Black and white x VSCO

I not so recently discovered the wonderful app that is VSCO cam for android phones and I am admittedly not very techno savvy but I love how pictures can be transformed with this app. I have my own camera and on some days I like to take pictures when I am feeling a littls insoired. My favourite kinds of pictures are black and white ones, I love the retro feel. Here are some of the pictures that can be found on my instagram feed.
For more visit: palesakagasane x

all photos are taken by except for this last one of me taken by Fikile Kgasane.

Creatives: Charlie and Margaux

interdisciplinary creators, contemporary composers and all around cool kids. they are so inspiring

check out more of their work as well as listen to their music on: chargaux.tumblr.com

Grahamstown National Arts Festival 2014: Faces

I have been so busy trying to piece my life together and grow that I have neglected my blogging so I thought it would be nice that I share a few snaps that I took this past week. These are some of the interesting and stylish looking people that attended the festival which boasted in music, art, performance and theatre as well as a range of clothing stalls and delicious food markets. Besides that, I have some interesting projects lined up in the next couple of months so keep your eyes on the blog.
Until next time,

x
Palesa

Styling

One of my loves is fashion, if you haven't already figured that out and on my quest to find my strengths I have helped some friends along the way when it came to styling. Since I am writing exams and haven't had any time to do any lookbook features I decided to post a few pictures of a photoshoot I did for "Clothe Her By Charlie Rose" a second hand clothing en devour. I love the new rise in fashion that is dark and edgy for the past year or so and I can definitely say that street style has always been my favourite, mixed with a little old school sass this shoot was a memorable one.
Photo credit: Neo Baepi and Sitha Kentane.

Maya Angelou

You cannot even begin to try to understand the power of a woman who writes, a woman who puts pen to paper is an immortal woman in my eyes. And that is what she is. 
The gift of being able to let my soul bleed onto the lines of an inked pad that I am emancipated from the shackles that gripped my mother's mothers mothers. I can be grateful today that my face is not my only weapon and that my words are my shield not only against the oppression that continues to plague young women but also because it is important to feel and to articulate and to be proud of the fact that I; Palesa, ngwana Kgasane, Tswana princess, am one of the fortunate ones. Thank you for paving a most incredible legacy mama Maya Angelou. I respect you and look up to you in the most indescribable way. Let your words live on and your memory be infinite, especially to those who hide in dark basements, finding solace in nouns and pronouns that do not expect anything in return from their bodies. I hope I never forget to sing, to write, to speak, to dance to SPEAK as a woman of Africa, as a woman of the world because us, we, we women are strong, we are internally beautiful in our shades of brown and hues of caramel and bright eyes and battered souls. I am realising more and more that we are gifted for reasons be-known to us but we should use these gifts fearflessly and unselfishly to let the words that are aching to shine through our golden skins and let those words be the vessel that keeps us above the waters of the ever-changing tides of life.- Rest in peace.

Normcore, a fashion trend or is it?

So, there is currently a new wave in fashion particularly in Western and European fashion called "normcore". Never heard of it? well let me break it down for you and also give you my interpretation and opinion on this not so new trend. Picture the average geek and what they would have looked like not so long ago, mom jeans, sandals worn with socks, checked shirts worn over tea shirts and an overall efforless and very unfashionable way of dressing. Think Steve Jobs in his iconic black turtle neck and blue jeans, of course Steve Jobs is a legend and did not need to be on any fashion best dressed list.Normcore is apparently fashion's biggest buzzword of 2014 reported by La Times website. And their article quoted a definition by trend forecaster K-Hole which stated that " "Normcore moves away from a coolness that relies on difference to a post-authenticity coolness that opts in to sameness.
"But instead of appropriating an aestheticized version of the mainstream,it just cops to the situation at hand. To be truly Normcore, you need to understand that there's no such thing as normal."
So in essence what this means is that one would opt to have the appearance of not caring what they look like whilst they actually do at the same time because they are choosing to actively be apart of the majority sameness group? Most fashion followers and critiques are stuck between not being able to decide whether this is fashion's next big thing or a big joke it has seemed to impact a lot of runway shows which have shown to have taken an increasingly big shift towards minimalism and clothing that looks worn and comfortable as opposed to new and avante guarde. I suppose it's all about looking like you got out of bed and grabbed whatever clean pair of jeans you have, a cashmere woolen jersey and a cap because who said you need to only be a guy to wear one? In my opinion it is a trend taken up by youth and although I hate this word, hipsters yes hipsters. The point is to look like you're down and out but you are enjoying it. The thing about normcore is that your clothes are not actually cheap or "thrifted" but high end in a casual  miss-matched way. Very casual. It's comnusing and it's strange because it is a trend but also not one at the same time, it makes for very interesting conversation among fashion lovers. It's an anonymous way of saying "hey, I care about what I put on" but not enough to be on trend... whilst you are on trend? Ironic. I am definitely for the plain low platform shoes and plaid skirts and dungarees, maybe there is a little bit of normcore in all of us.

also. follow my new tumblr, it's just a mood board of things I like: www.lifeoflafleur.tumblr.com

BLVCK

black.