Thursday, January 28, 2010

Awesome Gadgets: New Apple iPad Tablet PC

The iPad is a tablet computer developed by Apple Inc. It features multi-touch interaction with print, video, photo, and audio multimedia, internet browsing, and runs most current iPhone OS apps.The device has an LED-backlit 9.7-inch (25 cm) multi-touch in-plane switching color display running at XGA resolution. Steve Jobs has intended for the iPad to redefine the textbook, newspaper, and television industries in much the same way the iPod reshaped the music business. Prices for models in the United States range from US$ 499 (R3775) to US$ 829 depending on the amount of storage and inclusion of 3G access. Pros? An impressive 10 hours, with a month of standby time. Cons? There’s only one connector - a 30-pin, no USB and no camera. What do you use it for? Web surfing, videos, music, games, productivity applications, e-book reader and runs almost any app in the App Store. Somehow I think it’s still gonna take a while before South Africans substitute hard newspapers and books for soft digital books, it’s a trend I haven’t heard much about so not entirely sure we are even gonna be getting this one, but I had to feature it just cuz its so darn pretty, with the same sexy and minimal design that over recent years has become unanimous with the Apple brand.

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Alexander McQueen’s Spring Colour Serpentry

Alexander McQueen’s ‘Plato’s Atlantis’ Spring 2010 collection has receive incredible critical acclaim because of its blindingly vivid prints, but the talk of the runway show seemed to have been the shoes, which FC describes as the ‘how did they walk in those Armadillo heels’. Personally I don’t care for the Armadillo heels at all, but cannot deny that their intriguing and awkward appearance is somewhat fascinating. Lily Cole, Noot Seer, Daphne Guinness, Camilla Belle and Lady GaGa (who we’ve all come to expect to always be fabulously eccentric in her fashion choices), have all worn these10-inch-tall beautiful monstrosities and looked rather funky in them. Hmm ‘funky?’, perhaps that’s why I don’t really like them, I’ve never put on an ensemble with hopes to come off as ‘funky’, a lot of things, smart, classic, formal, casual, pip, chic, offbeat, plage chic etc but never funky so perhaps that why. Featured is the first look at Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2010 ad campaign shot by Nick Knight. Model Raquel Zimmermann is buried in 30 snakes which are as colourful as her McQueen jumpsuit – she deserves some sort of bravery medal for being able to pose with more than 2 dozen serpents and still look sultry & poised. Click on image for a better view, the picture is just stunning.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Could This Be Why Dinosaurs Became Extinct?

....they perhaps missed Noah's Ark? LOL, that would suck! Pic by Regan

Boz-Com Promo: Make a movie, win a Vespa

Article I saw on Biz-Community and thought it would be of interest to some of you as Capetonians seems to love Vespas. Apparently all you need is a dash of creativity and you could be riding a Vespa, courtesy of the Vespa Takeone Video Challenge.
What is Vespa Takeone?

Well you can show off your movie-making skills to the rest of SA and all it takes is a bit of creativity, a couple of willing extras and Vespaverde to make a two-minute video about the classic style icon, Vespa.
What is Vespaverde?
Verde means ‘green' in Italian and there's a lot of green in a Vespa - you save on fuel, you save on carbon dioxide emissions, you can nip through any traffic jam, and you will make your friends green with envy :P There's never been a better, or sexier, time to go green.
Prize? The winner of the competition will scoot away in a stylish Vespa LX 150Vespa
To enter? 1. Go to www.vespatakeone.co.za now and sign up. 2.Get clued up on the Vespaverde 3. Enlist a few buddies 4.Make an awesome 2 min Vespa video 5.Upload your video on www.vespatakeone.co.za 6.Get you best friends, colleagues, aunts, uncles and even your gran to vote for it and voilài you win a Vespa. PS: The comp is all about creativity. So you needn't have a Vespa in your vid, just be creative and make it seem like there is,
and there will be monthly winners as well, each of whom will also be rewarded with hampers consisting of authentic Vespa paraphernalia.

Friday, January 22, 2010

Vogue Magazine’s September Issue:The Film

The September 2007 issue of Vogue weighed nearly five pounds (840 pages), and was the single largest issue of a magazine ever published. As an avid lover of fashion and all things sartorial I was dying to go watch this documentary and thankfully it has finally reached our shores. So last night, a friend and I headed to the V&A Waterfront (Cape Town) last night with a friend of mine hoping for the all access exposé on the story of legendary Vogue editor in chief Anna Wintour and her larger-than-life team of editors creating the issue and ruling the world of fashion. Simply, The September Issue is a wonderful film with vast appeal starring Anna Wintour, Grace Coddington, Andre Leon Talley, Patrick Demarchelier, Mario Testino and Oscar De La Renta amongst others. Giving us everything we have come to expect from our fashion-centered programming and more, we are left with the sense that we have uncovered a mystery. Sadly, this feeling is a bit naïve, those going to see R.J. Cutler's subtle, glib & supple documentary hoping to peek beneath the formidable bangs of Anna Wintour, will be disappointed: This is a film whose ambitions range wider than the contents of her guarded psyche, but that’s not saying it isn’t beaded with several amusing Anna moments. All very consistent with her ice queen reputation, Wintour is often disconcertingly direct and frequently unfeeling, though not without a dry sense of humor. Her arctic imperiousness has a way of creating the most masochistic deference, a dynamic that R.J Cutler superficially explores and at times becomes prone to in his documentary because when it's all over, we still don't know who Wintour really is or the key inner workings that have turned Vogue into a fashion bible- I felt like the film reduced Vogue’s success, to its powerful editor in chief who is incredibly influential in the fashion industry and having an inordinate amount of money from Condé Nast, the parent company that owns Vogue, to make the shoots as glossy as possible, surely this can’t just be it. So while it doesn't scratch much below the surface, The September Issue is still an entertainingly voyeuristic glimpse into the corridors of the head of the fashion train– personally the documentary’s breakout star is Vogue creative director, 69 year old Grace Coddington, a former model whose plain appearance and frumpy clothing belie her genius for fashion. She counters her boss every chance she gets and provides the film with a much-needed emotional center.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Wayfarers: Most Popular Vintage Style

One style enjoying a pronounced renaissance right now is the Ray Ban ‘Wayfarer’, which dates from 1952 when their design was a revolutionary break from the metal eyewear of the past. If you’re looking for the sunglasses Audrey Hepburn wore in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, look no further – they were Wayfarers in a tortiseshell pattern. Though they were originally marketed to pilots, they were popularized by Kim Novak and Marilyn Monroe, and went on to enjoy favor with countless celebrities through the 1960’s and 1970’s. In the 1980’s, Tom Cruise re-popularized them in the movie ‘Risky Business’.If you’re looking for ‘Buddy Holly’ glasses, those are also the Wayfarer style, but in black with clear lenses, worn as regular eyeglasses instead of sunglasses. Since late 2009 these style has been repopularized, in Cape Town alone, every reasonably conscious indivual seems to possess at least one pair of Wayfarers, they also come in a wide variety of seriously funky colours. I believe in classics so my pair is a simple black one.

At The Movies This Week

Having a busy day today at work so havent had much time to blog, but this week i got to see two new movies, Sherlock Holmes and The September Issue. Right now busy writing review for The September Issue, which I was expecting to love with my entire heart, but was disappointed with RJ Cutler's direction/production but still the documentary managed to highlight that, whether with the help of the team she’s perhaps malevolently whipped into shape, Anna Wintout is, after all, a very good editor, she has been Editor of Vogue for the past 20 year, but as for getting close to Wintour-or even explaining the unfathomable mystery that can be haute couture -- the film comes up empty which is a shame since press notes boast that Mr. Cutler was given "unprecedented access" and the right of final cut; all advantages he doesn’t seem to have put to much use.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Black Car Maintenance-What They Don't Tell U

Ok so I drive a black car – and whoa what a mission – to keep clean, to drive its a joy quite pleased. Ok the nicest thing about black cars is they look sexy and mysterious bla bla we all like them but there are certain things no one will tell you until you have a black car…keeping it clean! Whoa! Rain is your enemy, it rains a lil bit, the car’s f*cked, you’ll need a car wash the next day, I recently learnt this now that we've had two rainy days in Cape Town this week, well more like light showers but still to the car its the same effect – so below is a list of things black car owners need to keep note while trying to retain that beautiful black colour. Another thing I thought was a luxury for cars is waxing, didn’t know it was a necessity, apparently cars need waxing regularly. Modern paint finishes are too susceptible to damage, and wax when done properly will act as a sacrificial layer between pollution, UV light, etc and the paint. Contaminants will get down, pore-deep, into paint. Even with wax, weekly washings are recommended, though most people have restrictions with time, or simply don't have the inclination to wash every week.
  1. Avoid Automatic Car Washes because they cause those awful swirls on the car from the motion and they show best on black cars, bonus :P
  2. Use a good quality pH balanced car shampoo – now I’m not ignorant but I did not know cars had shampoo – gone are the days of liquid dishwashing soap, Windex or even or handy Andy.
  3. Use best quality wash mitt or sponge and a pH neutral car shampoo. Dry with a clean 100% Cotton Terry Towel. For some of us who prefer not to do the washing ourselves, you need to make sure they use the right cloth at the car wash place.
  4. When waxing, use a good polymer wax which will give protection and deepen the shine, applying with a soft terry-applicator.
  5. And finally, you need to remember this; NEVER wash your car in direct sunlight (if it’s black of course).

Pictured: VW Polo 1.9 TDI Sportline

Monday, January 18, 2010

L'Ormarins Queen's Plate 2010

The Saturday of the 9th of January 2010, the Cape Town's social scene rose to South Africa's most prestigious annual horse-racing event, the 149th running of the L'Ormarins Queen's Plate. The fabulous event was held at Kenilworth race course, which had been transformed into a setting where haute couture fashion, vintage cars, fine wine and the country's greatest thoroughbreds took centre stage. The event is largely if not solely sponosored by the L'Ormarins Wine Farm, part of the Rupert Family's wine estates. I was very reluctant to go mainly because of my near non-existant interest in horse racing, but after being offered free tickets by 3 different people, on the 3rd count which was ont he very morning of the event, I agreed, only if i could arrive at 4pm, because I had a lunch i couldnt cancel. The event has started at 11am, so 4pm was the best time for me to arrive. The dress code is very strict, blue and white, no excpetions. This was exciting to me, I'm someone who enjoys dressing to a theme - especially a very literal one like that, because it sort of gives you a canvas of blue and white, which everyone will have conformed to, now the test is, what kind blue do you have on, and how have you played with the accessories, *giggles* - anyway that Saturday was one of the hottest days in CT so I knew anything formal was out of the picture - so I wore white(crisp white) skinny jeans, black belt, stone wash blue shirt with a white collar - and to bring in some pizzazz, my trusty black patent leather shoes by Coxx Borba I bought in Paris in 2007, which i believe was a whole season before everyone started buying patent leathetr shoes like mad *grin* - I had inteded to wear my wayfarers shades but forgot to change shades before leaving the car (The aviators are better for driving) so I ended up wearing gold aviators, which I was very bleak about until I saw the pictures, and they didnt look too bad :P then i was happy again. The highlight of the event for me was how well dressed and the effort the guys had made to look very chic, not all of them were formally dressed which was great and the various interpretations of the theme were awesome, some guy was in white shorts and the best blue and white stripped shirt I've ever seen, there is no way to describe how cool his outfit looked, and he had on Ray Ban wayfarers with a red trim, was was incredibly quirky against the preppy overall look. Later int he afternoon after the last race, after i betted, my first time, and lost, ah well, the concert started, Gangs Of Instumentals, Just Jinjer & Goldfish performed, to have danced the night away....cant wait for next year as I'm def going, willingly this time around, it was too festive to miss.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Stolen Emporio Armani Classic EA0433 Watch

OK so there's this awesome blog i read often called 00o00, and the blogger was talking about a what defines a great shopping experience, and the basis of the article was based on his experience with various stores when he was searching for a new battery for his Emporio Armani watch - now here's the lightful part, the said watch is the exact same watch I had got in Paris when i was there for xmas in 2007. But sadly mine got stolen after only 3 wears. And i had meant to replace it but over the years, I started to forget, until when i saw this post, it made me realise that as simple and somewhat non-special this watch might look to some, to me it was the definition of what i had been looking for for years as a simple, chic and timeless cocktail watch to wear with a tux or a nice suit and bow tie, and cuz I don't attend events like that all the time, with jeans!!! So now I'm busy considering buying the watch again, but a part of me thinks I can obviously find newer and better watches out there, but a lil' boy inside me says, 'buy it and wear it everyday to make up for all this time you've missed it' - I only have two watches at the moment, this would be a 3rd, but both my current ones have leather straps...should i be looking to diversify and get a metal buckle? I have one brown one and one with red straps - more on them later...for now I need to know if anyone thinks i should buy this Armani watch.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Happy 2010 !!!!!

So its a new year, I hope everyone had a great festive season - and didnt torture themselves too much about making unrealistic and dare I say completely unnecessary resolutions...i dont get why people can't just make the changes they wanna make in their lives and always wait for New Years Eve to compile a list of things they never accomplished that passing year as if much will be different the following year...anyway maybe i just dont get it. I dont make new year's resolutions, I make resolutions contineosly when i want to. For anyone who's been waiting patietly for me to start posting again well your wishes might just come true. I have decided to make more time available to post more regulary and the blog might be taking a slight change in direction and will include a lot more pictures that i hope will be point of discussion and interest, so stay tuned.