Behati & Africa

Nothing's perkier than a Victoria's Secret model and I was delighted to come across this article on Behati Prinsloo's personal style and her east village digs in particular. The sweet faced beauty shows her charmingly girlish side and invites us into her private den complete with hairless cat Gollum {but more of him later}.

Freshfaced and undeniably lanky as a newborn baby giraffe, the Namibia born model recently collaborated with Victoria's Secret for a line of swimwear inspired by the scenic plains and the people of her Homeland. I've never been to Namibia but I'm incredibly fortunate to have been to Johannesburg and Capetown in South Africa which was more beautiful than I could ever have imagined. No matter how much of travelling you've done across Europe and Asia, Africa is a Continent that you have to visit at least once. Its truly a part of the world that's undeniably unique.

The famous Cape of good hope was a highlight in its majestic beauty but my very first trip to Kruger park in Johannesburg was a revelation. I have two favourite memories that just have to be shared, one hilariously funny and the other a mix of horror and comical disbelief!

To take a tour of the sprawling grounds of Kruger park and watch the animals in their natural habitat we had to take a little van with an experienced [and armed!] park ranger as our guide. In the first little episode, we felt a slight rumbling and our guide immediately drove us to the area where it was most concentrated. We arrived in time to see a herd of Rhino's stomping away. Unfortunately we were facing the wrong direction and had parked in such a way that we only had the view from behind. It was highly amusing and the only picture I managed to snap of that occasion was a shaky, blurry capture of a humongous, dust covered errr.....Behind. Quite literally.

The second sighting left me equal parts scared and stunned but a whole lot excited! As we rounded a quiet corner, I heard a shriek [I still swear it wasn't me but honestly it could have been], whipped my head around and saw standing on a hill like kings surveying their kingdom, two hyenas in all their twisted, permanently smiling glory. It was a frightening sight.

My first thought was that we were going to be eaten alive until I recalled that in Disney cartoons hyenas always seemed to have a preference for carcasses...it was the longest 2 minutes of my life. I was afraid to take phtos for fear of spooking them. They stood so still and stared at us with such haughty demeanors, a reminder that this was their domain and here we were prey. Eventually we drove off and our guide exuberantly explained that we were the lucky few as a chance sighting of these creatures were exceedingly rare. Only then did I realise I had been holding my breath the entire time! The best way I would describe the experience was to be caught in a nightmare with bobbing headed clowns, fairground music and the weirdest objects coming to life. A dream come true for a kid that grew up with the Lion King.

Did I veer too far? Ok, back to Behati but if any of you have gotten into similar travelling scrapes, I would love to know!

Refreshingly relaxed and decorated with mostly dark lulling shades rather than a hurt your eyes preppy pink, this is where you get a glimpse of her homebody facet.
NYC bohemian and subtly African inspired, her home is that of a cool teenager, the only difference being her stuffed to the gills closet that probably holds more designer treasures and one of a kind pieces than the average 20 year old! Its an environment thats conducive to having close friends around and a quiet haven to come back to after a long day of work on towering heels.




Oh yes Gollum. To see a better portrait, go here. He frankly scares me, all cats scare me but thats another story.

from refinery 29 and Victoria's secret.