Monday, April 11, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
Watch This: Struggling to Stitch
via Bryanboy.com
Watch this moving clip about what’s going on these days in New York’s Garment District. I don’t think I’ll forget this video the next time I buy something with a “Made in New York” label on.
I feel sorry for the unfortunate garment workers who don’t get the compensation they deserve.
Especially now when a lot of things are made in far-flung places while retail price tags remain the same, or, even higher than what was being charged before.
This is nothing new in the fashion industry. Many brands have come under fire for various labor issues (unfair compensations, inhumane working conditions, etc) elsewhere around the world.
Ideally, I want to buy smarter, buy less and of course, love what I already have, which means wearing the things I own many, many times until I get sick of it.
Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.
The temptation to buy affordable, fast fashion is inescapable. After all, not everyone has deep pockets.
When I did the laundry at my boyfriend’s apartment two weeks ago, I felt disgusted at myself for having amassed all these socks over three months of traveling. Thirty six pairs to be exact. When you hop from one city to another, it’s more cost-efficient to buy new, fresh pairs of socks (I buy H&M or Uniqlo socks… for what, $5 a pair, maybe less?) instead of sending them to the hotel cleaners, paying triple or quadruple the amount you originally paid for just to wash them. It’s impractical to pay $15 (plus tax, plus service charge, plus plus whatever) to clean a $3.99 pair of coloured socks! Same applies to underwear. Try living out of a suitcase and tell me what my best option is.
And when the mood to splurge hits… what do you get? An “investment” piece, usually a very expensive classic, that you can use time and time again or do you splurge on something unique, bold and extraordinary that you can only use a handful of times? After all, you want value for what you are paying for….
Our lifestyles and resources (or lack thereof) dictate the choices that we make.
I’ve always disliked the idea of waste or wastefulness. My parents raised me and my siblings to finish everything that’s served on our plates. Growing up, I’ve heard the old line “there are starving children in Africa” countless of times.
Today, more than ever, I’ll do my best to be more conscious.
Watch this moving clip about what’s going on these days in New York’s Garment District. I don’t think I’ll forget this video the next time I buy something with a “Made in New York” label on.
I feel sorry for the unfortunate garment workers who don’t get the compensation they deserve.
Especially now when a lot of things are made in far-flung places while retail price tags remain the same, or, even higher than what was being charged before.
This is nothing new in the fashion industry. Many brands have come under fire for various labor issues (unfair compensations, inhumane working conditions, etc) elsewhere around the world.
Ideally, I want to buy smarter, buy less and of course, love what I already have, which means wearing the things I own many, many times until I get sick of it.
Unfortunately, it’s easier said than done.
The temptation to buy affordable, fast fashion is inescapable. After all, not everyone has deep pockets.
When I did the laundry at my boyfriend’s apartment two weeks ago, I felt disgusted at myself for having amassed all these socks over three months of traveling. Thirty six pairs to be exact. When you hop from one city to another, it’s more cost-efficient to buy new, fresh pairs of socks (I buy H&M or Uniqlo socks… for what, $5 a pair, maybe less?) instead of sending them to the hotel cleaners, paying triple or quadruple the amount you originally paid for just to wash them. It’s impractical to pay $15 (plus tax, plus service charge, plus plus whatever) to clean a $3.99 pair of coloured socks! Same applies to underwear. Try living out of a suitcase and tell me what my best option is.
And when the mood to splurge hits… what do you get? An “investment” piece, usually a very expensive classic, that you can use time and time again or do you splurge on something unique, bold and extraordinary that you can only use a handful of times? After all, you want value for what you are paying for….
Our lifestyles and resources (or lack thereof) dictate the choices that we make.
I’ve always disliked the idea of waste or wastefulness. My parents raised me and my siblings to finish everything that’s served on our plates. Growing up, I’ve heard the old line “there are starving children in Africa” countless of times.
Today, more than ever, I’ll do my best to be more conscious.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
These kicks give me a funny feeling in my No No Place! Blue Suede Rider’s
This is how we described the RBC suede chukka last fall when they first arrived.
“Looking for a stylish yet comfortable boot for fall than look no further than our new Rider Boot Co. suede chukkas. Made of water repellent Cape Butt suede they’re smart looking and extremely comfortable on natural plantation crepe soles.”
These boots flew out then and now they’re back but not for long because they’re super comfortable, and ideal for spring. Now available at blog.leffot.com
RBCB10 Navy Cape Butt Suede, Plantation Crepe Soles – $550
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Statement iPad 2 Cases
via Esquire
iPads should be encased. There are many reasons for this, the $500 price tag among them, but the most important one might be so that other people don't stare at you and think, Oh, there's a guy with an iPad. Because you don't really want to be that guy. And besides, now there are actually many very nice iPad cases worth looking at, from designers like Brunello Cucinelli and Louis Vuitton. Some are leather, soft, and expensive, some are hardshell and fairly inexpensive. We also wouldn't pass up Apple's own official iPad Smart Cover, because it works, and it does look pretty smart. But if you've just bought an iPad 2 and would like to weigh your options, these are some of our favorites for the new tablet. And if you're still searching, you might want to wait around until April, when you can expect new cases from other brands like Cole Haan, Burberry, Gear 4, InCase, Acme Made, Tumi, Simplism, XGearlive, and Belkin.
Brunello Cucinelli, $695 (see above)
Coach, $168
Louis Vuitton, $390
Hard Graft, $76
Timbuk 2, $40
Speck, $29.95
iThrough, $4.36
Marware, $49.99
Piel Frama, $167
Proporta, $47.95
Vaja, $110
Hard Candy, $49.95
Dodocase, $89.95
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Official Ferrari Opus
$275,000 will get you this book! And it is strictly limited to one customer...per country. For more information log onto www.krakenopus.com
Kanye West's fashion career is back on
Rapper and part-time fashionista Kanye West set to launch a scarf collection.
Kanye West's fashion design career looks to be back on, with the revelation that he is launching a collection of scarves inspired by the artwork for his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy .
The rapper, who recently completed an internship at Karl Lagerfeld-designed fashion house Fendi, previously swore off his plan to become a celebrity fashion designer in light of Lindsay Lohan's efforts as 'artistic advisor' at Emanuel Ungaro, saying 'Did you not see the Lindsay and Ungaro collection? That was 9/11 for celebrities doing fashion. After that I thought: 'Well I can't do a line now'.
Maybe his scarf line will be the first step towards reversing that judgement, although it seems that West might be taking on more of an 'artistic advisor' role himself.
The scarves will incorporate the five striking artworks by George Condo West commissioned for his latest album release, reworked by M/M art direction and graphic design duo Mathias Augustyniak and Michael Amzalag who have previously worked alongside Carine Roitfeld at Vogue Paris.
The designers approached Kanye "with the idea to remix the artistic elements into a range of silk scarves, pairing their baroque-style letters with [artist George] Condo's images, such as a severed head wearing a crown and a naked sphinx straddling a likeness of West," according to Nowness.com and have described the collaboration as "a complex exploration of power."
The limited edition range will be sold exclusively at the Colette boutique in Paris, France and online at MMParis.com.
The Style Blogger - Season1/Episode 3: "Setting the Bar"
The Further Adventures of the Style Blogger
Monday, April 4, 2011
Ecko Offers 20 Percent Off For Life For Anyone Who Gets Tattoo Of Its Logo
We keep waiting for this to be a dubbed an April Fool's Day joke, but we're four days in with no signs of letting up.
Ecko Unlimited, purveyors of t-shirts, denim, track jackets, polos, sneakers and more; best-known for its ad campaigns featuring Lindsay Lohan and Vanessa Hudgens, is offering a 20 percent discount off its wares for life to anyone who gets a tattoo of the label's rhino or shears logo.
Hold that tat machine...only 20 percent?
Lesson to be learned here: even if you go so far as to literally brand yourself, you'll spend the rest of your days buying $29.50 hoodies for $23.60 to cover up that bad decision on your arm.
But do let us know if you go through with it.
(Via Racked)

Ecko Unlimited, purveyors of t-shirts, denim, track jackets, polos, sneakers and more; best-known for its ad campaigns featuring Lindsay Lohan and Vanessa Hudgens, is offering a 20 percent discount off its wares for life to anyone who gets a tattoo of the label's rhino or shears logo.
Hold that tat machine...only 20 percent?
Lesson to be learned here: even if you go so far as to literally brand yourself, you'll spend the rest of your days buying $29.50 hoodies for $23.60 to cover up that bad decision on your arm.
But do let us know if you go through with it.
(Via Racked)
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