Images from SAFW - The Forum Johannesburg

[Young, Gifted and...Awesome?]

I hate living on the other side of town - so much because it's traffic nearly made me miss this show. And boy, am I glad I didn't.

Fame starts at a young age - just ask Drew Barrymore. From the cute little girl in E.T. to butt-kicking angel. So it's no surprise that this years Young Designer category would never cease to amaze and shine. If designers like Ella Buter could start here...than any young designer with a dream can.

The show looked at 4 designers, namely: Bianca Warren, Nabella, Silverspoon and Non European.

Bianca Warren

Bianca's use of folds emphasised the fluidity of her work. Her confident technique of layering referred back to Edelkoort's "fashion will embrace the source's fluidity and airy qualities, with light-weight voiles to be cut into weightless layers of skirts".

Her range reminded me of spring's hidden secrets and summer's boldness. Her dresses hung loosely on the models bodies whilst dancing in shades of plum purple, peach orange and ocean blue.

- Don't mind me, I enjoy using adjectives, cute, convenient little things -

Bianca revived the innocence in high waisted skirts and the elegance in light-weight material.

As for Leather? Goth, biker leather is so last 80's. Bianca brought back the faded, soft brown leather and it's ability to juxtapose that of the colour black. Brown, in small quantites is summer's touch of maturity. As for the hippies' input in this? Flowers are back.

No, not the perfect five-petalled ones, but rather a detailed hint of nature.

Nabella

Nabella's influence on oriental colours and prints helped this range gain its momentum. Her outfits were thinly layered to resemble that of calm rivers and peaceful streams. Her lightweight silks and finer chiffons enhanced the flow of material in a stream of fluidity. Faded colours of browns and blues brought about an earthy feel. Rich in nature's source and going back to man's origin. There was a connection between the human being and the richness in earth.

Raw, abundant and rich.

There was this fusion between structured embroidery and care-free silk that brought about a raw quality - one that's not too dry but definitely rich in intensity - yet still bringing up that hint of a summer night sky and warm gusts of wind.

Raw, to the point that the models were barefoot, and there were gem stones stuck onto their stockings - Minimalism I tell you is the way forward.

Silverspoon

Bring on the worker's wear.

There is something so cool about Coco Chanel - and no, it's not cause she somewhat encompasses the epitome of fashion's history, or the fact that I always bring her up.

No it is her introduction of men's wear in women's fashion. Who wears the pants in this family!?

There was an abundance of french influences from pale colours to buttons and cuts.

It was like walking into the ice-cream parlour of your dreams. Pale, subtle marshmellow colours that made the mouth water and the eyes glisten. Never underestimate the power of pale creams and slighty off whites.

Nor can we forget the impact that Chanel's use of trousers have had. In Silverspoon's collection, elegance and business was brought back into fashion.

Trousers are sexy. Point.

And that government school grey?

- Don't mind me I'm at a school where uniform is the last thing on people's minds-

Yeah that too. It's sexy against white.

I kept thinking of Gatsby and his parties... those roaring twenties colours.

And then I pictured myself on the beach in Cannes....

...summer's memory of spring

.

Non European

The hippy hair band - more than just a way to keep back that long, long, long hair. Instead, a fashion statement. Now, take those hairbands, add in a bow and put it on steroids.

Bam!

You have Non European's, (Tarien Malherbe) signature piece.

In this range there was a constant arrogant use of folds - bold, in-your-face layers and fall-away frills. Denim was brought back with a make over - no longer blue, denim was now an acid yellow. Sour and sharp. When talking to Tarien however she mentioned that the yellow wasn't planned and happened by accident - I congratualed her for that succesful accident if you must know.

There was movement in everything with cheeky cuts and light-weight folds.

Overall...I again feel inspired...fashion, she has a new face and new seeds in the making I'll have you know

Ok I must eat now - pretty ravenous
Back Later

Lovage
Paris B

[The First 2 Shows]

Amanda Laird Cherry

I have but one word:

Spookasem - or as others know it; candyfloss.

Who remembers it?

Yeah you know, that really thin stuff that tastes good and kinda melts into your mouth?

Yeah that stuff.

This whole range was just that.

Thin, whispy material. But before I get carried away, some history :)

Li Edelkoort said that this year we are going to see water coming back into trends. In her own words, "Fashion will break free with overwhelming fluidity becoming the principle of design"

She mentioned the influence that waves, currents and ripples will have in the 'fluidity of folds' and drapes.

She also mentioned foam. You know, that 'wit skuim' at the edge of the shore?

Yeah, that.

Edelkoort discussed how foam will be influencing thinly knit sweaters and fine foamy layers to shield any sudden summer breeze.

It is clear that fashion is going back to it's source; nature.

Amanda's range this year was inspired by that very concept. There was an overwhelming sense of fluidity, in everything from the way the dress curved the body, to the ghost-like material that brushed by before you noticed. She looked at incorporating summer into her designs and not just inspiring them. The whisps of fabric around the ankles or hips suggested humid summer breezes - those light enough to fall in love with.

There was also an abundance of folds and ripplets (as Edelkoort describes) in stockings and the way dresses fell - almost like a light summer rain.

Her use of colour pallet was also very interesting this year. I'd like to say they were all pale colours but I wouldn't want you imagining baby colours. No. They were almost shy hues of a colour - from light, subtle blues to organic creams and dry khaki's. All, tracing back to our most basic source - nature.

All I kept seeing was a vision of Coco Chanel at the Horse Races - perhaps due to the horse harnesses around the models' heads. Weird you may say but I must say that is always one thing I've loved about Amanda - her trust in experimentation.

New trends. New Ideas. New sources.

When asking Amanda about her range she explained it to be inspired by that of 'Worker's wear'. Overalls and Domestic cleaning aprons - moving to America, her perception on House work had changed. The harnesses, she added (and we were glad she did because at this point, our interpretations seemed pathetic), were to show how the difficulty of house work ways one down.

A wonderful range non the less.

Superella

Gold.

Remember that colour? The one we nearly forgot about?

Superella's show started off with that familiar circus music and a model dancing in onto the ramp with a bunch of gold balloons in the air. I was thinking.... Uh, did I come in through the right door?

Superella, (or better known as Ella Buter an ex-Lisof student) took circus-fun to a whole new level. She brought back the method of putting fun, back into fashion.

Because admit it, sometimes we take it overly too serious.

She looked at shapes like triangles and squares and put them back into the fabrics. The dresses were loose and hanging comfortably on the body. Using black and white in sharp contrast, she brought back the french B+W check and the thinly spaced lines so that the basics of Black and White were revived. Summer was hinted in the way that the clothes fell comfortably off one's body like egyptian cotton or finely made linen.

But most of all and I repeat;

Gold.

Everything about it. From it's multi-purpose usage to it's malleability in the sense that it just goes with anything and creates a contrast. We forget about gold and it's richness and stubborness. The fact that it's far to bold and arrogant to make peace, but also that it says so much about a specific moment or person. It has the ability to change what it touches,

and no this isn't the famous King Midas story - although I must admit, the colour did make him pretty famous.

With Gold, Superella brought back the use of Spray paint - that horrible yet cool stuff that sticks onto nothing you need it to but everything you don't want it to.

She showed that an old pair of takkies can be sprayed into a new, bling pair... Oh and with reference to Martha Stewarts's latest infamous speech at Design Indaba this year

- you can put glitter on anything!

And the best about her show was that she reminded us, not to forget to laugh and to have fun

- no matter how old we are.

Colours, buttons, gold, spray paint; you name it.

Superella revived it.

Guillotine

Here's something awesome I learnt about the colour Black tonight (I seem to be learning about a lot of colours then)

Black, in isolation is terrifying.

No not like, in a bad way but rather in what Guillotine was trying to show

- The Sweetness of Terror

Black is such a rogue colour that it absorbs the very element of light. And that's precisely what the show did when it started off. In total darkness they entered, glow sticks in the hair and a lamp shade in their hands. It brought a whole different meaning to the title 'The unbearable lightness of being' - with emphasis on the 'light'.

Guillotine looked at the beauty of black in isolation with the hint every now and then of a pale hue. The folds mentioned by Edelkoort were seen again in the changing forms of vinyl and leather.

There was also the use of braces

- wait lemme rephrase that; suspenders -

(wouldn't want you thinking bout those teeth things now)

the whole suspender wasn't used but instead just the buckle or just the hint of an elastic.

Guillotine reminded me why black is so easy to wear because it just defines every part of you

- for the better that is.

It reminded me that sometimes we need to let it crease and take its own form.

Not heavy black, but instead moving it into a subtle, whispy form.

Clothing needs to be worn and shown that it is. It moves and breathes and needs to take its own form in its own time.

I can't help but feel inspired.

Truly.

Check you Tomorrow

Lovage

Paris B

[Prologue]

Just like every story needs a beginning, so does the magician his introduction.
I'm not the magician however.
Just a teen growing up in e'mam Jozi.
And because I have, just like every other teen up here, I understand the city
- correction-
we understand the city.
So it's not wonder that by bringing us an event so close to its heart
- SA Fashion Week Summer Collections (25 - 27 March) -
we understand the city's beauty even more.
From it's 'Explosion in the sky' sunsets, to it's history-stained bulidings, the Chicken Licken round the corner and the constant hum of cars, feet and autumn air;
there's just no better city to host it in.

What sort of ramblin' is this you ask?
My name's Paris
(no, not like the Hilton - kinda leaning more towards the city)
and I'm a teen growing up in Jozi.
I'll be here over the next few days giving you the down-low on what's happening over here at the Turbine Hall in Newtown, JHB.
So swing by, there'll be pics, short summaries of the shows, hope-to-sound-ok insight and more rambling's worth reading for all you fashion junkies.
And if you're looking for some hot 'scandal' gossip,
then forgive me but I must point out that you are on the wrong website.

For those who are sadly missing it this year... this one's for you.

Au Revoir for now,
Amanda Laird Cherry next :)
Back in a bit.

Lovage
Paris B

Iman visits SA!

The SAFW designers are meeting Iman tonight at an exclusive cocktail party.

LB talks real fashion with Albertus Swanepoel

LB:	What were the opportunities that came your way that you took and that you are glad about taking?
AS:	I think its important to edit opportunities (follow your gut) in terms of things being offered to you. I’m a stubborn person and so only pursued the things I thought made sense to build my brand.
LB:	You are referred to as New York’s main Milliner. Could you trace the significant steps of your development, beginning in SA to the present?
AS:	I studied Fine Arts at Pretoria University (which I thought gave me a great reference field through the years). After graduating, I went to Leggatts and studied Fashion design for a year. Worked for Marianne Fassler and had my own store for 6 months in Norwood (big mistake!). Arriving in NYC in 1989, life had other plans and I couldn’t continue my career as a fashion designer. After working for a glove maker for several years, I started hat making courses for two years and apprenticed for seven years with Lola. Also two years with a theatrical milliner. As my job is very tactile- I think its very important for someone (like a draper, pattern cutter, designer) to get hands on experience from known, experienced designers. I only got noticed in 2004 after I did hats for the Marc by Marc Jacobs runway show. Being a runner up in the Vogue/CFDA fashion fund competition in 2008 made a huge difference in my career.
LB:	What were your thoughts when you left SA?
AS:	It was a sense of adventure at that point. Yes, I (falsely) thought I was at the top of my career in South Africa and the world, but little did i know the challenges of the international market or what I was up against. Talent is not a competition, but the demands of the international market are very intense. It soon proved to me that I knew very little technically, nor businesswise and was not equipped to compete with the best designers in the world in New York. Many years of self doubt and hardship followed.
LB:	How long did it take you to be noticed in New York?
AS:	It took at least seventeen years before I got really noticed and started to make a name for myself.
LB:	What does it take to get recognised internationally?
AS:	I think one must have a clear vision, have integrity and a sense of perseverance. Never waiver on your goals or your vision on how to build your brand and be prepared to sacrifice a lot to obtain this.
LB:	How many hours do you work a day?
AS:	I work an average of 12 hour days, usually seven days a week; except before and during fashion weeks, when we work 16 hour days. My work never stops for me, where ever I am- I think in terns of my work, how to solve problems and move forward.
LB:	How many staff do you have?
AS:	I have two assistants and use 3 more people as outside contractors.
LB:	If you do not have access to the fashion predictions, how do you keep up with trends?
AS:	I strangely enough, don’t really follow fashion trends in my work. I try to create shapes and forms that I find interesting and challenging. I do follow colour trends (which WWD publishes) and I do look at style.com during the collections (but by that time, my own collection has to be ready.) I get inspired by things outside fashion- architecture, books, opera and ballet, people on the street.
LB:	What is the process from being contacted by a designer to do a hat for the Collections to when it comes out on the runway?
AS:	It works in different ways- some designers give me a specific brief and I execute their ideas for them. Others give me a drawing or inspiration sketch and we collaborate until we are both happy. I make several muslins or mock ups for them in both cases and suggest ways to do it technically. It is usually a two to three week process. As hats are always the last thing they think about, it is very stressful on my part to conclude the process for them and get it runway ready.
LB:	What did winning the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards mean for your business?
AS:	Being the first runner up in the Vogue/ CFDA fashion fund competition has probably been the most important thing in my career. It catapulted me to a different level- I got introduced to people I never had access before and in terms of PR ( that I cannot afford myself) it is invaluable. I am now part (in their words) of the Vogue and CFDA club and there is no better 'membership' to have than this! I now have a platform to stand on and to continue building my business. I was also last year nominated for the Swarovski/CFDA Accessory designer of the year; and I don’t think this could have happened if my name wasn’t out there because of the competition.
LB:	What do you hate about this industry?
AS:	I hate the emphasis on celebrity. What we do is a craft and takes many years to perfect, and we are all struggling to some degree. I think celebrities slapping their names on clothing labels diffuse our workmanship and talent. I also think stylists play too big role, especially with runway shows; and it blurs the designer's true vision.
LB:	What do you love about this industry?
AS:	I love the constant tension, the search for the new, and the immense effort it takes to maintain one's place in the industry. Above all, I love the work, the craft. Personally, I’m the happiest creating something in my room. As Alber Elbaz said- "Success is like a perfume – smell it, never sniff it and never drink it."
LB:	Is it realistic for a designer to achieve success in less than 10 years in the international fashion industry?
AS:	Yes I think it is possible with a good PR team and loads of money – hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars. The issue is to stay successful, not just achieve it. I did it the grassroots way, without any financial backing or PR.
LB:	What are the South African Designers’ advantages?
AS:	I think South Africans have a vast and untapped source of inspiration. Many Europeans designers (to name a few – Gaultier, Dries van Noten, Galliano and the late McQueen) have been inspired by Africa. There is no reasons the denisons of the country cannot be either – its right in front of them. The fine line is not to create tribal costumes, but modern day fashion. There seem to be a sense of rebirth in the country, some very exciting things happening creatively and its important for a fashion designer to tap into trends- whether it’s architecture, furniture design, technology or fabric research, to push forward and be informed.
LB:	What are their disadvantages?
AS:	I think the sad think is the infra structure is failing. Learning the craft of cutting, constructing and sewing is essential and there a few qualified people to do the training. The lack of good quality fabric is also an issue in the country, but again, one can make a great garment form honest cotton, rather then a piece of cheap imported silk. I think it’s very important for designer in SA to leave the country and train with an oversees company, whether its an internship or employment. Only then will they learn the true skills of being a designer and what it means to run one's own company in the bigger world. Sadly, South Africa is not on the world map of fashion and it’s not a competition, but for those who think they have arrived, there is a huge surprise in the making!
LB:	You opened the Carolina Herrera show – how did it feel?
AS:	It is still very exciting to me to work with the top designers in New York. It still feels unreal in a way. The pressure is immense, especially now with the internet and the knowledge that your work is seen by the whole industry worldwide, every quality of stitch counts.
LB:	Which other designer Collections featured Albertus hats?
AS:	For the Fall 2010 shows I created hats for Narciso Rodriquez, Carolina Herrera, Jill Stuart, Derek Lam, Peter Som, Cushnie et Ochs, Timo Weiland, DKNY, Suno, Reed Krakoff and Nathan Jenden (who shows in London).
LB:	Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
AS:	I’d like to be living in the National Kruger Park! All fantasies aside, I'd like to work more internationally, open my own store and hopefully have more cash to spend!

Albertus Swanepoel - Land Turbans

http://www.style.com/stylefile/#on-our-radar-albertus-swanepoel-for-timo-wei