FASHION IS

 "..everybody has a heaven, I feel in heaven when I'm making films...do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life.."- Morgan Freeman 

This is an extract from his Golden globe acceptance speech. I felt inspired when I heard him, and I considered my heaven.

Fashion is art.

It is a story of sorrow or a joyful tale of romance.

Fashion is weird, impractical, full of pain and not so plain.

Fashion is happiness, it is laughter, a burst of colour, a dream.

It is dark and daring, it is sad, emotive, provocative

Fashion is youthful and innocent and in love with vintage.

It is mesmerising, it's beauty hypnotic, inexplicable.

It is flawless, celebrates the imperfect but tolerates no imperfections. 

Fashion is loud, insane, angelic yet devilish.

Fashion is sensitive, vulnerably and heedless.

It is all colours, it is all textures. It flows in all directions and it is everywhere..  

Fashion is love.

























ARTISTICALLY FABULOUS!

Like many ordinary people I find myself baffled by some so called artistic images; usually left confused and unable to interpret what I'm confronted with. Often left with the question what does it all mean? I have heard many times that when presented with a piece of art whether it be a song, a picture or a drawing; you should be able to see a narrative or a story. The story you see need not be that intended by the artist, this story  is your own interpretation of the art piece. One can be brought to tears by a Spanish performance of a ballet musical; not knowing what the words mean yet still moved by ones interpretation of the movements and the expressions of the artists. The connection with an art piece is similar to that of the Spanish musical, it is inexplicable and at times difficult to understand.

Fine art encompass all art forms developed primarily for aesthetics rather than practical application.  All visual and performing art is fine art. 
African art leaves me a little less confused than art from any where else in the world. There is nothing blend or boring about African art; the colours are bold, the images daring and moving. The images of dark skinned women with full bosoms and haunting eyes send chills down my spine. The colourful people on the canvas, the vast landscapes and stacked tin roofs feel like déjà vu.The depictions feel as though they are of me; the narrative is familiar as if I have lived it...there is an easy connection. 



Comic art is one of the more popular forms of art especially amongst the youth. Established as early as the 19th century, this art form wasn't born yesterday. More than any other, comic art's purpose is to tell a story. It is one of the most bankable art forms with the ability to move  swiftly from paper to screen. The art work below is by a young passionate artist Mvelo Makongolo working under Mvelo Comics; his work is evident of his attention to detail and the crazy streak I think every comic artist should possess. Any artist with the ability to make pencil on paper this evocative is talented beyond words.

By Mvelo Comics Makongolo/Facebook

By Mvelo Comics Makongolo/Facebook

By Mvelo Comics Makongolo/Facebook

Abstract art is a visual form of fine art that does not use any real properties of the world; but rather uses colour and lines to create a picture. Below are are great examples of this form of art by Portia Ntuli. Like most great artists Portia does not premeditate her paintings; this was a spontaneous paint meets canvas incident with fabulous results. Her use of colour is bold and the moving feet leave you with a sense of wonder. 

Moving Feet by Portia Ntuli http://www.picturesplendor.blogspot.com

Moving Feet by Portia Ntuli http://www.picturesplendor.blogspot.com

Moving Feet by Portia Ntuli http://www.picturesplendor.blogspot.com

Contemporary art is perhaps the art form that confused me the most and yet equally intrigued me. This is the art that has been and continues to be created during our lifetime. I battled to understand the depictions of contemporary art or what message the artists intended; until I was captured by this haunting sculpture of a little boy gazing with much intent at the sky. I realised that I need not understand all contemporary art I need only connect with individual pieces.

LeBelle by Kevin Brand Spier Contemporary 2007 book

LeBelle by Kevin Brand Spier Contemporary 2007 book

Whatever your preference, Africa has it. This may just be the year to start a respectable art collection.

THE CRAZY BEACH..

IS IT MADNESS?

THE PERFECT CITY!

Sometimes..there is more than one perfect shade of blue.

FASHION HEAVENLY..

Calling on all fashion lovers out there; Edgars Melrose Arch has become every fashionista's dream, a real fashion haven.

Edgars has taken amazing local designers and put them in one house for your convenience. Marion and Lindie, Thula Sindi, Jo Borkett, Collen Eitzen etc.. etc.. all have sections at Edgars with a selection of their designs all year round. The selections are not as extensive as I would like but hey its better than anything we've had before. 

Furthermore the Melrose Arch store is spoiling us to a wide variety of other local designers that showed at SA Fashion week with their 181 days of High Fashion campaign; this means until March 2012 you can buy at this Edgars store, clothing as seen on the cat walks from designers such as TWO, Hollister and so many more.

 There has been a lot of talk about local designers not having enough exposure to the public, not being readily available for the man on the street; and surely there is still much work to be done to ensure that our designers are selling garments in numbers. I think Edgars is on the right track;  hopefully in the near future there will be a more visible presence of locally designed clothing in our department stores replacing the international brands that have long enjoyed a monopoly. In my opinion this store is worth a visit.

FEELING SOO BRIGHT!

LADY LIKE..

BIKINI @ THE BEACH!

The summer holidays are not complete if I don't go to the beach..it’s a culture I grew up in. Sometimes I find myself craving the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing vengefully against the rocks and the snow white colour of the waves. The excitement of the looming beach visit is unfortunately marred by the recurring dreams I'm having about the dreaded bikini. In my dreams I mostly just curse the French for inventing this so called "emancipated swimwear"..

Every year I buy a cute two piece with the naive intention of wearing it and bearing all at the beach, and I always end up wearing just the top with shorts. The two piece bikini feels a little too much like underwear to me..and don't forget the fact that it also looks very much like underwear. This is not a question of body image or whether you are thin or fiercely real; for me this is a question of comfort...

Some women look and feel great in a two piece bikini; but for the rest of us going to the beach in that 'state' can be a nightmare. 

 I could not understand why the fashion world embraced the bikini so warmly and why they would call it emancipated beach wear. It just seemed to me that a random man a long time ago, decided to put a woman like so many times before in a skimpy little two piece to prance around in. This may sound like the ramblings of a feminist; and maybe they are. I cannot ignore the overwhelming presence of bikinis in every clothing store indicating to me that there is a high demand for this scanty swimwear, and that many women may not share my sentiments.

I started thinking that maybe the emancipation is not of the two piece swim suit but of the woman who has the choice of whether or not to wear the two piece swim suit. The very existence of the bikini may feel like an insult to some, but the emancipated woman knows not to feel pressured to wear these briefs. She is also smart enough to know that if it doesn't feel good, it probably won't look good either.

I have not waged war on the bikini, and I have not written off swim wear altogether; Once I got past the fear of the swimsuit section, and looked beyond the two piece I found some wearable beach wear.

The kaftan is the most useful of the lot in my opinion; you can cover up before and after the dips, or while you bask in the sun.

I am going the one piece route this year..and will be keeping the fabulous kaftan close by..