So I leave for a thousand months and think I can just waltz back into your lives and tell you stuff that you don't really care about? Yes.
In between all sleep deprivation, James Dean Crushing, Macaroon eating adventures I knew that I would be back. I don't have much to say but I am going to learn how to cook so I will post on that and you guys can laugh with (AT) me.
I have this friend. He is weird! Sometimes I stare at him and secretly wish that I could have his brain so that I could just poke, pick it apart and see what goes on in there. He is crazy yet so profound. Well I mention him because he was the person to introduce me to the sweet sounds of Esperanza Spalding. She is the type of person who you can keep on replay for hours and even days. But you can be the judge of that.
I fell in love with South African fashion designer Cleo Droomer the moment I saw the light blue PVC jacket (pictured above) in the South African Elle magazine. My love then grew to an obsession when I found out that as the winner of the 2010 ELLE New Talent Designer Search, he would collaborate with Mr Price to release a range that my tiny pockets could afford. The CleoDroomer for Mr Price range is so delicious!
I got myself that amazing light blue dress with the POCKETS (because that how I can best describe it) and paired it with Mr Price cork-heel peep toe shoes and an old red leather belt with a giant clock on it (that I stole from my gran) and it looked fabulous (I had to say so myself) The collection as a whole is amazing! Because the range is so reasonably priced and sold at Mr Price stores nationally- EVERYONE will be wearing it but LUCKILY the designs are so simple and chic that you can wear them in a million and two ways without looking like the next person. The colours are cute and understated and the cut is flattering for all body types.
So you are probably making your way to Mr Price, right? Unfortunately, the range is selling faster than Busta Rhyme's 'Look at Me Now' rap. I wish you the best in finding something in stores... but you probably won't. Im sorry.
I consider myself as quite a nerd so it is probably not surprising that I absolutely love History. I really wish that more people could share my interest in things such as the French Revolution and even the Apartheid era. There was a recent debate in my class about whether it is important to 'harp' on about Apartheid even though we have been taught about for years and years already and should move on from it- and my answer is that we should. There is so much more to Apartheid than the white man's oppression of the black man that the History text books and protest poets have failed to mention. One of the most interesting parts of Apartheid (for me) is the black-on-black violence from around 1990 to 1994 so I was beyond excited when I found out that a movie was being made about this specific time.
'The Bang Bang Club' is a film based on the experiences of four combat photographers, Kevin Carter (played by Taylor Kitsch), Greg Marinovich (played by Ryan Phillippe), Ken Oosterbroek (played by Frank Rautenbach) and Joao Silver (played by Neels van Jaarsveld), during the Apartheid era (particularly in the townships of Southern Johannesburg from 1990 to 1994). The film highlights the fight for power as the Xhosa-dominated ANC and Zulu-dominated IFP political parties sensed the end of Apartheid. The townships such as Soweto set the scene for the most horrific black-on-black violence.
What I loved:
-Taylor Kitsch was sexy in his role of the troubled and Free-spirited Kevin Carter.
-The movie was not biased so as to create a hero and a villian. It exposed the inner-conflict of all parties involved even questioning the social responability of photo-journalists.
The not-so hott parts?
The South African accent is not that easy to imitate so Taylor Kitsch sounded like a drunk Australian half of the time. And the movie could be quite confusing without back round knowledge of the township violence.
On a leisurely stroll down Eastwood Avenue ... I realised a very profound truth. At that moment in time, I looked (for lack of a better way to put it) like a hobo. But this got me thinking... Although I looked like an absolute travesty, I wasn't actually very far away from looking like my usual classy self. People who have no style (bless their souls...) often complain that they don't have the ability to dress nicely because they either don't have the clothes or the money to be fashionable. This is usually not the case because with a little vision and enthusiasm; you can turn hobo into Boho... You just need to swap a few things around. *licks the cheese off his joke*
Go from Hobo...
...To Boho chic. Something the Olsen Twins rock with ease.
Back to my case in hand. The jeans I was wearing were actually really great (*bows down and worships Meltz*) and the shirt underneath my hideous hoodie was in-fact an awesome vintage shirt. As much as it pains me to say this- I was wearing Crocs at the time too. But, had I removed the hoodie and replaced it with a black blazer, brushed my hair (so it looked half decent) and ditched the Crocs for some plim-soles... well... I'd look ready to go out to at least a semi-formal event. The difference? Shoes which you can get at PEP for R60 (Good quality for cheap), a brush through the hair and a borrowed (in my case on a permanent basis from my cousin's boyfriend) blazer. Sorted.
Using these two simple things added to what I was already wearing, I looked awesome. (If I don't say so myself...)
First impressions are a huge deal and it is important to always look your best. So why stress when you can easily find a way to make yourself look fresh without leaving you wallet empty. Don't think this applies to guys only since I'm writing this. Girls can just as easily find entire outfits that look awesome with a little creativity. Don't be afraid to express yourself through fashion. Take it from someone who used to be in the know, without the clothes.
I was dress shopping with one of my best friends on Tuesday- sipping on a Muggaccino (Mugg and Bean's awesome iced coffee blend) and flipping through Magazines- when I came across Vanity Fair's 17th Hollywood Issue. The cover almost stopped me from breathing and flipped my fainted heart side ways. Yes- I am being a bit dramatic but the cover is just that awesome!
At first glance, the cover features only Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds and (one of my great loves) James Franco- but this is only the first panel. The cover also features 11 of Hollywood's other greatest and most exciting actors and actresses at the moment.
(From left to right): Ryan Reynolds, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, James Franco, Jennifer Lawrence, Anthony Mackie, Olivia Wilde, Jesse Eisenberg, Mila Kunis, Robert Duvall, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Garfield, Rashida Jones, Garrett Hedlund and Noomi Rapace
Despite this cover being one of the most awesome covers in the history of awesome covers, Vanity Fair received a lot of criticism for this cover shoot. Some believed that the cover was racist because Anthony Mackie was the only black actor on the cover and Rashida Jones (daughter of African American musician and song writer, Quincy Jones) was apparently not black enough to be counted as 'non-white'. My take? The cover wasn't supposed to be politically correct and aren't we over this whole 'its-because-I'm-black' pitiful mind-set. You are insulting your own intelligence if the only defense you have to something as innocent and trivial as a glamorous magazine cover is crying 'Racist!'Someone went as far as to say that Hitler would be proud of the cover (and I laughed. At them!). Some people threw tantrums over two misspelled names (because obviously, Vanity Fair's big focus on that cover was spelling). OH! And let's not forget the random person who claimed that the lion cub being featured on the cover was animal abuse or something along that unsubstantiated and completely absurd line.
This cover is (should I say it again?) amazing. Featuring the good-looking James Franco, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (one of the few men who can pull of a slicked-back hair do) and Andrew Garfield and the oh-so flawless and fierce dames wearing vintage (Chanel to Yves Saint Laurent!). The only criticism I can give this cover is that I wasn't there in my Ellie Saab posing right in the middle of Joseph and Andrew (then my life would be complete).
So remember my lovely readers. Stay true. Stay you. And the race card is sooo over-played;-)
Okay... So I haven't posted in ages. Excuses? For one, the amount of Maths homework I am getting is probably unconstitutional and secondly... I have shamefully spent my spare hours (after sleep deprivation and coffee highs) trying to catch up on How I Met Your Mother episodes and fixing that embarrassing hole in my favourite gym pants.
Annnnnnywaaaaay *cue that awkward silence moment* here is an awesome song that you can listen to in the mean time:-) Its relatively old but that doesn't make it any less AWESOME.
It is about a guy who has to battle his budding girlfriend's seven evil exes. Yes. It does sound like a tacky, excessively-filled-with-explosions Jean Claude van Damme action thriller. But in a way that has only really been achieved in movies like Mean Girls, it is already making its way into the language of the nouveau riche. It demands for you to quote it compulsively (to the point of a intervention being suggested) and when you find someone who has watched it too (high five!)... you tend to reminisce about all the best bits until the rest of your friends threaten to 'leave you two at it.'
Highlights:
Firstly, the script is insane! Lines such as, "Scott, if your life had a face... I would punch it," and "Prepare to die... obviously" had me itching to tweet every delicious line (@mitchie1312- I'm not above shameless self-promotion). It is a glorious combination of comic book and action scenes into a comedy movie that makes you laugh through-out its duration (and not in slapstick which can be classless) in a way that makes you feel oddly intellectually superior. This humour was greatly appreciated because it wasn't pandering - as so many movies aimed at the youth are. The repartee will keep you coming back for more (which was about twelve times in my case). Musically, I would expect nothing less than awesome indie and alternative tracks from a Michael Cera movie and it delivers. The soundtrack, which has worthy comparisons to the Juno soundtrack, is a welcome addition on my Blackberry.
Lame bits:
This is hard... Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was a masterpiece! There is literally nothing that I can honestly say was dreadful or even remotely bad... except for, perhaps in a cliched way, the fact that it didn't last for seven hours longer - which would have been openly welcomed.
Thus, go see this movie (trailer above) as it will very simply put: rock your world. Definitely worth the time and you will not be disappointed by this soon to be cult-classic.
It is during the long December holidays when I wish I was like Phineus and Ferb who would wake up in the morning and say, 'I know what we're gonna do today' and gosh darnit'- I would build the Leaning Tower of Pisa on my roof! Unfortunately, outside the awesome bubble of my imagination I do not spend my holidays 'building a robot or fighting a mummy' instead, I hunt down good movies and then proceed to vegetate for those blissful hours of abandonment. As such, when the opportunity arose to see this movie, which came highly recommended, I jumped and my life is distinctly better for it.
Madness! 2010 was madness! And the mother of all the madness? South Africa.
South Africa took 2010 by the horns and shook the ordure out of it! This statement could sound a bit exaggerated but, in the words of Beyonce': "I talk like this 'cause I can back it up." So here is the Box Juice official 2010 South African Top Ten.
Number 10
They are pretty. They are talented. And they have Charlie Chaplin blood in their veins. Girls everywhere are going crazy for Locnville (a condition called LocnLoca). This dynamic duo emerged in South Africa with an amazing electro-hip hop sound and 2010 was a crazy year for them as their female fan base grew and they experienced their well-deserved international breakthrough.
Number 9
How do you like your coffee? Well South Africa likes it black. The Designer lable, Black Coffee and the DJ Black Coffee have both made waves in their respective industries.
Black coffee designer, Jacques van der Watts, has managed to capture the hearts of many South Africans (who know I thing or two about fashion) and (in 2010) got his well deserved international break-through at, none other than, New York Fashion Week! Check out the Black Coffee website (after reading this!).
Black Coffee at New York Fashion Week (is that Chanel Iman?!- Why, yes)
South African DJ Black Coffee is well known for creating anarchy on the dancefloor all around the Africa and Europe but he is on this Top Ten for another reason. After losing his ability to use his one arm, it comes as no suprise that he started the DJ Black Coffee Foundation to help disabled people and in September he became the first DJ to play on decks for 60 hours with one hand- all to raise awareness for his Foundation.
Number 8
A unique South African counter-culture that is all over the music charts- Zef. The mix of Afrikaans rap, amazing beats, some Hill Billies and a whole lot of craziness made famous by Jack Parow and Die Antwoord. Die Antwoord's Yolandi Visser describes Zef as, "you're poor but you're fancy. You're poor but you're sexy, you've got style." This crude new genre is making its way into international ears as it has already started a craze in Germany. Check it out:
Number 7
Afrikaans is generally avoided by (sober) non-Afrikaaners but 2010 has seen the emergance if a new obsession with Afrikaans rock bands such Die Heuwels Fantasties and the increasing popularity of the Afrikaans music channel MK. This does not mean that Baby Tjoklits will be the next big thing but you can definately count on dancing to Die Straatlig Kinders at the next house party.
Number 6
I did have a whole post dedicated to this but the electro-jazz-awesomeness of Goldfish and GoodLuck is worth mentioning a million times. Both bands released new albums this year (and I am still hunting for the GoodLuck one). Go listen to Goldfish's 'Get Busy Living' and Goodluck's 'Taking it Easy.' Am I the only person that is kinda jealous of Juliet Harding's amazing voice (especially after she says 'Oh baby hell no!' in Hop on Hop off and I am like OH SNAP! Whatavoice!)?
Goldfish and GoodLuck
Number 5
You either have it or you hate it. The oh-so-addictive Crackberry (formally known as the Blackberry) has fallen into the hands of many South Africans (young and old). Whether you are uploading photo's, tweeting, blogging or random German-to-English translations... you are probably doing it on your Blackberry (for the low low price of R60 per month-I tell you). The niftiness of this blog has gone as far as your grandmother saying LOL and OMG and sending you a BBM message to ask you for a cup of tea- from the next room. Blackberry is also on the path of crushing other chat forums as a (slightly odd) young man once said, "Having mxit [or other chat applications]on your Blackberry is like having crayons in your Louis Vitonne."
All a Blackberry can't do is make coffee
Number 4
The freaks are out! I call it the Individualist Movement. The 2010 teens jumped off of the assembly line and out came a whole lot of craziness and individuality (which is generally frowned upon- but they don't care!). Here are some of my favorite freaks of 2010:
Giselle: The freakiest of the freaks. Why? She is one heck of a singer and actress with a quirky fashion sense. She also bite people (but she denies it).
She is just a whole lot craziness! Ah the Indie Kid was always a bit of a freak. Check out her blog.
Lawrence: Undoubtedly the next big name in fashion!
Heather: The other Indie kid
My friends... the publically indecent freaks.
Number 3
South African literature has had its ways of getting around the world but this year, John van de Ruit's top selling book 'Spud' hit the South African cinemas and is soon to hit the international silverscreen early in 2011.
Number 2
The infectious soccer fever that hit all South Africans in June- The 2010 Fifa World Cup. Everybody has a good memory or two about this historic time (mine involves Sergio Ramos). South Africans came together with the Waka Waka and Vuvuzelas and it was AMAAAAAAAZING. I was quite suprised at the skills of Bafana Bafana too (well done boys!).
Number 1
What beats friends and family? Nothing!
We shared tears and laughter (and tears of laughter) with our besties and family. Lets all go into the new year together and make it bigger and better. Let's go all sixties on 2011 and spread the love. Make music not war and so on...
My amazing year with my friends and family.
No profound conclusion so I will just quote John Lennon (I am a Beatles Groupie): "I'm not going to change the way I look or the way I feel to conform to anything. I've always been a freak. So I've been a freak all my life and I have to live with that, you know. I'm one of those people."
I love Charlie Chaplin for many reasons. One of the reasons is that it is through his fortunate lineage that we have the Locnville twins (Brian and Andrew Chaplin) but that's not what we are here for (today). The second reason I love Charlie Chaplin is that he is an underdog style icon... Can anyone say, "Bowler Hats?"
Charlie Chaplin? A style icon!? Didn't see that one coming, did you? The bowler hat has transformed itself from a comedic symbol to fabulous vintage accessory that can make or break an outfit.
Sherlock Holmes replaced his good friend Watson for someone more... chic.
They can make the plainest dress look runway ready but sorry boys, I have to admit that the bowler hat only works on a select few. If you are going for a clean cut, I-am-Chuck-Bass look (ie. boys who have some appreciation for Hermes) then keep your eyes peeled for this nifty head peice.
If you have doubts about the bowler hat, then ask yourself the most important question, "What would the Beatles do?"
Clearly, Bowler Hats are cool! (The Beatles said so...)
Hello Readers:-)
I have seriously neglected my blog these holidays so I am just (as the title says) popping in. The Box Juice is coming in a whole new flavour namely, Mitchell Parker. This young man (GASP! I sound like my head master) is by no means mentally fit to be put into society so instead, I abducted him (with hardly any bodily harm) and put him behind a computer.
Look out for new posts. This time I (I mean, we) mean business. Kbye
Judi
I have witnessed too many fights between young girls recently where they climb on top of each other just to expose tasteless underwear, cellulite and a bad weave. This has lead me to the realisation that a Lady has become a rare find in today's society.
Some zealot feminists would probably want to kill me for feeling that it is the rise of feminism that killed the Lady. I have much respect for the Emmaline Pankhursts who threw themselves infront of horses and chained themselves to civil buildings in the name for Liberation but their legacy has been dissolved into a some-what twisted concept that video vixens and mini skirts are a sign of female liberation. Women have become more inclined to use their bodies, rather than their brains. A lady uses wit to fight her battle while a female (which sounds deliberately animalistic) fights her battles with fists and (oh my word!) saliva.
I am by no means (and really- by no means at all) suggesting we reform back to the 'bare-foot-and-pregnant' era but remember *A woman is not a lady is she has to tell you that she is a lady.*
"So what do you do on a Friday night? Study or something?"
That totally ridiculous question (that presented evidence of 'I don't think before I speak') was asked by a guy (let's call him Ziggy) in my class. I had the unlady-like urge to say, "Your mama!" but (luckily) I was too taken aback by his statement to give an immediate (and inappropriate reply).
People still stereotype the 'clever' kids into the Nerd Box.
Nerds. The word bring to mind Vitamin-D deprived teenage boys who can think of little more exciting than having a Level 80 Blood Elf on WoW (and if that didn’t immediately translate to World of Warcraft you are such a n00b) and can frequently be found huddling around the latest copy of NAG or discussing the cinematic effects of Star Trek (while you swoon over Chris Pine's abs).
When Ziggy asked me that question I could see that he was slightly disappointed in my life choices- not choosing to get wasted and dance on table tops in burlesque dresses every Friday night.
Oppress us! Yes. Make fun. Mock. Mock away. But we know that you have that underlying fear that we are going to be your bosses one day (can anyone say Bill Gates?). BOOYAH.
There is something about a 'it-might-rain' Saturday morning that I find particularly charming. The pale grey clouds could pose a threat to someone's well-planned pool party that everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) has been looking forward to but I take a strange liking to them.
Why?
These (for most) gloomy mornings make me want to throw on a black trench coat, have some green tea at Mickey's and listen to some smooth jazz. They make me feel like... an artist.
Maybe sunny days filled with colour are inspirational- but they also enourage nudity and neon. But grey mornings inspire you purity and... oh what the heck- they make me feel like Jane Austin!
Corinne makes 'it-might-rain' mornings look so good
Okay. So by now, you think that I am a bit crazy. Or alot. So to fight my case againt suspected insanity, I urge you to watch Corinne Bailey Rae's video, Paris nights/New York Mornings, on her website.
Regardless of the fact that I probably would have been an oppressed negro- I sometimes wish that I was a 60s kid.
Why?
THE BEATLES!! (what else could it be?)
There was Jimi Hendrix, Woodstock and VW Beetles but- Nothing tops the Beatles and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band!
This 60s band has always had huge fans (like me) throughout the years and makes me a bit sad and jealous that I wasn't there to experience their awesomness LIVE:-(
But that's not what this post is about.
And neither is this: If they weren't old and wrinkly (and sadly, dead), I would have been a huge Beatles groupie because they were hott.
And now the point...
Mark Ronson
Panic! at the Disco
The Beatles
Spot the difference?
Not much is there...
I (almost died) when I got Mark Ronson's album Version. Mark Ronson is a jazz musician and producer that mixes his retro jazz with acts such as rapper, Wale and other artists such as Daniel Merriweather, Lily Allen, Amy Whinehouse and Robbie Williams.
My Mark Ronson favorites?
>Toxic (version revisited) feat. Tiggers
>Pretty Green feat. Santo Gold: the crazy mix of instruments that lean to a cacophonie (I probably misspelt that)
And Panic! at the Disco?
With their debut album 'I write Sins not Tragidies' they had a very electro mixed with FallOutBoy sound but in Pretty.Odd they really lean towards a very Beatles sound.
To substantiate what I am saying, Listen to the Beatles song 'I want to hold your hand' and then listen to the Panic! at the Disco song, 'Pas De Cheval'.
So I am not a 60s kid but it's not so bad, thanks to Panic!at the Disco, Mark Ronson and (slightly irrelevant)I-pods.
I could have made my first blog about Mark Ronson (the man!!) or John Lennon but I decided to blog about something WAY WAY WAY HOTTER.
But first a story.
Recently, my friends and I decided to go see the awesome *Goldish* at Emmerencia. When we got there the second act was a band called *Goodluck*. I already thought "Oh geez. Bring on the Fishies before I'm 60!"
And Goodluck just walked up there and mid-Jazzy Fizzle I was half convinced that this might be a decent band.
Somewhere between Harlem and Why Don't You I was totally into this band, dancing like a freak in skinny jeans and pirate boots on wet grass.
Who is this Goodluck?
Goodluck does the same sort of Electronic Jazz thing that Goldfish does but their lead singer Juliet Harding has this amazing 40s Jazz Lounge voice that gives the band their own flavour of awesome. The (electronic percussion??) guy, Ben Peters is the Master Mind that makes all of the awesome jams that you can dance to for hours on end. When he is on stage he just does his (dare I say it?) thing. Then there is the sax and keys player, Raiven Hansmann- he OWNS the sax and the keys. and should I mention that he is >hott<? I just did.
Together, this trio makes musical magic! You should find a way to get a hold of their 6-song album "Get Lucky"
My favorite songs?
1. Electro thing: The instruments and the lyrics are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G
and the best,
2. (1666) London: It's one of those songs that you manage to squeeze into ALL of your playlists because you can't get enough.
I have a feeling that Goodluck is going to do way bigger things and I, for one, can't wait for their debut album (soon?):-D
So on that note. Go check out this awesome band on Facebook. And check them out at Rocking the Daisies.
Street Style
-
I was asked to take part in Glamour South Africa's Street Style section and
this was the result in the August Issue, which is on sale now. I'm pretty
ha...
