HOTP: Inditex rolls out Uterque

Hot on the heels of Zara's intended foray into India, Inditex has announced plans to roll out their new accessories chain, Uterque in July, with stores opening in Madrid and Barcelona. Inditex also announced aggressive retail plans for cities with more than 5m people, eyeing China and India. 

Does that mean Kuala Lumpur will get one too? 

HOTP: Move Aside, Wal-Mart!

On it's way to world domination (basically riding pillion on the Condé Nast motorbike), Zara has rekindled its interest in India, with rumours of their first store in 2010. 

At least it's not Forever 21. 

YSL at Dover St. Market

A new reason to visit London comes in the form of Yves Saint Laurent's  first Edition 24 stand alone shop in the Dover St. Market. Even better? The fashion house has hired Michael Howells, theatrical set designer to design its store. The production designer behind Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things, Nanny McPhee and also designer of many a Galliano and McQueen catwalk, Howells is a great choice and a refreshing move away from famous architects. I've always felt that production designers would have made better fashion collaborators, simply because they would understand the theatrical side of fashion. Imagine a partnership of Lacroix couture and the functional austerity of Bertolt Brecht. Heh. 

Delivery to the Dover St. Store will be made un-seasonally, and will also include special collections from the capsule collection. Certain colours will also be added to the collection, specially created for Dover Market - namely red and turqoise, and carry a signature YSL/Dover St. Market woven label. 

Tempted to sell your entire wardrobe for 24 classic looks? Hm.

12 Hour Layover? Sure!

                                          

Gawd Dangit. They just want you to shop everywhere. The newest retail assault is unfolding in Heathrow's airport spanking new Terminal 5. Aside from being packed with the usual suspects of Tie Rack, WH Smith, Accessorize and World Duty Free, new additions to the Bond Street Pack include the first airport terminal Tiffany & Co. shop, and a specially designed Paul Smith 'Globe' store. 

But nevermind THAT. What gets the blood rushing and the stomach acids pumping is Gordan Ramsay's first airport venture, Plane Food. For the gastronome nomad, you can also opt for Krispy Kreme (who created a special Terminal 5 doughnut - I wonder if it tastes like lost baggage?) or the perennial student favourite, Wagamama (which incidentally means brat in Japanese - my grandmother used it on my little sister when we were tots) 

Terminal 5 will also house travel spas by Elemis, who pioneered a similar formula for Bergdorf Goodmans, Harvey Nichols and Nordstroms. What I want to know is why they wasted such efforts on BA snobs. Spoken like a true blue Virgin fan. Hey, they give you rubber duckies on board. 

(Picture from WGSN)

La Jaconde better watch her back...

A bit off topic, but THIS (points to picture above) is the sort of crowd Banksy draws in Hong Kong. According to hongkonghustle.com, the guests " were a mixture of neophyte collectors, bankers and a smattering of local artists and scene-sters." Bankers admiring Banksy, who's laughing all the way to bank in light because his work is extremely bankable these days. The IRONY kills me. 

Love Art, the modern art exhibition headlined by Banksy, Hirst, Mel Ramos and Keith Haring et al, opened on Wednesday night at the Hong Kong Art Centre in Wan Chai. 

I don't know how I feel about Bansky in an art gallery, I mean an artist has got to be rewarded for his ideas, but what I admire most about Banksy, aside from the obvious reasons of why everyone else loves him, is the questions he raises about art ownership. When you attach commerce to public art - who owns it? The public? The artist? The city council?  Does ownership even apply? I would like to see a Bank-mobile that ferries people around the city showing his work within the context that was originally intended. And then at the end of the tour you can have a go at 'Spot the real Banksy', where you have to identify the real artist amidst a crowd of lookalikes. And if you get it right, you get to ravish him. Or ambush an unsuspecting wall with him. Or ravish him against an unsuspecting wall. Or ravish an unsuspecting wall. 

Peace Out.

Fashionably Sound?

Fashion dilettantes would have probably at one point earnestly dabbled in a bit of fashion anthropology, which unearths a lot of fun juicy information, like how Coco Chanel popularised the tan in the 1960s when she accidently got sunburnt on a holiday in the Riviera. 

This week, Jonathan Glancey skims the relationship between fashion and architecture accompanied by a picture of Zaha Hadid dressed like Big Bird, who really wants to be an ostrich, in mourning. He draws very interesting, but obvious parallels between the evolution of architecture and fashion. What is interesting is that the past 10 years or so have been architectually very important years for us, with countries out-racing each other to build the world's tallest building, Gehry's Disney Concert Hall, Koolhaas' Dubai Death Star & CCTV building. Yet much of that have not translated into fashion, with much of it focusing on either the far flung future (Balenciaga SS07) or rehashing the past (every Ralph Lauren collection. Puke) But what about the present? What it reiterates is the cyclical nature of art, fashion & culture - when innovation trumps invention, and when ideas run dry, the look into the ARCHIVES. But when ideas run dry, cross-dissemination of ideas happen, which is always exciting. (Remember Cy Twombly on Proenza Schuler?)

Now, Piss Christ pendant anyonre? 

Marhaba, H&M.

Following my last post about Rei Kawakubo for H&M, Egypt has announced its first H&M store, slated to open on June 5. Why is H&M expanding everywhere but here? Ya, habibi. Death to Forever 21. 

A Penny for your Thoughts.....

Having been buried in work for the last few days coupled with a bad case of Oatmeal Brains. Here are some quick snippets. Wham, Bam thank you Ma'am.

Coin Rennovation, Milan, Italy

One of Milan's largest department stores, Coin has revealed its new look with a nine storey video exterior wall. Say what! For the fashionable mathematicians out there - that's 12,000 LED lights wrapped around an 11,840 sq ft inset with a video wall measuring 1,528 sq ft. I eyeball 4 ft as 25 ft, so I guess that just means it's BIG.

Karl Lagerfeld for Grand Theft Auto IV

No, you don't get to (virtually) raid a Chanel store. (damn.) Monsieur Lagerfeld...I mean DJ Karl has created music for latest installation of the game. You can hear his disco beats here, as well as listen zu ah very very aneemated dhee-zhey Karlll and ees frrensch accent. 

GQ India.

Fresh off the success of Vogue India, Condé Nast has announced the launch of GQ India on its way to world domination. 

Pix to follow later. Internet going all 3rd world on me. 

Why....

....doesn't KL have an H&M? Already underwhelmed by Kate Moss for Topshop, Jovovich-Hawk and the pouty spanish sisters for MNG, things get worse when you hear that H&M's follow up to Cavalli, Lagerfeld and Viktor & Rolf is none other than Rei Kawakubo. 

The founder of Comme des Garçon, she is just plain cool. Ok, so maybe her clothes are a little tricky to pull off - one false move and you might end up looking like you're draped in a deflated balloon or used condom, but you can't help but feel a deep rooted sense of awe for the dark horse of fashion. Everything they do is swathed in cool - a windowless 3 storey white building in Hong Kong? Cool. Being 1/3rd of the coolest 21st century animated character (Edna Mode from The Incredibles)? Cool. Not available in Kuala Lumpur? Not-so-cool.

I bet she's going to have a gorgeous jacket. *whine*

Stomp the Tuileries!

A friend of mine used to have a band named Kiss My Poodles, Donkey.

Following his collaboration with Longchamp that produced the quintessentially fugly poodle pliage, which, I'm sure sold out across China, Jeremy Scott's new collaboration birthed Le Pliage Stomp which I find très adorable. Quite appropriate, considering American boots are still traipsing across the Middle Eastern landscape, G.I. Joe is being remade into a movie with Sienna Miller, no less, and the Chinese literally stomping out protests in Tibet. Plus, a smudge will be totally camouflaged! Now that, is brilliant. 

Delay No Mall

Delay No Mall is a new mall by Hong Kong retailers G.O.D. located in Causeway Bay. Around the corner from the Jia Hotel, the root of my Philipe Starck chair design conspiracy, it joins the likes of Playground! in Bangkok, Colette in Paris as a multi-label shopping destination for generation now with deep pockets. 

Designed as a multi-functional organic retail space, the main idea is that it is a space that can facilitate changing retail concepts. Among the labels to grace it shelves is Among Strangers, Grace Yow's Paris based clothing line. (Stocked in Hong Kong even before Tokyo! Say What..) Delay No More, G.O.D's own fashion label and Kapok - stocking hand-made T-shirts, and cool off-the-cuff jewelry. 

The thing about Hong Kong retail is that the Hong Kong style is so imbued into its concept that it feels slightly homogenous. But then again I guess that is Hong Kong - everything is slightly mechanised. You can't however fault their taste. Similar with Playground! in Thailand, the hipster aesthetic (the neon green accents with wood grain laminate, epoxy concrete floor) makes it rather predictable. I have no beef with hipsters, except that perhaps nothing is more annoying than men with legs the size of my upper arm. 

On a separate note, Maroon 5 is performing in KL. Death to Muppets. 

Oh, Motherland.

Discipline is what's needed to keep updating a blog. Discipline is perhaps the most over-stereotyped personality type in Chinese immigrant college students in an Ivy League. Since I'm have neither discipline nor am I an ivy-leaguer, I am therefore absolved of blame.

But let's talk about China. And how you just can't seem to get away from it. China, the Chinese, is as contagious as bird flu. They're on the news, they're in the Guggenheim, they're setting art auction records, they are building amazing feats of architecture, they're taking over the fashion world, and soon, they will be the face of Lane Crawford's SS08 print campaign. 

Lane Crawford's SS08 campaign will feature Chinese personalities, including Maggie Cheung, Du Juan, Tan Yuan Yuan, Fu Jia, Huang Jue and Liu Ye. 

Firstly, I would like to say to Lane Crawford - What took you so long? I love you and all, especially your boxing day shoe sale, but I think GAP beat you to iconic, black and white, broody portrait-driven campaigns featuring asians. I guess a lot has been riding on the Beijing Olympics, but I can't help but see all these slick ad campaigns as a way of diverting attention away from China's ugly side. The images are great, but I really don't like the silly words at the bottom of the image and the juxtapositions don't make any sense. Tan Yuan Yuan's picture of 'subtlety' is hardly subtle movement at all. They remind me of Martha Graham's lamentations, you know, the piece where she looks like an alien baby trying to bust out of an oversized pillow case? ( I love Martha Graham, by the way.)

Who wants to go to HK with me? 

Happy New Year!

Fall RTW 08 is here, as well as the Lunar New Year. At last a worthy distraction from a tragic Monday morning. I've always been a Spring/Summer girl, so Fall fashion doesn't really excite me much. The one thing I do look forward to is outerwear. I love jackets. Sometimes I find myself seeking out places where I know the air-conditioning could rival Svalbard just so I can wear jackets.

Personally, I feel like the jacket really defines a silhouette. And in the last few seasons or so we have been really spoilt for choice. Last season saw a near stampede for Balenciaga's piped blazer and who could forget Vera Wang's bubble coat for Kohl's? And if you think about it, jackets and suits make up a lot of defining pieces and looks for a fashion house. Chanel's tweed twin sets, Burberry's trench, Givenchy's little capes. We might even be able to argue that the it was Derek Lam's brocade coat that started getting him noticed. And the whole sportif chic look that swept the SS08 runways was anchored by the trusty anorak. The list goes on.

Tragically outerwear remain the piece de resistance in most fall collections and cost the equivalent of a down-payment on a small terrace house; a completely unjustifiable expense in a tropical country. But we can still marvel at the undeniable sexiness of a woman in a good jacket. I will just sit here and wait for the Thom Browne collection for Brooks Brothers to hit Kuala Lumpur. I have a feeling I will be waiting for eternity.

I love this silhouette. Photo by Scott Schuman @ The Sartorialist.

This little thing? Oh, that was Lassie.

We used to have a border collie named Murphy and mum used to marvel at her wonderful soft fur; remarking how she would make a wonderful foot stool when she passed away. However, given the scarcity of taxidermists in Kuala Lumpur, perhaps we can take a leaf from Mad Elephant jewelry.

Mad Elephant designs include a chicken bone knuckle ring and a dove's foot bracelet. I'm not sure how I feel about crusty anatomical adornment, but frankly, the memento mori is a little too literal for me. So I think I'll pass. I am, however fascinated by the hedonistic approach to death, much in line with Roman fatalism - we're all dying anyway, so let's just have a bit of fun.

On that note, I think my sister's appendix will make a terrific armband.

Goodnight.

I couldn't find any stockists of Mad Elephant jewelry, but the artist can be contacted via her imeem page at the link above.

Karma for $200, please.

In light of a recent conversation about karma, retail therapy has never felt this good. Seriously. Donna Karan's newest contribution to guilt-free fashion is United Zen (by Donna Karan), hawks 'specially designed clothing, decorative objects, donated artwork and educational materials related to health and healing. The Urban Zen Initiative is committed to health research combining the insight of traditional practices from both the East and the West.' And it's non-profit. Like she needs more money anyway.

Personally, I think it's a great idea. Haters who are probably tsk-tsking at the idea of blatant consumerism contributing to spiritual well-being can stick to wearing itchy, scratchy hemp. This is a perfect example of how the end result trumps the process.

Who cares that Bill Gates is a conniving, unethical businessman. He made his money and look at what he's doing for AIDS research now. I just hope that he's not consciously trading Karma. Because then I'd still see him in hell.

So, for those like-minded individuals who value sincere intentions over questionable methods, United Zen can be located at 75 Greenwich St, West Village, NY. For those who don't, you might as well make sure you rock up to the gates of hell in style.

Goodnight.

(Xie Xie to WGSN for the picture.)

Design: Intelligence Made Not-So Visible

For about £125, you can have Mies van der Rohe at your feet. I'm not sure exactly how long United Nude has been around, I was going to find out, then I got distracted.

Founded in part by Rem Koolhaas, the architect behind Prada's new flagship on Broadway, United Nude draws inspiration from design and architecture, and unravels them into footwear. And with a concept like that, you would hardly expect them to stick to polyutherene or leather. Kevlar, anyone?

I would probably buy a pair, simply because I think their approach is quite revolutionary, and I find the idea of kevlar-clad feet quite a conversation starter.

Anyway, included in their line of products are candy-cane striped ankle boots. (BARF) and block heel ballerinas (YUM). And although I like the idea of cross-disciplinary products, I cringe a little at the irony of it all. Even though the translation of design (in this case, Rohe's Barcelona chair) into footwear is seamlessly documented, I wonder where the application of design takes place. If design is indeed intelligence made visible as trumped by Bayley-Conran, then where is design in this shoe? It takes a great idea, and translates that idea through materials that are alien to footwear. Wouldn't that contradict the application of knowledge? In this case the application in question is the use of kevlar, a notoriously impenetrable, unbreathable, hence impractical material for footwear. I thought practicality and function was the holy grail in the application of knowledge? You be the judge.

Regardless, I think the Mobius gold wedge would look pretty cute with an LBD , non?

Good night.