S/S 2012 DETAILS

sequinned illusions and gorgeously styled boots at Ashish

amazing mixed landscape prints at Dries Van Noten

deep blue, mustard and mineral rock chokers at Damir Doma

more blinding neon and scuba neoprene at Sass & Bide

feathers, tassels, fringes and patchwork textures at Ann Demeulemeester

mixed prints, lace and bright nails at Anna Sui

shades of blue-green and translucent pockets (ala Alexander Wang?) at C'N'C Costume National

quiet elegance at The Row's Tibetian/Bhutan-inspired collection

new basics and structured silhouettes at Acne

ink-on-tissue pleats and a marriage of prints at Albino

DETAILS -- NYFW

cropped knits, bright chokers, whipstiched suede and crochet on knits at Charlotte Ronson

cracked, splintered, pebbled and marbled shades of metallics at Diesel Black Gold

amazing necklines at Honor

a mix of feminine and masculine and ombre-d crochet at Band Of Outsiders

blinding neon accents at Rag & Bone

More to come!

MORE VINTAGE ENVY

So this blog clued me in on Thrifted & Modern, an online site that sells some of the most beautiful, pristine-looking vintage clothes I've ever seen. It got me thinking: in which era did people wear these gorgeous styles, and how did they disappear, only to emerge as trends again?

The definition of vintage clothing on Wikipedia, "generally speaking", are clothes that come from between the 1920s to the 1980s. Forgive me if I sound incoherent but I am baffled: why/how is there a sudden mass propagation of flowy maxi skirts, crochet, beaded and fringed kaftans and kimonos? Like these to-die-for ones from Crystallized Vintage:




What I'm trying to say, basically, is: where the heck is it all coming from?! Is there some super secret hidden stash of rows of rows of clothes just like these that only a select group of people know about? Because I want in, now.

Then again, what's with the whole obsession over vintage clothes? I mean, most people buy vintage clothes because they look similar to something that can be found on the racks in most stores, but they feel a sense of loftiness (c'mon, we all do. I admit to it too) in the security that they bought their clothes at a 'vintage/thrift store' so nobody else will have the same thing as them, but the thing that they bought is just a slight variation of whatever is in stores--do you get my drift? So what is the point??

I guess there is always the thrill of finding something similar at a fraction of the cost. And of course there are several individuals who pull off completely different styles with whatever vintage clothes they find.

So I guess it doesn't really matter where you get your clothes from; it only matters how you wear it. I wouldn't say no to one to of those fringed kaftans/throwovers from Crystallized though.

DIY

Ugh why does blogger turn my photos into low-quality shots?

Anyway, I've been pretty crafty this holiday! In a creative sense I mean. I bought this old leather bag from the Salvation Army for all of $10, cut off the awkward handles and sewed on a zip to make an oversized clutch. With the strips of leather from the handles, I added an edge to an otherwise plain black cloth tote that I made. And I bought some length of black lace/crochet, cut off the hems of a pair of old shorts I never wear anymore, and then sewed on the crochet to update the shorts. Hooray for quick, cheap fixes :)

I chanced upon this plain silver collar necklace in Forever 21 a while back; F21 still surprises me sometimes. And I couldn't resist the decidedly un-Daiso-like colours of these two leather pouches I got from Daiso (the tag said Swine Skin Pouch, I kid you not), pictured here with one of my favourite bracelets from Bangkok.

SHANGHAI GOLD

Wowwwww.

Get them here

CELINE RESORT 2012

via style.com

Amazing collection by Celine. Loving: the single-buttoned blazer; translucent raincoat in an ombre tone; blazer thrown over a fully-buttoned, all-floral ensemble; that huge gold belt buckle; the fact that the hem of the white shirt in the 8th photo peeks out from the slit of the skirt; the heavily embroidered floral bustier worn over a casual tee; and that simple but lux leather coat.

Not so sure about some other looks in the collection though--like the ruched, elbow length gloves; one particularly incongruous silk, striped, pajama-looking set; and a pleated, but otherwise formless shocking pink dress.

Nevertheless, inspiring.