2012年4月30日星期一

Hello Fifty With More Cakes

,coach handbags sale

47231_130814893631220_100637576648952_135358_7558177_n

>> I had no idea a wee project that Tommy and I did in my backyard would spawn into Sanrio themed cupcakes and tarts half way across the world but here you have it in food-porn-photographic proof.  In the Dr. Martens Singapore store,Monster Beats, they did a small competition where people would style up the Dr. Martens x Sanrio 50th Anniversary shoes in their own way and I would pick a winner to announce on the blog here.  I wish I could have picked a couple of winners and the fact that there's no runner up prize is a travesty... hell, I was one of THOSE girls that preyed on runners up and consolation prizes all my life... afterall,Monster Beats Studio Red Sox, what's a mediocrity to do without them...?

47679_130814603631249_100637576648952_135324_4418022_n 47679_130814620297914_100637576648952_135329_1595476_n

There was only to be one winner this time and it went to Samantha Kong here who wore my favourite style of the shoe and tempered them with a lot of dulled colours but also worked in a few textures through the knitted top, the pom-poms and tutu skirt.  A wack of pink had to shine through the colour of her hair as well as her Balenciaga bag and hairbow so all is not dulled at all...

SAMANTHA(2)

2012年4月29日星期日

4 x 3.1

>> I've been ploughing through some fashion film projects that have inevitably cropped up in the last few years either because I missed it at the time or because I was too lazy at the time or it hadn't been Tweeted to death.  3.1 Phillip Lim's recent project with Asia's leading department store Lane Crawford has sort of gone under the radar probably because most of its proceedings happened on the other side of the world and because you don't normally associate Phillip Lim and fashion film together.  So here we have 4 x 3.1 where Lane Crawford and Phillip Lim asked four young creatives/artists to present the energy of their respective cities (New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Beijing) through their eyes with a custom made Phillip Lim outfit and a symbolic red door cropping up as the common demoninator. 

I have to admit, my daily fash film intake has mainly been overrun by Because Magazine because I'm a easy-breezy-airhead that likes 30 second clips where jackets, shoes and dresses spin around in sassy ways.  They have two (1,2) prime examples of Phillip Lim pieces moving in all the right ways.  Whilst Lim's design philosophy has always gone with an intuition for "confident, unidentifiable,coach bag sale, chic" which could sound a bit waffly but in essence, breaks down to "clothes that you wanna buy straight up and wear straight away."  How this transfers to the murky waters of fashion slash art films is answered here through deliberately moody soujourns through the four cities...

Elle Muliarchyk, an ex-model who is now a New York Times-published photographer took her subject through the buzz of Manhattan and then out into a Coney Island-esque beach for a random round of poker that lasts into the night...  

Elle1 Elle2

Elle3 Elle4

Rain Li, who has worked on cinematography for Christopher Doyle, Gus Van Sant and Jim Jarmusch, places her heroine in a heartbreak scenario as she travels through Beijing, reminding me why an UPDATED trip to a city I've not been to in years is much needed...

Rain1 Rain2

Rain4 Rain3

Photographer Victoria Tang, who has shot for the likes of Dior Homme and V Magazine deliberate juxtaposes the stereotypes of Hong Kong - the traditional/colonial/slow vs. the fast pace/neon/cosmopolitan with Siouxsie and the Banshees's Hong Kong Garden track completing the purposeful cliche.  

Victang1 Victang2

Victang3 Victang4

Multimedia artist Yi Zhou has simply animated an imaginary Paris landscape with the Phillip Lim white trenchcoat flying across and finally into a mail box along with the cream silk tunic and stomping black platforms. 

Yi1 Yi2

Yi3 Yi4

For a brand like 3.1 Phillip Lim, it seems the end result of this film project is that whilst there are four different heroines and situations, the selling point is still the "clothes that refine instead of define" which makes think that we've probably come to a point where fashion films have come to a point where we can start categorising them and creating sub-genres beneath what is I think a huge umbrella term...

Case in point, instead of looking out of my window, all pensive and misty-eyed post film watching, I immediately sought out A/W 10-11 pieces that are floating my boat,Nike Air Max ACG Mens, all of them involving some sort of animal print or another.  To buy the leopard berry wristlet or not seeing as I'm sticking to my BBerry?  Which Atomique 'mixed-media' trainer am I to pump for (hurrah - Mr Lim prefers to call his 'sneakers' trainers...)?  When will I STOP going into Browns Focus to stroke the giraffe print biker jacket?  All EQUALLY important questions to ponder...

Limleopard
(3.1 Phillip Lim items from La Garconne, Browns Fashion,replica soccer jerseys, Neiman Marcus, Aloha Rag and Net a Porter)

2012年4月28日星期六

Wardrobe Grafters

,coach handbags wholesale

It's been over a year since I turned freelance and the routine of getting up and worrying about affairs that are entirely your own and not that of your boss or company finally feels concrete and settled.  If I'm not travelling or buzzing through meetings/events, my days are spent working at home and thus I'm afraid to say that the outfits are appropriately more 'earthed'.  That's not to say I've been turning to sweat pants and vests but just that I've repeatedly pulled on the same item of clothing more often than when I was at an office where I had to face peers.  I promise this isn't killing the 'I dress for myself' pledge.  It's just the sheer fact that when I'm at home doing NOTHING but sitting at my iMac, watching Jeremy Kyle and occasionally wiping my glass desk with Dettol wet-wipes, the occasion just does not call for over-thunked outfitting.

Therefore in this post, I salute these clothing no-brainers that I  have turned to this season, day in, day out.  These are clothes that have put in some serious graft.  I've gotten a ton of wear out of them not only because I've JUST been sitting at home on my arse voraciously attacking the iMac, but also because they've travelled far and beyond with me on trips this year as well as being worn out and about in London.  This isn't about basic tees or slubby sweatshirts (so I've excluded things like my NY Mets tee or my Sunspel white t-shirt) but more about pieces that seem to be able to cope in my new work routine where home/work/travel blur into one.

Whistles Leather Skirt - People went mad over the pleated Whistles Carrie skirt which subsequently had to be released in different colours and lengths because of its popularity.  I missed out on it but instead invested in this mid-calf leather skirt which has gotten an unbelievable amount of wear considering it's a slightly awkward length and is a heavy leather skirt.  I seem to be hellbent on stumping my own height and I often pair this with Converse or other equally height-stunting shoes.  No bother, there's something about the volume of this full skirt as well as the shade of grey that means it can be worked into a plethora of outfits, casual and dressed-up.  It's also got the deepest of pockets which means I have shoved phone, debit card and keys into it and gone out without a need for bags, a current habit of mine.

IMG_0131

IMG_0145
(Worn with Carven cropped jacket - this could well be a future grafter but I got it on sale and the weather's a little too warm for it, Louise Goldin knitted dress, Ayame socks, Kron Kron shoes)

Antipodium Trench Coat - Alright this isn't for watching Jeremy Kyle in but it is ever so good for flinging on when i do need to nip out.  I've also accidentally flung it on as a nightrobe a few times when the postman calls err…unexpectedly.  As per usual, London is blessed with topsy turvy weather that means a spring coat is something of an essential. It is a trench but its cotton mix material (they call it 'salt and pepper' because upclose there are grey and white flecks) makes it heavier than yer' normal garbadine material.  It's also a great travelling coat - no sweat when you're going through customs (problem with coats I find is that customs/queueing process makes you hot and bothered) and keeps you cosy onboard if the aircon has gone bezerk.  It's got a few quirks going for it.  First up the care label says it was designed by a 'sizzling hot stud' - Geoffrey Finch, the designer behind Antipodium can be rest assured that this in itself makes me want to wear the coat more.  Oh, and it's called the Parklife trench.  'Nuff said.

IMG_0101

IMG_0116
(Worn with Jil Sander shirt, vintage Escada skirt, Crockett & Jones slippers)

Whistles Jacket - What can I say…Whistles have really helped me out this season with mighty useful bits and bobs.  This jacket actually reminds me of something that my mother wore in the late80s/early90, an oversized sporty windbreaker with toggles but made out of billowing white silk.  This is a viscose/polyester mix but it fulfils the job of a light/airy spring-summer jacket that holds up well when faced with the natural elements.  I was also intent on owning something in this cinnamon colour as a way of diffusing my dislike of shades of brown and to my pleasant surprise, cinnamon isn't just a tasty ingredient but a strangely accommodating colour. 

ASOS White Leather Shorts - What could have been an oddball item have actually become my equivalent of tracksuit bottoms.  I bought them on sale thinking I'd wear them on infrequently.  Blame it on the power of the elasticated waistband as I've worn these a ridiculous number of times.  My tummy rules all so anything that means I can scoff a few more mouthfuls gets the sartorial thumbs up.  I think this is my own slightly warped take on wearing b-ball or surfing board shorts and the fact that they're made out of leather actually seems to make the shape all the more interesting.  Again, they have seriously deep pockets for the phone+keys+debit card handbag-free combo.

IMG_0152

Untitled

IMG_0195
(Worn with Limedrop emerald print shirt, Prada platform brogues)

Tristan Blair Ankle Boots - The full on conversion from hating to loving leopard print is complete and now I can't get enough of the stuff.  Australian designer Tristan Blair is known for killer heels and maximum design packed into somewhat mid-range prices but these simpler ankle boots rely on the design of a 'clean' leopard print on calfhair (quite bored of the inevitable confusion over the term 'ponyskin - NO, it's not made out of real ponies).  I don't quite know how to explain it but the leopard print isn't razzy or showy but straightforward in its execution.  Weirdly they seem to pique the interest of both young and old.  Just yesterday, a well-to-do 50-something year-old woman at Waitrose, enquired about them.  "Are they comfortable?," she asks.  "Exceedingly!," I say.  "Oh that's good to know!"  Indeed….

IMG_0216

IMG_0236
(Worn with Steve's Dries Van Noten army shirt, vintage printed shirt, ShapeShiftr mustard trousers, Jas M.B. leopard print bag)

More related to the theme of the article: More related to the theme of the article:

Crunchdown

A lot of English press might choose to skip out the first couple of days of Paris but Day 1 as in the 29th September gave me a whole lot to get excited about.  You'll have heard about Anthony Vaccarello getting feted, celebrated and praised to the skies.  That of course without saying seeing as he won this year's ANDAM award.  Julien David who showed later that day though also deserves a spotlight though for doing something that is a little out of sync with what you'd expect from Paris.  David knows streetwear and has spent the last couple of seasons converging his indepth knowledge high grade Japanese streetwear with a meticulous use of Japanese fabrics that when combined create a vibrant mix that can hold its own up against the work of Parisian ateliers.

Julien David, whilst being French is mainly based in Tokyo and like a few other Japanese designers who showed at Paris, tremors of what happened earlier in the year in Japan did ripple through their collections, even if it was a subconsious thing.  For David, he imagined a world collapsing on itself - a big bang in reverse and despite that immense vision, what actually manifested in the collection were a series of carefully researched and articulated prints that graced loose separates, tailored jackets that had multiple darts to convey the 'crunch' of the earth.  The relaxed slouch of David's clothes actually does click in with the sporty vibes of  S/S 12 but I get the impression that his clothes are more about real ease and comfort rather than clothes with sporty undertones but lack actual function.  David's pockets in his trousers and shorts look properly deep too - if I can't bung a phone, a wallet, a small point and shoot and a lipbalm in them, they're not proper pockets to me...     

IMG_4186

IMG_4189 IMG_4215

Little details such as checks that have houndstooth polka dots embedded in the pattern only revealed themselves in the showroom... 

IMG_4190

IMG_6323

In a season of PRINTS galore, David's well-researched prints come out looking slightly obscure and cryptic, which is a good thing considering there are so many literal offerings out there.  

IMG_4193

IMG_6321

IMG_6322

IMG_4198 IMG_4201

David's tailoring prowess is fully demonstrated in these jackets and considering his first foray into his own line of ready to wear started off with a core collection of coats, it's good to have this continuity whereby David really emphasises unique construction above all else.  

IMG_4202

IMG_6319

IMG_6320

I'm always an advocator of socks with sandals if the socks are worth showing and these Julien David ones with clear mesh panels are definitely worthy of a bit of sock n' sandals action... 

IMG_6316

The surprising star piece of the collection though is this tulle and organza flared out dress which is David putting out his most feminine work.  He wanted to incorporate a waist into this collection and despite the prom dress shape which can look ever so hackneyed, I'd happily bounce around in this layer cake of a dress especially in the little lego men print dancing all over the skirt... 

IMG_4214

IMG_4212

IMG_6317

Incidentally, the shape of the dress is actually identical to the one David designed for Sarah Andelman, née Lerfel (although to me she'll always be Sarah colette), for her Woodstock wedding over the summer.  Fortunately with Sarah being a huge supporter of David, she didn't mind too much about her dress being replicated for his collection in varying prints.  Knowing what little I know about Sarah (notice how she DOESN'T allow her pic to be street-snapped....), I'm sure she'll loathe having these pics being pushed around on the internetz but I just love that she chose David to create this puffy concoction lined with neon yellow tulle and topped off with a Maison Michel headband as well as a pair of customised Converse trainers (Sarah is of course never seen in a pair of heels...).  I'd be lying if it didn't make the mind cogitate into thinking up the most unconventional designers for my own wedding attire cocktail...

Sarahc1

Sarahc2

Sarahc3

Sarahc4
(Pics from colette and Purple Diary)

Sarah could have also topped off her look with a Julien David A/W 11-12 veil as seen here on Eniko in the September issue of Numero but that might have been overkill... 

Enikomihalik1

Enikomid

Enikomihalik2

More related to the theme of the article: More related to the theme of the article: