Kerry-Anne Allerston
Image: Supplied
Today I want to chat shopping and department stores only because I started thinking about what they were like years ago and what’s going on these days.
Window shopping was a thing in the 80s and I could never understand why. It still makes me laugh today. Families couldn’t afford to actually buy things, but they’d meet for a Wimpy and then go window shopping. It sounds like absolute torture to me. I remember going to Sandton City on a big day out or even The Pavilion in Durbs when we were on holiday and we’d go for a bite and then walk around for ages. We didn’t have our fancy step counting watches on because they didn’t exist, but looking back it was like going to the gym without paying for it. It boggles my brain thinking about these good old, but also completely insane, memories.
Stuttafords was the fanciest department store and inside it was a super classy restaurant, and if you shopped there you were definitely a fancy pants. Saturdays totally consisted of going to the shopping centre and getting those steps in, not that we even cared about steps back then. Those who did watched Body Beat on Good Morning South Africa and got their moves in before even leaving the house. Put on the lumo short pant, cue that catchy tune and add some aerobics action and you’re set. I recently started watching a series on Netflix called Physical starring Rose Byrne and it’s about just that, the aerobics craze that hit the world in the 1980s. She’s phenomenal in my opinion and I love everything she does, but wow it takes me back to big hair, perms and a whole lotta lycra.
I digress. Let’s go back to malls and shopping. After the beautiful Stuttafords closed down, the only other options where you could kind of buy everything you needed in one store were Edgars and Woolworths. Both are cool options and I’m a fan, but I’ve got to say that Hyde Park Corner has upped their game in terms of department store shopping. I know it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I love it. There aren’t many centres that still have a cinema offering and I love a good trip to the movies. Slushies, popcorn and all the other extras. It’s so much fun and a little escape from real life for two hours or so.
They’ve just recently added a very fancy department store which made me think of Stuttafords. It’s called Maison Deux. But wait, there’s more. The very first Marc’s by Marc Jacobs Café has just opened its doors inside the store. So you see, that’s why it reminded me of Stuttafords and its Harpers coffee shop. We are very fancy here in South Africa, being the first to have a Marc’s in the whole world. Look at us go. The food is sensational and pretty well priced considering its name tag belongs to one of the most celebrated American fashion houses today. It’s that perfect mix of fashion, food and a little bit of theatre, and I’m completely here for it.
Some malls these days are also offering secret sunrise yoga classes before you even start your shopping and there’s even a dance club for girls in the Rosebank Quarter on Tuesday nights. You can finish work, hit the dance floor hard with the girls and then head home and continue lifing. I’m pretty sure dancing for a few hours is even better than going to the gym. Don’t ask me because I’ve never gone, but I just think dancing, having fun and having a laugh are just what the doctor ordered. Again, just my opinion.
What I love most is how these spaces have evolved. They’re not just about buying things anymore, they’re about experience. It’s where we meet, where we move, where we eat and where we escape for a bit. From those endless walks through malls as kids to now choosing how we spend our time in them, it’s quite the full circle moment.
But I feel like I’m 100 percent genius level on this one. Even if you’re hitting those boxing classes or buying those weird squishy socks and going jumping at one of those jump spots, it’s fun. It’s you time. It gets you sweating and it gets you moving. So move that body, beat boy. Get your fashion sandwich on at Marc’s at Hyde Park and then hit up [email protected] to find out more about those awesome dance parties they’re putting on.
Dance like everyone’s watching and have a great weekend Saturday Stars.