On again, Off again

The Party Faithful

off duty

11.06.10 @ Pianos NYC

The Party Faithful

on duty

11.06.10 @ Pianos NYC

tough life...oui.

partying like rockstars

merci beaucoup:

Pianos, for the lovely show...(a cute soundguy helps too).

Grace Kim, for your deft hand (and wrist).

the Party Faithful, for the good times.

erase that car

2013

ponte vedra

love music love

if the shows haven't been up to par this season (save for Marc Jacobs and Chris Benz), the music has been quite inspirational and moving.

maybe it's helped that i happened to stand in front of the speaker at 3.1's mens and womens shows...here are a few favorites over the course of fashion week, Fall 2010:

Peter Pan R.I.P - Kula Shaker

Chord - Donovan

Lovely Allen - Holy F*ck

maddied.

jannie & carrie wedding

july 3, 2010

the perfect couple.

and the perfect clients, for my first foray into...gay community dressmaking?

pictures courtesy of elaine kuo

oh hey there, stud.

that boyish charm...

burberry prorsum

spring 2011

but.of.course.

a.mazing.

"When I wake up in the morning, I feel just like any other insecure 24-year-old girl," she says. "Then I say, 'Bitch, you're Lady Gaga, you get up and walk the walk today.' "

word.

the fashion intellectual

oh, you sexy beasts

burberry prorsum. 

menswear, spring 2011.

I'm really inspired by fashion websites that feature a more serious slant on fashion and the craziness of the industry. Almost by default, fashion lends itself to a gossipy sort of tone, and has cultivated its own dialect and environment where you really are 'in' one moment, 'out' the next.  Looking at fashion-centric reality shows such as Project Runway and the City, it's easy to brush Fashion off as a vain and frivolous industry to concern oneself with, and frankly I think I would do the same if I weren't able to appreciate both the ins and outs of it all.

As in any industry, Fashion deserves its moment of credibility where underneath it all it's run by those devout fashionistas who wake up everyday considering what they will wear, or at least what they wish people would wear, doused with the creativity and intention of any individual passionate about how they live and what they do for a living.  Even for those not working in fashion perse, but are fashionistas nonetheless, what they clothe themselves in has everything to do with how they make their daily choices and how they choose to present themselves. They care and infuse their decisions with innate style.

One of my favorite websites as of late, that takes this industry quite seriously, is Business of Fashion.

They report on topics such as how to start your own label, what's going on in the world of fashion relative to mergers, designers, insights,  and features interviews and streams runway shows in a way that naturally challenges the notion that fashion is frivolous. Alongside the New York Times' Cathy Horyn and Women's Wear Daily, this website is like the Wall Street Journal of Fashion, sans fashionista-speak.

Featured recently is a live stream of Burberry Prorsum menswear show, Spring 2011.  

Let me tell you, it's amazing. Didn't think I would appreciate such menswear, but honestly, if I saw a man walking down the street dressed in Christopher Bailey love, I would say hi....and maybe then some.

And it's not just the clothes. Christopher Bailey is a pioneer in featuring upcoming musicians at the scene of the runway, thus promoting new music as well as his own fashion, in a technological format that is reachable to everyone. This collaboration of fashion-music-film truly comes to fruition and even made someone like me enjoy, and almost covet, menswear.

Who said being serious couldn't be fun?

screams of summer

band of horses.

6.20.10

williamsburg waterfront.

sunset. 

brooklyn lager. 

my bandmates.

complete bliss.

couldn't've asked for better on a sunday nite.

if only summer was year round...

really liking rykiel

sonia rykiel.

resort 2011.

a bit old fashioned, a bit quirky, a bit zig-a-zig-aHHHH.

(and check out those wingtip suspenders. now that's innovative).

all photos courtesy style.com. 

diet.starts.tomorrow

c.bailey. burberry prorsum. Pre-fall 2010.

drool drool drool.

i mean, it's not just a trenchcoat.

it's a burberry trenchcoat.

and really, really fitted.

honestly, i don't think the clothes are groundbreaking. 

nothing over the top.

but when they're combined with such ooze and ease of ...something....you look at it and go "now that looks like a million bucks." (or more).

and it's pretty much what i'd love to wear, all the time.

python bag included.

all images courtesy style.com

let's, go, fly a kite!

oh happy day.

a blissful saturday afternoon in dumbo, brooklyn.

beautiful bridges. lots of sun. lots of wind.

then it was off to drinking some wine...in a gondola.

wheeeee.

ditto

I like these all in moments, where I can either see myself in them and also feel fantastically estranged from them—either because they’re too expensive or because I couldn’t possibly find a time/place to wear the garment. So I can dream about a world or a time and place where the fantastic is possible. I find just looking at clothes and images very inspiring.

thanks, style.com.

and thanks, Victoria, of Beach House

that's what he said...

"I don’t find clothes sexy at all.

I find people sexy, and I find personalities fascinating and sexy and appealing and charming. So a sexy girl wrapped in a sheet is a sexy girl, and an un-sexy girl in a low-cut dress is still an un-sexy girl."

:marc jacobs::

3.23.10

7-up!

intelligence.
power.
strength.
wit.

color.

romance.

textured duality.

concepts of the Fall 2010 woman. 

per Lanvin, YSL, Marni, Dries, and Balmain of Paris fashion week.

party in the back

tsumori chisato. fall 2010. circus.

every piece is a work of art. from head to stocking to shoe, it's less about uniformity, more about brilliant variation on a theme.

that being said, would you really wear that?

i would.

because where there is so much black and tendency for a drabulous fall, and a trend-driven show, tsumori has flipped that concept into a whirl of whimsy, color, and stimulus. and proves that fall doesn't have to be so serious.

so fab.

some dries, please

i kinda love dries.

it's not particularly my personal style, but i've recently been able to appreciate his relaxed Refinement and Ease of dressing woman. there is something about the simple presence of his clothes, his own presence, and the colors and cut and overall elegant aesthetic that makes his show so enjoyable.

or maybe it's just the way the models are walking....nay, strolling...infused with...well, u know. it's just relatable right now.

all images courtesy style.com

fashion dahlings, fashion

oh, christopher.

burberry prorsum, fall 2010

as i've been working late nites, it's more than a refresher just to sit back at home and do...nothing.

i definitely enjoy being home more than i ever have...if you asked me a couple of years ago to stay home i would never indulge the idea.  but now...it's just so peaceful to look out the living room windows, hear the jmz train pass by, stare at the fluff balls of snow drift by and sip some wine.  whether it be watching a horror film, comedy, listening to roommate creatives, or just eating some pupusas from my new favorite local salvadorean restaurant, it's quite pleasurable just to be in the warm ember of home. with my new favorite roommates (a sweet and special relationship, the roommate thing.)

in other news...the new fashion drools du saison, in my blogosphere, are:

- military green

- burberry prorsum fall 2010....all of it

- a bit of fur...or a lot

- snow-blown hair...tousled and effortless. a bit long...

- structure, sculpture, proportion

in ironic news....i attended the phillip lim men's show after party...despite the velvet rope, some dear friends granted me vip access and much love that i would never have imagined.  and the irony? i couldn't get in his parties back in the day when i was part of his design team.

at times like those, it's totally about who you know.

*poof*

tonite was thakoon's fashion show....fall 2010. 

lots of fur...lots of models....lots of ruffles.

a sea of black..a sea of fashion faces of whom i've always read about but never saw in person. until tonite.

standing room wasn't that bad...it was like getting a seat.

and i saw anna wintour...grace coddington...the Sartorialist....bergdorf buyers....celebrities...susie bubble...

and it was all over in a flash of twenty minutes.

one month of late nites...life dedicated to Fashion...culminating in all of a few minutes and a wine and cheese dinner at otto.

c'est. la. grande. vie.

i.d. mystery

i heart egon shiele (creator of above painting). so gnarly.

sooooo, time to get fussy about clothes clothes clothes.

thought du moment: how much does clothing really reflect a person's lifestyle?  or rather, what does it really reflect, if anything?

i know, deep.

having worked at thakoon for the past 3 months in production (wheeee), i've been noticing how my style has changed to adapt to my "daily" life.  these days it's more function over form...the layered pieces of t-shirt, cardigan/outer piece, jeans, motorcycle boots, minimal jewelry and makeup are my Uniform. all i have is my wavy 'do to instill some oomph.   it's about feeling comfortable and not wearing fussy details like ruffles, sequins, and heels, that allow me to focus more on work than my outfit. it's kind of empowering, yet necessary and appropriate. i'll call it the 'tomboy' effect.

it just wouldn't feel right to wear a darling dress and heels when i have to run around to factories every day. i'll save it for the weekends, but of course.

but maybe that's just me.  i know lots of fashionistas who run around in heels, pretty clothes, designer bags, and are able to pull it off while doing their thing. i would love to do the same, however i can honestly say that i wouldn't be comfortable wearing that doing my job.

perhaps these days it has everything to do with personality....if one is a chameleon, then it makes sense that the clothing would reflect as such, adapting to the environment of said job. it has nothing to do with whether the person is truly into fashion or not...the Uniform is simply justified by the environment. by the same token, if one is a fashionista at heart, then nothing will stop her to wear Fashion pieces. 

Fashion can play a big role, nonetheless, in identifying the role one plays during the day...a stylist/photographer is usually pretty edgy or refined prep; designers are minimal/black/ironically repetitive; the CEO and sales teams are generally the best-dressed; production is practical, refined.  

....and it goes beyond defining one's job...it can define the "type" ie: hipster, prepster, consultant, finance advisor, Mom, etc...each social group, if one belongs,  generally inherits a certain aesthetic on the inside and out.

but alas, i categorize, when really Fashion is about the experimentation and chameleon-esque empowerment for any individual, should one choose to embrace it.

that's all.

yay-ahz

so i was at the jazz club Iridium on friday nite, totally inspired.

afro-cuban jazz was the music du nuit.

it.was.amazing. 

my friend levy schooled me in the lay of the stage, left to right: piano, bongos, congas, timbales (!!!), electric bass, and vibraphone. a percussionist's heaven of sorts.

each musician was an 'expert' at their instrument, and in total control in relation to the cohesive sound of the band...nobody was out there for themselves to be heard...they knew when to recede for the soloist or play just loud enough...and obviously respected each's talents as they smiled and grooved with the music, just as we did in the audience.

my fave was the piano player, perhaps a biased opinion, but he was a surefire talent.  there was a song where his wrists were sharply angled while he struck the keys.  i asked him post-show why he did that...apparently it was intentional so the sound would be loud enough. his solo parts were also complete ideas...part rachmaninoff meets gershwin meets debussy...thrown in with classical jazz scales and glisses...he even looked like the jazz version of evegny kissin, curly hair n' all. 

my second fave was the timbale player (timbalist?)...he just had this...control and consistency in his playing that i could appreciate...such a pro.

what was also inspiring was the "flatness" of the band's sound, and how it stayed exciting and vibrant under that ceiling of flatness. all the elements of the venue (stage, instruments, the way the instruments were played) contributed to this musical aesthetic...it's just, interesting.

the nite made me truly appreciate jazz music...as a classically trained pianist, i used to perceive jazz the way someone would compare pastry chef vs. chef...you're either good at one or the other. and usually the crossover isn't successful simply because you're more made for one. 

but now i see it as....even if i won't achieve in jazz the same level i've achieved in classical music, it can only help. and well, it's just cool to know jazz, no?

i was never great at improvising, nor was i comfortable improvising in public, on the spot. perhaps learning jazz would release that personal constraint, especially if it's just a mental one, and further challenge and enhance my musicianship. i find that it's very powerful to know both classical and jazz techniques and chords, because you can tie in elements of one into the other... being in a rock band, my classical background has already played a great musical influence on the parts i write. i'll pull some chopin here, david bowie there, muse elsewhere...

it's like when i took opera lessons for a year...who knew that would come in handy in a rockband when it was my turn to sing!

play on.

color me pretty

10 days into the new year...and i'm moving into a new apartment. 

new year, new view.

but first, i need to paint over the white walls. i might as well, since i have to spackle a bit before moving in anyway.  i never knew choosing a bedroom color could give me such a feeling of commitment-phobia. !!! i'd like to think i'll be living here for longterm, therefore i'm staying away from the bright and bold and trendy. i love reds, however that might give me an unwelcome jolt of color on some days. i also want to stay away from the 'classic' ivory and beige and putty, since i've lived with that for a while now and am ready for something different...yet still soothing and livable and inspiring. handsome yet feminine. sophisticated but not stuffy. tasteful, classy, but not commercial or boring. it's like finding the perfect man....i kid.

interestingly enough what i'm feeling right now is the concept of chalkboard paint, or at least the finish of (matte)...makes a statement, yet hopefully still inviting to me when i come home late nite looking to pass out, or just to hideaway. or to sleep in. Slate Gray...or Charcoal...or putty mauve. something vintage/modern. Both look good with chestnut and pine colored furniture.

do i want all the walls to be a darker color? or just an accent wall? if i'm going to go there...i should go there....all walls perhaps?

it's a small room, but not tiny.  and great, fabulous natural light. high ceilings. 

it's kind of a lot to think about, since i'm not the type of person to continuously change up the color of my walls (who has the time?). 

oh, the drama.