Coach Men's Boutique KLCC

I was not able to attend the new opening of the first mens-only Coach store in KL, but luckily Filzah and Fahad managed to come as reps. I just passed by the store (post launch) few weeks ago - it is a miniature corner (700sq feet) compared to the roomier womens counterparts, but am pretty sure the space will be extended come Stuart Vevers' debut collection for fall next year. Good to know that KLCC mens’ store is a design concept developed by Vevers in partnership with creative firm studio Sofield.

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.

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).

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...

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!).

Zakwan Anuar Fall Winter 2013 Presentation

I had no expectation set upon attending Zakwan Anuar Fall/ Winter 2013 show last Wednesday. I came to support a former staff who is now working as part of the design team; and I was invited by Jiman Casablancas, a cool PR guy who I have known over the years through several exchanging of interesting conversations we had at parties and events around town. Hafidz enlightened me just before the show (through phone call as he was in Malacca at work) that his previous collection was all about houndstooth check and beautiful brocade incorporated into very clean shift dresses or offered as separates. How enticing!

Dior Homme A/W 2013

Dior Homme presentation was our final few events in our itinerary before we enjoyed the city of Paris sans the feeling of being caught up rushing to fashion shows. After braving through the sloshes of snow (it was heel-deep) on a Sunday morning, and almost got lost in the midst of searching in between similar-looking weathered buildings, we finally found the presentation venue - tucked in between of unassuming office buildings...

Bottega Veneta menswear AW13 review

The Bottega Veneta show was scheduled at 9.30am on a Sunday morning, located inside the brand headquarters in the industrial part of Milan. We managed to arrive very early albeit the freezing and drizzly winter weather. Ashley Thng, the brand PR from Singapore greeted and brought us around the complex. Model-looking ushers approached and held a large black umbrella for us as we made our way into the building - an experience which felt very much like a Downton Abbey moment to us. Once inside, we headed to the cafeteria in the showroom-turned-lounge space for a quick cup of freshly brewed Italian espresso.

Burberry Prorsum menswear AW13 review

We kicked off our Milan Men’s Fashion Week with Burberry Prorsum runway show last Saturday. Hafidz was granted the elusive Front-Of-House pass which means he is allowed to enter an hour prior to the show. He managed to secure a spot amongst seasoned global runway photographers (albeit having to squeeze through the comparatively large-built Europeans)! The show started rather timely (15 minutes late in fashion means 5 minutes early, you see).

As we all know, Burberry Prorsum is the conceptual high-end fashion line of the house. Nevertheless the importance of skillful craftsmanship and luxurious fabrication in producing each and every piece, akin to its classic range, is very clearly stressed. This is evident during our re-see session where we had a close-up look at each item, thanks to the PR representative who was there to bring us around and explain the whole collection.

Summer sales happiness

It's good to know that MUSA has managed to clear much of their inventory from SS2010 and beyond, in order to move on to their next project which is still in a hush hush mode. But it's sad the venture into independent European labels is rather short-lived though. I try not to toot my own horn here but dare I say I am among the lucky persons (but unlucky financially, if you'd like to think the other way) who managed to scoop a great bargain that this sale offers (offers, as in present tense. Yes, it's still ongoing). 

As I tweeted previously the Christopher Kane items at MUSA are so greatly discounted it surpasses the London sample sale calibre. I'm not exaggerating! Now the seemingly unattainable FW2011 tartan print shirt becomes my possession at a fraction of the original price...

I tried to pair the (here's my attempt to create a new colour vocabulary) dusty gold t-shirt with a nearly-matching jacket, tailored to my petit frame. Remember when the jacket was a tad too large? The pleated wool trousers are from Et Vous, a French label, acquired during a separate MUSA sale. I love the baggy yet tailored silhouette, the pleats, and the best thing is they're cropped at the ankles! They actually come together with a jacket but the Gaga-esque exaggerated shoulders made me think twice to wear it...

I'm wearing a custom-tailored jacket from eBay, Christopher Kane FW 2011 tartan print shirt, Et Vous pleated trousers, Comme des Garcons Shirt shoes, Ayame socks, brooch from a market in Sabah

It was not a coincidence as Arman and I decided to wear Kane's t-shirt from the same collection. The purple hue is a more vibrant option than my more subdued version. This is further augmented by a shiny clutch from Marc by Marc Jacobs. I guess outfit color-coordination speaks volumes in terms of reflection of the wearer's personality - perhaps the notion of bright colors equals to outgoingness and vice versa is indeed a tried-and-tested concept...

 

Arman's recent trip to Johor Premium Outlet has resulted in this interesting beaded sneakers from Adidas x Jeremy Scott commercially successful collab. Arman always gets amazing footwear on our jaunts to JPO but I, on the other hand, always come back empty-handed due to the lack of small boyish shoe size there.

P/S: By the way, if you haven't noticed we have joined forces at Dunia Fashyon and Arman has put on some wonderful news, e.g. all the Oroton updates. 

Have a great weekend!

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

Team spirit

I'm sure you guys are among the one billion people worldwide who watched the recent Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony in London. And having a fashion-centric mind I could not help but to fuss about the uniforms of various contingents...

Too bad that a lot of the European contingents opted to stick to their usual nine-to-five business casual look, which I think is very sad. I mean, bring your nations' identity for the world to see, people! But of course a sporty look that is both smart and can represent your country, colour-wise. Case in point: the American team. Never mind the furor over the "made in China" controversy and the French-inspired berets, I think Ralph Lauren did a good job designing the teams outfits. "American preppy look" is what I was reminded of instantly.

 The American team Olympics Opening Ceremony uniform, designed by Ralph Lauren

Despite the classic sportswear look I do love team Netherlands' clever use of colour-blocking. Orange and navy blue looks pretty good in this case. VERY Jil Sander SS2011.

 Team Japan's striking red-and-white, on the other hand, can be mistaken for Chinese/ Canadian/ Singaporean teams' outfits.

Team Russia looks cool in this ensemble. Are those linen jackets? I'm dying to see a close-up of their uniform - look at the dark purplish pattern on the guy's shirt! And The Romanian team's choice of colour also caught my eyes - the mustard-grey combo is visually fetching.

The Swedish, on the other hand, can be way too practical sometimes. I like IKEA but rugby shirts and sneakers with colours that match the flag and grey cotton trousers? Come on, I think you guys are more creative than that. But on a lighter note, this is what I used to wear to the mall during my high school years. Ha! 

Harping on about creativity, the Germans evidently has proven be the creative lot with their reversible sports jacket. ( I know, the "pink for girls and blue for boys" idea is a bit off). But it the versatility of the jacket (which has a more formal inside layer) that is important.

Czech Republic is among, if not the most unique teams that night. This team was absolutely ready for the grey and rainy London with their umbrellas and wellies. 

Talking about national identity, there are a few teams which really went all out in portraying what their country is generally all about. My firm favorites are Mexico, Gambia and the Philippines. And a couple of images of female Muslim athletes modestly covered in hijab - simply beautiful.

The Philippines team in the Barong Tagalog-esque uniform.

Interesting latex-like fabric on Gambian athletes.

 Iranian athletes in modest hijabs.

 Leave it to the Mexicans when it comes to colour and personality. I absolutely adore all the combinations of hues, patterns and embroideries on the ponchos. Liking the fact that they look as if there was no uniform at all - just a colourful parade of mariachi band.

How about Malaysia, the country that always tries hard to expose their nation's identity, I hear you say? Obviously everything is too literal in this contingent - that all-too-familiar tiger stripes; yellow-orange and the red, which unmistakably represents courage and speed? And is that even Malaysian batik? Or just a cheap generic print on cheap polyester fabric? I refuse to comment further. Well, at least I do see some traditional garb here (tengkolok aka the headpiece and the sampin/ sarong).

Anyhow, feel free to laugh at my measly attempt on re-interpreting the casual/sporty sports event opening ceremony look:

Thrifted Tesco blazer, Cheap Monday jeans, Jil Sander shoes, Uniqlo hat, eBay sunglasses, U2 t-shirt, fourskin belt

*Images of Olympics contingents courtesy of adkinsrin.blogspot.com, yahoo.com, google.com

Timberland KLCC Flagship opening

During my teenage years I was quite envied by the sight of other kids wearing Timberland boots, because I know how stylishly good they are. But as a child I never had the financial mean to get acquire them. Instead, I settled for other more pocket-friendly labels - after all, the task of paying for my clothing was diligently carried out by my father.

So when I had the invitation to witness the launch of Timberland's flagship store in Suria KLCC recently, a bit of nostalgic moment crept up my mind. Honestly, I thought initially I might be looking at a potentially stuffy collection from the label, but I definitely changed my mind when I saw the fresh designs and vibrant colors from the collection, most of which sourced from eco-friendly materials...

As a petite guy I'm never too keen on boxy outdoor jackets but somehow the vivid tones and modern design of these jackets made me change my stoical mind. Plus, you'd never go wrong with the ever lovely nautical hues...

Adventure in tailoring - Burberry Prorsum jacket

 Personally I do not put outerwear first in my wardrobe list. However, it seems that lately I find myself searching for a good jacket - sometimes a man needs an outer shell to provide his body a structure. And more increasingly so I find myself in a position which requires me to wear such apparel from time to time again.

I am quite lucky to have found a reasonably good jacket from Burberry Prorsum from AW 2009/2010, a purchase acquired at the Johor Premium outlet (read the post about JPO here). The charcoal wool jacket is love at a first sight, and teamed with an affordable price, it was almost an impulse purchase. But I sat down for a while and figured that it was time step up to another level in my style searching endeavor - a tailored piece is deemed worthwhile.

   

The runway image (courtesy of vogue.co.uk)

The original jacket boasted fairly narrow lapels, working button sleeves, and lovely vents. But alas, my petit size could only mean that a bit of customising was in order. As a result of tailoring, the sleeves are chopped off (well, not literally, but you know what I mean) and sadly the buttons on the cuffs are now sitting there deceivingly for display only.