Tuesday 31 July 2012

Well isn't that Pinteresting..?


I like to think of myself as a collector…. I collect books, material, shoes, threads, paintbrushes, recipes, magazine cuttings, lists of ideas and things I want to do, hairbands and hairclips, poetry, rings, dresses, oh did I mention shoes?  Some may call it hoarding but I argue a creative can never be uncluttered for then how would I remember to make use of all those thoughts and designs? 



And there I was feeling guilty for my keepsaking of what some may say is trivial matter, but low and behold… Pinterest has exposed all you other closet collectors!  Now I know I’m not alone!


If you think about Pinterest and the nature of its existence, its typical of women’s behaviour really and so makes sense. 
“I think I should cook something with beans for dinner… Ooooo, camembert on promotion?!?  Maybe I’ll cook it with a tomato base and pasta…. Oooo I should try out my new pasta machine…. So then I’ll need flour, yeast… I definitely need to get some wine for when I’m doing all this cooking, mmmm... and maybe that new Birdy album to soften the mood… But pasta yes, maybe with some fresh basil…. I don’t know why I don’t just grow my own and keep buying these over-priced small packets of herbs…. I’ll just step into the florist here…”

And yet she went to buy beans.


My aunt refers to it as a “scatter personality”.  You intend on doing your filing but see your cupboard needs cleaning and then start flicking through albums and redoing scrapbooks and…. No filing happening here.


Pinterest is different to the other reams of social sites in that it feeds you ideas of what you want.  Simple.  Brilliant.  Especially as most women don’t even actually know what it is they’re after in the first place.  No wonder most of its 11 million per week visitors are female.  And it makes it personal.  You can make your account fit to you, cater to you, feed your interests and save snippets of you and your life and hobbies in cyberspace.  Well… I think that’s personal.



Pinterest's mission is to "connect everyone in the world through the 'things' they find interesting” via a global platform of inspiration and idea sharing.  It has definitely got me hooked.  My life has a new mantra... sleep less, pin more.



Monday 30 July 2012

The Humanist and Rescuer... Sergeant Pepper Clothing




“the man whose horse trots a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages.”
Henry David Thoreau


Our digital age has blessed us with machines to ease our lifestyles, quicken our work and give us more personal time.  And yet, ironically, often they tend to do exactly the opposite.  When was the last time you stopped to read a book, sip on a coffee or just breathe in the wind… without following the latest tweet out of the corner of your eye?  It is increasingly difficult to ‘turn off’ the world, the constant influx of messages and information, and the continuous flow of data which bombards our potentially quiet moments and invades our private lives.  It is time to disconnect.


There has been a trend towards a more humanist approach to life.  There is a new focus on once again engaging in lengthy activities; cultivating wine, kneading bread,  making jam.  There is a return to something we have abandoned and forgotten: time.  There is a new appreciation of craftsmanship and authentic artisans, timelessness and invaluable items.

So where will this movement take us?  How will it effect fashion?  How will we as the consumer be offered something that is going back to a focus on quality and sophistication?  How will we leave disposable fashion and once again seek the finer things in life? When did you last find a brand that took your breath away in its attention to detail, its beautiful fabrications, its boasting of craftsmanship?

Introducing Sergeant Pepper Clothing.

 



Sergeant Pepper is bespoke, crafted clothing.  Its creators felt our beloved South Africa was hungry for a home-grown brand which was on trend with Europe.  They saw the gap between South Africa and the rest of the world and wanted to offer something to close this.


And so Sergeant Pepper Clothing was born.  This proudly South African brand offers sophisticated fashion with a focus on fit and finishes to our market and at affordable prices.  The brand will not only offer clothing as they want to inspire men to embrace the brand's attitude and lifestyle entirely and to be able to appreciate the finer things in life again; good food and wine, well-made coffee and the art and skill of well composed music.  The Sergeant Pepper man appreciates good threads and attention to detail, and is not afraid to push the boundaries of commercial fashion while feeling comfortable at the same time.



Sigh… where have you been all our lives Sergeant Pepper?!  Long may you conquer the dull men’s fashion that overwhelms the South African market! 

Sergeant Pepper Clothing aims to open its online store and be available at selected retailers from September.  Go check it out at www.sgtpepperbrand.com and like them on their facebook page.  If there was a "love" button available, I would have hit it!































Tuesday 24 July 2012

Today I'm Wearing... 23 July... Neon Flashion Lights



Apologies for the disappearance act but I promise my null and void gym contract and over-flowing pile of laundry are testament to the chaos that is my life right now!  But I'm back :)












It’s almost August… can we talk about Spring yet??  I am completely over the winter that we barely endured and can’t wait to dive into my summer wardrobe and embrace a little colour.  And this season’s all about a few bright ideas…
Think neon.

I raided the girls' drawers at the office for a handful of summer inspiration...


Whoever thought that this trend would take?  Something that started at first as a street trend has slowly infiltrated into the likes of Christopher Kane’s ranges and now exploded at a high-street level.  Fluorescent yellows, corals and pinks… in fact, any highlighter hues will do.

Loving these cheeky denims...

Highlighter hues hit this season's runway...
In trim details...
... and solid neon items

If in doubt about how exactly to tackle this trend, start small.  Play it safe with a neon accessory like the girls at our office who couldn’t resist a bit of this hot, new pop of colour.  A little touch to an otherwise rather dull outfit electrifies your whole look. 

The neon shoe option...





Or just playful accessories..





Another easy option is the neon purse
 

or just a one-item fluroscent touch to your outfit


Katie and I sporting this season's neon
Linda's take on the trend
 
Another trick is to pair your splash of colour with pastels or muted tones.  It is quite an edgey and little less conventional take on the look.









Feeling a little braver..?  Opt for something a bit more aggressive in the colour department…








My nice, quiet, psychedelic leggings!
Grab your glow-sticks people, a season of neon is upon us!