Metal Heart

The title doesn't connote a German heavy metal band album, but it's more of my experimental game with not two, but three wearable metallic-hued items:

Item no. 1:
An old pair of Marni at H&M silver sandals that were almost ruined by being stuck in the mud - all thanks to my overtly ambitious attempt to go against the grain in interpreting festival wear at Urbanscapes 2012.

2014: Not the same again

I've been stuck in a blogging rut for the past month or so apologies for the lack of any substantial posts (but I still Instagram relentlessly though). There were personal issues that surfaced which somewhat hinder the motivation to blog. I've moved back from Melaka by the way, so it's a yay for more meaningful, city life-centric entries I guess. It's also more beneficial, career-wise, if I got transferred back to KL too.

Two is as good

I'm having too much of festive food the past week and I suppose all the face stuffing is making me bloated a bit too much. And there goes the calories burnt during my jogging sessions (to be honest it's much easier to stack up on calories rather than shedding them, which I unfortunately learned to empathically understand recently). This weekend will be another round of 'open houses'  (a Malay/Malaysian tradition during the month of Syawal where friends and relatives come over for a visit, chat, and more importantly, an eating session) and my mum decided to host on this coming Saturday. Anyhow I had to churn out these not-so-new outfit photos from previous family/friend gatherings, which I find pointless to post given the fact that they're not that extraordinary. But somehow I think not publishing them will mean a waste of lugging the heavy DSLR all over to snap the images in the first place. Happy face stuffing!...

Not so summer kicks

Past-season fashion will always be in fashion (well, in my books at least), depending on how classic and relevant the design is. Due to the ever changing and rapid turnover of trends I find it too fleeting, and not to mention expensive to keep up with the latest styles of clothing. Hence buying last season items at a fraction of the original price is one of the ways for me to enjoy fashion without creating a huge dent in my bank account which is already burdened with monthly bill payment, etcetera.

Luxury stores of Milan and Paris

We have been scouring the streets of Milan and Paris for the créme de la créme of luxury industry - both renowned designers and obscured, unearthed gems. Window shopping and admiring the interior decorations and the conceptually dressed mannequins (and not just the goods on display) is part of the best indulgent activities whenever we are here. Here is our best selection, complete with the store addresses, in case you were inspired by this post and need to travel soon. But this by no means an exhaustive list of what these two fashion-centric cities have to offer - it is always good to be lost in the streets and discover the path less trodden...

Adventure in tailoring: the Barong Tagalog

Some moment ago my mother discovered an old fabric whilst organising her wardrobe. She immediately thought of me and consequently handed over the precious vintage gem. Mother claims that it was a fabric from the Philippines, acquired by one of her sisters during travelling back in the 80's. Much to my amazement I was instantaneously reminded of the barong Tagalog as soon as I studied the delicate fabric! If you could recall I had posted about the Philippines national costume a few years back and my intention to get hold of it, with an almost identical substitute following the entry.

The Urbanscapes 2012

Believe it or not last Saturday  was our virginal experience at the Urbanscapes (day one) at Padang Astaka, Petaling Jaya! I have been meaning to attend this two-day long annual arts and music festival since two years ago, alas the odd working hours deterred me to do so. The two years of waiting proved worthwhile, with a respectable list of performers and vendors in the event line-up.

Historically the event celebrated its tenth installment this year, and The Star had an informative coverage last September about the company Freeform Sdn Bhd which organises the Scapes and their hardships to realise this occasion as the only cultural festival in Malaysia (this includes treading on the edges of bankruptcy).

Margiela with H&M Kuala Lumpur: self-restraint and sentiments

We have been tweeting the launch of Maison Martin Margiela with H&M collection launch last Thursday and naturally, the experience is meant to be extended into a full-fledged blog entry. Comparing my past experience with the Marni x H&M launch in Singapore I thought that the event in Kuala Lumpur this time was 'calmer' in general. Perhaps the reason being the label is not as well-known as Versace or Lanvin in this part of the world (both of them also had successful joint venture with H&M), and the fact that the designer himself is relatively an elusive entity even when he was still being the creative head for his eponymous brand, leading to a rather 'insider-only' awareness not only amongst KL-ites, but to the global customers in general as well. This all happened despite classical H&M mass marketing especially online. (Additionally the marketing strategy included two gigantic ad banners hanging off the PERKESO building at Jalan Tun Razak).

Perhaps the mass marketing is marred by the paradoxical fact that they were barely any press whatsoever during the day of the launch itself. In fact, we think we were only among the few camera-touting persons who were around, and not to mention the rudeness of the security guard who shooed us away while we were attempting to photograph the action happening inside H&M's ground floor.

Raf Simons' second to last

Being inconsistent in blogging frequency has been a part of Dunia Fashyon but trust me, this time around it was all due to the festive season - staying at my parents' hometowns where the locations are quite remote meant no stable internet connection, thus the lack of posts for the past two weeks or so.

Being apologetic and all, I'd like to make do with the absence of posts with this beautifully embroidered t-shirt style top by Jil Sander from Spring Summer 2012. The fact that this is Raf Simons' penultimate collection for Jil Sander raised the collector-wannabe in me and made it feel a bit more special (well, in addition to the fact that it was heftily discounted). This basically means that I have added the only piece of clothing to my minuscule Raf-for-Jil archive (the other two are both shoes).

photo credit: style.com

And, in case you're like me who's oblivious to sheer obviousness Raf's final collection for Jil is AW12/13, so for those with the financial means, go on and grab for yourself something. All I know is the coveted lunch bag is now being a collector's item and has already been sold out at LN-CC.

 I initially planned to wear the top as a homage to the festivity of Eid Mubarak (notice the modern, geometric and slightly ethnic-inspired embroidery / the silhouette has a feel of 'baju kurung Kedah' to it). Alas, in view of the thickness (the shirt is lined with a sheath of silky polyamide) it was quite impossible to be worn where the location of festivity lacks air-conditioning. Or was it just the typical Malaysian me whose life depends on perennial comfort?

But I might be wearing this anyway and might be traipsing to open houses with a self-assurance that there will be air-conditioning, or else, the host will readily be fanning me continuously to ensure me werking this top...

Another reason of wearing this top other than its ethnic feel: anyone with a bloated tummy to hide? Too much rendang and ketupat? The boxy cut will conveniently hide that excess baggage, that muffin top, so you can eat away the same cycle of foods from one open house to another, over and over again - a much more effective solution than a sachet of ENO!

I'm wearing Jil Sander top with Levi's jeans, Marni at H&M sandals, bag from a Korean shop, eBay sunglasses

written by Hafidzudin
twitter: @naboonies

Batik-ed

I have been slightly crazy over prints (this is not a new occurrence at Dunia Fashyon - I just dabbled in paisley prints recently), and, following my subsequent jaunt to the Jonker's Walk, I have acquired this batik print backpack from a store called Next KK.

It has never crossed my mind that this seemingly souvenir-laden shop which aims at the flocks of tourists offers something that I myself would really buy... the memories of backpacking days in the Europe crept in: I had history of falling into such tourist traps where buying overpriced Hard Rock Cafe t-shirts, town-specific fridge magnets, key chains and postcards was the objective proof that you have been in, say, Paris or Berlin.

 

First look: H&M Autumn 2012 (Part One)

I think most of Kuala Lumpur citizen are well informed regarding the news of H&M's inaugural opening in Lot 10 this September, thanks to the vast online spread. And obviously I'm lagging behind the coverage of its Autumn Winter 2012, which is all about metallics/ maximalism for women and tailored goodness for the men. Nevertheless I'm feeling elated over the opportunity to visit their showroom recently, which certainly gave me the chance to closely inspect the merchandises in person, and in effect, delved in to the details of the tailoring quality and tactilely stimulated by the fabrics. And of course, I get to compare the prices internationally.

In view of the possible lengthy commentary and image-laden entry (quite a rare occasion at Dunia Fashyon these days), I think it will be wise if I divided this post into two halves - both menswear and womenswear respectively.

Whimsical trend: Darth Vader visor

You can consider that I'm a relatively big fan of Star Wars, ever since the prequel episodes were released - I was still in Form Three when Episode One: The Phantom Menace was in the cinemas. I even collected the Episode One Pepsi posters! Now you know such nerdiness actually existed at some point of my life. Cue Sheldon Cooper's "BAZINGA!" remarks.

 

A collage of Star Wars + fashion forrays. Clockwise from top left: Commes des Garcons 2012; Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen for Stylemint; Illustrations by John Woo: Jar Jar Binks in Maison Martin Margiela, Princess Amidala in Gareth Pugh, Darth Vader in Band of Outsiders, Scout Trooper in Viktor & Rolf; Adidas x Star Wars sneakers; Nicolas Ghesquiere and Charlotte Gainsbourg for Harper's Bazaar; Black Milk swimsuits; Thom Browne SS12; Balenciaga SS12. 
Image credit: fashionista.com    

On the other hand, fashion only pervades me during my blossoming years of young adulthood, not until a FEW years ago. I love it when both of my favorite worlds collide. Although a Star Wars theme in fashion is not something new, it is always comforting to see that the presumably cooler-than-thou fashion realm has at least a tiny bit of fixation on intergalactic battles, Jedis and light sabers.

We all know that the latest addition of Star Wars + fashion is in the form of Nicolas Ghesquiere's Balenciaga SS12 collection, notable the oversized visor hat, which oftly reminds people of Darth Vader's helmet.

 

Image credit: first photo - fashionista.com; last two photos: Coco's Tea Party.

Of course this by no means resemble Balenciaga's out-of-the-Galactic-Empire (see what I did here?), Darth Vader imitating, disproportionately long, questionably functional version. But when I saw this visor at Daiso, typically worn by middle-aged Korean ladies I saw during my summer trips, I can't help but get excited over the fact this is the cheapest way to emulate the trend. Despite its rather short brim, at RM5 a pop, I'm sure this can be an equally stylish substitute of the real deal. I'm pushing the futuristic look a wee bit further with this lava lamp print shirt by Christopher Kane Fall 2011...

   
I'm wearing visor hat from Daiso, Christopher Kane lava lamp print, Topman skinny trousers, Marni at H&M sandals

Topshop NewGen T-shirts

After the calmed craze of Marni at H&M I headed to Topshop in Suria KLCC to have a look at Topshops' NEWGEN  t-shirts. As we know Topshop has been sponsoring British Fashion Council's NEWGEN scheme for already ten years. It seems that a celebration of a decade of sponsorship is due, hence the collection, which is designed by its most celebrated alumni.

Christopher Kane, Richard Nicoll, Erdem, Peter Pilotto, Ashish, Meadham Kirchoff, Jonathan Saunders, Gareth Pugh, Mary Katrantzou, House of Jazz, Roksanda Ilincic, Marios Shwab, Louise Gray, Nasir Mazhar, JW Anderson, Emma Cook, Peter Jensen, Holly Fulton, Craig Lawrence and Michael van der Ham have all created T-shirts for the initiative...

Christopher Kane for Topshop

 

Ashish for Topshop

 

JW Anderson for Topshop

  

I tried a few t-shirts on but could not justify the price (about RM160 per piece), considering the fact that I have splurged during the riotous rampage at Marni at H&M.

At the same time Mary Katrantzou's collaboration with Topshop also was in-store when I was casually browsing. Surprisingly the silk lamp shade-shaped dress was almost sold out, and there were only a few pieces left including this cropped t-shirt. Who would have known that KL-ites have the guts (and the height, hopefully) to possibly pull off Katrantzou pieces...

The cropped Mary Katrantzou t-shirt - too ambitious an attempt for that androgyny look

Marni metallic sandals and oriental feel

I initially had qualms about things too shiny and metallic, especially when it comes to clothing items. The mentality embedded in my mind, it seems, is that it is either too flashy for day wear, or too tacky for evening wear (for guys, at least). But somehow I have changed my perception over the years, thanks to a barrage of runway images and look books styled to incorporate such glistening material.

In effect, I have mustered some bravery to style the metallic silver sandals acquired at the recent Marni at H&M shopping frenzy, and somehow felt rather experimental donning the ever so oriental-infused T-shirt from Christopher Kane. But in this case, the powerful print need not be clashing against the gleam of the footwear, hence the sweater cover-up...

 

Uniqlo sweater, Christopher Kane SS12 T-shirt, H&M jeans, Peter Pilotto for Kipling bag, Marni at H&M sandals

 

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... 

A shopping frenzy: Marni at H&M

I'd be lying if I said that I did not care for Marni x H&M and just stayed in Malacca, quietly working my arse away while people are rummaging for best buys. Instead, I took a day off to drive to Singapore, and for the first time, queued up in line like some rock concert fanatic waiting for their tickets. Well, maybe I should be categorised as a designer label fanatic then? Because I rarely follow Marni shows and more embarrassingly just knew about the label around 2 years ago. But such a powerful fast fashion big kahoonas like H&M is - they are able to commercialise niche labels like this one, and project the idea of how 'democratic' fashion is by launching this collaboration, so people who are not regular Marni's artful print customers can taste a slice of this high fashion pie. Consequently, I'm sure we are all aware that past H&M collaboration with designers yielded an almost sure-fire successful outcome: all the pieces are sold out within a day, at most.

So when I followed the crowd of eager shoppers (Arman and I came at 11.30 pm), I was not surprised by the fact that already at least a hundred people were lining up before us. And the first in line were the dynamic team Dinie Rahman and Ridhwan Sesapar from Onesixtynotepad, who came to book their spot as early as 12 noon! The queuers were an eclectic mix of students, young professionals and even middle-age ladies, some of whom were seemingly clad in Marni head-to-toe outfit and with a 'real' Marni laser-cut holed totes.