Good news Joburg girls: Lalalux brings you designer beauties!

Lalalux recently moved into Parkhurst's 6th street and is a veritable treasure trove of high end designer pieces. Scarves from Liberty of London, Tod's classic loafers, Chloe sunglasses, Alexander Wang shirts, Marc Jacobs coats- the variety is amazing and stock is replenished every two weeks. 

It started out with former fashion buyer Lauren Fabien, moving from the US where she had lived all her life and seeing a definite gap in the Johannesburg market. Fabien had been accustomed to higher quality textiles and design in clothing than she found locally available, so she decided she would simply bring her favourites from the states over here. 

Now on a bit of a side note- I have a personal theory when I shopping; if I can picture my hypothetical, future children wanting a piece it's worth it's higher price tag for it's superior quality. While the media as a whole dubbed "Investment Buys" the way to go after rescission, I think of "Inheritance Pieces" when empting my wallet. Lalalux is full of such beautifully crafted items. 

When I originally met Fabien she ran Lalalux out of a showroom attached to her elegant northern suburbs home but due to the demand of her growing clientèle, a retail solution was required for the busy lives of her on-the-go customers. I asked Lauren what her essential purchase of the season was; her answer was a cashmere jersey because it is both light and warm, a great layering trick to remember. 

 This winter she has a rail dedicated to leather- expertly cut coats and enduring skirts that are buttery soft to the touch. For winter coats, jackets and blazers look no further- she has trendy puffers to keep you snug on the coldest of days and lighter pea-coats for keeping a slight chill off. 

Even if you have a slightly smaller budget, Lalalux has offerings from Jason Wu for Target and statement prints from H&M to please you. And if you need to get a gift for the woman who has everything, a choice of jewellery and accessories for different tastes and imported candles should solve your problem. Pay Lalalux a visit, you won't regret it. 

Behind the Scenes at VOILA! Issue 14 Cover Shoot

I was lucky enough to assist Gaschette stylist Jessica Lupton on her latest shoot for VOILA! Magazine, featuring Miss South Africa Melinda Bam. My three favourite shots. 

Jumpsuit, Avant Apparel; Sequinned, Jacket Rayne, White Gold Cross, Jewel Africa

Sheer top with fringing, Rayne; 14 carat Yellow Diamond Bracelet, Browns; Scarf and Ring, Jewel Africa

Gold jacket with faux fur trim, Thula Sindi; Earrings and Necklace, Tinsel. 

 Here are a few behind the scenes shots of the amazing team who made this cover possible. 

The team all huddled around our current Miss SA; Photographer Steve Marais atop a table, in vintage dalmation print stylist Jessica Lupton, make-up artist Stefanie Payendee touching up the glossy red pouting and at the back is hair stylist Laura Kingma- acting as photographer's assistant. 

VOILA!'s Deputy Editor Kyle Boschoff samples some Clive Rundle fur (faux of course).

Melinda's glamous golden tresses were perfected by hair genius Laura of One League Artists. Here Laura makes absolutely certain that not one strand of hair is out of place. I have to admit, learning how to achieve that old Hollywood wave has become one of my life goals recently. 

Some Thomas Sabo pendants that couldn't be used, but which I adore! Please note that hand models were Dave, Thiao and Sifiso courtsey of KMS Model Management. 

A Sketch by Grace Coddington

Cats in this seasons runways looks. Thank you Grace for brightening my day once again. 

Milk Teeth's New Stock

Clever Qz Zhang-Cowie of Milk Teeth took a recent trip to Hong Kong and is already making appointments for  throngs of followers to see her new wares. Call her quick or you may miss out on something spectacular. 

Find her at https://www.facebook.com/milkteethjhb

New Store: Lalalux

Former retail buyer Lauren Fabien is putting her well trained eye to good use once again with the opening of Lalalux. Fabien's boutique was previously a well revered secret amongst her chic client list- selling one off's by international brands such as 7 For All Mankind, Diane von Furstenburg, Marc Jacobs and Donna Karan. The new addition to Parkhurst's 6th street is situated snugly between Kluk CGDT and MeMeMe; they have a great opening special on for the first two days of business. I'm looking forward to covering great things from Lalalux, stand by in the next few days for more. 

Strictly KP Open House

We all love a long weekend, especially when it's up to five days long. However the weekend following this phenomenon always seems quite sad in comparison to it's predecessor. But some clever people in the know might just have the thing to cheer you up- a sale, with champaign! Pop through to Strictly Kp's Open House- you can bag yourself a bargain, get styled by the man himself and support local designers such as Two, Rayne, Jane Sews and Rachel de Mardt to name a few. For information on the sale, check out the Facebook page. 

Here are some of Two's Winter 2012 campaign images to give a little taste of what to look forward to. I'm personally a very big fan of that purple cape and love the use of blues and teal in this collection. Hope I'll see you there my lovelies. 

Birdy

If you haven't become acquainted with her already, then meet Birdy. She is currently 15 years old, doesn't mind letting her braces show in her videos and has a voice to send chills along your spine. I am completely besotted with this girl, mostly because I feel like she is sincere. In an age where one of our most popular female indie artists is rumoured to have had both her sound and background story produced, has a look which is very much the product of a surgeons needle and stylists hard labour, I find the honestly of Birdy quiet enchanting. 

Born Jasmine van den Bogaerde, her stage name comes from a childhood nickname given by her parents; as a baby she held her mouth open like a bird waiting for food and the name stuck. Birdy won the British competition Open Mic UK 2008 at the tender age of 12 and by 14 had recorded a version of Bon Iver's  "Skinny Love" which rose to number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. If you're a Vampire Diaries fan you might familiar with her sound as she's had tracks featured on two episodes and she has a single called "Just A Game" on the Hunger Games Official Soundtrack too. Almost all of the songs on her current album are covers of tracks by other artists, but if you would like to hear a track written by Birdy herself be sure to listen to 'Without A Word" 

All videos from Birdy's Youtube channel OfficalBirdy, Image courtesy of  www.bpmtv.com