Birthday Blog!

On the 31st of August (next week Wednesday) my lil’ blog turns one year old.

Lots of research, time, love and good coffee (and wine) have gone into this here blog. It’s gotten me a job in fashion, allowed me to meet some really creative people, and has been an epic test of commitment and patience. It’s also been lots of fun.

On that note (and because I’m a self-confessed birthday lover) I am doing a little celebratory giveaway with the help of some cool friends. Read on if the prospect of live music, free jools, lovely lashes and punk colour interests you.

Two lucky readers will each win a ticket to my absolute favourite festival of the year, Rocking the Daisies. My love of RTD has been well documented, and this year will mark my fourth consecutive bout of October revelry out in the fields of Darling. See you there!

Each ticket will be accompanied by a set of Incoco nail transfers in rock ‘n roll colours hand picked by moi. Incoco is an absolute revelation in nail colour. Made from nail polish, it is entirely dry, applied in minutes and lasts ages – festival perfection. The colour is super bright, and the dry application process means you get to avoid the pungent odor of nail polish remover, as well as smudges and other unsightly thangs. My personal favourites are the turquoise (Rock Candy) and, of course, the blood red (Passion).

Each RTD ticket winner will also win a set of handmade lovelies by local label, Ruby Ru (also hand-picked by me). I once went to Earth Dance and, in addition to being scorned for having brought a bag big enough for a month long stay (‘Heathrow’s that way!’), I was also sniggered at for hunting in the side pocket of the tent for my selection of rings upon waking. If you ask me, a festival aint a festival if you look like crap. And bright jools always make me feel good. So there you go.

Because I only have two RTD tickets to give away, and because I hate even numbers, there must be a third prize. And because we don’t want anyone getting jealous, I’ve saved my personal favourites for last…

The third prize winner will win this pair of hand-beaded earrings from Merchants on Long. I’ve been coveting them for ages, and even sent a pair all the way to Sydney for my best friend’s birthday recently. The combination of muted and neon beads, with Deco/Ndebele-inspired geometric patterns and the oversized shape is, I think, pretty much genius. They are true Africhic. And they are also for a good cause.

My earrings (I’m calling them mine because I can’t not) will be accompanied by a lash and brow tint and a set of eyelash extensions courtesy of Mooi. Mooi is my favourite local salon (for both hair and beauty), and a lash and brow tint is truly the most underrated of all treatments. If there’s one thing I can’t be parted from, its dark lashes, and I will even pass up my red lips in favour of a pair of glossy lashes. In fact, a lash and brow tint is one of my pre-festival essentials! No one likes to surface from the tent looking like a sad mole (you can quote me on that).

So…

How to enter?

1. Comment on this post and tell me about your favourite festival essential.

2. Retweet or Facebook the link and let me know you’ve done so by using my Twitter handle: @the_pessimiss

Winners drawn at random and announced on Wednesday the 31st of August.

Good luck ❤

Go Wide

I recently entered the Vogue New Talent Competition, a contest for aspiring fashion writers under the age of 25. It really is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for someone like me to tentatively place an ankle-booted toe in the door at Vogue House, London. I’m still holding thumbs that I miraculously (even though I’m not British and am merely in possession of a UK ancestral visa) make it to the illustrious top 10.

The top 10 appear before a panel of judges (including British Vogue editor, Alexandra Shulman) and are whittled down to one lucky, lucky, lucky (and talented) individual. The contest has produced some of the world’s finest fashion creatives. The best part? The winner gets to take up a month-long paid internship at Vogue in London. And £1000 prize money (Topshop, babyyyy!) But it is, of course, the internship that I have my heart set on.

Candidates were asked to write three pieces for submission – 800 words on a personal memory; a 500 word feature article (fashion or culture related) and a 500 word polemic or opinion piece. Two of my pieces were elaborations on two of my most favourite blog posts thus far, The New Critics and Leatherette)… the other, the feature article, was a lighter, more snappy piece on a trend that we’re seeing evolve this Winter – the wide leg trouser. This is the piece that I am sharing with you today:

For some time now, we’ve been obsessed with skinniness. Sleek shapes and straight lines – the opposite of fullness. We compare our legs to those of our friends, applying a beady eye in search of that rare gap between the thighs. Narrow enough ankles, some might moan, are hard to come by. And a perfectly shaped derriere? The holy grail.

You’d be forgiven for thinking I was talking about every woman’s’ lifelong fixation – her weight – but I’m actually talking about a different kind of yardstick. And it’s one that is currently experiencing a refreshing fashion revival:

The wide leg trouser.

The past few years have been dominated by a quest to find the skinniest pair of skinnies. Spurred on by Kate and Alexa’s glorious ankles and barely-there behinds, we’ve seen shapely women pour themselves into pants meant for much slighter patrons. Studded, bleached and bejewelled versions added insult to injury, as girls not shaped for the skinny were left feeling that they’d have to suck it up or be left out in the (untrendy) cold. Bootlegs, palazzos and straight legs would simply no longer do. It was skinny or scram.

Slowly but surely, the more non-conformist of those among us have started to experiment again: a peg leg here and a carrot leg there. Flirting with the flare, one might say. Others still clung to their skinnies, and even took to wearing leggings as pants, a no-no for many. What were we to do? Being naturally predisposed towards things that are svelte and simple. But there’s nothing simple about concealing curves in a pair of skinnies, is there?

The return of the wide leg trouser marks an important revival for women everywhere; a reclamation of roominess and a statement in the name of shape. Not since the days of Farrah Fawcett cruising the streets on a banana board in billowing blue jeans have we seen such a liberation of the trouser leg. Okay, so maybe there was a brief homage to the palazzo pant in the mid 1990’s, but most will agree that it was an aberration, fuelled by The Spice Girls and misguided boy bands alike.

This season’s wide leg is much more Birkin or Fawcett. It’s about freedom, confidence and feeling comfortable. The skinny, whether it suited you or not, was a self-conscious declaration of sexiness. The wide leg is its cooler, more carefree successor. Wide legs conjure images of Jane and Serge, striding down the street, eyes squinted in smile, Je t’aime moi non plus lilting on the breeze. Wide legs are 70’s career women crossing courtyards in matching wool waistcoats, and hitching free-love girls, bra-less and blithe.

Whichever image you choose as your inspiration for the season, just know that it is your right to go wide. It’s time to embrace the liberty that the wide leg provides; to say screw the skinny and go big, while we’re at it.

And the winners are…

Watch the video to find out if you’re one of my Big or Baby Love L.O.V.E prize winners! If you’re a winner, keep an eye on your inbox for prize details today.

The video is a Bagel Dog production. I’d like to thank my Bagel Dog henchkick, OMW, for providing narration in a suitably affected accent as well as light comic relief en route.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

BIG, BIG LOVE.

Loverrr

I love Valentine’s Day and I love love.

The floral embellished statement above made me think, and then smile.

I haven’t yet got plans for this Valentine’s Day, but I’m torn between going to soak up all the celestial love at a moonlit movie screening, or getting down to some prego & Berne lust at &Union (they’re running a really cool Lonely Heart’s Club Special, see below!)

On that note, if you haven’t yet entered my L.O.V.E competition and you consider yourself a lover of all the finer things in life (or just a lover, fullstop), then do yourself a favour and enter here.

Have a little lust over the &Union special:

Valentine’s Day Competition L.O.V.E

I am proud to announce my first Pessimiss giveaway!

A selection of my most favourite and oft-used brands have generously sponsored the perfect lineup of prizes to make sure your Valentine’s Day is memorable (and cool). I’m a total romantic. People that dismiss Valentine’s Day as a commercial excuse to make money and be cynical better get outta my way. If you also love love, have a browse, read the competition rules, and enter!

The competition starts today and runs until Friday the 4th of February. Winners announced Monday the 7th of February.

 1st Prize – Big Love

1. One night’s stay at the epic Old Mac Daddy luxury trailer park in Elgin.

I recently spent a weekend there, so I can tell you first hand that you’re guaranteed a fun-filled, super tranquil and beautiful stay. Stay in one of their selection of designer trailers, each one custom created by a team of South African artists and designers. Take a stroll down to the lake with a book, lounge by the pool with a G&T, take a drive out to Paul Cluver or Houwhoek, and be sure to make the most of Brinny Breezes, Old Mac Daddy’s laidback resident restaurant. Read more about it here.

2. Bestsellers courtesy of TWO Clothing.

The Double Dress & Pleated Scarf are two of my favourites, and I am nothing short of green with envy that I will be handing them over to one of you lovers on the 7th of February. TWO clothing is  feminine, flattering and such good quality, something that is sometimes a rarity in locally made clothing.

3. A bottle of Pierre Jourdan Cuvee Belle Rose and two champagne flutes, which you will sip with your significant other, wearing your TWO dress, overlooking the majestic Elgin countryside. The Belle Rose is as luscious as it sounds and you should celebrate Valentine’s day with nothing less.

4. A kilogram of coffee, ground before your very eyes, from Deluxe Coffeeworks.

This one is a little thorn in my side, because I am widely acknowledged to be a coffee snob second to none. Choose from Deluxe’s range of intoxicating, exotic blends and then let me know all about it. Or better yet, share it with me. Deluxe is my favourite spot for a shot of pure, black velveteen coffee bliss, great music and citybowl cool. They’re friendly, too (and they just got two mentions in the February issue of ELLE!) Find them here.

5. Dinner for two at Hudson’s Burger Joint

If you live in Cape Town and you haven’t had a Hudson’s burger accompanied by their famous Lagerita and Tone Loc’s Funky Cold Medina, then you better get on down to Kloof St. In Summer their outdoor section is open to the stars, and it’s a great people watching spot, too. Kick start your Valentine’s Day with my favourite, The Wise Guy (if you can handle your chilli) and a side of chilli poppers with relish.

6. A massage at Mooi Hair & Beauty Salon

Mooi rocks. Besides the stylish interiors, great location, and the fact that they give you a homemade cupcake and a mini plunger of good coffee (or wine!) with your haircut, they’re also really nice and they know their stuff. They’re the only salon I trust with my hair in Cape Town. And word on the street is that they do a mean massage, too. Iron out the post-work kinks with a pre-Valentine’s massage on Mooi!

7. Two movie tickets to The Labia Theatre

The Labia is a Cape Town classic. It’s also home to bi-monthly Saturday goods market You & Me & Everyone We Know, the Wavescape Surf Film festival and numerous other cool initiatives, not to mention the best in arthouse, foreign and mainstream film. Use your Valentine’s tickets for a good, old-fashioned date; popcorn, slushpuppies and a healthy dose of liquor.

8. Jewelry by Chloe Essery of Blackbird

Chloe’s trademark pendants and rings are much-loved by Capetonians. Inspired by local flora, old coins and beautiful fabrics, Chloe works sterling silver, resin and enamels into beautiful pieces that always inspire envy. I have wanted a Blackbird pendant for, well, years, and have actually twice bought my mom Blackbird pendants on special occasions.

9. A custom made fascinator by milliner, Crystal Birch

Crystal is a friend of mine, so maybe I’m biased, but this girl is going places. Her vision is colourful, psychedelic, inspired and infectious. I have personally worn one of her Flight headpieces and I felt like the coolest person in the room. Get your hands on a Crystal Birch something now, because one day she’s going to be Albertus Swanepoel’s right hand woman, and you’re gonna be the lucky owner of an original.

10. The Cat’s Meow – a vintage voucher to the value of R300.

The Cat’s Meow is my favourite vintage shop in Cape Town. Owned and run by mother/daughter team Barbara and Laura Meek, it is home to a carefully curated collection of envy-inducing vintage beauties. You can read more on my love for The Cat’s Meow here. In the meantime, get your entry in and you could be the lucky owner of a Cat’s Meow classic of your very own.

11. Two tickets to a Moonlit Movie screening

Run by my ingenious and resourceful friend, Devin Herd, the Moonlit Movie screenings take place beneath the stars at a top secret location in the city bowl bi-monthly. Flighting a selection of left-of-centre classics and iconic film, Devin and his team pull out all the stops to ensure that their exclusive, 60-seater screening pays homage to all the trappings of the classic cinematic experience. Details of the location to be shared with the lucky winner upon collection of prize.

2nd Prize – Baby Love

1. A hand crafted necklace by Megan Fogarty of Oh Dear, Megan

Megan is a fellow Knysnarian and creator of some of the most unusual pieces of locally made jewelry I’ve seen in a while. Get your hands on one of her pieces before she’s famous! Her time piece rings are my favourite.

2. A cut and blowdry at Mooi Hair & Beauty Salon

Refer to number 6 of Prize 1, where I cover all the reasons why Mooi is the bizness. If you haven’t made the important choice about who to entrust with your tresses, then this could be lifechanging for you.

3. The World’s Most Epic Valentine’s Day Compilation, compiled by music blogger/critic Lance James Daniels

What’s Valentine’s Day without music? Lance Daniels has excellent and eclectic taste in music, and he is my first choice when it comes to well-rounded and thoughtful compilations for any occasion. Get your V-Day groove on to Lance’s personal selection of the most romantic tracks in the world. [I cannot vouch for the inclusion of Barry White (or anything similar) in the compilation.] Lance is also lovingly creating custom made packaging for the compilation, because he’s a kick ass designer as well as a music aficionado. Get it while it’s hot!

4. Two sets of double movie tickets to The Labia

Enough said.

To enter:

1. Comment on this post and tell me which is your favourite prize and why.

2. Tweet or post the competition link to Facebook or another social network and let me know you’ve done it.

3. Subscribe to my RSS feed for an extra entry.

Old School Rules:

1. The competition runs from Monday 24 January to Friday 4 February 2011. Winner announced Monday 7 February 2011.

2. Only Cape Town residents may enter, unless you know someone in CT that can bring your prizes to you (if you live in JHB, PE, DBN or Parys).

3. Winner chosen randomly.