Hi All,

Well winter holidays have come and gone and the next term is about to start...tomorrow in fact. Bittersweet feeling personally as I have now realised that this is my last winter holiday as a student. However as melancholic as I’m feeling right now, I know this feeling is short-lived. I am graduating in plus minus four months. I am literally bursting at the seams with excitement as I know my life is about to start, in a real way. I do not want to wish the next few months away though...so I will remain focussed on the subject at hand.

My end of year collection was leading in a direction that I couldn’t quite keep up with. I lost sight of my end goal and I felt as though my collection disappeared from anything that represented me. After interning with the one and only Colleen Eitzen (www.colleeneitzen.co.za just do it, trust me) I found the motivation to adapt my collection to perhaps the new me?  I feel now as though I can present a true piece of myself when the time comes in my final months at Fashion College.  If there was any advice that I could perhaps lend to a struggling designer such as myself, it is to not forget who you are, and what you choose to represent as this. I learnt a very valuable lesson through Colleen that went something like this “you have missed a fundamental part of the design process and that is to design what you can achieve yourself.” With this vital lesson, I have chosen to start again and produce a line that I am proud of and represents all that is MADELEINE.

Wish me luck x

Colleen Eitzen-SA Fashion Week 2012-Spring Collection

 

Alexander Forbes - Forgotten Dreams

Just Go With It....

Hi All,

So much has happened over the last month that I am at quite a loss as to what I should base this post on. Politically, we have finally said farewell to Julius, Helen Zille rode the Argus and a brave bunch of Americans have decided to bring a stop to Joseph Kony, to name a few. Personally, I choose to go with it. This may seem as though I show little interest or care in what is going on in our world but that is quite the contrary. I have become slightly irritated at my own generation. It seems as though the minute there is any introduction of a new quest to help out the less fortunate, it is immediately assumed that these people are a) evil conspirators aiming to build a cult etc. or b) they are trying to reap all the rewards for themselves. Is this what society has come to? Is it that hard to believe that there are actually good people out there wanting to make a difference? I am referring to "Kony 2012" as I assume many of you have guessed. I have read all the articles, all the conspiracies made about this movement from both sides, and I just can't seem to disagree with what they are trying to do, in fact I am completely envious of their courage to take on one of the most evil dictators of all time, I sure as hell wouldn’t. So instead of questioning EVERYTHING, why don’t we all try and focus on the positive and maybe get involved...Just go with it.

On a lighter note, my collection is on the go ahead and I am extremely inspired and motivated. This week we are starting with our first garments, daunting, but exciting. I am looking forward to creating a collection that is ready to wear in winter and can then be transformed into a spring look. I reckon we should bring colour into this year’s winter fashions, keep things bright even when the weather wants to tell us something different.

Thats all for today... just go with it...

Madeleine....

Wow it has been awhile! I must say I have been itching to get to the keyboard for some time... I have just been lacking inspiration I suppose... alas, here I am, once again insomnia ridden and finding it hard to stay away from the computer.


I have been struggling to find something interesting and alluring to share with you all, but as my lack of posting shows, it has proven unsuccessful. However, this is the year in which I create my own collection. I somehow got blessed with some incredible ideas while bed bound by a broken leg, unbelievable for it to happen over the summer holidays, but so worth it for the amazing skiing trip.

So, here it is my very brief introduction to M.A.D.E.L.E.I.N.E. I have been inspired by Marie Antoinette. For those of you who are unaware of this controversial yet amazingly stylish queen, she was married to King Louis XVI and was blamed for placing France in great debt due to her extravagant tastes. Aside from that, she had style like no other. Her colour palette was a mixture of pastels and the trimmings were highly lavish. For MADELEINE, I aim to represent her in a modern and fresh way. I hope to keep femiminity a focal point while adding fun and interest through candy-coated ideas. I want to keep my styles and fabrics simple, as I feel that the colour palette will take main focus. This line represents everything that is me, Madeleine. I have decided to document this journey along the way so if any of you are interested....stay tuned!

I leave you with some of my personal inspiration and to say Bonjour....Madeleine

p.s My theme song for this collection "I want Candy"- The Go Go's (Amazing!)
xxx

WATCH THIS.....

                                            

21 and getting Younger!

Wow! What a journey the last few days have been... I finally turned the big 21! Combined with my birthday dinner and what can only be described as the best night of my life, I transformed into my 21 year old self in style.
Since I could remember, I have been dreaming about turning 21 and finally become a legal adult, sound familiar? It's as if we all picture ourselves suddenly turning 21 and getting turned from a pumpkin into a queen (metaphorically speaking) I am completely confident that 88% of us feel the same. However, the evening or should I say the early morning of my 21st party I spent on Mouille point beach waiting for the elusive sun to rise. As I sat there my mind suddenly came to the realisation that I was really and truly 21. Truth be told, I had never felt younger! I had just spent the following night, dancing until I couldn't walk, having as many shooters as I could handle and making best friends with the bartender. I made the firm decision there and then that this is what my twenties would be about! I choose to take on any adventure that comes my way with enthusiasm and passion... I want to look back on my twenties and say, wow I lived!

21 might be called the beginning of our adult years, but to me, Peter Pan and Neverland are my muses!

Minutes to the day...

Hello Lovelies!

I know it has been far too long and there is no excuse except to say that life has completely run away with me and it all has seemed slightly hectic. But alas, here I am having wiped the dust off my keyboard and popping in for a little chat.

Finally the end of the 3^rd term has come and may I say I have never been more excited for a holiday. I don’t know about the rest of you, but the 2^nd half of the year sometimes seems as if it disappears into a slight lull. Our focus is on one thing and one thing only, December/summer holidays! I have already started planning day to day activities, but as I find myself drifting off into a sweet holiday slumber mode, I have to challenge myself by asking...what does TODAY hold? We all know the cliché “smell the roses etc.” But have we actually taken that into account for our lives? It seems to me, that we have all pressed the fast forward button and as much as we try we can’t bring ourselves to slow it down and take life in. I know that this all sound like a broken record but this philosophy of life is so very important to follow. I have got 2 days left before I head back to my home town Durban and I feel the pull is so strong to go back that I am barely thinking about anything else. Today though, I got back to the flat after a long day, huffed and puffed and threw myself on the couch, lay there with a slight stream of sun coming through the blinds and decided that at that exact moment, life truly is a beautiful thing.

It is time that we learn to fully embrace our days, and take each day on as though every breath depended on it. Sure, we are all going to look forward and let ourselves feel uplifted and excited about what’s to come, but make sure you don’t miss out on the perfect moment that could happen in the very next few seconds....Take time out from living in the future or past and focus some energy on the present, it could all change in a split second.

I won’t stay away this long again... I have missed our chats.

stolen moments...

Peace and Love x

Spring a Ding Ding!

Happy Spring friends!
Here in Cape Town we had a gloomy start to our spring. Spring day bloomed with grey skies and blustering winds, the rain joined in later on in the day as we all cowered in our homes wondering when the sun would come out. It did! What a beautiful Saturday we are having!
I thought today I would do a recap on spring 2011 Fashion Trends....
It seems that there is a varied mixture of elements to be thrown around this season. What I like about the fashion predications is that they can apply to every woman’s wardrobe. As I've blogged about previously, 70's and 60's are taking control over the styles. Biker and a touch of punk are seemingly taking stage too. It’s an interesting group of looks and I think we might have great diversity in this season’s style....exciting! Within these styles, plunging necklines, maxi-dresses, lace and crotchet (yay) and many more exciting aspects to springs wardrobe. If I were you, I would explore the 2nd hand stores for your accessories and the odd maxi-dress or blazer. Have some fun with your wardrobes this season; it’s quite hard to get it wrong. Just avoid going over the border on the 70's look. You don’t want to look like your impersonating a character out of the 70's, keep it stylish.

On a different scale, my cousin who is currently residing in Aus has introduced me to Kimbra. Her songs are truly beautiful and I have already downloaded her whole album. The video I’m sharing is "Good Intent" and has a really cool vibe to it, make sure you check out the dance scene and her dresses...wow!

Hope you are all spending your day doing something interesting! Definately a cocktails-by-the-beach day!
Ciao x

White's still remain a firm favourite... and definately still mine!

70's inspired....