SS08: The "IT" Shoes

The other day when I was at the hair salon flicking through Vogue, I came across what they claimed to be the new "it" shoe this season- these Etro sandals below.
The term "it" shoes is apt. Cousin IT shoes that is. First Prada had these fringe things all over the place SS07, and now these shoes. Gladiator sandals with fringe piled on, I really don't see the attraction. They kind of look like sandals pretending to be boots or the other way around. Just not quite right.
No matter how they matched it on the Etro runway, there MUST be other better footwear out there to match these cute printed outfits. More simpler sandals perhaps? Heels? Barefoot??? Just when I thought perhaps it was just a one off random thing, I see the exact likeness on the Zara display window. For a moment I worried that this will become a prominent feature in daily fashion (it IS Zara after all). However, HG has convinced me that this is just one of those fashion items that are picked to featured to look cool (I don't know where they get these ideas from) but not really meant for mass consumption- or so I hope. Fingers crossed!

I mean, would YOU wear this????

Image Source: Elle.com

Welcome to Washington D,C

Dolce&Gabbana silk dress

Энэ удаа " W"сэтгүүлийн 2 сарын дугаарт гарсан washington dc editorial-г хүргэж байна. Фэйшн гэхээсээ илүү консерватив гэгдэх энэ хотод 2008 оны хаврын загварууд хэрхэн аялаж буйг хүлээн авна уу.
P.S: энэхүү өвөрмөц төрхтэй кукла шиг модел бол Lily Cole юм.

Chanel silk dress

comme des garcons polyester/wool jacket

Dolce Gabbana silk dress

Louis Vuitton top & BCBG Maxazria skirt
Энэ хаврын моод- гэрэлтдэг нимгэн материал

Alexander Mcqueen silk gown

Louis Vuitton jacket & Marc Jacobs dress

Giorgio Armani bustier & Yves Saint Laurent Necklace
энэ хаврын моод одон хээ

Rodarte Dress

Yves Saint Laurent dress

Jil Sander jacket

Jil Sander dress

Boss black dress (Hugo Boss-н салбар брэнд) & Yves Saint Laurent necklace

John Galliano swimsuit

Dior camisole

Miu Miu blouse& shorts

Maxmara blouse

The Cult of the Luxury Brand

I love book shopping. Strolling leisurely along the aisles with rows and rows of books, you never know what treasures you might come across. Some of my best discoveries have been books that had randomly caught my eye. I like to think its fate. This is probably why I love book shopping. But anyway, my latest treasure has been, "The Cult of the Luxury Brand," by Radha Chadha and Paul Husband. I'm sure you can imagine why it might have caught my attention.... This book focuses on the cult of the luxury brand in Asia, which takes up 37% of the $80bn USD global luxury brand market, while Europe and US only take up 35% and 24% respectively. I think in this case, "cult" is definitely the right word. Living in one of the centers of this phenomenon, and admittedly to most degrees being part of it, I've always wonder why we behave the way we do. And as much as I wince at being labeled as part of the luxury glutton society, I must say, Chadha and Husband comes up with some intriguingly insightful points.

Their main thesis is that "luxury brands are a modern set of symbols that Asians are wearing to redefine their identity and social position," which I guess for the most part is true, but that is kind of obvious. Here are a few other points which I thought were interesting:

• The Spread of Luxury model, where they split the luxury evolution in Asia to 5 stages: Subjugation, Start of Money, Show Off, Fit In and Way of life. I think they are all pretty self explanatory and pretty accurate
• The single parasites is the group of young women aged 20-35 in Asia who are still living at home with their parents. Since they do not have to pay for rent etc, they have a larger disposable income to spend on luxury goods- which they do in hoards!
• One of the reasons that luxury consumption is so big in Japan is because while the Western culture celebrates individuality, the Japanese culture (and indeed most Asian cultures ) places great emphasis on conformity and fitting in. So when the majority of people wear luxury brands, the rest of the people need to wear it too. That is probably why 94% of Japanese woman in their 20s own a Louis Vuitton
  
• In Tokyo (and other small cities I suppose), because the apartments are so small and expensive, it is difficult to show off wealth and success. And so people have turned to luxury brands as the best way to display their success- by literally wearing it!
  
• For the Chinese, their love for brands stems from their Confucius roots, which places a lot of importance on "family face." And so, today Chinese see luxury brands as a way to show "face" and signify their success
  
• In Hong Kong, luxe consumption has been adopted as the central ideology. Making money and blowing it on the luxuries of life is the one thing that the people are clear about, while on everything else, from politics, culture to patriotism, ambiguity reigns. Coming from Hong Kong, I must say, I totally agree
• In Korea, there is a clash between their love for luxe (Burberry is apparently the Korean word for trench coat!) and their culture. Luxe consumption is seen as "sinful" since frugality and moderation is very big in their culture. Additionally, nationalism is also very big and so wearing imported goods is also frowned upon. No wonder Koreans typically dress in more subtle designer brands (those I know anyway)!
  

These are just some of the more interesting points that I remember off hand. At this point, I'd usually expend on how awesome this book is and how much I love it. But I find that this time, I cannot quite do that because I am still unsure about my feelings towards this book. On one hand, I thought it made some very clever, valid and insightful points about this phenomena. But on the other, I felt that it made the consumers caught in the heat of this phenomena sound like a bunch of fools continuously chasing after greater materialism trying to fit in and outdo each other at the same time. Maybe they were just writing it as it is and I just took it too personally because I admit that despite being fully aware of this materialistic path I am taking, I am still part of this phenomenon. Maybe the truth is just hard for me to accept, when put down so matter-of-factly. But I still cannot help but feel defensive. Now you can see why I feel so unsure about this book.

Image Source: Cult of the Luxury Brand

Micheal Kors Spring 2008

Энэ хаврын загваруудаас хүргэж байна. Америкийн классик дизайнер Micheal Kors-ийн загваруудаас сонирхоцгооё. Мэдээж Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Marni гээд "топуудын" энэ сезонаар юу хийсэн нь хүн бүрт сонин байдаг ч заримдаа тэдгээр "топуудын" хувцас амьдрал дээр өдөр тутам өмсөх боломжгүй арт тал руугаа болсон байдаг. Харин санаа авч өөрт байдаг хувцасан дээрээ суурилан шинэлэг стиль-ээр гоёход тохиромжтой байдгаар нь Micheal Kors-г энэ удаа сонгон танилцуулж байна.

Ерөнхийдөө:

• Өнгөний хувьд суурь өнгө болох бейж, хар цагаанаас гадна пастел буюу цайвар /усан/ ягаан, чирнель-н ягаан өнгө давамгайлж байна. Сүүлийн 2 жил шахам мода хэвээр байгаа алтан өнгө ч ашиглагджээ.

• Хээний хувьд энэ хавар цэцгэн хээ юу юунаас илүүтэйгээр мода болж эргэн ирлээ. Түрүү жилийн хавраас мэр сэр үзэгдэж байсан ч энэ хаврынх шиг олон дизайнерууд ашиглаагүй билээ. Ийнхүү цэцгэн хээ 10-д жилийн дараа анх удаа загварын ертөнцөд албан ёсоор эргэн ирлээ.

• Хавар=Өнгө. зун= Цагаан. энэ бол фэйшн ертөнцийн бичигдээгүй хууль бөгөөд жил бүр давтагддаг. Харин энэ хавар цагаан+цагааныг хослуулбал та цаг үетэйгээ хөл нийлүүлэн алхах нь. Иймээс ямар нэгэн цагаан хувцас авч хувцаслалтандаа шинэ уур амьсгал оруулцгаая. Өмд, пиджак зэрэг суурь хувцас авбал хэрэглээ ихтэй байх болно.

Дараагийн удаа бусад дизайнеруудын хаврын загваруудаас хүргэх болно.

Цагаанаар суурилан алтан өнгийн аксесуараар аксент болгон өгчээ

Цагаан өмд+ цайвар өнгийн срочик+ гурвалжин цамц+ нарийн бүс
гээд хэрэгжүүлэхэд хялбар загвар байна.

Цэцгэн хээ+ silk shiffon= feminine

Ягаан+ногоон= ийм chic харагдана гэж хэн төсөөлөх билээ!

Уртавтар цамц= Түрүү жилээс үргэлжилж буй моод. Skinny жийнсний сайн найз.

Энэ бол надад хамгийн их таалагдсан styling байлаа. Судалтай пудволк, ороолтоор аксент болгон нэг өнгийн торгон юбка, урт кардиганыг гайхалтай энгийн хэрнээ чамин харагдуулжээ. хэдийгээр хээтэй зүйл нэгээс илүүтэйгээр хувцаслалтандаа оруулдаггүй алтан дүрэм байдаг ч энэ удаа амжилттай болжээ.

Урдуураа товчтой юбка - классик загвар

Өнгөний зохицол нь санаа авууштай санагдлаа

Шорт=Мөн л түрүү жилээс үргэлжилж буй моод

Алтан өнгө

trench coat стилийн ханцуйгүй пиджакнууд моодонд ороод байна

Хар silk shiffon платье. Үргэлж ахин авмаар санагддаг зүйлсийн нэг.

саарал+цагаан
Гайхалтай өнгө, пропорцын зохицол.

Өргөн өмд = skinny-ийн дараагийн ХИТ загвар

.

ягаан өнгө= эмэгтэйлэг

ruffle=glamour!

Хар цагаан хээ = Үүрдийн классик чамин сонголт.

Мөргүй платье= энэ оны Оскараас эхлээд бүхий л арга хэмжээний
гол сонголт болсон мөргүй загвар эргэн ирж байна.
Энэ жилийн event-н заримд нь мөргүй платье өмсөхөөр шийдлээ!

Designer Micheal Kors