TWO THINGS I AM SUPER EXCITED ABOUT THIS WEEK /// ELLE RISING STAR AND ATHI-PATRA RUGA

You must have heard by now, earlier this week Elle launched their Rising Star Design Award for 2013, in collaboration with Mr Price. I covered the 2012 competition last year, so if you want a refresh and to check what you can expect follow this here link. You can also check here on the elle website to keep up with the developments. Another reason I am excited is that this year I have been invited to sit on the judging panel, along with really awesome people that I've admired from a distance, I am totally looking forward to being part of this experience. Anybody who knows me knows that I am passionate about young design talent, across all sorts of disciplines.

The good stuff: apart from the opportunity to redesign a pre-determined range in collaboration with Mr Price, a cash prize of r25 000 from Mr P is also up for grabs to help the winner launch a fashion career. But wait there's more, there's the extensive mentorship programme, during the competition and for twelve months after. This includes two weeks at the Mr P head offices in Durbs, where the winner will be exposed to the complete retail cycle, from trend forecasting to merchandising. I come from 7 years as buyer in the retail background, so trust me that kind of exposure to that level of retail is a brilliant experience for a young designer. In fact, at the Elle presentation to bloggers earlier this week, 2011 winner Cleo Droomer described them two weeks as the best and most valuable part of the prize for him. Last but not least, the winner aslo receives personal coaching by a bussiness expert from the Gordon Institute of Business Science, two weeks fashion inspiration at Elle's Cape Town office with Editor Jackie Burger and her fashion team, and a year's subscription to Elle.

The competition is open to final year fashion students,  and fashion graduates with no more that 3 years design experience who are not currently employed by a South African retailer.

So what the F are you waiting for? ENTER. HERE. NOW.

The second thing I'm excited about is of a much more personal vibe. Athi is off to Venice along with the other SA artists that will be representing us at the prestigious Venice Biennale. I don't even know what to say about this skattie, so proud and beyond excited, I don't even mind being home alone, although I do wish I could be in Venice to see the performance, it's gonna be next level. Anyway,  NOTE TO MY PARTY PEOPLE: got the flat all to myself, let's party y'all.

“TELL PETA MY MINK IS DRAGGIN ON THE FLOOR”

Oh my dear hunty, where to start? Tonight I went to Cavendish to check out The Great Gatsby premiere hosted by Csquared. Okay, technically it was a screening, not a premiere, the movie opened this Friday and had been seen by many before us in the very same cinema. 

I didn't actually see the movie skattie. Ster Kinekor sold tickets for the very same movie theatre the screening was hosted in. So imagine skattie and have yourself a bit of a laugh; there we were on Csquared’s invitation, dressed up for the theme, feeling fabulous and self important as fuck, then people started streaming in and kicking us out of the seats they had paid for. A theatre full of fashionistas, kicked off their seats by a righteous army of civilians in jeanpants, priceless.

 Anyway, amidst all the drama, and shortly after my friend Bee and I got kicked of our seats, we decided to head home. Can’t figure out if the city bowl gods were punishing us for straying too far out, seriously, cavendish. Perhaps the gods are on Peta’s side, and they were punishing the fashion set for the animals that had to die for all that fur.

THURS /// FROM ADRIAAN KUITERS TO PROJECT RUNWAY WINNER ANYA AYOUNG-CHEE

I feel like a stuck record everytime I start a post with the words “I had an awesome night”, but really skat I did, what can I say. To quote the great Thembi Seete, “I don’t know whaaaaat can I do myself”. There were quite a few events happening in CT tonight, unfortunately they all started at the same time so I chose two. Adriaan Kuiters and Take Care’s Winter 2013 range launch, and a fabulous intimate little soiree at a private home in Llandudno with Anya Ayoung-Chee (@AnyadeRogue) ,winner of Project Runway season 9. Had so much fun there. Thanks to Nicoleah Ogle (@nicoleah77) who hooked it up, and singer Claire Phillips (@claire952) who entertained along with rapper Da Les (@2freshLES).

 My best though was one of the model girls at that party. Sweet girl. I was chatting to her about one of the events I missed tonight, a launch of The Exchange, a fashion boutique that doesn’t take money but rather gives you clothes in exchange for signing up as an organ donor. Your organs for fashion kinda thing. Anyway, with a straight face, sweet model girl says to me, “If you donate your organs, what happens when you die and then you get to heaven and you’re incomplete?”. I swear I almost wet my pants. Special.

BELOW: IMAGES OF SOME OF THE PIECES FROM THE NEW ADRIAAN KUITERS RANGE. SHOT BY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PHOTOGRAPHERS, NICO KRIJNO. AWESOMENESS!

BELOW: IMAGES OF SOME OF THE PIECES FROM TAKE CARE'S NEW WINTER RANGE. SHOT BY JULIA MERRETT.

LATER, PARTYING IT UP IN LLANDUDNO. MORE AWESOMENES.

BEAUTIFUL THINGS /// LARA BOHINC

Firstly I feel a bit dof because I haven’t been to Iracema boutique before. Such beautiful stuff. Anyway, I popped in last night on my way to another event, and I was totally smitten by the Lara Bohinc pieces in store. I swear if my recent French trip hadn’t happened I would’ve dropped G’z right then. So this morning I decided to go back to the shop and shoot some of the pieces I fell in love with.

 Lara Bohinc has been around for a while, like since the late 90s, but she has been quite popular with the stars lately, Thandie Newton, Kate Moss, Tyra Banks, Kylie Minogue, the list goes on, they’ve all been spotted with one of her pieces. I must say I’m not a huge fan of a lot of the latest stuff which we’re seeing on her site and on celebrities. However, a lot (but not all) of the pieces I fell in love with at Iracema are from her rather experimental Lara Brohinc 107 range, most of which was done in the early 2000s. Interestingly enough, the whole art deco vibe about the pieces is just so perfect for now, what with all the Great Gatsby inspiration happening at the mo. Anyway, I totally fell in love with the shop, and there are so many other edgy labels like Felder Felder, another one popular with the stars like the Rihannas and Florences of this world. Iracema is on 217 Bree Street in Cape Town and they’ve got a 50-70% off sale which ends tomorrow the 11^th of May.

...AND IN THOSE LAST MOMENTS.

Like all fabulous things, the 28th edition of the Hyères fashion and photography festival had to come to an end. I mentioned in a previous post that all the designers had to interpret their ranges into one more commercially viable garment for the Chloé prize, which comes with a neat 15 000 Euro. The pics below are some of my favourite interpretations, check the previous two posts to see the actual ranges. Camille Kunz won the Chloé prize. Her garment is the one right at the bottom of this post. As for me I'm getting such hectic Hyères withdrawal symptoms :-(. Oh well, til next year.