LESSONS FROM TOM FORD

MODELS IN THE CAMPAIGN FROM THE FIRST EVER READY-TO-WEAR WOMENSWEAR COLLECTION TOM FORD DID UNDER HIS OWN LABEL

I'm still smiling, a few minutes after the doccie ended. I've just watched 'OWN Visionaries', the Tom Ford edition, which I discovered randomly while browsing. It's a 40-minute look at the man who transformed Gucci and YSL into the modern luxury houses that we all fell in love with. The story of a man who left all that glory and later pursued his film-making passion despite the chuckles that surrounded his efforts. It's the story of a man who defied the social networks, banning photography and tweeting at the first ever showcase of his eponymous label's ready-to-wear collection. Despite doing so, the social networks stillcouldn't help but speculate about what he was up to.
With every minute that passed as I listened to Mr. Ford, I couldn't help but tweet a lot of what he was saying. Much as most of it is what one already knows, it's little thoughts that we often forget as we go on about our daily lives. I am left inspired!
One of my favourite out of the quotes I did tweet...


'FOR ME, I wear my shirt open because ties give me a headache. I turned THAT into my style...'


Hearing this quote made me think of the many guys I often see wearing their shirts the way Tom Ford does and how that in itself is what Mr Ford refers to as 'losing' oneself. You're no longer being yourself and adapting your sense of style to reflect you. 
More than anything, as the doccie was about to end, Tom Ford left me with one quote I will never forget and one that I would love to utter myself later on in life; 'I am confident that I have lived and experienced enough that death doesn't freak me out at all!'

BURBERRY'S SOCIAL NETWORK FASHION SHOW

CHRISTOPHER BAILEY, CREATIVE DIRECTOR FOR BURBERRY AND MAN WITH A DIGITAL VISION LIKE NO OTHER, WITH MODELS AT THE BURBERRY PRORSUM SS13 SHOW, MILAN FASHION WEEK

Burberry's #Tweetwalk, which played out on twitter as the label's SS13 collection was being streamed live on the internet from the runways of Milan Fashion Week, has me clapping non-stop. I love how they are fully utilising the social networks to push the brand. It is not only changing how fashion weeks works, it is also a brand that is taking the lead beyond just fashion.
If anyone, even professional marketers, say they have the formula right in terms of using the social networks as a marketing tool, I always purse my lips and think 'whatever', because I doubt any of us knows how to harness the power of the web properly just yet. Never mind interpreting the data in the way publicists put a price tag on publicity generated in the traditional media, for instance. What I do know about the social networks, is that it is the easiest way to get word out there, provided you know who to target.
The genius of Burberry's integrated approach is that they are not only about twitter and becoming a trending topic- something a lot of us believe is the be it and end all of social network marketing. Facebook, polyvore, instagram and even iTunes (the show soundtrack is for sale) are all being used in addition to the livestream and pics of the collection will be on Pinterest and made available for sale on burberry.com as well as the brand's flagship stores (by appointment) for a week after the show, according to Mashable.
We are in a digital age with so many possibilities and Burberry is one brand that is going right ahead and exploiting each and every possibility to extend its reach. Pay attention!
Without any further blabbing, I am in love with the diamond print shirts and the metallic skinnies!

PICS: TWITTER.COM

MEDIEVAL HIP-HOP ROYALTY

Hip-hop artists have been depicted as medieval royals by a Los Angeles street artist, KAI. Take a look at how rad this artwork is...

This is just two of many of his depictions...
View a gallery and Q&A with the 21 year-old on DazedDigital.

SIMPLE, BEAUTIFUL, MASCULINE

Tim Blanks (of Style.com) says he is possibly the best colourist in British fashion and it isn't hard to see why. The tailoring, the prints and colours speak to the kind of look I want for myself- simple, beautiful but masculine. I want me some Jonathan Saunders, please! Just look...

PICS: STYLE.COM

All you have to do now is to just gcwala and admit that this guy's work is the biznis!

THIS REMINDS ME OF CONTEMPORARY ZULU GARB

CHRISTOPHER SHANNON SS13

I've been browsing through pictures of the collections from the first ever standalone menswear fashion week in London. While there are many collections that caught my eye, purely from an aesthetic point of view (the Brits are genius at making exciting menswear), Christopher Shannon's reminded me of Zulu traditional contemporary menswear garb known as 'Umblaselo'. No, no... It's not the cork-necklace pictured above, it's the clothing pictured below. 
The patchwork pannelling and fringing are reminiscent of the more colourful version often worn by Maskandi artists. The sad difference is that while I would don these Christopher Shannon designs at any given time, I would never be caught dead wearing umblaselo. Why? This may sound conceited  but it is the honest truth. My truth!
I love being African but I am also a global citizen with a very modern outlook. Fashion that appeals to me is that which is not at odds with that description of myself. The umblaselos I see on sale on the streets of Jozi remind me too much of a maskandi artist for me to be into. Christopher Shannon's collection is proof that a little tweaking of an existing concept makes a hell of a lot of difference and might just change one Sandiso Ngubane's mind about something provided he is met halfway by a forward-thinking designer. We need more Laduma Ngxokolos!

PICTURES: DAZEDDIGITAL.COM

DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for any assumption that Christopher Shannon's collection is inspired by a South African tribe known as the Zulus.

GET YOUR JOHN LENNON ON!

Round sunglasses are my new obsession. I just had to share these images.

PICS FROM:
NYTIMES.COM
TELEGRAPH.CO.UK
PINTEREST
TUMBLR.COM

STYLED BY SERUNO

These are a just a few shots from Michael Seruno's styling lookbook. You probably know him as Choc from VUZU TV's Cream Cartel. He's also selling these looks, so whatever you see in the lookbook is for sale. Best part is everything is sourced by Michael from a variety of young and unknown designers, which means whatever you get is exclusively your's. 

Contact the stylist, Michael Seruno via his tumblr or on twitter (@choclate2190)

SKATTIE TV: MILI JO DESIGNER MICHEL JOHANNESSEN

The second designer in the Skattie TV Designer Chat Series is Michel Johannessen, owner and designer of the brand Mili Jo. I first took note of Mili Jo when I spotted a very pretty pair of high-waisted floral print pants at Twenty Two (which has since closed down). I proudly own that pair of pants.
In this video, we chat to Johannessen about the label, the business of starting a label as a young designer and her thoughts about the fashion week platform as well as her new line.

THE BUSINESS OF BLOGGING

ELLE SOUTH AFRICA MAY 2012

I wrote a feature article for ELLE Magazine's May 2012 issue where I tried to dissect the ethics of bloggin in a world where bloggers are still being compared to traditional media journalists. For me, the story was about the conflation between my profession and being a blogger. I tried to explain that as a journalist I still value the ethical codes that regulate journalism, but in my capacity as a blogger I am constantly confronted with the question of whether or not I should be accepting freebies and the like. Secondly, I feel as though brands, especially in South Africa, feel like they don't need to pay us for what is essentially free advertising. They invite us to all these events where we are expected to tweet and blog. And while many of them will justify this by saying they don't pay for media publicity, I really don't know if an article in The Times and a post on this blog (and my tweets) are the same thing. The one thing we have to come to terms with beyond our zeal over journalistic integrity and the like is the fact that blogging is a different type of medium with a different set of rules. Can we really equate paying for the exposure bloggers give to news, which has a real public interest and is the responsibility of journalists to communicate? In the end the blogger will have to deal with their own conscience if they are busy acting as advocates for brands they don't believe in just because they are payed to do so. But anyway, I really don't have the answers, maybe you too can give this Business Of Fashion article a read and decide for yourself.

SKATTIE TV: DAVID WEST INTERVIEW

Skattie TV is back and this time Malibongwe (of Skattie What Are You Wearing) and I decided we want to have conversations with designers beyond the fashion week circuit. The first in this series is David West, who gave us an insightful and very engaging interview on his views on fashion and his interests. Enjoy!

BHUBESII'S PRIDE

BHUBESII, IN HIS DOPE-ASS AZTEC PRINT JACKET,
 TEARING 'GREAT DANE' IN BRAAMFONTEIN DOWN

Before I headed out to Cape Town last week I popped in at Jozi swagger-king Bhubesii's music video launch. Rubbed shoulders with some of Jozi's coolest kids as we drank Black Label- well, me anyway- and rocked to Bhubesii's tunes, which are now available in the mixtape 'Members Only'. 

WISH I HAD A SHOT OF MALUM' KOOL-KATI BUSTING A
PANTSULA MOVE

Mixtape stockists include Mememe Joburg, Ritual Store in Newtown, The Dope Store and Maria McCloy's stall at Market on Main. Should you be in the Republic of Zille, you can cop your's at The A Store. Check out the video featuring many of Johazardousburg's lifestayela-pushers...