The-fashion-library.com is a brand new online fashion magazine and fashion directory, which launched on the 1^st of April 2011 aiming to be South-Africa’s favourite online fashion destination.

The team at the fashion library make it their business to know what is hot and happening in South Africa and on international shores especially in the fashion industry. They share with you the latest trends, so your cupboard & calendar stays in the loop.

They also have a special category called “street fashion”. Under this category they photograph fashionable people on the streets of South Africa. Fashionnecting you.

Every Friday they choose one fashionable item that they love!  This you will find under the “Fashion Friday” button.

Making Headlines is a gossip & trends page, where they bring you the latest news, hot of the press.

Go ahead and celebrate life and its beauty with them: www.the-fashion-library.com

THE FASHION LIBRARY

They have combined their passion for our country, fashion industry experience and business skills to create an online book, with contact details and direct links to South Africa’s finest talent in the industry. At the fashion library it is important for them to promote South Africa’s talent and growth in the fashion and film industry, South Africa, our beautiful country with its exceptional resourcefulness. They are all about promoting our country and talent to the better our economy, to expose our talented workmen and woman and to invite international companies to invest in SA! And in this you contribute to help South Africa blossom into the jewel it is.

What makes THE FASHION LIBRARY so special is the fact that they will also be serving as an online guide/directory for both national and international companies under their Library page seeking quality service providers, brands or businesses within the fashion industry. Photographers, stylists, events companies, videographers, make-up artists, fashion designers, hiring companies, accessories, modelling agencies etc under their “Library” category we will list handpicked companies/businesses and service providers ensuring top quality and website credibility.

Go ahead and celebrate life and its beauty with them:  www.the-fashion-library.com

Also make sure to follow them on Facebook!

At first glance, it appears to be nothing more than a swath of fabric. After some deft and swift handiwork, involving a tuck here and a knot there, that same bit of material magically morphs into a sexy halter neck dress.

On a whim, the wearer changes her mind. But instead of changing into something else entirely, she simply performs some more origami on the cloth, redraping, tying and twisting and voila: the same fabric transforms into a chic, off-the-shoulder affair.

Such shape-shifting garments are one (or multiple-in-one, we should say) of the hottest trends in fashion right now. For consumers still left cash-strapped due to the recession, the appeal of such convertible apparel is that even though you only pay for only one thing, you get so much more for free.

The economical trend has even caught on with couture designers. Donna Karan’s six-in-one Infinity jersey dress can take its wearers from the boardroom to the ball room after just a few skillfully executed steps. Discount department stores, such as US-based Target, offer variations on a similar multiple-in-one theme to those shoppers who find Karan’s Infinity’s $1 000 price tag somewhat above their budget.

Other than its more-for-the-price-of-one bargain aspect, convertible clothing has other merits as well. For one, having an outfit with multiple personalities allows wearers to have more room in their closets and travel much lighter. It also enables wearers to get creative and become their own personal stylists.

However, not every religious fashionista seems eager to convert to this trend. These outfits can be a bit difficult to figure out, which has led to a spate of how-to videos on YouTube to demonstrate how to reconfigure the garment into its different incarnations. “I’ll always be a bit wary of clothing that requires a how-to video (or an iPhone app),” Amber Garrett wrote on shopping blog We Covet (http://moxiebird.com/2010/12/we-covet-convertible-clothing-that-actually-looks-chic.html) .

For others, the effort and dexterity are worth it when they end up wearing something entirely unique.

According to new research, consumers are now looking to buy what they need only when they need it. The old adage of ‘be prepared’ has been tweaked and rephrased to ‘only be prepared at the very last minute’ or what the food industry are calling the ‘need it now’ phenomenon. The ‘now generation’ has been here for quite some time and to most this means getting what you want right now (even if you can’t afford it): it has rarely manifested itself as ‘only buying what you need’. Fashion had so far sidestepped this frugality – until now.

Where women used to buy outfits because they wanted them on the basis that one day they will wear them, they now shop to order for specific occasions, buying only what they will use when they will use it. This enormous departure from the traditional fashion cycle is causing retailers to rethink their marketing strategies and for the fashion world to debate the future of the broken fashion cycle.

The old cycle had us happy to order our winter clothes in the hot sticky heat of summer and choose our swim wear when the snow was falling. Can this really be replaced with catwalk shows and trends that emerge as we are ready to wear them? Where will this leave the early adopters who take so much pleasure in looking months into the future? Is it not also so deeply uncreative to think about now, now?

Interestingly this just-in-time consumerism is increasing sales (as the social calendar never sleeps) and therefore doesn’t look likely to abate. E-retailers such as Net-a-Porter.com are best placed to react to this instant access approach and are changing their production and selling schedules to accommodate them. The high street will have a harder time reacting to this as the lead time for fashion exists for a reason.

We could all be witnessing the democratization of fashion – a world where we the consumer decides what we want. In other words the beginning of the end.

For more information on the traditional fashion cycle contact leonie@blinkic.com.

As we usher off the last of this seasons catwalk shows, we are reminded that the shows shown in February are dribbling into the shops with the Autumn Winter trends. While this might feel like old news it is worth reflecting on, as the commercial impact of these designs has yet to be tested.

In my opinion a current of minimalism pumps through fashion’s main vein this season, and while we do see interesting deviations from the beat of this austere black pulse, clothes are largely as Phoebe Philo described her Autumn/Winter collection “strong, powerful, and reduced”. There are, as always, two fashion camps: those that know it is Autumn/Winter and have a sense of the public’s mood and those who are trapped in a fashion fantasy and have no idea which way is up. Broadly, this season can be broken in half; the saintly, commercial, wearable and disciplined collections and the mad, bad, glorious and strange. The eight key trends I think you should know about this Autumn Winter are:

1: Femme Fatale

Think: Film Noir meets Jessica Rabbit
Look: Dangerous and provocative
Buy: A new little black dress.

2: Pastel power

Think: Marshmallows
Look: Dusty and pure
Buy: A powder-coloured cashmere jumper.

3: Leather me up

Think: Gestapo
Look: As if you are about to pilot a propeller plane in 1953
Buy: A long line leather coat.

4: Tall Tails

Think: Penguin
Look: Polished and purposeful
Buy: Swallow-tailed jacket.

5: Cross-dressing

Think: Like a man
Look: Like a woman
Buy: A tailored three-piece trouser suit.

6: Stepford Wife

Think: Like a domestic goddess
Look: Polished to perfection
Buy: Hairspray and a new length pencil skirt.

7: Column on

Think: Architecture
Look: Minimal and edgy
Buy: A beige column skirt.

8: Drop the Waist

Think: Twiggy
Look: Effortlessly cool
Buy: A drop-waisted mini in a structured fabric.

For the full trend reports and more in depth information on this or any other season please contact leonie@blinkic.com.

The industry where thin is the only trend that is and always has been in, is finally willing to acknowledge the big fat truth: most real women do not look like super skinny supermodels.

In fact, with the amount of fat people officially outweighing the thin in the US population (where 62% of all women are overweight), and with the belt-tightening economy not letting up just yet, the fat averse fashion industry can simply no longer afford to dismiss this growing market of consumers.

So tomorrow, 16 September 2010, amid New York’s prestigious Fashion Week, a group of American designers will finally present a fashion show solely dedicated to fuller-figured fashionistas. Although the event is not officially part of the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, it is being hailed by many as a long overdue step in the right direction.

But before you sneer and say that it is only ‘those Americans who are so out of control fat’, listen up: the scales have steadily been tipping in South Africa as well, and a recent survey has revealed the sobering statistics that 60% of all South Africans are overweight, obese or morbidly obese, with Cape Town leading the pack as the local city where a whopping 72% of all residents are overweight.

And not all of them want to be restricted to an uninspiring wardrobe filled with shapeless muumuus, stretch trousers and unflattering tunics. Tomorrow’s New York show, presented by US retailer OneStopPlus and hosted by famous plus-sized model Emme, will hopefully set off a global trend and provide fuller figure women with more stylish options. Don’t just continue to ignore the elephant in the room; dress it up!

Some big name designers have already decided to do just that: Marc Jacobs recently announced plans for a plus-sized line and in the US, high-end retailer Saks Fifth Avenue have already expanded its offerings to include clothes to lure more voluptuous size-16 plus customers.

It is not that these retailers and designers who are now willing to embrace a larger customer base have suddenly developed bigger hearts and tolerance. As with most things, money is the main motivator here.

“This is an under-served population who possesses huge spending power,” explains Gwendolyn DeVoe, a former plus-size model and creator of Full-Figured Fashion, a series of fuller figured fashion events held in cities all over the US. But DeVoe reckons, so what if they are not necessarily altruistically motivated?

“Designers are finally acknowledging that plus-size fashion is a billion-dollar industry, they’re hearing our voices, and they’re ready to move in a more positive direction that’s good for all concerned—it’s good to be included, because you know what? We’ve never been invited to the party before.”

Those who love vintage fashion often have to venture off the beaten track and duck down tiny back alleys and unmarked side streets in pursuit of ‘new’ old finds to add to their collections.

Although some regard these hunting expeditions and intrepid exploring for tucked-away vintage shops as part of the thrill of the overall experience, it can be frustrating to those who are less keen on the search.

If you count yourself among the more impatient who just want to get there already and browse, you will definitely adore Lost & Found, a place constantly offering gorgeous and hand selected vintage and secondhand clothing for sale. And the best news is that you won’t get lost in dodgy areas or even use a drop of petrol to get there!

That is because Lost & Found is in a place where many people – including, most likely, you – are spending a lot of time already: Online. To be more specific – since the World Wide Web is vast, after all – it’s conveniently located on popular social networking hub Facebook.

The brainchild of lovely Jo’burger Amy Rawhani, Lost & Found is a Facebook group dedicated to “the wearers of art, the devotees of movable beauty, the appreciators of the inimitable, the lovers of vintage, the raiders of cupboards, the treasure hunters”. Every once in a while, Amy holds auctions to sell some of her beautiful finds right there on Facebook. In order to place a bid, customers simply need to join the Facebook group. It has been likened to E-Bay sans the fees and the red tape. As on E-Bay and other auction sites, though, the highest bidder also wins.

Amy, a self-confessed lover of ‘other people’s clothes’, is a former Wits University law student. She actually founded Lost & Found during her broke student days, which is where Lost & Found’s rather unique and cost-cutting clothing delivery policy stems from. Despite having customers from all over the country and even as far-flung as London, Amy eliminates shipping fees – which can often be higher than the cost of the items bought – by having the items picked up in person by the customers themselves (which is easy enough if the customers live nearby), or by sending the goodies with someone else who happen to be travelling to where the customer lives.

As much as this ‘hitching a lift’ delivery policy saves on costs, it also puts Amy’s mind at ease: “I don’t feel entirely comfortable sending it through general mail because the pieces are once off gems, and if they get “lost” in the post or something I’d be super upset that the client didn’t get them,” Amy wrote in an e-mail to us. “Of course, if the client is willing to pay for the cost of the postage, and take on the possibility and responsibility that their item may not get to them, then I leave that decision to the client and send the item through. The underlying thing about it though is that I want the business to be fair.”

This policy of fairness and kindness also extends to the way in which Amy sources the clothes. “I love treasure-hunting for items,” she writes. Without disclosing her favourite haunts, she says that she trawls through secondhand places for the stock, which is mostly secondhand or vintage. “A lot of the people I buy from are in the informal sector of the economy, and I try to keep it that way to support them, because they often come from places where they can’t go back to their own countries.”

For more information and to join the bidding action, add yourself to the Lost & Found Facebook group.

A South African author went beyond mere cover art and illustrations when she teamed up with a local design and animation studio to create tangible art works relating to the themes in her latest book.

For her second novel, Zoo City, writer Lauren Beukes and the am i collective studio in Cape Town collaborated with local illustrators to create five distinct, 40 centimetre high, vinyl Bares.

The am i collective donated five undecorated Bares from its Bare Project to the participating illustrators, who then had to use the themes in Lauren’s book as inspiration to decorate the Bares.

But this is not merely a clever and novel way for Lauren to publicise her book. For this book-inspired art has heart. Not merely because the five unique and whimsical Zoo City Bares that have sprouted from the collective are so irresistibly adorable, but because all the proceeds from auctioning the Bares online will be going to The Suitcase Project charity, an art-therapy initiative set up to aid young refugees living in South Africa. The Suitcase Project helps these kids to cope with the trauma of fleeing their war-ravaged countries – often after having been orphaned or torn from family and friends – through art and storytelling therapy. This specific charity was chosen since the plight of refugee kids are also one of the themes Lauren addresses in Zoo City.

If you want one of these sweet Zoo City Bare statues to brighten up your home or office, you can still place your bid at local auction site Bidorbuy until 10 August 2010. For more about Lauren and her book, visit Lauren’s page at Book Southern Africa.

I’d like to think that we could buy wonderfully expensive designer items with the intention that they form part of our children’s dowry, but is this wishful thinking or wise purchasing?

Theuniformprojectblog.com’s co-founder Eliza Starbuck (who has since parted ways with the project to start her own line) defines ‘heirloom sustainability’ as the school of thought that fundamentally says nothing is more sustainable than a high-end designer item, say an Hermès belt that is passed on for generations. If this were true, those of us who buy key pieces and take great care of them are building up quite an arsenal of heirlooms whilst also saving the planet.

Of course, there is another school of thought that, perhaps more accurately, says that those of us who waste £2,000 on a handbag are suckers who have been wooed by expensive advertising campaigns to part with hard-earned cash for nothing more than an inflated brand value. Such items will depreciate over time and eventually only be worth the materials they are made from.

As this argument rages and those with enough disposable income convince themselves one way or another, I wonder if there is any sensible investment to be made in fashion. As lay people, we can buy shares in fashion houses, buy goods from fashion brands and support companies by wearing their logos but can we actually profit from the industry? If we look to historic data to define the future, it seems that holding designer items for more than 30 years in perfect condition will give you something valuable to sell. Take an original Mary Quant skirt from the 60’s or a Dior suit from the 40’s – these items are worth their weight in fabric today and there is no reason to suggest that a carefully selected piece from the 2010 collections shouldn’t be as sought after in 2050.

The ethical argument too is compelling. If we hanker after a single item and keep it for the second generation, we leave a minimal destructive impact on the environment. Intriguingly, this whole debate might have been instigated by the big brands themselves so as to get us to continue to invest in so called ‘must have’ items through this economically challenging time. Whatever the truth, I believe that buying beautiful designs made with exquisite attention to detail is preferable to fast food fashion, both economically and environmentally and my daughter will have a plethora of items to parlay when I’m gone.

by Léonie Tovell

As someone who likes to think they have their finger firmly on the pulse, I have been thrown off track by a rogue email. At 6.45 yesterday morning, Vogue’s online database swung into action and sent its millions of dedicated fans a Trend update. Having fully immersed myself in this season’s shows back in September and October 2009, I assumed this was old news. Email recycling. That was until I noticed the date for this particular email claimed that the latest and greatest fashion trends were shown on 11th June 2010. How on earth was this possible?

We’ve all heard of Resort Wear – collections to fill in that summer gap – but I had never taken them seriously as they are more often than not produced by the students of the house rather than the grandes dames; a sales gimmick and press exercise. However, to have Vogue claiming that ‘direct from Milan the summer has landed’ shook me. I have since delved deeper and found the collections not to be entirely lacking. The big names typically produce high-priced merchandise for this little niche market, but the shows tend to be devoid of the full-scale glamour of Spring/Summer or Autumn/Winter’s sensory experience.

Originally conceived to provide wardrobe pieces for your holiday, this American sounding creation actually has roots that go back to the 60s. Also cringefully known as ‘cruise wear’, these collections were created to appeal to those who wanted to appear to be going on exotic holidays, when more often than not they were staying at home.

Now, however, it seems that they are test beds for ideas and viable sales machines. For example, Versace has been able to presell 70% of this season’s resort wear before it hit the runway and Donatella claims that it gives them the opportunity to create clothes that are more ‘real’ and ultimately more accessible. “The customer feels more comfortable with this collection,” says Versace, who presented 24 resort looks to the press and buyers in New York. “There’s an easiness that is hard to do on the runway because the expectations are so much higher for fashion shows.”

by Léonie Tovell

Branded team uniforms aside, sports and fashion are not usually equated with each other. Yet a well known South African designer is of the opinion that the soccer fever that has been gripping the country for the past month, courtesy of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will be reflected in our clothing long after the tournament’s final whistle has blown.

Since the World Cup kicked off here on our sunny shores, South Africa has been awash in a sea of bright, cheerful yellow as fans of all ages enthusiastically donned Bafana Bafana’s colours to show their support to the national team. Not even chilly winter temperatures and the team failing to quality past the first round managed to turn the country blue.

According to local designer Gavin Rajah, this predominant use of yellow and other bright colours has cemented South Africa’s international reputation as that of ‘sunshine country’. What’s more, he thinks it will last way past this soccer season.

“I think that in the coming year, the yellow inspired by Bafana Bafana will be a big trend for fashion collections. It’s very nice to see [the] use of colour and people embracing that,” Rajah told a local newspaper. “Other countries have always had a distinctive identity in terms of their colours, but South Africa has lagged behind in this area. We have been stuck in an era of buying rugby merchandise, but that will change now.”

He says that it is already great to see how major international brands such as Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma, have collaborated to create better looking, sports-oriented merchandise.

“The styling is better and the clothes fit better. Designers around the world have produced the clothes. The style is more contemporary and more relevant to the person on the street. Everybody has taken on a more sporty look. People are going out in football shirts.”

But the football-inspired fashion has not just been limited to the usual sporting apparel manufacturers. Several haute couture labels have also released items that will allow even the most finicky fashionistas to get some football fashion kicks.

Louis Vuitton’s footy fever has produced a special, soccer-themed monogram carrier bag with soccer ball panels stylishly sown in, which will surely score well with ‘wags’ (wives and girlfriends) of soccer players everywhere as a must-have accessory.

Those who do not want to flaunt their support but still wear it close to their skins, Calvin Klein has released its X Global Underwear line for the occasion. Each pair of the low rise trunks in the line comes in the colours of the flag of a country participating in the World Cup. The country’s name is printed at the back of the shorts and appears in that country’s native language (so in Italy’s case, “Italia” is emblazoned across the back of the trunks). Since no supporter of a rival team will see your skivvies, there is no risk that you will suffer from any butt kicking or that you’ll end up being the butt of jokes for showing such intimate loyalty to your team.

All this choice of soccer apparel leaves us wondering: will a local designer have the gumption to immortalise the vuvuzela as a necessary fashion accessory? Perhaps as a pair of dangling earrings?