City Slicker: Cape Town’s best kept style secret

Tali Barnett (24) lives in Cape Town. She has a passion for fashion, loves writing, reading and running, and is the editor of a community newspaper. Visit her blog at http://talivision.blogspot.com

Hello CLEO ladies,
I’m so excited to be CLEO’s guest blogger of the month, and I think the moment calls for sharing a style secret. I’m a Cape Town girl through and through, and this one is mainly for the girls from my sexy, sunny city… but seeing as the whole of Joburg and Durban descend on Cape Town in December, this is the perfect time to let you in on it too!

The ultimate fashion hotspot in Cape Town is Slick. Tucked away in Sea Point, you have to look out for its bright pink flags or you’ll miss it. Inside, the boutique is a treasure trove of up-to-the-minute items mixed with classic pieces and some daring ensembles – all of which you simply won’t find anywhere else. Take your time browsing the numerous racks filled with fashion and savouring the moment as you stumble upon something perfectly pretty, bold and brilliant, or elegant and classic that you will wear forever.

Over the years, my closet has filled with dresses, jeans, tops, cardigans, skirts, leggings, jackets and shoes from this Cape Town gem. While their prices are sometimes a little on the steep side, Slick also treat their loyal clients to 50% off sales – so get on their mailing list and an SMS will alert you to these! And every December they give away oversized tote bags, which are your new best friend for the beach. They also have trunk shows in Joburg and Durban, so check their website to get a taste of Slick in your home town.

Just the other day I bought these gorgeous lace up sandals from Slick, which couldn’t be more perfect for summer. They hit every trend note – the laces (so hot!), the neutral tone (ideal to go with floral dresses) and the wedge (comfortable and stylish!). I’m completely in love with them!
Slick is one of those places that when you’re asked where you got that gorgeous dress from, you just smile secretly. But CLEO girls need to know these things – so be quick to get to Slick this summer!

Xoxo Tali
Visit www.slickonline.co.za

Hi, I’m Sade Giliberti, the new face of Legit 2010

I’m a presenter and TV personality and have been presenting for about 18 years. Mind you, I am only 25 (a veteran already, some would say LOL!).

Many people will know me as the crazy funky presenter from YOTV and now the “grown up lady” on So You Think You Can Dance SA, which is currently in Season 2.

2010 has been a fantastic year for me, from being on Survivor SA – Santa Carolina Celebrity Edition – to winning a SAFTA for Best Presenter in a Variety Show, to the second season of So You Think You Can Dance SA and now being the new Face of Legit.

I thank my lucky stars for all the fortune that has come my way, and not fortune as in money but the abundance of positive energy within the industry.

I’d just like to tell you a bit about the Legit range for 2010. It’s edgy and funky – just like me. From military to studs, heels to sandals, cocktail dresses to jumpsuits – it’s a range for every girl.

What I love most about it is that it allows me to show that even though I may not be the girliest of girls, I sure do know how to rock a dress in heels. So You Think You Can Dance SA did this for me too, but with Legit I am ALL ME.

And with Legit you can be all you!

Kitty goes Down Under but... keeps the right way up

I'm sitting in front of this blank Word document feeling somewhat blurry-eyed and fuzzy-headed – typical symptoms of jetlag – as I've just returned from a wonderful two-week holiday in Australia.

For as long as I can remember, I've always fantasised about embarking on trips overseas and experiencing all the wonderful and colourful cultures, sights, sounds, tastes and smells that foreign countries have to offer. For most people, holidays are happy times, so it may come as surprise to my readers that despite me fantasising about holidays and travel, my reality is that I haven’t enjoyed a holiday for about 13 years until now. Bizarre, sad, but true. I wasn’t able to find the usual pleasures that come with a holiday like fun, laughter, adventure, tasting new food, relaxation, and sharing these moments with friends and family. To be honest, I used to find it nearly impossible and quite a challenge to open myself up to such experiences. And I put the blame solely on the firm grip that anorexia had on me.

Experiencing the essence of a foreign country not only requires us to use our sight, touch and smell – our taste buds are just as important. Food plays a vital role in most cultures and it’s not only a basic human need, but it’s something that’s celebrated and holds great meaning and pleasure. But I was always so consumed and preoccupied about what was going to be available in a foreign environment for me in terms of the availability of “safe foods” in shops and restaurants. These would be the foods that fall in the category of fat-free and low-calorie and low-carbs. Secondly, I’d be concerned about whether the environment and weather would accommodate my strict exercise routine.

And because these two things were constantly on my mind, it created intense anxiety, and the fun moments would just pass me by. I wouldn’t be able to participate in any family or shared events because I’d be too busy worrying about what to eat, or how to avoid eating and before I knew it, I was back on the plane or in the car on my way home, usually a few kilograms lighter and in a really bad head space. I remember feeling awful and full of guilt for wasting the opportunity of a lifetime, not to mention the vast amounts of money on what was supposed to add colour and enrichment to my life.

I thought how I’d love to go to Italy and walk around a piazza absorbing the beauty of the people and buildings while finding delight in eating real Italian gelato, or share a bowl of pasta with a gorgeous man by candlelight in a small, quaint Italian ristorante, or take a trip to Paris with my best friend and find ourselves in a French pâtisserie overlooking the Eiffel Tower while eating a real croissant with butter and jam or better yet, pain au chocolat. I thought how I’d love to go on a gal-pal adventure to a tropical island and enjoy a couple of wicked calorie-laden cocktails served by dishy island boys with surfer bodies, or even just a simple beach braai with the family at our beach house.

A few months ago when I was presented with the opportunity of going to Australia, my initial thought was am I ready to “let go”? Am I ready to take a holiday and love it? After a few minutes of anxiety came an overwhelming sense of excitement because my answer was YES, YES, YES! Bring on the fun!

So, my friends, I’m happy to report that thanks to Kitty and the lesson she taught me about celebrating my beauty and being kind to myself, I went Down Under but this time, I managed to stay the right way up and had an incredible holiday. A holiday that included dining in some of Sydney’s most “chichi” restaurants run by world-famous chefs like Neil Perry, Bill Granger and Kylie Kwong. The cuisine in Oz is luscious, fresh and largely organic.

Days were filled with fun and laughter, many family “barbies”, long walks on the beautiful hiking trails along the coast in Manly, shopping at vintage bohemian markets, visiting the Sydney Opera House, and world-class art galleries, trips on the ferry around Sydney harbour and enjoying delicious cups of artisan coffee with names like Flat Whites and Long Blacks, very confusing to us Saffers. I was laughed at on many occasions by the locals when I ordered a Short Tall Black! I also had many gems of moments in Oz and experiences that deserve a whole blog of their own! Perhaps next month – watch this space!

So you see, it’s no small wonder that my jetlag was somewhat worsened by the fact that I only managed to sleep for the last 20 minutes of my 15-hour flight home, because my heart and my head were filled with all the colourful reminiscing of my happy, happy holiday. I’m plotting and planning my next adventure as we speak.

So once again, thank you Kitty!

Thank you kitty

Isidingo actress Kate Tilley is CLEO's brand spanking new guest blogger for the month. In our August issue she opens up about her struggle with anorexia (page 123). This is her space to chat more about herself and answer any questions you have. Send them to cleo@caxton.co.za

I would like to officially cut the red ribbon and start my first CLEO blog with my strongest and most desired wish for every gal out there. My wish is that we all learn to celebrate our physical and inner differences that make us beautiful and unique individuals! Hang on a second before you yawn: I’m not for one minute going to bore you with preaching. I want to put your minds at rest, and clarify that I realise it’s normal and healthy to want to feel fabulous and beautiful about the way we look. Who would I be trying to kid if I said otherwise? But it’s not normal and healthy when who you are becomes about your physical appearance.

I decided to start my blog with this theme because I was somewhat inspired by a little event that took place in front of the fireplace last night. An event that caused, yes, a light bulb moment. A moment that made me aware of my true and raw inner beauty that makes me (I’m going to coin this term) Kate Tilley perfection! Before I begin my story, I’d just like to say, thank you kitty (another term I’m coining and will be making use of in my future blogs). Right, so my story begins…

I have a little cat named Mischa. For starters, Mischa is a truly unique little cat! I got her from a small pet shop about four years ago. She was the tiny runt of the litter, just a small ball of black fluff with two enormous golden eyes and, wait for it, no voice! Seriously, she couldn’t meow! Despite her odd looks and even odder vocal attributes, I found her to be just too irresistible for words. So, without permission from my family, I scooped her up and took her home! As you might have figured, Mischa was probably rescued from the streets of Jozi and was disease- and flea-ridden. It took a couple of weeks and some serious TLC until she started to warm to the idea that we would love her despite her peculiarities.

To cut a long story short, over the past four years, Mischa hasn’t transformed into any kind of swan. In fact, she’s developed into a fluff of black fur with bushbaby eyes, wobbling around on short, stunted legs and has revealed a tongue that hangs out involuntarily. And, believe it or not, Mischa still has no voice! She’s also turned into the most unlikely of cats in her nature and temperament. Unlike the majority of cats you and I know, Mischa doesn’t like to laze about, she doesn’t like fish or milk, she doesn’t enjoy being smothered with love and strokes, and she doesn’t even like laps! Despite Mischa’s eccentricity and, dare I say, unlovable nature, my family has grown to love her for who she is. At first I had a hard time accepting that she didn’t want to be picked up or loved, but I soon came to accept it.

So it was to my sheer and utter delight that yesterday night, after four years of living with my family and with six different laps to choose from, Mischa chose my lap! Of course, I sat as still as a mouse for a whole 45 minutes just wanting to make the moment last forever. And it was in those 45 minutes that I thought that there must be something special about me, something beautiful that transcends any kind of physical beauty, to make Mischa choose my lap and choose to be loved by me tonight instead of one of my other family members! Her choice had nothing to do with how I looked - it was my true beauty she was drawn to, namely all the things that make me Kate Tilley perfection! Perhaps it’s the similar kind of inner beauty that made me choose Mischa when I found her at the pet shop. Last night, this sense of being okay with who I am, regardless of how I look on the outside, was probably one of the happiest moments I’ve ever experienced!

It was this sense of acceptance and love of my true beauty (from both myself and Mischa) that made me wish I had allowed myself to experience it and celebrate it all those years ago during my struggle with anorexia. I now realise that my anorexia was a way of trying to attain something I already possessed: not just perfection, but Kate Tilley perfection. It was because I had no sense of self-worth or self-love that I strove to be what I thought other people would see as good enough. Something I now realise, no matter how much I starved myself or over exercised, or how hard I tried to overachieve and please others, could never reveal my inner beauty. So my challenge to all of you this week is to find one thing about yourself - whether it’s physical or not - that makes you perfect. Then, celebrate that one thing by making it known to others (humans, animals or even plants… just share it with something!) Perhaps if we all do this, we can bring a smile to our faces, which in turn (and this is scientifically proven) can bring smiles to other people’s faces!

Ladies, I would now like to invite you to feel free to share and ask any questions about anything to do with eating disorders or body image. I’ll do my best to answer your questions and share some of my experiences of living with and managing an eating disorder. And if I feel I can’t answer you, rest assured that I will consult a professional who’s trained to deal with such a question and get back to you.

So let me love you and leave you with my last words… thank you kitty! I hope all of you have a thank you kitty moment this week!