TOPSHOP IN SA

TOPSHOP, the famous and fabulous high street British retail store is opening in SA in November. YaY! 

EDCON together with House of Busby has been granted the South African franchise rights for TOPSHOP and TOPMAM.

So what does this mean for the local fashion industry? The rules of demand and supply should apply. The greater variety and supply in the market will push the prices down. . more retailers will competing for the same market.  
This is of course good news for the consumer but questions must be asked about how this will affect local production.

Unfortunately whilst I can now buy Zara and TOPSHOP locally at somewhat reasonable prices, the local producers of fashion who can't afford to lower their prices and still make a profit may suffer. .
On the bright side; soon we can dress like the Duchess of Cambridge who has been spotted many times rocking TOPSHOP. YAY again!

The Turban!

The turban, still my favorite fashion piece of all time closely followed by the stiletto. My love for the turban is due to a combination of nostalgia brought on by the images of my grandmother in a turban and the undeniable vogue effect this head piece brings.  

I probably blog about the turban more than any other piece of clothing..Practicing  the same ritual of tying a turban just perfectly as done by many women in my family generations before me  gives me a sense of tradition..

Some time soon I will do a turban tutorial for all the turban lovers who just can't get it right..

Fashion is in love with the turban, and it's going to be around for a long time.

Getting cosy with Mabree..

These photos were taken with a phone camera so the quality is not great, but I just had to share.
I had soo much fun taking these photos with legendary, amazing Brenda Fassie.
Singing with Brenda Fassie...this a statue of the queen B outside Bassline in Newtown..

I just sound better when I smile whilst I sing..

Braided Bliss

Braids are probably my favorite hairstyle...they practical, low maintenance and pretty cute..what's not to love.

If my hair could take it I would have braids all the time. Yes you sit for an insane number of hours getting them on, but in the end it's all worth it.  

Shoegasm

These are my new pastel blue Nine Wests.  They are so cute I could eat them.

I thought I could do the pastel trend with heels first and ease into it...

African prints on the rise..

If you have been following any kind of fashion news lately, you may have noticed the rise of the African print. From Sishweshwe to animal to tribal, all these prints have been making big waves on the run way. This is not a knew trend at all; our very own Bongiwe Walaza has been doing the sishweshwe print for years, it is her signature look. The animal print has been in and out of "fashion" over the years, some like myself believe it to be a classic.
So if you are worried about looking like your mother when you  wear the tribal look, fear not fashionable one; the trick here is to be suttle, simple and classy. So think less animal print from head to toe, and more just animal print shoes with a black dress, and think more crisp white shirt with a sishweshwe skirt.
Michael Kors and Burburry are on the African print band wagon, but our local designers are leading the way with modern, clean, don't look like anybody's mother cuts. Faeeza Khan and  Loin Cloth and Ashes are pulling off this trend effortlessly.
I can understand if you are feeling a bit skeptical about spending R800 on a Faeezakhan sishweshwe skirt, after all how long do these trends last anyway. My advise is; this look is one of those classics and can easily be made into a personal style than just another fashion trend, therefore your money will not be lost.
If you are still not sold, then I suggest you remake your old sishweshwe (or your mother's) into a mordern design and give it a try.




Faeeza Khan R700










Check BBM..

I had lunch with a friend I hadn't seen for a while. After 2 hours of greatness, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. Almost immediately I reached for my BB and I put up a status update: “Thanks for lunch, had a gr8 time *bbm kiss*” I did this, even though I had already told her what a wonderful time I had just minutes before. I was surprised at the incessant need I seem to have to share every great moment with everyone. It turns out I am not the only one with this affliction; minutes after my departure  my friend  also put a bbm update about lunch. LOL.

On a daily basis I subject my friends on BBM with daily updates of my life from a great cup of coffee to a the horrible Jo'burg traffic, most times accompanied by photos. Where is this need to journal and share mundane details of our lives with everyone coming from? My need to document my life began in high school when I started keeping a journal. I soon realized in Varsity that if something is private, do not plaster it on a book that you leave unlocked in a room shared by 3 girls. So I dumped dear diary and kept my feelings to myself.

Then came social media; this is a different kind of documenting. This is almost like writing an article about an hour or two of your life to be viewed by all 300 of your “friends”; therefore everything said is neat, cute and tied in a bow. If you are to post photos, only the ones that resemble a younger Naomi will do. Social media is really there to show everyone how fabulous your life is; Lunch at Tashas! Just bought a new pair of shoes-(have got to kick this addiction); Beautiful flowers from BF-(look how great my life is). It’s all superficial; it may all be real but our lives are not an episode of sex and the city all the time. Truth is no one wants to put something real on a social network; no one shares the pain of a cheating boyfriend, or the shame of sinking into debt or what an ill advised plan it was to have 4 kids.

I’m not bothered by all the sharing whether factual or fiction. When something great happens sometimes you just want confirmation; you want someone else to say “Wow that is wonderful!” What we put on these updates is reflections of what we wish our lives were; what we are striving for. Lots of shopping, a great relationship with God, a perfect partner who surprises us with weekends away and cute lunches drinking cocktails with great friends. Maybe if we pretend long enough,  one day we will have all these things... in that order. Good luck with that!