Bo Kaap

Location, Location, LOCATION!

Hidden behind the metropolitan facade of town, lies a colourful fairytale laced with cobbled roads, conservative folk and your imagination. This hidden gem signifies The Rainbow Nation in its exciting colour scheme, all round smiles and open-ness to expression. A plateau of fun under the sun, we decided to share this unique wonder with you.

We grabbed a few Cape Townians and did the right thing

 

In keeping with the spirit of Heritage Day, we chose the Bo Kaap because of its deep-rooted history and sense of community, as we all know communities are made up of individuals, so we sought out to portray the idea of the individual as a 'trend'.

Say Hello to the individuals...

 

There is this unwritten fashion folk tale that says friends tend to dress alike. Like I said this is a folk tale... okay maybe to some extent people may appear the same but is that not why we have accessories and detail? After all the devil is in the detail. We'll let the pictures talk...



Tim (right) is rocking the superhero look, Do you guys also get that feeling or is it just me??

Leather brouges, leather jackets and leather bags

Leather is here to play

 

 Jerseys 1, Leather 2

 

 

 

Her bag is soo BADASS! Bags are actually being adopted and taught the individual's character these days. 

 

Uhm... I'm torn up about my torn jeans (wink wink, nudge nudge). This actually happened during the shoot, the things we do for you guys! LOL

  

                                                                                                     Death by child model! "Chill, I got this" swag 

Colour & Print. If it's not obvious by now then I don't know. Patterns can emphasise your body shape... in a good way. Plus it's a great way to get noticed. I'm really feeling the leather pants (clever prediction from Tawela Twala : Get your Twala Twala on)

  

 

 Even though winter is over, light weight jerseys still have a place amongst the Snobz this Spring. Leathers 6, Jerseys 6. It's a TIE 

 

 

Yep! I've got game, model on my arm... Okay she's a friend but STILL!

Number One trend this Spring, and for life, INDIVIDUALITY! If anything, what we want you to take away from this post is that Fashion is a piece of iconography that expresses the individual. Prints, patterns, cuts, colours, materials,accessories... these are ALL weapons at your disposal. Get familiar with what's in your arsenal and show us who you are.

Photographer: Sashkran Yuri_ www.facebook.com/sashkranyuri

Snobz Salute!

All Things Vivacious

Alright GlamourSnobz, it is time for us to keep to our word and give you your platform to play show & tell with the World! We've been on the hunt for future fashionistas, who own their style and could possibly be the next trend-setters!

We would like to introduce you to ,

Amahle Ntshinga (@LadyOros)




"Thanks Snobz, so happy to be here"

AGE: 19yrs old

CITY: Johannesburg

OCCUPATION: LISOF Rosebank Fashion Student

MOTTO: Invest in tailoring. Fit is key.

My style is an Afro merger of femininity, androgyny, vintage and contemporary. Colour and print are the owners of my life, I literally buy my clothes everywhere and always make it a point to find great things during my travels. My cheap tendencies steer me toward hospices, markets, and 2nd hand/thrift stores. My favorite traditional stores, however, are: Urban Outfitters, Sowearto, American Apparel, and Aldo (great rings).

When I walk in the streets, and see someone/something cool, I do get inspired and think of how I could interpret that. More so with accessories, and nail polish. In terms of how I dress, I just wear what I like and hope I don't look like a fool [laughs]. 
 

I honestly don't think there is one specific item of clothing that could work for everyone, across the boards. Personally, a tailored pair of high-waist slacks never let me down. 
If I had to choose a favourite item in my closet, that would be like asking a mother of 5 who her favourite child is. My grandmother's my style favourite, she is always so well put together and that's what I aim to achieve. 

My never-go-wrong outfit would have to be high-waist slacks, a sleeveless button down shirt- that is buttoned all the way to the top and with the bottom tied into a crop; what I call granny shoes, and as many chunky bangles that can fit onto my wrist.

I would really love to have a crop top that is made completely from beads and embellishments, no fabric, just thread to hold everything together. I would love for it to be colorful and sparkly and for the bead placements to create a print. I just think that it would look amazing!
I'm really obsessed with the nineties right now, I'd love for my style to become an integration of the movies Clueless and Set it Off. But, at the same time, the series Mad Men is giving me an itch, and having the 'perfect lady' '60s look is also something I fancy.

My advice to you guys is wear what you like and what catches your eye. Make sure that you always feel comfortable and confident, clothes should never wear you. Go on blogs (lookbook is great), style.com, read magazines; educate yourself on what is happening out there, filter through them, and choose what you like. Above all, always wear something that fits you well, and suits your frame.

Africa does Africa BEST!

The Sad Reality

Africa is finally on the map, the world's sitting up and taking notice of what we can actually offer... even the fashion industry. The sad reality is, that there are still some stereo-types around Africa and though the biggest fashion houses in the world want to represent us, they know nothing about us. As an actor, you do research on the character you want to portray, shouldn't the same be done if you're going to boldly state your collection has African influence?

Here's how Africa is perceived by one of the biggest brands in the world... You need to see this and read the comments.

http://www.vogue.co.uk/fashion/trends/2012-spring-summer/afrocentric/gallery

That's as African as we get, right? Zebra print... seriously??

Tshilz: If this is not... like I don't know what's going on. Did he have a deadline to meet? I wouldn't wear this, this is lazy designing. Totally agree, he didn't do any research and relied on ignorance. If I was wearing that, I would JUMP into the bushes to hide! Safari IS NOT African, it's a tourist aspect of Africa_ doesn't necessarily have anything to do with Africa's social make-up.

Yello Mello: This was cute once upon a time, when the Lion King first came out but time's have changed and ignorance is no longer an excuse. We exalt the colour pallet but there is sooo much depth in terms of colour, pattern and material that could have been exploited.

... Burberry has dedicated their entire Spring/Summer 2012 collection to African influence, what do you think?

Yellow Mello: I actually like the wedges, I would definitely invest in them. you can never go wrong with beads and i love that the entire shoe is made of 'authentic' reed-material, it's absolutely stunning.

Definite props on the bags, I would rock that! It's couture with an African flare, one can be sophisticated without losing cultural importance. It's an elite more structured version of the tog bag_ sort of reminds me of a woven basket.  

Tshilz: I love the patterns, the sort of woven basket feel on accessories. Accessories = AMAZEBALLS!

 So, do we give them a pat on the back or bring them to Africa to experience our style first-hand?

We thought we should show there are two sides to a coin... Afrocentric Couture.

 Yello Mello: I am sooo at home with the outfit on the left. It's elegant, it's gorgeous, draws attentions but in a sophisticated chic manner. There's absolutely an ere of simple beauty, you are not trying 'too-hard' with this number.

Tshilz: I think this absolutely capturers, no, embodies  Afrocentricism. It's form (cut) is amazing, it's what every modern woman would want but still undeniably cultural_ it's colour, it's print. i think the designer transformed the female form into a bird(maybe a peacock) graceful, stately and only found on this continent. the materiality is absolutely narrative, it makes your eye want to folow the print down but accentuates her body. I'm literally drooling, I WANT IT!

... you can find the rest of this collection on http://africanvibes.com/wordpressnew/2011/11/15/%e2%80%98delicate-shades%e2%80%99-illustrating-colors-%e2%80%93-vlisco%e2%80%99s-fourth-fabric-collection-of-2011/

I guess the conclusion here truly speaks for itself, Africa does Africa best, it is about time we educate the rest of the world on the actual potential Africa has. Why are we not pushing our own brand?