For those who haven't been inside the One&Only Resort in Cape Town, South Africa, and are perhaps somewhat stunned by how bland the façade visible from the back is, well here's a pic that will show you the front, with its man-made island - the front design is a tad more exciting, only by comparison, personally at nearly R1 Billion, I expected something a bit more awe inspiring, perhaps that's just me, am i too festive? Anyway, see pic attached and appreciate it, its a rare picture to find :P Thanks skyscrapercity.com Again tomorrow night, am going to dinner at Gordon Ramsay's Maze which is housed inside the 6 star hotel.
The third single from Solange's critically acclaimed "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams" album could finally be the one R&B radio responds to. Personally I've liked the song since a friend sent it to me long before it was announced as a single. Indicative of the overall '70s vibe of the project, "T.O.N.Y." has enough charm to sway the most current-minded R&B heads. Philly-style horns, a Motown-inspired groove and spirited girl-group background vocals frame a clever lyric about a regrettable one night stand. Check it out!
I went to the Decorex exhibition this weekend, on Saturday at the Cape Town International Convention Center and I wasn't really blown away. There was nothing new, more of what last year and the previous year presented, was kinda disappointing, but then again I didn't have to pay for it so i guess i shouldnt be complaining, and it wasn't bad by a long shot, the lack of creativity was baffling. For those of you that don't know about this exhibition, read on for a blurb about the show. Decorex SA 2009 brings you the ‘New Fusion’: of modern & focused. Urban & rural. The designed & the discovered. The exotic & close to home. The linear & the lustrous. The organic & the ornate. The world is not new to cross-cultural influences. East has been meeting West on the trade winds for centuries. Yet, never before has the fusing process been so intense, nor the sources of inspiration so truly global. Entering its 11th year, Decorex Cape Town brings you a unique blend of the emerging & the established; manufacturers & suppliers – large & small. Trade professionals & consumers can indulge in the haute & the handmade; the new simple & the avant-garde. The show promises to be a celebration of Cape Town’s most delicate & daring spaces by talented style shapers, trend makers & décor creators. http://www.decorex.co.za/
My love of architecture and design in general means I’ll often stop and take random pics of arb buildings, the older the better, like this one, I took this over my lunch, this is in the vibrant Long Street in Cape Town. I love the Victorian style, solid yet romanticized detail, probably stemming from late 18th century – the colours are also very decadent, reminiscent of a time of luxury & opulence yet the structure as a whole is not as ornate as typical Victorian styles, its more structures, straight lines, flat roof, so I’m guessing this must be an Italianate or Neo-Renaissance Victorian style – anyone who knows better please feel free to advise accordingly. Anyway so I thought I’d share this building, pic taken by me, today around 13h44, the weather is overcast as you can see.
Yesterday was South Africa’s voting day – the day was a public holiday- yay. So until 2 days ago I didn’t think I was going to vote, but this was for different reasons to everyone else that seemed to not want to vote purely because they didn’t know who to vote for. I didn’t have those problems (or so I thought), I had missed the registration date and so thought I wasn’t registered but it turns out if you voted in 2004, you didn’t need to register again unless you changed locations, so I was still registered, but obviously in Rondebosch, where i used to live, which was awkward, how does one get there? Yes its only 7 minutes away from town, but I never leave town, why would I, have you been to town lately, town rocks! I had all the intentions to wake up early, cast my vote and feel empowered, even though I didn’t know for who yet – I soon realized, I was still excited, but then as I often do, I woke up at noon, which is to be expected after going to bed at 5am! When I woke up I heard on the radio that it didn’t matter where you were registered, you just had to fill a ‘form’ and you’d be able to vote – this announcement agreed with me cuz I’m surrounded by schools and civic centers… no I do not live in a settlement, just the Cape Town zoning is a bit odd, the city’s greenbelt, aptly named Green Point (where I live) is filled with schools, but that’s irrelevant right? So I made my way to one of the schools, decked out in greys and blacks, broken with hints of whites, you had to see it to love it – I had to have a moment, I was gonna be walking, I barely walk, but when I do, it must be a moment – again digression! My point was to convey the mood of the day, as much as we all like hate to admit South African voting is still racially charged, so I had the black jeans to represent black, the white v-neck t-shirt and white sneakers to represent the white, then the grey jacket and grey scarf to represent the middle ground which is where I often find myself, the aviator shades were just a creative call, not much meaning there! So I got there and everything was clearly, well maybe not clearly, but it was marked and the queues were short, I stood a total of 10 mins till I got to the table where a somewhat illiterate lady filled the form for me and I made my way to being inked and given two ballot papers – it was at this queue that I decided to start texting people, my friends, mom, dad etc to ask them who I should vote for, COPE, DA, ANC? one of the responses from a ‘will-not-be-named’ assumed responsible individual was “Vote for who you think is the better crook”, I gasped and some suggested the I.D & some UDM, that’s when I started questioning some of my friends’ intellect, a ridic suggestion was MCQP, which made me blurt out a loud shriek, people found this behavior peculiar (the laugh) considering everyone else looked nervously poised, you could have sworn they were Arabs going through customs in the States, anyway at the same time I was getting pressuring messages like, “do the right thing for your country”, what the f*%k IS the right thing? All in all it was an exhilarating 3 minutes in that final queue. I was then ushered to a booth and I took my time to look at both the Provincial and National ballots, then I voted, for different parties on each, in my head it seemed calculated but knowing me I probably cocked everything up. But at least I can say I voted. I exercised my right. The picture I took while in the booth, I was worried they might arrest me if they heard my phone camera go ‘click’ - which I guess would have been mildly more exciting than being back at work.
Sunday evening me and a mate, went for a walk at Camps Bay beach! Its a walk i often enjoy, and this day was no exception, and the company made it that much more special - these are two of the pics I took with my crappy camera - so the quality is not the best - but i adore the hue the sunset makes against the sky.
This is a post i just found on my drafts, I've even forgotten who to credit with the post, oh well, but its still relevant so i'm posting it now - South Africans have until July 7 to vote for Table Mountain in the global race to name the New 7 Wonders of Nature. The country’s most famous mountain needs an injection of votes to secure its spot as one of the world’s top wonders. The New7Wonders Foundation in Zurich, Switzerland announced in January 2009 that Table Mountain was one of 261 magnificent natural sites from 222 countries to have made it through to the second round in this global race to name the New 7 Wonders of Nature. Other iconic African natural sites to come through the first round include the Kalahari Desert, the Great Rift Valley, the Avenue of Baobabs, Lake Tanganyika, the Kafue National Park and Victoria Falls. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be determined by votes from the public and South Africans and fans from outside of our borders can show their support for the Mother City’s majestic mountain by visiting www.votefortablemountain.com and casting their vote. Voting to select the top 77 sites runs until July 7 this year. Thereafter a panel of experts will select the 21 finalists - these will be announced on July 21 when the third and final phase of voting will begin. The official New 7 Wonders of Nature will be revealed in 2011. More than 1 billion votes are forecast. To cast your vote for Table Mountain visit www.votefortablemountain.com Contact the Cableway on 021 424 0015 for information.
I should also tell you that we need to be in the Top 11 to qualify for the next round… and we are sitting at 29! Was does that tell you? EXACTLY - CLICK HERE with great urgency and CAST YOUR VOTE! And this is not just for Capetonians, this is for SOUTH AFRICA. Come on, gang! Get involved! Bottom pic was taken from a friend's of mine's roof terrace in the center of Cape Town.
Following the ruling by the IEC to allow South Africans living abroad to vote, today is their day to cast their vote for the elections held on the 22nd in South Africa. This morning on the radio I heard one of the IEC representatives explaining the process. London, naturally, has the highest concentration of South Africans outside South Africa and the queues were very long, but the image provided is off the voters in Dubai, where there's also a suprisingly large number of South Africans who are clearly planning to come back home at some point, why else care to vote? Pic: Expats queue at the South African Consulate in Dubai, UAE, to cast their votes.
So i think I've lost my favourite pair of shades (see image), which kinda sucks cuz i really loved them, they were simply perfect for me, sort of retro understate-Hollywood, if that's possible :P. Now I need to go on a new search for new shades. As I search for my replacement pair I need to be aware of the attributes that make a good pair of shades, below are the pros & cons of my missing pair.PROS: Simple & Attractive Design, Comfortable, Adequate tint(hue),Good polarization & protection. CONS: Expensive, Scratch easily.
Considering I’m taking French lessons I thought I’d write a post in French, I’m only doing beginner French so I’m bound to cock up the grammar and tenses, anyway!Je voudrais pouvoir partir en vacances à Paris et Monaco autour de ces vacances de Pâques, mais je ne peux pas :-( J'adore Cape Town, et ne peut pas imaginer un meilleur endroit pour vivre mais je veux juste aller en vacances à une opulente destination où je peux tout échantillon différent, les gens, la nourriture, les paysages, la langue, etc me manque la fabulosity!Main pic, taken by me in Monaco & bottom pic, taken by me in Paris!
One of my closest friends who lives in JHB just sent me pictures of his new rug and partly teasing and also knowing my love for detail has taken the time to describe the rug in a way that i think deserves a post, its a stone-winner!.."Seventies retro, with splashes of deep texture, organic, pushing the boundaries of kitsch yet retaining a warm sense of style, which blends perfectly with the surrounding decor, and still affordable considering the owner will be relocating (to New York)". And judging from the pics, this description is spot on and my friend is not known for his tidiness, but he's a geneouis when it comes to decor.
I'm all for levity, making light of things is always humourous except when referring to the 17 000 people made homeless by Monday's powerful earthquake in Italy. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said the destitute should consider themselves to be on a "camping weekend,". Touring camps set up for survivors of Monday's disaster that killed 250 people, Berlusconi told German television station N-TV: "They have everything they need, they have medical care, hot food..." "Of course, their current lodgings are a bit temporary. but they should see it like a weekend of camping."Most of the homeless spent Tuesday night in tent camps that have sprung up around L'Aquila, capital of the worst-affected central Abruzzo region. Others made do sleeping in their cars.The death toll was on Wednesday raised to 250, according to civil protection authorities cited by the Ansa news agency. These kinds of disasters I've often associated with small (often poor) countries that we know very little about and can go on blindly unaware, which is of course an awful thing to do - but it happens - at the end of the day any loss of life, especially in multitudes is always a terrible thing and hope the survivers get all the aid they require - especially now that Italian authorities have been quoted saying, "I thank foreign countries for their solidarity, but we ask them not to send us aid, we can handle the needs on our own. We are proud people and we have the means."
Yesterday, 06/04/2009, was a controversial day for South African politics and the for citizens as a whole after the announcement on Jacob Zuma fate regarding his corruption charges. The National Prosecuting Authority has decided to drop corruption charges against Jacob Zuma, boosting the ANC president two weeks ahead of the elections. The decision by the NPA came after weeks of speculation about the prosecution of Zuma, eight years into the case. The announcement was made at a media conference held at the NPA's offices in Pretoria. Acting NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe said the decision was one of the most difficult he has ever had to make. Mpshe said tape recordings showed evidence of political interference and abuse of power by former Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy. "Using one's sense of justice and propriety as a yardstick by which McCarthy's abuse of the process is measured, an intolerable abuse has occurred which compels a discontinuation of the prosecution. "In the light of the above, I have come to the difficult conclusion that it is neither possible nor desirable for the NPA to continue with the prosecution of Mr Zuma."It is a difficult decision because the NPA has expended considerable resources on this matter, and it has been conducted by a committed and dedicated team of prosecutors and investigators who have handled a difficult case with utmost professionalism and who have not been implicated in any misconduct," he said. - News24
Sol Kerzner's fabulous One & Only Resort hosted Nelson Mandela luncheon for the Nelson Mandela Children AIDS Foundation - Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon, Sharon Stone and Sol Kerzner and wife, Heather were some of the celebrities that shared a table with our former president Nelson Mandela and wife, Graca! Main picture taken at the luncheon, held at Gordon Ramsay's Maze, Thandie Newton and Hugh Masekela can be seen in the nearby tables. Which is one of the two restaurants in the resort by two world renowned chefs - the other being Nobu, where the opening ceremony the previous day was held - more on that later as i had the pleasure to have dinner there on Friday, 3rd of April. The hotel which at first I found underwhelming, partly due to dreary architectural design & 90's deco, looks rather lovely from the inside and has a man made island which houses the spa area as well as the villa suits.
Celebrities flocked to Cape Town for the opening of Sol Kerzner’s 6 star luxury hotel, One&Only V&A Waterfront last night. At least 400 guests — including songbird Mariah Carey, who arrived in the city yesterday morning, supermodel Naomi Campbell and actors Sharon Stone, Thandie Newton and Robert de Niro to name a few— are in South Africa for the grand opening. Carey announced her arrival on social messaging utility Twitter earlier in the week, stirring up a fan frenzy at Cape Town international airport yesterday. The newly married Carey arrived at her hotel in a cavalcade of black limos. De Niro and Stone were milling around in the lobby, waiting for former president Nelson Mandela to arrive. Kerzner said last week that the party would be “an intimate and elegant affair. It’s more of a homecoming than an extravaganza.” The cream of Hollywood and South African bigwigs will tour the seven-storey hotel, the opening of which marks Kerzner’s return to the local hotel industry after the 1992 opening of the 300-million Palace of the Lost City, in the Pilanesberg. The cocktail party has been put together by party planner to the stars Colin Cowie. Local and international artists will perform at the disco-themed concert. Guests will be expected to travel through the reception area, visiting the hotel’s various lounges and indulging in meals prepared by British chef Gordon Ramsay’s Maze restaurant and by Nobu, owned by celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa (where I'm going for dinner tonight!!) The suites at the R1-billion hotel look out onto either the V&A Waterfront marina or panoramic views of Table Mountain. They are said to be the largest in the country, with basic suites of 63m² and the presidential suite covering 383m². Rates at the hotel, part of a string of One&Only resorts around the world, range from R6000 to R50000 a night. Story based on article by The Times!
Luxury resort brand One&Only has firmly established its reputation as the leading resort group in the world offering high fashion for the discerning traveller. On April 3 with the opening of NEO, the boutique at One&Only Cape Town, the group will take this fashion leadership to new heights. Following the resort’s launch, both local residents and visitors to the resort will have access to exclusive designer collections, specially handpicked from the catwalks around the world. In addition to local finds and treasures, visitors to NEO boutique will find the most highly sought-after fashion labels in the world, including Matthew Williamson, Stella McCartney, ACNE, and Temperley. Chrome Hearts, who will introduce a superb selection of their cult jewelry and accessories, and brands such as Balenciaga, Alaia, Pierre Hardy, Marios Schwab, Thierry Colson and Josh Goot will be available for the first time in South Africa.Chantal Kerzner, founder of NEO, commented: “We are extremely proud of the boutique, particularly as so many of the brands are ‘firsts’ for South Africa. The name NEO, which in many languages signals something new, felt a perfect name for the entire experience. NEO also means ‘gift’ in the Sotho language of South Africa.”Bev Malik, Director of Fashion Buying continues: “The runways have soaked up a lot of influence from the subcontinent, so it is very timely that our latest retail offering will represent the best fashion of Africa. We will be carrying tribal print t-shirts from Junya Watanabe, African-influenced pieces from Azzedine Alaia and Christian Louboutin’s animal print espadrilles.” Complete with a champagne bar and iPod station, the shop will not only be a place for retail therapy, but somewhere to relax and socialize. The design of NEO and the resort interiors were created by internationally acclaimed New York-based interior designer Adam D. Tihany. The retail space makes clever use of natural wood with a slick black gloss, reflecting abstract cubic panels and walls of gold leaf, resulting in a rich, glamorous setting for shopping.It won’t just be female guests that will find the boutique appealing, male shoppers are also well catered for. Sneakers from Maison Martin Margiela, shorts from Orlebar Brown and a Panama hat from YSL are just a few of the pieces in the impressive menswear collection. Mixed in with the African flavour in the store will be a daring Rock ‘n Roll look as favoured by the designs of Stella McCartney and Rick Owens. Some of the inspiring accessories include YSL’s ‘arty’ rings, skull bracelets from Tom Binns and crocodile bags from Zagliani.NEO will house an eclectic mix of high fashion, cutting-edge labels, as well as local African products. A beaded copper bracelet, designed exclusively for One&Only Cape Town will be sold in store to support the charity ‘Bridge for Africa’, providing funds for Zulu AIDS female communities. Luckily i get to go to this boutique openning, yay!!! My Friday is suddenly even more exciting!
Superstar diva Mariah Carey arrived in Cape Town on Thursday to lead the festivities at the glamorous opening of Sol Kerzner's new hotel. Mariah is in Cape Town for the grand opening of Sol Kerzner's One&Only resort tonight, April 2. Other celebrities expected to attend include Clint Eastwood, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Thandie Newton, Marisa Tomei, Robert de Niro. Gordon Ramsay will be launching his first restaurant in Africa, Maze, at the resort. Nelson Mandela will be attending an intimate luncheon at Maze on Friday, April 3 to celebrate his long-standing relationship with Mr. Kerzner. One&Only, next to the Two Oceans Aquarium in the V&A Waterfront, opens on Thursday night after an investment rumoured to have totalled R1-billion. The internationally famous hotelier - best known locally for building the vast Sun City out of the dry bushveld in the Pilanesberg mountains in the North-West province - is expected to put on one of his famously lavish shows to open his Cape Town masterpiece. A Hollywood-style red carpet is expected to be rolled out to welcome stars Robert de Niro, Sharon Stone, rapper Mos Def and Bebe Winans. Former model Yasmin le Bon will be there, with daughter Saffron. Matt Damon, who is in Cape Town working on a film about the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning Springboks, will join them, and had supper with de Niro and Kerzner on Wednesday night. Damon will play Springbok captain Francois Pienaar in the Clint Eastwood-directed flick. Local stars attending tonight are said to include Yvonne Chaka Chaka, Sibongile Khumalo and Jonathan Butler. The 131-room hotel is marketed as a super-luxury "six-star" establishment, and guests will be fed from two restaurants bearing celebrity chefs' names. Gordon Ramsay of London will open one of his "maze" restaurants, and alongside him will be "Nobu", after Nobu Matsuhisa, the Japanese-born chef who is widely credited with bringing sushi to the Western world. The hotel was designed by Capetonian architectural firms Dennis Fabian Berman and Ruben Reddy and built by contractors WBHO.. Thursday night's festivities will be hosted by Kerzner and his wife Heather and Moss Mashishi, the former head of SA Tourism who heads Matemeku Investments, Kerzner's local partner.
After a rather exhausting day yesterday, I had my French lesson - thankfully we were watching a movie (Oui, mais..) last night, even though the teacher paused it after every second to point out phrases we should look out for, it still required much less concentration than a normal class and this was welcomed. After the raunchy teenaged movies, all French movies involve women touching themselves at some point, this one was no exception - After class I went home to change and head out to Julep where I was meeting some friends to watch a performance by Dave Ferguson, calls himself Lonesome Dave (he’s a one man act;), which was surprisingly really good – he…., I’ll get back to describing his style of music, cuz I don’t really know, it sort of basey-muffled style (I know it must have a name), sings into the mic, plays the harmonica, cranked out tunes like stripped down/folky blues version of Ring of fire by Johnny Cash. Julep is an awesome cocktail lounge, between their overpriced cocktails, relaxed décor, artsy ambience, ridiculously hot people and music that is not too loud you can still chat with your mates; Julep comes second to none as the best bar to go out to for a weekday night out. I’ll be there next week again, now I need to figure out where I’m heading tonight! Pardon the poor picture quality I took this with my phone, eve 5 mega pixels can’t quite cope at night - the picture is of Long Street – I took it last night – for some odd reason I didn’t take one of Lonesome Dave performing or of Julep – oh well maybe next time!
Fall fashion collections are often the more favoured by consumers and certainly my favourite. Fabrics are rich in colour and texture yet made lighter for those mild days and can often be worn year round which is great when you’re trying to build a solid wardrobe, fall fashion offers you the good basics every good wardrobe can’t be without. And since colours are typically neutral, it makes it easy to mix and match. But more importantly, autumn is about layering and I love a layered look, the key is to know how to do it well. The following are my Top 5 Men's Fall wardrobe must haves that will not only carry you through this fall and winter but seasons to come.
1. Cardigan
This is not your grandfather's cardigan. It's a different kind of sweater that has a slimmer, more modern cut that you can wear at the office or on a date. It's thin enough to wear over a dress shirt and underneath a jacket. It can even be worn over your favourite T with a pair of jeans. It's one of the most versatile items you can have in your wardrobe. Try one made out of light weight merino wool or cashmere. Personally I believe everyone should have two, one in black and one in grey.
2. Striped Shirts
Every designer and manufacturer has come out with some sort of striped shirt or another. Just get one. It can be worn independently with jeans, with a suit or under a sweater. Remember, fall is about layering and from bold and thick stripes to thin ones; it's a good look that you will find easy to incorporate into many ensembles. Nautical blues or thin red stripes will work all year round.
3. Blazer/Sports Jacket
A cool blazer is definitely a must-have item, and the styles available really give blazers a life of their own. You can find some with patch pockets and/or elbow patches, others with big lapels and double-sided vents, but they are all a revival of retro looks, personally I wouldn’t go with the patches, but that’s just me. And don't forget moleskin and corduroy options which can be a less formal look than tweed. Or choose a nice wool or wool and cashmere combination with two buttons. Don't get to wild with color though; go for a neutral tones that can easily be worn with jeans and dressier trousers as well as a dress shirt or with a printed tee underneath. It has so much versatility. My favourite is my Dolce&Gabbana two button charcoal black jacket, it’s a slim cut so it goes with absolutely everything.
4. Scarves
A scarf can be used to simply uplift a dreary outfit to something more well put together without looking like you invested copious amounts of time thinking about the draping, even if you did. I personally live for thin scarves, too thick will keep you warm but wont look nearly as suave as a thin scarf. So grab a thin scarf, a grey one is a must, preferably wrinkly. I have a thin wrinkly grey scarf from ZARA, it works with everything.
5. Jeans
Jeans have and will always be a huge part of our wardrobes, now the key thing is to get the right fits and good colours. In terms of colour, we've seen everything from dark to light washes. Some choose black, this might be too heavy for autumn, go as dark as you can without going black, personally I believe in a good dark denim, an oily indigo takes me places, but its imperative that its oily, else why am I wearing indigo. More importantly, they can be paired with just about anything. Choose well and you just can't go wrong. Perhaps if you’re feeling gutsy, go purple, I bought myself a pair of purple skinny jeans the other day, purely for amusement’s sake, odd, right? Nope, they’ve been very well received.
For those who haven't been inside the One&Only Resort in Cape Town, South Africa, and are perhaps somewhat stunned by how bland the façade visible from the back is, well here's a pic that will show you the front, with its man-made island - the front design is a tad more exciting, only by comparison, personally at nearly R1 Billion, I expected something a bit more awe inspiring, perhaps that's just me, am i too festive? Anyway, see pic attached and appreciate it, its a rare picture to find :P Thanks skyscrapercity.com
