MBFW : Champagne & Stilettos, a life lesson

Mercedes Benz Cape Town Fashion Week - literally the one week of the whole year I was looking forward to the most. As the weeks went by and the day got closer I couldn't get any more excited. What made me even more excited was the fact that I had secured myself an internship with a fabulous designer and I was going to be in with the glitterati. I was going to chill with the beautiful, dirty and rich.

The day finally came, my mom came to school around 10h30 and we hit the road. En route Cape Town Fashion Week. I got there, met up with my designer, met the production team and got to work. Armed with my day pass and lots of enthusiasm, I entered a world of midday Martinis and Vogue slims. I took on the day's tasks like a boss. Up and down the Mother city, rehearsals, sorting seating charts and making goodie bags. It was all a fat jam. I enjoyed every single moment of it. 

There's this thing about not being treated like the youngster you really are you know. That feeling when someone 10 years your senior asks you if you'd like a 'fag' and you're all like 'Maybe later' when you actually just don't smoke. I felt like a younger Carrie Bradshaw. Skipping school 'cause I had to go to Fashion Week. This was my opportunity to see just how great things could be for me as a designer one day. 

Fast forward to the end of the night and I sat there like 'What a day/night', as if last year’s internship at Seventeen wasn’t enough to show me just how much goes into the fashion world. The people I met and the contacts I made, life couldn't be better. There’s nothing I would change about 25 July 2014. People sometimes think internships are a waste of time, but dude. The feeling of being around people that feel as passionate about something as you do is just amazing.

The designers I met and spoke to, were the most phenomenal people. 

Everyone always thinks that the fashion industry and fashion shows are frivolous, that it’s all stiletto’s and champagne.. Nah bra. Yeah, people in the fashion industry do bitch and stitch but, a lot goes into creating a fashion show. A lot goes into becoming a brand, an essential in someone's closet, an icon. The one thing I appreciated most was the fact that people appreciated my knowledge of fashion, as young as I was. I walked out of that fashion show inspired, motivated and excited for what lies ahead for me. As much as I do not plan on studying fashion, I do look forward to having a label one day.

The thing about starting to work/intern so young is that it gives me an idea of just how great things can be for me. A lot of the time, I find myself in conversations with girls my age (17) with aspirations of meeting their future husbands at varsity (hopefully some engineer), marrying rich and never hope to work a day in their lives. Look, there's nothing wrong with wanting to fall in love in varsity, but the idea of being financially dependent on a guy who might just up and go one day? That's not so appealing. A lot of girls feel like they only need to start working once they move out of their parents’ homes, which I don't agree with. 

I got my first paying job last year and it was the most liberating feeling I've ever felt. These days you don't even need a résumé to start making money, do it for yourself, while you can still chop and change jobs. Do it now before you get stuck on a 9-5 that you can't leave because you spent like 5 years studying it. 

I feel that it is never too early to start working on your career or future. Invest every bit of yourself into it now. Besides, your career will never just wake up one morning and tell you it doesn’t love you anymore. That rich guy just might. 

Corps, esprit, âme

Film Photography - all rights reserved

Four Seas and a Rolling Grassland

These are kids that’ll stay up till the sun wakens. These are the kids who break the rules and set the trends. These are the kids that live on the block.

These are the kids your mother warned you about.

Flat caps, combat boots, sneakers and bathing suits – call it an underground fantasy of grungy fashion. Last Sunday, I collaborated with five stunning models and a talented soon-to-be-professional photographer, to create a series of in your face fashion. Much inspired by Terry Richardson’s famous yet controversial shoots, we managed through the morning’s heat wave and created a series that may shock a mother or two.

Flat caps can be seen as a trend. It’s a fun accessory to round off your outfit with. It gives a playful feeling and it goes deliciously with street style. Oh and one can use it to protect oneself from the sun of course – it’s a win-win situation!

Sneakers are always comfortable and quite easy to slip into. Its cool aura makes it a definite do for any outfit. Sneakers are super tender on feet, and there are so many styles to choose from. All you need to do is tuck your feet it, lace it up, and you’re ready to explore the surface of the Earth. We frequently used All-Stars in this series. They kind of pair with the use of flat caps – both are playful and fearless in a way, when used in an outfit.

To complete a in your face style, choose chains – the ones that seem to suffocate you around the neck. Rihanna, Kim Kardashian and Rita Ora can each be called an ambassador for this statement. They have rocked this trend thoroughly, and the rest of the world copies.

Four seas and a Rolling Grassland. A series shot by TeeJay Photography and styled by Forever Fashion [Miss Mode].

Models: Caitlyn Roux / Cara Cabano / Courtenay Tame / Savannah Skye Ludick / Cesca van Oudtshoorn

Summer's got it going on

For the next few posts, Courage and Candy will be subtly stealing the shine, because hey, they've got new stock, and it's waiting for you.

Firstly, for my female model, I paired a crop corset striped top with a high waisted ripped short. I added a black chiffon top, pairing it with some timeless aviators. For my male model, I went simple – blue grey jeans and a blue check top.

This semi-shoot was the first time I used a male model as well. The sun was shining high, the sugar levels was running low, and time was definitely not on my good side. Even with these factors, I’m more than happy with we've accomplished.

More importantly, Courage and Candy stocked up on new clothing! Is this all the more reason to pay them a visit? I think YES.