// Fade to #C5C5C5

“I love you back” 17: fun back

A friend send me a back view photo tho which shows her fun point of view – colourful and bubbly.

SS11 Detail: Salute Gucci Craftsmen

To surprise the audience, all you need to do is to break the normal rules you’ve been setting up and have a break through. That’s exactly what Frida Giannini has done for Gucci SS11. Without a single print, with which Gucci had huge success on previous a few SS collections, this collection is set out to have the bold colours and … amazing craftsmanship. Here we present you a string of closed-up detail shots.

a vest formed by fringing and weaved fine leather strips

lacing up details

this one is particularly clever, weaved with eye-lets, metal rings, waxed cords and leather strips…

weave-through technique continues on a bigger scale by concentrating on the waist…

fine chains, beads and tassel fringings…

You can not have these ideas came out by just sitting in a nice and clean design studios. They are from the amazing experience of craftsman technique which are collected, inherited and passed-on through generations!

Tags: Gucci

Pick One, Maybe Two or Three

J Brand is simply not stopping their massive Designer-Collaboration-Plan and this time instead of teaming with just one designer at time, it’s 5 designers and selling at 5 different locations in London!

Starting from beginning of 2010, we all knew the great print work done by Proenza Schouler. They are slightly high-rise and straight cigarette legs with hand scribble print.

The 5×5 project commissioned by Christopher Kane, Peter Pilotto, Richard Nicoll, Meadham Kirchhoff, and Erdem, a U.K. extension of the wildly successful Proenza Schouler collab. With only 250 pairs in each style, girls are firing up their Sat-navs for the fastest routes: (on the picture from left to right)

It’s Selfridges for Pilotto’s powder-effect hue-print,

Liberty for Nicoll’s slick panel-fronted jean,

Harvey Nichols for Kane’s camouflage high-rise with 10” side-zips,

Browns for Kirchoff’s patched and “hand-repair” heavyweight twill skinny fit boy-jeans,

and Harrods for Erdem’s blue floral print.

Tags: Christopher Kane, Erdem, J Brand, Meadham Kirchhoff, Peter Pilotto, proenza schouler, Richard Nicoll

Burberry Prorsum – Spring/Summer 2011

Seconds before Burberry Prosum’s Spring/Summer 2011 show streamed live online,  my phone started ringing. It was Awais, my partner in crime. – “I know, I know…Burberry, yes, live!” I was screaming like a drama queen.

The thing about designers like Christopher Bailey is that when you can reinvent the same old things into something new again and again without fail, then we know you have become some kind of master. Mr. Bailey is exactly a master of this one kind and that’s why we always get very hyper whenever he’s about to reveal yet another one of his masterpieces. Last season he relaunched shearling pilot jackets and brought back an item which is without doubt the hottest item of this season. We were both twisting our thumbs with excitement about what tricks he would have up his sleeve this time.

This time he reinvented the classic trench. Burberry is a brand which has become synonymous with trench coats, it is also synonymous with great British design, heritage and craftsmanship. The trench coats for SS11 are decorated with black tape, padding, studs and vibrant animal buckle brands. Bailey has also incorporated something else which is essentially British into the collection – London’s punk heritage in form of the biker jackets and studded details. The collection had the jackets in every shape, size and variation, as short cropped jackets, as long leather trench coats. Thinking back at style.com’s review of Alexander Wang’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection, brought back a comment to my mind – ‘If anyone does a biker jacket, it doesn’t feel new any more’. Oh, if they had only known how wrong they would be. In matter of short eight days, Bailey proved them wrong. I was joking to Awais, that you could peal off any scruffy punk’s studded biker and oil it to a high-shine level and put it on Burberry’s catwalk. Indeed, with or without studs, short, crop or long with belt, everyone seems to be able to pick one from this collection. And Bailey has teamed all the biker jackets with his best-selling super-short cocktail dresses. At the first glance, the dresses could be mistaken to be a Lipsy creation. At a closer look, the black tape detail and cut-out back details reflect the punk and biker elements and make it more edgy.

Tags: Burberry Prosum

Clements Ribeiro – Spring/Summer 2011

I have always loved Clements Ribeiro and this season this feeling has reached a top. A collection full of fun, youth, edginess and sexual appeals. Multi-layering and print-on-stripe seem to have borrowed complex-styling tips from Sussie Bubble and Tavi. Citric yellow and black and white make the full shouting of summer’s hype. This is actually another most-favourite collection of mine for SS11. I could happily dress myself next summer with casual stylings in Wang-esque and colourful fun/casual-going-out stylings with all Clements Ríbeiro. I never do full-pretty-dress-night-out-look if you know me well…always casual all the way. So this collection actually means a lot to me, as it is quite relaxed, but with a tiny bit of dressy feel with those vibrant print and little helps of black sequins.

Tags: Clements Ribeiro

Marc by Marc Jacobs – SS2011

I might get beaten up if I say that I don’t like Marc by Marc Jacobs. Well, I don’t normally, because it’s not really my THING. I liked the brand…say…about 3-4 years ago when I was REALLY into the edgy girlie stuff just like MBMJ. Now a few years passed on, my taste has been changed. (yeah, y’all know me yelling about Wang…hehe) But after seeing this season’s MBMJ collection, I have to say, I seriously like the whole show, especially all the colour combos, brownish tones with a dirty pink especially. No one could play colours so well as Marc. He somehow could make those bright colours…mmm…very grungy. There’s definitely a mood and a little grumpy attitude there which is actually very very cool.

Tags: Marc by Marc Jacobs, Marc Jacobs

Unique Detail

Topshop has transformed old Eurostar Terminal at London Waterloo Station to a magic crystal box. With rays of sunlights on Saturday, the details from Topshop Unique looks even more dramatic and mysterious.

scattered diamante stones over the dreamy imagery digital print…

…digital cut-out to form the flying birds silhouette… very finely done…

swirly print with fine chain mail carrying on the 3D form…

really love this lilac-pink acid wash effect…goes so well with multi-jeweled pocket and model’s red hair…

inside shirt is with digital print… you could see the horse head and scenery of plato on shirt’s pocket…

Tags: Topshop Unique

Give Away: Autumn Wool Wrap – is Finished now! – And Winner is…

Give Away: Autumn Wool Wrap – is Finished now!

We want to say thank you to all who entered and it was an very interesting journey to see people’s comments about our blog. Whether our readers are – some of you who spent a decent amount of time or some just passing by looking for a reference or an image, you are all highly appreciated! We know, you guys are the ones who will help it growing.

And here comes the ‘The Winner’ who is Lindsay from Kentucky (wow… that’s a far place we get our readers).

A sneaky preview of our next Giveaway here is, a hand-made leopard scarf inspired by Dries van Noten’s AW2010 collection.

!

Tags: Dries Van Noten

“I love you back” 16: Death becomes her

Earlier today I spotted this girl at a cafe. I’ve always had a thing for skull patterns on clothes, shoes, bags and accessories and my wardrobe is full of stuff with skull prints. Maybe it’s because I used to like goth music when I was younger? Needless to say, I fell in love with the cardigan she was wearing.

Alexander Wang SS2011 Details

Here’re some detail shots of Alexander Wang show SS11.

Love the pointy knit texture

Love the rope knot sandals

Love the layering tip on bottom dressing.

Love the rip cuff leggings worn underneath shorts

Love the mint colour

Love the pumpkin sued heels

Love the silver in-lined jacket….OMG, the list is endless… …Someone help me please, I’m already being called in the office as Qing-Wang now….

Tags: Alexander Wang