Four months since I've penned down something in Dunia Fashyon. FOUR MONTHS! What was I thinking? The truth is, it takes much more than stringing sentences together to produce an appealing blog. And I feel that the energy required for maintaining DF has taken its toll on me.
Or maybe I'm just the biggest procrastinator in the world - whenever there's an urge to post something for the blog, that will be exactly the time where an evil voice speaks to me, pulling me away from my keyboard.
In a paltry attempt to revive Dunia Fashyon (and hopefully my online presence), I present to you my recent travel to Bangkok, Thailand. And for the time being, I'll keep it short and simple for anyone who are still following DF (thanks so much for the supportive comments from my previous post - never did I know that I have 'real' readers all this while).
Anna, a survivor of the building collapse in Savar, Bangladesh, lost her hand in the accident.
Wong Maye-E/Associated Press for The New York Times
Worries have been escalating over the news of the collapsed clothing factory building in Savar, Bangladesh on April 24. The topic has become increasingly controversial, heated with the fact that more than a thousand of workers were killed and not to mention that major American and European clothing companies have their products manufactured in Rana Plaza (they include Gap, the British low-cost chain Primark and H&M, the company that has the largest volume of production in the country). Not so long after another garment factory disaster ensued in Tream Tbal, Cambodia - this time around involving a collapsed storage area at a footwear factory, killing two people and injured dozens other.
This issue inevitably brings up the question: is this the price to pay for our cheap, mass-produced clothing? What can be done to improve workers safety, especially in a cheap-labor country like Bangladesh?
Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images for The New York Times
We have been extensively scouring for affordable bargains whilst in Paris and that includes WALKING from one department store to another, going to certain multilabel stores (not just Colette) and the high street is not spared either. But what would this blog be without a good old outfit post?
Whilst Arman has brought about six winter-appropriate jackets/coats or so I've been limiting myself with three outerwear (well, four including a reversible H&M x Margiela piece). It's always a bit of a conundrum when it comes to selecting proper winter clothing (the sizing and pricing issues, of course). But luckily those women's Undercover x Uniqlo quirky stuff came to the rescue. Anyhow I still did not manage to maximise the clothing part and I'm blaming this entirely to my not-so-spacious American Tourister suitcase which basically tilts to the side when packed full. I guess that is the peril of travelling on budget...
Arman is wearing something appropriate for the Burberry Prorsum show - he's wearing trench coat by Burberry Prorsum (obvs), Prada bag (in front of Prada Galleria Vittoria Emmanuele II, how appropriate x2), Raf Simons jeans, Carven boots
I suppose you are getting pretty tired to see endless entries regarding THE Margiela, but we could not hide our excitement on their upcoming collaboration with H&M (another three days left, have you eyed on any specific pieces?). True, the designer has left his eponymous brand but the nostalgia definitely lingers. Doing re-editions at a mass scale is a pretty brilliant move to introduce the enigmatic brand to the more 'commercial' world, at least to me, personally...
I'm sooo excited to have acquired a few Margiela-related pieces previously (some are vintage from Labels Inc, and some are from their MM6 x Opening Ceremony line that I scored during the Musa sales). Regretfully I rarely wear them out. This might sound pathetic but the reason being I truly cherish the pieces and I fear ruining them from over-wearing!
Hopefully the impending H&M collaboration will provide me another Margiela piece (albeit not truly authentic I'm satisfied enough; to those MMM elitist/purist fans, go away to your regular MMM boutique, thanks). In fact the launch which is barely a few days left pushed me to style up and wear my personal pieces, that serve as a memento, just in case I could not get hold of the high street pieces come November 15th. The date will surely be anticipated with excessive palpitations...
MM6 x Opening Ceremony palazzo pants, worn with Zara blazer, Uniqlo striped tee, eBay belt
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.
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!
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.
Are you sensing that lately my entries are about colours? Good. Green has been another shade that I have been keen to try on lately. Previously a hue that I find a bit too tricky to manipulate now I might safely say it is quite a colour that surprisingly can be quite easy on the eyes. Yes, if you think there are too many colours in one outfit feel free to dissect one greenish tint at a time, and wear a piece one by one at your own discretion!
On me are several pieces, in addition, that I think have a slight military feel - those green khaki pants from Topman, the Sanders shoes, the Peter Pilotto x Kipling bucket bag; and a tinge of sea foam green in the Balenciaga t-shirt. And the look is completed with a light brown blazer from Zara and socks from Uniqlo.
What I'm about to discuss is perhaps bordering on pure consumerism but have you ever liked that one thing and wished you could purchase it right away? That you probably like it so bad you return to the shop over and over again to take a look at that item, and you still can't shake the image off your mind?
Well, I really love the Christopher Kane SS12 t-shirt that I have previously blogged about here. And I always return to the only store that stocks it (Musa, that is) just to have a look at it over and over again, but somehow took one step back after seeing its price tag.
Technically I did not acquire the oriental motif-laden shirt straight away at its original price (which obviously might well break my bank account instantly), but fortunately Musa has generously reduced the delicate t-shirt price considerably to the point that even my generally middle-class income could purchase this treasured piece....
It is indeed a very rare occasion for me personally to have a walk in the park, especially with the current monsoon season which means one thing - muddy terrain just waiting to stain your weather inappropriate shoes (no, we don't wear Wellington boots if it's raining in this part of this world if you're wondering). Or is it the mall culture in me too strong to let a bit of nature-bound walk have its way?
Either way I managed to have a record-breaking TWO park-related trips last week alone. And for this trip I had a saunter in Klang's Royal Park... Nothing fancy there though as opposed to what its name suggests, nothing is too regal there except the fact that it is surrounded by Klang's royal residential area including the palace itself.
And coming back from a good friend brother's wedding reception earlier I had this dark-colored shirt with zany prints on from Gap. I don't remember the last time I bought from this basics-focused label, and they rarely do anything interesting in the prints department, except for this pair of boxers with Dries-like print.
This has a high potential to be my next blog header image!
You might notice cosmic/galactic/universal prints have seen a great surge these past two seasons, all thanks to designers like Christopher Kane who pretty much takes the responsibility in propelling beautiful galactic prints on the runway. I honestly do not know if he stole those gorgeous universe prints from NASA's archive of space images. Ha!
I for one am a big fan of prints, especially the (vaguely) painterly ones. When I saw Mr Kane's famed cosmic collection both for men and women some time last season, my childhood ambition to be an astronomer was suddenly re-triggered and was very tempted to grab a hold of one of the pieces. Oki-ni had a great selection of men's t-shirts, however the exorbitant (pun intended) price was a HUGE let down.
This is a unisex resort 2011 collection from Christopher Kane (kidding haha)
Come spring summer sales I happily noted that the t-shirts are sold half price at SSense.com, a Canadian-based e-boutique. Never mind that it's a women's t-shirt (isn't that old news?), the thought of the lower cost compared to Oki-ni made me joyous already.
Staring all day long at the mesmerizing vivid print...
The fabric is breezy, semi-sheer modal. The tag says 'dry cleaning only'. This shirt better be worth the dry cleaning fees which I only allocate to garments that I love. This is garment number thirty four.
No wonder people say e-window shopping is addictive. For those who have a weak will power like me can easily succumb to the temptations of sales. Who's to be blamed? (okay stop it I know I can see fingers pointing at me now). But the journey to the galaxy did not end here. I figured the more cosmic themes in an outfit the better...
The cosmic theme resonates perfectly in the Kipling x Peter Pilotto SS2011 collaboration. This Milky Way bag boasts a roomy space where I can stuff all my garbage when I'm in a hurry. The bag is also on a heavy discount at Kiplings outlet in One Utama.
We love matchy matchy hues...
Aren't you amazed by Lady Gaga's equally famous galactic-inspired Born This Way video?
Or Katy Perry's alleged copycat E.T video...
Well, thumbs up for Ssense for having a fairly good range of sizes. The negative part was the extortionate fixed postage fee! Imagine paying 50USD for such a light item. It was a rather foolish/wise decision to purchase it anyway, as the cost that I saved post discount is more beneficial than the shipping fee. (yes I hired an accountant to calculate that 'value-for-money shopping' for me).
Worn with Zara blazer, Cheap Monday jeans, vintage woven leather shoes
A 90's song that would be apt for all things cosmic is of course 'Intergalactic' by Beastie Boys...
Hopefully it's not too late to wish Happy Ramadan al-Mubarak for Muslims out there!
Going to the Comme des Garcons presentation just made my day. But figuring out what to wear to my first 'real' fashion show was a headache. I did imagine that the attendees would show up in their best CdG getup, and most probably in an authentic one as well.
The final day in Paris has got me bawling my eyes out over the fact that I am leaving the wonderful city and will be returning to the dreadful routine life in Malaysia.
All in all it was a great short trip filled with fun and new exposure fashion-wise, especially to big labels that I could only previously gawk over from the screen of my laptop, or pushed my greasy nose onto the shop vitrine salivating over the window displays.
The outfit that I wore prior to bidding adieu to the city is thematically pale and earthy (perhaps it reflected my sombre mood for packing and leaving that day?)...
I was wearing eBay blazer, thrifted cashmere sweater, Topman denim shirt, Zara woolen pants and belt, bow-tie thrifted in Antwerp, Johnson desert boots and Peter Pilotto x Kipling bag
Day three in Paris was an exciting one as we planned to visit more and more shops and, later that day, attending a business appointment with Christopher Kane and Gareth Pugh (a much more elaborate entry to come).
The day started with a walk around Le Marais and we ended up in the historical Place des Vosges, where a moderately sized park was. It was time for photography, naturally...
One good thing about traveling to colder climate countries is the possibility of having fun with clothes and to layer up like nobody's business. But traveling on a budget only allows me to bring select items from home and leave it all to random creativity to take its own rein on my outfit.
Alas, I'm only dreaming of course. I'm not THAT creative, obviously. I don't have the ability (financially especially) to whip up jaw-dropping, brilliant pattern mixing or colour-blocking getup worthy of street fashion photography.
Thus I had to resort to an all-black ensemble in order to avoid looking like a fashion outcast (which I probably already am).
The result? A confusing mishmash of silhouette, textures and proportions... Tell me what influences you see here? I feel part Amish and Depeche Mode in Personal Jesus video clip.
Probably you would have known from my twitter (just at the right side of the panel, feel free to follow me) that currently I'm in Paris, joining Arman Shahril for Paris Fashion Week! Don't be too excited just yet, because I did not get the invites to the shows and this last minute trip is merely an escape from work and hardly a fashion-orientated one...
The view of rue St Antoine from our hotel window
It has been quite a while since my last visit (post about previous trip to Paris here). And when I just arrived yesterday and boy, was I exhausted! Even though the weather here is not as cold as I expected (8 degree Celsius upon our arrival), I'm still shivering, thanks to my not-so-appropriate-for-winter attire - my top half is screaming spring, but luckily the bottom half of the outfits is rather warm so that I did not freeze my ass off...
Suede is a luxurious fabric frequently used in fashion (for example for lining of bags, gloves, shoes and exterior of jackets). Apart from that it is also used in upholstery for that extra soft and comfy feel. Suede ( from the French "gants de Suède") is one of my latest wardrobe acquisitions, that are in the form of shoes. The newest members of my ever-growing shoe family are these suede lace-ups from Zara. Well I'm not sure whether they are authentic suede (as in napped leather) or sueded fabric; either way I'm in love with the cushy shaggy feel that the fabric gives...In addition these two pairs are the most affordable suede shoes that I have came across so far...
This is what I wore to ChicPOP street market yesterday: Muji kimono shrug, Topman floral shirt, trustee H&M jeans, Topman bracelets, Zara suede tasseled loafers.
And next are the female counterparts of the male Zara version. (Yes. I wear ladies shoes as well. No big news). These are the biggest size they had in store (European 41). As you may have known I have pretty wide stubby feet so you can imagine my pain wearing them. Without socks, no less. Did I tell you my ankles grew blisters the first hour I was wearing the shoes? But they are too pretty to let go!
Worn with the nostalgic Vivienne Westwood Seaman t-shirt (when will I have the opportunity to go to London again?), Cubus cardigan, Topman pants, Reebok bag.
The Muji shrug makes a swishing sound as it billows in the wind.
Well, do I hear a pair of Tod's driving loafers for my next birthday?
