THREE THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO AT THE DESIGN INDABA

So it’s Design Indaba kicks off today as I’m sure most of you already know. And like most people I won’t make it to the conference, those ticket prices are something else, and I’m slightly ashamed of the things I’ve done to try and get media accreditation, unsuccessfully. However, tickets for the Expo are 70 bucks, that’s well within my reach and attention span, and that’s where all the fashion is anyway. So here are the three things I’m looking forward to at the Design Indaba Expo.

FASHION SHOWS FASHION SHOWS FASHION  SHOWS FASHION  SHOWS FASHION SHOWS FASHION SHOWS FASHION SHOWS FASHION SHOWS

The Cape Town Fashion Council will be hosting fashion shows by the designers below at the Expo, the shows are free if you have the R70 Expo ticket.

VISI STAND

When I’m not out partying or sitting on my laptop shitting all over this blog, I work at Visi magazine as Editor At Large, which is a dream job situation because I get to spend my days researching and writing about beautifully designed objects and the people who create them. So this year we as the Visi team will be taking turns manning the Visi stand, selling mags and meeting our readers. I’ll be at the stand on Friday, so come say hi, hangout, and buy a Visi.

 MOST BEAUTIFUL OBJECT IN SOUTH AFRICA

This year I was invited along with 10 other cultural commentators/journalists to nominated my Most Beautiful Object in SA for the MBOISA award. I nominated a dress by one of my favourite designers Gavin Rajah. You actually have to see this dress up close, it’s something else. The dress is from his S/S 2013 collection and it was created out of leather pieces that were moulded into pebble shapes, then embroidered onto mesh by hand. The pebbles are placed to create a gradation of colour with rose gold blending into chocolate. The result is a more tactile leather with leather with depth and dimension. The garment is handmade and has been crated without seams in pure couture tradition. So please follow this link to see the other nominees and vote for your favourite because they really do represent some of the most awesome design ideas out here right now. Or you can just vote for the one I nominated because you know, validation is my kryptonite.

AT THE VEUVE CLICQUOT POLO MASTERS 2013

I spent this past Saturday getting my society on at the Veuve Clicquot Polo Masters. The event was held at the Val de Vie Estate out in Paarl. Fucking awesome event, pity I got there just after the fashion show, the last of the models looked awesome and I only managed a coupla fuzzy pics which you’ll spot inbetween the party pics. If you can, please do check elsewhere online for the fashion show pics because there were some stunning numbers.

Anyway we had lots of fun, my friend Fumi even got himself nominated for best dressed, he didn’t win though, which was a blessing in disguise at the end because apparently Jen Su was one of judges or handing over the prize or something like that.  And accepting a style award of any sort from Jen Su would be a bit like accepting a humanitarian award from like Hitler or something. It just doesn’t make sense, computer says NO.

Anyway in other news, after 3 months off the booze and the cigs I decided to treat myself to a 7 day relapse situation, which has been amazing at times and frighteningly dark at others. So Saturday was day 7 of that situation and what a motherfucking fabulous ‘last day of a relapse’, with bottles and bottles and bottles and bottles of champagne. At the Veuve Clicquot vip lounge which is where I was, the bubbles were practically on tap, drank so much of the French stuff I thought I was in a rap video. Of course my Seven Eleven sparkling wine palate thought it had died and been reborn posh, ag shame arme ding.

AND LATER AT THE RESERVE FOR THE AFTERPARTY

TUESDAY /// LEVIS LAUNCH AND AN UNRELATED RANT ABOUT BEYONCE AND MADGE

Tonight I went to check out a Levi's launch at Truth, i think for their upcoming range and all the goodies/thinking/fabric development that went into it. Looked very cool. I wasn't really invited, it was one of my gatecrashing vibes so i don't have the press kit, so excuse me if I'm a bit fuzzy on the details. These pics are from that event. Anyway, as I'm writing this I'm watching one of my favourite documentaries, In Bed With Madonna. Indulge me and let me ramble on about it a bit. I had to watch it again because last night I watched King Beyonce's new doccie Life Is But a Dream. I didn't really enjoy it much, so I'm watching this to try do a bit of comparison. Now please all you Yonce stans, stay the fuck back, don't attack. I am a big fan of Bey, not so much her music, but her. She totally rocks and in a way has redefined what it means to be a star for our times. However, that documentary totally didn't reveal anything new, fuck that it had absolutely no narrative and it read like an extended Beyonce video. One thing i've always loved about In Bed with... is that calculated as it is, it's still kinda raw and it brought through a lot of Madonna's nasty, her hunger and a bit of the self absorbed bitch for whom absolutely everybody around her is a pawn in her bigger fame game. I always feel like a lot of people that make it as major stars nowadays are a bit more conservative, kinda safe, careful not to offend anyone. Probably why i hold a candle for LiLo, or love the image of Nina Simone's boozy troubles and shooting off her rifle at neighbourhood kids, or why I glorify the Brenda Fassies of this world. Maybe I'm just out of touch. Maybe I'm missing the point, maybe Beyonce truly is the most perfect, nicest, most genuine super star ever, and she really doesn't have an unbalanced fame hungry-at-all-costs persona deep inside, and I'm probably a sad out of touch misogynist fag looking for a vicious bitch in the women I idolize. On the other hand, none of us really know these famous Americans and we spend a ridiculously disproportionate amount of time stressing about the details of their lives anyway.  

p.s. my ex UB is the biggest Bey fan ever and will hate me for saying anything negative about his queen, so UB please don't get angry and don't diss me on the internet cause you know ur mama taught u better than that.

EVE RAKOW IN THAT ATHI-PATRA RUGA HAT /// WHEN THE CAT IS AWAY…

This is a bit of a random post, but hey, I haven’t been event-ing this week so uhmmm ja. I think I might get into a bit of trouble for this one though, maybe even divorced, but I can never help but give in to my desperate attention/validation seeking ways. When Athi was away up in Jozi a couple of weeks ago presenting his #futurewhitewomenofazania piece at the Standard Bank Art Gallery, I needed a look for a friend’s birthday party so I borrowed/stole his hat from the Beiruth series he did a couple of years ago (as per the pics below), so basically I wore an artpiece as costume. Anyway that crazy Eve Rakow  (above) from The Frown ripped it off my head, put it on hers and we had ourselves a grainy shoot on our host’s bed.

Update: All is forgiven, Athi understands that I am as desperate as they come, and it is after all February 14th. Can't b holdin shit against me on valentines now. Anyway, the art puritans can stay in their lane, it’s all good.

Check out The Frown’s latest video  below. So much heart for these guys.

And here is an older 1 from 2011, but it still don’t get old.