Cape Town 102

It's 9:58, and I'm stepping out of the elevator onto the second floor. In Hip Hop's waiting room, the west wall (as well as a table nearer the east wall) is covered in national and international awards and recognition for the label that is the first choice for almost any girl's matric dance dress. I think the rest of the world calls it 'senior prom.' They specialize in funky, modern, edgy evening wear. A woman in front of me is frantically tossing out empty boxes, while another next to me steams and sets on a rack a pile of gorgeous LBD's. I confirm my appointment with the first woman, and take a seat on a lounger next to the awards table. Dom, as Domique prefers to be called, appears from behind a purple curtain and says he'll be with me in a sec. He's small, with spikey dark hair. His yellow and black checkered muffler flies out on one end as he rushes to the front desk, grabs something, and rushes back behind the thick curtain. I start to think I must have come at a bad time, but they don't seem stressed, just in a big hurry. Maybe it's like this every morning. Five minutes later, the bedlam is over, and Dom reappears. He smiles and gives me a firm handshake. After explaining why I'm here, I show him what I've got so far, and where I think the trends are headed. He, too, thinks I'm doing okay. He shows me three design walls (I won't call them boards; they were that big) that feature flat sketches with swatches that have been colour, trend, and fabric coordinated. He says they're for spring and summer, and I guess that this must be their busiest time of year, since everyone starts deciding on their farewell dance dresses in June (dances are usually scheduled from August to November). He gives me some blog addresses that he thinks I should check out, and says something I heard at Jenni Button yesterday too: Fabric City is the best place to get fabric, and apparently, they're very generous with swatches. I thank him and a colleague who joined us, they wish me luck, and I'm off to Fabric City with the family in tow. [But what I must mention, even though it's got nothing to do with this blog, is that we stopped at Charly's Bakery. Heavenly stuff. Seriously.] Fabric City is in fact, in comparison to most fabric stores, a city: Four floors of fabric, upholstery, patterns, and trim for every pocket and purpose. Got what I needed, and declared that I was done with 'formal' design research. Now I'm just gonna have fun. When I get home, I'll analyse, plan and complete the five garment designs required for admission. Bought two pairs of shoes after the minidress; a pair of killer-heel ankle boots by Zoom (featured in Elle SA), and grey soft-canvas loafers from Ackermans, which I plan to customize. I'll post the sketches and before/after pics of the loafers as soon as I'm done.