Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Collection of the Moment: Sonia Rykiel + H&M




Come February 20, Sonia Rykiel's collaboration with fast-fashion retailer H&M will debut! Here is a sneak peek at what's in store for you Rykiel fans: stripes and sparkles and big, frizzed hair abound!

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Trend of the Moment: Unisex Appeal


Which one of these is not like the other: Androgynous looks from the past

In human behavioral science, androgyny is defined as having characteristics of both male and female. In fashion, androgynous or unisex style pertains to the art of incorporating the opposite sex's wardrobe into your own.

Unisex or androgynous styling isn't new. The flappers commenced the trend in the 20's when they cut their hair in a boyish fashion. Fast forward to the 60's, 70's and 80's, and a whole new generation of unisex style starts germinating.

In the sixties, hippies wore long, unkempt hair and tie-dyed shirts regardless of gender. In the seventies, the disco made it ultra hip for men and women to wear bell-bottom pants and sequined garbs. And in the eighties, men and women embraced the notion of power dressing.


Perfect specimen: Freja Beha

In the 2000's (and hopefully beyond), androgyny can be interpreted in numerous ways. For women, it's by default that they borrow their man's pieces (such as a blazer or jeans, now coined boyfriend blazers or boyfriend jeans) and mix it up with their own pieces (like a dress or a ruffled shirt or tights). On the other hand, men seem to hit a hurdle when donning their girl's pieces. Aside from the fact that men's bodies are proportionally bigger than women, society (or culture or parents) frowns upon men wearing women's clothing.

A man and his Chanel bag: Pelayo Diaz

However, some womenswear are in direct lineage to menswear (Coco Chanel's work for example). Take the suit jacket. Sure, it may have a curvier body and slimmer sleeves, but the essence of it is a man's suit jacket. Typically, men can't pull off women's blazers without looking drag queen-ish. But if you have the slender body to suit, then more power to you (I definitely recommend women's double-breasted jackets because of their inherent boxy shape). And regarding trousers, women's skinny jeans are the blaring example to note.

Of course, all this androgyny suggestion would mean more work for the men. It is imperative that men be slim (take Hedi Slimane's Dior Homme) for the look to take flight. Lose those muscles and you'll probably fit in.

But the biggest faux pas any androgyny-bandwagon-jumper commits is when they fully transform into the opposite sex. Women, when you wear men's garbs, make sure you accompany it with something feminine like lipstick or high heels, or a purse. And for men, looking like a woman is no compliment whatsoever (unless, that's your primary intention). Retain your masculinity by putting on a plain white T-shirt, sneakers, and perhaps a scruffy 'do. At least for now, that'll do.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Gadget of the Moment: Philips GoGear Vibe


Before I obsessed about the latest runway looks in New York and Paris, I was very addicted to electronic gadgets. I always researched the latest offering from Nokia, Samsung or Sony. Most of the time, I can't afford any of them because their price tags go up to $199.99! Anyway, I realized that spending a hefty amount on electronics is very impractical. Technology, as I discovered, gets better in a mere blink of an eye. Case in point Apple's line of iPods--they just kept churning newer ones every time!

So after an oversaturation of gadgets, I just laid off the newest tech. Until last week.

For my Christmas present, A, S and L gave me a spanking new Philips GoGear Vibe MP3 player! It's not the hippest MP3 player around and it certainly isn't an iPod, but I just adore it! It is by far the best gift ever. Best gift ever!

After some time tinkering with it, I put in all of my tunes (or at least 258 of them) and started cranking out my jams. The design of my MP3 player is really simple (as shown above) and it works very well. For an added bonus, it displays photos and plays videos (in .smv format)! The screen is pretty small for video playback, but who cares when I can watch all fourteen episodes of Model.Live, and more!

The best part about my newest gadget is its diminutive size. It's light, thin (a huge plus!), and skinny jeans-friendly (an even huger plus!). If I put it in my pocket, I wouldn't even notice it because it's inconspicuously sleek. Also, I wouldn't grab any pickpocket's attention.

Again, a gigantic thank you to A, S, L for this awesome gift!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Editorial of the Moment: Already Famous






After the dreary hues of Fall-Winter 09, it's such a delight to see cheerful colors come through in Vogue's January issue. Supermodel Sasha Pivovarova comes with an entourage of artists (Vampire Weekend, The Horrors, MGMT, Chester French, Golden Silvers, and more) to give consumers a healthy dose of peppy disposition. With this much saccharine glee in the pages--and perhaps in the radio stations worldwide--wouldn't you say we're in another age of pop music?

On another note, Spring 2010's fashions aren't bad either. Get ready to break out the brights, lights, and prints!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Personal Rave of the Moment: Isabella and I


A sneak peek of the lake; the trail to Lake Isabella

Yes, it is finally 2010! Happy New Year, everyone! I know, I've been gone for a while so here is my time to catch up. First is an update: unlike previously posted, I didn't go to Toledo, Washington for the rest of December because of unforeseen circumstances. Well, it's actually because the water pipes in the house we were going to rent broke; after Washington's cold weather froze the water, the pipes just gave up. And instead of bathing in the frigid waters of a nearby river, we decided to go somewhere closer--Lake Isabella, California!


My sister and I at Alta Sierra

My vacation/church leadership "camp" was fairly pleasant. For the free day, we went to Alta Sierra to experience snow. A couple of the group went snowboarding (which required serious money for the rentals and lift tickets) while another went sledding (I'm with this group) because, clearly, it is fun and free!

The other days were just plain and included a bunch of meetings on how to make "things better." Oh, and did I tell you that I'm now a part of the youth leaders at church? Needless to say, it is a tremendous challenge on my part. No big hurrah here.


Big house in the prairie

But on the bright side, I did experience the vacant wilderness known as the countryside. Honestly, the town around the lake is so small that it bothers me why people even live there! Plus, the house we were residing in (a huge Mexican-style villa above) literally did not have neighbors. It is so secluded that the closest neighbor is pretty much the whole town. As for the lake's location, it's actually close to the backyard, laced with cows and what not.



Outside and inside the villa

As much as I enjoyed my stay in the middle of nowhere, I did miss the city. The bustling, hustling and busy lives of city folks is what I truly longed for. Fortunately, the huge lights (goodness, you have no idea how much I missed the lights!) and the noxious air and the clogged freeways greeted me back.

I am home.