t.r.e.n.d: Circles...

This is an extension to our previous post of scalloped edges... (view it here)

because now there're spots, lumps and ruffles too!

This looks like a mega-trend this season, and I absolutely adore it...some pieces that are not to be missed include:


(left) Andrew Gn red scalloped coat (available at neimanmarcus.com) and (right) Proenza Schouler's round metal-framed sunglasses.

Scallops aside, the polka dot resurfaced and multiplied at a high frequency on the runways too...

(left) Wrapping the entire body at House of Holland and (right) going retro at Michael Kors.

The circular structure was also spotted on many runways too.

(left) A circular skirt with a bustier makes an interesting dress at House of Holland, (right) and Comme des Garcons' soccer-inspired collection was nothing short of circular structures.

Runway photos source: style.com
Photo sources: style.com/ the fashion spot

Dong Dong Dong Qiang! Red and Prosperous for the arrival of Chinese New Year...

It's the second day of Chinese New Year!

Before I proceed to my post, I would like to thank JustJR, for putting mode-ulation on her list of 2009 mini guide. We express our sincere thanks!
JustJR makes excellent collages that keep up with the trends of the fashion world, her works are a must-see, so do visit her blog: http://blog.justjr.com/

Now, red represents fortune and prosperity in the chinese culture. During this period of the year, children will receive red packets (known as ang pows) from their elders, and red decorations such as firecrakers and couplets will adorn homes.

Everyone would dress in new clothes, preferably of a prosperous shade, that is, red. But not all that is red is Valentino, designers like Diane von Furstenberg, too, sent red down the runways this season. My favourite is this Dolce & Gabbana dress shaped like what else but a red packet!

A simple red shift dress like that of Lanvin is ideal for the occasion ,while a casual red dress is incredibly sexy with black stilettos (John Galliano) and an off-shoulder is really feminine with flowers in your hair (Diane von Furstenberg).

Something more relevant to Chinese New Year is the familiar brocade pattern found on silk (bottom first Andrew Gn), or engravings often seen on pillars of a Buddhist temple (bottom second, Dries van Noten). Take these two runway looks for example -- they're risks worth taking to get into the festive mood!

I really wish to own a dress that gives a twist to traditional chinese culture, and this Jason Wu dress with Chinese paper cut prints would be perfect! Young and feminine, it is a mix of tradition and modernity, ideal for Chinese New Year visitations!!

Runway photos: style.com

Misc. images: Google images

Have a blessed new year!

Happy Chinese New Year!

According to the Lunar calendar, it is time to usher in the year of the Ox- Happy Chinese New Year everyone!


Netiger Spring 08

新年蒙恩！万事如意！心想事成！富贵满堂！

Spotlight: Kiata Kwanda

Kiata Kwanda showed at Singapore Fashion Festival last year together with 4 other young Asian designers. Brought up in a traditional Chinese family, he is strongly influenced by Asian cultures and incorporates Oriental lines and forms in his designs.





source: kiatakwanda.com

His past spring 08 collection is truly avant-garde, reflecting his design aesthetics and attention to details and fabric. It expressed both his individuality and roots as an Asian designer, with the use of traditional chinese knots and intricate pleats. In his clever juxtaposition of sheer and tough black fabric, his clothes appear sleek and stylish, yet a far cry from commercialism.

While Singapore is giving SFF a miss this year in preparation for a bigger event in the year to come, I really hope that they will continue to bring in more rising Asian designers like Kiata Kwanda who are cutting-edge and innovative.

Let the Ad out of the bag: THUMBS UP of the season PART I

The composition, the colours, perfect and flawless...

My personal FAVE: MISSONI

This ad looks like a page out of an editorial that features fresh spring faces that rejuvenate the senses. Missoni has never failed to surprise once again -- from last season's dark green leafy and mysterious setting to this spring's pastel hued flowery prints, the ads are always clean cut with interesting compositions and excellent retouching -- don't the models look like mannequins? This really is my fave of the season even though only one ad is out.

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Simple yet elegantly and mysteriously beautiful...

GIORGIO ARMANI

Every season, Giorgio Armani showcases the clothes' fluidity and movement, choosing to display the elegance of its signature soft, flowy gowns that flatter every woman's body. With a monochromatic palette and sharp contrasts, the texture and silhouettes of the clothes are featured beautifully on supermodel Sasha Pivovarova who looks like a Greek Goddess. That fierce stare of hers brings out an effortless contrast of hard and soft, producing a stunning piece of work.

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Interesting and silently sensual...

BOTTEGA VENETTA

When I first saw this ad, a real life Cluedo appeared in my mind. The still posture of the models, standing in what seems to be a library in a mansion at midnight contribute to the eerie silence that hangs in the air. Tense? Not quite. Sophisticated and mysterious, rather. As compared to the previous seasons' blurry ads, this season's ad is more still and composed.

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Original, never seen before...

MAX AZRIA

2008 Olympic Gold-medallist gymnast Nastia Liukin shows off her moves in wedges and dainty dresses in this season's ads for Max Azria. A clean background is a wise choice, as it emphasizes the movement and energy of the powerful kicks and stunts. I really love how her solid moves bring out the soft drapery of the dresses too.

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Totally fierce and sexy...

DSQUARED

What's hotter than two supermodels wrestling in Dsquared's signature revealing black gowns? I really love the dusty and dirty setting and the contrast between Naomi Campbell's dark skin and Linda Evangelista's fair white skin. In all, this is really fierce and it works!

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Strongest cast, most strategic and impactful...

PRADA, BALENCIAGA

Nothing can go wrong with a powerful cast of supermodels-to-be and Prada's ruched bras and bags. Wearing fierce expressions on their faces, these blonde beauties make up and awesome shop display. This campaign is definitely strategic as it showcases so many outfits in a two-page spread.

Balenciaga exudes a mysterious, eerie feel by creating stairways to the future, and placing a robotic models in the shiny, futuristic dresses that stand out against the background. I really like the greenish-silvery colour scheme that adheres so well to the theme.

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Laid-back tranquility, simply soothing to the senses...

BURBERRY PRORSUM

This campaign calms the nerves. As compared to the fierce and mysterious campaigns of other big fashion names, Burberry encourages us to relax in these recession times. Shot against an old English country garden setting, this campaign exudes an inexplicable tranquility and beauty of the trenches and dresses in earthy tones.

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Beautiful colour schemes, balanced compositions, showing off the clothes perfectly...
BLUMARINE, CHLOE

Although I'm a little appalled at the choice of model for Blumarine's campaign (Natasha seems a little too fierce), the pastel hues and beautiful background really exudes an ancient greek Goddess feel that goes so well with the gorgeous silk Blumarine gowns.


Chloe, on the other hand, opts for a rocky background so as to make the satin clothes appear more outstanding. I also really love the centralized composition of the ad.

Image Source: The Fashion Spot

t.r.e.n.d: scalloped

(left,right) Christopher Kane ss09 and (centre) Chloe ss09

source: style.com

This spring is the ideal season to conjure up new, billowing silhouettes as seen on the runways such as Christopher Kane and Chloe. The scallop-edged napel yellow coat and sheer jacket sure has a hint of summer freshness in them. Scallop edges are not only limited to outerwear, but their mini versions are also spotted on hemlines and skirts, lining pants and cropped blouses. It is indeed refreshing to see such details on fine threads, on top of the doodles, speech bubbles and spines of cartoon dinosaurs.

With positive space comes negative space- this Casadei peep-toe gladiator is one of a kind, with scallop-shaped cut-outs and a horn heel sculpted like an art deco piece.

source: style.com

NAFA Open House 09

We visited NAFA on saturday to take a look at the student works and the campus (even though we were going to junior college). There were many other young sec 4 students too. It was really an eye-opening experience and I particularly enjoyed the works which won the Crowbar awards done by the Design and Media students, and touring the fashion campus.

I really loved Ridhwan's illustrations on anorexia (first came upon his work at here through vogueite's blog). They were really stylish and fun. The fashion campus on bencoolen street was not very big, but it had really high-tech equipment used in the industry other than just sewing machines, such as those that create buttonholes, smocking and so on. There were student works like mood boards and sketches, and photos of graduating collections on display that were rather impressive. We also attended two talks on the fashion industry.

The one titled Insights into Fashion Business was by lecturer Stephanie Besserer, who is a swedish visual merchandiser and fashion designer, who worked for H&M (wow) before, and studied at ESMOD tokyo. She designed many window displays and described her job as something challenging yet interesting, as fast paced fashion retailers will need to change displays often and she has to follow with the flow. She is now starting a label in dancewear.

The second was by designer Bernie Xu, who gave us a talk on Starting a Fashion Label. He talked about the research and design process, followed by a Q&A. It became more interesting when he talked about an interview he had with the board of Central St Martins when he studied fashion in NAFA. They rejected him and encourage him to join London College of Fashion instead. He was really frustrated and when he asked them why he was not accepted, they told him that he has no tattoos, does not drink/smoke etc. which was prevalent in their school. Now he's really thankful that he did not enter CSM too as the school's culture may not be suitable for everyone.

The trip to NAFA was really enjoyable as we got a free goodie bag! And we learned much about fashion education and this competitive business. Will definitely look out for more similar opportunities in the future.

Fresh Spreads: Showcasing the New Collections

The new season marks a wardrobe revamp for both fashion victims and fashion magazines, as magazines embark on a journey to feature the most outstanding hits of the Spring-Summer 2009 collections. With titles such as "Spring Break", "Hits of the Season" and "The Best of What's New", the newest and freshest pieces of big names are filling the pages of these prestigious magazines. Some of the most outstanding pieces such as Prada's ruched bras, Jil Sander's fringe dresses, Marc Jacobs' Kimono tops, Burberry's leafy necklaces and Lanvin's famous ruffles can be spotted in nearly all the spreads featuring the new collections. It is thus interesting to see how different photographers and stylists are showcasing these new pieces to their best.

VOGUE US

Vogue US Jan 09: Magical Realism

Ph: David Sims

Models: Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn

Full editorial: Bwgreyscale

Vogue US was guaranteed a good start by choosing two young supermodels Chanel Iman and Jourdan Dunn! While Chanel is mostly all smiles, Jourdan proves to be fierce, and together with the jump shots, the vibe of spring is exuded effortlessly. Moreover, the plaid ponytail probably inspired by Louis Vuitton's show is perfect for the shoot as it's swishing actions caught mid air enhances the energy in the shots. In all, this indoor shoot might have turned out boring, but the clothes, the styling and the models worked the concept of Spring so well it's one of my faves.

Vogue US Feb 09: It's a Madcap World

Ph: Steven Meisel
Models: Anna Maria Jagodzinska, Viktoriya Sasonkina, Karlie Kloss, Liya Kebede, Jourdan Dunn & Natasha Poly

Full editorial: The Fashion Spot

Is this really from the pages of Vogue US? Yes it is!

Indeed, it has been a long while since such inspiring spreads appeared in Vogue US. Unlike the previous editorial which appears to be more commercialized and brand-oriented, this spread is more of a showcase of the collections as art pieces -- art pieces that emerge from the whimsical setting, as the title "It's a Madcap World" suggests.

VOGUE CHINA
Vogue China Feb 09: Spring Rhapsody

Ph: David Jackson

Model: Liu Wen

Full Editorial: The Fashion Spot

Vogue China never fails to impress. While magazines such as Vogue US aim to capture the energy in Spring's new collections, Vogue China opts for the breezy feel of Spring, paying most attention to the silhouettes of the clothing. Meticulous styling ensured that the entire editorial seems to transit smoothly - from the balloon Lanvin sleeve to the circular cut-out Christopher Kane dress then to the body-hugging Roberto Cavalli gown. Last but not least, Liu Wen's beauty exudes a calming effect in accordance with the flowy fabrics, creating a breathtaking editorial.

VOGUE UK

Vogue UK Feb 09: Spring Break

Ph: Terry Tsiolis
Model: Anna Selezneva

Full Editorial : The Fashion Spot

This editorial is good and safe. The variation of the model's poses helped to add interest in the spread, and I particularly like the shadow that she casts on the backdrop.

HARPER'S BAZAAR US

Harper's Bazaar US Jan 09: The Best of What's New

Ph: Solve Sundsbo

Models: Agnete Hegelund, Alyona Osmonova, Amanda Laine, Chanel Iman, Hanne Gaby Odiele, Hye Park, Irina Kulikova, Olga Sherer, Taryn Davidson

Full Editorial: Bwgreyscale

This mega-spread showcases the clothes beautifully as the setting of every page is carefully planned so that it caters to the feel of the clothes. For example, the golden sparkling Alexander Mcqueen bodysuit is shot against a blurred background of a brightly lit street and the black voluminous Fendi jacket is shot against a clear sky and edited to be black and white. Each and every shot was a masterpiece.

Harper's Bazaar US Feb 09: Hits of the Season
Ph: Greg Kadel
Models: Coco Rocha and Freja Beha

Full Editorial : Bwgreyscale

Once again, experienced models are all it takes. This spread would have been seriously drab and boring - if not for Coco and Freja who bring life and energy to the clothes.