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!

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...

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!

Being nationalistic?

August is filled with nationalistic pride in the air as Malaysians (and Singaporeans) both celebrate their Independence Day during this month. My childhood celebration of Hari Merdeka (as they call it here in Malaysia) consisted of the ritual gathering in front of the television and anticipating for the Merdeka parade. And I could still remember the odd year when my father decided to brave the impossible human traffic at and around Merdeka square and brought the whole family to see the action live. This allowed me to witness firsthand the colourful uniforms and blasting but pleasing sound of the many marching bands  - which I presume one of the reasons of me opting to join the school brass band during Form Two. As I am one of the biggest band geeks in the world I felt bummed not being able to attend activities which involve bands parading down the historic Merdeka Square anymore especially this year, since life and daily job has taken rein over me.

 There's also the possibility that I missed some exciting, and at times, wacky carnival floats by big-budgeted companies to entertain the crowd, that also means a lost photo op. (But from the looks of it there's nothing really new or innovative about the complexity of float-making though). Sadly to say there is nothing much I could do today as well, as the overly clichéd annual Malaysia Day gigantic gathering is being held across the South China Sea in Sarawak this morning, which means another lost of potentially golden moment in photography...

But rest assured, a bit of nationalistic mood is infused in this outfit post as I  unconsciously stood in front of a Malaysian flag, near Bangsar Village II recently. So, there you go: my sad attempt to proof pride for the country with incorporating a flag at the background in soft focus, juxtaposed with the clashing colours of my outfit...

Two is as good

I'm having too much of festive food the past week and I suppose all the face stuffing is making me bloated a bit too much. And there goes the calories burnt during my jogging sessions (to be honest it's much easier to stack up on calories rather than shedding them, which I unfortunately learned to empathically understand recently). This weekend will be another round of 'open houses'  (a Malay/Malaysian tradition during the month of Syawal where friends and relatives come over for a visit, chat, and more importantly, an eating session) and my mum decided to host on this coming Saturday. Anyhow I had to churn out these not-so-new outfit photos from previous family/friend gatherings, which I find pointless to post given the fact that they're not that extraordinary. But somehow I think not publishing them will mean a waste of lugging the heavy DSLR all over to snap the images in the first place. Happy face stuffing!...

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.

Red pants and Repetto shoes

Have you ever got the feeling of wearing something striking but acceptably conservative?

I did, with these chili red jeans from Guess. I initially have a deep-seated aversion to bright red, plus, I rarely wear striking bottoms these days. But to me it serves as a good option to escape from my uniform of khaki, grey and navy blue trousers that I wear to work on a daily basis. Sometimes a pop of bold color is all we need to spruce the outfit up, isn't it? 

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

First look: H&M Autumn 2012 (Part One)

I think most of Kuala Lumpur citizen are well informed regarding the news of H&M's inaugural opening in Lot 10 this September, thanks to the vast online spread. And obviously I'm lagging behind the coverage of its Autumn Winter 2012, which is all about metallics/ maximalism for women and tailored goodness for the men. Nevertheless I'm feeling elated over the opportunity to visit their showroom recently, which certainly gave me the chance to closely inspect the merchandises in person, and in effect, delved in to the details of the tailoring quality and tactilely stimulated by the fabrics. And of course, I get to compare the prices internationally.

In view of the possible lengthy commentary and image-laden entry (quite a rare occasion at Dunia Fashyon these days), I think it will be wise if I divided this post into two halves - both menswear and womenswear respectively.

Stripes and spots for the weekend

As the title suggests I have been wearing striped tees and spots quite often lately, evident in my previous outfit posts. Well, often is an understatement actually. More like on a daily basis. An abundance of Uniqlo stripes, that is. This time around I'm inclined to pair it with a loosely nautical-inspired hat from Uniqlo as well. I'm thinking whether I should post my looks at Uniqlooks because thus far the content of my wardrobe is gradually being replaced by more and more basics from the Japanese giant clothing label...

 

Uniqlo hat and top, Dockers pants, Miu Miu espadrilles, Ermenegildo Zegna reversible belt

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.

Men's style icons

I wished that they have published this book earlier so it could help me steer away from the misconceptions that I potentially have regarding menswear, as this book by Josh Sims simply contains concise information about the basic and fundamental pieces in a gentleman's wardrobe. It covers a range of history and development behind a whole lot of men's articles of clothing - from basics like underwear (boxers and briefs included) to the complexities of a three-piece suit, and even the minutiae of a Rolex. I'm simply amazed by how much I discovered about the trivial things behind the staples in a man's closet:  how Jockey underwear has gone a series of transitions to make it a key player in underwear business; why Barbour waxed jackets is still the top option for outerwear, and how Clarks desert boots made its way from being a military article of clothing to the go-to footwear for the Mods...

Is it aquamarine?

I always like COS (a more high-end, H&M sister brand) lookbook images. The clothes look simple, clean and finely-tailored. And the rather mannequin-like pose of the models serve a good view of the clothes on a person.

Not to mention the occasional pop of colours in every collection that makes me crave for the pieces even more. In this case, COS has released its Spring Summer 2012 lookbook and there's a particular shade of green that instantaneously caught my attention... a shade that my limited vocabulary cannot describe.

Is it sea green? Is it aquamarine? Well, perhaps a research for colour codes is warranted. Or perhaps simply coding the hue as COS SS12 is much reliable to remember?

Crisp white shirt is the answer

Sometimes I switch from my rather 'busy' outfit to having a simple one whilst window shopping. I think this helps a lot, especially in our tropical climate which does not really allow for multiple layering and such.

It is also rather convenient to have basic clothing on so to facilitate a trip to the dressing room...

 

Mexx mandarin-collared white shirt, Topman khaki trousers, Lacoste plimsolls, Celine Bi-cabas bag

On another unrelated note I thank Syazwan Rosman for diligently taking my outfit photos, and have that bit of patience with a rather fussy me. Loving that Peter Jensen SS2010 Watermelon Bag on you!

Too purple to be true

Whenever I travel I always try to bring clothes that I rarely wear during 'normal' days (did you know I wear bland shirts and reworked old trousers to work?). The reason being I feel rather uneasy to attract unnecessary attention at my workplace, you know, like that bad impression kind of attention. I do not intend to take the risk and possibly further tarnish my somehow feeble reputation at the hospital.

 I believe that even a big city like Kuala Lumpur has its reservations towards 'unconventional' clothing, so much so that in order to be 'fashionable' you have to wear something very conformist, safe and ultimately unimaginative. Once I pull out that non-conservative rabbit from the hat and walk around the city's biggest malls, almost immediately I'd get that stare, or sometimes even a whistle or two (the reason being, er, I dress too flamboyantly I suppose?), which somehow demotivates me to further experiment with clothes. 

 So I have decided to live in my own fantasy world of ridiculous and so-called tacky clothing whenever the time and location permit, for example during the trip to Singapore, of course!

I visited the Universal Studios in an almost top-to-toe purple outfit. Even the fake Marilyn Monroe in that thick American accent gawked in disbelief at my too colourful getup. But ironically the phony Joker from Batman complimented my bright-hued trousers. I personally prefer a darker wash than the current purple, so, I'm thinking to maybe dye them in an indigo blue to make them, well, more blue...

I'm almost blending in with the background, no?

I am wearing cowl-collared shirt from Topman, Miu Miu sleeveless tank, vintage trousers (my father's), Celine Bi-cabas bag, Jil Sander shoes, socks from Happy Socks.