1) Based on the book Desert Flower.
2) Waris Dirie, model and more importantly an activist against Genital Mutilation.
3) Liya Kebede.
4) STOP GENITAL MUTILATION! IT'S CRUEL AND INHUMANE!
5) I need to watch this show so badly.
1) Based on the book Desert Flower.
2) Waris Dirie, model and more importantly an activist against Genital Mutilation.
3) Liya Kebede.
4) STOP GENITAL MUTILATION! IT'S CRUEL AND INHUMANE!
5) I need to watch this show so badly.
My lazy mode has kicked in, and I am going to be a little slow on posting for this few weeks in the lead up to my examinations. Meanwhile, I shall leave you with this video. Directed by Justin Wu, and set to the smash hit, We Are Family by Sister Sledge, it is obvious that Boys and Girls of New York Fashion Week Spring 2011 video was created for two purposes. The first being to celebrate the fun side of fashion week. The second being, CAN I JOIN IN TOO?
If there was one backlash that the minimalist movement of fall had this season, it was the ominous white that had befallen on New York. Thankfully, Suno was amazing in every way possible, the greatest being able to cleverly predict the future, so as to capitalize on this creativity white-wash (a term that is so often used now, there's hardly a need to have quotation marks).
The designer duo of Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty managed to hit all the right notes of what a Spring collection should be. Incorporating the many different traditional Kenya kanga fabrics that were made in artisanal factories in the African nation, this collection had charmingly infiltrated every nook and cranny of my mind, subtly exerting its power and sending me off into delirious obsession. The references were not literal, it wasn't that banal tribal African look that had been done to death. Instead the clothes had an quirky, off-kitler quality that resembled a good ole' fashion collection. The skilled mix of prints and fabrics only added on to the hype that the duo might just be the new big thing to refresh the New York scene. Maybe it already has. No, that's a definite.
Perhaps this is the direction that I would taking on for Spring and justifies my inner print mixing that has been suppressed for far too long. It wasn't contrived, nor was it insanely hard to carry off. Now, is there any designer out there who is daring enough to create such prints for men? Seriously, maybe it's time for all of us to unleash our hidden print addiction.
Urgh, I don't know what happen to New York, but I'm not liking what I'm seeing so far. It looks like it's only appropriate to rethink what I've written in my earlier review, "Prints, how ground-breaking for summer?!" Considering what we have seen for the last few shows, any hint of colour and print would be able to make me go dizzy in joy. Somehow, somewhere, last season's minimalist looks have been translated into white, white, white and Calvin Klein-ish minimalist white for spring, which makes it utterly dull and boring. Isn't spring all about colours and prints and fun and optimistic fun? As Cathy Horyn aptly describes the severity of this situation, "if the white trend continues for spring, Barneys could end up looking like a bridal salon, or a uniform supply store for nurses."
Given my disdain for the colour, I can't quite fathom how I am actually attracted to the whites at Preen. Whilst Justin Thornton and The Bregazzi cite Egypt and the Arab countries as their main inspiration (probably not so much of the prints obviously but rather the play of light), what manifested in this collection was instead the clever balance between the sheer and luxurious. The color palette was incredibly therapeutic too, probably because it wasn't the same sheer white that designers have been ramming down our throats since the start of fashion week. It was more of a mix between white and grey and given a pastel-y treatment. And this, I am very very thankful of.
The sheer dresses have become a staple for the runway this season but I thought those from Preen were able to stand out from all the ghostly, "oops, this is a little too transparent, maybe we need a little of Lindsay Lohan heart pasties" frocks. The duo was able to find the right balance of transparency, which then translated to luxurious, silky, ethereal dresses, that was anything but vulgar. The details too were quite amazing, from the pleats and diamond, fishnet braiding to the more elaborate Grecian tile prints. This is again a time when I wish style.com had the detail shots (I know I've said this too many times.)
A pity style.com runway photos were a photography disaster. As such, I recommend everyone who hasn't yet been converted to head over to The Sartorialist.
I wasn't feeling the prints as much I wished I had, neither did the hair do justice to the clothes (the models looked like made-in-china barbie dolls replicas). But overall, the off-white tones and the suits (the belted suit below was my favourite) managed to seal the deal for me.
Fashion week has arrived (as if you already didn't know that) and instead of the usual suspects, I think I would like to cover more of the lesser known gems and newer talents which collections really resonate within me. But honestly, school is making it very difficult for me to go through every collection on style.com. But I'll try.
One of the first few designers that really wowed me this season was Michael Angel. For Spring 2011, he presented a collection that was based on prints and more prints. But before you start going into, "Prints, how ground-breaking for summer?!", I think Michael Angel was able to make them into light, ethereal dresses, and those were visually mind-blowing. Though I have to admit that there have been a couple of designers who have done the whole computer-genterated-prints-look, but seriously, I don't think anyone will ever get bored looking at them. There was also a hint of subversion in the use of men's shirting in the dresses, and this was a definite two thumbs up from a HUGE collar fan like me.
Now, let me enter my fanboy mode (instead of the sophisticated ways style.com reviewers usually are.) I loved the genius use of layers in this collection. The idea of revealing and hiding has been seen on the runway more times than none, but I thought the use of latex, (which reminded me of Patrik Ervell) was ingenious in getting the message across. Layered over the dresses, it was a interesting take on the perception of prints and colours . Though it may seem pointless to incorporate latex over a skirt, I felt the way it was cut (the tailoring was A+ by the way) and how it was thoughtfully placed, gave it depth and a whole new form of texture.
I think Michael Angel needs to make this latex and prints work for men, or otherwise, I demand this collection to GET ON ME!
I woke up today, with a strange sense of excitement, one that is usually reserved for Christmas mornings and the start of school breaks. Perhaps it was the dream I had last night, and its content I shall not tell. But more than that, I think I can attribute it to a plethora of reasons. As I switched on tweetdeck this morning, I could almost sense that something big was happening (and I was left out of it), the immense adrenaline diffusing from the screen to reality hardly make things better.
Abbey Lee had grown platinum blonde hair, or perhaps she always had a great way of covering up the fact that she was an albino all this while. Until now that is. And as I continued to scroll down, there came fast and furious, the unpleasant "reminders" that I had feared previously. Do I really need to know the "cult of Kate Lanphear", or Chanel Iman arriving at a Chanel Party, or Alexa Chung being the most enthusiastic dancer (and a whole lot more about some Chanel party that only served to make me hate this cruel world more than before)? Were all these tweets planned-lying dormant all this while, only to explode on us poor measly creatures and mocking our sad predicament? This, I believe was the work of the "high-up-there"s at Lincoln Centre. (And because of that, I'm demanding a life-time pass for fashion week.)
And as the truth started to sink in, my excitement slowly morphed into a vortex of emptiness. It was NYFW and I'm stuck 12 hours into the future, in Singapore. Which meant live-streaming would mean nothing, unless someone invented some sort of magical way to live-stream them into my dreams. And so for all you sad sad creatures out there who are curling up on your beds, still waiting for that elusive fashion week invite that might just never arrive, here's another reminder, "IT'S NYFW! AND YOU'RE HERE AND NOT THERE!" Let's all huddle together and cry. For the Lord may hear us. And might just send us into the arms (or rather the seats) of Rodarte.
Photo of Altuzarra Spring 2011 preview via vogue.com
It is funny how I am addressing this topic now and not trying to find ways to push this right to the back of my brain. Get this: I have fashion loving parents. As with any lucky, successful fashion editor, my mother used to have monthly subscriptions to Bazaar and Vogue. From young, I was amazed by the beautiful ladies and more importantly the beautiful clothes in these glossies. Occasionally, (ok i am lying. I meant every single time I was not sewing a dress for a doll), I would sneak out a glossy from the massive towering stack and be in awe of what I was holding-the bible. When I was 10, I was darn sure I was going to work in the fashion industry-I was going to be make pretty dresses for the most elegant and sophisticated ladies, I was first going to show in New York then the couture runways of Paris. So I'll stop you here, I have come to realise that my brain had messed up my memory with Karl Lagerfeld's (or just about any blogger/editor/designer) life story. Oh and I almost forgot to include another story that usually starts with, "My mother/grandmother used to work as a seamstress........." To think I was enjoying myself with that frivolous piece of writing.
My life is nothing like this, far from it in fact. I have parents who think fashion is a disgraceful profession. Just like any conservative asian mum and dad, I hardly think they would approve of a career choice (ok I'm very sure they don't) that involves price tags with multiple zeros at the end (not the front, that would make a whole lot of difference) and supporting a lifestyle, to quote "something that god wouldn't approve of".
But kids, I think I'm a professional parent handler, and here's what's gonna happen:
1) If you are darn sure that your parents hate fashion, my tip is that you're not gonna tell them anything about it. You're not ever in YOUR GODDAMN TEENAGE LIFE tell them that you have a fashion blog and you're not going to tell them that you have spent your entire savings on magazines. You're not even allowed to bring out your magazines at home. You will have to imprison them in a green Ikea box and keep them all in it. (Get five, one box will last you one season the very most.) Even if they're this teeny eeny tiny close to opening that box, you're gonna stop them, and if you can, you swear that you would disown all ties with them if they ever open the box (or maybe something less severe would be good). The box must be sealed when you're away, no one except you will have access to the holy of holies. THE SECRET MUST BE SAVE! Most importantly, this is to prevent them from burning your hard-earned glossies when you are shipped off to summer camp. I swear, PARENTS ARE CAPABLE OF ANYTHING (oh don't you just love CAPS in times like this)!
2) Again, if you are darn sure you're not getting (or be able to get) into fashion school after secondary school, you got to start saving up. You have got to scrimp and save every single cent you can from not spending on magazines or photography. Because your parents are not going to pay for your education in fashion school. They would rather donate this money to the "AFRICA DOESN'T NEED THE MONEY. WE HAVE MADONNA AND ANGELINA JOLIE. BUT YOU'RE WELCOME TO ADOPT MY KID" fund than to the fund that brings you to Parsons or Central Saint Martins. Nor the fund that you have based your teenage life on, nor the fund that you have bet your dreams and everything you had on.
3) You get your fucking ass out of this god damn country immediately after you finish your military service. You will use that money you save up, and buy a one-way ticket to either London or New York. These are where the opportunities are, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, the start of your (tough) but ultimately, the most beautiful dreams realised (now I'm sounding like some kind of motivational speaker. Bleh.) In London, you make sure that you get to work in i-D. That is where the greatest minds are, where the geniuses work at. It is there that the magic happens and gets produced. In New York, Anna will no doubt have you in her Blackberry contact list, Steven Meisel will know you by your middle name (even if you don't have one) and that you will have all the designer's collections within your reach. (An added bonus: Edward Enninful, Grace Coddington, Lucinda Chambers will be your best friends.)
4) Also, please note that your parents won't provide you anything more than Zara or Topman or high street. Don't you just love Comme and Yohji and Dries and Lanvin? Be prepared to be disappointed, because none of these will be in your reach. You can always try stealing or shop-lifiting, the chances are low but there's definitely no harm trying, right? (I'm sure that there's no harm. You would probably be called into some dark room at the back of the store, and upon seeing your cute little Bambi eyes, they would gift you ten more of those you tried stealing.) Or you could always dream them in your dreams? Aren't they so lovely and within your reach? *plays the song, 'dream a little dream of me' *
5) And finally, it is only appropriate for you to leave a simple message for all your detractors and haters (refer to the link). Preferably, in the words (and voice) of Courtney Love (complete with fist pumping actions and microphone-shouting).
And with that, I shall end off my post. I don't know how successful my plans are but we'll have to wait and see........
Or you lovely people could always share even more tips/life-stories right down there, because I'm sure that angsty (love this new word I just learned. I'm so not in touch with my generation.) teenagers out there will be grateful.
PS: This post was written when I was in my angsty teenage mode. Forgive me.
PS 2: I'm too lazy and angsty (I told you I like using this word) to correct all the grammatical mistakes, so maybe when I'm in a happier mood (or feeling less lazy), I will edit this.
With the impending doom of New York Fashion Week (that, I obviously, meant the many reminders that I will be getting that I'm stuck here and not there) and the new fashion season, there are bound to be many new interesting faces, both the new-new and the old-new (think Lindsey Wixson and Tati Cotliar). But I digress-isn't it ironic that designers and casting directors are constantly on the look out for interesting and 'edgy' looks, yet at the same time, require these models to look like clones of one another, marching down the runway in the same monotonous manner?
There's no doubt that with every new fashion season, there will too be another wave of new models. Cathy Horyn has pointed and picked them out here in her new post. But more than that, what I'm really looking forward to this season is whether designers will practice what they preach. It wasn't quite long ago that we saw the inclusion of Victoria Secrets models or the curvaceous, boobs-and-ass models. Designers seemed to be moving towards a new sensibility-that of the real women and not 16 year old girls. Will we see the continuation of this look or is it just another passing *gasp* trend? Time will tell.
Here are the models that I will be looking out for this fashion week and will be betting my last buck that they will be the ones. And trust me, in a matter of a few seasons, everyone will know them by their first name.
1. Sun Fei Fei
She's not entirely new. Sun Fei Fei has been on the cover of Vogue China, has walked for the likes of Dries Van Noten and Christopher Kane last fall and was on the lookbook for Proenza Schouler's resort collection. But this season, I have a feeling she will be HUGE! As quoted by casting director, Ashley Brokaw, "Fei Fei doesn’t look like anyone else. She’s an exceptional beauty". Sun Fei Fei is definitely my favourite asian model and one of my latest model obsessions. Also she reminds me of the really cool person in school who seems so aloof but is just so darn cool. How is it even possible for anyone to look like that, I need to know!
2. Valerija Erokhina
I don't even know why I'm including Valerija here because I don't think she should even be called "new". I just really like her so I'm including her here (talk about being a 'professional' blogger). Isn't she the most perfect grungy-looking person ever?
3. Bambi Northwood-Blyth
Bambi-a strong brow and a strong face. Interesting.....
4. Julia Nobis
I wonder if anyone realised that when Julia walked for Calvin Klein, Prada, Miu Miu, Dolce and Gabanna, Celine and Marni among others last fall (and that was only her first season), the heavens cried and the angels sang because a legend was born, albeit on the runway (ok, I might be a little melodramatic over here). I am intrigued, very intrigued by her androgynous looks. She reminds me of the awkward, outcast at school who likes to talk mathematical formulas and corrects you that a tomato is not a fruit. Kinda like me but ten times more amazing. OH GOD, CAN I MARRY HER?
