Hear this: Jesse Clegg

Some homegrown talent I'd like to share with you. I just got this album and I find it really refreshing. He also writes all his own music like Miss Morrissette did for Jagged Little Pill. Give it a listen and support South African music! No surprise where he got his talent from-- you might have heard of his father 'Johnny Clegg'?

Kind words from...

Thank You for the kind words at the Frock Report! xx M

To tatt or not tattoo?

I've been planning to get a tattoo for years. I didn't want to rush into a decision like my brother, who at 19 branded an alien on his back (he later covered it up with a better choice). If I look back at the choices I had at 15, then at 19, and again at 23 I'm glad I didn't get any of them permanently stained on my skin. A Tattoo is a personal thing, or rather should be. Too often I see people getting "slogans" or pictures that don't mean anything to them, really.

Should people be required to sit through questioning or tests before being allowed to get a tattoo? Marc Jacobs might want to take this test for instance. However he did have this to say on the subject :

"I really have a good attitude about tattooing. When I first got one, two years ago, I was like, I'm not going to overthink this or what it means, or what it's going to be like when I'm 80. I want to get tattooed today, and in five weeks, I'll get a Sponge Bob tattoo. Will I regret it someday? I don't know, but I'm not going to deny myself this pleasure today because of what I don't know in the future."

So as a first time tattoo-er I've been going through the process of thinking of 'Who Am I?" and "What do I want my tattoo to say of me". I honestly have no clue. My tattoo obviously doesn't speak English.

I work in Fashion so I started thinking about different images that could embody my personality and the industry I'm in now, without being showy- I imagine a sketched-like figure or face. I've even considered lyrics to my favorite Bon Iver song, and of course I've obsessed over anchors and swallow tattoos for years but I've seen it all over the place. What I do know is that once I get the first one a few more will follow. Small ones probably.









In the last few years the 'Tattoo' has evolved and become part of the 'Look', an accessory. So what happens when you decide to change that look? As humans we're programmed to evolve and change our minds, hence my apprehension. But I have a contrasting thought on this-- if you are passionate about some particular object or iconography at a particular time it later speaks of where you've been.

The following tattoo's make no sense to me. I happen to own an Apple Ibook and an ipod but I wouldn't tattoo it on my ass. Someone else put time and money and passion into a business and some guy/girl merely copied and pasted it on their body without it meaning anything to them.





And then of course there is the theory that masculine war-art tattoos, also of the celtic variety make you more hip, young, fierce. It doesn't. :) At the end of the day it's your body and you should do what you like with it--and people do! But considering a tattoo should be longer process than say, a weekend. Because it's for life. And it's an extension of who you are.

So who are you?

Some images of tattoos with fashion in mind:






Drawing from "What I saw today"
Those and other Stupid tattoo's here.
Other pictures collected in random.

Burberry Love

Like I need another reason to love Burberry! I was most pleasantly surprised to receive a package from my friends at Burberry HQ in London. It's long and as soft as it looks and I can't wait for the weather to get cooler (even though it's mid-winter) to wear it. Grey, navy and black- perfect for any outfit you choose. Thank You Burberry! Made my day xoxo

Spotted!

Aaron, Seattle

I had to take a picture of Aaron because of his awesome jewelry. It was purchased the day before at a stall in the Waterfront - it's an Ethiopian Blessing cross! All he did was add a neck-string and there you have it. See how easy it is boys?




I'll work on the resizing in a bit!

SALE!

Paul Smith joins the rest of the Waterfront stores with a 30% reduction on most mens items. I picked these beauties up at the last sale three months ago for 70% off! Today was the first time I wore them because I didn't know how the hell I'd wear them. I opted for a classic white thin striped shirt and grey jeans and I love them now! Nice snakey skin look eh?

Biscuit mill cont.

In addition to Plaid I took a couple more pictures of random people I saw at the OBM. What I find is people are very uniquely dressed here for South Africa, not only individually, but as a group too- which is why I love going:





Because it's so busy and people are constantly moving around each other it's hard to catch people in one position. I lost a couple great outfits because of this but I'll have to do better next time! I had a great time though with my friends and got asked by a group if I'm a singer in the local 'Zebra and Giraffe' band.

...But which one?

Plaid love at the Biscuit Mill

The Biscuit mill might be a great stop for good coffee (however expensive) and great food (however fattening) but while you're sitting in the sun with the rest of Cape Town-- those who get up early on a Saturday anyway, take a look around at all the fashionable people! I've been snapping strangers long enough not to be shy to ask but in the case of the OBM (Old Biscuit Mill) I decided to sit 'n snap instead. I wasn't seeing a whole lot of variations, in fact what I saw was one look being expressed a lot.



I honestly lost count of how many plaid shirts I saw, but I snapped up a few just to prove it:

Spec this out!

Last week I took a random look at what Spitfire had in-store. So although I am perfectly happy with my Ray-bans for now it's always fun to see what they have in the family of eccentric styles. I have been looking for a pair of Horn-rimmed reading glasses for a while now, and what I found instead was a very cool pair of round glasses. Paul Smith, Oliver Peoples and Tom Ford make some gorgeous pairs, altough expensive for something I don't need per say.





Fake-specs are fun and all but they aren't really the kind of fashion accessory you can wear all day long without feeling the effects of it. Try not to wear it all day, it can't be good for your eyes. But they are fun! Here are some other versions being used in and around this fashionable world of ours.











Some images sourced from Shot by Shooter :)

3rd Beach - Underwear and Swimwear

With verrry reasonable prices and styles, 3rdBeach (If you're a Capetownian you'll know why) is a definite must-see site with great basics on offer. Underwear, good underwear that is, can be pretty damn expensive and from what I've seen 3rdBeach gives you the same quality and fit without the hefty price-tag. I happen to have met the model and the makers of the goods and have nothing but great things to say about them.

Go on wit-yo-bad-self... Click here to visit the site now.