Bevel Etiquette

As you know, I have always appreciated the wonderful way Joshua Kissi and Travis Gumbs manage to make travelling not only look stylish but educational; their travels (especially their recent one to South Africa) is testament to the fact that you can't travel, meet new people, explore new spaces and manage to stay the same person. Travelling enlightens you. This time Street Etiquette has launched a new project called Bevel Etiquette which illustrates their travel experiences from an entirely different vantage point - local barbershops, current hairstyles and male grooming. This makes complete sense, barbershops are a social and cultural breeding ground, if you want to get to know people and also get an understanding of their lived experiences local barbershops are a rich reference.  This concept is genius and it's bad enough that there's a post about them on this blog like, every second month, these two can obviously do no wrong...at all.

BEVEL ETIQUETTE

Oh so Dior

Happy Friday everyone from partly cloudy but mostly bright and sunny Stellenbosch! I arrived here about two and half weeks ago and it's been quite an experience already. Somehow you always forget how hard it is to be new again; every friendly face you meet becomes some form of reassurance and some sign that you made the right decision and this is really where you're meant to be. That and the fact that I now have to start cooking for myself - verdict? So far I have probably burned more things than I've cooked but with time it'll all work itself out...right?

In other news I've been checking out some of the recent collections released for this Spring couture season and Dior is definitely a favourite. Their latest spring couture collection does represent a distinct move away from the masculine inspired suits and two pieces that characterized pre-fall 2014, but I always appreciate the lightness, the feminine-like blitheness and effortless movement so akin to a Dior item. That, and the wonderful white lazer-cut flared skirt that would go so well with my current box braids and this other pair of black shoes I have - ah well, a girl can dream.

STYLE.COM

Oroma

Oroma Elewa, founder and Editor-in-Chief of Pop'Africana magazine, former model, dj, style icon and all round creative genius. A few months ago I tweeted about how I am probably only on Instagram to follow Solange and Oroma. And I guess that sounds a bit dramatic but I think once you take a look at some of her work as well as her pictures you might find that my tweet was not too far from the truth.

In other news I am moving to Stellenbosch tomorrow and these past few days have been an emotional roller coaster, you know the kind, sad (about leaving home), excited (about going some place new), stressed (about school), anxious, and then sad again and then excited again. But when all this thinking and feeling gets a bit too much I reflect on those comforting words from Max Erhmann's Desiderata: 

" You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars;

you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should."

Amen and Amen.  

Hi.

I love the end of year vacation, how one can easily vacillate between reckless abandon and heart felt reflection. I’m all about that reckless abandon (which may or may not be accompanied by a strong, cold beverage (s) ) but right now I’m in an overwhelmingly reflective mood and so this is perhaps the perfect time so say a few things. So much has happened these past few months; leaving Grahamstown, saying goodbye to good friends, handing in my Honours Thesis, writing finals, looking for a new place to stay, as well as resting and thinking about the next two or so years, specifically, the things I want out of my own life and how much I would be willing to do to get myself there (academically, personally etc. etc.)

I also had to think about this blog, what was I doing and where was I going with it? What was it really about? Was it worth it anymore? Was it worth my time but most importantly was it worth the time of the few faithfuls who followed the posts, liked the pictures, appreciated the mostly light hearted social and cultural commentary? Not to sound vapid but it really was like that critical moment in a relationship when you've been with someone for a good amount of time and you now have to decide what you want from each other and if each is willing to give what is required; that painfully awkward moment when you know this either ends now or you move on together, more committed than before. These past few months have been that for me and this blog and like a bad girlfriend I neglected LTH and took sometime for myself to see if I was still in this, or if it was the painfully inevitable end.

   

I’m sure some of you are thinking “Its just a blog, why all this existentialism?"  But this is not and has never been 'just a blog' for me, university takes a whooole lot of your time and for almost three years this was the only creative outlet I had and so it became a place of catharsis and creation – and, I confess, it was a place where I could say whatever the hell I wanted, which is also nice. With that said how could I ever let it go? This space which has given me inspiration and which I hope has inspired others, how could I then dismiss it? I don’t believe I am ready to close shop just yet.  This year I am doing my masters in Psychology at Stellenbosh (can I get a whoop whoop!) and I will have even less time to blog but perhaps that will push me to make my content richer and more substantial; my blogging time will be more precious so my posts will be more thought out and inspired. Hai but as well ke bua haholo (I talk/promise too much sometimes) so we will just wait and see.

For now though I just feel like there’s nothing to lose if we carry on a little bit longer so...lets just roll with it for a few more years, see where this takes us?

Love to you and for you.

And of course, a very happy and prosperous new year. 

xx.