At Woods&Woods

with Dinie & Rei, shot by Ridhwan.

Jonathan Seow has not staged a show in two years, so you can imagine how much people were anticipating his A/W 09-10 collection, which was held at 72-13 Theatreworks Building last wednesday.

there was a 1.5 hour-long wait.. but unlike a certain Mr.Jacobs, we were rewarded with a sublime collection; the wait was worth it - that's all i kept spouting. i don't know about MJ, but the wait for Jonathan's show was unintentional and due to multiple reasons out of the designer's control.


























thanks to an anonymous commenter, i can finally put a name to that hairdo (and face) that had me so entranced back at the Audi Fashion Festival 2009 - local model, Serena Adsit.

her hair has grown a little longer now, with a Wintour-like curl at the ends. kinda preferred it when it was more blunt and shorter - still, i cannot emphasise enough how much i love this hairstyle on Serena - it is so distinctive and she easily makes it all her own. the hairstyle's austerity absolutely captivates me.

along with the word "mediocre" and all its variations, "austere" has to be one of my favourite words. does it sound weird to have favourite words? i think it's extremely important to have words that you find endearing.. and i'm not referring to "fierce" or "fabulous".

"fashionista" is one of the dumbest term ever coined. i think it's the "ta" that irritates me to no end. the word just sounds inherently bimbotic and belittling. and don't even get me started on recessionistas - what recessionistas? do they even exist? they're probably just a mythic species conjured up by bored journalists who had to find something to write about while waiting impatiently to get their paws on some new shoes that continue to have recession-unfriendly prices.





























































































































































Woods&Woods Autumn/Winter 09-10, entitled Stranger Than Fiction

images from kitomics.

unfortunately, i do not own a good camera or have a cute photographer boyfriend (heh), so until i get the official runway photos, just salivate over that awesome tangerine and how about that beautiful green?

Jonathan's 2-year hiatus saw the emergence of an excellent (if slightly different) Woods&Woods collection - one that was more youthful with unexpected colours.

i liked that he styled menswear pieces on selected female models - it complemented his superb techniques with the cut and silhouette pretty well. everyone was practically pissing their pants when the green number came out and then that tangerine.. killer!

Panos Yiapanis


















































































































































































Arena Homme Plus

Helmut Lang: The Melanie Ward Years

Styled by Panos Yiapanis, shot by Terry Richardson

lately, i've been enmeshed by Panos' styling and his works; constantly revisiting his past editorials... his works really identify with me. it is raw, almost primal, instinctive, so intoxicating.

i will be posting more pictures of his works when i have the time.. the new week is going to be a killer.

below, Raf Simons by Mario Sorrenti, styled by Panos. it's gripping, or at least it is to me.

I wonder...


























































































































Balmain Menswear Spring 2010

.. who's buying Balmain menswear?

does anyone actually take this seriously? it's not terrifyingly bad, it's just.. mediocre to the last degree.

if you're giving us Topman looks, i'm expecting Topman prices, yes?

How cute is Yu?








































he's wearing Jil Sander flats, Balenciaga spring'09 women's pants, what looks like a McQueen spring'09 shirt.. and THAT ubiquitous Ikea blue carrier. top marks for the cheeky Ikea.

i love Yu; the way he often wears women's pieces from Balenciaga, Christopher Kane, Prada and what not - yet he still appears entirely masculine... quite a refreshing break from today's androgynous-for-all boys in girls' clothes.

or even stupid boys cross-dressing but conveniently passing it off as "androgynous" and being "fierce".

just like the fabulously OTT Anna Della Russo (fabulous is the only word that applies to someone who wears Lanvin cocktail dresses at 9 in the morning, and who reportedly has more than 4000 pairs of shoes - try to match that, shoe guru wannabes!), you can really FEEL Yu's enthusiasm for clothes and his unabashedly fun sense of matching the most unexpected stuff with the most expensive runway pieces - but he never comes across as trying too hard.

he takes the piss out of the most expensive, the most serious runway pieces and i admire him for that.

Raf Simons Spring 2010




















































































































pretty disappointing season for Raf, if you ask me.

what he did for Jil Sander menswear spring 2010 was likable enough - the lovely colour palette of soft whites and pale blues, nice prints on the sheer shirts and pants.

it was certainly nothing groundbreaking, but it was a comfortable collection.

as for his own line, i am appalled at the styling of the clothes. most of the sleeves were messily, dreadfully folded up, and i don't understand the reason for doing so. it felt rather irrelevant and annoying to look at.

and of course, there's all the belting action going on everywhere - a styling trick gone awry, not to mention gimmicky. in fact, i am all the more annoyed because i often use my belts as bondage strips on my arms or across the body -































i had two belts interwoven on my arm exactly like that just last night, even the bit between the thumb and fingers. and let me tell you, normal belts aren't comfortable at all when strapped like that, especially when it's in-between your fingers; mine only worked because it was a thin and soft fabric belt

but here as seen at the Raf Simons show, it was more like they were shoving the belts down your throat at every conceivable position.





















































































































awkward, very much so. the clothes don't seem to fit properly - at least the silhouettes (which Raf seems to be fixated on) last season showed more thought.. now it just feels awkward.

below, the only handful of looks that i liked:

Friday's agenda

i don't usually do announcements, but make Zouk a compulsory destination this friday night..

Zouk's Wardroblings - the annual show to showcase and support the newest local designers, will be held at Phuture, 10pm, 26th June.

Wardroblings 2009 :





































here are the seven young designers under the Wardroblings umbrella this year..

Jennifer Choi, currently a fashion design student at Parsons.

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA)'s

Elvin Ooi
Erika Szczepkowski
Indy Mantik
Daisy Fabrina

Lasalle College of The Arts's

Natalie Cheah

Temasek Polytechnic's

Foo Jia Wen

i'm all for supporting local designers, especially such young and recent graduates (most of the seven only just graduated mere weeks ago) - Wardroblings is a great example and initiative, but everyone has to pitch in if we want to push the Singapore scene to the next level..

just doing what i can here on the blog, so if you're a reader and think alike, do your part by showing up. most of the other local fashion bloggers will be attending, so we'll see you there.. been looking forward to this year's edition of Wardroblings, especially since i couldn't make it for last year's.

this friday, 10pm, Phuture.

anyway, many thanks to The Fashion Fraternity (who handles the PR & marketing for the designers; they've just set a blog too, check it out HERE) and Zouk's Alyssa for the generous invites!

Beautifully damned

















































stunning silhouette on this Dior coat! a sense of proportions and the silhouette are usually my top priorities when analyzing a design or outfit.

















































gotta love that Margiela cuff in the shape of an exaggerated diamond.


























stylist and resident fashion editrix Sharon.T has a thing for buggy jewelry, me thinks

















































LOVE the inclusion of the prosthetic hand, which was on loan from Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

macabre delicacy.



























Style: (Singapore) July 2009

Beautifully Disturbed

Photography Wee Khim
Styling Sharon Tulasidas

Hair Junie Tan
Make-up Clarence Lee
Model Ma Jing/Diva Models

as usual, images are high-resolutions scans - click to appreciate them in greater detail.

based on the "girlishly sinister" Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family, this is going straight to the records as another favourite editorial from Style:.

it looks like it was shot in Wee Khim's studio, but he always makes sure it is anything but boring - the setting and mood of the final photo makes one think of an abandoned, isolated classroom, where the only inhibitant is of course Wednesday Addams or rather, this persona created by Sharon and Wee Khim.

give me girlishly sinister any day; never been a fan of those nauseating girly girls who think they might possibly be made of sugar, spice and everything nice.

anyway, July 2009 marks the 7th anniversary of Style:! i do wish the festivities could have been more clearly felt in the magazine, but congratulations are certainly in order!

do look out for the September issue of the magazine - bigger things are brewing, but until then...
































































Photography Wee Khim
Styling Johnny Khoo

Hair Dexter Ng/Kenaris Salon
Make-up Clarence Lee
Model from ave.

i couldn't get over this photo.

only wished i had an awesome scanner that could scan the two pages properly to really bring across the stark majesty of the photo... but it looks bloody good as my new desktop wallpaper.






















































































































can you believe this Margiela necklace is only going for $229 at Club 21? i love the chain and the nail/safety-pin pendant. but you probably need the ruggedness to really carry it off, and i'm the last thing from rugged.








































































pouty lipped, broody James Dean-in-the-making.

















































Rebel with a Cause

Photography Chuando & Frey
Styling Brenda Tham

Hair and grooming Greg O
Fashion assistant Tan Eng Chong
Model Mark Cox/ave.

Mark Cox has been booking lots of superb editorials ever since he came to singapore.. small wonder, considering how beautiful he is.

i hope we do see him walking in Milan or Paris.. Milan Men's Wear Spring 2010 kicks off today, Paris on the 25th and of course it's the fall 2009 couture shows in the beginning of July. i've never been so eager to anticipate men's fashion week..

Hello Anna


















Anna S by Tommy

despite the roasting weather lately, somehow i am hoping to find a soft gray sweater to laze around in. i've always loved sweaters and pullovers - i think i have more sweaters than i do tees.. or rather, tees that i'm willing to wear anyway.

unlike Michelle Obama, i generally prefer to keep my arms all covered up, even in this dreadful weather..

the last sweater affair has to be this darling deep red Viktor & Rolf sweater that i was longingly fingering on the last day of the infamous Club 21 bazaar sale. always had a thing for darker, wine-y reds, but sadly i had to give up the sweater as it proved to be too much for my meagre funds.




















one of my favourite sweaters that i would wear to death if not for the fact that it's wool..

thanks to the lovely Joey over at Tongue In Chic for this rare outfit photo; a lot of neutral, creamy colours there, even the socks. cream, off-whites, maroons, burgundy are my perennials..

i am still constantly coming back to Anna's photo, admiring her gray sweater; so perfect, so easy to wear again and again till it's all lovingly worn out. any suggestions?