ELLE New Talent Winner 2011

This year, I was especially interested in the ELLE New Talent Competition. Not only was my lecturer one of the finalists (with an incredible collection called 'Heroine' by Danielle Hartman), but being a fashion design student myself, I realised that these designers were our country's (and my shopping) future. Even with very stiff competition, Kelly Esterhuyse, a PE-based designer and winner of this year's competition, had me hooked. The intricate, bold, tough, textured and elegant knitwear looks have me shaking out my piggy bank in the hopes of securing one of these pure Mohair looks for next winter. Luckily she will be developing a range with Mr. Price which will suit my student budget better. Here are some images from her winning collection:

Springbok Style

I'm not too sure that people regard rugby fans among the most fashionable people out there. Whether it be the ugly (coloured) rugby jerseys sported by the teams or the horned and fluffy accessories that go with it- it can't really be described as a feast for the eyes. However, growing up in Pretoria (in my eyes the undisputed heart of rugby in South Africa), I knew there had to be more fashionable ways to support our national team, especially during the world cup. This is what I found:

Let them eat cake

I'm a bit of a cake-a-holic. When I'm happy, I eat cake. When I'm sad, I eat cake. When I'm hungry, I eat cake. One of the biggest dissapointments in my life was when I ordered a cake for my 21st birthday (with specific design instructions) and it came out looking like something that escaped from the 70's (in a yucky dirty pink and, um, odd brown colour). At least it still tasted delicious. Since then, I've become even more interested in how cakes should look...Here are some of my favourites (for now):

Proudly South African: MaXhosa Knitwear Style

This week, except for the all important Rugby World Cup, South Africans have been showcasing their talents in another important field: fashion. Some of our top local designers have been chosen to present their collections at the UBUNTU Fashion Project at London Fashion Week- a feat in itself. The fact that the standard of some of their work is equal to that of the well-known international designers, and in some cases even better than, got me even more excited. One of my favourites was the show by the Eastern Cape-based team of MaXhosa Knitwear. I love the striking use of colour and bold African inspired designs. A-ma-zing. Here are some of my favourite looks:

Emmy Go's

Here are some people who used their thinking caps...and they look amazing. It seems as if black, red and nude tones were hot on the red carpet this year. And, although many people won't agree, I'll go out on a limb and admit it: I appreciated Gwyneth's stomach.