Hostess Cheongsam by Louis Vuitton

Finally.  The adored acknowledges the adoring.  Louis Vuitton, or simply known as LV, long been a favorite of China's nouveau-riche, does a Chinese themed collection.  Marc Jacobs of Louis Vuitton, in an effort to brown nose or for a clientèle that is too eager to acknowledge and pay tribute the newly rich and powerful, delivers an allegedly campy re-imagination of the traditional Chinese attire that is dare I say only fits for a Wan Chai hostess.  The clownish costumey collection is akin to American Chinese food--any self respecting traditional Chinese won't go near them and yet some may consider it acceptable or even clever and exciting.  Who knows?

The other pieces on this collection seem more palatable as in cheerfully ridiculous or campy as Mr. Jacobs intended.  But when it comes to the iconic cheongsam it just looks god awful horrendous.  But that's what fashion is about I suppose.  Or maybe, just maybe the whole collection is a fuck-you to China, much like the Nobel Prize committee giving the peace prize to Liu.

For genuinely highly sexualized cheongsam, I would check out Maggie Cheung's In the Mood for Love (2000).  The cheongsam there could have won the Best Supporting Actress role if only it was nominated in that category.

picture from style.com copyright belongs to its rightful owners.

I Want My Skanky Trinity Back

Picture: Elizabeth Lippman for The New York Times.

Longer monochromatic silhouette for newly widowed and grandma

Every summer, I suffer the indignity of sun, heat and all the unpleasantries associated with sweaty limbs of myself and strangers.  The only consolation?  I am amply rewarded by sights of mini-skirts and halter tops as worn by city girls.  But no more.  The New York Times reported today the impending death of the mini and the coming back of the maxi, as in skirt not the pad.  I think the longer monochromatic silhouette always has a market:  the newly widowed and the Grandma.  If what the New York Times says is true, this summer is going to be very very difficult for a lot of people.  I want my Paris, Lindsay, Britney--the skanky trinity, back.

The English Shall Ban Your Stupid Half-Truth Ad

The English on the whole are truthful and honest and above all smarter than you give them credit for.  They have had enough of the French, best exemplified by their Louis Vuitton (note if it's too difficult for some people to comprehend, it's LV) bullshit print ads which show some lily white folks handmaking their merchandise.  The English would have none of it because they just know these are deceitful ads.  Their handbags are just made by machines, think Foxconn without the suicides, instead of by some white hot craft lady as depicted in the ad.  Now the ads are banned.  Truth wins and the English rule.

Picture savaged from Huffington Post, used for illustration.  Copyrights belong to its rightful owner.

H&M Comme des Garcons Still Available

Shocking. There are still pieces of Comme des Garcons hanging around in the H&M store at 5th and 42nd Street. Those I saw were women's items inconspicuously hung on the second floor. The store wasn't even a destined store for the collection so how they landed there I can only speculate, they are probably returned items from different stores? They are solid white, black and pink dress shirts, black and pink polka dot shirts, a couple of ruffled white shirts, a black cocktail dress, a few black wool sweaters. They are mostly small or large sizes. If you wear size xs or 10 or 8 you may find something that fits you. If you wear size 4 or 6 then I don't think so.

Previously.

My Comme des Garcons H&M Experience . . .

I finally succumbed to the hype and the brainwashing H&M spam in my inbox . . . I visited the H&M store on 51st and 5th Avenue. I am telling you, there are still merchandise left a day and a half after the Thursday launch, both for the men and women. Like I said before, New York people are pretty jaded. I found at least two size 42 men's suits. It was my size and I actually tried them on. But since I don't wear suit anymore so I left them for somebody else. I heard people say the quality is so and so. But gee for $249 I think the quality is not bad at all actually pretty top-notched. Even the buttons on the sleeve are functional. I don't see that too often for a $249 wool suit. The pants are reasonably cut, meaning not for somebody who is an adult but weighs 90 lbs and with prepubescent waist like 28, I heard Dior and Prada are pretty good at making miniature suits for boy-men. There are plenty of polka dot polo shirts and peacoats. As for the women's side, there are plenty of shirts, pink and polka dots varieties and trench coats too. I say the quality is very much what I expected or a bit better. If you want the real thing, prepared to pay like ten times more.

I say if you find something you like and fits you, it's a buy.

Addendum:
You know I can see why Gap is slumping, even the Sartorialist is no longer saying any good thing about the Gap any more. Instead he is doing a video interview for H&M in praise of its Comme des Garcons collaboration. And Jcrew, the hopelessly unapologetic preppy brand is sliding after few years of success. People need change and nothing changes faster than the clothes at H&M.

Apparently Nobody Gives . . . never mind

The greatest fashion launch of all time doesn't register a beep in New York City. Today, there is absolutely no reportage on the Comme des Garcons H&M line of clothing in NYC. I wonder if there is any lines forming outside of the participating H&M stores in the city. Maybe New Yorkers are just too jaded for H&M crap, or whatever Garcons or Japanese designer she is. Who gives a fuck anyway? Nobody is worth my time waiting in line in the cold to buy some pieces of fabrics.

Jeurgen Teller

Juergen Teller and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York.
Top: Cindy Sherman, left with Mr. Teller.
Bottom: Victoria Beckham as photographed by Mr. Teller for an ad campaign for Marc Jacobs. Images from nytimes.com.

Once again, Mr. Teller proves that you don't need a $10,000 rig to shoot a multi-million dollar ad campaign for the purveyors of high fashion and styles. He shoots with a Contax G2, the little camera that can. He shoots fashion and celebrities all right but to say that he is just a fashion photographer is akin to declare a fashion collection very wearable, which inadvertently and unmistakably reduces fashion to an utility, not a high praise indeed. Mr. Teller's works are more recognized as art works than mere fashion shots. His style runs much in the same vein as that of Terry Richardson, and to a lesser degree pants-optional Don Charney and a boat load of other photographers shooting for downtown fashion/lifestyles magazines like Nylon and such. The images are usually offbeat, irreverent, and not overly polished at all; in short, images much rely on the photographer's seeing and the visceral response to the subjects as opposed to elaborate lighting and Photoshop techniques. So you can easily end up with photographers who shun overly polished techniques but truly know what they are doing artistically, and those who have no techniques and also don't know what they are doing.

Source: When Is a Fashion Ad Not a Fashion Ad? by Cathy Horyn of the New York Times.

My Ebay Seller Keeps Me Entertained

Somewhere in America, a front door swings open, and the following conversation takes place:

"Hey...what're you doing here? I thought I told you we were through! I thought I told you to get out and never come back!!"

"Baby, listen. I know what you said, about how I'm unfaithful and scared of commitment and I don't brush my hair. But I've been doing some real thinking lately, and I realized...well, I know now...you're the only one for me! I love you so much, baby, and I know we can make this work if we'll just..."

"Hold on! Stop right there!"

"What? What is it?"

"Is that a pin striped 3 pc. suit?"

"Um...yeah."

"Let's make out."

Miscellaneous

Faded and Ripped

Photo via nytimes.com: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times (middle); Duffy-Marie Arnoult/WireImage.com (right)
Shredded white jeans, $495 at Maison Martin Margiela; (212) 989-7612. Vintage Levi’s, $148 to $198 at What Comes Around Goes Around; (212) 343-9303. Byrdie Bell with an unidentified male on the right.
I can dress like myself again, and the rest of the world is catching on, that is like a bum. Put away your creased dark raw denim, faded ripped blue jeans are returning in full force. At least that is what the NYTIMES.COM is telling me.

Male Physique

Sascha Kooienga, left, and Artem Emelianov

Photo: Eric Johnson for the New York Times.

You can never be too thin. The ideal male physique on the runway is like 6' and weighs less than 150 lbs. The trend probably began with designer Hedi Slimane who essentially took the men out of men's fashion and replaced men with street urchins.


Thom Browne's Fall 2008 collection.

Siamese Twins.
Photo by Marcio Madeira via men.style.com.

Big Bird.
Photo by Don Ashby via men.style.com

Batman.
Photo by Marcio Madeira via men.style.com.

Fashion Week Tomorrow

In less than a day, Byrant Park will be taken over by wild fashionistas. For the latest, please get the f out of this blog because this blog blows.

The official site seems to be running better than it was last year. Let's see what happens when the event is in full swing tomorrow.

Other usual suspects as recommended by The Gothamist are The Daily and Fashionista.

Fall Jacket

Bottom Photo: Ryan Pfluger

Ruby Lin (literature and economics) is in a Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière wool jacket, $2,575, and scarf with silver chains, $5,595. At Balenciaga, 542 West 22nd Street. Trunk LTD. T-shirt, $90. At www.trunkltd .com. Lucky Brand Jeans, $98. At Lucky Brand Jeans stores. Melet Mercantile belt. Yarbourough ring.

The top one is what Jcrew calls the Lexington jacket, $250. The bottom one is from Balenciaga costing $2,575; picture and words sourced from The New York Times. Jcrew picture from their online store.

The Balenciaga jacket as seen on runway.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

The piracy paradox.

From myself.

Deep Thoughts and Readings

The most read article is ... anything written by yours truly, and some minor pieces by some others like from The New Yorkers.

The Most Read Article of The New Yorker goes to A Critic At Large: Candid Camera, The Cult of Leica, by Anthony Lane, published September 24, 2007. The more things change, the more they stay the same. At least that's some of those Leica die-hards want or until Leica pulled off with a digital themselves, the M8.

Another shorter but no less interesting piece entitled The Privacy Paradox by James Suroweicki which makes the case that copycat of the fashion industry is actually good for the industry and any counter measure in terms of legislation may actually do more harm than good, in short, the cure is badder than the disease. The latest fashion war against copycat is waging all the way to the highest temple of legislation, that is the Congress. On the street level, Anna Sui is handing out Wanted T-shirt of caricatures of Forever 21 founders who allegedly are guilty of ripping off runway pieces by boldface designers like Ms. Sui herself and selling them at a fraction of the original's price to people who want high fashion but not the high price.

That makes me think of all the copyright and intellectual property rights on the Web. My brain is not big enough to address let alone solve this problem but then it doesn't stop me from blogging about it. I think it's really low to steal someone's post and treat it as one's original, it's like counterfeits that pretend to be the real ones, it's just wrong and illegal. What irks and fascinates me the most is that some of the posts that got pilfered aren't even great or anything. And even some paper, allegedly steals from bloggers, you know or I know it's bad when the paper, of all the bloggers they can choose to steal from in the whole wide web, is stealing from some blogger who can't even blog. That's just very disturbing. The day that my post is stolen will be the end of civilization as we know it, not because the act of stealing per se but because of the bad choice.

Then there is this whole fair use gray area. I personally always use other's jpegs and I normally give attribution if I don't forget or too tired or confused to put it. But does it make it OKAY though? Or if your site has all those crazy Google ads, does it make your site commercial (even we know the only persons clicking those ad links are you and your dog, I personally tried it but got busted by Google for suspicious clicks), can you still claim non commercial use of some images you get from the web? Or like embedding songs on the web? I don't really know. My web doctrine is to give attribution whenever you can.

More on knockoffs.

Thom Browne

Photo: Marcio Madeira from men.style.com

Is Thom Browne a great American men's designer or is he Pee-wee Herman in disguise? Scratch that, the real life Pee-wee. Either way you can't help but notice his works and him. He actually practices what he preaches.

Sperry Top-sider

Joining Doc Martens, Top-sider is enjoying some press and come back recently. Band of Outsiders is updating this classic and selling them at where else, Barneys for $190~300 a pair, and they don't even come with the leather laces. The original is selling for $64.95 a pair at Sperry's site and they do come with laces. My pair of top siders never got to walk on a boat deck, its purpose of existence was never fulfilled.

From men's style. From Gawker.

UPDATE: One of the most searched posts here. If you were to ask me what to buy, I think any sane person would opt for the orginal top siders which are like the original and they come with laces.

Blundstone

If for some reason you think Doc Martens is too grungy, too skin head, too polluted by the fashion crossovers like Chloe and Yohji Yamamoto, and thoroughly disgusted by their blatant ad of exploitation of dead people, fear not, there is still Blundstone, the unpolluted Aussie invention since 1870.

I can attest to its light weight, comfortable and durable construction as I wear a pair of 500 every day.

Related post.

Back To Classics

Dan Martensen for The New York Times; styling by Susan Joy

Lanvin zip-up silk blouse, $1,090, and Alexander Wang wide-leg herringbone pants, $585, both at Barneys New York. Karen Walker leather belt, $132 at Mick Margo; LaCrasia leather gloves, $200; Patricia Von Musulin hand-carved ebony ring, $825 at Takashimaya; Kelly Christy felt fedora, $300 to order from kellychristyhats@hotmail.com; Chloé leather satchel, $2,595 at Chloé.
[above jpeg and caption copied from The New York Times electronic edition]


Fashion critic Cathy Horyn is predicting a more sober fashion fall outlook in her New York Times article"Après Rehab: A Lovely Sobriety" published on August 23. Basically fashion would be more classical and gasp more "wearable" which is, mind you, very different from affordable, see merchandise and price caption from above. To be in the fashion business is to be in the recycle business, after all, we all suffer quite a bit from Britney Spears and Paris Hilton fatigue, perhaps it's good to get back to more classical stuff like from the 60s and from an era when etiquette and underwear mean something.

What I Wore Last Week

I think people are begging for some detailed description (I made that up, of course). I will do my best, just for you people. Clockwise from top left:
Levi's 501 white jeans. I never thought I would wear any white pants after graduating from middle school but there they are. Another gray 501 underneath it, not shown.
Various briefs from American Apparel and Fruit of the Loom.
Day of the Week socks from H&M, Monday all the way to Sunday, though I don't wear them strictly by day of the week.
Various T-shirts from Gap, H&M and American Apparel. I try to avoid polo shirts. I do own some but I try not to wear them. And when I wear them, I make sure the collar is not up like some asshole would wear them.

Dow Just Shredded 387.18 Points

The Dow Jones Industrial Average nose dived more than 380 points because of credit woes, making it the second worst closing this year. Meanwhile there is a bidding war on Barneys New York, the premium retail chain that sells high end consumer stuff that comes with sticker shock like below.

Photograph by Kelly Shimoda for The New York Times

From left: $895 Marc Jacobs shirt, $530 Lanvin leather ballet flats, and $1,525 Proenza Schouler shift.

Picture and text from "When High Price Is the Allure" by Ruth La Ferla published August 9, 2007 in The New York Times.

Of Fashion and Crap

Kate Moss with her new overlord, billionaire Sir Philip Green, mastermind behind the stunt that's called Kate Moss Topshop.

Topshop pandemonium. There is only one Kate Moss and everybody wants a piece of her.

Moss the dummy, reportedly got paid ₤3M for her collection for Topshop, not bad for a "working-class slag from a crap town."

Kate Moss is staging her own private British invasion this month.

The Topshop fashion collection attributed to Ms. Moss debuted in London on May 1 is making its way across the pond in Barneys New York, the quintessential upscale department store for the well heeled New Yorkers, on May 9, 2007.

Depending on which side of the Atlantic you are on, the Kate Moss Topshop collection can be smart or it can be a "snore."

Let's see how jaded New Yorkers vote the collection with their wallets.

Meanwhile ... our local brand, Gap is struggling. The latest gimmick taking a page from the playbook of H&M, is to add a designer collection of its staples of blue jeans and khakis. But unlike H&M, which got world class celebrity like Madonna or designers like Karl Lagerfeld to do a collection, Gap chose to use new and lesser known designers to re-design the so called iconic white shirt. The way I see it, it's not really working, the reaction is luke warm at best.

Further readings:-
Don't slag it off, The Economist. April 26, 2007.

UPDATES:
5/10/07. The New York Times has a piece on the collection as introduced yesterday at Barney's New York. There were less than 100 people waiting when the shop opened at 10A.M. A non event compared to the London introduction.

$400 Haircut

Credit: Charlie Neibergall/Associated Press
John Edwards appearing at a public forum in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on March 9, two days after one of his $400 haircuts. (caption from the New York Times)

Just when I thought $75 a pair of socks is out of this world, the latest closet (now outed) peacock Presidential candidate John Edwards shows the world his $400 haircut.

Further evidence how much this guy cares his hair can be seen here in "I am Pretty"



Sources: In the Beverly Hills Style: Candidate's $400 Coiffure by Adam Nagourney