SHUT UP

i think this is my favorite isabel marant collection by far

in love...can i buy now???

my passionate love for emerging designers

I just finished watching Project Runway (best show ever!) and it just makes me reflect on how much it excites me to see people who put their whole life into becoming a designer. Their dream to become a notable designer really affects me - and it makes me want to get up and do something about it - but what could i do?

Well as a consumer, I would buy clothes from young designers. If I were in magazine, I would feature them in editorials. If I had my own shop, I would carry their line in my store. If I were a consultant, I would help them develop their collection and help present it to buyers. Or if I were Bloomberg create studio spaces for them (we do have pretty good mayor in NYC, don't we?) I think NY does a pretty good job making room for new designers, but doesn't really match up to London. For example, in America they call the aesthetic of April or Andy from this season's PR "student work" but in London they would call it "non-commercial" (since they think American designers are too commercial). I also love emerging designers from all the way in Australia. Globalization has definitely helped leverage designers from places other than Europe and now America, but really, there needs to be more investment in new designers than growing mass and fast-fashion brands.

I have started to embrace the idea how each piece in your closet should be cherished - and move away from buying items because they are cheap, then you wear it for a year or two and throw away. It's about making an investment in something you truly love and being able to store forever. In that sense, I want to own pieces that were designed by individuals who put alot of thought and effort into it, and only created a few pieces in each size. Plus, I hate having the same thing as anyone else!

lisa marie fernandez

Its hard to find performance wear that is also fashionable and sexy. But hello! I discovered Lisa Marie Fernandez on the Co-op floor at Barneys New York. I was immediately drawn to the fabric - thick neoprene (yes! the kind of material you see in wetsuits). It is supposed to be a swimwear collection, but I loved all the pretty dresses. The material is supposed to look better when it is wet...now this is very intriguing. I can describe it as close to the Herve Leger bodycon aesthetic but darker and sportier.

I picked up the dark navy dress today, but it was a really hard decision out of the four. There aren't many styles, and I'm assuming this is her first collection...can't wait to see her future collections!

Assad Mounser

And while I'm in the topic of cool jewels, here is another super new jewelry designer. She has her own blog as well. Her stuff are all bold statement pieces, and I love the mix of rocks and metals and colors. I have yet to see them in real life and try em on!

my favorite jeweler: EDDIE BORGO *belated post*

Gosh I put these pictures together last year and I forgot about them. I fell in love with his stuff after seeing his designs for Jen Kao's spring collection. I first encountered his jewelry when I was in Jen Kao's design studio, the clothes were beautiful, but I couldn't take my eyes of the accessories! And I don't even consider myself a jewelry person at all. After that, I spotted one or two of his stuff at the Barneys Outlet in Woodbury sometime in February. Whats funny is I think I've seen knockoffs of his stuff everywhere this spring, and its a shame because he is an up-and-coming designer (so young too).

Beautiful mosaic necklaces for Phillip Lim:

His designs for Jen Kao...WOW WOW WOW:

Rings and bracelets from his collection:

Neil Barrett Rocks My Socks

I became familiar with Neil Barrett through his mens collection, but this fall, its his womens collection that blew me away. I love Neil Barrett's construction on outerwear, he really understands construction and practicality. I am a fan of boyish cuts, and he really got it down this season with a sexy touch. Check out his stuff, I even added some of the bad boys so you can really soak up his designs.

p.s. I also am needing those lace-up open mid-calf boots!

R.I.P. Alexander McQueen

The world of fashion had a very unfortunate loss today, an incredible amount of talent and creative perspective, Alexander McQueen. He is the man responsible for my obsession of everything skull-related (from those silk scarves to the four-finger hardware clutch). He is also the man who kind of received most attention the past Spring season's collection for his showmanship (the prints! those shoes! have you ever seen anything like it??) In memory of him, I decided to look at his past collections and re-appreciate what he left for us:

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

Whatever Happened to Benjamin Cho?

Benjamin Cho was one of my favorite designers when I was still in school. His stuff is crafty but with restraint, focusing on one concept so that it his core idea can be appreciated. (Plus I like the fact that he is Korean) He hasn't been consistent in staying in the scene, but he kind of quietly disappeared. For someone with alot of talent like him, its really saddening! He looks totally drugged out in all photos of him but this makes his name even more mysterious.

My favorite seasons were his 2008 spring and fall collections. Those exposed knee black pants with ropey loops from spring 08' and that beautiful orange velvet dress from fall 08' are so perfect I wish I could pay someone to make some replica of that for me. But who could imitate his technique? So in other words, BJ CHO COME BACK!

Keeping My Eye on ACNE

I've always knew about Acne as the denim company, but I have recently gotten interested in their clothing and shoes. They have a small store in Soho, and they are headquartered in Sweden. ACNE stands for Ambition to Create Novel Expressions and I believe this a mission statement they stick to very well. For example I am a little obsessed with their Fall (shoe) collection.

When those brocade shoes in the middle arrive to the USA, I will be more than happy to become its new mommy. I know they are impractical but yeah, we'll see how much they are before I make final decisions.

This is the Spring 2010 lineup for women and men, both wonderful. I know the cool leggings are the most talked about for this collection, but I'm more into the fringe suede jackets. I kind of love everything about the guys collection except for the vests and shoes - the reason being I'm not a huge fan of vests on guys and I have a particular taste in mens' shoes.

Fashion Show Flashback: KUHO

It's pretty tough for Korean designers to make it in Korea...because there is an huge upward trending of customers seeking only international brands. Even in department stores where one or two floors used to be dedicated to domestic designers, are now crammed into one "event" space (like Hyundai). Other high-end Korean brands for young women that have been successful include TIME and MINE. KUHO has risen to popularity in Korea pretty quickly and now has a pretty much stable client base. The designer is Kuho Jung, and he did some of his studies at Parsons before he opened up his first boutique, but his label is now part of the conglomerate Samsung's Jaeil Mojik. I would say his designs are architectural and minimalist, favoring monochromatic ensembles.

Well I was lucky enough to attend his Spring 2009 fashion show held in Hyatt last January. My aunt (on the right) is a loyal customer and they give some of their customers tickets to attend the show. We were served hors d'oeuvres and champagne in the lobby, and we got to get a glimpse at some Korean celebrities that were there.

There is the designer and his team bowing for the finale. I loved the lights and all, but it was pretty distracting to focus on the apparel, but I was able to spot some pretty cute shoes matched with the outfits!

At the end of show, one of the models Jang Yoon Joo performed a few songs from her music album she wrote. In the goodie bag, we received her album, a white faux-snakeskin notepad that I'm making such good use of, l'occitane soap, and an herb plant. Very weird combo I know.

The World of Stella McCartney

I love Stella McCartney. I had a chance to see her speak in front of a small audience at Barneys last summer. I wanted to take a picture of so bad, she was just shining. You can just tell she is hardworking businesswoman, and I admire her for that. I feel like in our generation (and gender), we associate the name McCartney with Stella, and not her father. I mean, she is so legit: she designed for Chloe! She has a whole empire now:

• Womenswear, organic line, shoes, and handbags
• Organic skincare line
• Perfume (a must-sniff if you haven't already)
  
• Adidas by Stella McCartney
• I don't know if this counts but she had a collaboration with H&M years and years ago.

Flattering silhouettes and color palettes that women want to wear, and you will never see fur in her collections sending out the message of anti animal cruelty (debatable).

Fall 06

Spring 07

Fall 07

Pre-fall 08

Fall 08

Resort 09

Spring 09

Fall 09

Resort 10 (a really fun presentation!)

I spent two hours at the New York sample sale today and did my piggy bank a favor by only buying 3 items when I actually wanted to buy 5. It was really hard to let go of these black satin high heels. But I decided they pinched my feet and were slightly big due to my feet that is shrinking these days...I ended up getting this cute skort (pictured above in spring09), white pants, and blue sweater. I was exhausted and hungry afterwards and decided to treat myself to a late lunch at Spice. Mediocre Thai food, but I liked how it was very casual and the workers there were actually Thai (I think). But I thoroughly enjoyed Thai iced coffee mmm my favorite coffee drink!