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Wednesday 17 July 2013

Opening Ceremony S/S 2014


Weird and Wonderful. 






Native Work






In Andrew Putter's recent project Native Work he presents us with black and white photos of black South Africans in various traditional, Xhosa attire juxtaposed by the very same individuals in colour photos dressed in contemporary western attire. I found this extremely thought provoking; when looking at the pictures you can't help but think about the implications of colonialism and how the rapid infiltration of the West (and Western lifestyle) in Africa somewhat compromised our cultural sense of self.

Wednesday 10 July 2013

Thai-Etiquette | The Travelling Men




The Street Etiquette team does it again! Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs,  known for their penchant for travel and men's fashion, recently took a trip to Thailand and, once again, I am blown away by their ready and eager willingness to assimilate themselves into the culture and lifestyle (no matter how far from 'lavish' it might be) of a country all in the name of attaining the authentic travelling experience. 
I wish we all had the privilege to travel with the SE team so that we might also learn this enlightened way of experiencing new places (sans fancy, slightly impersonal hotels and aloof, generic tourism spaces) but I am also going to make it my personal goal to look this good when I travel; these guys make bermuda shorts look like a nice thing. Baffles me. 
Next time Josh and Trav - take me with you, I promise I'll be good. 












Check out what they had to say, as well as their mad-cool video here



Friday 5 July 2013

Glamour Blogger Starter Challenge 3 | The Kindle Fire HD






When it comes to technology I like describe myself as 'technologically-disabled'; my knowledge of modern, technological 'thinga-majiggers' (ipads-pods, smartphones, sometimes even stubborn flashsticks) spans not so far and not so wide. I have always blamed my bad attitude towards all things techno-savvy on my 'old soul' and how it tends to resonate with things that are more archaic but the truth is technology scares me; these highly specialised, modern products make me feel slightly daft and confused and I don't like that feeling and why would I, an educated young girl let some inanimate, computerized machine subject me to such derision? As a result I tend to ignore the latest, coolest, products the world has to offer - ask my iPad, which is currently gathering dust in the bottom drawer of my room *hangs head in shame*.
Enter the Kindle Fire: the special product that I have been asked to review for this week's Glamour Blogger Starter Challenge. It's black, slim, shiny and slightly intimidating. The first time I saw it all I said to it was "Kindle Fire, be nice to me" . And...guess what? It was. 

What I love about the Kindle Fire it its practicality and connect-ability. As someone who is so easily intimidated by modern electronics I need something very user friendly and this Kindle Fire is exactly that; the homescreen offers all that you might need including a nifty search engine that helps you locate anything you might have trouble finding. But lets get to the fun stuff.



1. Software Keyboard:  Remember how the old Kindle had that cute (but somewhat impractical) physical keyboard that you had to type on to find your books or magazines? Forget that, with the new Kindle Fire there's a beautiful software keyboard, that's soft to the touch (so your not pounding on the tablet like a mad woman)  whose dimensions are much bigger than the physical keyboard thus making it much easier to type on - and come on, who doesn't like typing on a slim touch screen? You don't get more techno-savvy than that (well maybe you do, but I wouldn't know).
2. Internet: Although older generation kindles had 3G connectivity which meant that you could download books from, literally, anywhere you can now still download books, magazines and pdf files from where ever you are while tweeting to friends, skyping, updating your Facebook status (eg. "Now Reading Adichie's Americanah off my Kindle Fire - highly recommended!")  or sending an important email. It's internet connectivity means that you are always connected to the outside world and I believe this is where this product brings together the comfort and privacy of book reading as well as the convenience of staying connected to the public through the interweb - which makes it a wonderful feature.
3. The Size: The Kindle Fire is 567 grams and only 8.9" which means that it's one of the most travel friendly products I have ever had! I am currently at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown and it has been so easy to take the Kindle where-ever I go, coffee shops, plays, buses - its lightness and small size means it poses no inconvenience during this busy time.

In conclusion; the Kindle is not just an e-book anymore; its the user friendly gadget that connects you to the world. A dream come true for people like me. 

The Kindle Fire HD can be purchased right here for the price of R4, 179.99 - sounds like a hefty sum but think about it; a product that can do all I've just spoken about and can store up to 1400 books? That sounds like a good deal to me.