Raya Remixed

Raya is getting into its second week of celebration and this time around it's slightly tweaked for me and family. We opted to celebrate Eid Mubarak near our home and performed the prayers at Masjid Wilayah KL (a definite first for us). There were so many people including foreign workers. But the view inside was amazing! Had only managed to snap using my trusty, fell-for-the-nth-time iPhone 5.

Clean clothing for the Seoul

Dressing up in a “sleek” and polished manner is not always my forté as my taste in off-duty clothing veers towards the campy side. I sometimes loathe myself wearing things that I think too feminine, but keep cheating myself nonetheless thinking it is workable and man-able. Therefore there is a need to constantly remind myself that I NEED TO STOP buying women's stuff!

Discovering Malaysian Talents

Even though I was honestly skeptical with homegrown talent but now I'm glad that I am wrong. What with a bevy of young designers from all over the country, the Malaysian fashion industry seems like an excitingly fresh scene to nurture new design flair. Lately I have been eyeing a few labels and for me this three is the intriguing lot as far as newness is concerned:

Craig Green freshness

In the early days of Dunia Fashyon, I used to see fashion as an outlet to get all frivolous, fun and carefree. I did not see fashion as a platform that could enforce critical thinking; I doubted that it could make men ponder about garments through collections, let alone to have a serious and meaningful contemplation. It was too easy to have such perspective after years of struggling in a 'legitimately serious' world that is the field of medicine; being surrounded by people who are not necessarily like minded did not help much either.

Zalora Fashion Festival - Raya Collection

Zalora once again releases their much anticipated Raya collection with four emerging Malaysian designers. It's good to know that collaborations with giant online fashion retailers like Zalora shed much needed light on the creatives - meaning more exposure, a chance to be a household name (like Rizalman and Jovian) and of course, improving revenues. Personally I love doing some research online prior to making a purchase, thus this platform suits demographics like me, who love to ponder and compare before deciding to click that 'buy' button. The launch of the collection was held recently at Pullman Hotel Bangsar, where hundreds of guest (including celebs) were present to witness to collection firsthand.

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.

Coach fall/winter 2014, Kuala Lumpur

Coach isn't exactly under my usual artistic label focus but I am aware of its commercial success with practical and functional leather-ware. The mammoth brand's reputation has been attributed to its diverse range of handbags that fit casual and office settings (being a household name Coach bags are coveted by my sister, cousins and even my aunts). But what I can say is their previous offerings may be still not necessarily my stylistic cup of tea.

Beo Menswear

I hope that I'm using Dunia Fashyon as a platform to introduce new local designers, starting with Chiyo. As Syawal is just around the corner, I think it's the perfect time to talk about what will men wear this Eid Mubarak...

You probably have read/heard about Beo Menswear being bashed on Twitter or Instagram by now. But truth be told, I kinda like the ballsy attempt.

Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week 2014 - Day One

It's that time of the year again where Malaysian fashion designers congregate, street style peacocks prance around and insignificant bloggers like me meekly sit at the last rows (sad but true). But I feel grateful for the experience to witness the progression of (mainstream) Malaysian fashion scene. I'm not sure which direction it's heading to, but frankly it is going somewhere. At least away from the bridal fashion catering to new-moneyed Datins, smothering Raya peplums that we all know a bit too well (even my mum has outgrown that style in the 60's) or some garishly designed costumes suited for first year fashion student assignment. Thankfully the first shows include the ones who are paving their ways into fashion stardom and quite safely to say, has grown their group of cult followers...

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).

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.

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...

The lost tenacity

I always thought that I have the tenacity to produce blog entries frequent enough to make Dunia Fashyon enticing. But it seems it takes more than just compiling pictures and making up sentences to create a credible post. 

But I shall try again, dear readers. Thank you for still clicking the previous posts.

Coming up - Dior Homme A/W 2013 collection review.

words and image by Hafidzudin Zainal

Moschino love

instagram image via @jeremylangmead

I love it when a fashion show invite is all quirky like the one from Moschino's AW 2013 Menswear, where a plastic plate is used to foretell a gastronomy-related show. Our prediction was indeed true when we arrived at the Giannino restaurant, just near the Milano Central Station. The venue is a continuation of unusual fashion show settings from their SS12 where the show was held inside an unassuming Italian hypermarket, unlike the typical majestic piazzas or villas every other major fashion labels are accustomed to.

The luxury of Tod's

To be honest I am not an avid follower of all things stereotypically categorised as 'luxury brands', especially the ones that are lagging in the directional front and revolve around preaching their so-called rich history, heritage and craftsmanship. But there's no denying of Tod's commercial role in today's luxury market: successfully selling expensive driving shoes, propelling this footwear style into popularity among young men (and women) resulting in the infiltration of cheaper high-street versions into the market. But of course no other brands (except Car shoes, maybe) can instill people's trust in these kinds of shoes like Tod's does. How do they do that?

CAMERAderie: Louis Vuitton A/W 2013

Louis Vuitton men's autumn/winter 2013 show was an event filled with fashion heavyweights and celebrities, naturally. Arriving at the venue, and seeing so many people outside waiting to get inside, I thought that this is the biggest show that I've been to so far (but did not, unfortunately, have the invite!). So I stood outside whilst awaiting for Arman and took photos of the stylish folks outside, including Kanye West, whom I papped after the show. Waiting in the cold could be detrimental but a motivation to be a semi-devoted tabloid paparazzi-like makes it totally worth it!

On another note, after meticulously judging the attendees, I made a conclusion of trends that I suspect will be ubiquitous for seasons to come: prints and color blocking (yes, I'm totally clairvoyant!), chunky footwear and chunky bellies, and of course, Yeezy. 

Gucci Menswear A/W 2013 review

Time cannot be more appropriate as I wake up to the news of Gucci opening its largest menswear-only store in Milan in June this morning. To be honest I am not an avid follower of the behemoth label - in my eyes sometimes they can get a bit too 'mainstream' for my taste and the looks are relatively ubiquitous, thanks to (un)healthy rounds of high-street knockoffs (from Zara, notably). Aside from coveting a pair of their shoes or two in the past, and scoring a pair of penny loafers two sizes too big for my feet from DMagazine in Milan, I have nothing but generally a skeptic's view on this label. However I'm ready to eat my own words ever since seeing their latest offerings up-close... 

Emporio Armani AW13 experience

Even though a classic brand like the Armani empire does not necessarily appeal to us at Dunia Fashyon it is still a privilege to witness the fashion powerhouse's more commercial ready-to-wear line in action. The venue - the official Armani runway I suspect, is spacious and fits multiple levels of seating. In fact, it does feel like a mini indoor stadium at a first glance. The collection (comprising ninety-five looks, no less) seems like classic Emporio Armani, but with a twist - the overall look feels young and current, and it's not just sombre tones of grey dominating the colour palette. In fact, I particularly like the addition of different shades of yellows and blues, and at the accessory forefront, the backpacks are a winner. 

A standing position means less-than-worthy runway images but I did manage to capture Mr Armani and his throng of models at the end of the show. Finally my petit Asian frame serves me well whereby I maneuvered myself in between the European photogs for considerably nice photos of the designer. And, at least a model or two did look at my camera. Okay, now I'm going to print out the images with the models and crop the ones who looked at my camera, and make a bookmark out of it...

Prada Menswear AW13 Review

Forgive us for this entry's overtly excited tone but it seems so futile to contain it. And for the risk of sounding shamelessly superficial may we exclaim, "It's PRADA!", after all. At the time of writing we are already in Paris and thanks to an overload of shopping (we had less shows to attend in Paris, boo hoo...) this post has been sitting in 'draft' mode for quite some time. Nevertheless it goes without saying that the experience attending Prada Men’s Autumn Winter 2013 collection has got to be the highlight of the week (honestly every event is a highlight but this one is monumental!).

As we were not that busy towards the end of the day (Prada show was slated to start at 6 p.m), we decided to move out from the hotel earlier just to check out the venue, plus it is a significant label as we know it; so we want to be fully prepared and avoid all those bad contingencies as Milano traffic can be very unforgiving at times.