Ladybrille® Blogazine

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Friday, April 10, 2009

Baloji, "Congo"

Artist details follow:

Artist: Baloji
Song: "Congo"
Origin: Congo
Label: Virgin Records
Site: http://www.myspace.com/baloji

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Foschini Employees v Foschini Group, South Africa

Talk to any entrepreneur,small or large businesses and they will quickly tell you finding the right employee i.e. competent, loyal etc. remains one of their biggest challenges. It would appear, therefore, that once a company is able to retain such employees, the natural thing to do is to make them happy by, at the very least, paying them the agreed upon wages for services rendered.

Not so with the Foschini Group. The Foschini Group and its eight subsidiaries in South Africa just admitted, per the discovery of the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers’ Union (SACCAWU), that it underpaid many of its workers for years by using the wrong statutory code, pursuant to law, for payment. The SACCAWU now demands rectification of Foschini’s “mistakes” and is considering further investigations into Foschini’s compliance with the country's employment and labor laws, particularly as to wages.

Stoned Cherrie, Sanlam SA Fashion Week Summer 2009/2010

If it ain’t broke, hey break it and you could be like Nkhesani Nkosi with 470 stores across Africa, admired among peers and the ultimate icing on the cake? You get to show at New York Fashion Week! The very Ladybrille Nkhensani continues to keep her message precise and clear: African people and fashions are sexy, sophisticated, urban and cosmopolitan. For Summer 2009/2010 it was all about “artfully and sexily swerving fashion stereotypes and daring to be different,” says Nkosi.

Swerving fashion stereotypes she did along with taking her signature beautiful long silk chiffon burnt orange gown she showed at NYFW to a whole new level with varied colors and more design details/embellishments.

Colleen Eitzen ,Sanlam SA Fashion Week Summer 2009/2010

For the very seasoned Colleen Eitzen, co-owner of the retail outlet “The Space” where she retails her designs, clothes should be functional, simple yet elegant. This served as the basic premise for her, “The Simple Solution” Summer 2009/2010 Collection at Sanlam SA Fashion Week. The Simple Solution indeed she provided for the Ladybrille woman who believes in timeless elegance.

Eitzen kept dresses in neutral tones of tan, gray and browns. Silhouettes were simple yet had interesting details like cow necks, bagged hemlines and ruffles. Her choice of fabrics like silk chiffons, charmeuse and jerseys provided the elegance that elevated the simplicity of her designs to classic/timeless.

Anisa Mpungwe, Sanlam SA Fashion Week Summer 2009/2010

Have you ever found yourself saying, “gosh what a world we live in today. Busy, busy, massive consumption, drive thrus etc.?” If you have, well you are not alone! Tanzania born designer Anisa Ami Mpungwe apparently feels the same way and used the above musings as the inspiration for her “Drive-Thru Generation” Summer 2009/2010 collection at the recently completed Sanlam SA Fashion Week.

Mostly sleeveless A-line dresses gave the “drive-thru generation” a very relaxed “I live in my clothes and I don’t have to be a size 4” look. Black, yellow, tan and orange were the chosen color palettes. These colors were used to create abstract patterns. In certain instances the SA and London trained Mpungwe completed her oversized dresses with Harem pants which resulted in a “I really don’t care” look. Nevertheless, her color choice, cut and execution still managed to make her designs appear aesthetically clean. For accessories, she accessorized with horse riding hats, round toe black flats and some very cute fingerless gloves. All perfect for the “drive-thru” generation that pulls up to the Starbucks drive thru with, “I’ll get one café mocha, a tall café latte, chai tea and two Zucchini bread.” “Yes, that will be all.”

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Artist Djinee with "Ego"

Naomi Campbell Steals the Spotlight with "Fashion Relief ‘Mai Mumbai’, Lakme Fashion Week 2009.

Lakme Fashion Week is to India what New York Fashion Week is to the USA--and the rest of the world, really. Yes, of course, there is the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, which is also a fashion week to contend with. However, since 2005 when IMG [a global leader in fashion weeks and events production] joined forces with Lakme [India’s leading cosmetic brand] to produce Lakme Fashion Week, it has been nothing short of aggressive marketing, branding, re-branding, cross-promotions and a “whole lotta” of money spent to make Lakme Fashion Week a force to be reckoned with, locally and internationally.

Naomi Campbell’s ‘Mai Mumbai’ Fashion for Relief Charity Show at Lakme Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2009, definitely put Lakme Fashion Week in the center of the world’s fashion map as well as raised the stock value of Ms. Campbell, as if she needs more help in that area?

Aimed at raising awareness and funds for the not-for profit “Citizens for Justice and Peace” and to show solidarity against the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Supermodel Naomi Campbell, Lakme Fashion Week, IMG and India’s luxury hotelier and wealthy tycoon Vikram Chatwal of Vikram Chatwal Hotels staged an unforgettable ‘Mai Mumbai’ Fashion relief show, one that has been dubbed, “one of the most unique fashion events in the history of the industry in the country.”

The 26/11 event included thirty [32] top Indian and International designers. The creative Manish Malhotra, amazingly brilliant Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Anuj Sharma, Anupama Dayal, Arjun Khanna, JJ Vallaya, Lecoanet Hemant, Malani Ramani, Nachiket Barve, Nandita Mahtani, Rina Dhaka, Rohit Bal, Ritu Kumar, Sanchita Ajjampur, Savio Jon, Varun Bahl, Vikram Phadnis were some of the Indian names in the line up.
On the international front the world’s top designers like Anna Sui, Badgley Mischka, Carolina Herrera, Dennis Basso, Diane von Furstenberg, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Isaac Mizrahi, Louis Vuitton, Mathew Williamson, Naeem Khan, Nanette Lepore, Oscar de la Renta, Roberto Cavalli, Ungaro, Vera Wang, Versace, Valetin Yudashkin, YSL and Zac Posen were participants.

By the way, what is wrong with this picture? The producers couldn’t see fit to have two or three spots for Africa’s top fashion designers? Bad, bad, bad! The triple threat of an Indian, African and Western fashion combo would most likely create an effect that is in one word, “out of this world.”

Nevertheless . . . wearing the designs of the aforementioned esteemed designers were India’s finest Bollywood stars which included the devilishly handsome and super hot Kunal Kapoor, the equally hot Mallaika Arora, Deepika Pudukone, Farhan Akhtar and Rahul Bose. The lineup of goddesses and gods incomplete without India’s very own supermodel Ujjwala Raut, and the country’s first supermodel Madhu Sapre.

While the star power gathered under one roof was enough to cause a Myocardial Infarction for the many fashionistas and global fashion-forward present, the entrance of Naomi Campbell on the runway, with all of her “supermodel swagger” was all that was needed to really get the world's press talking. Beyond the many outfits Naomi Campbell wore, she stole the spotlight in a Sabyasachi Mukherjee sleeveless gold embroidered black choli, an undergarment [skirt] and a see through black sari draped over her left shoulder. The lining of the sari was beautifully embroidered with gold. The event ended with a generous donation from hotelier Vikram Chatwal.

Looks from the runway are being auctioned on eBay. To see and purchase some of the designs for 26/11 visit eBay. All proceeds will be donated to "Citizens for Justice and Peace."

India's finest, Bollywood star Kunal Kapoor

Yet another of India's sexy men alive, Bollywood star Rahul Khanna

[L-R] Bollywood's hottie Arjun Rampal struts the runway with his sexy wife Mehr Rampal aka Mehr Jesia, India's International Supermodel of the early '90s.

All photos courtesy Zimbio

"Satolicious" by Tanzania’s Mustafa Hassanali

As African fashions continue to gain momentum the world over, seasoned African fashion designers are stepping up the ante and in instances delving into markets you wouldn’t typically find them. For Tanzania’s Mustafa Hassanali, it was a combination of both with the showing of his new collection titled ‘Satolicious’ at Tanzania’s New Mwanza hotel in Tanzania's second largest city, Mwanza.

His collections encompassed bridal gowns, traditional African fabrics sewn into Afro-Western fusions and beautiful strapless multi-colored silk chiffon gowns that appeared to move with such fluidity. Hassanali’s ‘Satolicious’ opened with a line up of top models [from both Dar es Salaam and Mwanza--popular cities in Tanzania] to an audience that included Tanzania’s elite such as Christopher Gachuma, Subhas Patel and Mohammed Fazal. Famous Tazanian comedian Steve Nyerere along with Dogoli Culture Group provided the entertainment.