nude pumps: courtesty of mr. price

i have searched high and low for affordable nude pumps. it seemed like i was never going to win because when i did find the perfect pair, i didn't have a size or they were too pricey for my student budget. i had given up all hope until this past weekend while on a shopping adventure with my friend aphe, these shoes literally found me! of course i tried them on and walked around the entire mr. price store in them smiling like a kid in a candy store. it only seemed  natural to thank every single one of the ladies at the counters for having the shoes i had been looking for for an eternity. an while they're not louboutin's they are still fab.

THANK YOU MR PRICE! :)

the coppola's

family of film royalty : francis ford coppola and sophia coppolla for louis vuitton

grahamstown street style: autumn inspiration

 nicci thackwell. she is gorgeous. i love her hair, her eyes, her face!

 i have a strong almost stalkerish obsession with red-heads. i love them! nicci looked so chic with her coffee in one hand, books in the other i was almost too scared to ask to photograph her. her items are mostly from second hand stores. autumn is her inspiration at the moment.

floral print brogues from mr. price. im kicking myself for never getting these.

grahamstown street style: bags

kaitlin britz's lovely bag

i ran after noxi mafu to get a snap of this bag! i asked her with so much enthusiasm where she got her bag. i should have know her response would be that it belonged to her mom bag in the day. isn't that the case with ALL great items?

valeries handbag is beautiful. the print is gorgeous! she got this beauty in tanzania (i know right?!). it is a traditional swahili pattern made by the masaii tribe. apparently they're sold all over the markets in tanzania for next to nothing. ofcourse i've asked her to bring me back one. gorgeous!

grahamstown street style: little red riding hat

doesn't she look lovely?

these boots are awesome

her name is tansey ben susan. b and i had just walked out of mad hatters coffee shop and bistro when we spotted this lovely and very different girl. the red hat caught my attention, then the rest of the outfit had me excited. she has such an interesting story as well. she spent 3 years in south america as a foreign language teacher teaching english and spanish to underprivelleged children. originally there for a little adventure, she decided to stay and volunteer for a while, a while being 3 years! she has lived in a tree house in the amazon and a teepee in the andies mountains, worked on an organic farm and herded goats. this story wouldn't complete without an exotic love interest. she met a man. can you believe it!? his name is javier and he is 12 years her a senior. an artist (go figure). javier came back to south africa with her. out of a story book right?

rivonia trial

Rivonia Trial

presented by the south africa state theatre & pambili productions

written by : aubrey sekhabi, mpumelelo paul grootboom & mandla dube

directed by: aubrey sekhabi & mpumelelo paul grootboom

7 april 2011- 22 may 2011 at state theatre (pretoria)

length: 2 hour 30 mins, no under 13's allowed

one of the most amazing productions i've seen. it was a very interactive play where each person watching was made to feel like they were part of the production. rivonia trial is back by popular demand and follows the historical trial through the eyes of the women of the trialist and witnesses. i had the opportunity to see it last year and for all those that can see it, please check it out! it is definately worth it.

check out computicket for ticket information



1in9 silent protest

"it is estimated that a woman born in south africa has a greater chance of being raped than learning how to read". the first time i heard this i was completely shocked. in my very own country, a country i often praise for the progress (however slow) it has made in terms of trying to bridge many inequality gaps, women's (and men's) bodies are subjected to such tyranny. before coming to university, i had never been able to put a face to the chilling statistics i'd read. however in my first year, during my first experience of the silent protest, i saw friends of mine, girls i had laughed with, girls i had set next to in a lecture, wearing t-shirts with the words "rape survivor" on them. that was the day i made a concious decision to always support the 1in9 campaign.

the one in nine campaign was established in february 2006 at the start of the rape trial of president jacob zuma to ensure the expression of solidarity with the woman in that trial as well as other women who speak out against rape and sexual violence. currently in south africa, only 1 in 9 rapes are reported to the police and with the cases that do reach the courts less than 5% of men get convicted. the 1in9 silent protest campaign is an inspiring initiative organised by larissa klazinga (dean of students office) and gender action project, but mobilized by the students (male and female) and staff at rhodes university. it is a day where support is expressed for women who speak out.

sexual violence against women and children is not a myth. it is the attempted murder of someone who will remain breathing and feeling. i admire the courage of the women that survive such an ordeal. i am inspired by them, because by them waking up and living each day, the rest of the world is able to live through these forces to be reckoned with.

please take a moment to check out pictures taken from the 1in9 silent protest.

Richard Stupart's Pictures of the 1in9 Silent Protest

my style: wool pants on a hot day

[country road vest; grey wool pants from my mom; vintage belt from my gbf's mom; brown brogues from mr.price]

my outfit from yesterday. not the best choice considering it was boiling outside!

photography by bulelwa mgoduka

accessories: turquoise and gold

 the gorgeous ear rings belong to my boss at rmr (rhodes music radio),and amazing friend, gugu. she got them as a gift from a friend of hers from thailand. look at the detail on the turquoise stone, its beyond gorgeous. the gold is so regal, i almost know for a fact that in the times of 'troy' and 'alexander' all the ladies were rocking these!

grahamstown street style: alpine coolness

so i was on my way to a lecture and i saw this amazing sweater. at first i was too scared to ask him to photograph him 'cause i just started and didn't want to seem like a stalker, but my best friend convinced me to just go for it. i love the alpine print (a look i definitely hope to see more of this winter)

grahamstown street style: sailor savvy

hot hot are his legs in those booty shorts! yum :)

i love the boat shoes!

this is my GBF (gay best friend) mlu. he bbm'd me at 6:50am to tell me that he was looking beyond hot today, of course i told him i haaaad to take a picture of him. he has amazing style, so daring and so unique to him. he is also one of the most animated, opinionated and intellectual people i know. you can follow him on twitter (@wowmlu) or better yet, check out his blog the deacon's gigolo

accessories: beaded ring

spotted this ring on a lovely girl i saw on campus

tan leather brogues - thank you mr price!

 

brown leather brogues from project at mr. price. thank you to the irish and the scotish for these very awesome shoes!

car with character

spotted this car when i was walking through sunnyside in pretoria. i love taking pictures in town, always so much movement

 

john legend

home

my brother horse riding; view of mountain; sunrise; my world cup; bottle cap checkers

pictures i took at home. my real home. my homeland, rural area or whatever you want to call it. somerville mission, tsolo in the eastern cape.

blowing bubbles in my tea

my guilty pleasure

my mom has been using 'gucci guilty' since october last year. i am in LOVE with this fragrance! designed for the glamorous, daring, brave women (everything i believe my mom is). it contains the notes of mandarin, pink pepper, peach, lilac, geranium, amber and patchouli which = heaven! it is available in 30ml, 50ml and 75ml edt at edargs and red square chains country wide (south africa).

definately no need to feel guilty for buying this!



fashion focus: anticipating winter

winter is one of my favorite seasons. i love the warmth. the cold, the glow. the best part is the FASHION! i feel like  alot more can be done in terms of accessorizing and adding on. i love layering, and love that it can be done without one feeling like we've been dressed by our mother (lots of layers, feeling and looking like a puffed marshmellow). in terms of trends for 2011 i'll definately be settting (following?) this winter, i would love to see:

*nail polish: grey, barely peach, an array of pinks (soft all the way to hot) and black
*make-up: softer, more natural make-up with brown eye liner and mascara (the black can be too intense)
*colors: colbalt blue and canary yellow, nudes, browns and creams, grey for comfort, you can never go wrong with black
*alpine print jerseys
*wide leg jeans and pants
*high waisted skirts and shorts, winterize your summer gear
*leopard print and tribal prints (scarves. handbags. definately)

i'm very exicted to see (and photograph) some of my favorite Grahamstown fashionista's this winter!