Out and About Africa

Happy Weekend

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:56:00 +0000

My weekend already feels like it's off to a good start. Last night had dinner and tons of laughs with two friends, then work up this morning and treated myself to a yummy breakfast while listening to Djokovic defeat Murray at the Austrailian Open. Plus there will be some movie watching, definitely some much needed yoga, a run and lots of sleep!

What do you have up your sleeves for the weekend? Whatever it is, I hope you have a great one!

{Photo: Ajuma via here}

Nawres Hassen

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

So I've discovered that I'm one of those people with a "thing" for owls! I don't know why, but whether in photographs or illustrations, I just find them beautiful. As you can therefore imagine, I was a little bit more than psyched about these owl designs by Tunisian artist Nawres Hassen. Seriously, like so many things I blog about, either of these would be brilliant on the huge wall art that is ever-growing in my mind, right above my couch!

{Photos: Nawes Hassen}

Storytime

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

At least once a week, I head over to my friends place where her two year old greets me with a kiss at the door, pretends I'm a human jungle gym while we eat dinner, I bathe him, he gets tossed around from bed to couch a few times, both of us giggling away, and then I read him a story. I wish this illustration by artist Yan Nascimbene had a full story that I could read from.....

How would you start a story from this picture???

{Photo: Yan Nascimbene}

Holiday in Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 14:29:00 +0000

April 1958

When was the last time you picked up a travel magazine, or any magazine for that matter, with any form of art other than photography on the cover? Well, back in the day, illustrations were clearly the way to draw people into your issue, and the travel magazine Holiday, published between 1928 and 1977 had some pretty darn good illustrated covers. This one, done by George Giusti, is clearly a favorite of mine, but so is the second one from the West Indies....

February 1949

You can see even more lovely covers from this magazine here.

{Photos: here via inspirational imagery}

Nykhor for Mara

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:35:00 +0000

Remember when Mara Hoffman came out with that fabulous Ndebele inspired swimwear collection?!? Well, for her Spring 2012 swimwear campaign, she was more inspired by Cuba, but let's keep things real...our favorite continent clearly wasn't too far in the back of her mind! The Sudanese model, Nykhor Paul, adds loads of sexiness to this jungle scene and rocks the dashiki-inspired cover-up like no mans business. Obviously, I'm obsessed!

{Photos: Mara Hoffman}

Jamie Summers

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:03:00 +0000

How irresistible are is this editorial featuring Nigerian-Irish model Jamie Summer?!

{Photos: Fashion Gone Rogue}

Burberry Cover

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Remember when Burberry got all hot and bothered about wax print? Well, I continue to love each and every editorial that includes these pieces, but this cover shot has to be among my favorites. Not only do I love the top, but I love the pairing with this hot pink and even the colors of the letters and everything against the white background has me in love!

{Photo: Fashion Gone Rogue}

Missing Link's Office

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:12:00 +0000

So here's the deal. When I go to work, I actually have to take an elevator to get between the various floors that my company occupies. Our daily "treat" is a "fancy" coffee machine and once a month there is cake and ice cream (keep in mind that I rarely drink coffee and "cake and ice cream" are at best my sworn enemies). I have a regular big brown desk and to spice up my office, I actually took in an old Ikea lounge chair which everyone wants to relax in when they come into my office.

All of this really is perfectly normal in the grand scheme of workforce America, but then I saw the Missing Link office in South Africa and well, I couldn't help but feel a bit of envy. There is a slide and fire pole to go between floors and someone has a desk that had a previous life as a tub! Are you kidding me?!? This isn't to say that I think I could actually function in such a space, aesthetically speaking, without dialing things back at least 50%, but what I love most is the explosion of creativity that clearly came from everyone on their team to make this work space so fun and unique.

Could you work in an office like this? What is your current work environment like and what would you love to add to make office more enjoyable?

{Photos: Visi}

Love from AD España

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:20:00 +0000

This weekend I did one of my most favorite things! I picked up a copy of AD España (hands down my favorite decor magazine), came home and with a cup of tea, very slowly went through the pages, literally drooling! This is usually a luxury (reading foreign design magazines) that I only allow myself to indulge in when I'm abroad and a million hour plane ride requires some pretty distractions, but after the week I'd had, such a treat was needed NOW. As always, I started by reading the note from the editor, Montse Cuesta. Not only does she just oooze Spanish-ness, but I love the opportunity to read something in Spanish, a language I lose more of everyday.

By the time I reach the end of the magazine, I have determined all the articles that I'm going to go back and read through (with my spanish dictionary by my side), plus all the pages that will eventually make it to my inspiration board. I will also have found myself looking at one-way tickets back to Madrid and browsed through ads for apartments in Madrid or Barcelona. I would have reminisced about living in that country oh so long ago and would have lived full fantasies of spending at least another few years there. Seriously, what single magazine does so much for you?!?

Anywho, let's take a quick look at three ways my favorite magazine features homes with a little African influence. Image one is just amazing! Of all the things people like to do with animals sculptures, this giraffe craning into such a sleek living room is just phenomenal! Image two brings a little Senufo stool action to this minimalist, yet somehow cozy room. Image five offers up a hot pink Moroccan pouf and colorful Moroccan rug. As for images three, four, and six - well, those were just too fun not to share with you!

{Photos: AD España via Vintage and Chic}

Scenes et Types

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:41:00 +0000

Isn't is always amazing how art or photography can often express things that, at times, words cannot? Photographer Triana Markova-Gold has made a series of collages called Scenes et Types from photographs she took of marginalized women in Morocco. I love the way that collages, at times, clearly protect the identity of the woman, while allowing her body language alone to express her story. In other cases, such as in the first image, the full view of the woman is equally powerful. I particularly love the juxtaposition of the monochromatic image against the intense burst of color and pattern. What do you think?

{Photos: The Picture Show}

Wrestle in the Congo

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 15:07:00 +0000

If you clicked over from today's first post, then you know that the audience was watching a wrestling match in the Congo. Photographer Colin Defrosse, beautifully captures this amazing scene where the Congolese have taken the world of WWF and completely made it into their own, uniquely African version! Here, Defrosse captures wonderful portraits of various of these wrestlers. It reminds me of these Nuba wrestlers, but just amplified!

{Photos: Colin Defrosse}

The Audience

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:41:00 +0000

Oh, don't you just love a shot that leaves you completely curious?!? What in the world could this crowd in Kinshasa, captured by photographer Colin Defrosse, be so captivated by? There's only one way to find out!

{Photo: Colin Defrosse via Lightbox}

Let's Applause

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:38:00 +0000

I think it's fair to say that these ladies have the right idea. Let's give a big round of applause to the arrival of yet another weekend!!! Hope you have a good one and see you back here on Monday!

{Photo: via Monamade}

Collin Sekajugo

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:25:00 +0000

Next up is this very cool self-portrait by Rwandan painter Collin Sekajugo.

{Photo: Saatchi}

Graphic Funk

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:35:00 +0000

Let's start the day with this super funky graphic design by Algerian artist Younes Ze. It would add a lot of pop to a room.

{Photo: Younes Ze}

Fatima + Herve

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Somali-Ethiopian model Fatima Siad for Herve Leger. The dress, the hair, the horse. Love.it.all!

{Photo: Fashion Gone Rogue}

Liya for Bottega

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:28:00 +0000

Whether it's on the cover of magazines or in major campaigns for H&M, the stunning Liya Kebede is literally everywhere in 2012 and we're only in January! This image of her from the Bottega Veneta campaign is my favorite. Everything about it, especially those sunglasses, just looks really fun!

{Photo: Bottega Veneta}

Nurudeen Odebiyi

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 17:33:00 +0000

Wow - this week has kinda kicked my butt and I'm very psyched for the weekend. In fact, I was so busy thinking about other things, I forgot that it is actually a LOONNG weekend! How exciting is that?!? My plans include 1) a whole lot of nothing, 2) repainting my bathroom 3) cleaning the apartment and a few other mundane tasks that I'm not going to bore you with. What are you up to this weekend? Anything fun lined up?

Whatever it is, hope you have a great weekend and maybe that you take a few minutes to enjoy this gorgeous watercolor by Nigerian artist Nurudeen Odebiyi.

{Photo: Saatchi}

The Body as Art

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:35:00 +0000

I must have fallen off my chair when I saw this instagram shot by Zimbabwean-born musician Zulu Faz...the photography is one thing, but let's talk about the body paint and just the body itself....how could this, combined, NOT be art?? For all the images and messages that come at us from every angle screaming "be thin", it's a nice respite to see a full-figured, black woman literally highlighted so darn beautifully!

{Photo: Zulufaz via modamade}

24 Hours in....

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:35:00 +0000

When I first posted an illustration by Fernando Volken Togni, I didn't give him the real spotlight that he deserved. Boo to Brandie! As you can see, he does the most fun, colorful illustrations. In a galaxy of prints about cities like London and Paris, Fernando's work (commissioned by Qatar Airways) reaches beyond the well-beaten paths of Europe taking our imaginations into some of Africa's best cities (or safaris)! How fun would it be to see his interpretation of cities like Nairobi or Maputo?! What cities would you love to see?

{Photos: Fernando Volken Togni}

Blanket Brings Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:30:00 +0000

For all the times we've seen a Moroccan wedding blanket used in home decor, how often do we see it used in fashion editorials to such brilliance as we do in this shot?!? It reminds me of a softer (less vibrant colors) version of a Henri Matisse painting.

{Photo: Fashion Gone Rogue}

Yasmin for Flare

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 15:14:00 +0000

I absolutely adore the juxtaposition of Somali model Yasmin Warsame's gorgeous complexion and these moody colors against the cotton-candied wigs.

{Photos: Flare}

My Calendar is Open

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:32:00 +0000

Love these shots of Sudanese model Ataui Deng for Tunisian designer Azzedine Alaïa's Fall 2011 collection.

{Photo: Beauty is Diverse}

Door Perfection

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Ok - can we pause for a moment to drool over the perfection that is this wall space made from old doors and windows!!

{Photo: Mr. & Mrs. Smith}

Riad 72

noreply@blogger.com (Brandie) — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 15:46:00 +0000

I'm currently obsessing over these two spaces in Riad 72 in Marrakesh. The bedroom is relaxed and cozy while this sitting room looks perfect for an afternoon tea!

{Photos: Mr. & Mrs. Smith}