The New Look

I am lovin this music video from Japanese superstar Amuro Namie, styled by Patricia Field. The fashion is 60's inspired, with Twiggy looks, Mary Quant mini skirts, and mod prints.

A Caged Shoe Never Flies

These YSL caged shoes have been everywhere this season, but I've mostly just seen the ankle boot version. So being the shoe fiend that I am, I was excited to see the other caged styles that YSL offers. My fave is definitely the silver T-strap, that shape seems to be very flattering on everyone. What do you think? Which is your fave caged YSL shoe?

(Pictures from YSL.com)

Can't Get You Out of My Head

I've never been really good at doing my hair, so I usually just leave it down or put it up in a ponytail- boring! That's why I love all the new head pieces that are available, feathers, flowers, viels, there are so many options to easily embellish my once dull hairstyles. With a simple clip on flower or feathered headband you can change the whole look of an outfit.

I guess I first started getting interested in hair accessories during Project Runway season 5,in which Kenley proudly paraded around with various flowers and feathers in her hair. I liked the vintage quality Kenley gave them, I did not however care for her disrespect towards Tim Gunn! She has her own site where you can buy her head pieces, but they are quite pricey from $25 to $65. Yet they are probably good quality and will last a while. (Pictures from Kenleycollins.com)

Head pieces have really shot up in popularity quickly and you can find a lot of great handmade ones on Etsy. I picked out 3 of my faves above: I love the cherry hair clip from XhereliesbootsX, it's very 1940's pin-up. The peacock feather hair piece is from Kaang, she has a lot more great pieces in her shop. I also really like the 'English Roses' head band is really soft and sweet, perfect for high tea! It is from MyVintageLolita. (Pictures from Etsy.com)

So of course, like every other popular trend, Forever 21 is now offering a variety of head pieces. I really want a veiled clip, but I don't really care for the pink flower on theirs, it needs to be a different color. I love the black feather head band, I bought a bag of black feathers at Chinatown and one day I will attempt a DIY version. (Pictures from Forever21.com)

This weekend I went to Platinum Mall, it's a wholesale mall which means when you buy more than 3 pieces at a store the prices drop, so I stocked up on some hairpieces and headbands, shown above. They were only $2 to $4, between me and my friend we must have bought about 10!

But for those of you who have a lil more cash definitely check out Ban.do, they have such a large selection of beautiful and unique headpieces. They are really gorgeous, it was so hard picking out my favorites! (Pictures from Shopbando.com)

March 30 2009

Gold guitar necklace from Chinatown(Bangkok)-check out Noel Fielding wearing a very similar one HERE
Gold rings and ripped up black jeans from Chatuchuk Market
Tiered sheer black top from Siam Square
Bangles from Platinum Mall
Black Converse
(*Click picture to enlarge)

I Got All My Sisters With Me

Since I live in Thailand I thought it would be nice to showcase some of the talented fashion designers we have here and I'm going to start with Stretsis.

Background:
Stretsis was launched in 2002 by three sisters- did you notice that Stretsis is sisters spelled backwards! Pimdao is the head designer and she graduated from Parsons and worked with Marc Jacobs before creating her own line. Her two sisters joined her to help with marketing, PR, and jewelry design. The Stretsis style is very girly, sweet, young and fresh. They use a lot of fun,whimsical prints, nostalgic details, and soft fabrics. I don't always like dressing up in frilly pink clothes, but when I do get that urge to feel really girly Stretsis clothes are the perfect fit. Since their start in 2002 the brand has really taken off globally, they now have stockists all over the world (USA, Asia, Australia, Europe), have been featured in various US magazines (Elle, Teen Vogue, In Style), and their clothes have been seen on celebs like Rachel Bilson and Leighton Meester who wore one of their coats on Gossip Girl-shown below.

Autumn/Winter 08:
This collection was called Parallel Universe and it was very earthy, yet ethereal and mystical at the same time. The whole style could be described as enchanted, dreamlike, and mythical, yet Stretis was still able to maintain their trademark sweet, girly details. I love the digital printing of various animals like owls, unicorns, and deers, they reminded me of Camille(Childhood Flames) who wore a similar print HERE. I also really liked their structured, yet feminine, coats and the way that they layered their pieces together to create some great looks.

Spring/Summer 09:
This collection was entitled School of Rebellious Sweethearts and was inspired by traditional uniforms from old royal heritage to newer modern day prep schools. And since rules are for breaking Stretsis used bold prints and short hemlines to dress their rebellious school girls. I loved the use of trompe l'oeil and I liked how they still kept their signature style but also roughed it up with a little edge this time. I thought this collection had a really good range from day wear to fun frilly prom dresses, and from pants and shorts to sweet garden party dresses. See my favorite pieces below.

For more information including stockists and past collections check out their website: www.stretsis.com
(All pictures from Stretsis.com - click to enlarge)

March 28 2009

Black tee shirt dress
Star ring & layered chain necklace from Chatuchuk market(Bangkok)
3 other rings from a night market in Laos
Bangles from Khao Sarn Rd(Bangkok)
Studded bracelet & black canvas flats from Platinum Mall(Bangkok)
Lightning bolt necklace
Studded belt from Topshop

Do the D.A.N.C.E

I am currently saving up money for NYC by teaching dance (hip-hop & jazz) in Bangkok. Since I have been doing this for about 4 years now I am sick and tired of wearing sweat pants and tank tops everyday to work. So over the years I have been getting more interested in sports fashion and trying to find different ways to look fashionable while at the same time being able to dance in the clothes comfortably.

Nowadays sports brands are much more aware of and affected by fashion and trends, which has led them to not only offer more stylish pieces but also to collaborate with designers (Puma w/McQueen, Adidas w/Stella McCartney and Yamamoto, Nike w/Comme des Garcons). I would love to be able to afford Adidas by Stella McCartney (shown above), and I really love how she creates unique runway shows for this line with trampolines, treadmills, and often real athletes.

Above is the result of my searching through all the sports and dance wear brands to find fashionable and interesting pieces. Looking through all their clothes the influence that the brands take from current trends was very apparent. Nike actually has their own dance line which I love and I was actually lucky enough to receive a free pair of those white Nike dance shoes shown below (except mine have a gold swoosh!). I love them because they look like normal shoes, much unlike my old black clunky dance shoes, and yet they are very functional and comfortable to dance in. Nike dance wear offers a lot of basics that I just passed right by, but their colorful and patterned pieces drew me in. I like the pink and black hoodie and the black and white 'urban' leggings, the colors and patterns are very M.I.A. One dance brand I found, called Balera(shown inset on the right hand side), had some intriguing options that had similarities to the Fall 2009's runway including Preen's sheer geometric cutouts and Alexander Wang's slashed dress. Another vital trend that has been picked up by the sports wear industry is eco-conscious fashion. Adidas SLVR is a new line launched in February that uses sustainable materials like organic cotton and soybean fabric. They also try to reduce the amount of material they use, for example the 'zero waste tee' is made with only one piece of fabric that is cut and sewn with just one seam.

It is also going the other way around with sports wear inspiring the clothes we see on the runway. My favorite example of this is Alexander Wang who made sweat pants so sexy and chic (see above). I only wear my sweat pants to dance class or to bed, but Mr. Wang is making me rethink all this. His grey and black cropped, slouchy sweat pants look so good with his heels and loose tops. This is how I want to look at work, effortlessly cool, except I dunno if I could dance in those heels!

(*Click pictures to enlarge-runway pictures from Style.com, sports wear pictures from Nike.com, Adidas.com, & Dancewearsolutions.com)

Beach Break

Sorry for the lack of blogging I was at the beach for 3 days, and the wireless was way too expensive so I just spent all day tanning. So now I'm back a little red and ready to blog yet again!

March 23 2009

Black wedges from Forever 21
Pink&black checked dress from Khao Sarn rd(Bangkok)
Silver stud bracelet and rose ring from Platinum Mall(Bangkok)
Star charm bracelet and watch from Forever 21
'Live&Rock' ring from Chatuchuk market

(*click image to enlarge)

The Palette for Fall

Pantone released their fashion color report at the beginning of New York fashion week, above I compiled their top 10 Fall 2009 colors for women with looks from this season's runways:

Top: American Beauty from Louis Vuitton, Purple Heart from Stella McCartney, Honey Yellow from Chloe, Iron from Nina Ricci, Burnt Sienna from Prada
Bottom: Nomad from Boy by Band of Outsiders, Rapture Rose from Marc Jacobs, Warm Olive from Moschino Cheap&Chic, Majolica Blue from Thakoon, Creme Brulee from Rodarte

To see Pantone's full color report click HERE
(Colors via Pantone.com, Pictures via Style.com)

Art School Confidential

I love dressing up, especially for themed parties because you get to pretend to be someone else for that night. Last week my friends and I went to a school-themed party so we all dressed up as different stereotypes: the nerd, the prom queen, and the art chick. That's us at the party above and below are the outfits it inspired me to create. To see where to buy each piece click HERE

Meet Elizabeth and James

If you didn't already know, Elizabeth and James is Mary-Kate and Ashley's label that they launched in 2007. They named it after their brother and sister and it offers chic contemporary pieces with a mix of casual and dressy and masculine and feminine. This is one thing I love about their clothes, they blend the menswear inspired pieces really well with softer girly pieces.

Another thing I really like is MK and Ashley's aim for this label which is "to narrow the gap between designer and contemporary clothing". Their clothes are incredibly well-made and effortlessly chic, yet they are priced much lower so that women who cannot afford expensive designers can still get great quality and style. I love that the industry is starting to offer more and more fashion forward clothing at reasonable prices today. I think fashion should be affordable and available for everyone, and that is even more necessary now with the economic situation. It shouldn't be about showing off the brand you are wearing, but more about just having your own style and putting it together well. And I think MK and Ashley definitely understand this-they know how to style their outfits so well with a good mix of vintage and contemporary clothing. They always look unique and incredibly chic.

I love the latest Elizabeth and James collection and the way its styled and portrayed on their site is really cute! Above are my two favorites-I love the drape of the gray skirt and the color of the blazer and I never would have thought to pair them together. If you know me you know I just love black, it always looks so chic and it's flattering, so I really like the chic sexiness of the black outfit and the bow bracelet is adorable. Have a look at the rest of the collection HERE

(Pictures via www.elizabethandjames.us)

My Top 10 for Fall 09

Top:Preen, Alexander Wang, Johnathan Saunders, Marc Jacobs,
Stella McCartney
Bottom:Emilio Pucci, Louise Goldin, Christopher Kane, Erin Fetherston, Proenza Schouler

(pictures via Style.com)

One of my Favorite Places in the World

Chatuchuk weekend market is a gigantic outdoor market in Bangkok, it consists of aisles and aisles of stalls that sell basically everything including clothes, shoes, jewelry, home accessories, food, and even pets. I go there all the time to just wander around and shop, I love just getting lost and stumbling upon hidden treasures.
Here's what I bought today: a black leather motorcycle jacket, CDs(BatforLashes, NME mix, Born Ruffians, Cazals, PeteDoherty),AlexanderWang inspired black cutout dress, ripped up black jeans, and 3 layered necklaces.

The Opptimists vs The Pessimists

Fashion is often a reflection of the times, and with such a huge economic downturn everyone looked to the Fall 2009 runways to see how the designers would react and adapt to the current situation. Looking through all the shows this season it seemed to me that they were generally taking a negative or positive standpoint.

The optimists (above:House of Holland,Galliano,Erin Fetherston,Betsey Johnson,Preen,LV,Blumarine,Marc Jacobs) showed a range of brighter colors and more fun, flirty styles. Their aim was to offer beautiful clothes to make women feel better and cheer them up through this hard time. For example in Marc Jacobs' signature line he went back to the 1980's because he missed just the pure joy of dressing up. These designers also created more fantasy on the runway with whimsical designs like Galliano's fairytale folk princesses.

The pessimists (above:Calvin Klein,Michael Kors,YSL,Givenchy,Chanel,Fendi,Rag&Bone,Chanel) offered more restrained collections with sensible options for working women. Mostly grays and black were used and designers went back to basics showing well-tailored skirt suits. Many designers even opted to forgo sending luxurious evening gowns down the runway-Michael Kors showed a few knee-length cocktail dresses and at YSL the last look was a black tuxedo coat-dress.

In my opinion both sides offered good viewpoints and in the end they all showed beautiful clothes, whether they were understated or lavish. I understand the necessity for sensible clothing today and many of these pieces were elegant and timeless allowing them to be worn for years. However dressing up does always makes me feel better so I loved the fun and up beat collections as well. I think the two sides end up balancing each other very well.
(Pictures via Style.com)

The Platform is Set High

Chanel, Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, Dior, Nina Ricci, and Alexander McQueen
(Pictures via Stlye.com)

Shoes are probably one of my most favorite things in the world. They are just so beautiful, so beautiful in fact that I threw away my couch to make room for a huge shoe closet, which still doesn't hold all of my shoes.

For Fall 2009 platform shoes were abundant and kept getting higher and higher-here are some of my favorites: Chanel's simple black peep toe sandals were given a twist with a unique heel-Lagerfeld has been doing this a lot lately, remember the light bulb heel and the gun heel. John Galliano's wooden platforms for his signature line seemed to be supported even higher with a 2nd platform under the toe connected with a metal rod, and I like the shapes created by the straps- one of my friends described the look as very "bondage folk".

Ricci's and McQueen's beat out the rest though for the highest platforms this season. Olivier Theyskens' last collection for Nina Ricci was magnificent all the way down to the boots. Theyskens used these buzzwords for his collection- nocturnal, moonlit, and magical, and the boots were certainly magical as it seemed almost an impossibilty to walk in them. They reached up about 11 inches high and most incredibly they had no heel! I just love how the lack of a heel created this beautiful sickle shape at the back of the shoe. They definitely win my vote for most amazing shoe of Fall 2009, but probably also the most unwearable.

L'Enfant Terrible is Back in Full Force

(Pictures via Style.com)

I have loved Alexander McQueen for a long time and his Fall 2009 collection just reinforced my adoration for him. There are so many things I loved about his collection so I am going to have to organize my thoughts in list format:

1. The derelict factor- Zoolander is deifinitely in my top 10 movies so I thought it was great how he used this to showcase the theme of reinvention. The runway was covered in shattered glass and in the middle was a heap of 'trash' which was actually a pile of discarded props from McQueen's past shows. This theme carried onto the clothes as well with voluminously tiered cocktail dresses that appeared to be made of trash bags and headpieces constructed out of aluminum cans.
2. The combination of design elements- I loved the main color scheme of red, black and white, it led well to the severity of the collection. The patterns were also magnificent. Most were over-sized and cartoonish, from the houndstooth, to stripes to my absolute fave-the MC Escher inspired prints of birds that morphed into houndstooth. McQueen also utilized a range of textures from hard to soft. There was leather, hardware, and chainmail emphasize his tough egde, but he also went to other extreme by bringing in one of his favorite more gentle textures, with the use of feathers.
   
3. Reinvention- this was the reigning theme of the show and it went beyond just reinventing past trends. McQueen commented on the speed of the ever-changing fashion industry which expects designers to reinvent every few months. We saw him rework many aspects from his past (chainmail, feathers, biker look, well-tailored coats) and from others designers including, the Chanel tweed suit, Dior's New Look, Givenchy's LBD, and YSL's wrap dress. This theme emphasized that nothing is truly new as it is always connected to the past in some way. So though McQueen might not have shown anything 'new' this appears to be his point, as Sarah Mower from Style.com brilliantly explains, "This was a McQueen collection that didn't push fashion anywhere new. Yet that seemed to be exactly one of the things he was pointing to: the state of a collapsed economy that doesn't know how to move forward".
4. The rebellious showman- this is definitely one of the main reasons I have always loved McQueen-I am always attracted to the bad boy. And this season he really returned to his roots and reinforced why he got his name-l'enfant terrible. The clothes were severe yet had a hint of comedy and twisted beauty (pretty ugly is one of my new fave things). And though in the end they were not very wearable, as I'm sure McQueen didn't intend them to be, they are art that is meant to inspire. Personally that is what I look for in McQueen's collections, I can't afford high-end designers so I look to them more for captivation, awe, and inspiration, and perhaps in this economic recession where many can't afford luxuries, McQueen aimed to do just this. With other designers this season cutting back to basics and sensible styles, McQueen gave us a breathtaking show that made us think. And though severe and harsh at times, the collection also gave us that little bit of hope that in dark times there can still be dreams and fantasy!