At Large

In partnership with the Wade Bales Wine Society, WANTED is offering readers the opportunity to purchase Diemersdal 8 Rows Sauvignon Blanc 2011, which was awarded 4 ½ in the 2011 edition of Platter’s Wine Guide.

Making wine runs in the family at Diemersdal. Six generations of winemakers with one passion have made fine wines at the estate since the 1800s. Today, Diemersdal is renowned for its award-winning range of red and white wines enjoyed locally and exported to the far corners of the globe.

This is an intense wine with concentrated aromas on the nose that follow through on the palate. The wine shows a strong core of minerality with a flinty elegance on the nose, rounded mouth-feel and balanced acidity on the finish. A seamless wine where all the components are in perfect balance. Perfect with pan-fried tuna or fresh salmon with a fennel and olive oil dressing.

The offer is R98 per bottle (R588 per six-bottle case), delivery included, minimum order of six bottles. Cellar door price is R115 per bottle, so you save R102 per six-bottle case.

Call Carol Roux on 0217942151 or drop her an email for more information or to order.

Missibaba is hosting a pop-up shop at 70 Juta in Braamfontein this weekend, which will showcase this gorgeous leatherware brand’s new collection.

They’ve been a little coy on the details, but apparently the new range has been inspired by boy-journalist Tintin and his exploits in Hergé’s globetrotting comics. Move over Spielberg!

Review: The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall

Ed has never worked a day in his life. And now, after five years of hiding in the south of France from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, he has been forced to return to his family’s stately home, Hartlepool Hall, in Yorkshire. He discovers a mysterious houseguest, Alice, an octogenarian butler still in service, and a cook who rustles up dinners large enough to feed a Somalian refugee camp. 

Hartlepool Hall is on the edge of insolvency. The vast fortune that paid for the expenses of the estate and those who lived there for successive generations has been squandered. And the bank has become cagey about allowing an overdraft to continue when there’s little sign of it being repaid. 

What will Ed do to save his home? Not much, to be honest, aside from sitting around and fretting. Geoff, the flashy property developer boyfriend of his childhood friend Annabel, proposes to turn it into a “leisure complex and golf course”, much to the delight of Ed’s bank. As time goes on, it increasingly appears this will be the only way of saving the hall. But is gutting the interior of this ancient pile and cramming in a bunch of apartments replete with WiFi and a big screen TV, really saving it?

Torday, who with his subsequent novels hasn’t quite managed to create the splash achieved by his debut, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, fashions an oddly compelling tale out of the lives of some rather unsympathetic characters. Ed is listless, pathetic and inscrutable: the bum unlucky enough to be the one around when the Hartlepool cash tap stopped flowing. Annabel, in her early thirties, still lives at home in angry servitude, looking after her elderly father, but equally dependent on him for funding. Alice, undernourished and insipid, is “rescued” from the Hall in a classic set piece that satirises the UK social services’ officious nannying. The relationships between these and other characters feel only vaguely sketched out, lacking flesh –- it feels a little like Torday hasn’t quite managed to get under their skin. Perhaps that’s the point –- because if he were to, there would possibly be very little there.

And yet I continued to turn the pages, anxious as to what would happen to the Hall, and to those having to deal with its impending extinction. Reading The Legacy of Hartlepool Hall, I realised, is like slipping on a pair of old, yet comfy slippers (with one or two gaping holes). Torday’s gentle, unfussy prose, lures you in almost cruelly as it delivers its unsentimental and almost brutal depiction of the challenges facing rural England and its remaining grand houses. His affection for the countryside is leavened by an ambivalence towards its estates (or perhaps just towards those who are their modern day guardians). This avoids a sugarcoated conclusion to the novel – one that is, if anything, grounded in hopeful reality. 

I take umbrage to Torday’s assertion, however, that houses like Hartlepool Hall “either become museums, sterile capsules where tourists gaze at a curator’s vision of a bygone age, or they become ruins.” These are not the only two fates that can befall stately homes in the 21st century. Fortunately, not all families have been as spendthrift as the Hartlepools; and some, when faced by whopping tax bills, and shrinking cash reserves have managed to be rather entrepreneurial. Their commitment to the future of their estates has ensured living, sustainable, beautiful homes – not dusty relics, but history-laden treasure houses still relevant in the modern age.

I’m thinking of Wiltshire’s Wilton House, of course, Chatsworth in Derbyshire, and Warwickshire’s Ragley Hall. There are many others too. And, of course, there are some in the care of the National Trust and other heritage bodies that are still home to the families that have lived there for generations (such as Shugborough in Staffordshire). Others haven’t had anyone living in for decades, but the passion of volunteers for these buildings and estates ensure they remain anything but “sterile capsules”.

The future of Britain’s stately homes is sometimes bleak, and almost always challenging. But it is not altogether without hope.

BY ALEXANDER MATTHEWS

Weidenfeld & Nicholson, R205.

There are few South African winemakers more devoted to Sauvignon Blanc than Thys Louw of Diemersdal in Durbanville. He’s so obsessed with the variety that he currently has five different offerings of the variety under the Diemersdal label and has also started the internet-inspired Sauvignon.com brand.

Now 29 years old, he joined his father Tienie in the cellar in 2005 after stints at Buitenverwachting in Constantia and Jordan in Stellenbosch. His wines have won numerous awards since then.

You’re the sixth generation of your family to make wine on Diemersdal. Does history weigh heavy on your shoulders?

It gives us a story to sell our wines — the Old World countries love this kind of thing. Even so, every generation needs to be better than the previous one otherwise you don’t move forward. Our family has owned Diemersdal for well over 100 years and we still have so much more to learn.

You’re mad about Sauvignon Blanc and yet there are quite a few of your peers who dismiss it as a lesser grape variety. What do you like about it so much?

It’s the best wine to drink. It takes art, science, love and a whole lot of prayer to make a good Sauvy.

New Zealand pretty much owns the Sauvignon Blanc category in a global context. Can SA make it big with this variety?

I think SA has some of the best viticulturists and winemakers in the world [so it’s not impossible for us to make Sauvignon Blanc of comparable quality]. In some markets, we are already quite close to New Zealand in terms of market share.

You tied the knot with your sweetheart Ladine in 2009. How has married life been treating you?

It’s amazing. We’ve just had our first child, Tienie, the seventh generation of the family on the farm and the new boss.

What’s the best thing about working in the wine industry?

Every single day for the past seven years I couldn’t wait to go to work because each day is different and you learn so much from Mother Earth.

You did a lot of fishing over the holidays. What was your best catch?

An 82kg yellowfin tuna.

Best fishing spot?

The West Coast — Langebaan and Yzerfontein.

Your favourite fish and wine with which to match it.

Seared tuna on mash with a glass of Sauvignon.

BY CHRISTIAN EEDES

Go watch Material. Not because of some trite my-blood-is-all-the-colours-of-the-South-African-flag kind of patriotic duty that some people deem mandatory when local films hit the circuit. But rather because it’s good. It’s funny – but all the joking aside (it is about an aspirant comedian, after all), when the laughs die down there’s pathos, poignancy – it touches on South African family and cultural dynamics with warmth, humour and eloquence.

Material is set in Fordsburg’s Indian Muslim community, but the story – of asserting one’s independence, of walking the tightrope between family duty and self-fulfilment – is a universal one. Cassim Kaif (Riaad Moosa, the doctor-turned-comic whose life story helped inspire the film) helps his dad run a fabric shop. He also has a secret hobby as a stand-up comedian, cheered on by his wisecracking best friend, Yusuf (Joey Rasdien). As his talent for making people laugh develops, so this world of irreverent jokes in smoky bars begins to collide with the expectations of his combative father, who wants Cassim to take over the business and sees stand-up as an evil diversion.

The film takes its time to develop this clash, but in doing so richly captures the complexities of family life. This is a study of acceptance – Cassim’s acceptance of his own gift, his adulthood, his future. Material also minutely observes the painful process that his father has to undergo to acknowledge that his son’s life and dreams are not his own. Vincent Ebrahim, playing the Kaif patriarch, avoids sheer angry bombast, allowing a more nuanced characterisation, one in which vulnerability, bewilderment, hurt are delicately revealed.

As Cassim’s mother, veteran actress Denise Newman brings a soft but steely force to this family tableau, which is completed by Cassim’s twinkly-eyed grandmother (the hilarious Krijay Govender) and sister (Zakeeya Patel, in one of the film’s few weak performances). Of course one of the movie’s greatest characters is Fordsburg (and the city of Johannesburg) itself - its vibrancy and mishmash of old and new unpeels authentically in lingering, unflashy shots.

Director Craig Freimond wrote the screenplay based on a story he developed with Riaad Moosa, producer Ronnie Apteker, and others. In general, it works well, though one wonders whether trying to cram in a love story subplot as well was perhaps a little too ambitious. Cassim’s courting of the sassy, beautiful Zulfa (Carishma Basday) fizzles out, and their relationship, shown towards the end, is left mostly unexplored. But that’s just a quibble – whatever its imperfections, Material is a great film. See it.

BY ALEXANDER MATTHEWS

Material is currently showing at cinemas nationwide.

The new trend for ethical sourcing, it would seem, now extends to diamonds.  Ever since Leonardo de Caprio sported a faux South African accent as a mercenary who somehow finds himself embroiled in the conflict diamond trade, people have supposedly become more discerning as to where their diamonds come from, and how they were mined.

Cognisant of this, De Beers launched the Forevermark brand, test-driving it first in China and Hong Kong before expanding to the United States and now South Africa.  As the London-based CEO, Stephen Lussier, declared at the recent South African launch of Forevermark, “More than the four Cs, a Forevermark diamond embodies promise” – the promise of love and commitment between two people, the promise of enduring traditions within families, as well as the promise that the facetted stone that glistens on your neck or finger, wrists or earlobes was responsibly sourced, too.  But instead of a disclaimer stating that no blood was shed in extracting this diamond from the earth, that no child was killed as a casualty of war in which diamonds were used as currency to purchase arms or that no greedy generals forcibly evicted legitimate owners from their land to extract the riches from their mines, a serial number, invisible to the naked eye unless magnified a thousand times, is inscribed into each stone, guaranteeing its purity, geologically and morally.

It remains to be seen whether the provenance of a diamond really matters to South African consumers – after all, almost everyone in the country who can afford one has his own diamond supplier/jeweller/Israeli smuggler who can provide the stones on demand.  Nevertheless, Lussier said it was inconceivable that Forevermark would launch all over the world and not South Africa.  It was always part of the game plan, he disclosed, saying that apart from the obvious commercial justifications, a South African presence was imperative “for emotional and historical reasons”. Diamonds, after all, are inextricably linked to the history of modern South Africa.  The discovery of diamonds here in the mid-1800s radically changed the way the stone has been perceived and marketed since, and enriched many in the process.  And while De Beers is a multinational behemoth, its rather swashbuckling origins and soul are essentially South African, with the Oppenheimer dynasty, who are set to relinquish control of the company upon finalisation of the sale of their remaining 40 per cent share to Anglo-American for a cool $5 billion in cash, are practically royalty in these parts.

As if to emphasise this point, the mini-spectacle of jewellery modelled that evening included dazzling pieces from Hong Kong and Hollywood, as well as a spectacular collection made in South Africa, from South African diamonds, specially commissioned for the occasion.  The piece de resistance was the singer KB, tapped as the country’s Forevermark ambassadress, who appeared onstage sporting a massive and glorious 35-carat fancy yellow marquise-cut diamond pendant on her neck.

Forevermark has partnered locally with jewellery company Caratco to retail Forevermark diamonds through select jewellers nationwide.  For the promise of forever encased in glittering stone, check out the exclusively jewellery featuring Forevermark dimonds at Ntinga and Shemer in Johannesburg, Peter Gilder in Cape Town and Lorraine Efune in both cities.

BY BAMBINA OLIVARES WISE

Rosemary Noge is the owner of Bloom — A Gift From Nature, a boutique florist that specialises in unique floral arrangements complemented with elegant essential lifestyle products that appeal to a cross-section of classic and contemporary tastes. Noge is passionate about sustainability and supporting local products.

The one indulgence I’ll never forego is shopping for food. I’m easily seduced; I love cooking at any time of the day, week, month. I’m always on the prowl for new, exciting ingredients.

My most recent fascination is puff pastry with sweet and savoury fillings. And the best part is that my kids love it.

The grooming staples I am never without are Vaseline Lip Therapy with Rose and Almond Oil.

My all-time favourite gadget is my Screwpull wine opener. It opens up a whole world of pleasure and reaffirms what a dear friend said: “White wine is the future.”

The last meal I had that really impressed me was dinner at Zinzi restaurant at Tsala Tree Top Lodge (044532 8228). It was the perfect setting and pork belly just does it for me. Not forgetting my mom’s glazed pork, a family secret delectably served at our last Christmas dinner.

The objects I would never part with are the white Luciano Padovan stilettos I wore to my sister’s wedding — I danced the night away in the sparkliest shoes I have. They always make me feel like a princess when I wear them. Every women needs at least one pair of sparkly shoes. And a gold bracelet that was an heirloom gift from my mother. I hope to pass it on to my daughters.

My favourite drink is dependent on what the weather is like. On a hot summer’s day a glass of Chardonnay always makes me happy and on any other day Grey Goose vodka and lime is a must.

The restaurant I frequent most often is Nice in Parkhurst (0117886286 ), always with my crazy girlfriends where breakfast usually turns into lunch and then supper.

Your personal style signifier? Black patent leather Tod’s.

The last thing you bought and loved? A Peruvian copper framed mirror which hangs in my studio.

Your favourite timepiece and why? A Hublot Big Bang. I love men’s watches and this one fits the bill.

An unforgettable place you’ve travelled to in the past year? The Maasai Mara in Kenya during the migration. The sheer number of animals that attempt the crossing is phenomenal. We spent seven hours parked on the banks of the Mara River in awe.

The book on your bedside table? Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert. I have a thing for the classics and often just like to take a trip back into the past.

The last music you downloaded? I’m old school about buying music. I still love buying CDs. My latest purchase was Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel album.

The thing you are eyeing next? A set of Wusthof knives.

The one thing you will always find in your fridge? Cheese, cheese and olive tapenade.

The best gift you’ve given recently? I gave my husband a bottle of Terre d’Hermès by Hermès. It was done rather selfishly as I get to enjoy it every time he wears it.

And the best one you’ve received? A Marc Jacobs ring that I was given by one of my best friends.

The place that inspires you and why? New York. I remember my student days in Boston when I’d jump onto the bus and meet my best friend at Grand Central Station. It was all about getting in as much as we could for the weekend with minimal sleep. The energy in the city is addictive.

A recent special find? A little restaurant in Hurlingham called Modo Mio (0722082047). It’s an intimate escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

The last item you added to your wardrobe? A tweed jacket.

Favourite city and why? Johannesburg, because it’s home.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEXIS FOTIADES 

Bloom Nature — A Gift From Nature, 071 545 9601.

Review: The South African Story with Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Province by province, the purple-smocked Archbishop Tutu guides you through scenic South Africa, expounding on the history and landscapes of our most familiar landmarks, including natural wonders, historic spots, monuments and cities.

The simplified text, almost condescending in its child-like tone, is primarily suited to foreign language speaking tourists and young children. Perhaps because there were no less than seven well-known co-writers on the project, one doesn’t quite manage to get a good sense of his personality through the prose. The facts conveyed are foundational — a more comprehensive script would add depth and dimension to the picture book.

The photography consists largely of beautiful panoramic vistas (interspersed with arbitrary posed shots of the nation’s favourite ‘arch’). The images (taken from Tutu’s television series upon which the book is based) read like an agency look-book of the famous figure – Desmond in casual, Desmond in his robes, Desmond wrapped in a BaSotho blanket, Desmond in his UDF cap. Flip through the book fast enough and you might even see a grinning Tutu running through the pages!

Said flippancy aside, this is a wonderful gift for overseas guests and a great way to teach our youngest citizens about the country and its most enduringly cheerful hero who both coined the term the ‘rainbow nation’ and helped to bring its varied colours into peaceful being. 

BY SARAH LAURENCE

Penguin, R240.

It is 2012 already, and apparently we should prepare for both the Year of the Dragon and the year of Armageddon, according to the Chinese calendar and the Mayan something or other. Armageddon is best described as a “biblical battle between good and evil”, the “all destroying war” or “day of reckoning”. This may well be what we can look forward to in the new year.

According to Dion Chang of Flux Trends, this is the year of the slashies. No, not slasher, although given that I’ve just watched season one of the nail biting TV series The Walking Dead, and also the Armageddon cue, I’m prepared to put my money on slashers and zombies trending in 2012 as well. In fact, I recently did an interview with a fellow in the UK who facilitates Zombie Boot Camp. Instead of running around with paintball guns and shooting your friends, you run around with paintball guns and shoot a bunch of living corpses slash well made-up actors.

Enter the slashies: the generation with job descriptors like croupier by night slash cashier by day slash DJ by design. Or CEO slash chef slash belly dancer. Better a slashie than a slushy though, unless of course you have a kid’s impeccable taste for the bubblegum blue Slush Puppies on offer at any mall cinema. That’s worth it’s salt in slashies.

Talking of kids, if you’ve got into the Twitterverse of late, you may agree with Chris Roper (@ChrisRoperZA): “The internet dispenses information the way a bottle dispenses ketchup. At first, there was too little; now, there is too much.” (125 characters, by the way.) Sure it’s keeping you updated, but I’m feeling oversubscribed with information. And not just information, plenty of personal vendettas too. Suddenly all battles, or twars, are personal and ongoing, and often insufferably childish. Maybe it’s the ‘biblical battle’ (not) and the ‘day of reckoning’ (for some maybe), or maybe it’s just plain bloody mindedness. Either way it’s depressing to read politicians, celebrities, businessmen and women bickering in 140 characters; it’s surely more fun to watch a bunch of amateurs slugging it out in the ring, rope-a-dope.

Better still, if it’s reading you want, read a good book instead. A few options include Man Booker Prize winner Julian Barnes’ wonderful The Sense of an Ending or Steve Martin’s An Object of Beauty. The latter is in many ways a fictionalised version of Sarah Thornton’s fascinating insight into the art realm, Seven Days in the Art World. And finally why not give Haruki Murakami’s lengthy, and convoluted 1Q84 a try. The book operates in parallel dimensions, and, set a couple of decades back, it speaks to a science fictional world where two moons hang from the sky, little people spew from the mouths of goats, dogs explode and gorgeous assassins take on rapists. Sounds like Armageddon to me.

Michelle Constant is the CEO of Business and Arts SA (BASA), and presenter of SAFM Lifestyle (Saturdays, 9am - 12pm).

One of WANTED’s favourite inner-city Cape Town galleries, Commune.1 has been closed for the past two months while being renovated. The good news, is that they get back into the swing of things on 1st March with the opening of The Distance Between Us, a solo show by Dominique Edwards.

The gallery says:

The Distance Between Us explores, amongst other, the notion of the sublime or the uncanny as a contemplation on the ephemeral nature of human life and the moment of our death. Concerned with violent embodiment, thresholds and liminal spaces, the work on show explores the transformation of things from one state of being into another. Produced as a body of work for her recently completed Masters in Fine Art, The Distance Between Us, has emerged from a study into notions of place and being.

See you there!

Local design studio Snapp Design recently won an international Good Design award, as honoured by the Chicago Athenaeum, for its Slice cutting board.

Simple but inventive, the board features two wedges, one on either side of the board, that create a “funnel” effect to easily and smoothly remove the foodstuffs you’ve been chopping on the board.

Find out more about the Slice board here.

Next week Wednesday 100 lucky Capetonians will be able to design their very own customised PUMA T7 sweater. 

On the night you’ll also be able to see results of the customisations done by leading South African creatives, including WANTED’s very own Gary Cotterell, whose design (see below) was made today.

Sweaters cost R699. Make sure you book your place by emailing builtforone@puma.co.za. Visit the PUMA Creative Factory website for more info.

Thin Lizzy Skinny Cocktails, either mojito or cosmo, are bound to be on everyone’s lips this summer. This uniquely local drink is in the process of being accredited by no less than three health and wellness organisations and, since launching in Cape Town in  September last year, has seen widespread success. It is claimed that each serving contains less than 42 calories and is completely free of any artificial sugars or additives. An organic extract imported from Germany imparts antioxidant properties and at 6% alcohol by volume, you don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying more than one. 

Thin Lizzy Skinny Cocktails, R64.99, available at all leading liquor outlets. For more information visit its Facebook page.

For some, it may be tempting to see this clever piece of timekeeping from Blancpain as a reflection of India’s increasing importance on the world stage in general and the luxury watch industry in particular. For the Villeret demi-fuseau is capable of adjusting its second time zone display in 30-minute increments, an essential travelling tool for the dapper gentleman when in India, a country where half-hour time differences between regions are the norm.

Interpreting the watch’s raison d’être this way however, would be to miss the point completely. Blancpain makes some of the most restrained, elegant and precious pieces in the world. It’s a brand with close on 300 years of history behind it and a reputation as one of the greatest remaining bastions of the haute horlogerie art in existence. So when these particular men in white coats decide to launch a watch like this, there is no need to go looking for a fancy story; it’s a sublime piece of craftsmanship, plain and simple.

Powered by a 324-part self-winding calibre movement entirely developed by the Blancpain manufacture in le Brassus, Switzerland, it will run for eight days straight on a single charge if required. Thanks to the sapphire glass case back, the guilloché-worked oscillating weight (essentially a delicate ridging effect on the movement) responsible for generating all that stored kinetic energy is fully visible on the reverse.

A brown alzavel-lined alligator strap for extra comfort is laced to a 42mm white or red gold case with a domed, enamelled white dial and painted hour markers. The reference time — ie the second time zone — is displayed at 12 o’clock in a sub-dial. This combines with a day-night indicator at 9 o’clock and the date indicator at 6 o’clock, both changing in accordance with the second time zone.

The whole ensemble oozes sophistication and should appeal to true connoisseurs looking for a prestigious timepiece without the big brand connotations of a Patek Philippe or an Audemars Piguet.

Movement: 5235DF calibre

Strap: brown alligator

Features: second time zone with half-hour time differences

Distributor: Bellagio Jewellers, 0118832215, www.bellagiojewellers.co.za

Price: R420000 (white or rose gold)

BY MATT MORLEY

Jena Dover was thrust into the limelight at a young age as a KTV presenter, but hers is not a story of rebellion and maladjustment. “Working at a young age gave me discipline. I learnt to be professional at a young age and was always aware of how to conduct myself,” she says.

This professionalism has been the foundation of Dover’s career at Webber Wentzel where she finished her articles last year and has been appointed as an associate. Her film and television experience makes her move into the IT, electronic business, media and telecommunications department of the firm a natural progression. “This year I will be working hard on my acting career as well as my responsibilities at Webber Wentzel. Both careers support each other,” she says.

This year sees the release of director Daniel Espinosa’s much-anticipated feature film Safe House. Shot on location in Cape Town, Dover was cast alongside Hollywood heavyweights Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. “It was incredibly enlightening working with a team of the world’s best and most creative individuals. Not only did it challenge me, it also gave me an invaluable opportunity to learn.”

Given a lifestyle that jumps from creative to corporate, Dover’s style is functional and focused on quality pieces that make a subtle statement. Favouring minimalism with a touch of whimsy or a raw edge, her wardrobe incorporates tailored suits from Hugo by Hugo Boss for a working day as well as G-Star denim and leather jackets by Rick Owens for a more casual but luxurious look.

Shirt and suit by Hugo by Hugo Boss: There is a lack of cool corporate clothing for women and Hugo, with its subtle detailing and tailored fit, looks smart but has quirky detailing like the leather lapel on my suit jacket.

Shoes by Moreschi: Famously known for their men’s shoes, this Italian brand has made only three styles for women. I found this brand by mistake in Killarney Mall when I was looking for a comfortable, everyday shoe. Although I blew my budget on them, they are incredibly well designed and comfortable.

Watch by Rolex: A graduation gift from my mother.

Enamel bracelet by Hermès A gift from a friend. 

DOVER RECOMMENDS:

Go-to store: Overseas it’s Barney and H&M. Locally Klûk CGDT (0833777730) have a great selection of evening wear and lady-like business attire.

Favourite restaurant? I love American-style burgers and milkshakes from Gourmet Garage in Sandton (0118832226 ), breakfast at Manna Epicure in Cape Town (0214262413 ) for their coconut bread and the couscous and lemon Aioli chicken sandwich at Café Gitane in New York.

Fragrance? At the moment I switch between Jo Malone’s Vanilla and Anise cologne and Juliette Has A Gun by Francis Kurkdjian.

Beauty product? In my cosmetics drawer are Chanel’s Vital Lumière Foundation, which keeps skin incredibly moisturised, MAC eye shadow, Shu Uemura eyelash curlers and Laura Mercier lip gloss.

City? New York because it’s an amazing city to get lost in and its hard but elegant mood is compelling.

Film? Gone With the Wind. I am intrigued by the strong but incredibly vulnerable Scarlett O’Hara.

Style tip: Get everything tailored. It costs very little and makes your look sharper.

BY CHIPO MAPONDERA | ANTONIO DEL HOYO

Over the past few years, little Cape Town has managed to sustain two excellent independent bookshops: Kalk Bay Books and The Book Lounge. Despite tough trading conditions, they have kept their doors open without the luxury of a corporate behemoth to pay their bills. It is surprising, therefore, that Johannesburg – with its wealth and vibrant cultural scene – has been unable to do the same for its most famous home for books, the much-loved Boekehuis in Auckland Park. which closed its doors late last month.

Its demise predictably been met with uproar. How dare could “evil” Media24, which owned the store, kill this jewel in Jozi’s cultural crown? Considering it has been making a massive loss for several years, it is remarkable that the media conglomerate has been so forbearing. But no more.

That this unique bookshop and cultural salon in Africa’s richest city is not financially viable means either it has insufficient support from its customers, or suffered from mismanagement. Or both. While its manager Corina van der Spoel’s passion for books and culture is unquestioned, what is less apparent is whether she had the business nous to avoid those pesky “ever-increasing losses” that Media24 blames for the closure.

If we are unable to support a cultural institution as supposedly as precious as Boekehuis, then we simply don’t deserve it. Instead of moaning about the evils of big business (and yes, Media24 is a business, not a charity) or expecting government to step in, people need to be proactive if they feel that Boekehuis is worth saving. 

In Britain, where cuts to public spending and the trimming down of the Post Office have become a grim reality, there are some communities which have realised that the people who can really make a difference are themselves. Rural Post Offices and libraries threatened with closure have become community-run, staffed by volunteers. The costs of one Post Office in Essex is even supported by debit order “subscriptions” from locals.

So, dear Jo’burg literati, if you love Boekehuis, turn it into a cooperative. Or a nonprofit, with fundraising and volunteers. Ensure the management team includes not just book lovers and culture vultures, but someone with financial savvy. Create a website (it appears not to have one). But for goodness sake, stop whining!

ON THE SHELF is a new monthly column about the world of words from WANTED’s editor-at-large, ALEXANDER MATTHEWS.

Puma recently launched a collaboration with preppy Italian brand Franklin Marshall — the Roma Lux sneaker, a reinvention of the Roma which was first introduced back in 1960.

With only 800 being produced, Joburg menswear store LOOM is stocking them in three different colours (black, blue and white) where they’re available for R1200.

Loom, Shop 22, Corner 4th Avenue & 10th Street, Parkhurst, Johannesburg, 011 447 4330

Love, love, love! Before the champers goes flat, the roses wilt and the last of the choccies are snaffled up, check out this gorgeously produced feature created by Cape Town’s LittleBigProductions as part of the Fifty People One Question campaign — “an ongoing social experiment and film series exploring human connections through people and place”.

After Nicholas Spagnoletti and Edward van Kuik visited Istanbul and Berlin, they realised that back home there was nothing quite like the little bars they had seen on their travels. “We decided we would either have to open a bar or emigrate,” says Van Kuik with a grin.

And so they created Alexander Bar (named after their mutual middle name), in a heritage building on Strand Street. With its Persian rugs, comfy armchairs and a phonograph serenading you at the entrance, it’s a quirky mix of gentleman’s club and oriental den. Table lamps cast a glow amidst nooks perfect for conspiratorial catch-ups; and should inspiration strike, you can tap out a missive on its ancient typewriter.

In the heart of a city renowned for being cliquey, this space is designed to get Capetonians talking to one another. A circular sofa rotates should you get tired of your conversation partner, while antique phones dot the room, enabling you to call other tables, listen to the BBC World Service or order another round.

A snack and light meal menu makes Alexander Bar ideal for weekday lunches or pre- or post-dinner drinks. In addition to cocktails, there’s also a decent array of wine and whiskies to choose from. Barman Vincent Matoma makes us his signature cocktail.

What is your signature cocktail? Choc and nut martini, with vodka, Frangelico and Crème de Cacao.

The most famous person you’ve served? Desmond Tutu. He ordered an orange juice.

The strangest drink you’ve ever had to make? A Caipirinha with Brazilian rum, fresh lime juice and a sour mix.

Your dream cocktail? A Long Island Iced Tea. Best selling beverage? Steph Weiss beer (from Brewers and Union).

Any cocktail advice? Make your drinks with love.

Barman’s cocktail: 6/10. Creamy and bold, this is definitely for those with a sweet tooth. The two shots of Stolichnaya provide a Soviet jet-fuelled kick.

Barman’s personality: 7/10 Matoma is a reassuring presence behind the bar: calm and unshowy, he focuses on the drink, not theatrics.

BY ALEXANDER MATTHEWS | PHOTOGRAPHY ADRIAAN LOUW

Alexander Bar, 76 Strand Street, Cape Town.