February 2012
34 posts
Good Material
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...
Glittering and guilt-free
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,...
Gifted: Rosemary Noge
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...
Tutu on tour
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...
Constant: The end is nigh
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...
Between us
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...
Snapp this up
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...
This is not a sweat shop
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...
Causing a stir
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...
Quality Time: Blancpain Villeret demi-fuseau...
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...
Powerdresser: Jena Dover
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...
On the Shelf: Stop crying over Boekehuis
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...
Puma goes Italiano
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...
Every life is a love story
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”.
Cocktail: Alexander Bar
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....
Travellers' tales
We bring you a bounty of books so you can journey the globe without leaving your armchair.
SHORT STORIES: To See the Mountain and Other Stories: The Caine Prize for African Writing 2011
Dubbed Africa’s ‘Booker Prize’, the Caine has cultivated African fiction as this collection of short-listed stories demonstrates. Unified by both poise and pathos the colourful themes range from the continent’s...
In Context
On Wednesday at 6pm, Context, the new group show at the Michaelis Galleries, launches.
The Michaelis website has this to say:
Curated by Michaelis lecturer Fabian Saptouw, Context draws together artists who use the book-object as a conceptual point of departure for the exploration of the printed text. The artists’ projects engage the history, value and institutional importance afforded to...
The British are coming!
Burberry has brought its vision of modern, quintessentially British style to Johannesburg with the launch of its first store in Hyde Park Corner. Already established in Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront, the new 300 square metre store stocks a range of pieces across the Burberry London, Burberry Brit and Burberry accessories collections for men, women and children.
The store, which incorporates...
White people problems: "Semi-Soet" reviewed
From merely looking at its poster, one can easily feel that with Semi-Soet you’re on familiar territory. From the font to the pose of the actors, this is rom-com land – except that instead of Sandra Bullock or Hugh Grant, it’s two of South Africa’s own familiar faces, Anel Alexander and Nico Panagio, who have both starred in SABC 2’s 7de Laan soapie.
Yes, Semi-Soet is not original, and in it,...
