cput fashion show I

I attended the end of year showcase of the Informatics and Design department at Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

The opening night was celebrated with a show by the Fashion Design students.

 

Frances Miller opened the show with a colourful, voluminous assault on the senses. 

I loved the all-out creative energy and theatricality of her collection. 

It was also very cohesive, with the big top / circus / ringmaster theme carrying right through. 

I always appreciate that!

Frances carried off the big prize of the night, deservedly so.

  Frances also won the Football Fridays Fashion Funk (that's a lot of F's!) competition earlier this year with this fabulous frock. 

One to watch for sure!

I loved the fluid romance in Rampai Motsau's collection. 

The ribbon loop dress is a feminine dream and the tuxedo dress is such a clever update!

Chantel van Soest has a clear signature with a soft, vintage feel. 

She should've put her own dress on the ramp, it was one of my favourites!

These three designers impressed me with their confident sense of identity, but the group as a whole was quite outstanding.

*All show images by SDR Photography

bench winter collection

UK brand with serious street cred Bench already has shops in Joannesburg Bloemfontein Durban and Cape Town.

The winter 2011 collection is launching next week.

Get your duffel coats, hoodies & skater gear here!

cosmo swimwear show

The annual, eagerly awaited, well-attended Cosmopolitan Swimwear Show will be held at the One&Only in Cape Town tonight. 

I happen to be in the market for a new bikini or three so their timing is just impeccable! 

style society pop-up boutique

The first STYLE SOCIETY pop up boutique is happening.

Cape Town

Saturday

Fire & Ice Hotel

Ooh la la! 

www.stylesociety.co.za has their own branded Mini... jealous, me? 

Don't miss out!

bridesmaid fashion inspiration: grey

My favourite bridesmaid's dress inspiration image ever:

InStyle Weddings Fall 2007

Melissa Sweet Fall 2007

Classic, floaty & feminine:

Watters * Beyond Vintage * Marithe & Francois Girbaud

Playful, cheeky & sexy:

French Connection * Karen Millen * Jane Norman

Sleek, modern tailored:

Kate Spade * Warehouse * Karen Millen

bridesmaid fashion inspiration: pink

I am not the biggest fan of pink. But lately? Grown-up nudes, musk, flesh, peach and even delicious shades of candyfloss, bubblegum and strawberry ice cream all tempt me with their inherent femininity. Add a black bow, some ruffles or lace and you're sitting pretty in a girly daydream.

Image by Jason & Anna Photography via Style Me Pretty

La Petit Salope * Preen * Karen Millen

Lipsy

Nordstrom * Forever21 * Lipsy * Halston Heritage

red carpet : 2010 emmy awards favourites

Spectacularly Sparkly

Heather Morris (Glee) in Ina Soltani is my surprise favourite of the night!

The glam yet somehow still clean hair & make-up and the little black belt are just perfection on such an all out show stopping gown.

Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) comes a very close second - does anyone know who designed her dress?

On Jennifer the super low-key styling works a charm.

Maria Menounos (TV presenter) elegantly pulls off a tricky cut-out Ralph and Russo.

Subtle Shimmer

 Kelly Osbourne looks absolutely unbelievable in Tony Ward Couture.

Jane Krakowski (30 Rock) is proportionally perfect in Escada.

Juliana Margulies (The Good Wife) looks a little thin but effortlessly gorgeous in L'Wren Scot.

Colour Wonderful

Jenna Fischer (The Office) is stunning in a slightly altered 2007 tangerine Versace gown.

Kyra Sedgewick (The Closer) also goes for relaxed hair but chooses a lovely berry lip to perfect her Monique Lhuillier look.
She looks better than ever!

I don't love the bangs on Emily Deschanel (Bones) but won't hold that against her lovely ruffle-layered Max Azria Atelier dress.

Magical Monochrome

The longer I look at it, the more I adore Toni Collette (United States of Tara) in this understated Valentino gown. How originally beautiful is the realistic floral print at the hem?

Tina Fey (30 Rock) totally bowls me over in this Oscar de la Renta gown. Her best fashion choice yet!

Kristen Wiig (SNL) looks perfectly pretty in polkadots.

Luscious Lace

Singer Jewel's Zuhair Murad gown is a romantic red carpet dream and quite a classic choice for her.

Dianna Agron (Glee) just manages to carry off a major Carolina Herrera gown.

Grecian Goddesses

Kim Kardashian was the first one in the foto galleries to catch my eye with this perfect fit Marchesa gown - I think she looks fantastic.

Rose Byrne (Damages) also went with a classic up-do to complement her Gucci goddess gown.

They both look utterly divine, but I prefer Kim's curves in this dress shape.

King & Queen

I haven't gotten on the Jon Hamm (Mad Men) bandwagon yet, but him and his girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt are just picture perfect in Armani.

Prince & Princess of Darkness

Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer (True Blood) are just the right couple for Alexander McQueen. 

I wish I loved Anna a little bit more in this dress though, it feels like something's missing?

Just not that into it...

I first thought Emily Blunt was Marion Cottilard in this pale lilac Christian Dior (a compliment for Emily methinks!) and I just can't find any love for this look. It doesn't fit very well and the floral embellishments seem slightly wilted.

All the critics are raving about Claire Danes in Giorgio Armani Prive. With her golden blonde hair and bronzed skin she's almost unrecognisable, but the simple sheath still feels too safe and predictable. The other sparklers outshine her by miles in my opinion.

I love Keri Russel in this vintage Jean Louis Scherrer frock and the gold accessories are perfect... 

For a dinner date. I wish she'd worn something more formal for such a major red carpet event.

On the other hand, I feel like January Jones is over the top in cobalt blue Versace. (There's just no pleasing some people!)
Kudos for the brave choice though and I love the undone hair and make-up to counter-act the drama.

All images from www.instyle.com

fantasy shopping : zanzibar jewel

Yes, I'm still fantasy shopping for Zanzibar! I thought that I might prefer something a bit more glamorous this time, so I've been inspired by jewel colours, vivid prints and lots of shimmer.

The key item was the kaftan once again, since I imagine spending most of my time on the beach or at the pool, cocktail in hand. This stunning Matthew Williamson multi-coloured snakeskin print cover-up (R5530) is right up my alley, from net-a-porter. Bikinis under it come in amethyst and orange, both from pret-a-beaute. 

My favourite items also happen to be the most expensive, why is it always like that? The bold floral print Diane Von Furstenberg one shoulder dress is covered in sequins too... an absolute dream of a cocktail dress at R7060. Nicholas Kirkwood for Liberty's fantastic Bounty platform sandal comes in at R6400 but I just know I'll wear it to death!

When I'm not in my Kirkwoods, I have my cheap and cheerful R355 sandals from buckle.com.  Slouching around will be done in my tiny dark wash Rock Revival jean shorts and green McQ skinny jeans. Phillip Lim 3.1 fold-over sequinned shorts takes comfort to the next dressy level. They'll be worn carelessly with little vest tops in bright colours. 

My Acne cobalt blue silk dress goes from day to evening with a mere change of shoes, while a very slinky pure purple Halston Heritage number looks easy-breezy for long evenings on luxury yachts (R3650). I can almost feel the breeze in my hair...

greyscale: elizabeth galloway young designers showcase

Contact Naomi 021 880 0972 for tickets

Foschini Graduate Show : final thoughts

Foschini Graduate Show

There's a natural excitement surrounding the first show at any fashion week, and this year's Cape Town Fashion Week proved no different. The first outfits on the ramp at Foschini Graduates seemed fresh and new enough, and even had me tweeting: "Bold shoulders and no-pants, but it works!" The promising start meandered through some uninspired territory, but I found enough shots of originality to keep me interested in what the kids are up to.

A well-versed fashion insider told me after the show that he found the student collections repetitive and badly made. This commenter laid blame strictly at the judges' doors, for their lack of leadership in rewarding design that he found far too commercially minded for a young designer show. These are still only students and while they aren't subject to the constrictions that realistic, commercial fashion dictates, he believes their imagination should be given free reign, that they need to fuel their creativity first as it will inevitably be reigned in later.

Historically, I've had qualms over the validity of these competitions, exactly because I found the student designs of the past to be too fanciful and outright ridiculous, favouring creativity heavily over wearability. (You can read what I wrote on the subject in 1998 here.)
But his train of thought did bring me to wonder what the student designs of a young Alexander McQueen or the Mulleavy sisters of Rodarte looked like. Surely they didn't start off conservative and safe before ending up as the front-runners of original, thought-provoking design?

Finally though, after spending hours looking over the show galleries, my own opinion leans favourably towards the competition and its' purpose. So in opposition to my critic friend's opinion, I'll conclude that with the recent collaboration of the CTFC and Foschini, there does seem to be more sense, worth and promise in these shows than ever before.
I can see many of these young designers finding success in reality fashion design or even starting up their own labels if they carry on maturing in concept and execution from here on.

This brilliant little collection by last year's winner, Nadia van der Schyff illustrates the point perfectly.

Ricci Janse van Rensburg (Cape Town College of Fashion Design) opened the show with strong silhouettes in a mix of matt and metallic grey fabrics. Bold shoulders have been all over the international catwalks for a few seasons, but show no signs of abating. Dolce&Gabbana grabbed fashion headlines with their under-to-outerwear granny pants for Spring / Summer 2010 but I have yet to see it look good anywhere outside a Beyonce video.

Chantel Marais (Cape Town College of Fashion Design) showed a cohesive collection with a definitive handwriting of detailed, fluid tailoring. And more granny pants.

My original judgement on the two winning collections stands: Darren Dewaal's collection stood out firstly by virtue of it being menswear, but then the quality of construction and attention to finishing details seemed noteworthy too. A utilitarian poncho with some special fold & button detail was nicely fashion forward and original.

Natashjia Fonnie presented the most professional-looking womenswear collection, with her safari-luxe looks for city gals in a muted pallet. A simple shift dress got an injection of design with extra fabric along the side and a bow tie. Simple but with just a little nod to originality.

 

Judges

Janet Norman : Foschini Fashion Executive

Jackie Burger : Elle Magazine Editor

Stefanie Vieira : Cape Town Fashion Council Executive Director

Shamieg Sabans : CPUT Technology Station Clothing Technologist

Joint Winners

Natashjia Fonnie - Cape Town College of Fashion Design 

Darren Dewaal - Northlink College