i-D September 2007

I think Gemma Ward is the most amazing Aussie model export since Elle Macpherson (who, I admit, I don't really care about. Let's just say that she was before my time...), so imagine my reaction when I was looking through i-D's myspace and came across the September cover! I almost squealed when I saw it. She means something to mebecause she drew me into the fashion world like a moth to a flame.

My hands are itching to get a copy...





Cred: myspace, TFS

High up

Do we really view extravagant prices as just another fact of life? Are we buying pricey luxury goods to prove to the world that yes, we do have the money (and hence the status and worth) to consume them? According to NYT, then yes! We do- with the increased profits of LVMH, Gucci group and the Prada group as proof. If you ask for my answer, I'll say yes to the first question and uncertain for the second. I'm going to call our immunity to the price tag the department store shopper's habituation syndrome. Happens all the time. You shop at those nice calm beautiful department stores like Barney's for a few hours and come out being able to justify a $200 Tshirt as a bargain. Our motives to buy luxury goods, however, goes a bit deeper than that... because it really depends on how secure we are socially. I mean, I like designers because of the quality (If a high end brand doesn't the quality, I won't buy it!) and (obviously) the design... from the avant-garde and the intricately designed to absolute classics like Chanel and Hermès. Others might want to feel the satisfaction of knowing they 'fit' into a certain 'elite' because of it. Or maybe, it's just expected as part of the job description.

And the dollar plays a part in affecting these imports. I know the Australian dollar is on my side at the moment. The US dollar not so well, I know. It always seems to have this flip side- the two dollars head in opposite directions. Strong USD means a weak AUD and vice versa. The AUD has been doing smashingly well and very very strong.

1 AUD = 0.8582 USD.

Does that mean I should be spending more? (I sure hope so... )
Cred: NYT

Quote Snap

I have a tendency to stare at those who wear fantastic outfits: Wonderful styling. A pair of patent fire-engine-red pumps. A nicely cut jacket. A stunning scarf. This Quote of The Daily, from NYT photog Bill Cunningham pretty up sums up my habit to a T:

I'm looking at the clothes, not the people... you know me!

Apologies in advance if you feel self conscious under my scrutiny! It's just my way of appreciating fine fashion and good taste!

The Fashion Divide

I never really thought about the great difference in the cultural divide between the democratic West and the religion-centric world of the East until now. Perhaps we should feel privileged to be allowed to "dress like models", when Iran are now cracking down on "those who have Western-style haircuts and clothing" as the government/police "are going to act against clothes shops and hairdressers", according to an SMH article. How ironic when Iranian women are considered to be pushing boundaries by showing ankles and fashionable hairstyles under scarves when we go about in short shorts (or, in Sienna Miller's case, a black one piece swim wear) in Summer! And my God, how lucky we are!

In times like these, I think it's impossible not to be glad for the freedom of choice we have (no matter how terrible the leaders of our countries might be)...
Cred: SMH

HC AW07: A Roundup- Part II

I haven't updated in a while because I've been busy, what with the new college semester starting and all that. There's been problems with my enrollments and hence, makes life slightly hectic. But I did promise you the Part II overview of Couture (a long long time ago) and I would hate to break the promise! I really do love you guys for reading my rants as I embark of my many flights of fancy...
Christian Lacroix

















Quinessentially Lacroix in concept and design- that slightly dark, half medieval feminine style with a contemporary twist. Fancy, patterned and so womanly, his collections always make me think of crown jewels and grand ladies of the by-gone eras strolling through London in their dainty dresses holding parasols!! I can almost see it in my mind's eye!

Chanel

























I'm just not sure what the Kasier was going for in the last piece. Odd, no? Personally, I can't really imagine anyone wearing that wedding dress anywhere... unless maybe in er- Alaska? Apart from that, the collection was a bit 1920s flapperish. I think I was paying more attention to the gloves than anything else though. They are quite beautiful, don't you think?

Jean Paul Gaultier
















The opening look, head-to-toe, is so me. LOVE it. Very cool and slightly sportswear inspired. Everything else was just as chic and cool, very regal (there was even crown head gear throughout!), very military in its stiff decorated shoulder boards, and of course- the dominant menswear trend which is still going strong!! I would pick up that darling brown jacket in an instance, if only I was rolling around in money.

So overall for this season, in my opinion, I'd have to say: JPG for day, Elie Saab for night! Hmm- does anyone know where I can find a billionaire boyfriend to finance this project? Hehehe...
Cred: style.com, TFS

I'm so glad!!

Borders has finally arrived at the shopping center that I practically live next to, and while some of you might find this strange, I am SO HAPPY! I love the huge collection of books available there, and of course- the excellent magazines: all those foreign titles!! It's very convenient for me, even though Borders could never replace Kinokuniya. That is a real true bookstore with this great up-to-date section filled with art and design books (may I say it's one of the best things to happen to Sydney retail in a long time?), a nice manga collection and lots of beautiful magazine racks!

I guess my bank account is not very excited about the prospect of Borders being so close now that I think about it...
Photo cred: imdb

HC AW07: A Roundup- Part I

Well... the AW07 Haute Couture has come and gone, which means- time to do a little overview of the shows! It's almost like an obligation since Couture is the creative backbone of fashion in a sense... a time for designers to remove the boundaries of reality and roam free in each of their respective artistic worlds!

Christian Dior
I appreciated that the collection and the show was ideologically succinct and strongly based on perfectionism. So much, that I dedicated a whole post to it: read it here if you haven't already.

Givenchy

































To me, Givenchy had quite a disappointing start but a great finish! I kept asking myself "Why the head-to-toe leopard?" in the beginning since I have always related that with the Dolce, D&G, Versace, DSquared and Cavalli lot- leaning more towards the Italian designers really (I'm not quite sure why-)! However, I think the leopard outfit here (the jacket at least) is somewhat acceptable because of the gradient. Anyway, let's get onto the good part: the white dresses at the end which were detailed, modern and oh so great! That intricacy and the attention to detail in the back! I'm savoring it, since it's not often that you notice the back of an outfit when scavenging on style.com or the likes. Because well... for obvious reasons, photographers tend to take snaps of the model front-on! So- love love love from me!

Elie Saab

















I have to say it's by far my favorite out of all the Couture!! A flowing slim silhouette, the lacy sheer soft delicate fabrics, the elegant embroidery and those fine dresses!! Some of them slightly grecian. Every one of them red carpet worthy! Elie Saab made the most exquisite wedding gown out of all the AW07 offerings- will you just look at that!! Also, is anyone noticing that little white/ silver color trend coming through?

Armani Privé
















Comme ci comme ça apart from maybe 4-5 looks (I included two here), I suppose. Loved the way the color is done on the first dress, it's absolutely darling! And wow to the structure of the second dress- an otherwise plain dress get elevated to another level! I'm not saying that the overall collection was terrible by making my comme ci comme ça judgment, because Armani does clothes wonderfully, but most of it was a bit too bland for my tastes. Couture is all about vision but it seems like Armani Privé often has RTW tendencies. The marketable. And I admit, the definitely more wearable. To me though, that detracts from HC itself...

Part II up soon, including Chanel, Lacroix and Gaultier!
Photo cred: style.com (because I was too lazy to go dig for HQs!!)

Beyoncé and the Balen

Beyoncé Knowles's performance at the 2007 BET awards in that famed pair of Balenciaga robo-gold leggings:
Fashion Orgasm makes a valid and good point:

Don't those leggings only come in a size negative 1/0/2? I really can't imagine Nicolas Ghesquière customizing a pair just for this booty humpin' performance.

Come to think of it, neither can I. Weren't those leggings made for pin-thin model-long legs (as opposed to Beyoncé's bootylicious body)? Quite frankly, I feel she makes this $100K fantasy look more like a dime store reality than anything else. Let's do a little comparison, why don't we?

















The visionary SS07 Balenciaga runway vs Beyoncé. I think you all know how I feel about this, but there are more images available at justjared. Judge for yourself.
Cred: fashionorgasm, justjared, style.com, youtube

Backstage charm

I love looking at backstage images because it depicts the madness and frenzy that is compulsory in preparing for any fashion show. That and the excessive amounts of fun the models appear to have (as well a glimpse into chic model style)! Currently, I've got a model crush on Belarusian Tanya Dyagileva because 1. She is a stunner and looks oh so ethereal! And 2. She delivers the ultimate poses backstage (hence, the photographers love her-)! Tanya scores bonus points because she's got a TFS account and is an absolute darling on there!

Here is the crème de la crème (all from AW07 Prêt-à-Porter), because I must absolutely share them with you!











I can so imagine seeing these in the fashion magazines that I read! The close-up would fit so well as the front of a beauty section in my opinion!


Photo cred: TFS (of course!)

HC AW07: Christian Dior

Galliano promised an excellent and therefore highly anticipated Haute Couture show for the house's 60th anniversary... and where better to host it than Orangerie at the Versailles! The collection was HC in a very conventional way, going back to its roots for this special occasion. I adored the vast amount of references Galliano made in those extravagant ball gowns, even though it did make my head spin, because they consequently made be feel displaced by several decades: like I was revisiting history! All the exquisite details, the luxurious fabrics, the headpieces and the impressionist color palette! References to artists like Degas (one of my favorites!), Renoir and Goya. WOW. I am completely feasting upon this collection- it was even more of a production than Dior's usual shows!
This is one of my favorite looks. There was 8 hours of preparation for the show and worth every minute of it just by looking at the makeup! Each look was different to suit the outfit. Perfectionism at its best!











Headpiece with strong artistic references. This one is beautiful, and has a connection with Degas' dancers. So marvellous! What do you see in this detailed pic below?











It's the infamous affair of the necklace!

Oh, I almost forgot the mention how great these shoes are!! Such elegance in the shape of the wedge. I see a little Marc Newson/ Frank Gehry in the metal...





This show is a beauty, very elaborate but in that somewhat generic couture beautiful sort of way. I have to admit I appreciated the japanese influenced SS07 HC collection a whole lot more, mainly because of the originality... but despite my opinion, you must check it out! I only put a tiny sampling of what's offered, so go either to TFS or style.com(among others) to look ! (Personally, I recommend TFS because of the HQs- but you need patience because the thread is HUGE! Try searching "HQs" in the thread- that may help you.)
Photo cred: style.com, TFS

AW07 Campaigns: Part II

It seems like a good time to do a continuation of my campaign review now that some more ads have surfaced (For Part I, click here). Hint to anyone who love to collect tear sheets, go and buy the August UK Elle! Not that I know directly- it's just that Manuva of TFS scanned in so many ads from that magazine (it's impossible not to love that community and everyone there)! Ok, let's see... which ones shall I cover in this post-
Bottega VenetaThis is a firm equal first with the Pringles ads!! That melancholic atmosphere coupled with the lighting! I think the beautiful dresses both juxtaposed and complemented the mysterious mood... making me think of femme fatales and dark bedrooms in that fabulous film noir style. It's also interesting that these ads couldn't have been more different to the SS07 ones, which had that fantastic old-world-classy Audrey Hepburnesque glow about it (Inguna anyone?), but both really fits the house to a T.

Chloé

These ads are very very much Chloé, and I think that's about all I can say! I guess they decided to stick with their tried, tested and true formula for the brand's target audience. I'm not too sure about Shalom Harlow though, she seems a bit too elegant to be the easy-going au naturale beautiful Chloé woman. Apart from that, great to see Freja in Chloé and my God! Anja is totally rocking her new beautiful Edie haircut!



Costume National
It gets a mention because of Julia Stegner, who have been fronting Hugo Boss wonderfully for quite a while until she got traded in this season for Catherine McNeil! Really wish Boss had kept her...



and finally, Calvin Klein Jeans











Which is, like the Chloé ones, very typical of the line. Or shall I say, the style of these ads is almost synonymous with the brand! Does anyone else see something just a tiny bit like MK Olsen in the left ad? The facial expression maybe?

I am expecting more ads to come through in those big September issues, so there will probably be a Part III in all of this!
Photo cred: TFS

Hello, good friend!

It feels like forever since I made a habit of stopping at the Biotherm counter in Myer every so often, wondering when they will start shipping their makeup range over here... so imagine my surprise when I found its foundation range in store!! Australia finally caught up!

I've been buying the Biotherm Sense Aquaradiance liquid foundation in my annual trip to Hong Kong since 2004, when I first discovered this brand on board a long haul flight in those little toiletry bags. Now it's one of the few products I swear and stand by through thick and thin (Haha- that sounded so melodramatic...)! It provides a very smooth subtle coverage that suits my very very dry skin and is therefore excellent for my daily no-makeup makeup routine (that I think is a girl's best friend in my opinion-)!

Go take a peek. Really. It's that good!
Photo cred: Biotherm