MM6 Maison Martin Margiela stays clean

Today I'm not really doing a whole review on a collection but I just want us to take a quick fashion minute to check out the MM6 Maison Martin Margiela Fall/Winter '14-15 collection. I know most people are not always excited about this fashion house when I share their collections and that is mostly due to their very clean aesthetic which took me some time to understand and appreciate. This fashion house can do pretty much anything and every thing but one thing they always do is to stick to their clean and simple aesthetic. This season they chose to have a collection largely made up of the black and white, one might think that's somewhat boring considering that, monochrome was quite big last season but the lack of color is compensated with bright tangerine, heavy textures and clean lines. 

You check out the collection and tell me what do you think of this French fantasy.

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The Perfect Silhouette x Proenza Schouler Fall '14

When one speaks of flattering clothes in women's wear, femininity should always be the first thing that comes to one's mind. From feminine cuts, textures to the most important aspect which is the silhouette. The silhouette is the most vital skill to acquire for any designer due to a number of reasons. One should only need things like belts and buttons to mostly accessorize rather than to create a perfect silhouette for their look because if one needs a belt to create what a designer should have done initially it means the designer at hand had failed in a way to consider the feminine body and how it works with different fabrics. 

The duo that make up Proenza Schouler are a perfect example of designers who have proven to have mastered the skill of capturing a female silhouette. Last season I was particularly happy with their in your face, quirky yet very chic photo prints. This season I am still happy to talk about this fashion house. For fall '14 the duo went for figure hugging jackets, interesting mixed prints and textures. 

One thing which is making me go nuts over this collection has to be the bright blues mixed with moody colors. The cuts are quite dramatic and flattering, a great combination for power dressing. This is for the woman who's out to takeover the world and a half. I swear Ready-To-Wear never looked this great. 

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Cheers Sailors

Vera Wang x NYFW

Fashion is both a nocturnal and diurnal creature. Its a creature which sees no rest or sleep, soon after Haute Couture Week, Paris the whole fashion industry crossed over to the big Apple for NYFW. In keeping with this we'll look at one of the shows which were quite amazing and it comes in no other form than Vera Wang.

Wang sent down a quite dark collection which is quite a trend this season. Plaid in shades of grey were quite big as much as the moody floral prints were. 

The collection covered a woman who's in her 20's to much mature looks created for the woman on-the-go, who's both sophisticated and chic. Its quite clear with this collection that Wang, like every other designer is not about to let go of the sheer elegance trend as there were huge amounts of chiffon on most of the collection. 

Here are some pictures of the Vera Wang Gang down the runway straight from the big apple.

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Cheers Sailors

FW 14 Menswear

When menswear collections are to be sent down the runways everyone around the world awaits the great reveals in what's  new in terms of trends for the upcoming saeson. This time it was for Fall/Winter 14 and one thing can be said for sure, winter won't be so gloomy for men this year.
Last season we saw a lot of interesting vibrant prints on menswears (think Givenchy SS14). As winter comes with a natural sense of being dark most fashion houses refrained from using bright colors this season. A few colors that are big this season are tan, black and different shades of dark blue.
There are also a lot of interesting jackets this season with dramatic geometric cuts and length, one thing you should know is that your winter jackets should not be anywhere above the knee in length. Alexandra McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Maison Martin Margiela and Prada are just some of the many houses which opted for interesting cuts and clean looks for their menswear collections.

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Fashionuary

Finally back!!!! Before we get any further I'd like to wish everyone a great happy new year. Everyone is officially back to their daily grind be it work, school or whatever that you do.
This post is basically a quick welcome back to Elihle In Mars and the new year just because I love you guys that much.
Well everyone knows that as we begin the new year we also get on with new trends, collections, and styles. The fashion world is no stranger to change and innovation. The title of this post basically says it all. January sees us being introduced to a number of exciting collections from international famous fashion houses. The past week saw the end of the Menswear FW 14 (ready-to-wear) week. And today marks exactly 5 days since Haute Couture Week began in Paris.
I will now promise to bring you some of the collections which I find rather thought provoking, groundbreaking and those which I think we should discuss together. In regard to photos from collections most of them will be shared on Instagram, so make sure you follow me @KingElihleLee.

There is quite a lot in store for 2014 and I don't usually kiss and tell so I'll just have to say watch the space for now.


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The Epic Funsunzi Beach Festival

Durban is most definitely the place to be during festive season. With warm weather and vibey atmosphere, its hartd not to love this city.
Maynards in association with Durban's number 1 radio station East Coast Radio have come up with a way to make this summer even more fun and juicy. They're doing this through one of the coolest beach festivals.The Funsunzi Beach Festival, this is just a way to make a juicy summer even juicer with the kaboom type of burst from the wide selection of Maynards and out of this world entertainment from some of the best radio DJs from East Coast Radio.

The Funsunzi Beach Festival began on the 19th in Margate then moved to Suncoast Beach on the 21st with breakfast show radio DJ Darren Maul. Today they've taken the kaboom juiceness to the last stop which is the Willard Beach in Ballito.
The festival is a perfect place for families to come have fun from splashes in Maynard pools, to all sorts of games burtsing with flavor.

If you're in Ballito its not too late to catch the Funsunzi Beach Festival, since tomorrow, the 24th of December Maynards and East Coast Radio will still be bringing you the juiciest summer fun.
If you thought this was gonna be a bland summer you just got a major kaboom burst of juicy Maynards all over your face. And there's more than just edible candy, there's a lot more eye candy.

Tea with Siya Ntini: Introductions x RALFE ATOX

Over the week I got to sit down and have a cup of wine  tea, with the talented, young man who's planning on taking the fashion industry by storm in South Africa. Here's my chat with Siya Ntini the brain and creative behind the brand RALFE ATOX

Q: At most I'm always doing the talking (which I do enjoy) but I would prefer that you tell us who is Siyabonga Ntini and what is he about?

Siyabonga Ntini is a weird looking boy, all about fashion, all about art and design. Passionate towards anything with a strong story line. I believe everything has a reason. There's a reason you have tucks on a dress. What is it?... I'm that type of person. Always have questions. On a more biographical manner I was born in JHB by my parents who are from DBN and you know how back then (20 years ago or so) everyone moved to JHB for a better life. I mean even now people still do. I chose to come back here because I believe I was born here by spirit and I'm all about DURBAN. I LOVE IT!!

Q: Today we're looking at introductions in all levels. Without any modesty can you introduce us to the fashion house Ralfe (ATOX)?

RALFE is my late father's name and in short the label is for women designed in an avant garde taste and aims at Ready To Wear. ATOX is a design chart I created for my self that acts as a secondary logo for anything I do. A is a triangle which could easily mean controversy. My design attitude is all about people reacting to the clothes emotionally. Either love or hate. It's emotional and personal to me and I want that to show. T is stylized as a crucifix which stands for Religion. I'm very pro-religion and you'll soon learn how I abuse that element of me in my design language. O is void of any references. Timeless, modern and now. X is the art element I always apply.
That mostly tells you about my label in short and many people might not pay attention to the ALF embedded in it but it plays a huge role and it's one of the things people will learn about pretty soon.

Q: I was lucky enough to be one of the people who were in attendance for your debut showcase. We saw that your collection had some of the most eclectic fabric pairing. What was the inspiration behind the whole collection?

Haha I like the part where everything sounds so exclusive. Yeah, uhm the collection is called Sublime Aftermath and I kinda shifted my mindset back to the tender age of six when I first learnt my dad had passed on. The first thing I was told by my mother was "Your father has been fetched by angels to go live in heaven..." that still stings even now but I just wanted to highlight the emotion I had then and what death meant to the six year old Siya and how I had the idea that he'd be dressed in white and bless me with wealth and he sacrificed himself to look after me in at a better place hence I used White, Gold and Red. We all want success. What's better than White and Gold? That's heaven right there. Carved and stitched on a woman. Wearing heaven should feel good. So that's where I saw it go.

Q: Still on introductions. Who is the Ralfe ATOX girl? What's her taste in fashion? What's her attitude like?

She's a mean girl. Chameleon, probably has split personalities and always has red lipstick on. In essence she's a rebelle stuck in a princess's body.

Q: Now we wouldn't really be done talking until we actually spill some tea. What is it that you believe South African fashion designers are doing wrong and is becoming an impede on their way to gaining international recognition?

Personally I think design and research go hand in hand. As much as following trends can make you look like everyone, starting and interpreting them in a personal level will always make you unique.designers tend to go crazy and forget that fashion is a calculated scientific industry. It is not always spontaneous. Think, design, re-create and brand yourself. Signature is also important and lastly perfect your craft. As beaux your stuff may be if it doesn't meet international standards then boooosh. There goes the life of London to New York.

Q: How do you plan to bring that sense of freshness, futuristic and currency with Ralfe ATOX?

With me future comes last in design. I'm all about now, past and emotion. Sometimes relevant clothing that hits someone's nerve either good, bad or uncomfortable makes the impression last longer. Fresh is dependant on trends and personal mind space. That's just me saying I'll depend on me and my art, and research. Everything follows.


Q: 2014 is literally on our doorsteps. What are some of your goals so far?

Let's say I have plans but I ain't sharing but I just wanna see my label grow into something people identify as beautiful and niche appropriate clothing. I don't plan on doing men's wear under RALFE but anything happens. All I say is pay attention to the ALF... 
Sometimes dreams come true but most times we wake up only realizing you were dreaming all this time instead of doing. They say dreams do come true. Only if you wake up. Guess who's not sleeping 2014?... (sips tea)
#RALFE 

Twitter : @OhSnap_Its_Siya
Instagram : @So_Ralfe

Here you have it boys and girls signed, sealed and delivered. Now you know who to look out for in 2014. 

Do drop a comment right here on the comment box tell us what is it that has got you excited for 2014? Also follow on Twitter/Instagram : @KingElihleLee