Gone Travellin'

Last post I promised that as soon as my exams were finished I would be back here with more posts about Joburg life. Well, life has had other plans and this Friday (after my exam), I will be on a plane to England. My grandfather, sadly passed away this Saturday, after a ten year battle with Parkinsons disease. So my mother and I are going over to stay in Lancaster with my grandmother and then I will be staying in England for a while longer visiting a friend. All of this has happened in a week and despite buying my ticket today I still can't quite believe that I am coming. So I hope that while I am there I hope to be able to blog and share some of my adventures in England. I am so excited to be going over despite the circumstances.  

Reflecting during this chaotic time, I really would like to share the legacy of my grandparents through some of these pictures taken by my grandfather. He and his first wife, Renée, went travelling through Europe before my mother was born during 1959. Some of the photographs are from their European travels and others are from their voyage back to South Africa via cruise ship.

My grandmother, Renée in front of the yellow van she and 
my grandfather Tom travelled around Europe in.

My grandfather, Tom Spence.

A fierce face from my grandmother, but how fabulous is her outfit?!

The little girl is my mum! How sweet!
Also seated with my grandmother are my great grandparents. 

 Looking through these photographs and reflecting on both of my mom's parents, who both have sadly passed on, there are parts of both of them in me. From my grandpa Tom, a love of photography. From my grandmother Renée, a love of fashion. And from them both, a love of life. 

Lovely to know that their legacy continues in me. 

S. 

Some silk relief from academic purgatory

Wow, it has been too long since last I posted. So sorry for that. If the title doesn't explain itself I have been consumed with the last few weeks with my degree and have barely had time to surface from essays. I have a little more room to breathe with the start of exams but its hardly a luxury. Which leads me as to why I snuck an opportunity to blog in between studying for Friday's exam - this beautiful black Blouse from the Studio.W collection at Woolworths. Now, some girls eat when they are stressed, others eat. Me however? Well, I find myself craving clothes more than normal. So with an essay handed in and my last class yesterday, I headed off to Woolworths for some serious retail therapy and emerged with this....

And the Kerouac cat....

I promise to be back soon with a flurry of Joburg happenings and fashion of course! 

S. 

Hello Sunshine

After this weekend Summer is well and truly here and so the shorts are out and so are my legs. Gasp! As Chris Martin said last night at the Coldplay concert at FNB Stadium, South Africa is much warmer and sunnier than other parts of the world. And don't we know it!  So in light of this and my celebrating being able to wear shorts, here's an outfit post with some 1950's vintage flair. 

 

The headscarf I am wearing belonged to my great grandmother and is pure silk and about 50 years old. It's a precious piece of family heritage. I love wearing it as a headscarf as it reminds me of the famous Rosie Riveter poster which represents the women who worked in the factories in World War Two. Above is my own take on the cultural icon. 

Love these sandals which are also reminiscent of sandals from the 1950's. 

Blouse - Take Care. Shorts - Edgars. 

After this week, I have so much to be thankful for. In particular for Mr Price's blog 'In the Fashion Loop' for featuring some pictures from my Cleo Droomer post which has given me so much lovely feedback. I am so grateful for every comment and every hit I get on this blog. I am also so thankful for those of you who have been reading this blog from the beginning and those of you who have stumbled upon me through twitter and google. I appreciate the support and that you keep on coming back. 

On top of this, I saw Coldplay last night with my sister and mother. What an experience. And while my personal favourite song of theirs, Strawberry Swing, wasn't played; hearing Viva La Vida and Fix you with a massive crowd singing along was pure magic. 


Some serious Coldplay smiles - 

S. 

Cleo Droomer

If you a regular reader of this blog, you will know that I am an absolute fan of South African fashion and up and coming designers. While you will find me cheering for an important South African rugby match, my version of patriotism is being able to wear and encourage local fashion. And when it comes to Cleo Droomer, winner of the Elle New Talent award, and his new range for Mr Price, I am as patriotic as everyone here in their gold and green Springbok shirts.  

Back in August I posted about the Amber Jones range for Mr Price (see here), and Mr Price have once again made local fashion affordable for R150 and less. Here are a few pictures from Cleo Droomer's very lovely line. I bought the skirt and I would love, love, love the shift dress on the right. 

  

Below is my own take on Cleo Droomer's clothes:

The shirt here is part of the Agyness Deyn range for Mr Price.
And the sandals are a real find from Woolworths.

What I really love about Cleo Droomer's range and the skirt is that the print reminds me of a Marc Chagall painting. Marc Chagall, as a post-impressionist meets surrealism, is known for beautiful dreamy and romantic paintings which blend deeply symbolic imagery. Chagall, ties alongside Jackson Pollock as one of my favourite artists and I have had the privilege of seeing work by both artists up close. In my life so far, privileges like that are some of the highlights. 

Perhaps its just me but I love seeing clothes and being reminded of art. For me, fashion and the outlet of expression that it gives me,  is my form of art. On this point, I am reminded of this quote by Nigel in the Devil Wears Prada;  

"Halston, Lagerfeld, de la Renta. What they did, what they created was greater than art because you live your life in it."

S.