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...

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...

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

Runway at Vincom Centre

You probably have guessed from my previous post that I was in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam. True, I had a short family trip few days ago (after the Cameron Highland trip you must have noticed how I still join family trips where siblings bicker against parents over petty things which is a norm during this kind of travelling).

Apart from the touristy spots I managed to visit Vincom Center, a luxury mall in the heart of Saigon. It is quite apparent that the Vietnamese purchasing power is burgeoning ever more so after the country's policy starts to become more open to foreign investments. And this consequently leads to an economic boom which is evident in the mushrooming of luxury labels nesting amongst the high street shops in Vincom Centre.

Passing by the Runway boutique intrigued me, so much so that I decided to enter the premise. Apparently it is a multilabel store that stocks luxury labels that I deem are highly in demand - I saw Jil Sander bags, a Stella McCartney top-to-toe runway look and Lanvin bags perched on the racks of its window display. I entered the premise and politely introduced myself and explained about Dunia Fashyon, and also my intent to take photography inside the boutique. Unfortunately my request was denied by the fact that I had to contact the marketing team beforehand.


Therefore, for Dunia Fashyon, I decided to sneakily take pictures of the boutique. Forgive me if your eyes are pained by the skewed images. They WERE indeed taken in paparazzi style...

A brief research reveals that Runway Saigon is a part of the Runway company (with another smaller Runway branch in Hanoi and RRR which focuses on diffusion lines that Runway would carry). The concept store is led by the young entrepreneur Tranh Thi Hoai Anh, with interior design by Milanese CLS architects. Besides the clothing items they have in-store I'm quite fond of the boutique's ice cove
interior.

This concept store also stocks ceramics from Fornasetti and Gaetano Pesce sofas.

It is quite unfortunate when I learned that their menswear collection is somehow rather limited with classic shirts by the likes of Brioni, and also few Sergio Rossi and Margiela shoes, and rows and rows of mundane T-shirts from various high-end labels. I also found army green and beige Celine bi-cabas totes lying around the mens' section. However there's this Italian brand called Kiton that I'm eager to find out about more in the future. Price-wise I could generally conclude that it is still more expensive compared to the usual European stores (e.g a pair of Margiela leather Oxfords still cost about 300 British pounds even after a half-price discount)...

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... 

The green lives on...

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.

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.

A Box from LN-CC

The wonderfully efficient online boutique LN-CC has shipped my order within merely 3 days! Imagine a parcel traveling half the globe within that short period of time? Honestly I think they have a really clever marketing strategy because I'm looking forward for another purchase from this London-based company, all thanks to the speedy delivery...

Even the box comes with a fine little detail - a drawer handle can't look any more adorable than this braided strings.

What did I order you may ask? Not to mention I was taking advantage of the free shipping and heavy discount on few select items, and it turned out some of them are within my reach financially. And of course I had to take the opportunity to sample on things from interesting labels that I have been eying on for quite some time...