Queen Of Hearts Café, Harare

Alice in Wonderland themed table setting for FBA ZIM Meet N' Greet, overlooking the entrance to the QOH cafe.

Located in the leafy suburb of Highlands, corner 1 Hurworth and Enterprise road, Harare. Queen of Hearts Café is a quaint little restaurant that offers an Espresso Bar (for the coffee lovers), Artisan Bakery (baked goodies and cake!), breakfast menu, lunch menu and an open air Wood fired Pizzeria just right outside. QOH opened their doors to the public sometime around the year 2012; I remember soo vividly the construction work around the premises as I would pass by back and forth on my trips to town. It was once an old abandoned little building just on the corner of Hurworth street.

Queen of Hearts has proved to be a fan favourite for a number of reasons. It has seriously become the best location for the Fashion Industry to host mixtures, get togethers, meet n’ greets and tea parties as the eatery is at the epicentre between town and Highlands, making it easily accessible and ultimately the best choice.

Top 5 Reasons to Love QOH

1. Probably the best feature about QOH is their super-fast Wi-Fi which is on some serious fiber connection. It’s super great to get some online work done and a bit of blogging for myself. Bonus points for the euphoria and just the vibe of working in a comfortable and cosy environment.

2. The open air green scenery with the fountain right in the middle makes for a warm pleasant welcoming. I honestly just want to sit under the trees, enjoy the fresh air with a glass of watermelon juice and just tap away!

3. I recently discovered the beauty of natural flavoured drinking water thanks to QOH (something which you could even make yourself at home). Choose a selection of mint, lemon or strawberries to be added to your glass of water for some aroma and flavour.

4. Although the price could arouse mixed feeling, QOH offers some delectable baked goodies, treats and cake for those with a sweet tooth. US$3.00 will set you back for a slice of cake and about US$6.00 will serve you with a plate full of waffles and cream (The Writer’s personal favourites). I am still to experiment with the selection of the menu, but when I do I will be sure to Instagram it to you!

5. Saving the best for last – as mentioned above QOH is easily accessible, even for those who rely on public transport. It’s right in the main road, so chances of getting lost are pretty slim to none. It is also situated very close to two adjacent bus stops, to and from town, so finding your way around isn’t a difficult task.

Some of Harare’s Fashion events have been hosted at QOH, with the recent 2015 line up of a Singles Sipper held on the 30^th of January, an Artists Mix N’ Mingle that took place on the 17^th of January and soon enough Quintessential F will have a Ladies Power Breakfast that will set one back US$5.00 for tea and snacks.

Where To Find Them

1 Hurworth Road, Cnr Enterprise, Highlands

Email: thequeenofheartscafe@gmail.com

Mobile: 0771 929 914 (Phillipa)

Facebook: queenofheartscafe&bakery

Divine Red Velvet cake! 

Check out "Meet the Industry - Fashion Networking" hosted by FWZ back in 2014 here, at the Queen of Hearts Cafe.

Highlights of the year 2014

As 2014 comes to a close, it’s that time for the blog to reflect and look back at the year that was. This year was the year of growth. I discovered a new side of myself that wanted to know more, understand more and define myself as a woman. I moved from a stage of being a student to being a graduate. I longed to find recognition and acceptance for my passion in fashion and I filled that void by editing for two online digital magazines; Infinity Magazine and Induna Magazine. I also took a deeper plunge and exercise my power to style in local photoshoots, model in one and start something of my own, from personal challenges I have faced, bringing you Fashion Bloggers Association of Zimbabwe. 2014 has been an interesting and fulfilling year, and I can only imagine what 2015 has in store for Signature Toscie.

Induna Magazine

INDUNA is Ndebele for “Leader”, first of its kind as a pan African Female based magazine in Zimbabwe. Induna was founded by Zanele Mhlaba, a fashion lover, fashion blogger and African feminist. The debut issue introduces you to a summer edition that covers a variety of topics from some of Zimbabwe’s young and influential women, with three Ladies gracing the cover issue; Lorraine “LochNation” Bgoya, Samantha “MisRed” Mussa and Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa – all from ZIFM Stereo. I contributed to the magazine in the Fashion section, where I covered Fast Fashion Retail in Zimbabwe, summer trends feature on this season’s top skirts and an interview with Women’s Couture designer Paidemoyo Chideya-Mazhandu. If you can recall, Paidemoyo launched a RTW collection of her label DeMoyo early in the year which you can read here. Induna magazine was a great opportunity to exercise my power to write and better understand what contexts truly make it into a magazine. The photoshoot alone helped me to better understand what really goes on behind the scenes of a magazine cover shoot. Find INDUNA Magazine online here.

        

Infinity Magazine

Infinity Magazine is an urban culture magazine, aiming at empowering the youth with features on the young and upcoming entertainers in the business. Sharing their stories of growth, success and obstacles they faced whilst going after their dreams. I jumped on board with Infinity Magazine from the get-go and what I love about it is it’s my platform to write about anything fashion related for the young and modern millennia. It also goes further as being that first magazine that gave me a full page column to write just about anything I wanted and desired, which in turn helped to exercise my wording and knowledge of current fashion trends. Infinity magazine’s editor Sophia Chitemere is also a former model, a growing powerhouse in PR Management and a young achiever at heart. Check out Infinity Magazine’s profile on ISSUU here and twitter page here.

                                 

Ngosikadzi/Signature Toscie Collaboration

Ngosikadzi blog and Signature Toscie did an exciting collaboration mid-way through 2014, that gave you six different looks from two Ngosikadzi local dresses. First of it’s kind and first for the blog, the collaboration paved way for the popular African print trend on a smaller blogger scale in Harare. Two of the dresses to mention where a paisley print tent dress and a floral print wrap dress that where given interval looks of day to night, and winter to summer. During that time you may recall the collabo being labelled under The GLAM Project ZW, which has now gradually shifted to Signature Toscie Styling – still the same concept and vision but with a more blog aligned branding. Check out all the Ngosikadzi/Signature Toscie Collabo posts right here.

Fashion Bloggers Association Zimbabwe (FBA ZIM)

I always had a broader vision, and this was one of them. Fashion Bloggers Association Zimbabwe came out of the frustration that there was no proper body to represent the growth of bloggers. Sure there is @ZimFashionBlogs on Twitter, but I felt there was no physical preference, no board that can solve the challenges that bloggers faced in Zimbabwe. Sure there is Blogger of the Year under Zimbabwe Fashion Week, but that’s pretty much it! So with a little thinking, a lot of my frustration and a couple of bloggers on board, we launched FBA ZIM in September 2014 and had an official strategic meeting on 20 December 2014. With FBA ZIM it’s really about growth; growth of the digital sector in Zimbabwe that can accommodate the digital media of fashion! Early 2015 will be the official press conference/seminar launch, and I openly encourage every blogger community in Zimbabwe to engage with us. Find us on Twitter here, with our Tumblr blog here.

Graduation Day

I saved the best for last – my graduation day! When 2014 came I knew this was it! After a good three years of studying, with ample amounts of blogging on the side; I graduated with a BSc Hons in Sociology and Gender Development under the Women’s University in Africa. I love my degree because it answered a lot of the questions onto society that I had which no one around me could really explain or understand. Best part about it is that I’m a scientist, which suits every arena of my current environment in women’s fashion, digital media, FBA ZIM and my feminist advocate. Of course on my graduation day I had to pay homage to the Zimbabwean Fashion industry by wearing a locally designed dress with a pattern I chose. The day couldn’t have been more lovely, as for one day a year I was the centre of attention and my hard work had paid off!

So 2014 was the year of growth – I challenged my fears, conquered my goals and met new friends along the way. Thank you 2014.

xo

Tendai!

Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014 Day 3 – ST Favourites

What a spectacle Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014 was, although yours truly only managed to attend Day 3; there was a lot of buzz and social media engagement to keep anyone informed and at the edge of their seats! From the onset of the ZFW Cocktail party to the Zimbabwe Fashion Awards, every hour of ZFW was documented by avid fashion lovers. So if you missed out, don’t worry just follow #ZFW2014 and @ZFW_Official and you are opened to a portal of Zim’s exciting Fashion Week.

Now with all of the events that were taking place this past weekend (SADC Fashion Week, Fashion Collective Market ZW and Shoko Festival) – ZFW managed to draw in a very strong crowd of loyal fashion lovers and followers who opted to attend every single event from Day 1. Myself however, was found attending Day 3 with my mind ready to be blown away (and blown away it was!). Not only was it a packed hall but the designers brought out their best work, and every show started on time and on point. The schedule for that evening included the following in their timely order:

Chizo by Chisoma Lombe

Moi Amara Couture by Jenika

Zimbabwe Designer Galleria – (Anaia Fashions, Smataz and Haus of Stone)

Faithwear

Taf the Taylor

Zargue’ Sia by Ishmael Tsakatsa

Afrikanus by Rui Lopes

Raaah by Rahima Mohamed

Shirt and Co

Thula Sindi by Thula Sindi

Out of all of the lovely designers, we fell in love with three (3) particular designers who gave us flowing feminine silhouettes, figure hugging contemporary pieces, a new form of appreciation for print and a beautiful colour palette to suit a fashion forward closet; Afrikanus by Rui Lopes, Raaah by Rahima Mohamed and Thula Sindi.

Afrikanus

Afrikanus was by Angolan designer Rui Lopes who showed a stunning 9 piece collection that infused Western fashion with African detailing. African detail in Rui’s designs were found in his incorporation of print – with print detail in two white sheer dresses and a Java print one shoulder shift dress. Afrikanus’ collection gave a nod to the growing international trend of African Fashion on blogs and social media but with a texture of Western characteristics, particularly in the silhouette.

Flirty and cute, with a touch of print and pleated skirt.

Biggest trend on African blogs and social media is Dashiki and Java print, and Afrikanus brought it to us on the runway.

Print detail added to the empire waist and broad collar.

Designer Rui Lopes in his two defining pieces on the runway.

Raaah

Raaah is a label by a Zimbabwean based in the UK. Her collection gave us bold, structured shoulders, a modern and chic take on a women’s safari suit and a flowing but loose asymmetrical dress which had a pop of colour that caught our eye! Rahima’s collection was dubbed the “Fly High Collection” in her look book, and this was her first showing at ZFW 2014 with a very well received applause from the audience. On a personal note, I lusted after every piece in the collection without a doubt of already having events planned in my mind as to where I can rock a Raaah dress or the Mirabelle maxi skirt in a deep plum colour – lusting after this polished label.

Those bold and structured shoulders on a white one piece bodysuit.

 

Modern take on a women's Safari suit called the Heather suit.

Once again, those broad structured shoulders on a shift dress.

Loved the colour and the asymmetrical flow of the Loosen up dress.

Thula Sindi

Special guest of the evening and closing designer on Day 3 was South Africa’s very own Thula Sindi, sponsored by the Cape Town Fashion Council, brought his 27 piece collection to Zimbabwe’s shores. Thula Sindi is a world renowned designer, whose work is not new to any runway, except for Zimbabwe of course. Every piece in Thula’s collection was form fitting, articulate and had an aura of high fashion coming down the runway – there was a piece for every different personality of a woman. From a monochrome giraffe print dress to a bright pink stunner, to short shorts and a maxi long navy blue dress with sequins. Our favourite was a black empire waisted dress made out of lace which was worn by model Tholakele Dlamini.

Our Favourite piece from Thula Sindi

So, with all that encompassed Zimbabwe Fashion Week 2014, this was ST’s favourites which of course gave you an insight of what went down on Day 3 of the event. Although these three designers caught our attention, we still give kudos to all of the designers for their immaculate work and bringing their talent to our attention. And a big round of applause to Priscilla Chigariro and her ZFW Team for producing a smooth show without a single hitch.

All the same I wish to thank everyone who nominated Signature Toscie in the category of Blogger of the year, alongside Zim Fashionista, Zim Fashion Diary and Kicking It with Mimi. Means the world that you guys read ST and my personal fashion adventures. So I thank you!

Stay Gorgeous,

Tendai Sophia

*All photos courtesy of SDR Photo*

What to Wear to Zim’s Busy Fashion Week?

Zimbabwe’s busy fashion week runs from 20-28 September 2014, and social media is already a buzz with programmes, ticket prices and headlining shows. Fashionistas are getting excited and planning their calendar with what to wear and designers are busy wrapping up final touches to their garments and collections. Since New York Fashion Week 2014 was at the realm of the Fashion World in the past few weeks; with street style bloggers, magazines, trends, fashionistas accompanied by massive instagramming! It’s only natural to seek some inspiration from the World’s biggest fashion show and fashion party, to bring a little taste back home. We have run down top 4 trends to copy from New York Fashion Week (#NYFW) and bring them back home to Zim’s busy Fashion Week. These trends are simple, straightforward and good for your pocket. Fashion Week is essentially about expressing your style at an arena that combines all that exudes fashion lovers, designers, the creative, models and magazines. So make some new fashion rules and give a twist to the old ones!

Channel an Androgynous look a la J Crew

J Crew is a well-known fast fashion retail store in the USA that has affordable and ready to wear clothing for the modern trendy woman, BUT on a budget. This year’s Spring/Summer 2015 collection was a particular favourite because it was super cool, non-fussy and can be borrowed from your boyfriend (Gents included). J Crew’s collection was primarily based on casual clothing, with a new twist in boyfriend jeans, slouchy denim and quirky embellishments on a mini dress. How would you channel J Crew’s look in Zim Fashion you may ask? Take an old pair of denims and switch it up in court heels instead of flats or wear a normal office pencil skirt but with a graphic tee shirt and high heels. Embellishments are your sequins which are usually placed on glam-y evening gowns and cocktail dresses; J Crew gave them a twist by placing sequins on a casual shift dress that has pockets to match! So if you have a simple shift dress tucked away, then this is the time to upgrade it by adding your own sparkle with sequins and shiny buttons. PS – you can DIY this at home or get a very creative tailor to help you.

Do Ladylike like Diane Von Furstenberg and Stella Nolasco!

DVF is the epitome of fabulous women’s fashion with modern silhouettes to complement her recent S/S 2015 RTW collection. The biggest trend she gave us was Gingham, her signature wrap dresses in modern patterns and a lot of black and white. What the blog personally loved about DVF’s latest collection is the incorporation of gingham in her clothing. Gingham is a boxed design on material, usually found on kitchen towels and table mats (double check the cutlery when you walk into a home/kitchenware store). Stella Nolasco on the other hand was super feminine with much longer silhouettes in maxi dresses and light summer colours, which included whites, pink and blues. A personal blog favourite from Stella was a white maxi dress with leaf detail on the bust. How should you be inspired by DVF and Stella Nolasco’s collection for Zim’s FW? Wear WHITE or a lovely wrap dress to emulate DVF’S signature work. If maxis are your thing then go for it a la Stella Nolasco, because Fashion is really not limited when it comes to Fashion Week.

                      

Stella Nolasco's uber feminine collection, with long lengths and a wavy texture. Be inspired to accentuate your soft colours and florals for a feminine look this Zim fashion week.

                                      

Take it to the Streets and RUN WITH IT!

What’s fashion week without street fashion and street style bloggers right? Although Zim Fashion hasn’t fully bloomed in that sector yet, it’s still a great area of fashion to sought inspiration from since it could be your typical everyday look but with a quirky twist. Street style bloggers dress outside the norm and outside the box, so if you are a creative and bold character then bring out your best and loud looks to the streets of Zim’s Fashionable week.

Prints are a big trend and a wardrobe staple for any chic fashionista! Whether African, graphic, tie-dye or aztec - prints are here to stay.

If you are big on trends, then the thigh high slit is something you might wanna consider this busy fashion week. Get heads turning in a sassy thigh high slit dress or maxi skirt.

           

A clean quirkiness with the fringe blouse and bowler hat. And a fresh clean, ladylike finish on street fashion.

Play it safe with BLACK

Black is a timeless colour that works with just about anything. If you prefer a more demure but yet still chic-sophisticated route, then black is the safest bet for any ensemble. Take a black ensemble and wear it with brighter accessories; such as a gold clutch, red heels or a neon choker. Black looks to keep you stylish can be a little black dress with red heels OR head to toe black in black pants, black top and a sleek black blazer with a classy bun to finish.

      

Black is simple, chic and versatile. Perfect for both day and night, all you have to do is switch up your accessories.

Fashion Week only comes around once a year, and with this year’s edition is jam packed with several events, which could feel a bit daunting and overwhelming with the variety of show times, ticket prices and transport. With a line-up of shows to choose from, it is wise to plan, co-ordinate and budget your transport, show times, tickets and outfits – you don’t want to be caught wearing the same thing twice AND you don’t want to end up stranded at a midnight show so PLANNING is off the essence.

*Check out Tweet-A-Cab Harare for all your transportation needs, from one venue to the next or if you need an alternative route to travel back home safely!*

*Keep in mind that MOST of the shows are scheduled in the evening from 6pm and onwards, Fashion Collective Zimbabwe runs from 11am to 5.30pm*

 All the same, have fun, note down and share the best of what #ZimFashion has to offer on your Instagram!

Stay Gorgeous!

Tendai Sophia

IG @tendaitoscie

Photos sourced from:

www.elle.com

www.harpersbazaar.com

www.stylecaster.com

ZFW 2014 Press Conference

“FASHION WEEK IS AN INTERNATIONAL BRAND” – this was a strong opening quote at the ZFW Press Conference that gave us the attendees a better understanding of the vision behind Zimbabwe Fashion Week. ZFW is amongst the top 5 ranked Fashion Weeks in Africa, standing in at Number 4 alongside Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Joburg, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Africa, Lagos Fashion & Design Week and Nigeria Fashion Week. The new Head of PR, Tinopona Katsande purported that there is no other live show or pageantry that has the level of extravagant production that Zim Fashion Week produces; with international performances (Flash Republic in 2013), regional designers (Gavin Rajah for 2013) and international photographers (Simon Deiner Photography) – ZFW tries to bring together the best of what Zimbabwean textile design has to offer on an international level of production.

Zimbabwe Fashion Week is a Trust organisation which is non-profit and purely strives on Sponsors and Buyers. A few of its sponsors this year include Sensationnel Hair by Outre (who were present amongst us) and Mahindra, who will provide transport and logistics throughout the event for the Young Designers and Special Guests from 25-28 September. During the press conference, the Young Designers Programme was the opening sequential and a discussion that I was personally looking forward to as YDP is a strong premise for this blog. This year’s YDP has 10 participants who are being trained in basic pattern making skills, touring the textile industry and being given seminars on manufacturing in Zimbabwe. The YDP participants are required to produce two garments to showcase at ZFW which are later scored for the Young Designers Competition.

This year’s edition of the YDP is pretty exciting as 3 out of the 10 participants come from outside of Harare – 2 students from Bulawayo and 1 student from Mutare. The Ministry of Youth, Empowerment and Indigenisation are also on board with the YDP, as one of their representatives Mr. Acie Lumumba stressed that the Ministry of Youth is openly available to support young boys and girls through job creation, ZIMASSET and the business of creating opportunities that has been spearheaded by ZFW. Fashion is a very unrecognised field in Zimbabwe at the moment, which requires its own set of skills, creative and initiatives, different from anything academic.

This year ZFW plans to take it a step further by having a synergy of build-ups to the main event, through what is dubbed “The Fashion Night”, in collaboration with Maestro Restaurant once a week. Not only that but International Buyers have taken interest in what ZFW has to offer during the 4 day event, and as stated during the press conference – “exporting our local designs might be the way to go right now, as local buyers are not interested to purchase, AND the zim market relies soo heavily on international trends, more so than looking back at home” (this explains why a lot of boutiques in Harare are expensive and cheap imports are the next alternative).  Some of the Special Guests to grace ZFW are the judges from the Cape Town Fashion Council under the directive of the African Fashion International (AFI), who will select top local designers that will go on to further showcase their work at a slot during Africa Fashion Week in Joburg. Entertainment this year is strictly local, with Mokoomba being the headlining act for the ZFW Fashion Awards alongside MMT.

On a personal closing note, I’m intrigued by what I learned and noted at this press conference, not only that but I hope that this post opens doors for Fashion Bloggers in Harare and Zimbabwe, because our ‘Digital Sassy-ness’ is needed to promote our own Fashion industry on a digital platform.

“There is not enough support for designers and fashion in ZIMBABWE”

“There is not enough funding for FASHION in ZIMBABWE”

I thank you for Reading, Stay Gorgeous!

Tendai Sophia

Tinopona Katsande addressing the Press and Affiliated Media during the ZFW 2014 Press Conference.

Models wearing House of Alpha Rose by Yvonne Ndawana

Mr. Acie Lumumba from the Ministry of Youth, Empowerment and Indigenisation.

One of the Sponsors; Sensationnel Hair by Outre

Models in Alpha Rose.