Islamic Arts and VCR

What a nice way to ring in the new year with a visit to Kuala Lumpur, playing tourist! Our top options of sites to visit were something architecturally and photographically beautiful. So it was as a no-brainer to pick the National Mosque (photos of which are abundant on my Instagram) and the adjacent Islamic Arts Museum as our starting points...

60 Years of Made in Italy

Looking back at Dunia Fashyon posts it's quite easy to see that I've been quite obsessed with the label 'Made in Italy' - to me it conjures the image of fine craftsmanship especially in leather-ware and even clothing items. Even though I know that it's quite a rarity these days to find anything genuinely 'Italian' - the book Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas sheds a light on the scandal of putting a premium price on all things purportedly made in Italy, when some parts of an item are actually Chinese-made and the finishing touches and labels are only then finally done in Italy. Can't help but to feel naïve and cheated somehow...

Merdeka Day like no other (part 2)

We had to say goodbye to Malchik who had to catch his flight to Kuala Terengganu. Not sure where to go next, I randomly suggested that we have a look at Coliseum Café (and hotel, though I'm not really sure where the hotel exactly is, as the second floor looks suspiciously uninhabited). So right to Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman we went. It was our first time there and we didn't know what to expect. But I do know that this place has been there since the British colonial years, and it is one of the few buildings along Jalan TAR strip that did not bow down to the pressure of surrounding modernisation.

Introducing: East Dane

Shopping online has been one of my best routes to a me me me weekend, but it has also been my Achilles tendon for over-spending especially come pay-check day. Last time in Russia I used to spend hours scouring the British e-Bay. The adrenaline-filled sensation of victory after winning a particular bid after hours and hours of countdown was rewarding, and kept me happy as a student who just knew about fashion online. But buying from dubious sources also meant two possibilities - I had either reasonable purchases or downright rubbish imitations arriving at my doorstep.

That's the Spirit!

Sleepy fisherman town of Kuala Kurau, Perak

I just got back home yesterday from Perak and my travel was filled with photos of Syawal celebration. The obligatory food porn, familiar faces and typical typography abound in this post naturally. What ever it is, I came back with a full stomach and a pleasant memory. Until next Aidilfitri!  

KLFW 2014 - Jasmi Rejab, Justin Yap, Max Mak

It's the weekend and finally I have time to resume to play pretend as a fashion journalist (btw, congrats Suzy Menkes for the Conde Nast appointment). As KLFW line-up is a huge list of designers compacted into segments of shows, I feel the need to break day five of KLFW into a few posts and briefly voice out my personal comments. They don't necessarily need to be valid though (we all know too well that I'm not well versed with most of the designers' work, let alone their credibility/authenticity/aesthetics). Nevertheless I did enjoy most of the shows (thanks to the better sitting and therefore better images with the aid of my portrait lens - I forgot to change the lens during the day one show, d'oh!). Atmosphere-wise, the sense of camaraderie was high (designers supporting fellow colleagues in terms of attendance), and it' was good to see the wide mix of attendees with different styles, the occasional pop of fresh ideas and speaking as an industry outsider, the voyeuristic experience peeking into the lives of the creative lot...

Introducing: Chiyo

KL Fashion Week 2014 organised a pop-up store at Parkamaya, Fahrenheit 88 and as I was perusing the clothing on display and genuinely admired the über-cute and quirky designs, that look like something that come from a Japanese/Thai/South Korean designer for an untrained eye, when a girl appeared. It was a serendipitous occurrence as I wasn't expecting anyone so kind to walk me through the collection. Turned out that I was speaking to Chiyo designer herself, Isabel Lam. The label Chiyo is her brainchild (the name came from Isabel's Chinese name 'Chi Yoi', and as she's heavily influenced by Japanese fashion, she decided to make it Chiyo which means 'thousands of generations/ everlasting' in Japanese).

Cameraderie: Weekend at Floria Putrajaya

The recent weekend my friends and I visited the floral exhibition in Putrajaya. We reached there at dusk, partly because earlier we spent a little too much time at IKEA (I bought another As-Is furniture in the form of Mälm chest drawers in birch - it was pain in the ass trying to dismantle the whole thing into my car), and partly just to escape the searing heat - Kuala Lumpur has been sauna-like this couple of weeks. Anyhow expectedly the exhibition is packed with vendor and exhibitors of all thing floral. Things that I liked: terrariums in fluid-like glass jars, vibrant coloured orchids, and enchanting exhibitions of flower gardens and orchid arrangements that could possibly inspire fashion/interior designers alike. The highlight of the expo for me are the costumes based on fairy-tale characters made from flower (what else?) and the masterpiece section of orchid gardens, presented by international participants under one of the tents.

Fashion in Bangkok

Gaysorn Plaza, one of the luxury landmarks in Bangkok.

It's safe to say that when it comes to fashion Thailand is quite a prominent industry player in South East Asia region. Reading about Thai's retail prowess in the blogs all these years has made a personal impression on me. I must say the recent trip to Bangkok has given the perfect chance for me to delve, if only ever so superficially, into the burgeoning fashion atmosphere of Siam. Reading Business of Fashion's article about how uncertain Thailand's future of retail industry due to political turmoil is just the tip of the iceberg. The reality is, indeed, undeniably bleak but as the only Asian country that is never colonised, some local experts take an optimistic view of the scenario. No matter how shaky the situation is, at least I feel grateful to witness a booming Asian fashion empire that harbours both global luxury companies and local designers, all within a close vicinity.

Cameraderie: Bangkok - Sights and the People

Spending four days and three nights in Bangkok is definitely a short trip and I’d say I can’t get enough of the bustling city. The friendly people (the endless smile and the quintessentially Thai gentle intonation draws me closer to the city), the sights and smell, and of course, the rather different style of outfits Bangkok-ites don are all new experience to me. Not to mention everything seems a little bit cheaper than in KL (one of the highlights is the storewide discount at Uniqlo!), so I guess that’s the biggest plus for travellers on a budget comme moi.

We stayed in a ‘studio suite’ building at the Silom area (famous for its red-light district - which also has given a new perspective on sexuality to me) and needless to say going about the area is convenient with the nearby BTS station (like an LRT in KL). From having morning jog at the ex-royal Lumpini Park which is just a stone’s throw away from our lodging, to hopping on the BTS train to Bangkok’s typical tourist attractions and then shopping, everything was done without a glitch.

CAMERAderie: Aidilfitri in Taiping

It seems like a post on the festivity of Aidilfitri (Eid Mubarak) is in order! I celebrated at both mum's and dad's hometown in Taiping, Perak and Melaka respectively. Surely I had fun, but to be honest growing older means that the joy and enthusiasm to celebrate wanes down quicker every year. I do miss my childhood experience celebrating Hari Raya with my cousins (who are mostly already married nowadays and consequently celebrate Raya at their spouses' places). Anyhow I put on my amateur photographer cap and happily snapped the images, taken on the eve of Syawal around the rustic town of Taiping and on the big day itself...

Givenchy pre-fall 2013

Did we mention that we also visited Givenchy's showroom during our previous Parisian trip? But unfortunately the PR girl was quite strict about me photographing the men's collection, making sure that I was hush-hush about next season's pieces. I waited anxiously until she revealed the women's ready to wear collection for pre-fall. Finally I managed to muster the much needed confidence (well, after seeing people around me taking pictures with their smart phones, that is) and started snapping the photos of that beautiful collection. Turned out that photography was actually allowed, but I was firmly warned not to release the images prematurely. Now that summer is coming to an end, I think it is appropriate to publish the images. Plus other major websites have the images up and running, so I hope I did not commit any copyright infringement of some sort...

Welcome to Jose and Deli

It was a packed three-day conference that I had to attend recently and the very hotel that held the event was fully booked. Initially I was bummed out foreseeing that I had to choose a place away from all the geeky medical action, but after going through online and booking French Hotel Ipoh, things worked out for the best. Never mind the inevitably cheesy-sounding name but let me assure you the small, boutique-ish hotel is nothing short of affordable luxury.

I enjoyed my three-night stay there not just because the hotel is relatively new - being opened somewhere in 2012 so its amenities and surrounding still look fresh - I also liked the great ambience the ground floor café had to offer. Jose and Deli Eatery appeared so inviting and I could never imagine there's a place in Ipoh with such rustic yet modern sophistication (this is quite a snobbish statement coming from a rather introvert KL-ite though!).

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.

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...

The Ideal House at Prada

What would one do without a good runway show or two? Even though a primary objective of fashion shows are to bring focus on the clothes, there is no denying the necessity of a captivating runway set to generate press and interest. Who can forget Chanel's runway sets for instance, that are frequently elaborate and memorable (from gigantic glacier to oversized carousel to humongous Chanel No.5 perfume bottle), or, Dior's flora-infused walls during Raf Simon's debut for A/W12 haute couture show? 

The relatively recent Prada menswear A/W13 runway set has left me (and many others, I believe) in awe, as far as runway sets are concerned. Thanks to the genius work of Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas' OMA and AMO, which have been collaborating with Prada since over a decade ago, the think tank have created a succession of memorable backdrops for Miuccia Prada's men's and women's collections. Debuting at the S/S04 menswear show, OMA first designed a series of posters to line the runway in the Prada Fondazione. The collaboration subsequently evolved into a Bauhaus-style decor for men's S/S07, a spiralling orange structure (men's A/W07), an underwater world (men's S/S08), a metal elevated stage (S/S11) and foam cars (women's A/W12).

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…

The Big Bad Wolf!

We at Dunia Fashyon always have the propensity towards lusting over imported books. However it seems that we frequently hold back from purchasing them due to the steep price whenever they reach our shores. But when an occasion like the Big Bad Wolf anual book sale creeps up, we feel that it is the perfect chance to own beautiful yet affordable publications. Starting from 7 to 23rd December, the Mines International Exhibition and Conference Centre is filled with THREE MILION books (or so the organiser claims) of all genres, complete with humorous comic-strip style banners depicting 'big bad wolves' exclaiming catchphrases, something like 'books too cheap to steal' lining the exhibition hall walls.

Last weekend was a good timing to pay a visit what is deemed to be the "largest book fair in the world". Well, the good news is they open for extra long hours on weekends (sixty hours straight from nine a.m starting Friday till nine p.m Sunday). The bad news is of course the hall will be packed with bargain hunters looking for a cheapie publication or two... So we cunningly devised to grab them at rock-bottom prices specifically at the wee hours of four in the morning! 

Malacca 3.0

To wander alone at the UNESCO heritage site in Malacca last weekend was just the right moment trying to have a little time of peace for myself - figuring out life and its purpose, things that are important to me right now (family, friends, current job, Dunia Fashyon, last but not least) and just basically soaking in the beautiful terrain, steep in nostalgia.

I brought my DSLR and had a great inspirational moment capturing photos of the picturesque and historical surrounding. DF has never seen a post with this too many images (it's good to have a first for everything) and this is rightly the time for a barrage of pictures: collaged, edited, filtered and saturated like nobody's business...

The Dutch graveyard. The tombstones are painted in pristine white - eerily romantic, if you ask me.

Yasmin How You Know?

Veering away from fashion for a while, we at Dunia Fashyon have been quite touched by the book 'How You Know' - a collection of the late Yasmin Ahmad's words.

The celebrated Malaysian writer/ scriptwriter/ film director was a rare talent which the art-deficient country is yearning to have.

Having to delve in various advertising works (mainly for Petronas) her career eventually progressed into film directing. Her commercials and films are always special: they portray cross-cultural relationships that spark interest in the international advertising and film scene, but on the other hand, might have spurred controversy in her home country, where social conservatives dominate.