Seoul shopping

My travel itinerary is not complete without a particular segment for window shopping/wallet-damaging session. In Seoul everything looks particularly expensive (not just clothes necessarily), especially the usual international fast fashion chains like H&M or Uniqlo. My tips is to go to the high streets of Myeongdong or Shinsadong (in Gangnam area) rife with Korean high-street brands (still a tad expensive but they have the quintessential K-Pop sleekness if that's what you're after), and needless to say cosmetics/skincare retailers like Nature Republic, Innisfree, The Face Shop, Skin Food, Missha are in abundance and priced better compared to the Malaysian counterparts. But for those who incline towards 'rarer' designer items, head on to the Dongdaemun area for cool and relatively affordable young Korean designer labels all housed in one modern complex called Doota. And certain neighbourhood like Itaewon boasts a slew of indie shops offering interesting curiosities that might not be available back home. 

Don't Thisappear

There is a good amount of respectable local fashion stores that are sprouting these past few years despite the well known fact that it's not an easy feat to sustain a fashion-related business in the country, let alone to push the fashion boundaries further with unorthodox business strategy. We all have heard about one of the alternatives in fashion Lah Lah Land closing its physical doors, and quite some time ago MUSA with its hyper-experimental merchandising strategy that unfortunately did not fare well with Malaysians' predictably safe fashion sense. How I truly hope that no more interestingly unconventional shop meet that same fate!

Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA opening

As a self-proclaimed shopaholic (a term that I cringe at to be associated with, but undeniably it is who I am), I've always on the lookout for discounted items be it online or offline. A bargain hunter, a discount hound, a promotion prowler - all these terms are quite naturally me, and promotions on the radio or the sight of slashed prices on merchandises would be the proverbial music to my ears and my version of eye candy. Up to a point that my friends are reluctant to go out with me just because I spend too much time ogling for the best designer bargains during our outings. So it was with a great excitement that I heard that the latest addition to Malaysia's 'proper' outlet malls (after Johor Premium outlet) was opening in due time this weekend.

Farewell Lah Lah Land

Eddie and Sun Khiew from Lah Lah Land

I was quite shocked to learn (from Instagram) that one of the most interesting independent stores in Kuala Lumpur is sadly meeting its final days of physical store appearance (they have been residing on the sixth floor of Sungei Wang Plaza for quite a while now). I have a fond memory of Lah Lah Land as one of, if not the only one shop that sells specialty vintage clothing in KL. And it was good to see them progressing into providing much needed flavour in the KL street fashion by introducing a selection of regional designers that are interesting and definitely unconventional.

Camper revolution

I've always been following Spanish footwear export Camper. In fact there were a few occurrences when I was itching to purchase Camper Together models, notably the ones from Bernhard Willhelm collab. Alas, further research revealed the company uses pig skin lining for most of the shoes. Religion versus fashion has always been a personal battle for me, but so far my stand is not to let 'frivolous' things like shoes compromise my faith and religious practice.

57 Years of...

The entries on DF seemingly turn into a government website these days isn't it? But don't get me wrong, it's so heart-warming feeling reading/listening to anecdotes on Malaysian unity. And watching Digi Merdeka ad does the same thing (clever play of multi-ethnic terms on 'brother' pulls the right nationalistic string in me). And I've been trying to feel a little bit more Malaysian by spending the Malaysian Day with a 5km fun run yesterday and had a short-but-sweet outing with Jaspreet a few days back. That included eating paneer thosai (my virginal experience), and discovering Tommy le Baker (didn't have any room in the tummy for more bread though). Looking forward to doing a 'heritage' trail of my own to discover the off-the-beaten tracks of Kuala Lumpur next time...

Merdeka Day like no other

When it comes to annual Merdeka (Independence) Day celebration I think I've seen it all - from the childhood/adolescent memory of attending the annual parade at Merdeka Square, watching Yasmin Ahmad's heart-wrenching Petronas merdeka adverts, to just lazing on the sofa listening to repetitive, pseudo-patriotic commentaries by TV presenters on TV1. But this time around there was something else in the book. I wasn't in Merdeka rut anymore, if you will.

Give more colours

If you read my post on my on all things colourful (or too colourful, sometimes), you could understand my apprehension on overly kaleidoscopic hues. Sometimes I do feel confident to wear gaudy colours, but sometimes I feel tired of coordinating and I want only all black wrapping my body. I envy those very disciplined fashion personae with monochromatic/all-white affinity - Ivana Carpio from Love Aesthetics, for example, is so restrained in her selection, that she owns nothing but blanc blanc blanc.  

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.

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.

Hi. I'm back! (And I just came back from Bangkok)

The sunny Thailand (photo taken at IMPACT Exhibition Centre)

Four months since I've penned down something in Dunia Fashyon. FOUR MONTHS! What was I thinking? The truth is, it takes much more than stringing sentences together to produce an appealing blog. And I feel that the energy required for maintaining DF has taken its toll on me.
Or maybe I'm just the biggest procrastinator in the world - whenever there's an urge to post something for the blog, that will be exactly the time where an evil voice speaks to me, pulling me away from my keyboard.

In a paltry attempt to revive Dunia Fashyon (and hopefully my online presence), I present to you my recent travel to Bangkok, Thailand. And for the time being, I'll keep it short and simple for anyone who are still following DF (thanks so much for the supportive comments from my previous post - never did I know that I have 'real' readers all this while).

Isabel Marant pour H&M - where do I stand?

Clément Chabernaud looking mighty fine in this ad. Up-close images of him taken by yours truly here.

The public release for the French designer collaboration with the Swedish clothing giant will only be on the November 14th, but naturally the images have leaked out prematurely (always a good way to build up hype and anticipation). The recent party in Paris is nothing but 'celebrating the collection' with all celebrities and famous models imaginable attending. It felt like a full-on excessiveness of the eighties.

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!

Carven Redux

Sometimes a recurrent obsession towards a particular item can be a bit pervasive and such is the case with my fixation with Carven's school-boy charm. This time around I acquired a short-sleeved cotton shirt with a contrasting detail from Club 21 Pavilion's summer sale in Kuala Lumpur. However despite the discount I believe it is still more affordable to purchase something from this label online (recent perusing post Club 21 buy revealed that similar shirt on topic but with a different colour way actually cost much less. Oh, the trials and tribulations of a bargain hunter).

Either way I'm loving the cute little detail of the collar and the micro-gingham pattern of the shirt. At one glance the texture does look a bit leather-y which managed to fool a clinic staff or two. And even though the shirt is size 3 (my last Carven acquisition was a size 2) I think it's still wearable but perhaps some customisation is in order. Here's to a perennial summer of Malaysia and never-ending child clothing obsession in me!

Cut me out

My affection towards unconventional shoes has been going on since the old Dunia Fashyon days, and you know I'm always on the look for unique, wearable shoes. But unfortunately the nature of my work only allows me to wear such footwear outside of working hours - hence the onslaught of conservative/classic-looking shoes on Dunia Fashyon Instagram as they are snapped during the odd few minutes of break in-between patient appointment.

Luxury stores of Milan and Paris

We have been scouring the streets of Milan and Paris for the créme de la créme of luxury industry - both renowned designers and obscured, unearthed gems. Window shopping and admiring the interior decorations and the conceptually dressed mannequins (and not just the goods on display) is part of the best indulgent activities whenever we are here. Here is our best selection, complete with the store addresses, in case you were inspired by this post and need to travel soon. But this by no means an exhaustive list of what these two fashion-centric cities have to offer - it is always good to be lost in the streets and discover the path less trodden...

Excelsior!

Forgive me as the inner paparazzi in me has been itching to sneakily capture images of boutiques that we visited whilst in Milan and Paris, where expectedly such photography is not allowed. But such is my commitment to blogging and exclusive coverage that I risked myself from getting thrown out by brawny security guards with these improperly-snapped images. First I'll start with the latest addition to the concept store scene in Milan - Excelsior.

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…

Demystifying Margiela

A fashion outsider like me would never have dreamt about possessing something from an evasive label that is physically unavailable in places like Kuala Lumpur. In a city where 'glamour' and 'excess' is celebrated over conceptual and low-key designs it is quite an obstacle to find fashion innovativeness in KL. True, we have a slew of promising new-generation local designers who are a breath of fresh air to the industry like Silas Liew, Jonathan Liang and Joe Chia (would love to blog about them in the future) but unconventionality is still far from penetrating the minds of the public; and clearly the progress is painstakingly sluggish.

Baden Baden Bundle, revisited

It has been a while since we covered recycled fashion (the term "thrift" is getting jaded ever increasingly, don't you think?) and what else can be refreshing than revisiting the enormous Baden Baden Bundle in Port Dickson? Thanks to my current post I'm situated a mere forty minutes or so from the used clothing outlet. My previous visit was at night and consequently there were dark photos with flashes but luckily this time around  I managed to pay BBB a visit in the broad daylight which promised better-illuminated images.