The fashionita

Yohji Yamamoto

Fresh off a partnership with Mikimoto in which he created a line of nontraditional pearl jewelry, Yohji Yamamoto debuted another high-profile collaboration on his Fall runway: leather portfolio bags made in unison with Hermès. The avant-garde Japanese designer betrayed an interest in old-line French luxury-goods houses last year at this time when he did his own tongue-in-cheek riff on the Louis Vuitton logo. But Yamamoto fans shouldn't worry that aligning himself with an established brand like Hermès means he's gone straight. On the contrary: It sparked an interest in manipulating leather (not to mention a horse-print motif) to his own ends, and got him thinking about novel ways to approach some of his best-loved tropes.

First up were his familiar hard-soft jackets. The aforementioned leather—most often in black, but also in shades of orange and blue, and always with unfinished raw edges—met tailored wool or draped jersey to create appealing toppers that had a new languidness. These, like the more structured peplum jackets in charcoal gray and colorful tweeds that followed, were paired with the long, full skirts Yamamoto loves. The latter, it must be said, were made even more challenging than usual by the girth-extending extra rolls of fabric at the waistband. Still, the show ended on a high note, with a quintet of models wearing smart, long coats in khaki or navy (some of them tossed over the back and suspended from built-in straps), each girl carrying one of those fab Hermès portfolios.

If any more proof was needed that Yamamoto still marches to his own beat, it came over the loudspeakers: The guitarist whose taped recording accompanied the show was none other than the designer himself.

Chasing The Designer Dream

Aspiring designer Chia Wei
Choong talks about the realities of a career in the competitive high fashion scene. The process of starting out from scratch and working your way to establishing your clothing line is not a fairytale story. In the fashion industry, there’s no fairy god mother to grant you overnight success. Those in the industry will know that landing a coveted fashion internship position can often be as competitive as getting your first job, but fashion internships are indeed an invaluable resource for any fashion student. I was lucky enough to be chosen as the winner of the Singapore Young Designer Content and Asian Young Designer Contest in 2007.


The awards jumpstarted my career as I subsequently won a once-in-a-lifetime internship opportunities with fashion gurus Alexander McQueen in London and Vivience Tam in New York as well as scholarship to pursue my fashion degree at Raffles Design Institute. The internships offered a glimpse of the real world and also serves as a wake up call about the stresses and challenges of this career path. Schools are a good source to look for internship opportunities. For example, each year, the Raffles Design Institute awards a six month internship, to one student from its graduating cohort to work under local designer Desmond Yang, owner of Abyzz. Nonetheless, I also have a friend who landed an internship at renowned Belgian fashion designer Raf Simons without any connections. She managed to snag it by sheer determination and by following up with the company repeatedly. This is the kind of persistence aspiring designers need to have. The fashion industry is colourful, crowded and competitive. The best way to make it big is to get noticed. Hard work is important too, considering the sheer number of young budding designers out there. It’s also a tedious process as there are many stages, from sketching to designer to fabric selection and fittings, before your final design and product is presented to the customer or client. It’s a real test of persistence and determination. You need to believe in yourself and, most importantly , in your designs. Having your own point of view and confidence definitely helps. From my label, antebellum, I design classic men’s wear with a twist, playing with proportions and details. The look is slightly out of the ordinary and bold, but I think this is part and parcel of what it takes to become a designer who stands out. It’s about daring to be different and to being great ideas into reality. Most people have the impression that the fashion industry is full of glamour and fun but the image is not entirely indicative of the real business of fashion. Of course, it’s a rewarding and desirable field. However, the truth is, with the good comes the bad and the hard work as well.You have to be prepared to devote much of your time to your career because a good designer should be fully involved from the beginning to the end. As a designer of my own label, I adopt a hands on approach, from reaching on trends to reviewing customer’s feedback. You will also have to bear in the mind that you will be investing a fair bit of money before seeing any returns, so it has to be something you really love to sustain your drive. If you have the skills, a great eye, some luck and a big ego, the designer dream is definitely worth the chase.

American label Bebe fashion (pronounced "bee bee") features a diverse range of designs in its Spring Fever Spring 2009 Collection

WHEN the theme of a fashion launch is Safari Chic, naturally earthy and khaki hues spring to mind. And since it's a spring collection, it seems only logical to include floral designs and pastel shades.American label Bebe (pronounced "bee bee") features a diverse range of designs in its Spring Fever Spring 2009 Collection.The line-up exhibits strong prints, neutral hues and floral designs to meet the various needs of the modern woman. Fabrics include plush textures such as high quality silk, knit, stretch sateen and rich jersey.In keeping with the Safari theme are Kenyan-inspired creations featuring heavy animal prints and khaki suits. Shades in this range are predictably camel, beige, brown or black.A standout piece is the leopard-face print tube dress that looks comfy and sensuous.The design also comes in a slash neckline, waist-gathered top which, paired with a pair of pants or jeans, would make a great party outfit.Colourful caftans and floral butterfly print dresses form the brighter side of the collection.The tops come with feminine ruffles and slit-sleeve designs in colours ranging from fuchsia to striking blue.For casual get-ups, skinny distressed denims are stylishly paired with short caftans or racerback tanks.Those looking for a sharp office outfit might be interested in the vest and pencil skirt combo with fringed detailing.The Spring 2009 collection also has some fitted and structured jackets which, matched with short pants or denim jeans, create a pared down look.Current Bebe chairman and founder Manny Mashouf opened the first Bebe boutique in San Francisco back in 1976, filling a niche that was neither junior nor bridge, and he hasn't looked back since.The Shakespearean phrase "to be or not to be" inspired Mashouf to choose the name of the fashion label.Interestingly, the word Bebe means "woman" in Turkish and the Persian name for the queen in a deck of cards.Celebrity clientele of the label are believed to include Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, Eva Longoria and Jennifer Lopez.The label Bebe entered Malaysia in September 2007 and is also found in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Archive for March, 2008 in Malaysia

held at the junction where Pavillion meets Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Raja Chulan

from March 15-21

200 foreign journalists were flew in by the Kuala Lumpur Tourism Action Council (KLTAC) to cover the closing ceremony

features designs by Melinda Looi, Micheal Ong, Tom Abang Saufi, Khoon Hooi and Edric Ong, among other

this event is part of the KL Grand Prix City’s line-up to celebrate the 10th anniversary of F1 in Malaysia

was launched by the Queen, Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Nur Zahirah

there’s a showcase of Ben De Lisi’s “Autumn/ Winter 2008″ and Singaporean label alldressedup’s capsule collection, a recent collaboration with Francesca V, niece of Gianni Versace

alldressedup have finally reached our Malaysian shores, exclusively at Parkson Pavillion

YAY! check it out!

Ben De Lisi’s Autumn/ Winter 2008

Ben De Lisi’s Autumn/ Winter 2008

Ben De Lisi’s Autumn/ Winter 2008

Ben De Lisi’s Autumn/Winter 2008

malaysian fashion don’t really interest me, until the recent Stylo KL Fashion Festival

somehow, i’ve always felt that Malaysian models weren’t as beautiful as their Milan, Paris, New York fashion show counterparts

besides, i don’t really like the designs showcased by some of our homegrown designers

now, it seems like my perception towards Malaysian designers have changed, not 100% but probably 55%

of all the designs in the fest, i love Melinda Looi’s haute couture the most which was featured on the opening show of this fest

OMG ! i really love haute couture pieces

French lace and tuille makes me love haute couture even more…..

it isn’t only the fashion that entices me, it’s also the make up by Shu Uemura and L’Oreal Professionel

honestly, i don’t really like Edric Ong’s designs on the show because i think his designs are too Malaysian

anyways, it did truly reflect Malaysian culture

on March 21st, the fest ended with the Mercedes- Benz Stylo Fashion Awards ( same with Stylo Star of The Year Award??) being shared by Rizalman and Micheal Ong

big winners: Joint Star of the Year Award winners Rizalman (left) and Micheal Ong holding their trophy after receiving it from Sultan Sharafuddin. Also on stage were (from left) Datin Linda Ngiam, Datuk Nancy Yeoh, Honegg and Datin Cindy Lim- KAMARUL ARIFFIN/ The Star

those who shine in their respective industries and fields were awarded:

Stylo Model of The Year Award Tengku Azura

Stylo Industry Award Winnie Loo

Stylo Innovative Award Jendela Batik

Stylo Fashion Forward Award Khoon Hooi

Stylo Theathrical Award Melinda Looi

Stylo Hair Designer of The Year Simon Koh

Stylo Make- Up Artist of The Year Saidatul Nisa

Stylo Red Carpet Award Rizalman Ibrahim

Stylo Heritage Award Edric Ong

Stylo Artistic Award Micheal Ong

Stylo Classic Award Datuk Tom Abang Saufi

Malaysian fashion

Malaysian women's fashion is a mirror of the country's multicultural ethnic and religious make up. Most Malays are muslims and their degree of devoutness shows in their dress code. You can see the whole gamut of fully covered women to the more modern version of jeans and head scarfes. The Chinese on the other hand are very modern and enjoy showing some skin. That results sometimes in the intriguing image of a Chinese woman in super tight and short hot pants (a lot of women wear hot pants - they seem to love them) and tank top standing in line at the bus stop next to Malayan Muslim Lady, who is fully covered and wearing a headscarve. The difference couldn't be bolder. I have seen this many times. Unfortunately never had my camera with me to capture this anachronism.There are also Indian women who will dress very modern in Jeans and t-shirt or sport Saris or other traditional Indian dress. I found the juxtaposition of traditional and modern dress in everyday life in Malaysian very intriguing.

A woman completely covered and in black is mostly from Saudi Arabia. This is the typical strict Saudi Muslim dress code. The Malayan Muslims are more colorful. As seen here in this next photo. They wear a long nigth shirt-like dress, called a baju kurung, that is usually boldly patterned over a very long skirt. Often their headscarves can be also patterend or at least colorful.
This is the traditional Malayan dress: a long fitted jacket, called kebaya over a sarong. This combination is also worn in Indonisia. Muslim women will add a head scarf.
The modern and more liberal version of Muslim dress code, can be seen here on this stylish women in jeans, heels with her chic handbag and shades. A lot of women will also wear jeans and snug t-shirt and a black headscarf.
Ladies of Indian decent are often seen dressed very modern, but with a red dot on their forehead. But many are also still sporting traditional dress, like these in the photo.


It seems that Chinese women's appearance is the most western. They also show the most skin, often wearing short skirts and hot pants. I photographed one that looked rather decent, compared to some hotties I saw.

Does Indian fashion really need celebrity showstoppers?

When designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna were asked why they didn’t use any celebrity on the catwalk at the India Fashion Week, a nonchalant Khanna replied: “Our clothes are our showstoppers. It’s a business event, let’s keep it that!”
But in a world of glamour where media visibility is almost a prerequisite and most of ‘what’s hot’ and ‘what’s not’ is measured by the number of shutterbugs and roving video cameras present, does having a movie star or two sashay in front of a celebrity-hungry media really make bad business sense?

While a few other designers publicly seconded Khanna’s lines, many others at the fashion week were happily posing for the cameras, hand in hand with their celebrity showstoppers.

And the media is often just a means to a (business) end.

“Yes, he (buyer) does get helped by the publicity surrounding the designers. If there is a star wearing the clothes, it helps him sell the product (to customers). So in that term, yes, indirectly, they do help,” says Rina Dhaka, one of India’s most popular designers, at home and abroad.

And publicity is one thing that always tags along with celebrities, who are as talked about, if not more, than the actual designs on the runway.

Off the stage, if you happen to see a crowd in the corner, you can be sure that a Bollywood star or a beauty queen is at the centre of the melee, posing away in front of the flashbulbs.

The Indian fashion design industry’s overall production was just around 2.7 billion rupees in 2007, with the majority of customers being Indian.

And even though international buyers have increasingly been drawn to the industry by the handicraft and detailed embroidery, most of the foreign buyers I’ve spoken to say Indian designers need to be more market-savvy about promoting their products.

And the use of celebrities seems to be one such tried-and-tested method.

“If celebrities are walking, people identify the success of the designer with that,” says Sunil Sethi, president of the Fashion Design Council of India.

So is it any surprise that the ongoing Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai, which is usually chock-a-block with celebrities, receives more media coverage than the India Fashion Week and the Delhi Fashion Week in the Indian capital?

As Rina Dhaka points out: “They (celebrities) do make a difference, unfortunately!”

What do you think — are you interested in buying an outfit only if a Shilpa Shetty or John Abraham look good in it?