Art time at Publika

It is such a coincidence when I stumbled into this wonderful mini art exhibition by Nando's at Publika. Of course I'm always bad at catching up the good artistic projects that are going on in and around KL, especially with my current location in Melaka. All I can say is my much needed chatting session with a dear friend definitely ended meaningfully with this beautiful display of local talent, all having such potential to grow successfully...

Jil Sander and Americana at Coffee Société

Lately we have been hanging out at Publika quite frequently, spending lazy Sunday afternoons having brunch at Coffee Société, a café gradually gaining larger audience with its delicious and affordable menus, delightful ambience and tempting promos (free flow coffee for RM10 anyone?). We could easily spend three hours there having stimulating conversation, whilst enjoying their delectable Eggs Benedict and a cup of latté or two. 

Unfading turquoise

For this outfits post I'm combining the Chrisopher Kane print t-shirt with my go-to colored pants - the turquoise Sisley, that surprisingly still holds up after repeated use (it has been almost four years since I purchased them on-sale at the United Colors of Benetton store in Volgograd, Russia).

Perhaps this is proof of the sustainability of high-street clothing in terms of quality, and perhaps it's not an exaggeration to say that the quality is almost comparable to the expensive designer ones. Of course I will not place myself into another high-street x high fashion battle by stating which camp 'pioneers' in the design and esthetics department, but personally, I appreciate the beauty of both worlds. One supports the other in many different ways and I'm glad the lines separating them are blurred ever so...

Thirtyfour Bespoke

Thirtyfour is an emerging Malaysian leather ware label which I came across last year. For those who are not familiar,  the brand is already making its way to catering a niche of higher-end bags and jewelry designed and crafted in Malaysia. Beginning their steps with female-oriented designs this brand has evolved and expanded into men's section as well. I could still remember the creations that caught my eye when I paid a visit to their first outlet in Bangsar Village II last two seasons (there was a small, simple document holder in snakeskin imprints that was so smart-looking even for a man).

The opening of Thirtyfour Bespoke in Publika (yes, I only managed to check them out recently despite raving commentaries in the blogosphere) has opened a new door for me to seek for affordable made-to-measure leather items in Kuala Lumpur. To be exact, this branch takes orders for pre-designed bags and clutches (now including small leather goods and sandals as well) to their expanding inventory. The lowdown on the 'bespoke' part is you can't really opt for designing a bag from scratch - instead, you can choose a selection of materials and colors which suit your taste and further incorporate them into Thirtyfour's template designs. 

Doing it in Publika

Apologies for the rather suggestive post title but I just can't help but to slip it in! I know, I know, the retail/dining/art space has been opened for quite some time now, but I haven't gotten around to properly take a tour of Publika until recently. Navigating around the place itself is quite a daunting task as newcomers could easily get lost in the rather unconventionally designed space (one side of the building adjoins another retail/office building Solaris Dutamas which is a whole lot of different complex altogether; the mall itself is a five-level building containing multiple retail outlets, and not to mention it serves a base for two blocks of office and residential towers which potentially unleashes another dizzying maze).

I managed to have a slight idea of where I was heading to from the multiple encounters of dead-ends and getting lost in the complex. Learning from the mistakes I finally found out where the interesting spots are, including the Art Row and the Fashion Row (both of which are homes for good old retail therapy or just a lazy Sunday window shopping), not to mention the wonderful selection of cafés and restaurants (Coffee Société is our firm favorite), that are usually jam-packed during meal hours. The following images are sneak peek of a whole bunch of retail/visual opportunities this mall has to offer, with the mock line-dried t-shirts (a part of the ever-changing mall's decorative display) being the header image of Dunia Fashyon twitter account...