Friday 31 July 2009

zhang ziyi on marriage, family and success

"they (the press) are not willing to admit that i've also shed blood and tears and often paid dearly for my success.  this makes me feel extremely sad."
- zhang ziyi




zhang ziyi appears on the cover of china elle's august edition wearing the same louis vuitton magenta puff sleeve mini dress that madonna sported for the brand's fw09 campaign.  in her interview, she talks about her desire for a family but fear of marriage.  she is currently engaged to israeli billionaire vivi nevo but is rumoured to have postponed the wedding which is being planned on an island off the italian coast.  their union has caused much backlash in china - it remains to be seen what kind of reaction this latest revelation will elicit. 

anna in flats

"is that something we can change?  we have friends in the white house now."
- anna wintour on being told it is illegal to place restrictions on us retailers to stop them discounting clothes too early in the season


anna wintour in footwear sans heels??  yes, the us vogue editor-in-chief made a surprise appearance at the 2009 hampton designer showcase on saturday in a very casual pair of white slippers.  luv it.

lots and lots of leg - part II

- madonna

loro piana leggings
usd1,150

stella mccartney satin inset leggings
usd795

alice + olivia sequin leggings
usd298

leyendecker cut-out leggings
usd140

rock and republic valentina snake leggings
usd125

bergdorf goodman also have an extensive range of hosiery. pair yours with an animal print tee and cropped leather biker.

schumacher's surprise return

“for loyalty reasons to the team I cannot ignore this unfortunate situation,” the german said on his website. “but as the competitor I am, i also very much look forward to facing this challenge.”
- michael schumacher


i like to think that i know a thing or two about cars (compared to most girls) but would definitely not consider myself a formula one fan.  what really touched me about this story is schumacher's sense of team spirit.  he will step in to replace injured felipe massa until the brazilian is able to race again (there are seven races left in 2009).  massa, 28, left intensive care yesterday after suffering head and neck injuries five days ago at the hungarian grand prix.  schumacher, 40, retired in 2006 and has acted as a technical advisor to the ferrari team since then, helping with design.  in order to prove himself physically fit enough to return to the extremely demanding sport, he will need to undertake a special training programme.  the next race - the european grand prix - is scheduled for 23 august which the german will enter with a record of 91 wins from 248 grand prix.  although some have been quick to call this a marketing ploy, former F-1 team owner eddie jordan believes otherwise. "anyone who dismisses michael schumacher because of age is making a grave error.  he is a different breed.” now i just need a "team michael" tee....

Thursday 30 July 2009

fw09 trend reports

"if you are not in fashion, you are nobody."
- lord chesterfield


several fw09 trend reports were released this week:

lace-up boots
one-shoulder dresses
sequins
trench coats
harem trousers

global nomads
boy oh boy
left bank
new bourgeousie

boudoir crossing
ruch hour

balmain mania

"i'm no model lady. a model's just an imitation of the real thing."
- mae west


kate moss in balmain fw09

george at asda "star trek" mini dress
67% viscose, 29% metal-effect fibre, 4% elastane; made in england
gbp16

balmain ss09 runway look #4

topshop studded tube dress by rare
sweetheart neckline, all-over criss-cross stud detail; machine washable
usd138

selita ebanks in balmain ss09

bebe sequin striped dress
square neck, padded shoulders, exposed back zipper; dry clean only
usd149

the real thing goes for thousands of pounds. the high street version definitely won't feel like couture but you will be able to afford the bangles, clutch and sparkly sandals aswell. with so many easily accessible copy-cats out there, leave the real mccoy to the celebs.. or diy!! at least until the markets improve.

"from tokyo to colette"

"japan's fast retailing (9983.T: quote, profile, research) posted 28 percent growth in nine-month operating profit on thursday, buoyed by robust sales at its uniqlo casual clothing chain, and lifted its full-year forecast for the third time.  the company represents one of the few bright spots among major domestic retailers, with uniqlo attracting price-conscious shoppers amid japan's worst recession since world war two."
- reuters tokyo (9 july 2009)


famed parisian boutique, colette, will house a small uniqlo concept store commencing 31 august, ahead of the mass-market label's opéra flagship unveiling later in the autumn.  it already opened a pop-up store in the marais district earlier this month.  a limited edition cashmere sweater with "from tokyo to colette" stitched on the front will be on offer.

a real deal

"jewellery takes people's minds of your wrinkles."
- sonja henie

j.crew jewelled garland earrings
hand-casted brass with hand-set glass stones; surgical steel posts
usd79.50

j.crew constellation locket
czech glass crystals on 18k shiny gold-plated brass; 32" chain
usd50

j.crew jewelled garland bracelet
hand-set glass stones interspersed with grosgrain bows; 7 1/2" length
usd95

j.crew pearl-cluster bracelet
12k gold-plated brass chain linking pearls and fireballs; 7 1/2" length
usd78

j.crew majesty stone bracelet
hand-cut glass stones on hand-casted brass chain; 7 1/2" length
usd78

j.crew is going upmarket with its new collection of "instant heirloom" jewellery. the styling is elegant and very old-school whilst the prices are extremely recession-friendly. one could even imagine them being used as wedding pieces....

Wednesday 29 July 2009

lacroix lives!! - part II

"we have made an offer this morning (monday) before 10:00am.... it is only symbolic really." 
- louis petiet, head of bernard krief consultants told reuters about their bid of "not even" a few million euros for the couture house

sketch by christian lacroix for desdemona's costume in othello

in 2008, the company made a loss of eur10 million on revenues of eur30 million while orders for ss09 prêt-à-porter were down 35 percent, but there may be hope yet.  monday was the deadline for offers for the ailing label which will be evaluated in a court in september.  on the table at the moment are:
1. the borletti group (owner of la rinascente and printemps) - being considered as "serious"
2. bernard krief consultants (french management consultancy) - deemed "unsatisfactory"
3. two more bids of eur1 each - "rejected"
the final option is that of the falic group's aggressive restructuring plan which will see 90 percent of the house's workforce cut.

work it

"i'm not squeamish at all. as a child I dragged a dead squirrel home on my skateboard and cut it open and tried to look at its brain."
- jessica biel


jessica's got the row's lambskin colton jacket working for her be it shopping with friends or on the red carpet. very cool indeed.


the jo-bros work theirs too!!

lady gaga in jean charles de castelbajac

please stand up

"i don't always wear underwear.  when i'm in the heat, especially, i can't wear it.  like, if i'm wearing a flower dress, why do i have to wear underwear?"
- naomi campbell

ali larter

please remember to check your skirt length before you leave the house so that this does not happen to you.

Tuesday 28 July 2009

coco cocoon

“cheryl cole if you’re reading this, I may not be as pretty as you but at least i write my own songs.”
- lily allen

lily allen for chanel coco cocoon

lily allen for chanel coco cocoon

chanel coco cocoon
nylon and lambskin (reversible) 
trolley, bowling bag and mini/maxi shoppers

tickle your fancy?  the collection is set to debut globally in chanel boutiques on 10 october, 2009.  unfortunately, it could not be confirmed whether hong kong would receive this line or not or at what price point they would be as the prince's building store had not even heard of it.

law and order

"the commission must do its part.... it must not rely on one vendor, it must not accept closed standards, and it must refuse to become locked into a particular technology – jeopardizing maintenance of full control over the information in its possession."
neelie kroes

neelie kroes
european commissioner for competition

karl lagerfeld
head designer and creative director
chanel, fendi and karl lagerfeld

bernard arnault
chairman and ceo
lvmh sa, christian dior sa and groupe arnault sas

luxury goods makers moet hennessy louis vuitton sa and chanel sa may have won greater control over how web-based retailers sell their products thanks to some last minute lobbying over a draft european union regulation.  earlier proposals allowed ebay inc traders to sell unlimited quantities of of their goods on the internet which, they argued, would undermine expensive investments in brick-and-mortar operations located in upmarket areas and degrade brand image.  the revisions grant brand owners the right to dictate the ratio of offline vs online product offerings although not in states where a distribution system does not already exist (ie. in countries where there are no stores, ebay can sell as much as it wishes). “selective distribution, whether real or virtual, has always been fundamental for luxury brands,” andrea ciccoli, a fashion industry analyst for bain & co milan, said in an interview about an earlier version of the law. “not just anyone can sell products by chanel and prada in stores and there’s no reason why they should be able to on the web.  it would be like giving people a license to print money.” the latest version is scheduled for release today.

men, men, men.

"why are men in hong kong such wankers?"
- anita p nesse

single in the city

norwood-hamilton scale of male pattern baldness

read anita's explanation as to why hong kong women are turning bi-curious and gay.  hilarious but true.

Monday 27 July 2009

sexy summer salad

"i don't have an mba but i'm street smart and employ good people."
- harlan goldstein summing up his entrepreneurial flair

buffalo mozzarella, vine-ripened tomatoes, rustic olives and basil dressing
hkd178

head over to tuscany by h for a perfect caprese salad.  the cheese was elastic and rubbery but not tough and had drops of creamy milk stored in minute dimples of its fabric.  yummy.

pregnant is the new black

"the sons of teen mothers are 13 percent more likely to end up in prison while teen daughters are 22 percent more likely to become teen mothers themselves."

jourdan dunn, 19

heidi klum, 35, and husband, seal

karolina kurkova, 25, and fiancé, archie drury 


adriana lima, 27

jourdan dunn, who won 2008's british fashion council's model award, is the latest catwalker to announce she is with child, joining victoria's secret angels heidi klum (expecting her fourth), karolina kurkova, giselle bündchen and adriana lima in skipping the september shows this year.  although dunn will not release the name of the father, she has said that they have been together for several years.  style broke the news by making fashion suggestions for the young londoner's five-and-a-half month growing bump.  despite only just starting out, natalia vodianova was also pregant early on in her career and claims that it in fact helped her get work.


Sunday 26 July 2009

diamonds and pearls

"the rarest things in the world, next to a spirit of discernment, are diamonds and pearls."
- jean de la bruyere

erickson beamon multi-strand pearl and crystal necklace

[close-up]

chanel classic flap bag in white cowhide

timeless accessories make easy companions for lazy sunday brunch.
all runway photographs care of style.com