lanvin x h&m - the fight

The collection that was highly hyped and anticipated. I just had to take part, I went at 4:30am  and there were already around 100 people in front of me, but Vancouver had its first snowstorm last night. Seriously, those people were insane. It was still snowing very heavily when I got in line, armed with a hand knitted sweater, a raglan sweater, shirt, t-shirt, uniqlo heat-tech tank and leggings under my jeans and three layers of socks. 

I just felt so lucky to be a guy because all the guys who were shopping purely mens' collection will be able to wait inside the mall, while the women who were waiting to buy the womens' collection had to wait out in the snow. I was thinking of getting a few of the womens' t-shirts but gave up because I'd be in the 5th/6th group according to the bracelet color, and I'd have to wait until 10am while I could be done and gone by 8:15am if I just shopped mens'. Staffs served Starbucks coffee and pastries at 7am, which was pretty surprising, because none of this happened with previous collaborations.

What I got after like 5 minutes in the store. Literally. There was no time to decide whether you want this or that, no time to think, basically, I just grabbed what I saw. I got 4/5 of my most wanted items which is pretty awesome. All the men's stuffs were in one tiny section on the second floor. But this year, the quantity of each item is signifiicantly lower than before (Comme des Garcons / Matthew Williamson / Jimmy Choo) There were only about 15 of each colors of bowties / ties. 2-3 of each sizes of shirts and probably 5 of each size for t-shirts. Shoes were scattered all over the place, some in boxes, some not, which made it very hard for people to find sizes. And I didn't see the purple and blue shoes, either the first 20 people that were in front of me bought them all or there weren't any at Vancouver. The suits and blazers were gone before I could even see them. The only regret was the sunglasses, I heard from the staffs that there were only about 15 sunglasses, which I think is very stupid. Still pissed off about not being able to get the sunglasses. 

But here's what I did get, 

This was the gift from H&M. A tote bag with a flower brooch and a navy blue wool scarf inside, pretty awesome I'd say, considering it was hard to even get an extra paper bag at the CdG collaboration.

Tuxedo shirt. I just grabbed this one with my left hand while my right hand was grabbing the bowties, I just kind of "visualized" where my size would be and got the right size, luckily.

Drawstring wool trousers in navy blue - I wasn't planning to get these, but I saw them on the rack, the last pair, and it's my size, so I just grabbed it anyways, but I am now really glad I grabbed it because it's my favorite piece of garment that I got today.

Tiger face tee - a no-brainer. I was planning to get both t-shirts but didn't see the leopard one by the time I was there (they put the two t-shirts in two different sections) I got the tiger first and by the time I was at the leopard section, there was only XS left.

The main reason why I was even there - the bowties. They are so adorable. I got the three that I wanted - the leopard one, the red one and the purple one. Made with 100% silk, they're so luxurious and soft and gorgeous. I love how the red and purple ones are so oversized, so Alber Elbaz.

I was planning to get two pairs of shoes - the brown one and the blue or purple one, but I only saw the brown one. I got the biggest size available  - 11.5. I am a size 13 normally, but I just wanted to try my luck and surprisingly, it fitted. 

The cutest shopping bag ever. 

Staying up all night and lining up at 4:30am was totally worth it.

club monaco ss2011

Club Monaco Spring/Summer 2011 lookbook is out already. Seriously, I love the styling in these two looks. I wanna be wearing these right now! But I am not a fan of the model. Weird choice, so not typical Club Monaco-type polished guy.

the beginning of a new month

The Business of Fashion / Searching for Style event at OPUS in Yaletown.

Definitely my favorite place in town. This place is better than Holt Renfrew!

Partners in crime! I was clearly over-dressed today, I thought it was going to be cold so I whipped on a shirt and a knitted cricket vest, I was sweating MAD.

Find of the day - FENDI bomber jacket with tacky/flashy lining. It was only $10, so it was a steal. And it looks brand new too, it's in pristine condition. It's discreet and flashy at the same time. I believe it is reversible too. Perfect jacket for fall, I'd wear it with straight leg denim and a white t-shirt?

So there it is, I am now a proud owner of something Balenciaga. This polo is amazing. I love the colors, and it's in my size!

The final find of the day, a Versace Jean Couture polo in black. I love the zipper treatment instead of the traditional button fly front. 

 

Yohji Yamamoto Spring/Summer 2011 Men

Yohji Yamamoto is a genius, there's no doubt about that. But this collection has moved me and inspired me deeply. Despite the fact that his company is doing so badly that even his New York store is closing down, he stayed true to himself and designed against the trends and the flows of the rest of the fashion industry. I always remember that one quote from his interview with The Times in 2005, "I am a lazy person, all I want to do is to stay home and sew everyday." This collection not only showcases who Yamamoto is as a designer, but reinforces his place in the industry. I would say, he is guarding his ground firmly with a flair of naivety and innocence. It's as if he is in his own little world, dreaming, sketching and making this collection that is so hauntingly beautiful. His collection is the cross breed of true avant garde and wearability. His reference and inspiration is obvious yet subtle, and the level of attention to details is impeccable. I found myself downloading the HQ images and staring at each look for at least a good five minutes. The styling is spot on, especially that Mozart-esque hair and the gorgeously groomed perfect moustache. This is by far the best collection in my opinion from the Spring Summer 2011 Men's shows.

The show started with loud patterns and whole looks of the same pattern that is very seventies. He plays with porportions and lengths. I love the cravats and breeches. It is so early American settlement-esque. The riding coats are also extremely gorgeous. The color-blocking cardigan in the bottom right image shows how Yamamoto can also design pieces that will do well commercially.

The show then moves into a more innocent stage. The full color looks are so fresh and so unexpected of Yamamoto. And surprisingly, they actually look amazing. Normally, I would assume that wearing only one color, especially orange, would make one look like a class A douchebag. The next few looks were very boyish, with extremely well made riding trousers. I love the variations in the trousers from the tiniest details.

The next section of the show evolved into the 'typical' Yamamoto styled looks. Cropped loose pants, black and white textures, and strange porportions are his trademarks. It is brilliant how he can incoporate his trademark styles into this already strongly themed and styled collection without feeling a bit of inconstitency.

The final section of the show introduces a 'new' look for men. The lengthy polo embarked with what I would assume is Yamamoto's newly derived logo is worn as a dress-ish style. I personally want one of those oversized slim polos.

What an amazing collection. While all other big commercially-thriving-well companies are sending ridiculous looks such as bellybutton bearing crop tops down the runway, Mr. Yamamoto is writing a fantasy story with his vision, clothes and soul.

Vogue China April 2010

Vogue China is getting better and better in terms of editorials. I love the fact that they use a lot of Asian models, unlike Vogue Nippon, which rarely uses any Asian models (with the exception of Tao Okamoto being used like, once). There are two editorials in this issue of Vogue China that was amazingly beautiful. One features Tao wearing this bleached wig, I don't like the hair, but this bleached, artificially colored hair is everywhere recently, from the runways of Yohji Yamamoto to Tavi. I love the dresses being used in here and the slight fantasy feel to all these images. I'll let the images do the talking here.

The next set is Du Juan in a beauty editorial. I always think that Du Juan is the most famous Chinese model internationally, but lately, Liu Wen is bigger and more popular, especially with the runways. But this beauty editorial featuring Du Juan was simply genius. It is simple, and to the point. 

I love her facial expressions. Seriously, this girl should score a beauty campaign. Probably Shiseido or something along that line. She would rock it.

(all images from vogue.cn)