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).

Isabel Marant pour H&M - where do I stand?

Clément Chabernaud looking mighty fine in this ad. Up-close images of him taken by yours truly here.

The public release for the French designer collaboration with the Swedish clothing giant will only be on the November 14th, but naturally the images have leaked out prematurely (always a good way to build up hype and anticipation). The recent party in Paris is nothing but 'celebrating the collection' with all celebrities and famous models imaginable attending. It felt like a full-on excessiveness of the eighties.

All cropped up

It feels refreshing when there's a feeling of getting hooked to a different kind of pants length and fit. I think I have outgrown my skinny jeans phase, but I still keep them in case skintight and ball-hugging bottoms subconsciously manage to influence me to re-wear them. My latest addition to my cropped, roomy trousers family (next to the Peter Jensen jodhpurs) are in the form of this tailored CK Calvin Klein goodness. Please don't worry guys as I did not overspend on this item - they were acquired part of my Johor Premium Outlet CK purchase besides a reversible jacket and a black dress(!). The frugal finds were totally unexpected as we just noticed the bargain rail right before we left the store. So we had to turn back and re-examined the whole length of that particular section. I left JPO a happy camper. Truly a bargain hunter bliss!

Pale as a ghost

Don't worry, the title does not actually refer to me being pale, but rather the state of washed-outness of my ensemble. But on a more serious note though, speaking about pale the thought of anaemic-looking models is quite disturbing at times. A phenomenon more prevalent amongst European models from my observation, this raises the question of (mal)nutrition and welfare in the modelling industry. From experience I can notice pallidness at a glance on makeup-less persons and rest assured, those lanky girls teetering in high heels and skinny jeans hopping from one show to another cannot be exactly called well-nourished. According to GQ (I know, not the most reliable source for health-related statistics) a staggering twenty percent of anorexics in America consist of men. I haven't seen cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia in Malaysia yet (but it's more likely that the place I'm working at has obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular problems as the major portions of the illness pie. Then again I don't see enough psychiatry-related patients enough ha ha).  

H&M Autumn Collection 2013

I was honored to be invited by the H&M Malaysia team to the recent press preview of their Autumn collection 2013. Held in the majestic Tudor Revival architure style hotel Carcosa Seri Negara the clothes presented are divided into men's and women's sections. 

After a short mingling around session the guests (who range from the mainstream media - I spotted NTV7 crew and staff from a local fashion publication - to the more independently based blogs like Tongue in Chic with their editor Claudia Low present, plus the artistic Nini Marini in attendance as well, among others) were introduced to a line-up of male and female models parading the latest H&M offerings.

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.

Fast fashion: are we moving on?

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

What are you wearing?

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

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.

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.

Baden Baden Bundle, revisited

It has been a while since we covered recycled fashion (the term "thrift" is getting jaded ever increasingly, don't you think?) and what else can be refreshing than revisiting the enormous Baden Baden Bundle in Port Dickson? Thanks to my current post I'm situated a mere forty minutes or so from the used clothing outlet. My previous visit was at night and consequently there were dark photos with flashes but luckily this time around  I managed to pay BBB a visit in the broad daylight which promised better-illuminated images.

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...

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).

CAMERAderie: H&M x Margiela Launch in KL

‘CAMERAderie’ (so cheesy but we can’t help it!) is a column on DUNIA FASHYON where we try to encapsulate an event in a concise form of photographs. A collection of photos is compiled together to best sums up the whole occasion that took place, in our own perspective.

Today, ‘CAMERAderie’ covers the H&M x Maison Martin Margiela launch event that took place at H&M Lot 10 store last Thursday. We were at the scene exactly an hour before the whole event started (first shopping session was at 8 am) and spent the whole sunny afternoon there (with heavy rains in between). 

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.

Margiela fever

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

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M: Menswear (Kuala Lumpur Preview)

Supposed you have read our review on the Women’s wear collection.

Next stop is the Men’s Wear section. (Yeay!)

Beautifully hanged next to the glass wall overlooking the panoramic view of Bukit Bintang were a rail full of amazing pieces of outerwear made of shearling, faux fur, wool and leather - of the most iconic ‘belt jacket’ from the 2006 Artisanal collection.

Maison Martin Margiela for H&M: Womenswear (Kuala Lumpur Preview)

We can never get enough of Maison Martin Margiela at Dunia Fashyon. As a matter of fact, if you have been following us back in Hafidzudin’s days in Russia, the label omnipresence in this blog is apparent. Back in those days when he first visited Antwerp to that trip we both made in Paris where I brought him to tag along to the brand iconic headquarter during one of my buying trip - our love and addiction for the label is boundless. The only drawback perhaps, is simply for the lack of monetary advantage to fill our wardrobe with these amazing creations.

As you know, La Maison has announced a collaborative work to be produced together with H&M. Not to sound like a neophobic, but this kind of direction for the house is definitely unexpected, if not shocking. Many self-acclaimed loyalists have issued their dismalness over the decision to the extent of calling it atrocious, cheapening and calling the step as a sign of excessive commercialism. To each their own.

I for one, celebrate this occasion with an open heart. In fact we do think we took it a little bit too extreme by stalking every corner of fashion blogs, websites & magazines just to get a glimpse of information relating to the launch of the celebrated collection.

So it was with great excitement that we received an invite to visit the H&M Press Office last Thursday to preview (and try!!) some of the 104 pieces that will be made available this November 15^th. A friend of mine flew to New York and attended the launch party on the previous day so I was already salivating over the nasty photos he put up on Instagram (all items were already made available for purchase during the event!) So it seemed like the only sensible thing to do was to take a day off of work and visit the showroom for a ‘glimpse and touch’ session, which turned out to be more than what the showroom staff could handle. LOL

First stop, WOMENSWEAR.

Margiela for H&M: look book images

The time bomb is ticking and November 15 seems to be just around the corner. It looks like more and more images of the Maison Martin Margiela for H&M have surfaced, including the much-awaited look book shots which contains menswear pieces and accessories as well.

The items that will be in the production are essentially based on the label's cult pieces from previous runway collections, spanning more than a decade. Included in this collaboration, among others, are the nude leotard from S/S 2007, a wool pea coat from A/W 2000, wedges from S/S 2007, clutch from S/S 2010, cotton mix sock sweater from A/W 1991 and cotton jeans from A/W 2000:

H&M Kuala Lumpur Store Opening Official Video

So H&M has finally released the Opening Party video on their Youtube channel yesterday. It was worth the wait as the three minute and a half clip looks pretty amazing!

The production team successfully captured the mood and emotions surrounding the party night and the excitement during the opening day. Kudos to the creative team at KIX!

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Written by Arman
twitter:@malaychic