J&B MET 2012

I have avoided events like these in the past but Sunglass Hut hosted their own tent at the J&B Met this year and so I had to check it out. Not only was the 'Inner Circle' a buzzing but chilled version of the hubbub across the tracks, it was lined with tents for various companies spilling with the most interesting attire I've seen in a while. Granted, there were many outfits I wish my eyes had not seen but despite what I have heard it wasn't all bad. Woman wore hats and fascinators (as seen with my hot date below, Kelly Gray), large and colourful dresses and even got their men to dress up too. I opted for shorts so it surprised me how many men came dressed in 3-piece suits. And SUSPENDERS! They were everywhere. 

In the SGH tent ticket holders were treated to drinks and snacks and got to take home a new pair of shades. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me. Did you go? What did you think?

THE J&B MET 2012 'MADE DIFFERENT'

On the 28th of January the J&B Met will take place and for the first time ever I will be attending. Like, ever-ever. Of course in lieu of fancy masks you can barely see out of I am just going to wear some fancy sunglasses instead. Sunglass Hut is hosting the Inner Circle marquee at the Met, which is precisely where I will be. The theme is 'Made Different' and encourages you to wear something you wouldn't ordinarily wear. Yeh, I'm just going to wear what I want.

Tickets are on sale for R1,500 and include a VIP style party and a R2,000 SGH gift voucher which can be redeemed on the day. Only 200 tickets are available in total so if you want to join me at the races email events@sunglasshut.co.za or call 021 286 6119.

See you there?

LIL WAYNE: TRUKFIT T-SHIRT DESIGNER

Taking notes from other Hip Hop artists/entrepreneurs, Lil Wayne has now started up his own fashion label. While he won't be showing in Milan this weekend the rapper will start us off with a range of t-shirts under the brand Trukfit which he presented on Thursday.

Pajama swag they're calling it because 'everybody's into suits right now" says Marisa Flores, Wayne's stylist, that it's all about being comfortable. Perhaps we don't share the same relaxed sentiments of rolling out of bed and chucking on a good tee. The event had models painted silver and dressed in cargo shorts and socks pulled up and saw the likes of Russell Simmons showing up for support.

Trukfit is an acronym for “The Reason You Kill For It". Thoughts?

WWD/SOURCE

Party Season is here and if I didn't know it, my string of post-party headaches would be a dead give-away. First up was the follow up to last years very successful Puma social club that was held in different locations locally. This year the party was hosted at Quay 4 at the V&A Waterfront. If they could pin down as many people every weekend I would be there all the time. There was a fantastic vibe, even if it took 30 mins to order a drink. Holiday Murray and Jack Parow were among the selected entertainers, the former of which I had never heard of before but thoroughly enjoyed.

The usual suspects were present, Puma's photo booth, foosball and ping-pong tables and a generous supply of Cape Town's young and beer-happy cool crowd. Can't wait for next year. Special thanks go out to Bianca and the Splash PR team for a fantastic night out.

WEEKEND OFFENDER OPENS IN SOHO

Weekend offender opened up their flagship store in Soho this Wednesday and we were there. While the event was a little crowded and clumsy the overall vibe was a good one. Instead of champagne and canapés guests were treated to a table of ribs and beer to give it more of a street vibe. Add to that the rotation of rap stylings from three different artists.

Attendees were offered a 50% discount on all merchandise on the night and even a short, back and sides from their grooming station. Good fun and a good success. Special thanks to Amy Brown and Daniel Champion for images and for attending.

GQ POOL PARTY

It was a little chilly last night at the Table Bay pool but you wouldn't say so looking at the pictures. Models braved the water while industry folk enjoyed drinks and music poolside. This party officially kicks off the summer party season and with the heat the way it has been I imagine we're in for a good one. Many thanks to GQ.

DAVID WEST SUMMER 11 COLLECTION

David West held a media launch of his new Summer capsule collection on Friday. For our sometimes un-kind climate West delivers a sweet relief of soft linen and cotton pieces. There is a distinct ethnic colour palette nod which works for summer and winter.

In addition to colour blocking we see ethnic prints mixed in with short shorts, a nautical inspired stripe and transparent short length linen shirts. West plastered his latest look book not only on the walls but on screen too with a muted interview installation piece by Kope and Figgins.



DAVID WEST SUMMER 2011 from KOPE | FIGGINS on Vimeo.

POSITIVE HEROES 2011 IN CAPE TOWN

If you didn't attend the Positive Heroes charity event last night then this is what you missed: Lot's of people. Lot's and lot's of people, some in the most fascinating outfits. And what a great energy for a great cause. Last year I attended their second year for the organizations annual charity fashion event. Now with their third year they moved the shindig to the Civic Center where they featured a list of designers who each showed four looks. I was pleased to see that the majority of designers were menswear. I took a lot more photographs but just included a few of the crowd favorites for the post. I was impressed with a couple of the designers but there was a shocker or two, I promise you. Still, it was all in the name of charity and a fun night out. 

After the fashion show Ariella Kuper, who is an auctioneer (fun fact, I used to work in art auctioneering many years ago) helped raise money for the organization with the help of one of a kind garments provided by the designers themselves. Even Levi's chipped in to offer a gift card to the highest bidder of a particular item. Well executed and greatly organized! R80 000 was earned! That is phenomenal.

Make sure you attend next year!

Positive heroes fashion charity event cape town 2011

POSITIVE HEROES 2011

Positive Heroes returns this year with a fashion event that hopes to speak out against the stigma of HIV. We went last year and it was a great success. Now, on November 3rd you can get all dressed up and attend the event held at the Cape Town Civic Centre.


Tickets to attend cost R200, the proceeds of which will be used for core organisational funding and various Positive Heroes initiatives. The fashion show will be divided into two halves, daywear and eveningwear, with a short auction of incredible fashion prizes, facilitated by Auction Alliance’s Ariella Kuper (who is fantastic), following each section.


In addition to this Springleap.com and The Cape Town Fashion Council (CTFC) have launched a unique design competition entitled ‘Inspire Courage’. The competition invited creatives to produce a design that encapsulated the courage needed to overcome stigma and embodies the Positive Heroes concept of ‘ordinary people living extraordinary lives’.

Voting is taking place in the week of the 24th October. The winning designer will receive a prize of R10 000 and two runner-up prizes of R2 000 will be awarded. The design will be featured on volunteer T-shirts at the Positive Heroes fashion show as well as on printed A0 canvases available for auction on the night. Post-event, winning designs can be purchased on the Springleap.com website with proceeds going to the Positive Heroes initiatives.


Date: Thursday 3rd November 2011
Venue: Entrance Foyer of the Civic Centre, 12 Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town Time: 6.30pm for cocktails, show starts 8.00pm
Ticket prices: R200 unreserved seating
Available from Computicket www.computicket.com

PUMA X SHELFLIFE LAUNCH AUGUST 8TH 2011

On Monday I attended the launch of a new collaboration by Puma and Shelflife. Held at 119 Loop street a whole host of Cape Town's street cool crowd assembled to see their new design. It was inspired by the South African Metrorail, mainly the colour combination of black and yellow which makes for a striking look for the "Train Runner" series.

Upstairs from the venue was the actual Shelflife store which I can vouch for, it has every shoe, cap or graffiti pen you could hope to acquire. A real guy's store if there ever was one but it does offer a variety of women's garments too and is worth checking out. Included in the set-up was a model train where the attendees were encouraged to make their mark (I tweeted mine) and models walked around with their own graffiti markings on their bodies. Good fun.

Images courtesy of Nick Musik.

Day two offered four shows for us to see at two separate venues. We were back at the Bus Factory for Lisp and Wildfig, the former had her models dancing and flicking their hair on the landing above the runway. Unusual but still entertaining! 

Even more so was Spero Villiotti who showered us with gold in the most literal way. To be honest it was rather distracting for the first few looks but the images would come out beautifully. Even Dr. Precious Moloi-Motsepe, who was directly across from us, sat covered in gold but she didn't seem to mind. It was my dear friend Luisa from O magazine that got the most of the experience. 

Directly after the show we jumped into the van and drove off to the Johannesburg Art Gallery. Before going downstairs to the show we stood out in the beautiful lit courtyard. This is where I got to meet a lot of great and interesting people. Tamara Dey showed up soon after and serenaded us. Her dress was from the new Abigail Betz collection, of course. I noticed that a lot of the girls dressed up and their partners didn't. That said it didn't stop many of the men at the shows going all out. It was so busy and crowded at both venues which made it hard to get all the photo's I wanted. 

The last show of the night was Abigail Betz. It makes sense to expect beautiful garments on the runway but I wasn't expecting such a wonderful, wonderful collection. From the location, the music, the flawless finishes of the 50's cuts of the dresses and the theatrical poses which had the designer herself end the show. Back at the hotel it was all we could talk about. Should we be surprised though? I loved seeing the standard raised before my eyes. I can't wait to see Stiaan Louw tonight. I will bring you more images of the rest of the nights shows very soon. But you can keep up to date with Joburg fashion week by following me on TWITTER.

Pictures property of Manofthecloth and Gary Stemmett / SDR Photo!

THE AFI FASHION WEEK LINE-UP

Spotted at the AFI Fashion Week launch in Johannesburg last week was Stiaan Louw (with Joe from Jaylowlovesyou). We were able to discuss some of the treats lined up for his new collection but mums the word. Here is a list of designers showing next month.

• Suzaan Heyns, a Joburg label that pushes the boundaries in ready-to-wear fashion, appealing to strong-willed women;
• Errol Arendz, whose luxury fashion brands, DuSud and EA Ready to Wear, have a sleek and glamorous feel with delicate military touches;
• KlûkCGDT, a label that represents the merging of two designers dedicated to each garment with careful attention and dedication to detail;
• LISP, which is about living out rock and roll, with an autumn / winter collection drawing inspiration from the late 1960s and early 1970s;
• Wild Fig, a woman’s clothing label that makes the wearer feel feminine and beautiful;
• Spero Villioti, who for the past 25 years has been viewed as the leading haute couture label in Joburg;
• Abigail Betz, winner of the Best Couture Collection award, whose designs are characterised by femininity and romance;
• Karabo Finger, a specialty fashion brand focusing on women’s career, cocktail and lifestyle wear;
• Distinctive Wear, which creates clothes for sophisticated men;
• Avant for Gaschette, which notes that “inspiration from Joburg comes mainly from what is taken in visually and experiences on a sensory level on a day-to-day basis”;
• Grapevine, a new Joburg label;
• Bongiwe Walaza, who uses African prints strongly in her garments;
• Stiaan Louw, with his menswear;
• Thula Sindi, who designs clothing for elegant and mature women;
• Abigail Keats, whose signature style is best described as a sophisticated contemporary art form that plays with the paradox of masculine tailoring;
• Tart, which focuses on leisurewear;
• Loin Cloth and Ashes, which focuses on dresses for women who dare to be different;
• Heni, who won the Vodacom Durban July fashion challenge in 2007; and
• David Tlale, a home-grown label that stands out for its elegantly designed garments.

from joburg.org.za, image property of man of the cloth

Scene Around: Elle Fresh Face 2010

At Man of the Cloth you don't see a lot of females. And for obvious reasons, we are a MENWEAR blog. But from time to time I like to show an event I have attended and inadvertently allow the boys to enjoy the sight of pretty ladies too! Much like last week Thursday where an intimate group of the magazine and fashion world flocked to Woodstock to witness the unveiling of the 'Elle Fresh Face' for 2010.

17 year old Alexandra Robertshaw nabbed the top prize and will receive quite the package of winnings, which include a two year contract with Boss and R45 000 in prizes from various sponsors. In attendance was fellow blogger Robyn Cooke, Expresso presenter Liezel Van der Westhuizen and of course Elle Editor Jackie Burger who was wearing local label Christopher Strong. The event was a clean and very well catered success, it was also an opportunity to meet Thulane Hadebe after a year of talking over emails and BBMs. The online world always amazes me. Congrats to Alexandra!

PUMA SOCIAL CLUB CAPE TOWN

On December 1st the cool kids of Cape Town attended the opening night/invite only launch of The Puma Social Club as well as the launch of their Puma Creative Factory. The event will take place until tomorrow night and offers a variety of DJs and activities which include ping-pong tables, Puma design stations and a photo-booth.  After an hour so of mingling, doors opened to reveal a room with tables outlining it. On each table lay two pairs of shoes designed by a variety of different creatives. Lindiwe Suttle, Brad Armitage (Makethman), Cindy Poole (The Summit) and Jack Parow were among the collaborators. I took my friend Kelly with and through the course of the night made a whole bunch of new ones.

Lindiwe Suttle and I must have subconsciously planned to coordinate looks. She is such a delightful, talented lady and also very, very humble. She was telling me about her plans which among other places will take her to Germany quite soon. I just love artists who are just a little bit different, her album should be very exciting. Her dress was designed by Lara Klawikowski (you may recall the condom dress).

Can we just take a minute to talk about Chanel Iman Meghan here? I'm not 100% sure if she is or is not a model but it's safe to say she has major potential. I just loved everything about her (so did all the other boys and girls), she had quite the presence. Just take a look at how she holds her beer? I love it!
I took a walk around the room and bumped into Jack Parow later who designed those fantastic gold high-tops. I suppose if you're going to go gold you go all-gold.

Later on our very own South African rapper Jack Parow entertained us with a mini-concert. Of course that long flat cap of his made it's way on to stage with him. The event started to draw to a close around 11pm which is when I left. I later heard the party went on for some hours longer and many a name was thrown away. It was a fantastic event that could not have been better organized. They even provided guests with vouchers to buy Burgers in the side alley, needless to say they were well used.

DAVID WEST OPENS LONG STREET STORE 'DOKTER AND MISSES'

What could be more Capetownian than when all the cool kids gather around and drink beers on a gorgeous day? If there is such a thing I'm not interested. David West being ever so Capetownian decided to open up his newest endeavor in this theme. He called it 'Dokter and Misses' and without any exaggeration it really was spilling over with the Cape Town cool crowd. So much so that we all ended up on the street talking. Seth and I got into a fascinating topic (See below) and we were later joined by Dylan Jack and 'Popyacollar' blogger Sam (I stole the photo from her site).

Getting a close up view of West's range (which we first witnessed at Cape Town Fashion Week in August) was a particular treat. He really seems to understand what we want in terms of fabric and design. Light, soft materials for the hot weather and pleasing, quirky prints. The breton-striped tee was a particular favorite but naturally it came second to the blue checkerboard-esque shirt which carried the conversation of his range in August. 
The new store was a joint venture between West and his partner Elmi and Dokter and Misses Joburg based furniture and product design duo. This is their first outlet in Cape Town. (They have a store at 44 Stanley in joburg as well as a showroom and workshop in partnership with WhatIfTheWorld called Co Op in Braamfontein).


So why the partnership? David and Elmi felt that Katy and Adriaan were kindred spirits, and if you see the store you will notice how their respective products compliment one another. Having only a short time to view the store on opening-day it was easy to miss the shopfitting details which West developed to change fixtures and displays according to the product they wish to show. They worked with Elmi on designing the rails, lighting the fitting room and shop counter. 

Pre-West the shop was a famous Aspen Flower shop. It has a Victorian facade which was restored to its original glory. And now it houses David West which I'm sure will have you all investigating it soon. And best you do!

SA BLOG AWARDS 2010

With the public voting officially over, and with Robyn Cooke locked in as one of two finalists for the "Best Fashion Blog" award at the SA Blog Awards, we did as expected and made the effort to dress up and find out who won. Building up to this day there was blog plugging, friendly requests and even campaigns to get people to sit down and cast their votes for the top blogs in their respective categories. Some needed help and others didn't even need to lift a finger to get in. But either way we assembled into the One and Only and mingled with the best of the blogging world. 

The ceremony itself was enjoyable, with a host of speeches which included that of Helen Zille and it ran smoothly apart from a blunder with a blank envelope when the best new blog was announced. There are a lot of opinions on the blog awards but it is a fairly young project and I expect it will grow into the large, respected summit of the blogging world it deserves to be.   

The beauty about VIP/Media Parties coinciding with your birthday is that you get to knock two birds with one stone. The Patron "Day of the Dead" party called for fancy dress but like I've mentioned before Cape Town isn't really the type to "dress up" at the risk of looking like an idiot. On the other hand I don't mind so much.



While the masses descended on Vaudeville to celebrate the Mexican Cirque De Los Muertos, those who were already inside were enjoying the free Patron. Soon after the doors closed and a condensed version of Vaudevilles fantastic show took place. Host Paul Snodrass (who shares my birthday) gave away free gift-bags of Patron (thank you for mine) and the winners of the best-dressed couple got a prize to jet off to some fantastic destination I can't remember.

It was my birthday on Friday the 13th and what was my choice of celebration you ask? Fashion Week of course! I really didn't mind because I got to watch the shows and in between spend time with my mentor and friend Robyn Cooke and our growing posse. So while it was in fact our first Friday Fashion Face-off we concerned ourselves with champagne while our internet selves battled it out online.

Fornarina, with the lobby of the Upper East Side Hotel in Woodstock as their catwalk, launched not only their latest range but in doing so announced the South African arrival of their brand. Excited guests arrived to be welcomed by Burlesque dancers and clowns dressed in theme to the latest Alice in Wonderland movie. Guests were encouraged to do the same but in classic Cape Town style few did.

I went along with Dylan Jack who gussied up in a green frill-front 70's inspired shirt and polka dot bow-tie. Clearly he got the memo. You may remember him (although he since then peroxided his hair) from the Fair Lady "Style Intern" reality show from earlier this year. Today he works as production assistant for AFI Cape Town Fashion week which commenced this evening. More about that later.

Models, sportsmen and local personalities busied the VIP section which seemed to comprise of 70% of the attendees. We got straight into the usual networking one does at these events and before long a fashion show began. "Alice" in full burlesque attire, stripped and then ran off to be replaced by another stripping character, this time the Cheshire cat. The men suddenly found themselves intrigued by the show. Models strutted to the familiar sounds of Stefani and GaGa and ten minutes later it was all over.

Jeannie D from the lifestyle shows Top Billing and Top Travel played hostess and surprised me when they had chosen me as Best-Dressed male of the evening. You can see my reaction above. It was Jeannie who then swore it wasn't fixed because the judges didn't know I was "Man of the Cloth". Chloe in the yellow bow (above) won Best-Female, so Congrats to her!

Scene around: Peroni Nastro Azzuri

On a rainy Sunday night not too long ago my very good friend and I went down to the Waterfront for a Peroni Nastro Azzuri event. With vocal stylings from Lindiwe Suttle and Aviva Pelham, the event (honoring the Italian football team) went down as good as a Peroni smoothly.

Top Travel presenter, former model and charmer Janez Vermeiren hosted. One of my dear readers sent me this scan from GET IT magazine who snapped me up, along with a few who's who's that attended the event too. Good fun and free Peroni was had by all!