Summer Lovin'

Last week I was invited to take part in a summer dress campaign for 36Boutiques by Robyn Cooke. If you do not know who she is, do not pass go, do not collect R200. Seriously, though, get a clue and take a walk over here.

I was asked to choose two dresses which I thought would be ideal for summer. I chose the two dresses below:

This is a 50s style dress from Morphe.

This bird print dress from Jo Borkett.

I was invited down to 36B HQ to take part in the shoot featuring other fabulous bloggers such as the girls from I Heart Your Outfit, Vicki from I Want That, Kamini from What The Strut and Thaya from Beatnik Bazaar.

We got to model both dresses after getting made-up by Nathaline Renaud and photographed by Anton Robert.

And here are the results:

 

 Massive thanks to everyone at 36Boutiques, esp Robyn, and all those involved for making me look so awesome.

The campaign is now live on the site, you can check out me and all the other bloggers.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

An Open Letter To The Boys of Cape Town

It is a truth universally acknowledged that men in Cape Town are either taken, gay or always say or do the wrong thing.

Over the past year I have been subjected to various interactions that have had me grimacing, speechless and on the verge of tears. And if it’s happened to me, there’s a chance it has happened to other girls. So if any of those single boys who may be cute, dress well, have a job and are nice to homeless people are wondering why their beds are empty, here’s some insight. I have put together a list of things you really shouldn’t do or say based on all my personal experiences.

*Please don’t try to impress me by telling me about your car. I don’t know much about cars and while you’re talking about mags (is that the right term?) I’ll be nodding off. I don’t care about your suspension or zooped up sound system; if your car doesn’t break down daily, you’ve already got me interested. If it has aircon and smells nice then I may need a fan as things are about to get hot in herre.

*If you want to try and make an impression by telling me I look like someone famous, go all out. If you say I’m like Kylie because we’re both short or I’m a brunette like Eva Longoria; I’m smile and maybe even giggle. You’ve obviously overshot your landing but I like your ambition. Telling me I look like Snooki, which has happened twice by the way and only one was a drunk gay guy, is one way to make cry in the bathrooms. Seriously, how can you think being called her twin makes me feel fabulous inside.

*If we’ve been at the club for a while and you’ve tried to hit on both of my friends who have turned you down, that is not a sign to hit on me. This happened recently and I witnessed one rather cute Australian try and get it on with Bestie 1. She would have been interested if maybe he spent say more than 5 minutes trying to impress her. Guys, we realise it’s a club and you’re here for a very important reason but girls still need to be wooed. So if you’re not sure of the vibe you’re picking up after a few minutes, maybe keep trying and you’ll notice a change. Don’t try and move on to her friend and then even worse the other friend standing next to her. Also asking if “I’m not your type” after this doesn’t help matters.

*This next part is a bit weird, I’ll admit. But please don’t ever mention feet to me. I’ll explain. I have a foot phobia. Like I cannot handle looking or touching adult feet. Saying that, I absolutely love baby’s feet. Especially when they’re chubby. Cannot. Get. Enough. But grownup feet, shut the front door. Because of the way other people’s feet make me feel, I take the utmost care to ensure my feet are fabulous. So when I’m waiting outside on the street for a taxi that doesn’t look like it comes straight out of Dogdeville and you compliment my toes, I’ll naturally not trust you.

*As a girl with curves, I can tell your life is hard. Thanks to magazines and those Marilyn Monroe pictures, we have genuinely started to believe that men prefer women with curves. Well I’ve found that that is based on the individual guy’s preference I have noticed more boys are ready for this jelly. What I’ve also found is that they have to tell you. And it’s never in a subtle way. The good way to approach a girl with curves is to treat her like you would any other girl you think is hot. Do not, for instance, as a random recently told me, “I believe big girls need loving too.” Firstly thanks for calling me fat. Secondly as much as I appreciate your attempt to compliment my body, telling me “I love how you girls can keep warm in winter” doesn’t do you any favours.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh! 

*Images from here.  

Brew Coffee Shop

This morning we went all the way down to the bottom of Long Street for our Coffee Club. Or the top/start. Depending on how you view it I suppose. We all live in Gardens so this was down to us :)

Brew is situated at the building at 2 Long Street. it's bit hidden away but once you find it, you'll wanna go again and again. The baristas are really friendly, there's lots of seating and despite lots of peeps walking in and past you can still lose yourself on one of the couches.

We ordered our lattes and also indulged in some cheese muffins. Hello thigh circumference, you're about to be increased.

 

 The coffee was by Deluxe so straight up you know it's gonna be good. The muffins were all kinds of bad. I mean that in a good way. Love a good savoury muffin. There weer also cupcakes and brownies for sale not to mention sandwiches and fudge. It took a lot of willpower to resist.

All in all, a very successful and fun Coffee Club meeting.

Brew
2 Long Street
07h00 to 17h00

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Online Love

So...as usual I have a problem with money. This time it's for something very exciting. Not as exciting as my Thailand holiday last year but still it could lead to amazing opportunities and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I want to say more but am afraid I'll jinx it. Seriously. You can make fun if you want.

Luckily my moolah worries never stop me from window shopping. And thanks to online shops, I never have to actually visit a mall to browse. These are the gems I've found online and am dying to buy. But! I must be strong!

First up is this frilly little bikini from 36Boutiques. Love this colour. Hope that if I do get it then it'll be the same in real-life. One problem with online shopping, sometimes the pictures distort the colour. I love the top half of the the bikini the mist. In a dream world, the bottoms would be those 50s style kind that cover your belly and love handles. But until then...

There's a new online shop called Utique. It's got all these lovely decor things that make me hate the fact I rent instead of own. I wish my lease allowed me to wallpaper. I have a feeling my flat's wall would be off the chain! In the meantime I'll settle for little bits of pretty to decorate the flat in. Like these LOVE coasters. Truthfully I don't make peeps use coasters but I may make them use these. Actually that's a lie, these are for display purposes only.

My birthday is in January. Christmas is before that. And before that I can start celebrating Halloween. So if you're looking for a present for me, head on over to Hello Pretty and buy these mugs. You rock!

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Ramblings and Recollections

Recently I bought a fab pair of tangerine skinny jeans from Zara. I have yet to develop the courage to wear them. I’m no wear near skinny enough to actually qualify to wear skinny jeans. But then I saw Beyonce rocking a pair of bright blue ones. And then I saw some very large-esque ladies doing the same. Apparently the key is confidence. Now, where do I buy that?

Recently I have discovered that I am good at a few things and really bad at others. For instance I thought if there was ever a time to be strong when the going gets tough, I’d be able to face any trouble head-on. Turns out I turn into a big ol’ bag of emotions. I recently found a weird mole and did the worst thing ever I Googled it. When “melanoma” came up I decided I’d call my mom and warn her that I needed an oncologist (this was all in the space of a few minutes and without seeing a doctor – in fact I didn’t move from my bed). I heard her voice and burst into tears. She comforted me, told me to grow up and see a doctor (she used to be a nurse so she’s hardcore like that). Turns out I am not as strong as I always imagined. Also my weird mole was a burst blood vessel.

Recently, the girls at work have been talking about all those bad kissers who we had the unfortunate experience of swapping saliva with. Turns out we all have experienced our fair share of washing machines, limp tongues and worse, adventurers (think too intrusive tongues or biters). What we want to know is what ever happened to them. Did they finally meet a girl who was brave enough to tell them that they are bad kissers or is their current girlfriend shrinking away in horror everytime Washing Machine goes in for the kill.

Recently, the only thing on my mind is preparing for our Christmas party. And by our, I mean us Skinny Bitches. Every year our group of friends get together and have a Christmas party. This year we’re going all out. In case you didn’t know, there is nothing more exciting to me than the season of Christmas. I look forward to these magical weeks all year long and label anyone else who doesn’t a Grinch. So as you can imagine I’ve been scourging Pinterest all the time for new ideas on how to make this year the Christmas party to end all parties.

Any ramblings or recollections?

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh! 

Images from here. 

The Little Hattery

So last Friday, us Skinny Bitches were lucky enough to be invited to the launch of The Little Hattery. 

If you don't know, TLH are the go-to peeps for bespoke, handcrafted headwear. They do everything from hats and fascinators to bridal headwear to Venetian masks. Their latest projects include doing their thang for the new Spud movie with John Cleese (yes, that was a namedrop ;)) and for the new Madame Zingara season.

They were also responsible for the Steampunk look that the staff at the new TRUTH HQ are sporting. These guys look boss and it's probably why the event dress code was Steampunk and was held at the HQ. The new place looks amazing. Sadly, there were way too many peeps to get proper photos. 

When we arrived in our steampunk chic - not very much as our bustiers and pocket watches were at the cleaners - we were greeted by this lady. Not sure of her name or why she was wearing a box for a skirt.

But she had bubblin' drinks. And she was handing them out. Win! 

The night started out with a firedancer which was awesome. I once tried to start poi-dancing lessons but right before the venue suddenly had to undergo renovations. I secretly think my friends feared for their safety and told them to tell us that. You can't really see from the snaps but this guy was good. 

 Afterwards there was a fashion show. There were some burlesque dancer types who made me regret ever eating and I cursed my thighs.

 

 

There were hotties in long-ass coats with brooding eyes that made me giggle like a school girl.

 And then there was this hat, which made me oh "Oh Em Gee, I'm gonna need to steal that." Obviously I have nowhere fancy to wear it to but who says you cannot look stylish while cleaning your flat.

You can't see it but it's amazing. Ostrich feathers and sh

Here are the entire fashion cast.

Sadly, we had a dinner to had to get to so we left straight after the fashion show. But if you wanna see what else went down and what the other peeps wore, you can check out their Facebook page. 

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Yay!

So happy this week is over! This is exactly how I feel...

Have a fab weekend!

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Image from here.

Fave Postsecret of the Week...

...the ultimate dream ;)

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

The September Issue

Last month, on a rather dreary Monday I got a call that made me squeal and jump up and down. It was from Luisa at Marie Claire wanting to know if I’d be keen to take part, alongside other bloggers, in a fashion spread/challenge. It was about taking some of the more “out there” fashion looks and putting them on real people in real-life situations.

And of course my reply was like "Um, sure let me just check my diary, I think I'm shooting with Demarchelier that week." 

Obviously I was game. And this time I decided to cherish every little detail. If you’ve read the blog for more than a year, you’ll know I was already lucky enough to be featured in a bloggers fashion shoot for O Magazine.That was definitely one of my life's highlights. But I was so excited to spend the day surrounded by fabulous people (especially Robyn Cooke) and in the presence of Jimmy Choo shoes that I didn't really take photos. This time was different.

With a fully charged camera I arrived at the MC offices and immediately was beautified by Sylvie Hurford and Huey Tilley. I was going to be recreating this Marie Claire editorial:

So, cue the clown make-up. And clothes. And when the clothes are not Prada (which they were in the original shoot) have the tendency to make you look like a Bag Lady or at least an Olsen twin.

 

Nevertheless I was still having the time of my life. First up I got to watch the crew in action while shooting Leilah360 in this insane onesie do her thing.

 

Then it was my turn. We were going to redo the look at a bus stop. It may not look like it but it was freezing that day which is why I'm rocking this look with my jeans on. And we all thought the fashion world was glam!

 

 

After a couple of shots sitting down I got to do my thing and let my amateur schmodel shine. All those years doing the Vogue routine in my bedroom finally paid off.

Now the issue has finally landed. And it's the coveted September issue which makes this fashion nerd go cray cray happy.

Yes, in case you're wondering, they did use me for the cover as well.

And here is me! I have to say I really happy with the final picture they used and for making me sound awesome in the magazine. On the whole, the entire shoot is amazing and MC are clearly boss at what they do.

As you can tell, this is a very natural pose for me.

If you want to check out the full spread, it's available in shops now.

Major thanks and love to everyone who was part of the shoot especially Sam from MC who took all the behind-the-scenes pictures and interviewed me. Also check out her blog, she is awesome.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

My Olympic Highlights

Yes the Opening Ceremony was fabulous. Yes South Africa is doing well and yes these athletics are making us feel lazy and wondering "what were we doing at that age." But let's all take a moment to celebrate the best part of the Olympics: the boys. Especially the boys who spend their time in water.

First up, this is a local. Chad Le Clos, he won gold for swimming some race but more importantly his dad has won the world's hearts. He's 20, comes from Durban and cried when the national anthem was played during the medal ceremony. I want to have his babies. Mainly because I want his dad to scream "Unbelievable" when I give birth.

This is Ryan Lochte. He has also won gold. I cannot tell you what for. I can tell you he is cute. He also seems like a bit of a douche. Not intentionally but he reminds me of those guys who hang out at Tiger Tiger with white pointy shoes, ordering Jaggy Bombs and wanting to have sex in the bathroom. Know what I mean?! Not my type but if he looked at me, can't say I'd say no.

This is Nathan Adrian. He is half-Asian, which means our children will be 1/4 Asian. As I really want a fat Asian baby of my own, I will accept this. I have spent way more time researching him than necessary and I have found out I'm a year older than him, he wants to be a doctor and he has Twilight on his iPad. I just want to say 我愛你 which is I Love You in Chinese according to Google Translate.

This is Tom Daley. He has a tendency for making me feel old. Most of the time I find pictures of his legal and totally ah-mazing body. Other times when I'm doing my Daily Daley Google I find pictures of his last Olympics outing. When he was like 14. He is a diver and has been in the news because one sick mofo has been Twitter-trolling him. Personally, he should be in the news because of his abs.

This is Louis Smith. He's a gymnast. He does cray cray things on the pommel horse. I actually watched his final so I know what tricks he did. And let me tell you, the guy has stamina. My arms get tired from just straightening my hair, he manages a whole routine with his arms. From all the pictures I've seen he seems to have a bit of Gay Face but as you know I'm a Fag Hag so all are welcome in my arms.

 Anyone else I'm missing out on? Let me know.

Ex-Oh! Ex-Oh!

Images from here, here, here, here and here.