A day in Durban ♥ Animals & Antiques

Today, my mom and I went to Mitchell's Park and then for lunch at Antiques House. I am not in the habit of flitting around parks in the middle of the day but because I recently entered the erm, wonderful world of freelancing, I am able to nip out for a spot of winter sun. I posted the rest of the photos on flickr if you'd like to see more our little adventure. Man, I wish I could just take pictures every day, it is my favourite thing in the world. That, and hopping on a plane!

Q&A with Kim Gray: How to become a stylist

I've been having a long, hard think about what I'd like to do career-wise going forward and now it's decided. I'd love to be a stylist. (Although 'Travel Writer' and 'Kit-Kat Quality Assurance' still rank highly on the list.) Styling is something I've dipped my toe in before and thoroughly enjoyed although I've never known how to progress from there. I was deeply grateful when Kim Gray, one of South Africa's most well-known fashion, lifestyle and decor stylists kindly replied at length when I popped her an email, asking for some advice. I thought I'd publish our chat here as interview for those of you who may also be considering styling as a career. Get ready to be inspired!

Hi Kim, how are you today?
Just back from a walk along Table Mountain Rd and excited to be a South African!

Super stuff! Congratulations on your blogging and styling success. What has been the highlight of your career? 
It's been really awesome having my blog which started as a hobby , blogging about my shoots, turn into a part time job! I love it so much, so it's been awesome to be mentioned in mags like Marie Claire. I sometimes have to pinch myself and I am so grateful and humbled by the support I've received!

Can you kindly walk us through a typical day.
There is no same day. Each project is different! But it usually consists of briefing suppliers, sourcing from shop to shop, shopping center to center and blogging in the evenings or shooting all day on set and then blogging in the evenings :) On none shoots days, I blog... Surprise.

Which is your must-have item in your stylists kit?
Pins to make sure clothing fits and looks perfect on the model.



Please can you tell us about your background and how you 'broke' into the industry? 
I interned at Marie Claire Magazine for just over a year. I have no formal study or degree. From there I slowly started showing my portfolio around and knocking on agency doors.

What are the attributes that you would look for in a stylist?
Good organizational skills and an eye for style.

What advice would you give to someone wanting to become a stylist?
I get e-mails almost every day from girls wanting to become a stylist. Its like any job, you need passion and you need to make a lot of coffee if you want to get anywhere. I've had girls assist me that give up after 2 weeks because they get bored of returning merchandise to stores - but that is where you form some of your best relationships (contacts) - that will help you in the future! Persistence and hard work! And then the fun!



Which are your favourite South African stores and why?
I love Woolworths, Poetry, Old Khaki - it's wearable, quality, every day fashion. Though I do believe in mixing store buys with once off treasures and unique finds - making the fashion 'you'.

Who is your favourite designer?
I love local designers like Lunar for their simple classic clean lines, Missibaba for her amazing handbags, Tashkaya for her cute, classic yet quirky and wearable designs.

How would you describe your personal style? 
Classic with a twist.

Do you prefer to shop for clothes or interior goodies? 
BOTH!!!

What should no girl be without? 
A great pair of shoes, jeans and shades!

And finally, what is the best thing about your job? 
Once you've sourced all the clothing / interiors, it's playing and putting looks together. I love the flexibility and creativity with being a freelance stylist.



That about seals it! I definitely want to pursue styling as a career. Kim lives in Cape Town and you can visit her website here to read about her daily inspirations, shopping finds and on-shoot experiences. All the images above were sourced from Kim's portfolio which can be viewed on her website. If you enjoyed this post or know someone who might, please feel free to bookmark or share it using the widget below. And as always, you're welcome to reply in a comment. Tell me about your dream job, high-five Kim or just say hi!

And the winner is...

Curls, my dear, you have won a £50 shopping voucher to spend online at Daniel Footwear. Not a bad start to a Monday, eh!? Thanks to all of you who entered this giveaway. I so enjoyed hearing about your favourite bands. You lot have some seriously cool taste in tunage. I really love running giveaways and I want to rustle up more chances for you guys to win. If you'd like to sponsor a prize, please feel free to email me here and let's cook up something crazy cool!

Bows on the toes.

Hey guys, how is your weekend going? I had a cracking night out last night which gave me a fun idea for a post but more on that another time. I seem to be going through a monochrome phase at the mo. In the past, I've admitted to buying clothes from Pick and Pay so I may as well admit I bought these sweet flats from the Hub for something ridiculous like 40 zars. That's right folks, I'm a woman on a budget. If I bought all my shoes from Aldo, I would never be able to afford my Woolies' Chuckles addiction. Ya'll understand right? ;)

Happy Friday!

It's finally Friday! We have a jam packed weekend planned so no relaxing for me. Tonight we are going to dinner with two other couples and then having a few drinks on the deck at Cajun Wharfs. Tomorrow we are going to watch my little brother play in a baseball tournament. The first game is at nine and it will take us a little over an hour to get there. So as usual I'll be up bright and early. I'm still not even sure what our plans for Father's day are! I've been so busy with school the past two weeks that I feel like I'm going crazy. But I only have three weeks left of this Physics class before I move on to my Microbiology class. Is it sad I'm actually looking forward to Micro? Anything has to be better than Physics right?

Gabe surprised me the other night by suggesting we actually go on a real vacation in October when I'm on fall break. This summer we haven't been able to do an actual vacation since my school schedule is so crazy. (I'm taking 15 hours this summer!) He told me to pick what I wanted to do and we could go ahead and book it. I was torn between a New York trip or a cruise. I finally settled on a cruise because honestly all I want right now is to layout and relax. Oh and eat. :) So now I finally have more than just a quick weekend trip somewhere to look forward to!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Looks we Love: Taylor Swift Country Music Awards

Change your hair....change your...
1. Life
2. Sex Appeal
3. Image as a young innocent country singer

This is most definitely a look we love with Taylor Swift trading her trademark curls for a sleeker and svelte look at the Country Music Awards.  To Achieve Taylor's look we'd use the Lord & Cliff Clip In Extensions 3 pieces in color 18/24  in 14" to add some volume and run a flat iron over them and call it a day!

What I wore: (P)leather and Wool

Hey guys, thanks for your super feedback to the post below. I love hearing your takes on things. I'm glad I didn't bomb the archives into oblivion after all. And a special thanks to those of you that have been enduring my sporadic soccer outbursts on twitter! I still don't have a clue what the rules are but watching the games has been terrific fun. Onto other news, this is my new(ish) scarf for winter. I bagged this bad girl from Woolies and so far it seems to work with most outfits. The jacket is an old faithful from Miss Selfridge. I always think it will never be cold enough to wear it in Durbs but it's pretty chillos at the mo. I've heard it's absolutely icy in the rest of the country. Keep warm ya'll!

Jacket Miss Selfridge Scarf Woolworths Ring Accessorize Shoes New Look