Simon Rademan - The Style Bible

Published by Zebra Press
an imprint of Random House Struik (Pty) Ltd
Reg. No. 1966/003153/07
Wembley Square, First Floor, Solan Road, Gardens, Cape Town, 8001
PO Box 1144, Cape Town, 8000, South Africa

www.zebrapress.co.za

First published 2013

Publication Zebra Press 2013
Text Simon Rademan 2013
Illustrations Simon Rademan 2013

Cover illustration Simon Rademan

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright owners.

PUBLISHER : Marlene Fryer
MANAGING EDITOR : Ronel Richter-Herbert
EDITOR : Bronwen Leak
PROOFREADER : Bronwyn McLennan
COVER DESIGNER : Monique Cleghorn
TEXT DESIGNER : Jacques Kaiser
TYPESETTER : Jacques Kaiser/Monique Cleghorn
PHOTO RESEARCHER : Colette Stott

ISBN 978 1 77022 344 8 (print)
ISBN 978 1 77022 345 5 (ePub)
ISBN 978 1 77022 346 2 (PDF)

To darling Mommy and dear Pappa, for never trying to change me, for allowing me the freedom of choice in life, and for inspiring me to always be clean, well groomed and respectful

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The magazine, newspaper, television and multimedia industries I know you will continue to endeavour to bring us only the best. Editors and journalists, photographers and bloggers, artists and industry insiders, you all continue to inspire, share information and keep us company. You motivate and guide us in making good (and selectively stylish) choices daily. Although impossible to take in the magnitude of work that goes into your representations of what is in and what is out, please know that your hard work does not go unnoticed. Thank you for reminding us of the freedom of choice a democratic country like ours allows.

Niko For being my trusted sounding board, even when you know Ive already determined the outcome and for respecting that.

Iemmie For accepting me as one of your own, even when all the odds were against us, and for showing me that it is never too late to make choices. May your beautiful soul rest in peace.

Ronel, Marlene and Bronwen For believing in me and guiding me with putting this enigmatic, fine subject out there as a printed book and an e-book.

The best- AND worst-dressed women You have, and will continue to, provide a framework of extremes without which the wonderful world of style could simply not exist, and for that I thank you kindly. For exercising the free will to choose, and for respecting others choices just the same. And for having a sense of humour when even your best effort is perceived by another as your worst.

INTRODUCTION

In a world where clothes are not optional, social pressure often demands that we take note of what others are wearing, and that we be in fashion rather than out of fashion whether the current fashion is stylish or not! While the world has now come full circle as far as basic inventions are concerned, and nothing is new any longer, style savants look to the past for inspiration more often than they should. This kind of reinvention of blouses, dresses, shoes, belts, etc. can, at worst, lead the uninitiated astray, landing them on worst-dressed lists, or, at best, simply prevent them from looking their best.

As everyone has their own opinion, confusion as to which decade we are reliving reigns, exacerbated by social mediamongers, thousands of magazines and myriad designers, all believing that their way is the right way. These days, everyone is an expert. Anyone can post anything on the internet and convince others to follow a particular fashion. This is one of the reasons why fashion is in a mess and why fewer people these days have a real sense of style. People dress badly, or without care and consideration, following blindly what is available to them and thinking that what is fashionable is automatically stylish. It is this faux freedom that leaves us with little conviction as to who to take seriously and who to trust.

Being fashionable does not necessarily mean you are stylish, but being stylish will always be fashionable. This book will remind you to trust your gut feeling and to decide for yourself whether something works for you or not. As a couture designer, I will not dictate what you should and should not wear. Instead, I will show you the evolution of style and share guidelines that will enable you to discover your own unique sense of style because true style is what this book is all about.

Among other things, this bible:

• provides the keys to understanding your figure and fashion;
• reveals the code with which to establish great personal style;
• defines the differences between being a best-dressed woman and a worst-dressed woman;
• provides a brief history of womens fashion through the ages;
• makes finding your desired style easier, through the assistance of your guide, Suhrinha;
• includes impressive and inspirational quotes from women who have influenced style; and
• explains wardrobe planning, figure analysis, etiquette, dieting, the little black number, elements of style and much, much more.

May this book grant you the tranquillity to accept the things you cannot change, the bravery to change the things you can, and the ability to know the difference.

Meet Suhrinha

Who is Suhrinha? She is my graphic house model. All fashion designers use model sketches to illustrate for their clients their design ideas and intentions. Suhrinha is the inspirational character that I have created and drawn on for many years. She has modelled and presented suggestions, designs and initiatives to many women, saving them much embarrassment by acting as their mirror image. Inspired by the billion-dollar figure, she is the shape every stylista aspires to (see ). You will also be able to see, at a glance, the influence of world events, invention and famous personalities on style and fashion. Her ability to time travel, and to wear virtually anything from any decade (past, present and possible future), will assist you in finding the right style for you, free of charge.

STYLE VERSUS FASHION

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented.

~ Dame Edith Sitwell, British poet and critic

The blurred line

There is much debate about where fashion ends and style takes over, whether fashion is stylish at a certain time, and whether just any individual can be stylish.

When Eve was forced to cover parts of her body after eating the forbidden fruit, she had only her shame to consider, and of course Adams presence. Her choice of coverings was limited, she had no girlfriends to lend a hand, she had only herself to depend on. Even then, however, Eve would have been faced with decisions, such as which leaf to pluck, how to fasten it to her body, and at which angle it should feature. (Maybe not at first, but surely by the second day or even the second week.) Her decisions led to what we typically imagine as Eves signature fig-leaf style.

An unimaginable time span later, and there are many more individuals and interventions available to help us choose, but there are as many more choices available. For modern-day Eve, the lines between what is right and what is not right for her have become increasingly blurred. What is fashionable and unfashionable is not so clear, and as for signature style, well, how is she to find that? She looks to others icons, movie stars, models for inspiration and ideas.