Pleats, Please

As I'm frantically packing to go to Surabaya, my hometown, everything in my path looks like a shipwreck! Don't you hate packing? I never know what to bring, then comes the problem of selecting clothes you love but ending up with no actual outfits because each single piece just doesn't look good together! I'm such an over-packer, I always think I'll need things that I don't. Are any of you like that?

Amidst all this mess, I'll have my momentary calm in writing down and blogging for a bit. I wore this outfit recently to go to a farewell party followed by some cocktails with friends. We all have our LBDs, I happen to have quite a few (although sometimes I get bored of it too)! Accordion pleats that are not just confined to schoolgirl skirts seem to be making a comeback these days...

I personally think that the point of LBDs is for you to have fun accessorising! Pretty much everything goes with black, so to keep things a little less dull I added a waist belt, leopard print pony hair platforms, a green clutch and a colourful necklace!

Definitely wouldn't have gotten this dress hadn't it been for the little layered pop of neon pink at the bottom. I like how under different lighting you can see through the sheerness of the black outer layer.

I am in LOVE with this shoe! It's tall, is leopard printed calf hair (!!) and is super comfortable to wear.

Since my accessories take centre stage, here's a little close up to show you the details. I love Tom Binns' jewellery but at $1000 a piece, I think I'll get it in better days to come. I found this Tom Binns-ish necklace at a steal in a local Singaporean boutique called Femme-X for S$25!

Juicy Couture dress, Miu Miu leopard print platform heels, Nina Ricci belt, BCBGMaxAzria clutch

It's finally time to me to board the plane and go to my personal food heaven, Surabaya. If any of you are as big a glutton as I am, I'd recommend you take a weekend jaunt down to my little hometown :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Master Class: Vogue UK September 2011

Freja Beha Erichson graces the cover for the September issue of Vogue UK. She also features in a stunning, albeit melancholy, editorial with Arizona Muse. These girls have been everywhere in the past year. Along with Anja Rubik and maybe Lara Stone, I'm pretty sure they have been to more runways, covers and editorials in the high fashion circuit. It's also rumoured that Freja and Arizona have been "romantically linked" this past runway season! We'll wait and see how that bit of gossip develops...

Titled "Master Class," it is shot by Mario Testino.

To me, it's a mix of lots of different elements. It echoes the great Dutch artist, Johannes Vermeer who painted works like The Girl with the Pearl Earring. At the same time, it has a religious, nun-like undertone. Then there's something a little dead and robotic about the models too.

Credits: zac-fashion

Don't you love the moody, monochromatic atmosphere of all this? It makes nuns and being conservative look so fashionable. Those accessories are really something worth coveting!

Coveting Cold Weather: Fall 2011

Many designers have finalised their ad campaigns for the Fall 2011 season and my, what a lavish spread it is! I thought I would show several of the ones that caught my eye, whether good or bad. I feel like ad campaigns should exude an attitude and most importantly, a concept. It's not only about selling beautiful clothes but a certain lifestyle that comes with it and that we consumers, would want to buy in the hopes of tangibly encapsulating the attitude of the campaign.

Dolce & Gabbana

I always love the plurality of the Dolce & Gabbana campaigns. It's never one, two or even three people but always a group. The composition exudes their signature Italian "refined" glamour. Love the juxtaposition of the androgyny and femme fatales. Makes me want to wear their dresses with those gorgeous blazers. Can you spot all the famous model faces in the campaign?

Givenchy

They have got to be one of my favourite fashion houses over the past several years. I like the slightly masculine (but not too man-repeller) attitude of their clothes. It's edgy, chic but embraces lots of femininity all at the same time. This ad campaign also features Naomi Campbell but I prefer Mariacarla Boscono all the way! Look at that lushness but it's really quite a simple campaign.

Gucci

I think their Fall 2011 really captures a certain attitude that many other campaigns may not have. The heavy fur, jewel-toned colours and overall hue of the campaign makes for a visual feast. Simple but interesting, contrasts between light and darkness - I love it!
Props to Frida Giannini for really turning Gucci into something not so logo oriented that made the brand really tacky for a while. Abbey Lee-Kershaw looks sublime in these photos.

Versace

I WOULD DIE (live and die again) IN THIS DRESS! It's so beautiful! Opulence with such a clean, androgynous aesthetic that's contradictory to the dress itself. Versace has steered itself to a direction that is so much more pleasing to my eye in the last couple of years. I remember a time when it was all about skimpiness... and now Donatella finally understands the impact of glamorous understated clothes that hint at the female figure rather than "Hello, I'm $50 an hour."
Now, can someone please adopt me and buy me this dress? kthx.

Roberto Cavalli

OK, I admit I was surprised at the amount of designers' ad campaigns I liked that I usually didn't like. Case and point: Roberto Cavalli. For those living in Singapore, you know how uglayyy as a hawker centre bin the ad campaigns they have plastered on the walls and windows in Mandarin Gallery are.
This dear friends, is captivating! I think I'm a sucker for contrasts: the dark and neutral coloured leopard prints really stand out against a luscious background of red, pink and golden leaves.
If only we all looked that good frolicking in Fall foliage... in full length silk dresses no less.

I've more campaigns to show you but it's a lot of pictures, so read on!