The mighty medic and Brooke Roberts

Lately I've been rushing towards assignment deadlines (taking a Diplomain Family Medicine) and manning three programmes at the clinic, whilst trying my best not to practice the well-spread 'conveyor belt' medicine. On top of that, I have the audacity of joining a seemingly fast-track program for the elusive FRACGP (click here if you're keen to know what that stands for) - it's a program by MIGHTY MEDIC, hence the title, which is another pathway towards specialty in primary care besides the conventional Malaysian Masters program.

Ruched florals and other printastic finds

Flowers. Prints. Patterns. These are the things in fashion that I have a love-hate relationship with. Why? Too much of them will make people look at me with 'what-the-f**k-are-you-wearing' look - personally experienced that when I decided to confidently wear the Christopher Kane galaxy print top at home (I said confident because my family members and close friends are all used to me in borderline gaudy and arguably effeminate outfits).

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.

Cameraderie: KLFW Outfits

I know that this is the inevitable me-me-me outfit post, but it's good to see the KLFW attendees with amazing outfits (loaned/sponsored or bought themselves) with a healthy dose of peacocking. Good to see KLFW is moulding its own style, thanks to local fashion-conscious peeps who try their best to flaunt local designer's latest creations (but there's an abundance of Rick Owens or Raf Simons and those super expensive runway looks too). Looking forward to seeing more versatility in get ups next season...

Adventure in tailoring: Uniqlo and Burberry Prosum blazers

You probably have known that I always lament the fact that living in a tropical country limits the possibility for layering clothes (unless one continuously stay in air-conditioned buildings), and to make things worse my profession is a unapologetically cruel one when it comes to dressing up. Wait, there's no such thing as dressing up being in healthcare. I'm forever in my white coat and sometimes I do wear some fashion-y things as a little pick-me-up and I'd Instagram the images (finally, I have Instagram as I bought an Iphone recently!).

What is luxury?

The fashion world has been always too comfortable with the definition of luxury and the connotation it brings. Soft silk and cashmere, supple lambskin or ostrich, exotic alligator, 24-carat gold or ideal-cut diamond jewelry: these items are luxury in their own terms. It's undeniable that fashion is a business-based sphere and to steer away from overt use, or sometimes, misuse of the L word is somehow too farfetched an expectation - luxury is the pinnacle of fashion and it's understandable why consumers easily fall into the perceived luxury, all thanks to many brands' marketing strategy that succeed in creating that illusion of exclusivity.

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

Walking on cloud nine

The excitement has elevated once again in the ever mundane life of mine, as I will be in Milan and Paris for Men's Fashion Week AW13/14! I've never imagined this day will come (as you might have known I'm a fashion outsider with a contrasting day job which does not involve fashion/retail at all) and am eternally grateful for the chance to witness runway shows by globally successful designers. If previously I could only ogle at the images and videos on the Internet, now I will finally have the chance to enjoy them in-person and even partake in covering the shows/presentations for Dunia Fashyon, together with the ever-resourceful Arman.

We arrived in Milan on Friday morning at the comfortably spacious junior suite at Four Points by Sheraton which is conveniently located just a few blocks away from Milan Central Station (long gone are the days of backpacking, hopping on and off public transportation to reach my place of accommodation). Since the runway shows will only be commencing the next day, we took the opportunity to explore Milan's luxury retail center for people watching and of course, some serious (window) shopping…

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. 

Dior Spring Summer 2013 review (Part II)

Paris is reviving 'profusely' and it has been that way for the past few seasons now. The appointment of Olivier Theyskens at Theory, the holy reincarnation of brands: Schiaparelli, Vionnet (although it’s based in Italy now) and luxury baggage maker, Moynat. The revival peaked a new high when recently Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane were brought in to take over the helms of what now are the two most prestigious couture house in Paris: Christian Dior and Yves Saint Laurent; respectively.

The uber handsome, Mr. Raf Simons and the stunning beauty, Ms. Leelee Sobieski backstage after the show.

(Raf is wearing a 1996 Helmut Lang denim jacket and Gaia in one of his 1st Dior Haute Couture Fall 2012 look)

image source: Zimbio.com

Overall receptions are mostly positive and the anticipation is high this season for these two designers to belt out their first ever prêt-à-porter collection for these workshops. Perhaps in an effort to ‘over-creating’ a hype, some press pulled a theatrical rivalry drama between these two designers with some even referred this as the ‘Clash Of The Titans’ (WWD) which I found to be rather over-dramatic.

But then again, how often do you get two ‘neighboring’ ateliers (both located in the same 8^th arrondissement in Paris, few blocks away from each other) having major creative replacement occurring at the same time? What's more interesting, both Raf (Belgium-born; 12^th January 1968) and Hedi (Paris-born; 5^th July 1968) are 44 years old this year and achieved first major success in menswear with Raf Simons through his own eponymous brand and Hedi Slimane as the very first designer at the helm of Dior Homme.

Receptions and reviews were mixed in regards to Raf Simons RTW debut at Dior yesterday. Those unhappy ones expected Raf to go beyond the unfathomed of even maybe omitting all the essence and DNA of Dior to come up with a collection to be seen as fresh and new (don’t we all have Mugler for this experiment?). They regarded the collection as ‘uptight’ and affixed to the heritage lacking revolutionary looks.

Dior Spring Summer 2013 Review (Part I)

We don’t really do collection reviews in the blog but I have to give this one a special exception. Dior Spring Summer 2013 collection has so much to talk about. The live-streaming experience, the venue, the minimalist setup, the makeup, (and of course) the clothes! – together all these are signals to the dawn of the NEW DIOR!

image source: Dior.com

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

Run, Fall, Raf Simons

Green, dark blue and wine. Just the perfect hues for the autumn. In this video Raf Simons presents their AW2012-2013 offerings in a beautiful presentation - superimposed images of model Yannick Abrath swathed in a woolly coat, fluffy beanies and warm-looking knitwear. Maybe I should consider migrating to a four-seasoned continent, preferably Central Europe. So I can wear all the deeply rich collection (after tailoring them to my size, of course...)

Photography: Pierre Debusschere

Styling: Marieke Van Dongen

Model: Yannick Abrath

image credit: nowfashion.com

MUSA FOREVER

Musa Kuala Lumpur is embarking on a new project, and as a consequence they are having a warehouse sale - an effort to clear up their space. It's located at their office in Danau Kota. I'm not exaggerating when I say most of the items are discounted up to 90percent! Hence even the pricier labels like Gareth Pugh, Christopher and Margiela seemed much affordable now.

I should just shut up and let the pictures do the talking...

More on Musa

Musa has basically switched what I can say as almost 90% of the rather 'underground' designers to exciting and relatively well known cult labels which cater to both ladies and men. The long wait has ended and we shall celebrate and rejoice as I firmly believe it is the first time such labels to be available in Kuala Lumpur!

             

First and foremost, the boutique has managed to bring select pieces from Gareth Pugh SS 2011... I reckon lots of people are already aware of the rock and roll/ cyberpunk aesthetic (as Divinitus had pointed out to me in my Gareth Pugh showroom post) which remains true to GP's design philosophy. Shiny slashed leather tights as shown above can look amazing on tall lithe individuals like Musa's owner Nazreem Musa himself...

Menswear Fall 2011 trend - baggier please Yohji Yamamoto!

Fall 2011/2012 menswear shows have long ended but I'd still like to wax lyrical about them, at least about one of the trends that I think is quite prominent on the runway.

If you have been reading my blog for a while you'd probably known about my biased love towards slouchy pants. (have a look at my entry about Umit Benan)

I'm  feeling elated over the obvious fact of ubiquitous baggy/ roomy / billowy silhouettes at the shows.  There were baggy coats and lots of designers showed soft billowy pants.