2 girls 1 amateur photog

I've finally gotten around to cleaning out my closet and taking pictures of everything I don't wear, don't use, don't like or don't have the figure to wear (that's more like it).

All the vintage clothes, bags and accessories I've posted are in immaculate vintage condition. Some of the clothes are brand new with tags. It's all stated on their respective pages.

Also I'll be posting more items as soon as I get them back from the dry cleaners. I have these bouts of determination and then I just fizzle out and CBF anymore.

Thank you to the lovely Ina and Adriane for being modelly and letting me dress them. Although at one point I had to separate them because Ina kept making Adriane laugh and vice versa. Some of the fucking photos turned out blurry :( So I was very very annoyed.

Everything is here. I'll keep you posted.

For Manfriend.

Everytime I look at a male fashion model, I think 2 things:

1. DE-REK-ZOO-LAN-DER
2. Manfriend is hot, I wonder how he would look in that outfit?

With that said, I had a quick squiz at the look books from Zara Man. These outfits are right up Manfriend's alley, a lot of the pieces are similar to the ones in my initial Manfriend fashion post. We haven't gone shopping yet so I'm glad I saw these. The nude and earthy toned palette for both casual & Zara Man is timeless. Once again these pieces can squeeze into your wardrobe and be worn for countless seasons. The casual line is pretty damn hot if I do say so myself. It's bold, rugged and just a little bit undone. Sort of like Manfriend's facial hair when he doesn't shave it for a few days. Mmm. Sexy.

Zara Man is a lot more polished. It's still as masculine if not more so than their casual line, but they've stripped most of the trendiness and kept clean lines and classic pieces. I love the styling, there's structure and clever layering. None of the looks present as "overdone" and they've kept it pretty minimal. Again I find myself not liking the jeans. The dress pants yes, the jeans, no. They're a bit too skinny for me. How do men stand being in skinny jeans? How do their nether regions survive down there?

I think it's the tomboy in me, but I wish there were female versions of some of these pieces. Or I could just buy dude clothes like I always do.




Images from Zara Man 2010 Look books

Zara '10 casssual

Browsing through many online stores, I stumbled upon Zara, I don't know if they have many Zara stockists in Australia but it was pretty rampant in Manila when I was there. All these photos are from the 2010 Casual look book on their website, there was quite a few but I felt them a little bit repetitive so I picked out the ones I particularly liked.

I am seriously digging the preppy feel. Props to whoever styled these looks, they're quirky and show a lot of range. All the outfits have a specific direction, not just a mish-mash of whatever they're selling.

For me; there are subtle hints of all the haute couture trends; namely the metal buttons, military chic, romantic flouncy pieces and just a twist of not-so-grunge grunge. All the individual pieces aren't TOO trendy, they can be incorporated into almost anyone's wardrobe. The look book itself is cute. I saw the army-ish boots and floral socks and instantly thought of Mia. Lol.






Images from Zara.com > Casual Lookbook

Too many posts!

Lies and slander. One can never blog enough.

Especially when I have some spectacular and inspiring images to post! I sincerely believe I'm not meant for this generation. I think I would have fit in well in the fifties or possibly the twenties, fashion-wise anyway. Fashion from back then isn't exactly all that wearable now. Day-to-day ensembles don't require glamour, unless you're Anna Dello Russo or Carine Roitfeld. As much as I want to go outside in an adorable full skirted day dress complete with gloves, I can't. I am not that brave.

I love the familiarity and comfort of my jeans, the feel of a worn in vintage t-shirt, I love androgynous dressing, but some days I wish we could go back to the days when women wore dresses and wore them well. I want to be able to wear a silk dress during the day and not feel overdressed.

Gah! How long have I been feeling obligated to dress to society's standards? It's ridiculous. I should be able to wear what I want, when I want and not be judged for it. I admit I do it to other people. There was this girl in University the other day wearing BRIGHT RED patent hooker heels and I sneered at her. I really shouldn't have. Now would be a great time for a revival of day-to-day glamour. Anyone want to start a fashion attitude revolution? Call me when you do, I egg people on, I rarely have the balls to do it myself.







Images from Vogue Italia March 2010

The Wang Gang

I know, it sounds like a dirty 70's bargain basement porno doesn't it? Well get your mind out of the gutter, it's the furthest thing from that! Hmm on second thought .. well you decide.

I sniped these pictures of Alexander Wang and his gang from the March issue of Interview Mag, hence "Wang Gang". I don't really like it. Maybe I have a subconscious aversion to anything Erin Wasson after her horrendous collection? I do like Wang as a designer, his pieces are original and out there.

However, these look like they were screen caps taken from the Zoolander sequel, where Hansel makes his own collection and all the models wonder what leather is made of. I don't know, maybe it's deep seated hatred for flawless and naturally beautiful people (HI MANFRIEND) but this looks so goddamn pretentious. I guess for those "I don't care about fashion I'm going to wear whatever I want eventhough it parallels every mainstream trend at the moment because it's totally awesome" psuedo-avant garde people this is appealing.

The entire concept of the shoot is actually pretty fun. It's always nice to see a designer so involved with the people who wear and model their clothing. The youtube video I found (google wang gang and it'll bring it up) shows them having a hell of a time, it also had a banging track playing. Do I agree with the styling? Not really. Do I like boobs out and about for no reason? Not really. Do I like the fact they all look like rejects from a Kesha video? Not at all. But whatever, it works and they managed to take some great shots which represents Wang and his gang in their truest form.





Images from Interview Magazine March 2010

Overkill

Wow it's been a while. Sometimes I say a while as if it's been 4 hours, but it's been a week and a half so I think I can validate saying a while this time. I've been busy doing real life shit so I've been neglecting my little brain child slash creative outlet.

I'm currently organizing and streamlining my wardrobe, a mission in itself. I think I should do this more often because my room sort of looked like Kesha's face when I was done. I didn't realize I had so many ghastly and dated clothes until I started extracting all the shirts and blouses, you know the ones that sort of live on the sides of your wardrobe because you just don't use them at all? I found at least a dozen tops with the tags still on, brand new. OH AND HOLY CRAP I have like 13 different coloured Ralph Lauren polo shirts, brings me back to my collared shirt + pearls + flats phase during my first year in University. I lived out of my Juicy Couture bags and lived on Marlboro lights. So preppy I could puke.

I have so many clothes that I've taken up the closet in our guest bedroom as well. My wardrobe is pretty damn big, it's about 9 feet wide and 3 feet deep so my clothing situation WAS, I repeat WAS getting out of hand. My recent hardcore thrifting didn't help either.

ANYWAY. Moving right along, I completed these about 9 months ago and only got the bright idea of photographing them now. I've worn them in and I adore them, I always get compliments and people usually don't believe me when 1. I say I designed and hand painted them 2. I say all I used were paintbrushes, acrylic paint, textile medium and the occasional tooth pick.









This is the pair I'm currently working on for Manfriend. Aren't his feet HUGE? I think that I have a lot more direction and the individual sides are much more cohesive than my pair. I fly to LA in less than a month so I better get a move on. I'll post pictures of the shirt I did for him but never really got around to sending. I'm lazy ok? Leave me alone.

You know it ain't easy.

I take one look at this collection and think; "Yep, the lower half of my body and my savings will suffer; but Dior makes leather pants look good."

Is it just me or is there something so wonderfully innovative about earthy brown leather riding pants and a sheer patterned blouse? How the hell did he manage to make leather pants and thigh high leather boots incredibly feminine and romantic? Isn't this supposed to be dominatrix 101 attire?

A lot of this, as over the top as it may seem, is wearable. Okay maybe not the saloon-esque leather dress, but whoever wears that is a fierce bitch, Johnny Weir fierce.

I love the muted palette, like the dresses come from a faded photograph. Also the variety of brown leathers used in this collection are amazing. They compliment the soft muted colours of the other pieces. It all looks so pulled together. I don't think I'll be selling an organ for this collection, but I adore the way it looks, the way it flounces and falls. It's so girly I'm going to puke.






Images from Style.com

Nice and simple.

A lot of people think over the top and unrealistic fashion is cutting edge or incredibly fashion forward. In some cases yes, but in most, no.

Take Anna Dello Russo for example; a fabulously stylish woman who wears sequins, fur and everything in between. She has an enormous fan base, people who adore her style and commend her for being so out there. Completely opposite to Dello Russo is Kate Lanphear; she has an equally huge fan base with her edgy and androgynous look complete with Lee Supatubes and spiked wrist bands. Neither is wrong or right, but both are appreciated.

Fashion; at the end of the day is all about expression. Lots of people choose to express themselves with bold colours, intricate cuts and embellished pieces. Other people choose simple colours, timeless cuts, dressing true to understated elegance. There is no right or wrong. It's a matter of personal taste. This blog is from my perspective so of course I'm going to post things that align with my aesthetics.

With that said, I love really simple clothing, it's so versatile. It's mixed and matched to create something fresh. It's never what you wear, it's how you wear it. A basic but well fitting t-shirt can look as good, if not more so, than an outrageous blouse.



Images from StockholmStreetStyle.Feber.Se

So wrong.

Diesel is usually pretty cool. It's normally a very wearable label. I do like the feel of some of their Fall Ready to Wear 2010 line. There's that fantastic burgundy leather jacket, the unusually cut denim skirt, the leather shorts, the black leather skirt with the really unusual waist and of course the semi-sheer almost tattoo looking tops. There's a lot of great looks and closet staples. It's laid back with a carefree rock star flavour. Even the jeans I agree with and I normally hate that shit.(I added some flannel-y plaid for Mia.)




On the other hand; they have what looks to be a mouldy faded black sweat shirt straight off the Derelicte racks, a knit skivvy that was viciously attacked by a lawn mower, a dress that had a brief fling with Levis in the 90's and ended up in Erin Wasson's closet, a confused hippie who was on his way to Woodstock but hired as a lumberjack, let's not even talk about the riddle that is this model's gender/outfit and the most unflattering full length overalls some Grandmother from Iowa donated to the Salvation army, even Karlie Kloss can't make it look good. I don't know, maybe try Snejana Onopka next time? I don't know, it's just all sorts of wrong to me.




Images from Style.com

Tapestry

BLAZERSSSS. Another collection from Balmain that makes me want to sell my organs. I guess the exaggerated shoulder trend isn't going away soon, so I'll be spending today sewing shoulder pads back into my blazers. I love the tapestry-esque fabric and the muted, soft, warm and rustic colours. It sort of reminds me of this painting we have at home in the living room with a gorgeous gilded frame. I'll go take a pic real quick and post it later. It's sort of, bohemian meets rock and roll; wrapped up in the love child of brocade and lamé. I think the perfect pair of jeans for me is somewhere between a cigarette cut and a bootleg, so I'm very happy to see some flared pant action, I think it's about time people start considering different jean cuts. Skinnies are great but I want to be able to do a ninja kick in my jeans at any place, any time. Every time I see ridiculously tight skinny jeans, on men especially, I feel physical pain, their crotch must be suffering tremendously.

I was planning on making these images smaller like I'm about to with the A. F. Vandevorst ones but you really have to check out the details on these pieces. I love the tuxedo style blazer with the silk collar and metal buttons. Mmm. Magically delicious. Now how does one get their kidney on the black market?








Images from Style.com

Los Angelesssssssssss (Part 2)

I like to plan ahead. I think it's in my genes. My mother (Hi Mommy) is such a meticulously organized person. Everything she needs to do is planned months ahead.

My awareness of clothing styles, cuts, fabrics and textures has really heightened the past few months. It's been gradual and slow, I've observing what people all over the world are wearing and I've been finding pieces that suit my shape. I used to buy such trash. I can't believe I wasted so much money on "trendy" clothing; that was wearable for max, maybe a year. Manfriend made my day, claiming I've changed the way he looks at clothing. A pretty strong statement coming from a guy who spends some of his time as model (gimme some of that blue steel).

It's become more than a hobby for me, it's an expression, an extension of who I am, what my tastes are and how I see myself. I've always been a very basic t-shirt and jeans girl, but I'm slowly weaning myself off. There is so much out there that's wearable. After going through countless fashion and street style blogs, I found looks that I really liked and I guess that's how this all started. I don't think I'm even a quarter of the way to finding my personal style. With some of the really popular bloggers, I was comparing their initial blogs to their most recent ones, their style has evolved and they've grown.

LA is going to be my first trip to the US of A so I'm not nervous or anxious, more excited. If I were to divide those 3 into percentages, it would be: 62% excited, 34% anxious and 4% nervous. One of my favourite fashion bloggers, Karla Deras is from LA, well LA-ish, so I'm hyped to see what people wear over there.

I've made a little collageeeeeee as usual, all from one of my favourite street style photographers, Vanessa Jackman. Summary? Graphic prints, stripes, blazers, great fitting jeans and contrasting proportions.







Images from VanessaJackman.Blogspot.com