We were privileged enough to shoot at the gorgeous Southern Cross Guest House yesterday!! WHAT a stunning location! Sara was especially impressed with the clean, white decor – and she can’t wait to shoot there again soon! Keep up to date with our blog to see pics from the shoots coming soon! Visit http://www.southerncross-guesthouse.co.za for more info on Southern Cross.
We would like to welcome Sithandiwe S to The Pure Violet Team! Check out his photos below!
Very early on the morning of Saturday, 04 June, Nicole Cronje of Pure Violet was on her way to Jo’burg to attend the Miss SA & Miss SA Teen Workshop, held at the Sandton Sun Convention Centre. This workshop is aimed at thousands of girls, covering with topics from confidence and dress, to dealing with interviews and etiquette.
While teaching in Jo’burg a few years ago, Nicole was fortunate enough to be approached by Lorna Potgieter, Miss SA of 1985 and the event organiser, who asked Nicole to get involved.
The day started off with registration and all the 100 thousand girls received lovely goodie bags. They were then introduced to previous Miss SA’s and Miss SA Teens. During the morning session, they covered everything from reputation building, emotional intelligence to skin and make-up. After a delicious lunch break, Miss SA choreographer, Wayne Stafford and our very own Nicole headed on stage.
Her talk covered confidence and stage presence – how to be aware of not only the interviewer, but also of the people surrounding you when you speak on stage. Nicole covered topics like how to stand on stage, and how to speak and project your voice when talking to large crowds of people.
After Nicole’s address to the girls, Edith Venter, ex-Miss SA and socialite, along with Miss SA 2010, and Rhonwen Job of Heads Models, herself a well-known SA model, took to the stage. They covered make-up and etiquette, exercising, first impressions and what it takes to become a supermodel.
Other gorgeous people that attended the workshop Nicole Flint, ex-Miss SA and Kieno Kammies, renowned talk show host, as well as many more!
According to Nicole Cronje, 90% of the girls that attended the workshop would be eligible for Miss SA and Miss SA Teen. Out of the 12 finalists last year, 7 had attended this annual workshop. Sounds like the right place to be if you want a head start into a career in this glamorous industry!
When we asked Nicole about what she learned, she said she could really relate to Miss SA Teen who said that no dream is too big or too small. An ex-Miss SA who spoke about getting older, said that if the inside is right, the outside is a plus. Nicole found it “awesome fun” and says she, and everyone else, learned a lot! It was a long day, but well worth every second – the girls that attended last year were able to build on their experience, and the new girls were in for a treat! Sounds like we should all be there next year! 
On Monday, 27 June and Tuesday, 28 June, Pure Violet will be shooting at the gorgeous Waterkloof Wines, Somerset West.
We are very exciting about this opportunity – and still have some slots available. If you are thinking of shooting with us this month, BOOK NOW!!! This is the perfect location for beautiful portfolio shoots! PLUS we have a special running throughout June – you could win 10% OR 15% off your shoot, or your shoot FREE!!! Contact us ASAP for further details.
Below is a brief overview from http://www.waterkloofwines.co.za of what The Restaurant at Waterkloof has to offer. Check out http://www.waterkloofwines.co.za for more info.
THE RESTAURANT AT WATERKLOOF
Modern, yet simple, with spectacular vistas, Waterkloof’s signature restaurant, perched high on the slopes of the Schaapenberg, is taking dining in the Winelands to new heights. The restaurant is housed in a 10 metre high glass promontory, which flows into the sleek tasting lounge with its state-of-the-art gravitational cellar. The restaurant is set against the majestic backdrop of Waterkloof’s amphitheatre of vineyards and the full expanse of False Bay.
Dining with French chef Grégory Czarnecki – fuelled with a decade’s worth of experience garnered in some of the finest Michelin star restaurants in France – calls for an unhurried indulgence of contemporary classics, complemented by the estate’s European style wines.
The restaurant’s open plan kitchen emphasises the Waterkloof winemaking philosophy: openness and transparency. Although stylistically diverse, each of the Waterkloof wines carries a strong core of elegance and integrity, which is exactly what the food is all about – classical cuisine with a modern French twist.
CONTEMPORARY AND TRADITIONAL
Juxtaposed against the traditional, functional working cellar, this modern milieu of great visual appeal whets the appetite with unique culinary creations made with the finest local seasonal produce, with each dish revealing the ultimate combination of texture, taste and flavour to complement wine with a naturalist approach.
The Waterkloof restaurant can seat a total of 120 guests inside and outside on the elevated balcony.
The restaurant opened its doors in December 2009 and
serves lunch and dinner, from Mondays to Saturdays and lunch only on Sundays. For more information contact The Restaurant at Waterkloof on 021 858 1491.
1. In order to enter, you need to post a minimum of 2 photos (1 face and 1 full body) of yourself to this group.
2. This competition is open to both male and female models.
3. You must be between 16 and 25 years old.
3. The competition closes on 10 June 2011.
4. The judge’s decision is final.
5. Entrants who are not successful may still be eligible to join the agency
Check out “Behind the Scenes” photos from a Pure Violet photoshoot that took place at the agency on Saturday, 14 May. The model, photographers & make-up artist all had lots of fun & giggles. They experimented with lighting techniques and the actual photos of this futuristic shoot will be up soon!!
Don’t forget about our BEAUTY SHOOTS this Saturday!!! We will be shooting at the agency – and there are still limited slots available! Email sara@pureviolet.co.za for more info!
A wonderful article at http://www.thenewage.co.za/9904-12-53-Josie_Borain by Clayton Swanepoel captures the essence of Josie Borain, iconic model from the 80’s. Let her be an inspiration to all you aspiring models out there!
“Josie Borain is a fashion world anomaly, from her unlikely path into the fashion world and her striking androgynous looks to her decision to settle down in Cape Town, she is a model mother like no other.
JOSIE grew up in the leafy northern suburbs of Johannesburg and after a frustrating battle with matric she decided to head to the mother city to start a life for herself. “I was terrible at school,” she says, “I failed matric twice and then went to Cape Town to start a career in fashion buying.” She soon discovered that she needed a matric certificate to enter the industry and after a brief, forgettable internship, a friend encouraged her to give modelling a try and it wasn’t long till the Parisian and New York fashion worlds beckoned. Her unusual androgynous looks made Josie one of the most sought after models of her era and she ushered in a brand new direction in the fashion world.
“The modelling industry was very different back then,” Josie notes. “We used to work with designers on a day-to-day basis, we’d be clothes horses for them before they showed their work to the rest of the world. This work, she says, is something models today are far too precious to do, “it’s something they’d see as beneath them.”
Josie took this incredible opportunity to work with designers like Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren up close and personal and learnt much about the industry along the way.
With her good looks and great South African work ethic, it’s not surprising that Calvin Klein quickly contracted Josie after a rumour that Ralph Lauren was planning to do so. Their collaboration brought with it numerous campaigns that catapulted Josie into the fashion industry spotlight. The most famous of these is her run as the face of the brand’s Obsession fragrance. “I still have an old bottle of the perfume from those days,” Josie reminisces, “It’s past its expiry but I still love it.”
After a few years in the industry, a friend suggested she start documenting her life as a model and start photographing her day-to-day experiences. This hobby soon became a career and she is today an accomplished photographer, having published the very successful anthology, Josie, You & Me, in 2003.
Although she still loves to photograph she isn’t always able to do the photography she’d like to. “I’d still love to work,” she says, “but I’m not one of those photographers who enjoys shooting real life situations. I’d like to do more set up and conceptualised work and that requires money.” She is a big fan of legendary photographer Annie Leibovitz, who is known and celebrated for this type of photography. “I love her work as an art director” she says.
About 15 years ago, Josie Borain settled down gently in beautiful Hout Bay where she now lives with her husband, actor Langley Kirkwood, and their three children, Peter-Raven, Willow and Phoenix. Her life now as a stay-at-home mom is in vast contrast to her modelling days and it suits her just perfectly,
“As corny as it sounds, I’m most proud of my children,” she says, “I’m incredibly proud of who they are and the big futures they have ahead of them.”
Despite the change in lifestyle, Josie still has the same wholesome fashion taste that she had back in the 1980s. “The clothes from the ’80s were never really my style, I always found the shoulder pads a little too robotic for my liking,” she admits,
“I have always preferred to keep it pure and classic, I’m a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl and don’t think you need to make a big statement with what you wear, I like brands like Country Road, GAP and Banana Republic.” In case you’re wondering what she smells like, Josie currently wears Calvin Klein Beauty, a delightful floral fragrance with a light woody musk base. Some loyalties, it seems, die hard.
Josie has travelled extensively. “I absolutely loved Costa Rica with its beautiful beaches. I visited the country only 10 years after it opened its borders to the world,” she says “It was such an interesting environment to explore.” Back home it’s clear that she has settled down in her favourite part of the country, “I think Cape Town is pretty damn nice.” She also loves quieter retreats to the bush and towns like Dullstroom.
What’s lovely about Josie is that, despite having lived in and seen some of the most beautiful cities in the world, she will always remain proudly South African. “When I lived in the States and Paris it was interesting but lonely,” she recalls, “Whenever I came home I felt like I could exhale; there is something very calming and gentle about Africa and South Africa.”
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, she admits she could be a little better in the romance department, “I celebrate Valentine’s Day because my husband and I had our first date on the day. I’ll buy him a gift but I’m a bit of a cold fish really.” Her husband is the romantic in this relationship and it’s seems their complementary personalities play a part in keeping them together.
“Relationships are tricky,” she explains. “It’s hard enough living with yourself, let alone with someone else. You need to be honest with each other and hang in there.” Having children together also help. “If there are children involved you’re more likely to work at it,” she says. The best relationship advice Josie ever received was in the ’80s just before her whirlwind marriage to a man she’d been seeing for two weeks, “This old man looked at me and said ‘Never fight in public’,” she says with a giggle.
Having seen and experienced so much, just where does she find inspiration? Looking back, Josie remembers that as a child she was inspired by nautical explorer Jacques Cousteau and this is echoed in her remarkable zest for life and keen sense of adventure. “I have decided to do the Cape Argus Cycle Tour this year and have already started training,” she says, with some trepidation. “I have never ridden a bike in my life, so it’s been fun.”
Today she is inspired by icons who have shaped our world, like Nelson Mandela. Closer to home her brother, independent political analyst Nic Borain, and her relationship with her father, provide her with daily inspiration.
It seems as though Josie Borain has lived a pretty charmed life but it hasn’t been without regrets, “My regrets revolve around bad decisions I’ve made, especially when I was younger,” she says, “One of my biggest regrets is loaning a friend of mine $40000 (about R290000) and trusting that he’d return it.” The said friend took full advantage of the naïve 21-year-old Josie and never returned the money.
Despite her regrets, Borain recognises the value every mistake and triumph have had in her life. “If there was one thing I could do again it would be my life,” she says with a giggle, and I realise that she is no ordinary stay- at-home mom. She’s Josie Borain and she likes it that way.”
Have you always wanted to learn how to apply your own make-up like a professional?
Have you always struggled to find the right make-up products?
Book now for the ‘Me and My Make-up Course’.
The course will run over two Saturdays in June.
It will include subjects like what looks suit you, how to apply your own make-up and what make-up products work best for you.
Email Sara to book your place at sara@pureviolet.co.za
Pure Violet is launching a new campaign to find a guy and a girl as the new faces of Pure Violet for six whole months. The chosen models will be used for all Pure Violet branding and advertising. This means amazing exposure for the selected models!
THE RULES:
1. In order to enter, you need to post a minimum of 2 photos (1 face and 1 full body) of yourself to this group.
2. This competition is open to both male and female models.
3. You must be between 16 and 25 years old.
3. The competition closes on 15 May 2011 and the winner will be announced on 01 July 2011.
4. The judge’s decision is final.
5. Entrants who are not successful may still be eligible to join the agency
purevioletworld 