This could be paradise!

Watching the music video for Coldplay’s latest hit ‘Paradise’, which is set in our very own beautiful South Africa with Table Mountain in all its glory the backdrop to the story the band tells with their hit song, got me thinking that you can basically find paradise anywhere and in anything...

(Watch the music video here!)

So I did some fun online shopping and found some great shoes which I’ve each connected to a paradise-like nature scene... Just goes to show you a simple pair of shoes could be paradise!

All retail photos from foschini.co.za, woolworths.co.za and 36boutiques.com

    (Rose print wedges - Woolworths - R399)

     (Blue flower sandals - Foschini - R260)

    (Beige and white sandals - Trenery at Woolworths - R499)

Graphically speaking...

I’ve always been a bit wary when came to printed or graphic t-shirts. I’m really not one of those people who likes to wear t-shirts with jokes or sexy little notes printed on it. I don’t like people staring at my shirt trying to read or understand whatever unreadable or unclear message I’m wearing scrawled across my chest. Neither am I one those people who likes to walk around with my favourite cartoon character plastered onto my t-shirt.

Yet the other day I walked out of a store with this funky navy-striped, cherry print shirt...and I’m seriously in love with it! I bought it in a size too big so I can wear it with leggings. I was so surprised at the amount of compliments my outfit generated! Best of all...it was super cheap! Only R50 at Legit... and they’ve got all kinds of graphic shirts with super cool prints so why don’t you guys join me in changing our ways...clearly nothing’s set in stone!

Half a mile in my shoes...

Everyone knows how much I love all things handmade and who can resist a good story behind a pair of great pair of shoes, so when I found out about HAMS shoes I was, needless to say, ecstatic!

HAMS stands for Half a Mile in my Shoes and they are a small business that empowers female prisoners by using the women’s handcrafted tie-dyed fabrics to custom make beautiful espadrilles and pumps!  I was invited to take a sneak peak at the fabrics and look at these awesome pics I snapped! What really got me is the fact that every fabric is unique and handcrafted.

If you’re interested in owning your own pair of unique HAMS shoes, come join me at the pre-launch party where you will be able to choose a unique design for your very own pair of HAMS shoes and the best part is it’s super cheap! R60 as a deposit and R60 on delivery of your shoes.

The event details are as follows:

597 Gerard Marais Str

Constantia Park Ridge

Saturday, October 29

 11:00am - 2:00pm

Keep in mind 50% of the profits are used for women’s rehabilitation!  For more info you can also visit their website: http://www.wix.com/hamshoes/hams

Pink stripes and friendships.

Firstly I need to apologise for my lack of regular posts in the past week, it seems juggling blogging with tests, projects and the looming exams proves harder than I imagined it would be! So I offer all you blog-hungry fashionistas an earnest apology!

This weekend was marked by lots of fun student-life stuff (which of course also contributes to my slight absence) so I had the opportunity to truly contemplate what I will miss when all this that I take for granted daily are finally gone....what will I miss?

I’ll miss dancing when no one else is dancing, dancing alone and dancing together, dancing in the middle of the day! Having McDonalds at four in the morning, drinking coffee at five and spontaneously deciding to skip class and stay in bed all day...All of these things I’ll miss, but most of all I’ll miss waking up and finding all my friends are only a few doors down the corridor, never being alone and always having someone to laugh with, a shoulder to cry on and wardrobe made up of three fantastic friends’ clothes!

I’ll miss seeing girls walking around carefree in beautiful pink striped dresses, not a care in the world, soaking up the sun to their heart’s content...So make each day count and wear something beautiful everyday because life really is too short for bad coffee and ugly clothes! 

Pretty little hair bow.

Today I present to you a hairstyle as seen on the catwalks and on one of my favourite blogs A Beautiful Mess...the cute and enchanting hair bow! It’s pretty easy to style; all you’ll need are two hair elastics and a bunch of clips.

Start by tying a section of your hair back with an elastic. Keep in mind, the larger the amount hair you tie back, the bigger the bow will be! When tying the hair don’t pull the hair straight through, keep a bubble as shown in the photograph. Do the same with the remaining piece of hair using the second elastic. Now simply cover the elastics with another piece of hair and pin into place...And there you have it...DIY catwalk style in no time!

And still the leopard can’t change its spots!

There was a time when I thought leopard print only belonged on rich old ladies who drive fancy cars and wear too much perfume...yet here I am lusting after all things feline and facing the world with my leopard print covered attire! Yes, I’ve fallen for this trend and I must admit I’ve fallen HARD! So when I strolled through Mr Price the other day (actually on my way to buy groceries, but who can resist some quick window shopping?) and I spotted these sexy leopard print high-waisted pants hanging there, tempting me, I simply had to scrape together my coins and buy it...and what a great buy it was! Pair your leopard print items with neutral colours and chunky silver or gold accessories and you’ll be well on your way to spreading the leopard-love!

These are a few of my favourite things

When the dog bites, when the bee stings, when I’ m feeling sad... I think of a few of my favourite pretty things! Everyone has something that makes them feel that undeniable glow of excitement; to me beautiful things seem to do the trick. Today I share with you a few of my favourite things for the month of October...the few small things that brighten my day!

Right at the top of my list would be this headband my sister bought for me at the Woolworths in Bloemfontein...not only does it remind me of my sister, but it also has a pretty little pigeon print on it!

Next up are handmade flower brooches, which if you’re a regular reader wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to you seeing as I do rave all the time about how I love all things handmade! Let’s pin flowers in our hair, on our t-shirts and jerseys and deny spring a reason to abandon us for the hot madness of summer!

Lastly, another favourite is eclectic nail polish in bright and unusual colours. Join me in showing the world that there is no colour that doesn’t belong on our nails!

Of course these are only the material things...what I truly love most about October are the neverending display of purple that is Pretoria this time of the year (something I intend to share with you in a coming post!), the undercurrent of excitement and nerves that slowly builds as exams near and the year comes to an end and the nostalgic feeling that days pass a bit too fast and that we really need to hold on to whatever we hold dear...

Fanning the flames...

Louis Vuitton, Kenzo and Chanel all showed Asian influences in their Spring/Summer 2011 collections and the oriental trend continues as a hot trend for the current season. However I don’t really see myself donning a floor-length silk Chinese gown before heading out to class! To solve this little trend dilemma I’ve decided to roll up my sleeves and try another one of my DIY projects! I’ve made myself DIY origami fan earrings...perfect for keeping things neutral yet trendy!

All you’ll need is a piece of pretty paper (I just used a page from a magazine, but you can use thick wrapping paper, newspaper or any paper that has an eye-catching pattern on both sides) and a piece of string. I bought this pretty golden string at Ruby’s Haberdashery in Brooklyn!

Then you follow the instructions for folding a Japanese origami fan shown below. Once you’ve folded your little fan, simply pierce the top part of the fan with a needle and insert the earring hook there.

Still waters run deep.

Yes, the legendary Karl Lagerfeld has done it again! On 4 October Lagerfeld showcased the new Chanel Spring 2012 collection to the backdrop of an amazing sea-life inspired set with the models gliding across the catwalk in flowing fabrics and pearl inspired colours. Trying to set the new Chanel collection apart from those that came before whilst still keeping the distinct Chanel look alive, Lagerfeld made die-hard Chanel fans happy by dishing up an ocean of prettiness.

These are a few of my favourites, all photos from style.com. If you’re a Chanel fan and you missed the show, do yourself a favour and watch it here

I used to rule the world...

I was one of the lucky thousands who were in Soccer City last night when Coldplay performed their epic hit Viva La Vida whilst the stadium vibrated with the sound of thousands of voices singing the song’s catchy melody. A part of me secretly wanted to freeze time at that moment, a moment where thousands of South Africans from all walks of life were united by the beauty of great music, fun times and a fabulous show! On a side-note, I noticed that leggings worn with a cropped striped t-shirt and a slingbag casually slung over the shoulder seem to be the favoured look for outdoor concert fun. I snapped this pic of an unknowing concert-goer looking super trendy!

Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade...

The ELLE new talent search winner Cleo Droomer is proof that working hard to achieve your dreams in South Africa’s sweltering heat pays off in the end! This young designer won the ELLE new talent search in 2010 and the collection he created for Mr Price has been in South African stores for little more than a week now and already fashionistas all over are going crazy for his 80’s inspired palazzo pants and loose fitting, yet perfectly structured tops. I proclaim myself to all who’ll listen to be a Droomer fan and I was more than happy to stand in the long, last-Saturday-of-the-month lines at Mr Price with arms filled to the brim, clutching my Cleo Droomer merchandise.  Although I love everything the line my favourite pick is the more simple structured tops, available in the rose colour pictured here, as well as grey. The way this top simply moulds to your body shape makes it the perfect top for the average everyday South African woman...well done Cleo Droomer, you’ve achieved the impossible... you’ve pleased the rainbow nation that is the South African woman! 

I want to know what YOU think of the Cleo Droomer range. Send me a picture of yourself wearing an item from the range and you might just be featured on the blog!   prettylittlepigeons@gmail.com

Below is some retail pictures of the range, all from elle.co.za: To view the more pictures of the range check out his link: http://www.elle.co.za/fashion/cleo-droomers-range-hits-stores/

Touch wood!

Check out these awesome handmade accessories I discovered by chance whilst visiting my sister in Bloemfontein! I love all things crafty and handmade so these accessories really got me excited!

If you're interested in acquiring some of these little pieces of art for yourself you can contact the creator:

"Net `n Kameel"
Elizma van Zyl - elizma.vanzyl@gmail.com

The life of the party once again...

When the beautiful first years of our residence set out to be the life of the party they sure don’t hold back! Being a bit older (no, I won't give away my age...), I couldn’t keep up with the youthful enthusiasm that seemingly comes part and parcel with dressing up for your one and only first year dinner. I was overwhelmed by the brightly coloured dresses adorned with all things shiny and pretty, neatly plaited braids and lots of stacked bangles.

A shiny black fitted dress adorned with peacock feathers and cut super low at the back, combined with a perfectly plaited over-the-shoulder braid and some stacked bangles make this the spot on trendy look of the night.

Other looks that caught my eye are this classically vintage black and white dress combined with an elegant yet simple string of pearls, as well this daring navy number topped off with a funky headpiece!

Truly a night to remember I’m sure everyone who attended woke up the next morning wondering if they hadn’t maybe simply slept through a fairytale dream of old-school glamour, glittering lights and pretty dresses.