thank you for loving me

it was the week of thanksgiving here in the states. i have been having a few days off from school, and have spent them sleeping!!! i went out a couple of times (hallelujah for some free time finally!!), and basically spent my entire week sleeping my ass off!!!

love it.

a childhood friend of mine, gerry, came down from new haven twice for day trips. we were great friends when we were in primary (elementary) school, but we lost touch after graduating and going our separate days. i guess when you're 12, you don't know the importance of keeping in touch.

so we haven't seen each other in like 12 years!!! crazy huh? we got in touch with each other again through the wonders of the internet, but she was in london and i was in tokyo. we finally had the chance to meet up when she moved to new haven, and i, to new york! it was crazy. she looked exactly the same! ahahahaha!! we went shopping and to have some japanese food. i think i've changed quite a bit since i was 12. i was such a tomboy. i think i still am, in many ways, but yeah i really looked like a little boy back then.

thanksgiving day rolled along and i wanted to go see the macy's thanksgiving day parade. it starts around 75th street and central park west, goes around columbus circle, then down broadway, towards the macy's departmental store. i thought i wanted to go have a look since i loved parades, and plus, it was really near my house.

but when i woke up, looked out of the balcony, and saw the crowd, i kinda changed my mind. toooo many people. but i stayed on the freezing balcony for a while to watch some of the ginormous balloons go by.

unfortunately they moved so slowly... like s o... s l o w l y ...

i watched ronald mcdonald go past. which i guess we all have to give thanks for, because c'mon, we all owe a lot to mr mcdonald's.

then i spotted snoopy behind ronald and wanted pictures... and somehow i timed it so nicely that i went to lie down for 20 minutes and when i went out to the balcony again, my timing was perfect!

(so my conclusion is, it was kinda cool to watch part of the parade while in my robe and pajamas, but it was freezing and i was glad to be home!!!)


on a more serious note, i have been watching fresh prince of bel-air reruns that have been airing on tv. i used to love fresh prince and watched just about every episode when i was a kid. watching it again, i still laugh at the same jokes and it still cracks me up, but there was one episode that i watched yesterday that i had never seen before.

it was the episode when will's father on the show, lou smith, appears for the first time, 14 years after abandoning him and his mom. lou explains to will that he left because he felt trapped. they go out and have a good time, and lou promises to take will on his truck with him.

for once, will thinks he'll get to spend the summer with his dad. will's uncle phillip gets really angry and tells will that he can't go with lou, because he doesn't trust that lou really does care for will. they get into a huge argument when phillip says "no", but will said he doesn't care because "you're not my father!!!"

phillip gets really hurt and upset because he's always treated will as his own son, but he apologises and tells will he loves him, and wishes him all the best.

will packs his whole bag and gets really excited, and even buys his dad a present. vivian and phil wait for lou to turn up, and when he shows up late, he says he just got a huge new job, and won't have any more space on his truck for will. vivian tells lou, "if you walk out of will's life now, don't you ever come back."

lou is a coward and wants vivian and phillip to tell will that he's leaving, but when phillip says he won't do his dirty work, lou decides to leave without saying anything. but will walks in at that moment, and lou tells him, "you know how it is", and promises to call.

will pretends he's ok, but phillip tells him "it's alright to be angry". will says he's alright, "at least he said goodbye this time. it ain't like i'm still 5 years old, sitting up every night asking my mom when's daddy coming home." he learnt to play basketball without his dad, went on his first date without his dad, learnt how to drive without his dad, went through 14 birthdays without his dad, and he doesn't need him. "i didn't need him then and i don't need him now." he's gonna graduate from college without his dad, meet some honey and have kids and take care of them like a good father, nothing like his dad ever was, because there's nothing his dad could ever teach him about how to be a good father.

but then will finally breaks down and says, "how come he don't want me?"

the show ends with the camera zooming in on the present that will had bought for his father, which was a small figurine of a father embracing a child.



it broke my heart.


today, i'm giving thanks for all my friends and family. because when it boils down to what's important, it's love.


oh... love and chocolate. hee hee.

bitten and smitten

i just wanted to drop a quick note to say how excited i was when sarah jessica parker appeared on episode two of project runway. holy guacamole!!! and i was sooooo touched when chris started tearing. it was so touching! i had mixed feelings about sjp asking the designers to design something for her line, bitten. i wish they could have designed something for her to wear on the red carpet instead, but i was really proud of her when she said that fashion is not a luxury, it's a right.

amen.

psst: am i the only one who thinks elisa is whack? i love crazy things too but when she actually SPIT on the fabric, my jaw dropped.... what do you think?


update:
how embarrassing! i just rewatched this and what she really said was, "fashion shouldn't be a luxury and quality shouldn't be a privilege". well, close enough! ;)

choosing a great coat for fall 2007

coming from a tropical country where the four seasons are inexistent, all i had to contend with was summer and the monsoon season where it gets only slightly cooler. my favorite holidays have always been those when we went to countries with cold weather, and after living in japan i realize i really loved the cold seasons. "the colder the better" is my mantra, and i love walking in the cold; although i forget sometimes that i am not the strongest in terms of health and fall sick often due to not dressing warm enough.

layering is something I love doing and coats are definitely a favorite part of my wardrobe. i know people who only have one great coat - and that's it. for me, i love looking at coats and cannot get enough. the more unique it is, the better, because i also fail to understand when people have ten black coats that all look the same.

although i have my own sense of style, i still try to pay attention to what the trends are, and not only spend thousands on fashion magazines, i also scour shops and departmental stores often, and devour everything that goes down the runway.

this season, although each designer was significantly different and there were a variety of influences, i felt that most of the coats were either tight at the waist, or with lots of volume. there were many different shapes, both at the hemline and at the sleeves, like the trapeze and bell shapes. most were very tailored, and constructed. there was definitely also many coats with big tucks and even gathers at the waist to give big volume in the skirt, and the big important accessory – a belt, to cinch in and define the waist, giving it a gorgeous hourglass shape. besides the obvious wool, i saw a lot of luxurious and soft fur, metallics, patent, shiny, distressed, and matt leather, some jacquard, and a lot of shine, through satin/silk-like fabrics and sequins. there were even some plastics – pvc.

i felt that some major influences were definitely the classic trench coat, played and interpreted in different ways by the different designers. the military look was still very strong, and i felt that this trickled down into less expensive shops as well, and balenciaga's fall 2007 look was definitely copied everywhere. many were a-line swing coats, and some had a very distinctive cocoon shape and there were big sleeves and even bigger collars and lapels. i also spotted some coats that were actually anorak coats, and also coats that were padded and quilted.

with my aesthetic and "warped" point of view, i tend to look out for more avant-garde and unique items that are somewhat different from mainstream ideas. but i'll try to keep my insane self in check, and list some trends for you to take note of and hopefully, might help you when you go shopping for a coat! of course, not all of us can afford all those designer labels. (and if you can, i hate you. unless you buy me one too.) but trust me, if they've appeared on the catwalks, they'll be manufactured for the normal woman's buyable brands too, so you'll definitely be able to find them if you go shopping.

of course, this is my own guide, and not necessarily the best trend guide out there, but hopefully i can be a bit of help! so here you go ladies, here are the key words for coats this year!



1. balenciaga, baby!
if there's one word you really need to remember, it's "balenciaga", and that's all you need to know. full stop. the show was a big mix of many different ethnicities, but more importantly, it highlighted a huge part of fashion i love: menswear. haha. but this collection is something that everyone can wear, and come away looking chic, smart, hip, and (maybe only to me) super sexy. and you know a collection is successful, when it is copied everywhere and anywhere!

and don't even get me started on those lego heels. i love them more than any shoes i've ever owned and i need 4000 bucks to buy them!

look out for great quality wool in a solid color or perhaps something with stripes, with some trim in a contrasting shade or something super colorful.

balenciaga

1.5. military and menswear. now that's sexy.
i just can't get enough! (just ignore the ghostly make up!) it's just such a strong look and i love strong looking women.

ann demeulemeester, luella

2. love the volume and love the belts
cinching in the waist creates an hourglass figure that i think is just so very lovely. experiment with belts! the fabrics don't even have to match. many designers are using huge obi belts and i think that's really gorgeous. or forget about a traditional belt, try a great scarf!

proenza schouler, dsquared, balenciaga, gareth pugh, vivienne westwood

3. shapes: a-line, trapeze, bell, cocoon etc
it's all about shapes this season, and tucks and gathers that is used to create them. if you don't wanna experiment too much, try adding shape to just your sleeves! or if you're adventurous enough, add them to both your sleeves and hemline. ooh!

moschino, john galliano, stella mccartney, proenza schouler

4. plaid love
and i mean it when i say "love". i have so many plaid items, it's almost shocking. well not really. anyway, plaid is a little tricky if you don't know what you're doing. there's the size of the check to consider, and also the color! i've seen people wearing some tartan check coats that have colors that don't even match! let these babies inspire you.

vivienne westwood, jean paul gaultier

5. feathers and fur (but faux please!!!)
it's all about luxury, honey. (and how much you can fake some luxury.) but yes, let's try to be animal friendly and get faux fur and feathers please! they are just as great. i don't wanna lie and tell you they're just as soft... but just try. if you don't wanna pay so much for an entire fur coat, try trims!! a fur or a feather trim around the neck or on the hem or the cuff of the sleeves, would work just as brilliantly. you might even be able to find places that just sell a fur collar or cuff, that you can attach on to a coat you already have!

undercover, dolce and gabbana, prada, michael kors

6. shine, baby, shine
some metallics and a little bling-bling (sequins, or if you can afford it, diamonds!??!) will never hurt anyone, honey. i also like a metallic plum. ooh yeah. just remember that although fit is important, it is extremely important with shiny materials cos you don't wanna end up looking like one fat tart.

dolce and gabbana, john galliano, burberry prorsum, christian dior

7. the burberry trench
if you wanna invest in something that will never go out of style, invest in one good trench coat. find something with a very warm, double lining that you can remove in warmer weather, and attach on when you're freezing. get something that fits well, and really, it will never ever fail.

burberry prorsum

8. half or 3-quarter big sleeves
shorter sleeves are really in right now, and i think it will still be trendy for quite a while. try them in all sorts of different shapes too!! i like 3-quarter sleeves. if it's really cold, layer with longer sleeved items underneath, but i love it with bare hands, or with long, leather gloves. or a really super long arm warmer. and i don't mean that you wear it all the way up to your armpits. hohoho.

proenza schouler

9. pop and neon colors
bright colors are so big right now, but i've always loved them. why wear dull when you can wear bright! i do have my i-just-wanna-wear-black-and-be-a-rockstar-and-stomp-all-over-with-black-eyeliner days, but i do love them colors.

preen, louis vuitton, luella, jean paul gaultier, christian dior

10. be different
in a world where the majority of the people are in black coats, things can really get a bit drab. so i wanna talk about one of my all-time favorite brands, comme des garcons. not only is rei kawakubo a genius, she is also an architect and she knows the construction of clothing so well, that she is one of the handful of designers who are able to take clothing apart, deconstruct everything, and come up with clothing that is like an art sculpture. she also has vision, and has rigorously trained some of japan's most finest and unique young designers who have left her nest and now have successful brands of their own, like my idol, junya watanabe. most people call rei kawakubo crazy, and claim that her collections are unwearable, unthinkable, and unrealistic. those people obviously have never been to a place like tokyo, where her fans camp outside her shops when limited edition pieces are released, and go "just to have a look" every other day, in case something special crops up. crazy as she seems, she definitely has a strong following and the respect of fashion forward people with an open mind.

comme des garcons, junya watanabe

so there you have it! my little guide for what to look out for when you go shopping for a winter coat. when you have a great coat, all you need is..... a great pair of shoes, some tights or stockings, and perhaps silk knickers. hahaha!



psst: can't get enough, you little fashion addict? hop over to style.com and die in heaven.

victoria's secret... who's victoria anyway?

have you ever wondered who victoria actually is?? haha.

so i was talking about one of my favorite teachers in my last post. he is one of the pattern makers for the victoria's secret runway show.

now tell me again how exciting that is. woohoo!!

so i go to school today and he shows us all these gorgeous gorgeous super fabulous photos of the models in their beautiful outfits. i'm in love and i'm not even gay. i'm sure you know by now how much i love outrageous things, and the victoria's secret shows never fail to please!! ooh la la! hahaha!

ok there were other things but i'm not sure how much i'm allowed to say. he was too nice to even share with us and i'm a big mouth for sharing with you. (but psst. there were super parties after each show and i'm sure we'll see lovely photos soon!)

but till then, and till the show airs on december 4th on cbs, watch these videos to feed your fashion lust!








but my favorite video?
this hilarious one of heidi. ok i'm so jealous of her boobs. pooh.



wanna watch more victoria's secret videos? victoria's secret@youtube

once you go black, you won't go back

or so they say.
haha.

no, i've never done that type of black before. (this is not a racist remark.)

what i have done, is colored my hair black! woohoo!

my hair had been pink and purple for some time now, and for over a month, the color was still extremely neon and vibrant. but around the start of the november, the color started fading and it wasn't as bright and vivid as i wanted it to be.

well, i also got slightly sick of it. you know me, i can't keep one look for too long. i needed change.

so change i did.

bye bye miss faded and jaded, hello miss rock-star black!

i did it myself in my bathroom. it was horrific. i haven't colored my own hair for a long time now, especially black! so when i was done with the color, my entire neck was a disgusting muddy black color. not to mention my ears and even shoulders, even though i had rubbed in a huge amount of vaseline to protect my skin! i freaked out! for a moment, i thought i'd have to wear a knit cap and scarf until the color faded. i spent like an hour in the shower rubbing the hell out of it.

and after all the rubbing and scrubbing, my skin was no longer black. yay!

but it was red. boo.


anyway the last couple of weeks have just been crazy. i decided to drop out of one class because i just couldn't cope. it was too much and it's just not worth killing myself over school. this means that i might have to take it in senior year (when i really want to be concentrating on my final collection and not taking other unnecessary things), but ahh, heck. i just can't do it now.

on the up side, i'm finally getting the hang of what my fashion concepts (where we basically draw and design clothes) teacher wants out of me. she's really nice and funny but honestly, she's crazy and has been loading us with so much work, all of us are stressed, exhausted and basically dying. we get so much more work than the other classes!! it's crazy! and she hates everything i do because it's apparently too costumey and over-the-top.

well i love over-the-top and i refuse to let new york jade me.

another teacher of mine, for my studio methods class (where we do sewing and all that), is like the cutest funniest person ever. i love greg. he's so damn smart and cute and so darn funny i wanna pinch his cheeks. hahaha. get this: he's 28 and has worked for people like karl lagerfeld before!! and, get get this this: i don't know what his exact position is, but he's either head pattern maker, or one of the pattern makers, of the victoria's secret fashion show!!!

yeah, you know what i'm talking about. i'm not talking about the stuff they sell in the stores. hell no. i'm talking about the famous victoria's secret runway show. some of their most famous models include heidi klum, naomi campbell, tyra banks, gisele bundchen, alessandra ambrosio and so on. they are the women whom men wanna lick and women wanna be.

and greg is one of their pattern makers. WOW.

he told us that when we first started the semester, and all of us just went wowowowow and that was it. but then the "wow-ness" of it all finally rubbed in last week when he told us, "i won't be here for class next week because i'll be in l.a. for the victoria's secret show."

holy crap.

how exciting is that?? he says that heidi, gisele and (i think he mentioned) karolina, are the most-est nicest people ever and he loves them to death. ooh ahh. i hope he comes back on monday with juicy gossip to feed my inner paparazzi.

greg also has his own menswear line that is really classy. he always wears his own shirts and i really like them because he pays attention to the smallest detail. and it's called godspeed the well-dressed man. how can you not love him.

wait, back to the victoria's secrets show... i wonder.... doing what he does, does that mean that he gets to touch their boobs and knows all their real measurements? wahahaha. i'm dying to find out.