Random Fashion Journey

Technical difficulties

2010-02-22T06:55:00.000-08:00

Sorry can't update--the GreatFirewall of China is giving me a lot of trouble! Trying to get access toBlogger ASAP!

Just keeping warm on a cold day

2010-02-11T12:56:00.001-08:00

I have nothing against PETA's agenda, but I believe you have the right to do whatever you want to an animal if you killed it personally (after grappling with it). It's just a law of nature, and I arrived at this conclusion after watching BBC's Planet Earth. (click for bigger view)
All willingness to do serious fashion illustrations have flown out the window. Oh well.

On a more sober note: RIP Mr. McQueen. I am so sad this creative giant will never create again.

Apologies for recent lack of updates

2010-02-09T23:05:00.000-08:00

Hi guys--so sorry for neglecting this space for a while. I've been running around taking care of things here and there, preparing for my trip to China. I'll start updating again as soon as I've got things settled (which will be in a couple of days, hopefully).

Cheers!

Give me yo clothes, bitch!

2010-02-02T21:02:00.000-08:00

The wicked witch finally got some new shoes, but no dress to go with! OOPS! (click for bigger view)

Sorry, serious attempts at illustrating FASHION will come soon. Now, I'm just fucking around.

Some quick sketches

2010-01-28T21:22:00.000-08:00

My stylus just rolls around on the wacom pad and I'm free as a bird. Sketches like these are not typically for show, but they do give me ideas for what finished illustrations I may work on next.

Girly shoes and butterflies

2010-01-24T15:49:00.000-08:00

Still sorta in a rut, but drawing makes me feel better. (click to see a bigger version)

As I drew this, I felt like...

2010-01-19T22:05:00.001-08:00

Well, you get the idea.

I'm just in a slump and being silly. Proper, serious attempts to make fashion illustrations will hopefully follow soon.

New lux meets old lux

2010-01-18T02:59:00.001-08:00

I usually don't bother writing about the big European labels like Prada because there are already so many bloggers doing a fine job of featuring them. This time, however, I felt slightly obligated because Prada's campaign for its spring line revolves around a 9-minute film shot by Yang Fudong, a Chinese artist. Yes, the feeling of obligation came from my being Chinese and my sharing the artist's last name. (Please don't roll your eyes!)

In Yang's piece, new luxuries literally meet China's old splendors as the slick Prada suits share the same frames with embroidered silk and dangling hair ornaments. Not a single word is spoken throughout the film, but I think there's a fairly clear message. The film reminds viewers that China, in its modern prosperity, is at a point where consumers can, much like in prosperous dynasties prior to the Communist Revolution, afford luxury products again.

Screenshots are below.
Beautiful people, clad in their mod Prada glory, descend into an unfamiliar place.

Appearing chic but bewildered, they look around.
A couple dressed in Prada's latest peer through a window and sees the creatures of this mysterious place.
Two men dressed in ancient China's best examine the pair of modern dandies.
Homme Spring 2010 has a harmonious dinner with the Song Dynasty.

The visitors try to leave but drop their mesh umbrellas and lose their balance as they attempt to fly away. They fall back into this world.
The last scene of the film-- the couple seems to be riding away on a trolley, but men wearing ancient garb follow them, and the meaning is ambiguous.

(If the costumes from this film are not representative of the Song Dynasty, please tell me. I'm pretty sure but not 100%.)

You can view the film on the Prada website.

Too sexy to trim my bangs

2010-01-17T22:39:00.000-08:00

Just a bit of doodling in Illustrator.

Drooling over the pieces of Porkshanks

2010-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

Every time I visit Porkshank's Deviant Art page I'm filled with incredible awe and jealousy. Molly Friedrich, the woman behind the unusual alias, is an extraordinary artist who can paint, create sculptures, sew and put together some of the most extraordinary jewelry pieces I have seen. Her Deviant page is filled with intricate, beautiful necklaces I can totally imagine gracing the haute necks of runway models. I've posted my favorite images from her site.

The necklace shown immediately below is available at Friedrich's Etsy page.

Bad posture

2010-01-14T22:58:00.000-08:00

I love seeing fashion spreads filled with models contorting their long-limbed bodies into unusual, dynamic poses. I also can't help but think of my mom clucking her tongue and wagging her finger at the hunched backs. She's not a fan of bad posture. (click to see full image)

New Shoes: Contemporary Footwear Design (Hardcover)

2010-01-12T22:51:00.000-08:00

A little while ago, I was browsing through the accessories section at FIT's library and came upon this handy book. I flipped through and fell in love with the big, bright photographs of very pretty shoes and eventually brought my own copy via Amazon. A snippet from the book jacket's blurb reads, "Showcasing some of the most innovative contemporary designers from across the globe, this book presents footwear to satisfy all tastes, from subtle twists on classics to wonderful creations that leave you puzzling over how they are worn. Although not necessarily household names in their own right, the designers featured here are the unsung heroes who have headed up the footwear design teams for high profile fashion houses such as Donna Karan, Ralph, Lauren, Bottega Venta [...]"

The book showcases 25 designers by including gratuitous photos of their designs and short biographies. I've taken a few shots of my favorite pages and laid them out below (sorry, no way I'm ruining the book's spine to scan pages).

From the section on Bruno Frisoni:

Minna Parikka:

Pierre Hardy

Michel Vivien:

Purchase info available here.

I do love pocket watches...dangling from my neck

2010-01-11T04:04:00.000-08:00

I've always loved pocket watches because they're just so charming in a quaint, Victorian kind of way. Sadly, I have no clue about how to actually wear pocket watches and am mildly afraid of appearing obnoxious if I decide to start sporting a fob chain or a Double Albert chain. Fortunately, the DIYers at Etsy and the hipster designers at Urban Outfitters have thought of turning the watches into pendants for necklaces. I think Etsy offers a more varied, creative selection and singled out Fink Gifts for the shop's wide collection and affordability (prices range from $25ish to $50ish).

A few examples of the shop's goods, including Alice in Wonderland watches:

Fink Gifts also offers steam punked watches with exposed gears, which I think are pretty charming.

A backview of the watch shown above:

Ok, in case you do want to wear a pocket watch like a dapper old gentleman, you might want to check out this link. If you just want to be dapper, maybe check out my earlier post on Fine and Dandy.

Spiders in my hair

2010-01-09T18:55:00.001-08:00

What if clothes and accessories featuring animals and insects could function as magical talismans that summon real versions of the living things they depict? For example, a person wearing the Three Wolves One Moon T-shirt could actually produce three wolves (and maybe a moon) by making a simple wish.
What if I had a hairband with bejeweled and felt spiders on it and I accidentally trigger my accessory's magical power? I'd find spiders crawling all over my hair! Wouldn't that be terrible?!

Ok, I know I'm random and nuts.

Photoshop + Illustrator = deep-fried sex

2010-01-08T00:21:00.000-08:00

Today, I checked the mail and heard angels singing as I opened my package. My student version of Adobe Creative Suite had arrived, and I immediately passed out from excitement. After waking up and laughing maniacally and pointing at the Gimp's icon on my desktop (a cartoon dog head), I popped in the Adobe installation disk. Never before have I felt more bliss while waiting for the download progress bar to reach 100%. In approximately fifteen minutes, the bar climaxed, spewing its digital glory into my hard drive (and my goodness, such a big load--6 gigabytes worth).

Not losing any time, I fired up Illustrator and Photoshop and produced the following:

I took my inspiration from a character design from Bioshock 2, a horror videogame. I don't play videogames at all but can spend hours drooling at the character designs, and it's natural for me to start getting ideas.

An image of the "Big Sister," the chief antagonist of Bioshock 2.

Why yes, my illustration looking nothing like the inspirational source! I'm going to tell myself that's OK and try to move on.

Of course, this drawing took me half the time I would have spent in the Gimp. I want to cleanse my computer forever of that stupid grinning dog head thingie, but sadly, many of my images can only open in the Gimp.

First finished illustration of 2010...

2010-01-03T00:36:00.001-08:00

I've been lusting after thigh high boots for a while, but this is one trend I will just have to let pass. Those tall shafts tend to come with HIGH heels, and my wonky left ankle cries just at the sight of those four inch stilettos. Unfortunately, thigh highs with flat bottoms are just not my thing (they make me look like a stumpy troll).

So, I do what I always do. Make something I can't have mine by drawing it. (*SIGH*) And, here's the result:

A larger view is available here.

I love my black boots, but would love to see a few pairs that explode with color. This especially applies during winter, the time when New Yorkers are covered with black pea coats, black leggings and black boots. I love walking through the blend, murky pedestrian crowd during winter time and catching a bright spot of red or blue.

Close-ups of the textures I made using Gimp's "Galaxy" brush tool:

I liked the way that this piece turned out, but my hate for GIMP has solidified into a black hunk of stone wedged in my heart. As a gift to myself, I will make use of my student discount privilege and buy a damned copy of Adobe Creative Standard. I look forward to not having to deal with the Gimp's wonky kinks on my computer.

(On the other hand, maybe I shouldn't dump the Gimp just yet. My doctor informed me my blood pressure is on the lower end of normal, but the frustration of having to click the erase button ten times before seeing a difference has probably raised my blood pressure just a little.)

Anyway...happy 2010, peeps. :)

Moving Back and Forth

2009-12-29T00:59:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to figure out whether I should stay with Blogger or move to another platform. Blogger has some kinks I don't like, but so do other platforms. *Sigh*

I'll find a solution. See you with new posts in a few days! (I now have time to sketch, yay!)

HAIRsticks, not the eating utensils

2009-12-14T19:09:00.000-08:00

For a brief period during my time in junior high, there was a "chopsticks" craze. Tween girls would purchase cheap, colorful plastic sticks with glued-on gems and stick them in their hair. I, too, was part of the wave until other kids started asking me if Chinese women really did put their main eating utensils into their hair. Annoyed, I stopped wearing my glittery sticks and waited for the trend to be over.

Almost a decade later, I'm thinking about the hair accessories again because, during a session of random browsing, I found several sites featuring HAIRSTICKS. Surprised, I clicked through, awed by the large selection, and saw some genuinely pretty items. I was also a little overwhelmed because each site had LOTS of items to click through.

Anyway, I settled on a favorite site, Long Locks, and the following images are from there.

Another nice site to browse through is Crystal Mood, which has an appealing selection of wood and jade hairsticks. This site's items tend to be less expensive than Long Lock's stuff, which seem to hover around $70. Screenshots of Crystal Mood below:

Think that this can be a trend again? Wouldn't they make a nice little holiday gift?

Just trying to get through academics...

2009-12-10T07:44:00.000-08:00

What I did instead of writing my paper:

Had a fun time in Photoshop while using the pen tool. I think I'll rely more on vectors from now on. :)

Man, this week has been the pits--I have more caffeine in my blood than...blood! No sparkly vampire is going to want me! Unless...he's looking for an energy drink.

Oh god, I'm nuts--I really need to finish my papers and be done with this semester!

More drawings to follow soon, hopefully.

If you're into ascots and sock garters...

2009-12-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

consider shopping at Fine and Dandy, an online store specializing in accessories for the modern dandy. Categories of goods include ascots, sock garters, handkerchiefs, money clips and...flasks. As far as I can see, everything, including leather portfolios from Paraguay, costs below $50. I don't know what it would mean, but the site also apparently stocks tartan scarves "authenticated by the Scottish Tartans Society."

Pictures from the shop's 2009 lookbook, marking the store's one year anniversary:

the dapper businessman.

the dapper intellectual.

paisley ascot, oh my

the dapper hitman.

the dapper hillbilly--I joke, I joke! this is my favorite picture, actually.

More info can be found on the shop's blog.

A resource on spotting fake designer items

2009-12-02T23:20:00.000-08:00

A screenshot of Fake Hunter, a blog serving as "a guide to authenticating designer clothing, shoes and accessories online."

As far as I can tell, the blog's author is no longer posting (the last update was in July 2008). Still, the archive of posts and brand specific guidelines might provide some useful information for anyone looking for designer goods through sources like ebay.

Lucky Wang

2009-11-29T22:57:00.000-08:00

Caution: ridiculously cute kiddies' clothes ahead. I don't have a mini-me and am not planning to have one soon, but I still find Luck Wang clothes super adorable and very eye-catching.

The one kimono one pieces are probably the cutest. I think $36 is a little steep for something the wearer will inevitably poop in, but I assume Lucky Wang targets the kind of parents who can indulge. Besides, the cute little pieces would make wonderful keepsakes long after the kiddies have quickly outgrown them. They would be nice for gifting and special occasions, too.

I just wanna hold a bird in my hand

2009-11-26T20:19:00.001-08:00

I saw this clutch on the White House Black Market website and I liked it. But, I wanted MORE feathers! I wanted to hold an entire ornate bird in my hand!

I had some time to kill, so I opened up Gimp and played around, making the design of the purse increasingly elaborate. Here's the result:

I wasn't entirely sure what feathers these would be (haha) and in the end, I don't know if they look very feather-like...but I just knew I wanted to sketch something ornate and Golden Age of Hollywoodesque. I'm fairly happy with the result; for once Gimp wasn't being a total bitch (it doesn't run well on Macs, and the version I have is definitely wonky). Clicking on the thumbnail will take you to a slightly larger picture. I'm still working on figuring out how to post larger sized pics on blogger.

Thoughts?

Zip in, Zip out

2009-11-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

Check out this awesome dress made by Chilean designer Sebastian Errazuriz:

Composed entirely of zippers, the dress may be altered in myriad ways, allowing the wearer to reveal as much skin as she wants (which I think is pretty damn sexy). I better stop myself from running to the first fabrics store I see and buying a heap of zippers. I want to make something similar, but I have a feeling that any diy attempts of mine would end in disaster. Even if I were to succeed, some naughty kid might unzip me in an embarrassing way in Starbucks or something. Has anyone got ideas for making a similar article that would not result in my feminine goodies becoming exposed?

Anyway...Errazuriz, who is currently based in New York, does not primarily work with fashion. Beside creating quirky furniture and urban installations, he also produces unclassifiable works of funky design. Check out his official website here and an extended article with an interview here.

Fashionable fetish

2009-11-19T22:55:00.000-08:00

Don't ask me how I find these sites--I just randomly do. A little while ago, I happened upon Artifice Clothing , an online brand specializing in PVC fetish wear and other goodies. I'm not exactly a denizen of the pvc-wearing community, but I can tell the site has some amazing stuff. Despite some fairly well-known caveats about pvc (which are detailed here , the material remains a fetish favorite, and it's easy to see why. The clothes on Artifice Clothes are shiny, tight and pretty badass. Among my favorites are the strapped stockings which remind me of the shafts from Rodarte's strapped thigh high boots from Fall 2009:

The pvc stockings, featured below, would probably be a bitch to pull on, but I'm loving the pictures of them on the models. The woman in the purple wig looks straight out of some beautiful fetish nightmare, don't you think?

Besides the stockings, I also managed to find this gorgeous science fictionesque full length gown. I love how the model's rocking the shaved head and don't care for the pictures of her wearing a wig.

Another gorgeous gown, being modeled in two colors:

Oh, did I mention the site's functional "CYBERTECK" accessories? Not for the faint of heart, but for the truly devoted cyberpunk:

I'm wondering if I would be able to work some of the tamer items from the site into my daily wardrobe. I mean, thigh high boots are in, so why not wear some strapped pvc stockings over a pair of patent black boots and call it a night? Do you think that would be kickass or too much?

Have some whimsey on your feet

2009-11-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me well is aware of my fondness for fairy tales. Maybe it's because I'm just a big kid, or because I'm secretly a romantic, but I definitely have a thing for revisiting old favorites like "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," a Norwegian take on Beauty and the Beast. That's why I was delighted when I stumbled upon Sur La Lune a few years ago. The site's a great resource for fairy tale connoisseurs; it features 49 annotated stories, including Grimm favorites like Cinderella, and showcases over 1,500 gorgeous illustrations. The annotations are very interesting to read because they provide a new outlook on old childhood tales. The little notes that Heidi Heiner, Sur la Lune's owner, makes range from psychoanalytic to explicative of historical background.

A few months ago, I was clicking around on her site and discovered Heiner's Zazzle page. She had the genius idea of putting some of the illustrations featured on her site on Ked sneakers (I'm not entirely sure about how she can legally do this, but I assume she knows what she's doing because she's clearly a smart lady). The result's a cute/whimsical collection of sneakers that are pretty eye-catching.

Some of my favorites with their source images below (click on the sneaker pics to see them in full):

Kay Nielsen's "Then He Carried her Home" from a series of illustrations for "The Lassie and the Grandmother"

Gustave Doré's "The Little Red Riding Hood"

Elenore Abbott's "Cinderella"

Arthur Rackham's "Old Woman in the Wood"

Would be a nice Christmas gift for your quirky sister/aunt/self, no?