Just some catspiration for you.

Grace Coddington designed a limited edition accessories range for Balenciaga. The illustrations are of her cat, Pumpkin (drawn by Grace herself). 20% of the proceeds go towards The Animal Rescue Fund of The Hamptons.

Benedicte Earrings, Eugenia Kim Caterina Velour Felt Cat Ears Beret in Black, Charlotte Olympia pumps, Meadowlark Cat Ear Ring.

Paul & Joe lipstick, illustrations by Grace Coddington.

The Catwalk Cats by Grace Coddington and Didier Malige, cat dress by Victoria Beckham.

My cats, who are actually brother and sister. My ginger cat’s name is Menace (boy), but I call him Meni/Meni-Boy/Meni-Beeee. My grey cat’s name is Mischief (girl), but I call her Missy/Missoni/Missy-Poo.

If I were a fashion designer, one of my collections would be inspired by my cats. Unoriginal I guess, as many designers have done this, although I think the big chunk out of Menace’s ear would be pretty original. I love my cats sooooo much, sometimes too much that they run away from my crazy-cat-woman-ness. Menace is always so involved with what I’m doing, and has a habit of jumping onto the desk while I’m working. Mischief is extremely shy, and only seeks you out when she wants a head massage. My sister’s theory is that Missy only loves her.

Do you have cats? Please tell me about them!

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Dior

Escada

This past weekend was my 22nd birthday. I hadn’t really planned anything for it, but to my delight, it ended up being one of the most fun and memorable weekends ever. For Friday night, it was cocktails overlooking Cape Town’s glittery seas, picturesque mountains and unforgettable sunsets with my sister, Ewald (sister’s boyfriend) and my Luke (followed by burgers and pizzas at Hudsons, ya know). On Saturday morning after breakfast at Starlings Cafe, I browsed through the latest Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar magazines and fell in love with some of the spring campaigns. We’re having one phenomenal summer here in Cape Town and the bright colours in the Dior and Escada campaigns suited the mood so perfectly. From what I’ve heard, the majority love what Raf Simons is doing at Dior (that includes me), and some think it’s “rather boring”. I think it’s cool that he’s going old school, and if you had to take the name away, the garments are still exceptionally elegant and beautiful. This is a new chapter for Dior, and Raf mentioned that he’s taking it slow and going back to the brands roots. Let’s give him a chance.

Later that afternoon, Ewald took Luke and I on a private flight over the winelands in Cape Town (see some of the photographs here). Although it was my first time on a really small plane, it was magical (to say the least). This was followed by a dinner at Sevruga with my family at the V&A Waterfront, overlooking the harbour and Table Mountain, and a fashion shoot on Sunday morning for Vintage Lifestyle Magazine’s fashion pages. Best weekend ever? Yes.

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Jil Sander Navy

Proenza Schouler

Calvin Klein

McQ Alexander McQueen

Ralph Lauren

Victoria by Victoria Beckham

Victoria Beckham

Creatures of Comfort, Twiggy, Victoria Beckham

Creatures of Comfort

Although I wasn’t in New York for fashion week, I watched many of the shows live streaming. If the shows weren’t live streaming, I’d catch up on the stills the next morning (thank goodness for technology today!). There were SO many collections that I loved (even if I wouldn’t wear the clothes myself, I can still appreciate a good collection). I was planning to do a detailed blog post about my favourite collections, but it would’ve taken me a billion years as I’ve been blogging for Vintage Lifestyle non stop (not to mention the latest issue being released this week). You know how it is. SO I decided to share with you the classic, basic fashions from the runway, from designers who I think do it best.

London Fashion Week starts today, and I’m pretty excited to see the collections (Mulberry, Mary Katrantzou, Moschino, Matthew Williamson, Peter Pilotto, Burberry Prorsum, Erdem, Christopher Kane, Tom Ford). I’ve always thought that British designers deserve more credit than they’re given. Although apparently there’ll be more US buyers at London Fashion Week this time. Hoooorah!

It’s really quite something watching the shows live streaming. You’re enthralled by the movement of the dresses, the details of the back of the dress, the slight glimpse of red-soled Louboutins, and Grace Coddington’s bright orange hair in front row.

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I’ve had this blog post as a draft since Friday, and I’ve absolutely no idea why I haven’t clicked ‘Publish’ since then.

So let’s discuss Paris Couture week, or as I say P’ashion Week.

First up, Christian Dior.

At Dior one is transported to a fresh, spring fantasy, with soft colours and feminine silhouettes. Again, Raf Simons makes use of bell jar skirts, black suits and fitted trousers, intricate embroidery and pops of bright red. When researching for his first Dior collection, he went back to the brand’s roots, and now we’re seeing a modern, unique version in his collections today.

Elie Saab

Every night I pray for an Elie Saab dress. I could be normal, or pretty insane. But we all know he creates the most beautiful, whimsical evening dresses.

Giambattista Valli

Giambattista Valli’s collection is just pure prettiness. It drew me in with its statement accessories and mod 50s silhouettes.

Ulyana Sergeenko

I have a confession to make: to say I am obsessed with Ulyana Sergeenko, is an understatement. I love everything about her, and her couture. Ulyana transports me to a fairy tale world (this happens often) with her spring/summer couture collection. The collection was described as “Scarlett O’Hara falling headfirst into The Wizard of Oz.” It was inspired by well-known novels, such as Gone with the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Headless Horseman. Ulyana has really proved herself in the fashion industry. Can’t wait to meet her one day.

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