are fashion blogs making us all the same?

i am a lover of fashion. i tend to think of it as art in motion. even with that, i'm not a slave to fashion but love seeing how trends evolve. a year or so ago i discovered fashion blogs when i had this crazy idea of starting an online magazine. there are many amazing fashion bloggers out there, but one thing i noticed is that most of the style being focused is  the same.

it got me thinking, what specific trend or style defines this era? the era of liberation and free information. the sixties gave us tailoring and made us appreciate a good suit, the seventies introduced us to bell bottoms, all things high waisted and spandex and the eighties encouraged us be rebellious by mixing and matching bright colors with a hip hop inspiration and embracing a punk rock influence. 

this era, i feel that we have gone back to our roots, embracing and loving all things vintage. we've gone demure, yet bold. romantic, yet fierce. never has the world been so open to the idea of people going over the top (ala the late alexander mcqueen) so go over YOUR top. i feel like this is a time where its perfectly acceptable to completely express yourself. we're all desperate to be individuals, to be different - that we're all ending up "different" but the same different. maybe this one of the things that comes with the era we're in? i believe - and my belief is nothing new, its been preached many times before - that we should draw inspiration from the images we see, but tweak them to remain distinctly individualistic. and individualism is a by-product of introspection.

columnist zahrah mohammed said "creativity and freedom of expression through ones medium of clothes can help mould a person. it enhances their personality and assures them that they are who they WANT to be". i couldn't agree more. no one man should be told what to wear or be a slave to trends. individualism has never been hotter than it is now. we're not on an assembly line, don't allow yourself to be squashed into a box. whether it be through your clothes, your thoughts and opinions and interests.

through this blog, i've always tried to ensure that all the amazing individuals i see are captured, shared with the world and appreciated. even if and especially if they are different from me or what i'm used to. i won't ever quit.

have a lovely day!

shoes...friend or foe?

tabitha simmons' bathtub full of shoes

i am a lover of shoes. i know no discrimination when it comes to shoes - monochrome or colorful, flat or sky high, new or old, pricey or bargain, it's all the same to me. when i was 12, the summers in stillwater were ridiculous! i'm talking frying-your-eggs-on-the-sidewalk-hot or boiling-tea-in-a-jar-hot! my mom and i would go shopping for essentials and i would purposefully leave my shoes in the car, run and skip all the way to the mall burning my feet JUST so Mama Mash would feel sorry for me when we had to walk back to the car and get me a new pair of shoes! this only worked twice, but you can understand just how far i was willing to go only at age 12, for a new pair of shoes.

 i can't remember when my love-affair with pretty soles began but ever since i've been of sound mind, i've been told that my love-affair is a destructive one...that "i will go broke and live in my shoes" (though that isn't completely impossible...there was once an old lady who lived in a shoe, right?) and i have had to calm down. i now have a new policy; if i get a new pair of shoes, i choose to give one away/buy one for someone that needs a pair. 

but the reason i'm writing this is not to go on and on and on about my love for shoes and how i don't want to end up like carrie bradshaw (i.e. asking my best friend to pawn her engagement ring so that i can pay off my debt - that is just cruel) but to sort of explain what goes on in my head (heart & feet) when i get a new pair of shoes. you see, my logic is simple. everyday, we get up and go on with life, taking on all of life's champagne bubbles and sometimes flat, hot beer - all with our feet supporting us every step of the way (hehe). our shoulders don't carry the weight of the world, our feet do. and what better way to say thank you to our pillars of strength than with a  (sometimes) comfy, beautiful pair of shoes?

of course the thank you gift to our pretty walkers needs to be within reason. one should never consider selling a body part to buy a pair of shoes. i can't imagine loving a pair of shoes that cost me a kidney, or happiness or anything else of value. but i do think that feet (and so many people cringe when they think of them) deserve a little love. and nobody should ever go without a pair of shoes.

love to you!

hi! you look great...can i take a picture of you?

hi candy lovers! :) i've been having crazy withdrawal symptoms from not taking street style pictures in what seems like yeeeeeaaaarrrsss! it's a lot more intimidating asking strangers to snap them in their stylish gear in towns other than grahamstown. it's been a challenge for me, and has really pushed me out of my comfort zone. i'd always considered myself pretty daring and able to approach people of different walks of life, but lately, especially with street style photos, i've become ridiculously shy! maybe it's the cancer (my star sign) in me coming out finally (although i'm a cancer, i've always told myself i was a leo) or a symptom of what has been the hardest and most testing year i've ever had in my 22 years of life. either way, the only way to get inside a pool of what seems like cold water is to cannon ball in or dive in. 

i've realized that so many opportunities can be missed when you're too afraid to step out of your comfort zone which only leads to regret. so i'm challenging myself this year already with the task of jumping of out my comfort zone with my hands in the air, knowing that if i can accomplish just this small task, everything and anything else is possible. i'm looking forward to the new year and i wish you and yours a beautiful christmas full of love, laughter and joy and hoping you push yourself out of your comfort zone next year!

all my love

xxx

this is your life...

happy women's day

[i took this picture while on a lunch date at 137 high street with some of my girlfriends]

today is national women's day (south africa) and wow, i've had a really busy day :)

the 9th of august is women's day in SA because on this day in 1956, 20 000 south african women of all races marched to the union buildings to present a petition against the carrying of passes by women to the then prime minister, j g stijdom. this was before twitter, facebook and texts!

today i took a spinning class, but the best part of that was the conversation i had with zamo (my spinning assistant).we spoke about our mom's and all the other amazing women that inspire us and spoke about all our dreams and aspirations for the future. not once was there mention of boys, which is stereotypically typical of two young girls in their early early 20's. made me realise that we are growing up!

namhla and i  then had the inssaaaaane honor of interviewing 4 very inspirational women our my radio show today (rmr). we spoke to Ntsiki Biyela who is the first black woman winemaker in south africa, Siki Mgabadeli a freelance journalist and talk show host on SAFM, Janet Buckland a renowned director and  influencor of the dramatic arts in south africa as well as Mbali Ntuli the DA (democratic alliance) youth chair.

you can only imagine how star struck  i was, i felt like the ultimate groupie but i couldn't help but inspired by these women who have chosen to do what they love and because they love it, have had great success in their fields. insanely enough, all four of them were working when we called them, because that is the ultimate celebration for them.

there are many women all around me that inspire me. i am reminded almost everyday as to why as a woman (and a human at that - can't exclude the men), we were never built to crumble.

so i wish you all a great women's day! 

xxx

i speak michael jackson

Today I was travelling from the Port Elizabeth airport back to Grahamstown. My shuttle driver Leon was a very Afrikaans man that barely spoke English, and I, a Xhosa and English speaker barely know any Afrikaans aside from the essentials i.e. ek kan nie praat Afrikaans nie (I can’t speak Afrikaans), ek kan nie verstaan Afrikaans nie (I don’t understand Afrikaans), ek is baie honger (I am very hungry), dankie and asseblief (thank you and please) – just enough to get by.

The hour and a half drive seemed like it would be a very long and quiet one because obviously Leon and I couldn’t have a conversation. But as we were pulling out of the airport, Leon said something in Afrikaans and all I picked up was “music” and “Michael Jackson” to which I replied “I love Michael Jackson!” Leon laughed and pulled out his MJ Greatest Hits CD. Leon and I sang along to all our favourite MJ songs word-for-word, with very dramatic gestures here and there. It dawned on me during my very raspy rendition of ‘Dirty Diana’ that true musical legends are able to reach people that they probably couldn’t even have a conversation with. Music is a language, and MJ spoke it well. 

 Leon and I couldn’t speak either of each other’s languages but we both spoke Michael Jackson fluently.

photograph sourced from micheal jackson website

the queen of all things individualistic: grace jones

miss grace jones, the queen of all things individualistic and quite possibly the only controversial icon left from the 80’s. her fearless style and aura is being emulated by many-a-popstars *cough cough* rihanna, lady gaga *cough cough*. grace jones is the original bad- ass, one of the first in the music industry to refuse to be anything but herself. and while some of the things she says and does, i would never do, you've got to admire the fact that she is 100% grace jones.

just a thought

just a thought

fashion blogs: are they making us all the same?

i am a lover of fashion. i tend to think of it as art in motion. even with that, i'm not a slave to fashion but love seeing how trends evolve. a year or so ago i discovered fashion blogs when i had this crazy idea of starting an online magazine. there are many amazing fashion bloggers out there, but one thing i noticed is that most of the style being focused is very similar if not the same.

it got me thinking, what specific trend or style defines this era? the era of liberation and free information. the sixties gave us tailoring and made us appreciate a good suit, the seventies introduced us to bell bottoms, all things high waisted and spandex and the eighties encouraged us be rebellious by mixing and matching bright colors with a hip hop inspiration and embracing a punk rock influence. 

this era, i feel that we have gone back to our roots, embracing and loving all things vintage. we've gone demure, yet bold. romantic, yet fierce. never has the world been so open to the idea of people going over the top. i feel like this is a time where its perfectly acceptable to wear sequins and feathers during the day. while fashion blogs do have a very similar style of late, its one of the things that come with this era. we should draw inspiration from the images we see, but tweak them to remain distinctly individualistic.

columnist zahrah mohammed said "creativity and freedom of expression through ones medium of clothes can help mould a person. it enhances their personality and assures them that they are who they WANT to be". i couldn't agree more. no one man should be told what to wear or be a slave to trends. individualism has never been hotter than it is now, and through this blog, i'll ensure that all the amazing individuals i see are captured, shared with the world and appreciated.

life's like candy baby!

just a thought

i just realised now that lose is spelled wrong! haha!

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

japan is happening everywhere

yesterday the world was traumatized by the 8.9 magnitute earthquake that struck northeast japan. it has had devastating effects on the earthquake prone country, with the death toll expected to exceed 1500 people. this takes my mind back to a year ago, when haiti experienced a tragic 7.0 magnitute earthquake that claimed over 300,00 lives and left over 1million people homeless. thankfully the world could not never sit and watch millions of virutally helpless people and many countries responded with aid.

the day after the japan earthquake, my facebook and twitter pages are over flowing with friends of mine responding to the tragedy in japan, many of them urging everyone to pray for the families affected. apart of me feels guilty for having a facebook status update or tweet that isn't talking about japan. and while my heart sincerely feels for every single human being in japan, the whole idea of your land your earth your support structure crumbling under your feet is terryfying, i feel helpless because my life is still going on.

we all want to make a difference in japan and lend a helping hand but unfortunately 90% of the population isn't in the position to do so as an individual. however, us normal people can make a difference of our own in a sustainable way. like japan, haiti and even the bp oil spill, every country, every community has similar situations that it is dealing with. so instead of feeling helpless or terrible that you can't actually be in japan to assist in aid relief or are even unable to donate millions to charitable organisations, by making an effort to get involved in your community and lend a hand in your own capacity right here at home, you have done a great deal in helping japan.