Fab Friday

Nothing beats the joy of receiving parcels from the courier and the post office. I've been anticipating the delivery of a much coveted Swan print blouse from the lovely Amy Venter of Jane Sews, and counting down the days until a handbag I won from Scarf Stop arrived in mailbox. And both came today! On top of this, I went and collected my tickets for a European adventure in October with some very special friends from all over the world. What a wonderful way to end a week. I am beaming ear to ear at receiving all these happy things in one day!  

 

       I leave the room for one second and the Kerouac cat is already investigating all the parcels. Silly cat!

Now to the goodies in those packages! 

 

I have always loved swans, and when I saw this blouse on the Jane Sews facebook page,

 I was enchanted! This blouse is so beautifully cut, and made from a light and easy fabric that is magical on.  

 

Thank you so much Farah for this exquisite bag! Winning this handbag was such a treat and completely unexpected. I've been wanting a tote bag for ages, and this one is perfect!  Have a look at Scarf Stop to see more from this promising South African online retailer.

 

And Friday wouldn't be fab without a little lunchtime feast with my best friend, boss and mother. We had lunch at the Salvation Cafe with our friend and partner in an exciting project, Dave Sand, to celebrate a very successful meeting.

 

  Tomorrow I'm going to have a look at the Designer Pop Up shop happening in Sandton City's Fountain Court. You should pop by to have a look at some exciting designers whose clothes will be on show. 

 

S.

P.S The Utique giveaway closes tonight at midnight, so if you haven't had a chance to enter then get on it fast! 

Utique Giveaway

This Thursday the selection of online gifts availabe here in South Africa is about to get so much better with the launch of Utique, an online boutique featuring some incredible South African talent. 

I am very excited about the launch of Utique, as both myself and this blog are all about displaying unique and beautiful South African designs and creations. And Utique embodies this idea in finding hidden gems of South African design and talent, and bringing them together in one easy online space. In fact on their website you will be able to choose from hundreds of South African creative and special brands which are purposefully sourced from designers, artists and small businesses who are passionate about quality, innovation and style. 

Even better you lucky little people, the lovely ladies at Utique want to give one South African based reader a chance to win some beautiful creations from Two birds with some stones, a quirky brand of hand crafted jewellery that will be sold on Utique. I am not jealous at all.....

Here are some of the things you can find on Utique - 

Those little haasies (rabbits) and 'paper' airplanes belong with me! 

So what could you win from Two birds with some stones?

By signing up to the Utique newsletter at www.utique.co.za you could win an etching flat pendant necklace and a pair Smithing Stud earrings. 

For extra entries: 

Like the Utique Facebook page here, or follow Utique on twitter here and tweet about this competition (including @UtiqueGifts and @Miss_Botha) 

Simply leave me a comment on here with your email address letting me know that you've signed up to the newsletter and whether or not you've liked or followed Utique on Facebook or Twitter. 

The Competition closes 31 August and is open to South African residents only.

The winner will be announced on 1 September on The Angelheaded Hipster facebook page (Which you can like here to be kept in the loop)

See more Two Birds with Some Stones products at here and here

Good luck! 

S. 

Weekend Delights

What a fantastic and special this past weekend was in the city that I love so much.

Bubbly Festival 

Here are some shots from the Bubbly Festival, the Celebration of Cap Classique & Champagne, at the Wanderers club. Originally there for work, my mother ie. the boss and I enjoyed some amazing champagne and many laughs.

 

Peach Martini Champagne cocktail - the most amazing drink ever

Market On Main

My mom, sister and myself took our cousins from England, Lexi and Kaylah, to Market on Main to show them another side of Johannesburg ie not Malls or Montecasino. It was also my mom's birthday and she wanted to spend the morning nibbling on tasty delights and drinking lots of Origin coffee at the Market. As it turns out, so did all of us!

 

  

 

This stall run by Private Chefs is my favourite. Try the sour cherry and hibiscus tarts, they are incredible! And they mix up some crazy sorbet concoctions which are mind blowing. You can see more from Private Chefs here

Rachel with her Peanut Butter and Jelly sorbet  

 

I went crazy and had the strawberry and pepper sorbet. Just awesome

 

  

My Jozi

 

If I didn't already know where I got my love of fashion, this picture just confirms it.

 What a cool lady.

Bring on the next weekend, please!

S. 

P.S I have a giveaway coming up very shortly so stay tuned for more news!

Working It - Mxit and Instant Money Launch

Here's the first post of my new series titled 'Working It' where I break down how I dress for work functions, which is a skill I am still learning. I was inspired to start this series as many of my readers are in a similar age and life bracket as myself - early twenties and starting to find your feet in the working world. Now the working world can be pretty overwhelming even for me who works from home in a very uncorporate enviroment. And while this is an environment where I thrive, we do work with large corporates and as PR is all about perception, so looking the part is essential. 

Though the PR look has evolved beyond the all black ensembles with spiky black boots and blood red lipstick, circa the 1990's as I'm told, it's still all about blending in the background yet looking professional and in control. Easier said than done when you're trying to manage both your client and the journalists attending the event. So looking great is part of the package, but even that can be a challenge to find the balance between smart but casual enough for a launch focusing on technology which is generally a very laid back affair. 

• I first started with a good base. These Zara jodhpurs are a smart and easy to wear
• I added some quirkiness with a white and black spotted 'Love You Long Time' blouse (previously seen here). I know it's been said but if ever in doubt with a work appropriate outfit, choose a blouse which is the perfect blend of femininity and appropriateness.
• When it comes to jackets, the more tailored and fitted your jackets, the better you look, as simple as that. In my case I place a lot of emphasis on tailoring because the more structured the piece of clothing, the more it enhances my features. Just because us PR girls are in the background, doesn't mean you have to be a wallflower. The cream Zara jacket I chose to wear is a work staple and one that suits both my colouring and body shape. It's a basic that I rely on time and time again.
• From there, I kept it simple and easy by choosing brogue like ankle boots from Jet of all places. As much as I'd like to wear sky high heels, by now I've realised that I spend more time standing up and circulating than sitting down, and the quicker you are able to move, the better. 
• Make up and jewelry are also kept simple, with a pair of freshwater pearls adding a hint of classic femininity and sophistication.

Here I am tweeting on behalf of @PleiadesMedia and in the corner of the picture sits the legendary Toby Shapshak who to me is the equivalent of a technology God.

I spent most of Wednesday morning trying not to feel too starstruck as I met and chatted to some of the prolific tech journalists here in South Africa, who's work I first started reading in my second year of Journalism at Rhodes. The launch, for those of you interested, was for Mxit Money a collaboration between our client Beyond Payments and Mxit. This collaboration and the creation of Mxit Money is very impressive as Mxit Money is all about plugging those without smartphones, computers or credit cards into the digital economy. This application is hugely relevant to many South African's who don't have bank accounts. If you'd like to read more, you can click here and here. Yes I know I am quite a nerd to be sharing my enthusiasm about this on a fashion blog, but developments like these in South Africa excite me greatly. 

Some of my Instagrams from SLOW in the City. You can follow me @miss_botha

All around SlOW in the city were these sayings which I just loved. Not only are they poignant but beautiful as well. Only in Johannesburg would we have quotes to encourage us to slow down. 

A chance to start reading Mobinomics at the end of a long day

I look forward to sharing more of my working world in forthcoming posts. But for now, I plan on enjoying the rest of my weekend. 

S. 

The Little Conductor

Hello there, yet another week has passed and I have been very scarce on this blog which saddens me. Life once again and the demands of work have gotten in the way of losing myself in clothes and the pages of The Angelheaded Hipster. And the severe cold that Johannesburg has been experiencing hasn't exactly been inspiring my choice of outfits. Just last weekend when it was sunny and warm, I was dreaming of outfit posts in a variety of pastel colours and longing to feature some of my coral pink accessories that I've been accumulating in preparation for Spring. But instead, I've been venting my frustration with cold weather through pinterest and have an entire board dedicated to spring and pastels. (If you're a fellow pinner you can find me here)

But it isn't all doom and gloom, this past weekend I was able to take advantage of the Take Care sale at the Neighbourgoods Market when a friend and I braved the cold in search of good food. I have loved Take Care clothing since I first stumbled onto the label at the Neighbourhoods Market last year. The clean lines, well tailored cuts and high quality of materials, make Take Care one of the best South African clothing lines my opinion. And this pale grey waterfall blazer exemplifies all that Take Care are all about - simple sophistication and understated femininity. I paired with a pussy bow blouse, skinny jeans and lovely faux suede black wedges, and created a look which reminds me of a music conductor's uniform.

 

 

 

 Outfit: Blazer - Take Care, Blouse - Woolworths, Jeans - Country Road, Shoes - Woolworths

Also, since work is dominating most of my time and energy, I thought that maybe to blend work with my blog, I'd start doing a work wear inspired series. For the next month I have a lot of media launches coming up for work, which is stressful but they also offer plenty of opportunities to experiment with outfits. I know that most of you are in a similar life stage as myself, and can also struggle to feel inspired by work appropriate clothes.

Keep warm!

S.