Ever seen a cat lady? She's that type of lady that's a little cooky. Oh who am I kidding, she's cooky and she's one ball of crazy. Therefore, she entertains herself with cats because no one else wants to be in her circle of non-feline friends. You'd think crazy ole cat lady would be the most hideous thing, right?
You'd think crazy cat lady would be hideous?
Well, Preview magazine presents their version of cat lady and she is one hot, luxurious, catwalking mama! Watch her saunter and recline in some of the most cat-tastic fashion from Fall 2010 (hello, Louis Vuitton-inspired demure dresses!). Watch her here!
I lived in Manila for 12 years and I can definitely say that everything in the video is true. The traffic is horrendous and the pollution is so unbearable that schools teach students to always bring a handkerchief with them when traveling (to cover their noses). To compound the environmental travesty is the fact that the city's population density continues to skyrocket. Over the years, this has been attributed to the migration of provincial folks to the city, but more recently it's apparent that the Catholic church's campaign against family planning--which is what the city desperately requires to mitigate population explosions--continues to undermine the government's efforts to curb the population. Hence, the image of Manila as a city that seems to be in a slow decay environmentally, economically and socially. Still, it must be argued that the city manages to emanate a pulse that is undeniably city-like; it is Manila's own cry of defiance against decline.
Witness the deep contrasts that shade this city.
Watch the documentary to witness the deep contrasts that shade this city I once called home. Indeed, it is dynamic but its progress is paced unevenly: it's as if one foot is going backward while the other is moving forward. This observation won't take long to take notice as you look on the streets. Calesas or horse-driven carriages run along modern automobiles. Mega malls that tempt you to splurge dot the city whilst the majority of residents lives in destitution. Pious Catholics visit their shrines of worship and later swear their heads off at the slightest offense. These are just tidbits of the greater intricacies the sprawling city has to offer. To really delve into the whole Manila experience, it's recommended to visit and make your own judgment. Though, it is common knowledge that a lot of foreigners scoff at Manila for the very same reasons that I listed. For them, it's a mere pit stop to their true destination, the provinces.
Perusing through the revamped Balenciaga website led me to their campaigns repository. Curious to know what Balenciaga looked like in the past decade (it extends to 1998)? Check it out here! Just for fun, guess which season that above ad is from (click it to view larger). Have a good one!
The Wall Street Journal always has a place in my fashion journalism heart. From Christina Binkley's latest report, she peruses Los Angeles' fashion industry, dissecting and disseminating the cost structure of premium denim.
It's best to wisen up before swiping....
It's always a good idea to know more about a product's manufacturing and rationalize its cost, because, ultimately, you the consumer will end up with it. So if you're looking for your next Seven jeans or True Religions, it's best to wisen up before swiping. Lucky for me, I'm relieved to know that a generous portion of the revenue goes to marketing--my field--and manufacturing (no sweatshops!).
For an interactive info-tour of denim math, click here!
The menswear shows in Milan and Paris have concluded and editors are convinced that the overarching theme for Spring-Summer 2012 is sports. In Milan, Prada was at the golf course, Frankie Morello was cycling in the city (or perhaps just taking spinning classes), Calvin Klein was at the gym further toning an already sculpted physique, and Dolce and Gabbana was fishing, albeit leisurely, by the seaside. It’s clear that come next summer, while the Olympics lends its torch to jolly London, fashion folks will be playing their own sort of sport, dress-up!
After a deluge of color in Spring-Summer 2011, it's convenient that designers went back to what men are really about: potent, active and sinewy. This pretty much translated to heaps of sportswear in various silhouettes and myriad of fabrics. Nonetheless, designers kicked it up a notch by infusing prints and patterns to an otherwise hackneyed concept (ahem, Alexander Wang's menswear collection). I mean, if you’re willing to spend big bucks on these labels, it might as well not look like it’s Nike or some other athletic mass brand.
Fashion folks will be playing their own sort of sport, dress-up!
In Paris, the notion of discovery played a central role. Dries Van Noten experimented with fabrics; Thom Browne delved back to Paris' cabaret scenes for entertaining flourishes in menswear; Givenchy walked towards the light and paradise in a collection beaming with optimism (hello, birds of paradise prints!); and Louis Vuitton, with Kim Jones as new menswear director, found refuge in Jones' childhood in Africa.
My personal highlight from Paris definitely includes Raf Simons' almost-endangered-but-relieved-to-be-alive collection, which showed his craft in creating the best slim suiting. And the other is Lanvin which has garnered my special attention for their innovation in fabrics, silhouette and color. Dropped shoulders on jackets anyone?
P.S.: I'm so glad Style.com have now dedicated themselves to creating menswear videos! It doesn't cover every show of the season but it's a start.
