my single attempt.

spent the morning sorting out some of my photos... deleting, filing and seperating London from Cape Town and Cape Town from Hong Kong. anyways it's tedious stuff really but i came across this photo that i took of a Korean girl in Pret (in London Tottenham Court Road). i took it a good few months ago... for an article i was writing on Geek Culture. i didn't end up using it... but i decided not to bin it today. it's my first and only (and probably my last) attempt at street fashion photography. i've had a few people asking me to take some street snaps of Hong Kong's most trendy (i'm yet to find a good street fashion site for Hongkies) but to be honest everything happens so fast in Hongkies - i swear it's like a race to see who can get to their next destination quickest - that i wouldn't dare to stop anyone in the street... besides i would rather leave it to all the kids who know what they're doing. i'm assuming that photographing K-girl's shoes was probably more important than photographing Pret's entire beverage selection. really, what do i know?

kicking it like my father.

sale season is finally upon us here in Hongkies and my first guilt-free purchase (yes yes 50% off!!) were these tasseled brown suede loafers... i feel like i've stolen my fathers shoes. i'm telling you they are comfy as hell though... like those warm fuzzy bed slippers your grandmother use to wear. today, i'll be kicking it like my father did back in the day.

happy birthday from Maison Martin Margiela

yesterday was my first visit to a Maison Martin Margiela flagship store... can you believe it? call me sad but i was extremely amused by their jukebox, which was standing modestly at the back of the store. yes... their clothes of course were thought-provoking and rather silly, maybe evening mocking... but the jukebox was just a big ball of fun! it probably wouldn't have been as amusing if i didn't happen to have spent the whole day staring at mannequins and comtemplating the best angle to photograph a pair of shoes. no matter how beautiful the clothes are and how envious i feel... it just all gets a bit too much sometimes... the shopping malls, the sales people and the security men... ugh. the MMM jukebox was a BIG lift-me-upper though... can't wait to check out the Hong Kong store... wonder what kind of fun they have hidden there...

i want to party in a ACNE dress.

ever since i held this overly ruffled, fabric heavy a/w ACNE dress in my arms while interning at British ELLE i've fell in love with the Swedish label and now that the holidays are around the corner and there's been lots talk of Christmas parties and i've been attending, perhaps one too many, Christmas light-up ceremonies in a number of Hong Kong malls (for work of course) i've been drooling over their collection of cocktail dresses. i've decided that this year there'll be no partying unless i'm partying in an ACNE dress. it's time to make a plan.

when glossies became matties.

anyone notice that our much loved glossies are slowly becoming matties? first ELLE with their limited edition issues and now Vogue... is it just me or does it not quite feel/look right? just a sunday thought.

a little London in Hong Kong.

it's been a busy week in Hongkies so far for retail-hungry fashionistas. the Comme des Garcons for H&M collection was finally launched today (everyone at work was talking about it!) and earlier this week the Kate Moss for Topshop a/w 08 collection arrived at Lane Crawford. i accidently stumbled upon the ginormous Kate Moss for Topshop poster in Lane Crawford's window display in Tsim Sha Tsui... i got horribly lost on my way to work this morning and ended up walking the entire length of Canton Road (well almost) before realising i was going in the wrong direction - oops. it was nice to see a little London in Hong Kong though. and talking about Lane Crawford... it must be known that Lane Crawford is the ultimate haven. if Mr Andy Warhol is right in saying that, "people [never] die. they just go to department stores." then i would like it to be known that my department store of choice would be Lane Crawford.

a Comme des Garcons moment at ELLE.

Comme des Garcons for H&M. i totally forgot. i haven't quite had access to any high street stores for awhile and it just totally slipped my mind until i was flipping through a Hong Kong street culture magazine on my way home. 

i was lucky enough to see some of the pieces back in June while i was playing fashion features intern at ELLE... all i remember is lots of polka dots, black en masse and the disapproving looks coming from some of the fashion editors (apparently the material wasn't, and i quote, "very Comme"). seriously though, what were we all shaking our heads for? we all knew deep deep down that it wasn't going to meet our expectations - it's Comme for the high street not Comme for real! this is usually where i would begin to consider the whole "high fashion/high street" debate... but nope not this time. we can all agree that it's been well covered already, yes? YES.

i do however remember that there were some great trousers... don't remember what they looked like at all. jolly, June wasn't that long ago... was it?! it must have been a v. busy month. anywho all i remember is that they were great and the look of approval on Rebecca's (the fashion features editor at ELLE) face. must try locate an H&M and check out the collection for real and since i can't afford real Comme, high street Comme will just have to suffice for the time being... ironic isn't it?

those camera clicking city kids (part one)

as promised, more Q&As with some of the most notorious bloggers on the web. STREET STYLE BLOGS have become a bit  of an online movement (okay, that might be an understatement) and i wanted to know what these image-makers were thinking so i tracked them down and asked them a few questions. i have a lot of love for these kids behind the camera who document street fashion and capture the essence of street style in their city... just so they can share it with us. i feel the love everytime i click. 

(this boy is so on-trend it gives me goose-bumps. the 'tache, the rolled up trousers - i like, i like.)

Q&A with LIISA & SAMPO, the ladies responsible for HEL LOOKS (Helinski, Finland) - this is quite a serious one... hope you enjoy it.

Why do you take photos?

To document interesting and individually dressed people who dare to stand out and create their own style. Doing Hel Looks is fun. We get to meet lots of new people who inspire us. Also, we love clothes, fashion and photography.

How did you get into street style photography?

We’ve always been big fans of Shoichi Aoki. Hel Looks is a tribute to him.

You remember the first photo you took?

Yes - it’s actually the very first photo on our site. It was taken at Tuska – a heavy metal festival – in Kaisaniemi, Helsinki.

Where do you tend to go to take photos?

We always carry our cameras on us. Whenever we see something interesting we stop and ask to take a photo. We don’t usually go out looking for people to photograph.

What camera do you use?

Canon 5D.

How do you decide who to shoot?

We photograph the people that surprise us.

What sort of style is unique to Helinski?

I think personality and the courage to stand out. In Helsinki, we are not that interested in mainstream fashion. We like to create our own style.

The amount of fashion on the internet is rapidly increasing and Hel looks is a big contributor. How do you think your site and other similar sites are contributing to the world of fashion?

They are helping people to become more aware of what’s happening in other countries and cities. Also it stresses the importance of individuality.

questionable tan-lines.

i apologise for posting about Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes once again... but you know how some people are all about MJ bags (clickity click here >>> Bryan Boy) well i'm all about the shoes. these M by MJ s/s 09 sandals make me smile. i feel ridiculously happy just looking at them. i have a terrible weakness for strappy flats... which usually leaves me with questionable tan-lines by the end of summer.... but questionable tan-lines as a result of wearing these shoes would definitely not be a problem... no no. they are simply adorable and the ribbon! lets not even get into my obsession with ribbon.

i think a little trip to the new MJ store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong needs to be made (i'm making a mental note as i type this) even if it is just to hold them in my hands for a few seconds... possibly minutes...

who's that girl?

jetlag is keeping me awake... yes still (my body just refuses to adapt to the time zone!) and i've got a "to blog" stickie that is taking up a lot of screen space... i can no longer see the left hand side of my wallpaper... so i thought it would be good idea to do some bloggity blogging.

i'm doing a bit of backtracking... this is a blog idea that occurred to me a few days before leaving the Cape Town... but please bear with me. i promise it's worth it.

the girl i refer to is LULU. LULU, the girl who sells vintage clothes on Church Street (off Long Street) between the elderly ladies of the Church Street Antique Market and the asian dude at the end of the road selling fur coats. i'm sharing this with you because one - i've found so many great things there and surprisingly not many people know about sweet LULU and her stall and two - LULU is just such a great girl with a i-wanna-steal-all-your-clothes-sorta-style that i just couldn't resist but to kiss and tell.

LULU was actually stuck in an adorable green cotton dress when i was taking my last peek around before leaving on a jet plane. while helping her out of the dress we got chit chatting. unfortunately i wasn't able to get a snapshot of LULU - i left my camera at home. yes, i know what you thinking - bad bad irresponsible blogger (!) but i did make up for it and asked all the necessary questions. LULU is there everyday of the week except weekends (of course) and thursdays (when she is out restocking) and if you give her your digits she will kindly send you a message when she has new stock. i probably won't get that message until next year (sigh) but please pop by the stall to check out the amazing vintage clothes and don't forget to say hi for me.