Avillion revisited

I just came back from Seoul a few days ago and jumped right into working mode afterwards. It might seem that I spend much time traveling but rest assured, this is rather an much delayed entry. Nevertheless I appreciate the rare opportunity for a short getaway (the Seoul post I will obligingly post soon, hopefully).

Hong Kong filler

As you could probably see from my Instagram account I'm in Hong Kong for a vacation with my family. Hong Kong is a very packed island and to be honest I've never been to such a crowded place before! Nevertheless it's still a lovely experience, though we didn't manage to explore and discover some things that we were looking forward to (i.e. outlet shopping!). The first two days have been drizzly and our trip was slightly hampered by the rain and misty view, that basically obscures the sight of Victoria peak (boo...in addition we were ripped off by the travel agent who overcharged us for that particular Victoria peak experience!). We're heading back to Malaysia today and I'm planning to post about the trip in detail. But for now I hope an outfit filler will suffice...

Demystifying Margiela

A fashion outsider like me would never have dreamt about possessing something from an evasive label that is physically unavailable in places like Kuala Lumpur. In a city where 'glamour' and 'excess' is celebrated over conceptual and low-key designs it is quite an obstacle to find fashion innovativeness in KL. True, we have a slew of promising new-generation local designers who are a breath of fresh air to the industry like Silas Liew, Jonathan Liang and Joe Chia (would love to blog about them in the future) but unconventionality is still far from penetrating the minds of the public; and clearly the progress is painstakingly sluggish.

IKEA Family pouch

(This post is certainly not about the IKEA Monkey).

It is very seldom to find a family-related post in Dunia Fashyon. Well, not literally of course. Another rare occasion is finding something that is remotely fashion in a furniture warehouse, in the form of this IKEA Family product that I just acquired - an Upptäcka case made of polyester / synthetic rubber mix. It's funny how I proclaim myself as a bargain hunter but realise how a slowpoke I am to just noticing the benefits of an IKEA Family member (bonus points redemptions, reduction in meal prices, and more importantly, discounts on certain products, among others). And the the white case is included in the offer!

I'm just so attracted to the minimal hassle-free design (a hallmark of IKEA Family range) and the affordability of the item, above all. This might just be my go-to pouch to grab a cuppa at the neighbourhood mamak stall, or a space to hold my toiletries during travelling, without worrying much about spilling the tarik or caked toothpaste onto the item...

Dries Van Noten sheerness

Dries Van Noten makes truly simple, understated shirts with a twist. That is the case with this sheer cotton shirt in blue-and-brown stripes that I got hold of recently. The hues and diaphanous fabric are bold but subtle enough to prevent overtly-curious onlookers from ogling. Or maybe not, judging from the dubious nipple display?

Dries Van Noten SS12 shirt, ebay blazer, Cheap Monday jeans, Clarks Wallabees, Uniqlo socks

Team spirit

I'm sure you guys are among the one billion people worldwide who watched the recent Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony in London. And having a fashion-centric mind I could not help but to fuss about the uniforms of various contingents...

Too bad that a lot of the European contingents opted to stick to their usual nine-to-five business casual look, which I think is very sad. I mean, bring your nations' identity for the world to see, people! But of course a sporty look that is both smart and can represent your country, colour-wise. Case in point: the American team. Never mind the furor over the "made in China" controversy and the French-inspired berets, I think Ralph Lauren did a good job designing the teams outfits. "American preppy look" is what I was reminded of instantly.

 The American team Olympics Opening Ceremony uniform, designed by Ralph Lauren

Despite the classic sportswear look I do love team Netherlands' clever use of colour-blocking. Orange and navy blue looks pretty good in this case. VERY Jil Sander SS2011.

 Team Japan's striking red-and-white, on the other hand, can be mistaken for Chinese/ Canadian/ Singaporean teams' outfits.

Team Russia looks cool in this ensemble. Are those linen jackets? I'm dying to see a close-up of their uniform - look at the dark purplish pattern on the guy's shirt! And The Romanian team's choice of colour also caught my eyes - the mustard-grey combo is visually fetching.

The Swedish, on the other hand, can be way too practical sometimes. I like IKEA but rugby shirts and sneakers with colours that match the flag and grey cotton trousers? Come on, I think you guys are more creative than that. But on a lighter note, this is what I used to wear to the mall during my high school years. Ha! 

Harping on about creativity, the Germans evidently has proven be the creative lot with their reversible sports jacket. ( I know, the "pink for girls and blue for boys" idea is a bit off). But it the versatility of the jacket (which has a more formal inside layer) that is important.

Czech Republic is among, if not the most unique teams that night. This team was absolutely ready for the grey and rainy London with their umbrellas and wellies. 

Talking about national identity, there are a few teams which really went all out in portraying what their country is generally all about. My firm favorites are Mexico, Gambia and the Philippines. And a couple of images of female Muslim athletes modestly covered in hijab - simply beautiful.

The Philippines team in the Barong Tagalog-esque uniform.

Interesting latex-like fabric on Gambian athletes.

 Iranian athletes in modest hijabs.

 Leave it to the Mexicans when it comes to colour and personality. I absolutely adore all the combinations of hues, patterns and embroideries on the ponchos. Liking the fact that they look as if there was no uniform at all - just a colourful parade of mariachi band.

How about Malaysia, the country that always tries hard to expose their nation's identity, I hear you say? Obviously everything is too literal in this contingent - that all-too-familiar tiger stripes; yellow-orange and the red, which unmistakably represents courage and speed? And is that even Malaysian batik? Or just a cheap generic print on cheap polyester fabric? I refuse to comment further. Well, at least I do see some traditional garb here (tengkolok aka the headpiece and the sampin/ sarong).

Anyhow, feel free to laugh at my measly attempt on re-interpreting the casual/sporty sports event opening ceremony look:

Thrifted Tesco blazer, Cheap Monday jeans, Jil Sander shoes, Uniqlo hat, eBay sunglasses, U2 t-shirt, fourskin belt

*Images of Olympics contingents courtesy of adkinsrin.blogspot.com, yahoo.com, google.com

MUSA FOREVER

Musa Kuala Lumpur is embarking on a new project, and as a consequence they are having a warehouse sale - an effort to clear up their space. It's located at their office in Danau Kota. I'm not exaggerating when I say most of the items are discounted up to 90percent! Hence even the pricier labels like Gareth Pugh, Christopher and Margiela seemed much affordable now.

I should just shut up and let the pictures do the talking...

Seeing stripes: Breton stripe tops

For the time being my style fixation is veering towards Breton tops, especially the ones with classic navy blue lines. There's something so indescribably simple yet streamlined with this kind of style - perhaps a living proof of how the French dominate the world with all things chic and timeless. You might yawn at my sentiment but that's how my brain works - seasons after seasons of exposure as a trend and it finally dawns on me that Breton stripes are best teamed with bold colours, such as the dark red denim and yellow boat shoes I wear below. So, go sailor!

 

Undercover Uniqlo by Jun Takahashi striped top, Guess jeans, eBay belt. Lacoste shoes

 

Uniqlo striped tops, Cheap Monday pants from MUSA, Zara blazer, eBay belt, Pro-Keds boat shoes from Buntil Bundle, Topman messenger bag 

Marni-fied

The recent Marni at H&M acquisition has left a huge dent in my bank account but I still have few other significant purchases to be done (which is in some way related to both fashion and my current profession, I promise). Unfortunately some of the items that I saw in person were really a let down compared to what I perceived from the look book - the flimsy leather tote with saggy base immediately threw me off, the awkwardly-constructed striped short-sleeved cashmere does not really work with my height, and the gaudy printed shirts is a tad too much EVEN for me. However few of the items DID catch my attention namely the bright canary yellow shirt and a midnight blue shirt with subtle prints. I'm quite taken aback by the fact that the material used is 100% cotton as I would suspect some degree of artificial fabric to disgustingly cheapen the pieces (polyester, for example).

Apart from the shirts I also had an staggering interest in the accessories section (if you guessed that I purchased the plastic jewelries you're quite wrong - wearing necklaces and statement bangles is just not up my alley, even though I've tried it once). On the other hand I was more attracted to the sandals (yup, I'm that pathetic, being attracted to things instead of human beings). The winning combo that immediately made me like the sandals very much is the cut-out details AND they are in real leather, soles included. Plus, the clear green plastic as the shoe box, complete with a shoe bag has left my appreciating the footwear ever more. 

 

 Naturally, looking back at the pieces from this collection has ignited a styling spark in me and here we go... 

Chasing the Greyhound in Yellow Decks

The vivid color/pastel fever is perpetuated yet again during last week's outing. This time around the pastel part involves a newly-purchased shirt with print detail from Greyhound, a Thai label that has been quite a serious player in the international menswear market. 

 

The shirt possesses a quirky look with this 'iron-on' effect of a print right in the middle of the shirt, which is also present as elbow patches.

Looking back at 2011...

Nothing particularly significant has occurred in my life in 2011, except for few key moments - completing internship without much obstacles, a trip to Paris and having the opportunity to attend comme des Garcons FW 2011 presentation, and that's about it.

Shopping surprisingly is not the one thing that really gave an impact to me - previously I am very much enthusiastic in things that I bought but, recently, the situation has changed. Too many shoes and too little tailored items maybe? Or perhaps I have reached that level of satiety the only cure is maybe by controlling my expenditure. I think less quantity but more on quality, which might be the appropriate motto to live by in 2012.