGE Smart MultiVitamin Power Recovery Masque:

You can barely see mine. That’s because I am THAT pale at the moment. Sunshine, where are you!?!  Soon I will be totally see-through…

Two key things we learnt during this skin pampering session were: 

  1. Double cleanse ladies!  Yup, use a pre-cleanse product to ensure you’re taking of your day properly.
  2. AND after you exfoliate, you must always pop on a masque.  You see the exfoliator resurfaces and such and then it’s the perfect time to give your skin a boost of vitamins and all that other good stuff.  (I’m horrible at skin stuff – so that’s about as technical as you’re gonna get from me. ;) )

As if we weren’t already spoilt enough, we ended off with some herbal tea & crème brûlée: 

Yum!

You too can enjoy a pamper party like this with your girls.  They can accommodate up to 10 people at a time, it costs R100 per person and they usually do it on Wed/Thu evenings from 6 – 9pm.  So why not get your mom, sister, girlfriends, whoever really, together and treat yourselves.

Then there are also a few good specials to take note of:

  •  Buy a Multivitamin Power Recovery Masque (R585) and get a MultiVitamin Thermafoliant & a MultiVitamin Hand & Nail treatment for free:

  • They also have a “Bye-Bye Breakout” kit for teens for R480 which includes a night treatment, hydramist & cleanser:

  • Then if you buy 2 products, you get free microZone treatment (valued at R240 – a 20min treatment to suit your specific skin needs) plus a free Anti Aging kit consisting of a MultiVitamin Thermafoliant (a scrub that gets a hot when it reacts with your skin – it’s very cool), a MultiVitamin Power Firm (eye cream) & a MultiVitamin Hand & Nail Treatment:

I couldn’t resist this deal. I was really impressed with that Multivitamin Power Recover Masque & then I also got their Pure Light day cream with 30 SPF, so those were the 2 products I bought and then I got all that other stuff for FREE.

A huge thank you to the ladies at Dermalogica for teaching me a few new skin tricks.  I’m usually super lazy when it comes to my skin care routine, but I’m now totally amped to look after my skin properly and avoid looking like freakin’ raisin at 50. :)

xxx

Pure bliss at The Lavender Farm

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For this year’s Bastille Festival adventure, my friends and I decided to stay overnight in Franschhoek.  I certainly never need an excuse to stay over in this beautiful town, it’s got a certain magic about it… AND there’s the cutest little chocolate factory! Check out Huguenot Fine Chocolates… mmmmm… mmmmm… mmmmm… wait, where was I? ;)

We totally lucked out by getting space at The Lavender Farm which is situated just on the outskirts of town.  Let me set the scene:  You are surrounded by fields of lavender, you have the Franschhoek mountain range as your backdrop, you have gorgeous Cape Dutch cottages and the most serene setting you can possibly imagine…

And it doesn’t stop there folks.  You have to see the room interiors.  We stayed in their Lavender Suites and it was pure 5 star luxury:

Now can you believe that we got all that for only R475 per person sharing?  Yup, that’s their really awesome low season rates which is still running until 31 Jul.  From 1 Aug it goes up to R625 per person sharing, but even then I still think it’s really well priced.  I mean our room was MASSIVE, kinda like a little apartment.  And it was kitted out with DSTV, free Wifi, air conditioning (well in our case, awesome heating), a very pretty private terrace and an ensuite bathroom with a huge shower.

Also, you get to enjoy a mean breakfast spread of fruits, cereals, breads, yoghurts and such and then also the good stuff – bacon, eggs, the whole toot.  And the owners are really lovely, which just adds to its charm.

It’s a pity we could only do one night.  I’m very keen to go back there with the BF for a full weekend of R & R and Franschhoek exploring.  If you’re ever in the area and need a place where you can put your hear down, I would highly recommend this one.

xxx

Pretty cool Scar Hair billboard

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Billboards don’t ususally startle me… but this Scar Hair one in Kloof St certainly did just that:

My speech bubble for this would be: “Wat kyk jy biets!?!”

Now you should know that this is Ninja, one part of the “you either love ‘em or hate ‘em” Cape Town born musical duo, Die Antwoord – who’s pretty damn huge in the US right now.  Scar has apparently been doing their hair for years…  Love the Scar slogan: “good hair for bad people”.  Hehe.  They’re not bad, they just have a bit of a potty mouth. ;)

I’ve been a fan of them from their first hit, Enter the Ninja.  Not that all their music is up my alley, but you’ve gotta love them for originality and daring to be different.  This billboard reminded me that everyone’s been going on about the video for their new hit, Baby’s on Fire.  So I finally got around to checking it out.  Only one word can desribe how I feel about it:  Love!  Yo-Landi Vi$$er is awesome as always and the video’s styling is pure creative genius. (in my huble opinion)  If you don’t mind a bit of bad language, I’m sure you’re gonna love it too.  I can’t really compare it to anything and I think that’s exactly what makes it so great.

If you haven’t yet checked it out for yourself, I’ll save you the Google search:

Thoughts?

xxx

Intrigued by this Long St find

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I was walking in Long street the other day, just running some errands and stuff.  I had to pop into Eagle Lighting to get a light fitting for my lounge… ja ja very boring… en route from my parking spot I happened to look up, very lucky because normally when I’m in a hurry I do that eyes traight forward power walk thing.  What I saw though totally stopped me in my tracks.  I just couldn’t believe that I hadn’t noticed this beautiful buidling before:

Address: 76 Long St.  Right by the Pan African Market.

I immediately felt like I had been transported to a totally different place.  Somewhere far away and exotic…

Now right there on the middle floor there’s a little cafe called Timbuktu – let me zoom in a little so you can see it better:

Doesn’t that look like such an awesome spot?  I did a bit of Google research.  They don’t seem to have a website, but what I did find was that they serve authentic Ethiopian cuisine.  Timbuktu is actually a town in Mali which is in West Africa and totally on the opposite side to Ethiopia.  So I’m not really making a connection here, but maybe I’m just missing something…

The folks at Cape Town Live seem to think it’s a pretty cool spot to try.  Check out their review here.  I’m totally keen to check it out for myself, but I’m also quite nervous.  You see, I’ve done some travelling in Africa for work and I’ve had some seriously scary food experiences…  even saw rat on a stick in Malawi!  I kid you not.

I’ve decided to approach with caution.  Get some more info first.  Find out what the word on the street is.  So if anybody out there has actually tried out Timbuktu, please leave a comment below and let me know what you thought.

If not, who’s brave enough to come with me? :)

xxx