The who’s who
All so important that we had to put this in alphabetical order.
1Study the industry and it’s players Remember the The Devil Wears Prada scene in which Miranda Priestly’s (Meryl Streep) assistant, Andrea Sachs (Anne Hathaway), memorises a file of names? Be like that.
2Remember your manners Rudeness is a bad idea in any field, and things change fast in this one. The assistant you just insulted may be a fashion director a few years from now.
3Don’t think being young is an achievement Youth is simply a temporary fact of life, so don’t feel superior or complain that the ‘older’ generation sits front row. Fashion is tough, and those are the true powers, ongoing icons and survivors. (I say this as a mature member of the audience.)
4Remember: the internet and the industry do not forget Going on record with an opinion? Then mean what you say.
5Be gracious It took me years to gain access to the front row, and I’ll never forget getting into an elevator with Jackie Burger, then a renowned fashion director. As a junior in the style world, I felt way out of my depth with this media royal, but she greeted me warmly, chatted about the shows, and so awed me with her graciousness that I immediately promised myself I would be as much like her as possible!
Yes, there are rules and regulations, DOS and DON’TS, stresses and pleasures, but the crucial aspect of any fashion week is that it informs and inspires. So, embrace diversity, revel in creativity and enjoy the bubble before it bursts.
What would Fashion Week be without celebs seated front row? And we have an abundance of photogenic ones.
Talented, visionary, hugely hard-working – and there to make the rest of us look amazing. Plus, fashion creates jobs. A standing ovation for these wonderful people!
Major clients, family and friends, and in some cases, their children, which makes for a cuteness factor that upstages the A-listers.
Most SA fashion weeks have a stand-by queue for aspiring fashion lovers and students. It’s about the hustle – but patience pays off.
Look for the mobiles and furious typing! These are the people who know the secrets – like how to make an iphone image look professional, and which part of the show makes the best Instagram story (the finale, actually).
No one knows what they actually do, but they are omnipresent, label-clad and often to be seen clutching a goodie bag with all their strength.
Look for the crowd of photographers or the TV crew, and you’ll find a style icon right there – at the centre of the action. Style icons might not have anything of great importance to say, but their fashion perfection is so great that they could give advice to the professional stylists.
istarted embracing my natural hair when I was 31 and had just moved to Tokyo. My hair was breaking off because it was constantly dried out, so I started Googling natural ways to take care of curly hair. I really didn’t know anything about natural hair care, so I did it all by trial and error, reading blogs and importing products to Tokyo.
Since then, I’ve come to understand all the different curl types that I have; the ones on the crown of my head, for example, are tighter and drier than the rest, so I apply more product to keep that section moisturised. The curls in the nape of my neck are much looser and need less moisture. That’s pretty much it: I just apply more or less product, depending on how well a specific area retains moisture.
My advice to anyone transitioning to natural hair? Keep it moisturised with a good leave-in conditioner, followed by an oil (try coconut or olive), then go for a style that will blend the two textures (curly and straight) together nicely – a roller-set, twist-out or braid-out works well. My hair loves coconut, avocado and olive oils, as well as aloe, and shea and walnut butters. I look for products that contain these ingredients, and avoid anything containing sulphates or mineral oils. Sulphates may clean your hair and remove product buildup, but they also strip it of natural oils, and tend to leave it dry and straw-like. They can also cause scalp irritation and hair loss.
I treat my hair with love, because it’s an extension of who I am. For the last few years I’ve been rocking natural curls – and I would never go back to the days of burning my scalp with relaxers just to try and fit in with society’s idea of beauty. I’ve come to love being that woman in a crowd with the big, curly hair.
Sharing my hair story through my blog (eleanorjadore.wordpress.com) and Youtube channel (@eleanorjadore) means so much to me, because I’ve been able to help countless women embrace their hair. I believe that every woman should feel empowered to wear their hair naturally; it’s just a matter of working out which products your hair likes and how it likes to be styled.
All hair is good hair, and all hair is beautiful. This is part of the reason my four natural sisters and I host the annual Cape Town Natural Hair Fest, where people can be themselves without fear of ridicule. They can also get their hands on hard-to-find natural hair products.