style Varsity
FASHION STARTS HERE #2
JIMMY
NEVIS UCT’S POP STAR GOES GLOBAL
EXTRA HOT
SPRING FASHION FOR YOU
YOUR CAREER IN FASHION
HAIR LIKE
RIHANNA
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FEATURES
Varsity
What About Menswear? Trend: Vests
Inside Wimbledon
Trend: Flats
SPRING2013
Enhance your Living Space
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Numbers Mind, Career in Fashion
Sustainable Dressing
Food from the Runway
Editor’s Letter
Meet the Mentors
style Varsity
Your Career in Fashion
COVER
The Ascent of Jimmy Nevis
Rihanna Hair
ON THE COVER Jimmy Nevis wears a printed T-shirt, R220, and caps, R300 each, all 2Bop; ring (just seen), stylist’s own. Click to shop this story. Photographed by Paris Brummer. Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie.
SPRING2013
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FASHION
Best of the Spring Collections
Runway Sketch-up Monochrome, meet Denim
Shop it Now
Accessories Shape Up
style Varsity
DANIËL GELDENHUYS Editor in Chief, VARSITY STYLE
ALEXANDRA NAGEL Editor in Chief, VARSITY
BARBARA FOURIE Deputy Editor and Beauty Director LAURIE SCARBOROUGH Copy Editor CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ASSISTANT EDITOR
Immaculate Lwanga WRITERS
Rob Byrne, Lynne Marie Fraser and Busang Senne PHOTOGRAPHERS
Jessica Breakey, Paris Brummer, Riaan Giani, Michael Goldsmid, Elelwani Netshifhire, Bert Pauw and Lauren Theunissen ILLUSTRATOR
Simphiwe Ndzube FOOD EDITOR
Cassidy Nydahl MARKETING AND WEBSITE MARKETING DIRECTOR
Vikash Gajjar
WEBSITE TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Stephen Hulme
EDITORIAL MENTORS – BOSS MODELS BOSS MODELS DIRECTOR
Linda Bruchhausen MENTORS
Byron L. Keulemans (photography), Kendal Kit (beauty), Jason Anthony, Ronette Liebenberg, Sebastian Simons and Simone Theunissen (model) MODEL BOOKERS
Hannelie Bezuidenhout, Sonia Bodla and Lauren-Leigh Livesey VARSITY STYLE is the digital style supplement of VARSITY, the official student newspaper of the University of Cape Town since 1942. Contact our editorial team at style@varsitynewspaper.co.za. Office: Level 5, Steve Biko Students’ Union, Upper Campus, UCT, Cape Town, South Africa. +27 21 650 3543. varsitynewspaper.co.za tweet @varsitynews like VARSITY on Facebook
M O FR OR R IT E T ED T LETHE
FIG 1. FROM LEFT: DANIËL GELDENHUYS, JIMMY NEVIS, BARBARA FOURIE, AND PARIS BRUMMER AT THE VARSITY STYLE COVER SHOOT.
STYLE MATTERS
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et’s hit refresh. Let’s hit it hard – with a wrecking ball. That’s what spring is about, and that’s why I love it. But what will make this season better than last spring and the spring before that? Certainly not florals – rather try some fur on for size. Fur? Yes, fur. Miuccia Prada sent two very fluffy collections down the Milan and Paris runways for Spring 2013 (alright, there were florals on the Prada fur, but that’s not the point). Let’s allow for the kind of mind-set that says to wear fur in spring, no matter how strange it may sound. It’s that type of thinking that opens up a world of infinite possibilities. This issue of STYLE is about taking what we liked most from our first issue and adding to that: our features now include a food piece by our guru Cassidy Nydahl, and two trend articles that give an in-depth view of best new-season pieces: the new vest for the boys and the new flats for the girls. Every fashion story we shot was a first: our first studio story, our first twenty page collections story (we survived – my skin did not) and our first accessories story. Barbara Fourie produced her first
beauty story in anticipation of Rihanna’s arrival in South Africa, and thanks to our new Assistant Editor Immaculate Lwanga every features image in this issue is an original. A week before hitting publish on this issue, I had a dream about someone whose editorial opinion I’ve come to respect a great deal over the past year. He had a look at this issue of STYLE and was unimpressed with the idea of making a frivolous fashion magazine at such a politically unstable time. Well. I don’t think he would have said (or thought) that in real life, so I’ll go ahead and criticise the dream version of him right here: Paging through this fashion magazine, you’ll come across a collection of individuals who, despite the economy or nay-sayers or cyber trolls have gone beyond the call of duty to help create something I find utterly special. These are the kind of people who don’t need to wear fur this spring because they’ve done away with their day-dream mind sets and actually began to make their goals happen. Call that frivolous if you like. I call it fabulous.
Daniël Geldenhuys.
S R O BOSS Models partnered with VARSITY STYLE to provide
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model, photography, and beauty mentors to help create the best fashion pages possible. Meet the team here. CLICK TO EXPLORE THE WORLD OF BOSS MODELS
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RONETTE LIEBENBERG Ronette joined VARSITY’s Alexandra Nagel and Vikash Gajjar to play house in our first-ever accessories shoot. What do you love most about your line of work? Definitely the great locations where you get to shoot at and the travelling! Seeing new places and meeting new people is my absolute favourite. It’s amazing how cultures differ! What advice would you give to someone pursuing a career in your industry? Be 100% sure it’s what you really want to do! It’s a tough industry and only the strong survive. You have to be tough and be able to take criticism. Most important though is to be very confident and be comfortable with yourself and who you are. But don’t get an ego please... Unless you’re Candice Swanepoel. What will you change about yourself this spring? Get a tan. A little sun kissed glow never hurt anybody, just don’t forget your SPF. What’s your must-buy item for Spring 2013? Those little studded combat boots from Steve Madden. I’ve been eyeing them for ages now.
SEBASTIAN SIMONS Sebastian braved the harsh sun with Sophie Robertson for our spring collections shoot. What did you want to be growing up? I think I always wanted to be a professional athlete of some sort. Whatever sport I was into at the time was going to be my career. No wonder I’m so confused now! What will you change about yourself this spring? By spring I’ll hopefully have DP for all my subjects and be all lined up to graduate. What’s your must-buy item for Spring 2013? A warm ¾ wetsuit. The ocean temperature is dropping! If you could be a cartoon character, which one would you be? Definitely a Ninja Turtle. All images provided.
KENDAL KIT Kendal helped VARSITY STYLE Deputy Editor and Beauty Director create the make-up looks for Fresh Focus. What do you love most about your line of work? I get to make people look spectacular on a daily basis. Make-up is my passion and I love that I get to live my dream. What advice would you give to someone pursuing a career in your industry? Never give up. At first getting your name out there is hard, but once you are there it’s the best feeling ever. Everything is worth it in the end. What will you change about yourself this spring? Hmmmm maybe add more colour into my wardrobe. What’s your must-buy item for Spring 2013? The must buy item for spring make-up wise is definitely mascara and lots of it, pile the stuff on, it’s been seen on every catwalk and more recently London Fashion Week. What did you enjoy most about the Varsity STYLE shoot? Everyone was so friendly and welcoming which is rare to find on a shoot. Most people keep to themselves, but the Varsity STYLE crew were amazing. It was a pleasure working with them. What don’t people know about your line of work? You can earn a very very good living off being a hair and make-up artist. Most people see it as a joke, but it’s a great line of work to be in. If you could be a cartoon character, which one would you be? I would have to say Po in Teletubbies because she is so kind and loving and would do anything to help anyone which is pretty much me in a nutshell.
JASON ANTHONY Jason joined Boss mentors Byron L Keulemans, Simone Theunissen and Kendal Kit for our monochrome-meets-denim story. What do you love most about your line of work? Every shoot has its own unique feel and I never know what to expect, which excites me. I also love meeting new and interesting people. What did you want to be growing up? When I was growing up I always wanted to be a professional soccer player for Liverpool, but this didn’t work out so I decided to become professionally good looking LOL. What advice would you give to someone pursuing a career in your industry? Sign up with a great agency, be confident and stay true to yourself. Then set goals that you would like to achieve and have a vision of what you want to accomplish in the future. What did you enjoy most about the Varsity STYLE shoot? The shoot was really fun and the team was very easy to work with. I found the style of the shoot very creative. What don’t people know about your line of work? That it is not always as glamorous as it looks. There is a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make the product look the best that it possibly can.
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GREEN EVERYTHING goes with
Lynne Marie Fraser jumps into the world of sustainable dressing and discovers how fashion’s creative experts are making your closet DNA every shade of green. Photographed by Jessica Breakey.
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nyone who is anyone – and by that I mean Stella McCartney, Tom Ford, Will.i.am, Vanessa Paradis, Levi and Nike to name just a few – is moving steadily toward the trademark “greener” approach when it comes to fashion this year. And we must join forces – or rather, follow suit – because this is one time where our support of all things celebrity-style need not be based on blind obsession but on a deserved respect for those using their status responsibly. Plus, of course, if we are going to march toward a shining green light at the end of this desperate tunnel of self-inflicted ecological doom we must do it wearing the appropriate apparel. Textile waste has, since the beginning of fashion time, been mounting to a towering pile of over 400 billion square metres of fabric to make up the annual estimated production (that’s about half the area of South Africa). It has cast such a dark shadow of guilt across the fashion world that reducing it is no longer a decision but a necessity. Around the world designers are confronting the problem with innovative creations, like Dutch MUUSE designer Hellen van Rees with her ode to the classic Chanel tweed collection. This design was made entirely out of recycled yarn left-overs that managed to find their way off factory floors and onto the figure of none other than Lady Gaga. These up-cycled garments prove that dressing green is as far from dressing down as Gaga herself. Van Rees’ designs won the Humanity in Fashion Award in July – a testimony to the skill, creativity and conceptual prowess required to merge ecological
sustainability and the sophisticated demands of high-end fashion. Dutch designer H&M, who made an impressive commitment to reducing environmental harm in the production of cotton a decade ago, has this year set the standard higher still for other fashion chains. The launch of Conscious at H&M made sure recycled polyester chiffon and organic cotton made the cut for events as high-profile as this year’s Oscars, to which Helen Hunt wore a piece from the Conscious Exclusive collection.
The launch of Conscious at H&M made sure recycled polyester chiffon and organic cotton made the cut for events as high-profile as this year’s Oscars. The Conscious collection has been given an added spice by its gorgeous Gaelic “face of”, Vanessa Paradis. Livia Firth made even bigger waves at this year’s Golden Globes when she wore an Armani dress made entirely from recycled plastic bottles. Firth is leading the Green Carpet Challenge, which aims to take this kind of statement further by encouraging as many actresses and celebrities as possible to wear exclusively ethical fashion at red carpet events. The project has also joined forces with Gucci and the National Wildlife Federation to
FIG 1. THE FASHION WORLD POSSESSES ONE OF THE GREATEST DEFENCES AGAINST THE IMMINENT ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE: CREATIVITY. Production: Immaculate Lwanga. Fashion Editors and Hand Models: Daniël Geldenhuys and Barbara Fourie.
pledge zero deforestation in the design the first ever handbag line crafted solely from sustainable Brazilian Amazon leather, combatting the acres of forests usually cleared to make space for the cattle that produce the sought-after leather. This and many initiatives like it share one goal: to create products traceable from source to finished design. This increasingly desirable integrity in design’s creation is now recognised as the most significant step in eco-chic certification. Expressing who you are by the way you dress and the way you live is a sentiment shared by all fashionistas and so should be the maintenance of both our beautiful environment and modern progression. Looking a bit closer to home it is clear that South Africa has also joined ranks to make this possible. Fundudzi is a label by Craig Jacobs where what you wear must reflect your environmental and social consideration. The label has used organic fabrics including bamboo, soy and corn in the creation of its collections, proving its commitment to the cause. It’s also proof that these kinds of designs are easy enough to access locally, available online at fundudzi.com. It gets more creative still. Carbon d’Afreeque is a series of unique designer bags ranging from clutch to laptop sleeve – all made from recycled PVC billboard skins. Yes, that is the stuff used to make those massive ads along highways, and it often becomes harmful to the environment, unless of course it becomes a cute day-trip shopper bag on your consumer-savvy
arm. Companies like this are fashion with a conscience. They are about having what you want without sacrificing the need to look after the planet. Sustainable designers are giddy with options and the fashion world possesses one of the greatest defences against the imminent environmental catastrophe – creativity. Luckily the eco-warriors’ uniform selection is growing as rapidly as the trend itself and dressing fight no longer comes standard with jokes about smoking the clothes on your back or an automatic jerking of your fingers into the peace sign. So far gone are the days of hemp being the only way to prove our devotion to all things green, although it still boasts the status of the least harmfully produced material in the world as it needs very little water and no pesticides or herbicides to grow rapidly. The flax product we know better as linen grows similarly well and also uses very little water. There is also modal, a fabric sustainably spun from eucalyptus or beech trees. There are all kinds of weird materials that are up-cycled and recycled to form some of the most incredible eco-friendly designs like car tyres, cow nipples and water bottles. The list goes on and on and hopefully, so too will the creative manipulation of the available resources. Environmental sustainability and the fashion world have the ability to unite seamlessly into a glamorous trend of luxury and authenticity that every one of us should follow.
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FOR VENDETTA
It’s the revenge of the vest. As Busang Senne discovers, the menswear classic has a revolutionary new look this season. Photographed by Jessica Breakey.
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est. Wife-beater. Tank top. Call it what you like: it’s the plain white sleeveless staple for dudes, best known for its simplicity and no-fuss attitude in all its cottonwoven ubiquitous glory. This season, the likes of Givenchy and Mugler dared to take the vest to sartorial heights, showing something a bit more bespoke than just biceps. It’s the revenge of the vest, boldly going where no man has gone before. The vest is hailed for its versatility, confirms former GQ intern and blogger Sakhi Gcina. “The vest is a staple clothing item in any man’s wardrobe,” he says. “It can make a bold statement or be an interesting addition to an outfit. Men can play with texture and print in exciting ways.” It leaves plenty of room for innovation, and who better to channel new waters than Miucca Prada? Paired with no-nonsense blazers and reverse-stripe track-pants, the Prada vest is sporty and luxurious at the same time. A few pointers on how to give it your own spin: “Focus on accessories such as thin leather strap watches, armbands, and eccentric caps with quirky embellishments” In true Versace style, all that glitters is indeed gold, especially in this collection that pays tribute to the Spartans. With decadent robes, opulent gladiator sandals and oversized Olympic goldplated belts, even the Adonis’s of the runway wear the vest. The first vest down the runway was reinterpreted into a construction reminiscent of the stylish love-child between a double-breasted blazer and a waistcoat. The second, with the same Eastern sea-coloured hue as the first, boldly shows quilted shoulders and a sharp lapel, with gold zips and buttons to boot. Taking a step back to Gothic luxury, Givenchy’s latest is all immaculate silhouettes and fluid, sensuous blacks. Slick and silky is the mood, but not
without the Givenchy bite, kicking the vest right in the teeth and spitting out eerie images of the Virgin Mary, transcending cool right through the layers of flowy cotton. “Ricardo Tisci’s subversion of the religious symbol of Mother Mary conveys a gothic, rebellious attitude. Especially when paired with a black jacket,” says Sakhi. Louis Vuitton is taking this season onto the yacht deck with dapper, laid-back cool, crisp boat-shoes and tan shorts. Add to that a shot of 90s edge and voila: a slick, black contraption with screams of neon orange parachute safety strips. “Mugler, Versace and Vuitton created cool shapes with cut outs, proportion and asymmetrical design. It gives you an edge when layered over tees and shirts.” And these are all vests! Would you expect the same from any other classic? It’s like when Porsche birthed the Cayenne, or when Sony created PSP. There’s something perverse and intrinsically frightening about taking a classic and creating an entire new generation, like taking the LBD and turning it pink. But surely that’s what fashion is about, right? There are no more barriers, no categories and no demarcations. So there you have it, while the New Vest is all about innovation, it simply comes to down to taste and style. As ELLE 2012 Style Reporter and blogger Trevor Stuurman says, “Style means knowing when to part take in a trend or not. I for one do not have the arms to pull off the vest look so I believe I would skip this trend. It all boils down to comfort and confidence.” Will you be brave enough for this vest revolution? Whether yelling “Stella!” in a 1950s classic or naturally boasting testosterone on campus, the revenge of the vest is raging. And just like the untamable nature of fashion, this trend cannot be contained.
FIG 1. IN THE SARTORIAL BATTLE OF THE VEST VERSUS EVERYTHING ELSE, WHICH TEAM WILL YOU SHOUT FOR? Shirts, R390, and vest, R490, Unknown Union. Production: Immaculate Lwanga. Fashion Editor: DaniĂŤl Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie. Models: Kosikee A.lwuoha, Servaas Verster, and Munesu Denya.
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FIG 1.WITH FLATS ON THE RISE, IS IT TIME TO LEAVE THE HEELS BEHIND? Photographer and Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys.
Spring’s most surprising trend? Flats. But not just any flats. Designers sent a wide range of never-before-seen creations down the spring runways. How will you wear it? Daniël Geldenhuys asks the experts.
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ictoria Beckham showing a collection of flats for her Spring 2013 show is the fashion equivalent of Hitler playing a friendly round of golf with Winston Churchill. But there it was. We blinked. We rubbed our eyes and checked our pulses. It was still there. What a pleasant surprise. Suddenly all those front-row fashion people in their Prada platforms were wishing they’d dressed more down to earth. Beckham was backed up by Céline, Giorgio Armani, Marc Jacobs, and Miu Miu to name a few few. Flats and low heels have been on trend before, but can you remember the last time it was the trend of
the season? Designers have made it necessary to redefine the term “flat shoes”. We’re definitely not talking your average ballerina pumps. Try the red or yellow mink-lined slippers at Céline, the knife-sharp pointy-toe sling-backs at Miu Miu, or the masculine brogues by Manolo Blahnik for Ms Beckham. This is flats taken to new heights. Metaphorically, of course. With the range of flat styles at its most wide this season, your regular ballet flats are becoming ever more irrelevant. “Go for a modern design,” says ELLE editorial assistant Maybe Corpaci. For all the flat lovers out there: “The only changes they
need to embrace are toe shapes, colour updates and new constructions,” says Samantha McKay, PA to the CEO and marketing director at Zoom footwear. This flat fanaticism is no doubt a symptom of fashion trying harder and harder to give women what they need. Like mega brands including Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Stella McCartney branching out (big time) in the East, upping the ante on flats design is a way of tapping into a dormant market of Western buyers. This is not to say the new flat won’t be a hit in the East as well, but
Designers have made it necessary to redefine the term “flat shoes”. We’re definitely not talking your average ballerina pumps. it’s a form of modesty which will be appreciated by women on a global scale. When your friends urge you to try on a dress to “see how it moves on you”, they’re usually not taking the shoe factor into account. No matter how well a garment sits on your body, nothing can save a shaky high-heel walk – as described by UCT student and fashion blogger Georgia East as “a newborn calf… attempt[ing] to teeter along”. The allure of the flat should not only be credited to comfort, but also to function. As Fashion Editor Asanda Sizani says, “A non-functional shoe doesn’t make sense in my life.” She wears heels eighty percent of the time, but come spring, she is willing to embrace the flats trend. For now, she spends twenty percent of her life in masculine brogues, penny loafers and sneakers. Specifically, she’ll go to a meeting and pair her “Nike’s with whimsical trapeze dresses. It’s so refreshing.” Over at the Zoom head office, Samantha McKay prioritises functionality. “I am on my feet a lot during the day, and comfort is key.” No doubt her work-wear flats make climbing the stairs to her office far less complicated than it would have been in platform stilettos, something every UCT Upper Campus girl can identify with. When taking the lifestyle of the modern woman (whether working or studying) into account, one must wonder why this flat-out revolution is only beginning now. But just how big is the revolution? It’s easy for the new flats to revolutionise daytime footwear, but what about when darkness falls? The ultimate test of the power of the flat will be whether it can transcend into your party wardrobe. Even the most committed flats girl will put on a pair of heels for a night out. And what about special occasions like weddings, house dances, and trips to the opera?
The flat is certainly here to save you from your everyday fashion rut, but can it give your feet the relief they need when the dress code reads formal? Maybe Corpaci is on the fence. Not wanting to discredit that posture given by heels that does wonders for boosting the feminine curves, she says, “Unless very elegant, I don’t think flats will be a hundred percent compatible with such situations.” She has a point. Can you picture a trio of bridesmaids, one wearing flats? There’s something anti-climatic about it. Then again, at an event like a matric ball, or our university-equivalent formals, where there are multiple girls all competing to don the most opulent glamour, would the girl in flats not stand out the most? Perhaps that (at the risk of sounding too hipster) sarcastic lack of height with your evening dress is exactly what’s needed to hit the chic jackpot. Maybe the glamour equation has been unbalanced all this time and the new flats are here to restore order. After all, it’s not as though you’re pairing your satin with slip slops. “With the introduction of the smart-jewelled sandal, flats are able to be beautifully dressed up to suit even the most formal of occasions,” says Georgia East. She knows what she’ll be wearing to her next formal.
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o what then becomes of the heel? Has fashion gotten over its most iconic symbol? “I don’t think it’s time to get rid of heels,” says Maybe, “it’ll be a fashion catastrophe!” Georgia agrees: “I wouldn’t go so far as to throw out the high-heeled shoe,” she says. “There will always be a place for heels,” says Samantha, “flats are not for everyone – some women love the height and femininity of a high heeled shoe.” Take the Prada Spring 2013 show for example: Miuccia showed a collection containing two extremes. There were those leather socks with the bows on the toes – any flatter than that would be barefoot. And there were the platform wedges so high that the big hole in the wedge of the shoe was thick enough to put a fist through. Since the show was inspired by the East, we could call that the yin and yang of footwear. Spring 2013’s flats aren’t just another fashion trend. It’s a design direction that’s evening out the idea of high fashion being the equivalent of a high heel. This flat rush is set to create a balance when it comes to shoes: Wear a beautiful flat, but don’t throw out the heel. “Every woman needs a repertoire of footwear to fit in with her lifestyle,” says Asanda, “all shoes are forever relevant.”
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Rob Byrne hits
WIMBLEDON and reports on the style, the stars, and the sunburn.
Photographed by Elelwani Netshifhire.
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imbledon. I’d never been before, but I quite liked the ring of “Wimbledon Correspondent”. I imagined myself scurrying around interviewing tennis players and supermodels, photographing the various eye-catching outfits on display, and taking the odd refreshment break at the Moët tent. The reality was however, quite different. Thanks to a night on the sauce in Wimbledon Village and some woeful planning, none of the above actually took place, leaving me in a slight predicament. As far as events on the cultural calendar go, Wimbledon is right up there. Think of the J&B Met on cocaine and you’d be somewhere near the precociousness, pomp and perfection that is all around in SW19. What you wear defines you here, and there is no shortage of blazer donned toffs and women in summery dresses, sporting silly hats and massive sunglasses. They should be banned (the sunglasses that is) as covering half your face can make anyone look semi-attractive. I spotted many a distant beauty that, upon closer inspection, were more paper bag-ers than Sharapovas. I did some fine-tuning to my wardrobe ahead of the event, purchasing a nice pair of slim fit (not skinny fit – just a step too far in my books) chinos and a rather dapper light blue shirt. It was only when I overheard a conversation on the train that I realised I was out of touch with the London crowd. My banishment to the tip of Africa had left me well behind the latest trends and meant that the chino and boat shoes combination I was sporting was in fact the very clichéd look that people were now trying to get away from, including my friend on the train. It didn’t matter anyway, because I ended up going in the very clothes I’d spent the night before in. We’d intended to have an early evening and join
the queue at a bright but reasonable hour before entering the grounds. However, at 4am stumbling out of a kebab shop in Wimbledon High Street, we’d decided to get straight to that queue. And with the early morning light breaking through, we joined what looked like a sea of eager spectators to get our place in the line. I was sobering up and in big trouble. Less than one hour of sleep, plus seven hours of queuing and a lack of Centre Court tickets ensured that I was looking my best by the time I’d actually entered through Wimbledon’s gates. Luckily the only thing that could cheer me up (watching Andy Murray or a relative of Andy Murray lose) did actually occur. So busy were the grounds that we couldn’t even get a seat on Court 19 to watch the brother of Britain’s best tennis player, Jamie Murray, face-off in a doubles match against the American James Blake and partner Jurgen Melzer. Eventually I settled into a seat and what followed was a thrilling five-setter, with Murray and his partner coming out second best 14-12 in the final set, much to my joy.
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ourt 19 didn’t quite have the razzmatazz of Centre Court, with its royal box, celebrities and TV cameras, but it did have some notable spectators (Murray’s family) and a collection of finely attired individuals. Special mention should be given to the woman perched on the end of the spectators platform in her Sunday best, guzzling the finest bottle of Cava and a pack of M&S strawberries. That’s what Wimbledon’s all about – making a day of it, dressing up and enjoying the
FIG 1. WHEN GOING TO WIMBLEDON, ROB RECOMMENDS THE APPROPRIATE AMOUNT OF SUN BLOCK. Production: Immaculate Lwanga. Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie. Models: Krysia Gaweda and Alex Pennington.
finer things in life. You don’t have to be rich, famous or good looking, but if you are it just means that you don’t have to queue for seven hours with all the plebs, can actually afford anything that’s for sale inside, and might get chatting to Bradley Cooper or David Cameron. One colour that seemed particularly popular with spectators was red, although it was in skin complexion rather than clothing. Fearing the inevitable shade visible on my fellow spectators and a catastrophic clash with my blue attire, I ventured into the Wimbledon shop with the intent of buying a hat to protect my now tender skin. At £20 (R300) I figured the sunburn was worth it. It seemed like Wimbledon was getting the better of me. I was tired, hung-over, sunburnt, sepa-
Less than one hour of sleep, plus seven hours of queuing and a lack of Centre Court tickets ensured that I was looking my best by the time I entered Wimbledon’s gates. rated from my friend with a dead battery, and alone in a sea of people. Luckily I watched some fantastic tennis – the aforementioned five-setter, a great mixed doubles win for Heather Watson (a player from my hometown) and followed it up with a free Centre Court ticket to watch a master class from
none-other than world number one, Novak Djokovic. Things were on the up. While I may not have been able to contribute to the glitz and glamour of the day with my own attire, there was certainly no lack of it throughout the tournament. The highlight for fashionistas would have undoubtedly been the appearance of Gerard Butler and Bradley Cooper on Centre Court. Butler, sporting a baby blue blazer, and Cooper, in a light grey suit, looked every inch Hollywood, chatting away with British golfer and US Open winner Justin Rose. The Hollywood pair reportedly became friends when co-hosting the 2010 Oscars and were vociferously backing Andy Murray on Centre Court, Butler of course being a fellow Scot. Some of the best dressed were rather surprisingly the Wimbledon staff. Ralph Lauren supplied all the attire for the ball boys, umpires and line judges and they were immaculately dressed. While the hand-eye coordination may have been lacking amongst some of the outer ball-boys, they still looked smart while they were throwing balls just slightly out of reach of players. The range is available on the official Wimbledon website. Despite some earlier struggles, I’d had a great day at Wimbledon. For those wanting to soak up the style of the surroundings and blend in slightly better, I’d highly recommend not stumbling in after a night out, not being afraid to go bright and bold with your attire, and not going without some protection from the sun. Even if you’re not the biggest tennis fan in the world, it’s definitely a great experience, an absolute must if you’re in London at that time of the year.
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PICTURE PERFECT PHOTO LINE
oing home in the mid-year vac, I started spring cleaning my room and realised that I haven’t updated my photos in forever. I needed to add new memories to my room without getting rid of the old ones (stuck in dusty photo frames). The solution was simple enough: a picture board that doesn’t involve thumbtacks (a potential safety hazard) or pressstick (which we all know doesn’t last) but rather mini clothing pegs that attach your photos to a line spanned across a cork board with a wooden frame. Here is how I did it in less than a day. Start with the foundation of your picture board, the cork backboard. You will find cork board at any big hardware retailer like Midas which has branches all over Cape Town, so it won’t be difficult to track one down. Cork board is light and easy to handle – it is also durable. You can choose to make it any size, but the shape should preferably be square. Just give the store the measurements that suit the amount of space you have in your room and they’ll cut it for you. After you have the cork board you will need wood to frame the board – get this while you are in the hardware store. Make sure you buy thin planks so the board stays as light as possible. The top and bottom planks will be longer than the right and left ones, because right and left will go in between the top and bottom. The store assistants are sure to sort you out with these measurements and also cut the planks for you. Next you might want to start thinking about the colour of your board’s frame. This can be absolutely anything. Keep in mind that if your room is bright like mine you would want to keep the frame’s colour neutral, but if your room is more neutral you can use a bright colour on the frame to give it some new life. Any craft paint or a small tin of wall paint will do the job. Paint the planks and let them dry before you glue them on
the cork board with wood glue so that they form a frame around the board. The wood glue will take a while to dry and is key in keeping your board together, so be patient and make sure it is glued properly. Now that it is summer, it won’t do any harm to use the sun to your advantage. If you thought the worst was still coming, don’t worry, that was the hard part. Next you need hooks from the hardware store that have screw-in ends that will make it easy to just twist into the left and right inside of your frame. Remember to make sure they line up. My personal tip is to start at the top of the board and make 20cm marks as you go down on each side. This is the amount of space any standard photo will take up, and then just twist the hooks in where your 20cm marks are. Once the hooks are in you will need some thin rope. You can also play around with colours here: a bright or dark colour will stand out from the corkboard. Measure the length that goes from the right hook to the left and add about 5cm, then cut up the rope you bought into the lengths you have measured and simply tie the ends of the rope to each hook so that it forms a washing line effect. Your line is now ready for hanging. Small pins like I used are available at any art and crafts shop in all colours. Make them match your frame and rope or just go wild with random colours like I did. To make your picture board project a bit more hard-core, get some manly help to put it on your wall with screws and a drill, otherwise it is perfect to put on your desk and make it lean against the wall – that way it is portable and can easily go from your res room and back home again. This is the perfect way to try and make you spend a bit more time on your room wall than you do on your Facebook wall. It won’t use up your cap and it is sure to add some picture perfect “home” to your res or digs room.
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This do-it-yourself photo board will let you change the photos in your room as often as your Facebook profile picture – no digital photo frames required. By Barbara Fourie.
DIY Recycle your old magazines without dumping them in a recycle bin. Your old magazine pages can be turned into very practical desk and home decorations.
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STEP 1: CHOOSING A THEME. Page through your old magazines and decide if you want a specific colour scheme or random colours. When picking the colours for my vase I used random pages, but for the pencil holder I stuck with black, yellow and red. Once you have decided on your colour scheme, tear out all the pages that you like. TIP: The left or right end of the page will determine which colour your roll will be.
STEP 2: ROLLING THE PAGES. Once you have torn out all the pages you want, you can start rolling them using the skewer stick. For the pencil holder I cut my pages shorter in height and rolled them with a chopstick instead. Start your roll by placing the skewer/chopstick inside the roll and rolling it to the end. While rolling squirt a few drops of glue as you go and make sure the end of the roll has enough glue. TIP: The side of the page you want to show should be face down as you roll.
STEP 3: CUTTING THE CARDBOARD. Make sure you have made about 32 rolls for the vase and 33 for the pencil holder. Next you have to measure the length of the containers as well as the perimeter and cut out cardboard long and wide enough to cover each container all around and from top to bottom.
STEP 4: COVERING THE CONTAINER. The vase: For the vase I decided to paste my rolls at different lengths. First put down the cardboard on a flat surface and start pasting the rolls very tightly together at different heights and then cut along the bottom so that the bottom parts of the rolls are all on the same level, while the top will be random lengths. Wait for the glue to dry before putting it around the container. TIP: When the glue has dried, put it around the container and stick the ends together without sticking it directly to the container, because when putting water in the vase for flowers, you can slide off the cardboard to prevent it from getting wet. The pencil holder: Glue the cardboard directly to the tin without the rolls. When the cardboard is stuck to the tin you can start gluing the rolls on, placed tightly together.
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RETAIL
MATRIARCHY Alexandra Nagel enters a supposed clothing mecca, only to find a sartorial dead-end in the menswear department.
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t Heathrow airport I land, and straight to the mall did I fly! Oh, how I couldn’t wait to explore the infinite fashion outlets of TopShop, H&M and especially River Island as soon as my tanned South African foot touched the palewhite, British soil. And there it was, lit up by shining Hollywoodstyle, Broadway-influenced lights like the Evening Star at night, the River Island sign beamed down at me as if I was baby Jesus in a manger. Rail after rail of multi-coloured dresses, leather bowler skirts, Aztec jumpsuits and My Little Pony onesies all greeted me, applauding, as I made my entrance. The London house music in my ear while I try on a pair of burgundy-coloured shredded shorts was just the motivation I needed to slip into a possible two sizes smaller than what my buttocks could usually handle. Pale-skinned British girls, all in their little highschool frocks with bronzer smudged across their foreheads, tried on every four-fingered ring they could possibly fit their sausage-rolls into. This was the shop that would change my life as a clothes hoarder forever. I mean, I would only be doing these lovely garments a favour by releasing them from this orphanage to the humble spot of my bedroom cupboard. With all this British delight surrounding my limbs and the possibility of me becoming an adoptive parent to these vibrant beings, I almost completely missed one of the main reasons I came here in the first place: to buy my newly-acclaimed boyfriend a new pair of pants. That light-brown monstrosity he usually wears, and only seems
to wear, simply will not do when he is seen in public with me. But where on earth, amongst this magnificent haven of material expression, would I find clothes that could dress my male companion? I searched every square inch of the glossy space, but there simply were no signs of manliness anywhere (besides some British tellers). All of a sudden, as I was about to throw the tags I had ripped off of my new clothing into the alleyway dustbins, I noticed another portal of the shop that was so easily missed a blind person may have even seen it better than I did. A bunch of moving stairs led the way to another section
the men’s fashion world will only remain an ideal on the runways where even then it is overly-done as if to say, “Notice me, someone!” of River Island which no one had seemed to have encountered before. It was not beckoning me nearer nor did it hint at being a mystical doorway to a secret garden; it sort of spat at me with disgust as I drew nearer. Nevertheless, I braved the dark haze of emptiness, up the stairs to… the Men’s clothing section? Was that really what this void was? No longer did the Broadway lights of earlier beckon me in with elegant applause, no longer were there infinite rails of clothing that caressed
me as I floated by or source of any vivid colours to compel my gaze. Instead, it would appear that I had entered into a dusty broom cupboard which someone had tried to make look appealing by rearranging a bunch of dish cloths in generic patterns.
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was startled and immediately tried to make my way back to the stairway to heaven when suddenly something grabbed my arm. It was a hunchback with patches of hair and blotchy skin who seemed to have been the teller at one stage at this cobwebbed attic. She pulled me closer, her twisted hand on my tiny wrist saying, “Save yourself before it’s too late!” I took her advice and left the place that changed me forever. The clothes up there were so dull, exhausted and plain that I could not even draw enough inspiration to f e e l uninspired in order to write t h i s piece. But w a i t , maybe this is a European thing; surely this depraved fashion could not be evident in my homeland? Why is Mens’ fashion almost non-existent in stores and merely kept alive on FTV? Do not for one second say that fashion is a feminine arena, because as long as anyone wears some sort of material to cover one’s chest, you are interested in fashion, trust me. There are tons of male designers who even outweigh the females in their own so-called field. They only seem to design for women, perhaps
adding a few male models on the runway with last season’s collection drabbed on them with a meek scarf added, simply to comply with democracy’s notion of inclusion. The desire for men to be accepted into this female-dominated domain has become so distasteful that men have been seen with leggings and clutches (what would be the purpose but to hold your girlfriend’s lipstick and blackberry anyway?). Do retail stores only have a men’s section for the sake of advertising, saying, “Do not fret if you have a male counterpart. Simply drop him off here while you shop to dress your behind with some of our amazing clothes!” Why not put an Xbox up there rather, if you need someone to baby-sit your boyfriend for an hour or two? Clearly, overseas was just as disastrous as here. Perhaps the men’s fashion world will only remain an ideal on the runways where even then it is overly-done as if to say, “Notice me someone!” Despite such disappointment (even overseas), I had to find my boyfriend something… anything! So, instead I went to a little Indian market in the courty a r d of the m a l l a n d found a stunning London hoodie. This goes out to all designers: please do the world a favour and provide the male population with a more eye-friendly collection of clothing and not just rags to simply cover their private parts. And whoever designed my boyfriend’s brown jean-pant thing, I will hunt you down! FIG 1. WOMEN ARE SPOILT FOR CHOICE WHEN SHOPPING RETAIL; THE OPPOSITE CAN BE SAID OF MEN. Production: Immaculate Lwanga and Barbara Fourie. Photographer and Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys.
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Cook to impress with these provocative dishes, inspired by scrumptious looks from the runway. By Cassidy Nydahl. Sketches by Barbara Fourie.
The stripes at Raf Simons’s first readyto-wear collection for Dior inspires a Chocolate Layer Cake with Raspberry Meringue Buttercream. INGREDIENTS For the cake • 400g sugar • 245g cake flour • 90g cocoa powder • 1 ½ tsp baking powder • 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda • 1 tsp salt • 2 eggs • 1 cup milk • ½ cup sunflower/canola oil • 2 tsp vanilla essence • 1 cup boiling water
METHOD 1 Preheat the oven to 170ᵒC. 2 Grease three 180mm cake tins with butter and line the bottom of each with baking paper. 3 Combine the dry ingredients, then add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla essence and beat for about 2 minutes. 4 Stir in boiling water (the mixture should be runny) 5 Divide the batter between the tins and bake for about 10-15 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean, then cool before removing from tins. 6 Meanwhile, combine the raspberries,
For the buttercream To make the raspberry compote: • 1 cup frozen raspberries • ¼ cup caster sugar • ½ tbsp lemon juice • 1 tbsp water • Pinch of salt Buttercream • 180g butter • ½ egg yolk • Pinch of salt • 500g icing sugar • 1 quantity raspberry compote
sugar, lemon juice, water and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook for about 10 minutes until the berries break down, stirring often. 7 Lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for about 15 minutes until the mixture coats a spoon. Raspberry buttercream: 8 Beat the butter until light and creamy, then gradually add the icing sugar, adding the compote when it gets too thick.
9 When all the icing sugar and raspberry compote has been beaten in, add the egg yolk and pinch of salt and beat again. To assemble 10 Stack the three cakes one over the other, with raspberry buttercream in between. Ice the entire outside of the cake. 11 Optional: melt 100g dark chocolate with 1/3 cup butter over a low heat, then pour over the top of the cake so it just runs down.
FIG1-4. Photographs by Cassidy Nydahl.
The 60s-style checkerboard checks at Louis Vuitton inspire a Coconut French Toast with Lemon Curd. (Serves 4) INGREDIENTS • 8 thick slices bread (preferably brioche, or white) • 1 cup coconut milk • 3 eggs • 1 tbsp sugar • Pinch salt Lemon curd • ¾ cup sugar • 1 tbsp grated lemon zest • 2 large eggs • 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6 lemons) • 2 tbsp butter METHOD 1 To make lemon curd, combine sugar, lemon zest and eggs in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring with a whisk the whole time. Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has gone lighter, add the lemon juice and butter and continue stirring with a whisk for about 5 minutes, until it thinly coats the back of a spoon. Put into jar, cover the surface with cling film, and chill in fridge for it to thicken. 2 Meanwhile, whisk together the
coconut milk, eggs, sugar and salt and add the slices of bread to soak for a few minutes on each side. 3 Heat a little butter in a pan over medium heat, then fry the French toast on both sides for about 3 minutes until golden brown. 4 Serve the French toast with the curd and some berries. Tip: Lemon curd can also be used in pancakes, to fill tarts, over fruit and to layer in cakes
The sheer slouchy sports-luxe layers at Stella McCartney inspire Teriyaki chicken and pickled mushrooms rice paper wraps. (Serves 2-4)
INGREDIENTS Teriyaki Chicken • ¼ cup teriyaki sauce (or ¼ cup soy sauce with 1 tsp each of garlic and ginger) • 2 tbsp honey • 2 chicken breasts, cut into strips Pickled Mushrooms • 1 punnet (150g) shimeji mushrooms • ½ tbsp rice wine vinegar • ½ tbsp soy sauce • ½ tsp sugar • ¼ green chilli, seeded and finely chopped METHOD 1 Mix the ingredients for the teriyaki sauce together, and marinate the chicken strips for about 15-30 minutes. 2 Meanwhile, fry the mushrooms in some oil until soft and with a little colour, then mix the rest of the ingredients together and add the cooked mushrooms to marinate. Cover and
To serve • Spring onion, sliced thinly • Coriander • Rice paper wraps
keep in fridge until ready to serve. 3 Bring a pan to a medium-high heat, and fry the chicken strips with the marinating sauce for about 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Remove chicken strips and continue cooking sauce until thick and sticky, then mix in with the chicken.
4 To make the wraps, dip the rice paper wraps into some cold water until soft and pliable, arrange a few chicken strips, some mushrooms, strips of spring onion and coriander in the middle, wrap up and serve.
The flowing nude dresses offset with leather corsets at Jason Wu inspire Spaghetti with creamy mushroom sauce. INGREDIENTS • 125g porcini mushrooms • ½ cup chicken stock • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes • 6 sprigs of thyme, leaves removed • 3 tbsp mascarpone • 2 egg yolks • Zest of 1 lemon • Handful flat-leafed parsley, roughly chopped • 250g dried black spaghetti • Shavings of Parmesan, to serve METHOD 1 Put a pot of water to the boil, then add pasta and cook until al dente. 2 Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a pan over medium heat, and fry the garlic, chilli and thyme until garlic has turned golden. 3 Add the porcini mushrooms and fry for a few minutes, until the mushrooms have browned and softened. Add the stock and continue cooking until the liquid has reduced somewhat. 4 Add the mascarpone and stir until melted through. Drain the pasta,
leaving a few tablespoons of the cooking water, then add to the sauce with the cooking water (as much is needed to make sauce silky) and toss over the heat until well coated. 5 Take off the heat, add the egg yolks and stir through. Add the lemon zest and parsley and serve with the Parmesan on top. Tip: for a special occasion, opt for black pasta (available at Pick ‘n Pay stores).
FIG 1. THIS IS WHERE THE NEW SEASON BEGINS TO MOVE INTO FOCUS. Photographer: Bert Pauw. Photography Mentor: Byron L. Keulemans. Fashion Editor: DaniĂŤl Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie. Beauty Mentor: Kendal Kit. Fashion Assistant: Immaculate Lwanga. Models: Mwinji Siame and Lukhanyo Dasi. Model Mentors: Jason Anthony and Simone Theunissen.
style Varsity
FASHION STARTS HERE
DRAW IN SPRING The best new-season runway looks are a masterful remix of your favourite wardrobe pieces. The result is modern, stylish, and utterly fresh. Illustrations by Simphiwe Ndzube.
FIG 1. THE EVER-TRAVELLING LOUIS VUITTON MAN BRINGS HIS SNORKEL GEAR TO DRY LAND, AND TURNS HEADS. FIG 2. (opposite) CHECK OUT THE LATEST FROM DRIES VAN NOTEN: AN ÜBERSMART GRUNGE GIRL. Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys.
FIG 3. GIVENCHY’S RICCARDO TISCI IS ALWAYS PREACHING TO A CHOIR OF FASHION LOVERS. ALL RISE FOR THE NEW VIRGIN MARY-PRINT VEST.
FIG 4. JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT THE VICTORIA BECKHAM BODYCON COULDN’T GET ANY MORE FEMININE, POSH PLAYS THE FLASH-OF-LINGERIE CARD.
FIG 5. DONATELLA VERSACE DECONSTRUCTED THE TRADITIONAL SUIT, TURNING IT ON ITS HEAD BY ADDING GLADIATOR BOOTS. FIG 6. (opposite) THE MARC JACOBS 60s REVIVAL FEATURES SUPER-GROOVY MONOCHROME JUMPSUITS.
FIG 7&8. SLOUCHY IS SYNONYMOUS WITH SPORTS-LUXE THIS SEASON. WHOEVER SAID FASHION CAN’T MEAN COMFORT? NOT STELLA MCCARTNEY (opposite) OR TOPMAN DESIGN.
FIG 9. AT MIU MIU, MIUCCIA PRADA PUTS THE SOPHISTICATION IN DENIM, ALL THE BETTER TO SHOW OFF THE NEW BRA TOP. FIG 10. (opposite) INVERTED TRACK PANTS ARE THE MUST-WEAR ITEM AT PRADA. THERE’S PLENTY TO GO AROUND.
FRESH FOCUS
Monochrome is huge this season, and so is denim. Mash these classics together to create a modern spring look. Photographed by Bert Pauw, mentored by Byron L. Keulemans.
FIG 1. THE SIXTIES ARE SWINGING ROUND AGAIN THIS SEASON. PICK A JUMPSUIT / JACKET COMBO THAT WORKS FOR YOU. Sheer panel jumpsuit, R649, and denim jacket, R699, TopShop; anklestrap courts, R1 099, Aldo. Fashion Editor: DaniĂŤl Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie. Fashion Assistant: Immaculate Lwanga. Models: Mwinji Siame and Lukhanyo Dasi. Beauty Mentor: Kendal Kit. Model Mentors: Simone Theunissen and Jason Anthony.
FIG 2. A FLASH OF GRAPHIC PRINT IS ALL YOU NEED TO JOLT YOUR OUTFIT INTO THE NEW SEASON. Shirt (buttoned up), R469, TopMan; leopard print shirt, R299, Cotton On; denim shirt, R499, and shorts, R399, YDE; shoes, R999, Aldo; tie, R89, Markham.
FIG 3. GIVE THE LOOK AN EDGE WITH METALLIC ACCESSORIES. Dress, R1 249, Mari and Me; jacket, R699, TopShop; metal rings, R199 each, Accessorize.
FIG 4. (opposite) THREE SHIRTS ARE SO MUCH BETTER THAN ONE. BUT WHEN TEMPERATURES SOAR, IT‘S TIME TO PICK A FAVOURITE. Shirt, R249, and V-neck tee, R120, Cotton On; denim shirt, R499, YDE. FIG 5. Dress, R699, Forever New; crop top, R119, shirt, R299, bleached shirt, R299, bleached sleeveless shirt, R275, belt, R89, all Cotton On; wedges, R999, Aldo.
FIG 6. (opposite) LAYERED TROUSERS WITH SPORTY SANDALS MAKE FOR A SURFER-INSPIRED LAID-BACK LOOK. Shirt, R299, Markham; skinny jeans, R399, Cotton On; shorts, R430, TopMan; sandals, R599, Aldo. FIG 7. THE SPRING NECK SCARF IS BACK. FIRST SEEN AT DIOR, SOON TO BE SEEN ON YOU. Bleached sleeveless shirt, R275, Cotton On; printed scarf, R175, and multi-strand bracelet, R85, Lulu Belle.
FIG 8. ATTENTION TO DETAIL IS KEY: A BLACK POCKET ON A WHITE SHIRT CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. Pleather-pocket shirt, R199, Cotton On; shirt (draped inside out), R469, TopMan. FIG 9. (opposite) JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT DUNGAREES COULDN’T GET MORE PLAYFUL, TOPSHOP ADDS A SPOTTED CROP. Dungarees, R299, Cotton On; crop top, R159, TopShop; slingback flats, R299, Call it Spring. Click to shop this story.
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FIG 1. OF PURSUING A CAREER IN MUSIC, JIMMY SAYS, “IT BECAME A VERY REAL DREAM FOR ME, ESPECIALLY AFTER MY PARENTS BOUGHT ME SOME STUDIO EQUIPMENT.” T Shirt, R220, jacket, R700, cap, R300, all 2Bop; ring, stylist’s own. Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie.
HEAD CLOUDS, FEET GROUND in the
on the
Jimmy Nevis is the most famous person on campus: with hit songs played on international radio stations, top-class local collaborations and a growing following of adoring fans, he surprises Barbara Fourie by turning out to be just a (beyond) average Joe. Photographed by Paris Brummer.
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hile the Varsity STYLE team sets up on campus early one morning for our Jimmy Nevis cover shoot, I’m unsure what to expect. I’m about to meet an artist whose singles might as well have been internationally produced, a star who according to Rolling Stone has a “pop song craft so accomplished it’s almost as if he was raised by Max Martin”. My expectations are trumped when I meet a down-to-earth UCT student who knows exactly what he wants and how to get it, even if that means missing more lectures than he’d care to mention. During our shoot people walk by and either stare or stop to chat – clearly the star doesn’t go unnoticed. His music makes you turn your radio on full blast, only to become immersed in the unique sincerity of his lyrics and his velvet voice. It’s the kind of music that not only South African Heartboxers have embraced; it has been given a stamp of approval by international audiences as well. When I’m supposed to meet Jimmy for the second time, I start to realise that handling university and his career is a skill that requires a great deal of sacrifice. He constantly has to choose between an important lecture or an appointment or gig that is essential to the success of his career. While I’m on my way to interview him at UCT Radio, our star is off to catch the next flight to Johannesburg. The impromptu Joburg visit will take him from the ivy-covered walls of UCT onto a stage to perform a new urban jazz collaboration, “Feel the Love”, with Mi Casa. When I ask around at the radio station, I realise that one does not simply ask for Jimmy Nevis: I have to explain that I’m not a stalker or crazy obsessed fan. Ignorant about his real whereabouts, I finally convince his very concerned friend that I really am a magazine writer working on a profile piece. I’m told that Jimmy apologises for missing our appointment and informed where he’s off to – and of course I understand. I wouldn’t expect anything less from an artist whose career has taken off and for whom the sky is clearly the limit. One would think that his journey only started last year when his single “Elephant Shoes” exploded on radio stations like Kfm and 5FM, but when we meet again after the mid-year vac I learn that his journey started long before that, in a little place called Athlone. He wasn’t raised by Max Martin after all, but by two loving parents, his mother a business woman and his father a pastor.
Contrary to my expectations, Jimmy’s parents aren’t musical at all, but his older sister learned how to play piano from a very young age and now also plays in his band. He says that growing up he “wasn’t shy to sing at community events or school events, and so my parents and people in the community started telling me I could really sing”. Jimmy’s mother remembers him being very vocal even before he started singing. “At age four, first day at preschool, he was arranging the rest of the class in a straight line so that they could go to the bathroom in an orderly fashion. Needless to say he became the class monitor.” Jimmy has always taken control of his destiny, even when he didn’t yet know what it was. He joined the school choir and started taking music lessons, and in high school he started to take music seriously. “I really started finding my own respect and passion for it,” he says. He admits to falling in love with the idea of becoming a musician one day. “It became a very real dream for me, especially after my parents bought me some studio equipment.” This gave Jimmy even more opportunity to develop his skills with the unfaltering support of his family. Laughing, he says that on some Friday nights he would say, “Guys, I can’t go out tonight, feeling a bit sick.” Meanwhile he would be sitting in his room, making beats. In high school he got everything that he wanted (“it’s this little place where anything can happen”) but after that the reality of the real world started sinking in and Jimmy had to work harder to get his name out there. Maybe his Dad is right by saying that “God has purposed this for him at this particular time”. After Jimmy matriculated from Pinelands High School he landed a part in a cabaret show at Grand West, after which he hit an all-time low. What a lot of people don’t know is that he initially applied to study Jazz and Vocals, but was rejected, even though he was sure he nailed his audition. “After that I did a lot of auditions, got a lot of rejections, and a lot of close calls. I really wanted to get my name out there, but maybe I wasn’t completely ready.” By 2012 Jimmy hadn’t written music for a while. It took his friends and family to remind him of his unique musical gift, and after that he never looked back. “Something hit me: I knew there was something that I had to do. The very next day 'Elephant Shoes’ came to me. I wrote the chorus in ten minutes and then spent the rest of the week doing the rest of the music and lyrics.” With his first track recorded, he submitted it to the big radio stations like Kfm and 5FM, hoping for the best: to get playlisted.
FIG 2. JIMMY WROTE THE “ELEPHANT SHOES” CHORUS IN 10 MINUTES AND SPENT THE FOLLOWING WEEK DOING THE REST OF THE MUSIC AND LYRICS. Printed T-shirt, R220, and caps, R300 each, all 2Bop.
FIG 3. HE WILL MOVE ABROAD WITHOUT HESITATION, BUT HAS NO TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT PLANS IN THE NEAR FUTURE. T-shirt, R220, printed caps (first three from left), R300, cordory cap, R350, all 2Bop. FIG 4 (opposite). Jacket, R700, and printed cap, R300, both 2Bop; trousers (just seen), Jimmy’s own.
FIG 5. JIMMY’S MOTHER REALISED HE’D MAKE IT BIG, BUT SAYS, “NOTHING PREPARED ME FOR SO BIG AND SO SOON!“ Printed T-shirt, R220, and caps, R300 each, all 2Bop; ring, stylist’s own. Click to shop this story.
When people told him that they were hearing his song on the radio, his first reaction was that they had to be kidding. “People just started flooding my Facebook page, saying they heard my song on 5FM. I thought that they must be lying.” His newfound popularity on the music scene was confirmed when he started receiving calls from record labels. After meeting with a few labels, Jimmy made his choice. “What I liked about RudeWorld was that everyone was so young. I love working with young people: there is a sense of naivity that nobody can manufacture.” Jimmy’s album, Subliminal, was released on November 1st 2012 and by November 12th David Gresham Records proudly announced that it would be released in the USA, following a major licensing deal with UltraRecords. Only a month later he was also presented at the annual Amsterdam Dance Event where his single “Heartboxing” achieved major success.
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hese days Jimmy’s childhood dream to perform at the Grammys doesn’t seem that far off. His mother still remembers that from a young age he was obsessed with watching the Grammys on TV and always said that one day he would perform at this renowned ceremony. This intense passion for music made his mother realise that he could be big one day, “but nothing prepared me for so big and so soon!” “Big” might just be an understatement looking at Mr Nevis’s success over the past year. He has made appearances on Pasella, Top Billing, Expresso, and collaborated with Mi Casa, Kwesta and Pascal and Pearce, which we can still look forward to. Talking about their new album, lead singer from Mi Casa, J-Something, said that while producing one of the highlights was working with Jimmy Nevis. Jimmy says that “[J-Something] has given me so much advice and really took me under his wing to show me some things. It’s so good to see that even through all their fame and success they are still willing to help other artists.” Their collaboration “Feel the Love” is just another one of Jimmy’s addictive songs. No matter how many times you hear it, you never cease to be amazed by the quality of his voice, which is sure to become known and loved far beyond the South African music industry. This international star in the making will consider moving abroad if and when the time for that comes but fortunately has no transatlantic flight plans for the near future. After graduating from UCT this summer, Jimmy plans to leave the Mother City to further his career in Joburg. “I always knew it was something that I
had to do, but just coming to terms with it, that I have to leave, it’s a huge thing. When you start to work with other artists and you see how they do things, you start to realise the sacrifices that people have to make for their dreams.” So far his sacrifices have paid off: after his No Regrets concert in September, tweets started streaming in from fans who were blown away by his performance. Jimmy says live performances are “like a very out-ofbody experience, you get to know the crowd and you can feed off their energy. When I perform I always go back to the message of the song, that is the only way to feel it, and if you feel it, they can feel it.” Writing all of his songs himself, each one has a message that lies close to home, giving it that raw and sincere quality that Jimmy can go back to each time he performs. Curious about the idea behind his latest single “Balloon”, I couldn’t help but ask. “If you listen to the words, a balloon is symbolic of a relationship, as sensitive and as fragile as a balloon, just wafting around. Balloons
“People just started flooding my Facebook page, saying they heard my song on 5FM. I thought that they must be lying.” are light, there has to be somebody who controls it, and this balloon doesn’t have direction. The roses are symbolic of love – they come with thorns, a relationship without direction can be as a fragile as a balloon, becoming vulnerable when coming close to a love. You have to know where you are going, be 100% committed and take the good with the bad.” There is nothing this pop star cannot handle. If things get rough, he knows that his parents will always be there. His mother says, “The relationship I have with Jimmy is very precious to me and I value the fact that we can still laugh together, share his concerns, and that I can be the soft landing for him when things get rough.” His faith is also a big part of his life, tweeting @JimmyNevis, “The Will of God will not take you where the grace of God cannot sustain you – I am proof. Seen this so many times”. Keeping himself grounded with his faith and family keeps Jimmy’s feet on the ground firmly enough that his head can float in the clouds, going higher and higher to dream bigger than he ever thought possible. Not floating like a balloon, but rather taking off like a rocket ship.
GET SET
The spring collections are a study in effortless throw-on-andgo style. Sophie Robertson and model Sebastian Simons break in the latest ensembles from Cape Town’s must-visit stores. Photographed by Riaan Giani. FIG 1. THE GENDER ROLES ARE REVERSED AT TOPSHOP AND TOPMAN: HE WEARS THE FLORALS AND SHE WEARS THE LUXE TRACK PANTS. Sebastian wears a shirt, R399, floral-print t-shirt, R339, and shorts, R399, all TopMan; vest hoodie, R250, Woolworths; cap, R350, 2Bop; trainers, R899, Adidas.. Sophie wears a quilted jacket, R999, and trousers, R589, TopShop; crop top, R79.95, Woolworths; trainers, R999, Adidas. Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie . Fashion Assistant: Immaculate Lwanga. Photographer’s Assistant: Ashleigh Swartz. Model: Sophie Robertson. Model Mentor: Sebastian Simons.
FIG 2. COTTON ON’S REINTERPRETED CLASSICS, A SHORT-SLEEVE SWEATER AND PASTEL BIKER JACKET, BLEND INTO THE TABLE MOUNTAIN FLORA AS SOPHIE AND SEBASTIAN PLAN THEIR DAY OUT. Sebastian wears a printed short-sleeve shirt, R249, sweater, R299, and shorts, R249, all Cotton On. Sophie wears a sheerpanel sweater, R275, biker jacket, R549, and trousers, R399, all Cotton On.
FIG 3. A HELPING HAND? SHE MAY JUST FIND HER LACES TIED TOGETHER WHEN HE’S DONE. HOPEFULLY THE JOKER COLOURS RED AND GREEN OF HIS BLUECOLLARWHITECOLLAR SHIRT DOESN’T GIVE HIM AWAY. Checked shirt, R650, BlueCollarWhiteCollar; printed cap, R500, 2Bop; trainers, R999 Adidas. FIG 4. (opposite)CHANNEL THE EASTERN TREND WITH PLAYFUL ACCESSORIES. LULU BELLE’S EMBROIDERED EARRINGS AND A COLOURFUL ACCESSORIZE NECKLACE ARE THE BEST IN THE WEST. Printed dress, R1 099, Mari and Me; earrings, R130, Lulu Belle; beaded necklaces, R199 each, Accessorize.
FIG 5. COUNTRY ROAD OFFERS SOPHISTICATED PALATE CLEANSERS: CLASSIC DENIM-ON-DENIM FOR HIM AND MILK-WHITE SEPARATES FOR HER. Sebastian wears a golfer shirt (just seen), R299, denim jacket, R999, and trousers, R699, all Country Road; trainers R1 099, Adidas. Sophie wears a structured top, R449, and skirt, R799, Country Road; trainers, R999, Adidas.
FIG 6. WHEN THE VIEW IS THIS GOOD, IT IS BEST TO TAKE TURNS WITH A WORKOUT. TIE DYE TOPS FROM THE LOT GIVE THE MONOTONE SKY A RUN FOR ITS MONEY. Sophie wears a denim dress, R599, crop top, R250, and cap, R349, all The Lot; trainers, R999, Adidas. Sebastian wears a T-shirt, R299, and printed shorts, R599.95, The Lot; trainers R899, Adidas.
FIG 7. A MARKHAM SHORTS SUIT IS READY TO GET ACTIVE. SEBASTIAN TAKES A SARTORIAL LEAP. Golfer, R220, suit jacket, R899, and matching shorts, R399, bracelets, R89 for the set of five, all Markham; tights, stylist’s own; sneakers, R999, Adidas.
FIG 8. THE NEW COOL GIRL UNDERSTANDS THE VALUE OF CHECKS. CHECK OUT THIS MARI AND ME DRESS. Dress, R949, Mari and Me; sheer-panel shirt, R275, Cotton On; ear-cuff, R90, The Lot.
FIG 9. THE WOOLWORTHS BUSINESSMAN TAKES COLOUR BLOCKING JUST AS SERIOUSLY AS HIS BUSINESS CALLS. Sebastian wears a golfer shirt, R130, jacket, R699, and trousers, R275, all Woolworths; trainers, R1 099, Adidas. Sophie wears a flaresleeve dress, R899, Country Road; metal necklace, R199, The Lot; trainers, R999, Adidas.
FIG 10. (opposite) UNKNOWN UNION’S LIGHTWEIGHT BASEBALL JACKET IS THE BEST WAY TO DO SPORT STYLE THIS SEASON. Printed vest, R290, jacket, R950, and shorts, R850, all Unknown Union. FIG 11. SOPHIE’S CHAMPAGNE FIX IS IN THE COLOUR OF HER FOREVER NEW DRESS. Belted dress, R1 199, Forever New; sunglasses, R179, The Lot.
FIG 12. THE DAY WINDS DOWN IN VERSATILE CLASSICS FROM SUPREMEBEING. Sophie wears a striped dress, R599, Supremebeing; windbreaker, R249, Cotton On; printed neck scarf, R75, LuluBelle; ear cuff, R90, The Lot. Sebastian wears a sweater, R950, Supermebeing; Bart-print backpack, R499, and sunglasses, R179, The Lot.
FIG 13. IT’S ON TO A NIGHT OUT IN DECONSTRUCTED FORMALWEAR FROM YDE. Sebastian wears a cardigan, R425, Lucky Luke, and trousers, R399, Craig Port, both at YDE; trainers, R899, Adidas. Sophie wears a bra top, R199, and flare skirt, R499, Khosi Nkosi at YDE; sleeveless jacket, R1 299, Country Road; metal bell necklace, R99, The Lot; trainers, R999, Adidas. Click to shop this story.
AHEAD
PLANNING
Former BCom student Inge van Schalkwyk got the career in fashion she’s always wanted. Barbara Fourie finds out how she got started, and discovers her plan to get to the top. Photographed by Elelwani Netshifhire.
FIG 1. INGE KEEPS HER ENTIRE CLOSET ON A RAIL ALL THE BETTER TO EDIT HER OUTFITS.
FIG 2-15. COLOURFUL SWATCHES FROM INGE’S CLOSET
I
nge van Schalkwyk wanted a career in fashion ever since she got her first “I can draw book” and made her own attempt at what she calls “very interesting” fashion designs. After high school when she could finally choose the route she wanted to steer her future in, ideally studying fashion design or something similar, her life took a turn in a completely different direction. She enrolled at the University of Stellenbosch to study for a BCom degree in Actuarial Science. Not only does Inge have a flair for fashion, she is gifted with the art of numbers. “Of course I considered studying something like fashion design, but my parents wanted me to get a solid degree before pursuing another study course on my own time.” She thought she would have to give up her dream to work in the fashion industry, but that all changed when she was nearing the end of her studies and started job hunting. “A lot of people don’t know that although you studied a BCom degree you can have a career in fashion,” she says. “I didn’t even know my job existed until last year when my mother literally googled ‘fashion and numerical skills’: I never knew they could come together. All major fashion stores have graduate programs, which just need to be advertised better.” Her position as a Fashion Planner is also known as a Fashion Analyst or Merchandise Planner. She laughs, “I would rather call it a fashion analyst, because some people think I’m a party planner,” which she is definitely not. Fashion Planners work tightly with Buyers: while the buyers are in charge of clothing, planners are in charge of the financial part of buying. “You have to be aware of all the best sellers that are determined by everything from sleeve lengths to collar styles. You study and analyse all this data to decide how much of what needs to be bought, how much money the company has to
spend and which quantities of stock needs to go to specific stores.” At the start of 2013 she made the transition from student to working girl. Inge is currently being trained as part of the two-year graduate program that all new employees like her have to complete. Although it has only been seven months, she has learned many things that she thinks every student should know before entering the working world of fashion. It is up to you to push yourself when you start training: “the duration of the training depends on you, they always say ‘you drive your own process’. They don’t push anyone.” The biggest lesson she’s learnt is to have confidence. It all comes down to the old “fake it till you make it” saying, which proves to be true especially when you are entering a new working environment where you still have plenty to learn. Even if you don’t feel that confident, “just make sure you appear that way in front of other people”. Confidence is very important for big presentations where you have to speak in front of a room full of people and it definitely gains people’s trust in your capabilities. To my surprise and delight, Inge tells me that her graduate program is a lot better than studying because she gets more constructive criticism on a regular basis. Of course, there will always be those people that don’t handle criticism very well. They sometimes forget that learning and performing in a new job is a growing process, it doesn’t just happen. When I ask Inge what it takes to process
People don’t know that although you studied a BCom degree you can have a career in fashion. the critiques, she says that “you have to be someone that can’t be walked over easily. You also have to be positive, someone who doesn’t give up that easily. Some things will take more time to achieve and will take a lot of work. It won’t always be good times, but you just have to push through.” Growing in a new job goes hand in hand with working hard, the one cannot happen without the other. This means staying updated with the latest trends and industry news, especially when you are prepping for meetings. Meetings are the key environments developing ideas that turn into the final products, says Inge. The best part about her career this far has been attending her first fashion show where her company showcases all the season’s new trends before they hit the shelf – just one of the many perks that make this job even more
rewarding. As is the way of the working world, before the job comes the much-dreaded interview. Although I can’t give you the complete how-to guide for an interview, I can share some insider tips from someone who has been there and clearly did a lot of things right to stand out from the many other hopefuls that applied for the job. It may be only one interview or it may be more, but it will require a lot of introspection before you are ready.
I
nge says to know why you want to do this job, especially people who studied BCom, they might want to know “why fashion?’, and why not the corporate world where you can make so much more money. You have to convince them and know what’s going on in the company: Know who the CEO is and know what is going on with their shares and labels – there is a big chance they will ask you about it. Also, know about the economy. Really think about your strong and weak points and make sure you can name them when you are asked about it to show you have confidence in yourself. And lastly, know what your job description is. When I ask Inge why fashion and not money, she says, “Of course it’s not all about money, I realised that in my second year of university pushing through to complete my degree. It’s really important loving what you do. So many people are sitting in a job where they make so much money but aren’t even happy. Yes I have stress, but I can still go home after a day’s work and feel happy, and that’s most important. I have the whole package right now, because I love fashion and I’m good with numbers so if the glove fits...” The glove seems to be a perfect fit for her and it could also be for many other students studying a BCom thinking that a fashion career will never be possible. “Fashion has such a big business side that people don’t know about, even people with a degree in science can work in fashion, they actually have people that do lab work and tests on the textiles. There is something for everyone: all you need is passion and unfailing determination for the career you want to pursue.”
YOUR
CAREER
The South African fashion industry may be small, but there is a wide variety of jobs available for determined (and stylish) graduates. Daniël Geldenhuys asks industry insiders how they work it.
in fashion
Anisa Mpungwe Designer, Loin Cloth and Ashes What did you study after high school? How did this help you with your job today? I studied my BA in Fashion Design and Marketing in South Africa and moved to London to study my PG in Creative Pattern Cutting for the Industry. Studying design was the best move for me as all the skills I acquired then, I apply now in my collections and in my business. Did you receive any additional training once appointed in your current position? I own my business, so I always make sure if there is ever a short course on business that I need to attend to, I do. Describe a typical day in your work life. I wake up at 4am to make it to work by 5am. I then head straight to my cutting table to make some patterns so that my cutter can cut them to fabric when she arrives at 8am. When my two teams arrive at 8am there is usually a briefing on what we have to do that day or week, what is urgent what isn’t etc. My teams begins by 1pm – the studio seamstresses and the two store assistants. I take my meetings from 10am all the way to 2pm. After that I am usually in a fabric store, dressing my window in my shop, doing a fitting, sending emails or fixing something. We finish work at 5pm and I rush back home to try catch my gym class at 6.30pm. I am usually in bed by 10pm and do it all over again the next day. How do you dress for work? It depends on the day. If I have meetings back to back, I tend to be more formal and that usually involves a black blazer. But on days where I just have studio time I’m in my harems and a smart hoody. What has been your career highlight so far? When I won ELLE New Talent in 2008 and learnt I was the first black female to do so. Another moment was when I showcased at New York Face week in 2010. I was the first Tanzanian to show at Bryant, sharing the same ramp as designers I admired like Michael Kors, Rachel Roy and Alexander McQueen. What is the most challenging aspect of your work? I think to always stay balanced is most challenging for me. Every day is different, every issue I come across is unlike the pervious, so it’s very hard to even say to someone that I’ll meet them for dinner because maybe a zip delivery might be delayed and my deadline for completion is the next day and I’m forced to work until 3am. What kinds of people (personality-wise) are best suited for your line of work? Focused, dedicated, enthusiastic, energetic, and eager to learn type people will do alright with me. What are the must-have skills to survive in your line
FIG 1. “EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT, EVERY ISSUE I COME ACROSS IS UNLIKE THE PREVIOUS,” SAYS ANISA OF RUNNING HER BUSINESS. (all images provided)
of work? Patience, be a quick learner, learning to make as little mistakes as possible, having initiative, being multi-functional and accepting the fact that sleeping is a luxury. Yes, this is skill too. What is the biggest misconception about your job? That it is always glamorous. Tough decisions are made every day. Having your own business is hard work, not only that, the people that work for you also have families to support and that is a big responsibility on an employer. What tip would you give someone who is about to walk into a job interview for a job like yours? Be honest, be assertive. Have a stunning personality and always deliver. No one knows your worth or knows how far you can be stretched but you. Confidence in your skills and knowledge is very important!
Jason Smith Mens Agent, Boss Models What did you study after high school? How did this help you with your job today? I studied a BA: Culture and Arts through UNISA while working at my sisters Law Firm on a part-time basis. Did you receive any additional training once appointed in your current position? I was thrown into the deep end and learnt by never being scared to ask for help as well as watching and learning from my colleagues. Describe a typical day in your work life. A typical day would be replying to emails and requests from clients or models. Calling and checking on models who are travelling. Checking with clients when they are shooting. Making sure models books are updated and that clients have seen any new material. How do you dress for work? We are free to dress casual and how we want. We are very fortunate in that! Jeans, vests, shorts. What has been your career highlight so far? Far too many to remember. I suppose the great satisfaction is seeing a model go from being a “new face” to having a successful international career. What is the most challenging aspect of your work? Any job were one is involved with many people on a daily basis is challenging. What kinds of people (personality-wise) are best suited for your line of work? People with confidence – a lot of people trust your judgment so you need to have “aura” of knowing what you are doing.
FIG 2. “THERE IS NO CAREER THAT YOU WALK IN AND YOU GET INSTANT GRATIFICATION.”
Giselle Hon Press Relations Manager What did you study after high school? Financial Information systems at Cape Technikon. I’ve been an internal auditor and fashion editor, before my current job.
What are the must-have skills to survive in your line of work? Patience, a good memory and being very organised! There is a lot of admin and follow-up required in this job with many people’s careers in your hands, not to mention clients expecting certain things from you.
How did this help you with your job today? I’m not clueless when it comes to Excel, controls and budgets.
What is the biggest misconception about your job? That when a model signs they start working as model immediately. There is no career that you walk in and you get instant gratification. You need to work hard if you want to get anywhere in life and achieve great things.
Describe a typical day in your work life. It changes every day. Tons of emails and phone calls, meeting editors, sending out information, thinking about what we’re going to do next.
What tip would you give someone who is about to walk into a job interview for a job like yours? Sell yourself, ask questions, show some personality and interest in the job.
Did you receive any additional training once appointed in your current position? For sure!
How do you dress for work? Fashionably sophisticated. Everyday is a fashion day! What has been your career highlight so far? Being fashion editor at various magazines What is the most challenging aspect of your work? Finding that middle ground of happiness: sticking to your objectives while keeping the media happy. What kinds of people (personality-wise) are best suited for your line of work? Those that can adapt and change, quickly and easily. What are the must-have skills to survive in your line of work? Personality and a solid, good honest hardworking work ethic. What is the biggest misconception about your job? That it’s all glamorous and I don’t really work.
FIG 3. “BE HUMBLE AND BE WILLING TO BE TAUGHT.”
What tip would you give someone who is about to walk into a job interview for a job like yours? Confidence is good, but remember, you’re new and you actually know nothing. Be humble and be willing to be taught. You don’t walk in at the top. Be really interested and keen. Leave your cocky “me-me” attitude for your friends, not your employer. Be the can-do person. There will always be things that you don’t like doing. That’s life. Buck up and get on with it.
Malibongwe Tyilo Fashion Blogger, Skattie, What Are You Wearing? Editor At Large, Visi Magazine What did you study/do after high school? How did this help you with your job today? I did a Fashion Design Diploma, which has affected every part of my career. I’ve been a designer, a fashion buyer and a stylist. Currently the way I choose looks to photograph for my blog is definitely influenced by the time I have spent working in fashion, thinking fashion and researching fashion. Did you receive any additional training once appointed in your current position? I did a short course in photography in order to try and get a better technical understanding of how the camera works. Describe a typical day in your work life. Because fashion blogging is not a full time occupation for me, I spend my days at Visi Magazine where I work as Editor At Large. I get to research and write about décor and design trends, and also profile movers and shakers within the design industry. In the evening I attend events, launches, fashion shows, gallery exhibition openings, that sort of thing, which I shoot for my blog. How do you dress for work? I don’t really have a strict dress code, I am almost always casual. Obviously working in fashion I have certain awareness of trends and those will make it into my wardrobe. What has been your career highlight so far? This year I made it onto the Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans list. That was a real highlight for me. I’m not one for lists but that list I have always had a huge amount of respect for. What is the most challenging aspect of your work? Editing, both in terms of time and the difficulty in making a choice out of hundreds of images that I love. The time bit is a concern because I want to ensure that I post as soon as possible, which is normally immediately after an event when I get home, mostly late at night, and then to still spend a couple more hours putting together a post. Having to choose can also be so difficult, I often come
back home with hundreds of images, and I have to be strict with myself and let go of images I really love just because sometimes they are redundant, sometimes they don’t look great or tell much of a fashion story. So sometimes out of those hundreds I’ll end up using ten. What kinds of people (personality-wise) are best suited for your line of work? I think you must have a certain love or enjoyment of people and the social scene in general. To get pictures/content you are going to constantly have to engage with people, and the more comfortable people are with you the more they will be able to relax in front of your lens and let you have a moment of their lives What are the must-have skills to survive in your line of work? There are different kinds of fashion bloggers, some write and photograph, some do one or the other, some do neither, they simply reblog or get press release with images. However, I believe what we really need are more bloggers who produce content, ie. write and photograph. So I would say one should learn one of these. I also think a certain level of organization is important, you’ll often be doing it for yourself with no one to boss you around so it is important to be disciplined. What is the biggest misconception about your job? That we do it for freebies. Whilst there are a few freebies that pop up every now and then, in my experience, they are not nearly enough to motivate a career choice, and most of the bloggers I know do it because they have an opinion, a world view that they want to share. What tip would you give someone who is about to walk into a job interview for a job like yours? When talking of blogging, unless you are an online editor for a brand, you won’t be going to any interviews, it’s about starting your blog and I would advise anyone who starts to be patient and consistent, blog traffic doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a slow and steady process.
FIG 4. “YOU MUST HAVE A CERTAIN LOVE OR ENJOYMENT OF PEOPLE AND THE What did you study/do after high school? How did this SOCIAL SCENE IN help you with your job today? GENERAL.” I studied a three-year Photography Degree at Natal Technikon straight after I matriculated. It set me up with the basic foundation for photography technicalities and gave me chance to experiment while studying. Did you receive any additional training once appointed in your current position? After finishing my degree, I assisted for one and half years on shoots, and was given a break and shot my first Cosmopolitan cover at 23-years-old, and it’s been blessing after blessing ever since. Describe a typical day in your work life? Depends. Office days are simple, we set up costings for interested clients or invoices for jobs done in that month, we process high-res images ordered by clients. We also follow up with images from clients to use in my portfolio and place them on my website almost as soon as they are published. The rest is pretty standard, following up payments, placing and organising shoots, reading briefs, ordering lighting and overseeing, painting, building or breaking down sets for shoots. Shoot days, clients, models and stylist arrive. While make-up is being done, I liaise with clients as to the flow and shot order of the shoot. My assistant will set up lights, do light tests with my direction, prepare my camera and set up my laptop for the days work. We will set up a session , in which the images are organised by shot number. After the shoot is done, we process all images as well as selected favourites by client, into low res for them to take with them to decide on their image preference. All the days work is backed up during the day and a final back-up is placed on a larger archive drive for safe keeping. I also drop off a drive at my digital retouching lab straight after or the following day so that we have a back-up off site. This is but a brief overview of the workings of a day on set. How do you dress for work? I wear jeans and T-shirt. I wear what makes me comfortable. In our line of work, you are on the ground, on your knees, on the roof and all over. Your outfit needs to be able to handle that and you still need to be comfortable. What has been your career highlight so far? It has been twenty years of shooting pictures and there FIG 5. “THERE IS SO MUCH HARD WORK AND LONG HOURS THAT GO INTO PRODUCING A SHOOT.”
Mark Cameron Fashion and Commercial Photographer have been plenty of great highlights for me. What is the most challenging aspect of your work? Most challenging aspect of work is having to put a shoot together last minute and there isn’t time to get everything organised. Or a brief that changes last minute and you just have to make it work! You are as good as your last image. What kinds of people (personality-wise) are best suited for your line of work? You must be a peoples person, be able to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera. Being able to deal with various characters or clients on set and in meetings. What are the must-have skills to survive in your line of work? A passion. I know it’s cliché, but it’s a tough business and can sometimes be daunting but if you are driven to work and work hard at it you will survive. What is the biggest misconception about your job? That its all glits and glamour, the way movies make it out to be. That it’s so easy to do what we do when in actual fact there is so much hard work and long hours that go into producing a shoot even on a small scale. Being freelance you have quiet months, this can be challenging as we all have to make a living. Yes shooting is fun, don’t get me wrong, but to have fun we need to be focused and plan things well and concentrate on the task at hand. There are plenty more misconceptions, but I think that’s the biggest at the moment. What tip would you give someone who is about to walk into a job interview for a job like yours? Photographers don’t get interviewed much, unless walking into an in-house position. My advice would be to make sure that your portfolio/book is of a high standard, get a team together that will work to quality and not quantity. Test as much as possible to do it, be meticulous with your work, research what’s out there. Your work should sell you and get you the job – after all that would be the reason why they would hire you at all. Be honest and be excited, your passion and understanding of the industry will help. Be as confident as you can be without sounding cocky, it won’t serve you well at all.
VIS FIG 1. OF ALL THE HOLIDAY JOBS YOU’LL BE OFFERED, HOUSE SITTING IS CERTAINLY THE MOST ALLURING OPTION WHEN YOU CAN MAKE AN ENTRANCE. DON’T FORGET YOUR SUNGLASSES. From left: checked shirt, R499, Mari and Me; slouchy knit, R330, Stay True; printed trousers, R179, Cotton On; woodlook sunglasses, R150, Metropolis; double-finger ring, R180, Stay True; slingbag, R1 499, Country Road; courts, R399, Zoom. Printed shirt, R549, Country Road; checked shirt, R450, YDE; trousers, stylist’s own; metal sunglasses, R175, The Lot; puzzle-piece metal necklace, R149.95, The Lot; leather backpack, R1 450, Rowdy; shoes, model’s own. Printed dress, R299, Cotton On; parka, R1 299, Country Road; metal sunglasses, R175, The Lot; metal necklace, R269, Accessorize; ring, R75, Lulu Belle; printed canvas and leather bag, R1 250, Kat van Duinen; clip-on ear cuff, R70, The Lot, studded army-print platforms, R425, Zoom.
Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie. Models: Alexandra Nagel and Vikash Gajjar. Model Mentor: Ronette Liebenberg
JUST SITING Circles, squares, triangles, and everything in between – if your new-season accessories don’t shape up, now is the time to beg, borrow and steal. Photographed by Michael Goldsmid.
FIG 2. THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO CLEAN A TUB. JUST MAKE SURE YOUR METALLIC RINGS DON’T LEAVE ANY SCRATCHES. Metal flip-up sunglasses, R150, Metropolis; checked trousers, R499, Cotton On; jelly boots, R599, The Lot. Double-finger ring with three pyramids, R49, Accessorize; metal ring (worn on pointer), R90 (for a set of three), The Lot; metal cones ring (on middle finger), R199, Accessorize; heptagon metal ring, R150, LuluBelle; metal ring with metal chains, R90 (for a set of three), The Lot.
FIG 3. WHY NOT TRY ON THAT LACE EVENING DRESS YOU SAW IN THE CLOSET? CONTRAST THE PRETTY LOOK WITH A MASCULINE WATCH: THERE’S NO BETTER INSTAGRAM MOMENT. From left: tie-dye shirt, R299, The Lot; shorts, R179, and printed backpack, R249, Cotton On; trousers and shoes, model’s own. Lace dress, R2 999, Mari and Me; snakeskin clutch, R999, Country Road; watch, R179, Cotton On; pointy flats, R290, Truworths. FIG 4. (opposite) THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF AMUSING FINDS IN THE MAN CAVE. ONCE THE NOVELTY WEARS OFF, TRY SWITCHING YOUR BELT AND NECKLACE. Dress, R599, Country Road; elastic belt (worn as necklace), R250, The Lot; necklace (worn as belt), R120, Lulu Belle; bracelet, R39, Cotton On; sunglasses, R175, The Lot; square metal earrings, R119 (for a set of three), Accessorize; courts, R399; Zoom.
FIG 5. THE MEANING OF THE TRIANGLE IS UP FOR DEBATE, JUST DON’T BE A SQUARE WHEN YOU DISCUSS IT. From left: printed dress, R999, Mari and Me; lace top, R450, The Lot; triple triangle metal earrings, R99, Accessorize. Printed vest, R210, Stay True; satin jacket, R999, Metropolis; metal triangle necklace, R149.95, The Lot. Sheer floral print shirt, R310, Stay True; trousers, R179, Cotton On; triple triangle metal earrings, R99, Accessorize.
FIG 6. WHEN SIRENS SOUND, GRAB YOUR FAVOURITE BAG AND USE THE BACK DOOR. From left: mesh-panel dress, R1 499, Country Road; printed patchwork dress, R249, Cotton On; chunky bracelet, R180, and sling bag, R420, LuluBelle; mesh shopper, R399, Country Road; cork flatforms, R299, Zoom. Mesh-panel checked shirt, R275, Cotton On; sheer silk organza wrap top, R1 490, Kat van Duinen; slouchy trousers, R699, Country Road; hoop earings, R120, Stay True; shopper, R699, Accessorize; leopard clutch, R249, Cotton On; chunky heels, R349, Zoom. Check shirt (just seen), R199, Rosey and Vittori at Metropolis; contrast-sleve jacket, R499, Cotton On; trousers, stylist’s own; fabric duffel, R349, Cotton On; leather duffel, R1 600, and leather briefcase, R1 300, Rowdy. Click to shop this story.
FIG 1. SIYANDA RALANE – MUSIC OF THE SUN
This look is how we came to know Rihanna. It’s fresh, young, and easy going. It will suit any face shape, and the colour doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. The wavy look (if you don’t have it naturally) will require some styling, but beach waves can be created effortlessly by applying a texturising spray when you hair is damp and then twisting you hair into a bun until it dries. This look is perfect for anybody hesitant to go for something too ‘out there’, but still wants to add some warmth to their hair with tones of honey and chocolate brown. Siyanda wears a monochrome dress, R745, and metal rings, R180 each, all Metropolis; jacket, Siyanda’s own. Beauty Director: Barbara Fourie. Fashion Editor: Daniël Geldenhuys. Shot on location at the Baxter Theatre. Click to shop this story.
RI-UP
the hair
P
With just days to go before music icon Rihanna invades Cape Town, Barbara Fourie shows five campus girls how to style their RiRi locks to rocker perfection. The question is: which Rihanna era will you take to the head for the big show? Photographed by Lauren Theunissen.
FIG 2. CHAZE MATANALO – GOOD GIRL GONE BAD
Trendy, daring and rebellious like the girl who made it famous, this style is best for oval, rectangular and heart shaped faces. Beware, maintenance is required: if your hair doesn’t have natural waves you’ll have to take care of that, and the shorter side will have to be trimmed regularly. Remember that if you do decide to grow it out, it will reach that awkward-length stage. Chaze wears a dress, R595, and clutch, R595, Metropolis; jacket, rings and ear cuff, Chaze’s own.
FIG 3. BUSANG SENNE – UNAPOLOGETIC
This style can be pulled off by anyone with an oval face shape, a defined bone structure or a strong chin. (Best avoided by rectangles and circles.) Daring and low maintenance, it’s ideal for someone with a very busy lifestyle that doesn’t have hours to spend on styling: the only essentials are a dab of styling product like wax or texturising spray. Then you’re good to go. Busang wears a crop top, R225, and metal rings, R180 each, all Metropolis; nose ring, jacket and trousers, Busang’s own, leather and metal necklace, stylist’s own.
FIG 4. ELISE DE BEER – UNAPOLOGETIC (REMIXED)
This look can be rocked by anyone with big eyes or high cheek bones; it will automatically make your features pop. It’s a semi-low maintenance look. Depending on your hair texture, it will need styling and regular trimming to keep this style looking fresh. Any girl that decides to wear this style is edgy and funky. Keep in mind though that your make up and clothing will have to complement this look to pull it off completely. Elise wears a studded top, R225, and metal necklace, R295, Metropolis; ear studs and bracelet, Elise’s own.
FIG 5. HOLLY GARDNER – TALK THAT TALK
This hair can create a very sweet and youthful look, so it’s up to you to give it some edge. The layers will elongate a round face and accentuate your jaw line. If you are not naturally blonde you should take caution to not damage your hair when going lighter and rather opt for highlights or one shade lighter than your current hair colour. This is the perfect style to wash and wear; it creates an uber laid back look, perfect for the those long summer days on the beach. Holly wears a shirt, R345, leggings (worn as scarf), R345, ring, R180, all Metropolis. Click to shop this story.
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