Celebrity deaths (ok fine, deaths in general) make me sad, but this one is especially hitting me hard. Yesterday NY Mag reported that Korean-born international supermodel Daul Kim was found dead in her Paris apartment. She was only 20 years old. Details of her death are still being processed, but police believe it was a suicide. I don't follow the fashion industry as closely as I do with the rest of pop culture, but I did know who Daul was and I did really like her. She managed to make a name for herself so young with her very interesting look, and I liked reading her blog from time to time. I think we're all under the impression that a jet-setting life of fame and fortune is glamorous, and all too often never realize the pressures that come with that kind of life. I'm sad we won't get to see more of her modeling in the future. Daul's suicide also hits on an alarming trend in Korea, where so many famous people (including the ex-president) have committed suicides on a fairly regular basis in the past couple of years. High profile suicides aside, South Korea now has the highest suicide rate among the 30 nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Sad sad sad.
Daul's Blog: I Like to Fork Myself
Daul's Career Highlights
Friday, November 20, 2009
R.I.P. Daul Kim
Monday, October 12, 2009
Fashion as Art
I kinda love Forever 21 for what it is, a mecca of trendy and affordable clothes that can be worn to death for one season, and tossed out the next. I mean, at this stage in my life, I can't exactly afford to shell out tons on really expensive stuff (so I shell out tons on really inexpensive stuff instead, ha!) and so I heart Forever 21. I also enjoy reading their blog from time to time, but this post on the recently concluded Paris Fashion Week caught my eye. The blogger selected a couple of pieces from the runways and compares them to the art of some of the most famous modern artists. Modern Art, meet Fashion, Fashion, meet Modern Art. I LOVE IT! <3!
Friday, September 18, 2009
NY Fashion Week Recap!
Ok, so the madness that is NY Fashion Week is almost over, and cause I've been so swamped at work and preoccupied with other stuff (new TV! GLEE! The Office!) I have not been as into it as I normally would. In my opinion, the BEST place to check out all of the runway shows and coverage of the week is NY Mag, which literally dedicates themselves to the week, and teams up with the girls over at Go Fug Yourself for commentary and such. I love ittttt. If you are into fashion and need something to kill time, head over for just the remedy.
Snap judgment: LOVE Vera Wang's fall line (yes, some of the pieces are frumpy...), and meh about Marc by Marc Jacobs minus a couple of cute pieces.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
The September Issue
The world is still mourning the death of the greatest pop culture icon who ever lived, Michael Jackson, who I find endlessly fascinating, and who I think is the most irreplaceable figure in the world of pop culture. On a complete opposite note, another pop culture icon who I also find completely fascinating is Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour (I'm not comparing Michael Jackson to Anna Wintour in any way, btw!). Anna has been on the map for decades, but her popularity exploded in 2006 with the hit-movie The Devil Wears Prada. Based on a fictional book by the same name, it was widely speculated that Meryl Streep's character, who strikes fear in the hearts of all who work for her, is based on Anna.
She may be scary, she may be not, but she is no doubt the most influential figure in the billions dollar industry that is fashion. What she likes sells, what she doesn't like fades into obscurity. Is it good for one person to hold that much power? Probably not. But she's still super fascinating, and I can't wait for this documentary titled "The September Issue" to open. September is the most important month in fashion, and the documentary follows Wintour as she preps for the 2008 fall-fashion issue. SO EXCITING. I've never heard her talk, so this is doubly exciting for me. Oh, and I also want to know how she keeps her bob so perfect all the time, but I doubt that will be covered in the film...
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Clever Idea: Emergency Cuff Links
In case you have been living under a rock, Lifehacker is an awesome site. "Tips and downloads for getting stuff done." Aptly said.
With that said, this article on emergency cuff links stood out to me even though a) I am not a boy, b) I don't wear dress shirts that require cuff links, and c) I don't get what the purpose of cuff links are. All I do know is that I notice cuff links when boys wear them.
I'm definitely linking this to all my guy friends.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Fashion NONONOs
Monday night was one of my favorite NYC events of the year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute's Annual Gala. It always brings out the biggest celebs in Hollywood and fashion world, and it's just a big showcase of how beautiful fashion can be... OR NOT. This year leaned more towards the NOT. I was amazed at some of the hideous things people chose to wear. RIDONK, HIDEOUS. I think the girls at Go Fug Yourself said it best: "...this season, the annual costume gala spawned more WTF moments than the Oscars, Globes, Grammys, and VMAs combined." YES. Madonna had a bird on her head, Rachel Weisz looked like she crawled back from the dead, the beautiful Helena Christensen looked like she was going to a prom...in the 80s...in the midwest, Ashley Olsen thought she was going to a Halloween party dressed as a ghost, Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley looked like..well, I don't have words for that. In fact, I didn't love anything I saw this year, and I think it's cause I was so traumatized by all the horrible ensembles. But those are nothing compared to my 2 absolute worst dressed:
1. Rihanna.
I know she's been through a lot recently, but I don't care. I HATE THIS. Yeah she looks fierce, but um, the ridiculousness of this Dolce & Gabbana tux cancels out the fierceness. Don't do this, Rihanna. You look like a retartar. And no, I don't feel bad saying what everyone else is afraid to say to her face.
2. Leighton Meester.
I'm gonna preface this with, I love Leighton. I think she's uber pretty, she's the best actor on Gossip Girl, and I have no otherwise reason to believe her fashion sense is wack. But, this is my pick for the worst outfit of the night, year, decade, century. You blew this outfit out of the water, Leighton, which was my pick for the worst outfit EVER until now (it's a flowery diaper, with a backwards apron. WHAT.). I don't care that you're dressed head-to-toe Louis Vuitton, this is ridonk! You look like a 4 year old girl who dressed herself. And I actually think a normal 4 year old girl would scoff at this outfit. OMG, I can't stare at this for long, I'm getting nauseated. No. No, No. No, No, No.
If you want to see the rest of the outfits, click here.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Lookbook of the Day: Michelle Obama
For as long as the Obamas have been in the White House, and long before then even, the media has fixated on First Lady Michelle Obama's status as a fashion icon. Unlike other First Ladies before her, she has fully embraced: colors, asymmetric cuts, unknown and rising designers, *gasp* sleeveless dresses/tops, smart accessories, and my favorite store in the world, J.Crew. She has a modelesque figure and she's not afraid to show it. Everytime she steps out into the public, it's a frenzy to figure out who and what she is wearing. As a fashion lover, I love every minute of it. NYMag has put together this slideshow of every outfit she's worn since inauguration, which will be updated daily (or whenever she makes an appearance). My personal favorite is the Kai Milla green dress she is wearing in the picture above- her hair, the dress, the shoes, everything works. I LOVE HER!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Prom Dress Fail
EPIC. PROM. DRESS. FAIL.
No other words can possibly describe such a travesty.
Whoever designed this dress is a) a dirty man, b) a dirty lezbot, c) a lover of innuendos, or d) someone who is severely retartar.
Friday, January 23, 2009
WTF, American Apparel, WTF?
I heart American Apparel. Yes, they are vastly overpriced for such generic, plain products, and yes, I do feel bad about spending $28 on a white T-shirt that I could've also picked up at K-Mart for 7 times less (I only did it once, so stop judging!). And, even though their print ads border on pornographic sometimes and their window displays leave a lot to be desired (I'm sorry, but gold lamé leggings will NEVER go with a deep purple sweatshirt. Scratch that, gold lamé leggings will never go with anything.), I still like their stuff. And I'm not the only one apparently, because American Apparel was one of the very few companies that managed to post a gain in sales last year, compared to the double digit slips of its competitors.
But that's really not what I want to discuss here. I want to discuss WTF American Apparel is doing, bringing back these:
OMG. I don't mind 80s fashion, I really don't. But I have to draw the line at the god-awful thing that is the scrunchie. I hated wearing them when I was a kid, and I tried making them less awful by owning the brightly colored ones. Yeah, as you can see from this picture, cute color or not, nothing can save a scrunchie. What a bargain, at $3.50. Kids, you know what you can do with $3.50? Go get yourself a tall Starbucks latte, or a box of cereal (I recommend Kashi Honey Sunshine), or a plain white, non-American Apparel t-shirt, a gallon of gas, a magazine... All things that will make you infinitely cooler than walking around sporting a scrunchie. UGH.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Shoes of the Day: Custom Slip-offs
I am a huge fan of custom and DIY stuff. One of the coolest thing I have seen is Slipoffs.com.
Site owner and artist Shauna Mae Luedtke takes Vans slip-ons (or any shoe made of canvas material) and creates custom-designed artwork on them. You can basically ask for anything you want on your shoes, and designs range from designy, to funny, to kind of weird (see photos above).
At $180 a pair plus $30 to ship to the US, the pricing can be a little steep. But considering that they are hand drawn (she spends 5 to 10 hours on each pair) and one-of-a-kind, it's totally worth it. Also, I think they would be great gifts.
If I got a pair, it'd probably want something designy on it.. maybe rolls of unraveled film or something. I mean, that or a pair sparkling unicorns shoes.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Threadless Sale!
Threadless is having a sale where all their shirts, which normally cost up to $20, are on sale for only $12. What's more, their hoodies are down from $38 to $30.
For those of you who don't know, Threadless.com is an online store that has users submit shirt designs. If a shirt gets enough votes, it'll get printed for a limited time. Not only is it a cool idea, but they have pretty awesome designs available.
Now is a great time to buy that shirt you've been eyeing. But you should hurry, because I'm not sure how long the sale is going to last!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Life-in-Boxes-pedia: Back to the Future Shoes
One of my favorite movies of all time has got to be Back to the Future II. It's one of the first movies I saw where they showed the distant future and how cool it was going to be. Flying cars, hoverboards, and of course, shoes that tie themselves.
Back to the Future II definitely caught other people's imaginations, as well, because a while back, Mcfly2015.com launched. Mcfly2015.com is a petition website whose goal is to convince Nike to create the power-laced kicks for real (btw, sign the petition!).
Even though their wish has not been granted yet, Nike did throw them a bone by releasing the Nike Hyperdunk 2015 sneakers. These are basically Hyperdunks whose design is inspired by the shoes and the movie. The shoes have been out for almost a month, but they can only be bought in certain store, like the Niketown in New York City. If you really want to snag one but don't live near any of the retailers, you can try your luck on eBay, where it's going for $400-$800.
And while the Hyperdunk 2015's don't have powerlaces, Gizmodo recently asked it's commenters to help on trying to change that. They posted up an article asking for people to try to hack the shoes and somehow add powerlaces to them. If someone is able to do it, it'll be freaking awesome.
My guess is that Nike is holding out until 2015 before releasing the replica shoes, lit-up logo and all. And if all goes well, it'll be released along with a Mattel brand hoverboard. Man, I can't wait for the future.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Thing I Want of the Day
The Ray-Ban Wayfarers have been around FOREVER, first made popular by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's. To me, they SCREAM 80s, mostly because we've all seen Tom Cruise wearing the black ones in Risky Business. They've made a comeback recently, with everyone from Chloe Sevigny to Mary-Kate Olsen to Johnny Depp donning them. I never gave them much thought until my friend Christina told me she HAD to get a pair. I supported her when we'd go sunglasses shopping and she'd try on different colors and such, but again, I've never been one for expensive sunglasses (too easy to lose, sit/step on, and yes, I've done all of the 3). Until I saw these. HELLO, purple/red Wayfarers! You are so pretty, yes you are. So what if you're not going to match anything I own, and that you run $140/pair? You are so pretty.
I'm not getting these anytime soon. In the meantime though, there are way cheap knock-offs of these shades EVERYWHERE. Check out Urban Outfitters and Fred Flare for their versions.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Store of the Day: Built
I'm not very keen on fashion (although I do enjoy shopping for nice clothes), but my friend, Michelle's, tote caught my attention today. The tote was a sweet looking lime-green, but what really caught my attention was the material it was made of, neoprene. Neoprene is the material used to make laptop sleeves. The neoprene also allowed Michelle to stuff her bag with more stuff than usual. I asked her where she got her tote and she told me she got it from Built New York. The tote can be bought at the Built online store for about $20, but I was told it can be bought at Marshalls for $10.
Friday, May 2, 2008
T-Shirt Season
Since spring is finally here, which means I have an excuse to buy t-shirts. I know that there are tons of shirt websites sprouting up nowadays, but here are my top three shirt sites:
Threadless.com
This is probably my favorite t-shirt website (as I've mentioned before). Users submit designs that they think would make good t-shirts. The rest of the community votes (which you can participate in), and the best ones get made. The only thing is they print a limited amount, if you aren't fast, your favorite design will be sold out.
I already own Pillow Fight and Ah Munna Eat Choo. My next purchase will probably be You've Got Some Splaining To Do.
BustedTees.com
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of all things College Humor. Their t-shirt site, Busted Tees has some really hilarious shirt designs.
I have South Korea's Got Seoul and bought fellow editor Jorge the More Cowbell shirt. I don't think I can resist getting Jake and Amir on my body next. So ace.
Shirt.woot.com
An offshoot of the popular Woot.com, shirt.woot.com features one shirt a day. They pay designers, some famous, some not, $1000 to design a shirt, plus $2 for each shirt sold after the first day. for the website, and sell them for $10 a peice.
I have yet to buy a shirt, but that is definitely going to change soon. My favorite one? Anatomy test.
Monday, April 14, 2008
[Feature] Springtime Fashion DON'TS
With the weather kicking up, and the sun smiling down at us, it’s time for a wardrobe change! But before you get too excited over spring fashions, make sure you don’t go out looking like a fool. Now, when it comes to fashion, I wouldn't say that I am the most fashionable person around. I just know the basics; certain colors look fresh together, anything with rhinestones is too gaudy, and if there are feathers involved, I'd rather kms (kill myself). But there are a few trends that I happen to see waaay too often that I find to be either ridiculous or just plain fugs. So rather than a spring fashion "do's and dont's," I'll focus on the "don'ts." And by "don'ts," I mean if you ever are caught breaking any of these rules .. Lord, help you.
Make sure you aren’t breaking any fashion crimes by reading the following cases ..
Case A: Wearing Socks with Sandals.
I have a dear friend who is all-around a pretty good guy. We get along fine .. but every once in a while, he likes to test our friendship by trotting around in his Champion white cotton socks and his Timberland sandals. Whenever I see such a lethal display of footwear, I am appalled. Make up your mind, damnit! Sandals are all about proudly displaying your feet (unless you’ve got some nasty business going down there, please double-check yourself before going out to expose your toes!) .. to see fuzzy white socks peeping between sandals just reminds me of some gnarly toe jam (you know what I’m talking about). Seriously, lose the socks.
*Unless, of course, you are a college student, living in the dorms…’cause I mean, sweats, a hoodie, socks w/ sandals is the ultimate college student’s attire. But if you aren’t within college boundaries, don’t bring that heinous fashion eyesore elsewhere.
Case B: Wearing a Backpack whilst carrying a Purse.
Time and time again, I keep saying it. But every time I see a poor girl carrying such a deadly combination, I seriously wanted to chuck my backpack in her face. I mean, why carry the damn purse if you've got a convenient bag on your damn back? Or if anything, stuff that inside your backpack or larger tote bag that you happen to be carrying! I don't care if you've got a cute Coach wristlet or a new LV bag you've got no other opportunity to show off because you never get invited to parties to actually present it in a more fashionably acceptable way .. C’MON!
Case C, Section I: Wearing Sunglasses Indoors/At Night.
Unless you're Stevie Wonder (ah, too soon?) or some celebrity avoiding the paparazzi, there is no need to wear sunglasses indoors or at night, you know, when the sun is nowhere in sight. Or if you have some crazy cataracts. Or if you're Cyclops and have some sort of laser beam eye defect. Seriously, people. Even if you have a sty, wear a damn pirate's patch. Someone give me a perfectly logical reason as to why someone who is neither blind or stalked by the paps would wear their sunglasses indoors. Your eyes are clearly out of danger, especially when you're in a perfectly shaded room. At least flip them over your damn head, if you insist on keeping them on.
Case C, Section II: Wearing Sunglasses on the Back of Your Head.
You are not cool. Unless you’ve got eyes on the back of your head. But the same rules for Case C, Section I still apply.
Case D: Asian-Themed Tattoos Are the New Tramp-Stamps.
Springtime is the time when you wear a bit less to show a bit more skin. And for all of those ink-loving people, it's the perfect time to show off your ink-work or to add another to the collection. But keeping in mind of the somewhat painful and somewhat permanent decision to get a tattoo, there are some cardinal rules in getting inked.
Roses, butterflies, Looney Tunes characters, and pictures of loved ones. Definitely tacky. Definitely smells like hooker boots.
But now, they’ve gone and done it. Asian-themed tattoos are the new tramp-stamps. Any sort of Asian writing (Japanese or Chinese writing seems to be quite the stamp) or Asian-themed designs (koi fish, white Bengal tigers, etc.) have now taken their place in the tramp-stamp book. The best is when I see a person toting around their "PEACE LOVE MUSIC" tattoo, which usually translates over to some randoms characters like "VITAMINS CORN PENCIL." Yikes.
All in all, enjoy the newfound warm weather, guys. But just don't become a fashion victim whilst doing it.
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Shecky's Girls Night Out
Considered to be THE event that every female must go to, Shecky's Girls Night Out was a bit of a disappointment for me. The event itself was a bit lame; imagine a sea of 30+ year olds fighting over vintage dresses, sparkly jewelry, and a chance to flirt with the [only male] sales rep from a botox booth. Sprinkled throughout were bars with free drinks ... but it would literally cost you an arm and a leg to fight through the line of women who were already sloshing away on their third or fourth drink. As I trucked along through the 3 floors of clothes, jewelry, beauty products, and occassional eye-catching free chocolate samples and Nintendo DS lounge (how random is that?), I wondered if all of Shecky's events were like this or if I was just at the wrong event on the wrong night. And would the coveted Shecky's goodie bag be all its worth?
Since it was my very first Shecky's event, I guess I shouldn't be too quick to judge. The event boasts of shopping from local vendors, with sales from anywhere 20% - 70% off .. but it doesn't mean things are exactly affordable. Friends who have gone to past Shecky's events have raved about how much of a good time they had, or what cool samples and gifts they got in their goodie bags. A co-worker recommended that I go on the very last day of the event, but obviously, those tickets sold out like hotcakes. Left with no choice but to go on a Tuesday night, I now realize why those Friday tickets were gone in a second. Lesson learned.
The idea of getting a goodie bag was awesome (though the contents inside this particular night's bag wasn't too great). Here's a look inside my bag:
-Redken traveling tote / electric wax 11 (medium control)
-Rusk Being Sexy Hairspray
-Salon Selectives apple-shaped hair pins / hair freshner
-Colgate MaxFresh Spearmint burst toothpaste
-Glytone Body lipo-lift serum
-Einstein Lip Therapy hydrating lip cream / cooling lip relief
-Shavemate Diva
-Hawaiian Tropic Island Glow daily moisturizer
-Couvrance compact foundation cream
-o.b. pro comfort tampons
-Ahava mineral foot cream
-Eboost orange-flavored daily health booster
-Epil-Step neutralizing afterwash
-Platinum music pass
Unfortunately, this Shecky's goodie bag didn't even have any sort of media (they usually give out some sort of book/literature) or even underwear :(
All in all, I guess I would go to another Shecky's event before passing my final judgment against it. The site is already selling tickets for the summer Shecky's Girls Night Out with a "new" tote for the goodie bag. Perhaps that might be a winner..?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
2008 Academy Awards Wrap Up
So I was 5-2 in my Academy Awards predictions, but it's all good because I'm thrilled that Marion Cotillard won Best Actress for her amazing performance in La Vie en Rose.
But of course, the Oscars are so much about the fashion. While I didn't love love love any particular dress this year, there were standouts. The colors of the evening were definitely black and red. I normally don't like black or white gowns (give me color!!), but it is the color of the dress worn by my pick for Best Dressed.
Look how pretty and feminine Jennifer Garner's Oscar de la Renta gown is, despite the dark color. She's perfectly accessorized (re: not overdone) in her elegant Van Cleep & Arpel choker and matching clutch. Well done, Jen Garner, you've come a long way.
More of the highlights, as well as my pick for the Worst Dressed, after the jump.
I'm actually not a huge fan of Cate Blanchett's style most of the time, but I think she looks super cute here in her Dries van Noten gown. She's 7 months pregnant and rocking it. The eggplant/purple color looks good on her, and the detailing of the dress- the beaded halter, the embroidery at the bottom, is what makes the gown pop. It's totally Bohemian chic meets red carpet style.
I hate Katherine Heigl. She can do no right in my eyes. She needs to just shut up and act, and not be so damn opinionated about everything. But I have to admit that she looks really good at most red carpet events. She knows what works on her body- long, flowy gowns. The Oscars were no exception. She's wearing a red gown by Escada and she looks good, with the short curly hairdo and red lips. Just stand there and look pretty, Katherine, k?
Cameron Diaz has a lot of things going for her: toned arms, rock hard abs, long legs. I like when she wears short cocktail dresses because they highlight her mile-long legs, but I also like when she dons full length gowns. Basically, she can pull anything off. Pink is one of my favorite colors, and this soft shade of pink is one of my favorite shades for the red carpet. It looks good on everyone. This Dior gown is strapless (which is my favorite) and intricate with all its ruffles and wrinkles, and I love it.
Ok, so I totally have a girl crush on Marion Cotillard. She's pretty and she's legitimately talented. I didn't love her Jean Paul Gaultier gown at first, as it's a little mermaid-esque. But then she got up to get her award and I saw the back, and I thought, huh. Not bad, not bad at all. Sometimes, the best part of a dress is something not seen right away, and the criss-cross back is what clinched the deal for me.
And the Better Luck Next Year pick goes to...
Oh Tilda. I don't know if you're in this garbage bag of a dress because you didn't expect to win, but someone should've told you that you just never know when it comes to these things. Like I said, I hate black gowns, but that is the least of this Lanvin gown's worries. It's shapeless, it's almost velvety (velvet, velour, and anything along those lines should not be worn, period. We're no longer in the 50s/70s.), and because she's so pale, she just looks like a weird, gigantor of a ghost or something. Please, when you present next year, don't go for the shapeless boring dress.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Longchamp Le Pliage Bag
For the LONGEST time, I've wanted a Longchamp Le Pliage bag, which is what you see half of the female population carrying around. They're practical, low maintenance, durable, and go with everything. You can make it your everyday bag, or your gym bag, or your work bag, or whatever. Kinda funny that I'm such a huge advocate, and I don't even own one. I just never got around to getting one. Until now.
You can design your very own Longchamp Le Pliage bag on their website, and create the perfect one to suit y
our needs/aesthetics. Choose your model, size, color combinations, and monogram/name engraving options, and for like $30 shipping, you can have a Longchamp that no one else in the world has. Very cool. I have to warn you though, this site is a little addicting. I spent/spend a good amount of time trying to figure out what I like the best. I like anything with chocolate, and I really like the grape color too. Give me advice!
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Finding Pefect Jeans
I love jeans. Like a lot. I own a dozen pairs maybe, though I only wear a select few favorites over and over again most of the time. Well, I'm kinda in this conundrum at the moment, where I've lost a bunch of weight and all of my jeans just don't fit me anymore. This makes me really sad, cause my BEAUTIFUL 7s and Citizens and all those jeans I saved up a lot of money to buy are going to waste.
Anyways, unless you have the body of a supermodel or whomever, chances are, you don't have a perfect body. I'm short so I have to get my jeans hemmed. Your problem might be your junk in the trunk, or your too long legs (insert: rolling eyes), or thick thighs or whatever. A lot of companies have started realizing that real women come in all different shapes and sizes, so they've started making jeans for all different shapes and sizes. Hallelujah. But if you don't want to sit there researching all your different options or trying on a million pairs for the perfect one, there's always Zafu.com. You take a short, detailed quiz, and they take your answers and search for jean styles/brands that are tailored to your body shape. Basically, a search engine for finding perfect jeans. Try it. I know I will, as I embark on my search for new favorites.
