Christian Louboutin S/S2010 Press Tour

His shoes has been literally everywhere nowadays. From the red carpets, to paparazzi shots, to the streets, even to the thousands of rip-offs, I'll be appalled if no one could recognise those red soles. But a press tour last month to the Christian Louboutin store at Takashimaya gave me some new found respect for the shoe designer. It's no longer just about the shoes, it's the attitude.

One corner of the store sits a cool and edgy girl; only shoes with leather and studs defines her

At the other corner witness the bunch of party girls; nothing steals attention better that the glitterings
For the sophisticated, you have the classics

As the tour progressed, some girls proved familiar...

The "maggie" pumps...

...which Victoria Beckham(one of the many celebrities) wore:

And the gold "Pigalle" glittery heels...

...which Sarah Jessica Parker wore on the set of Sex and the City 2 movie:

More facts from Christian Louboutin Spring 2010:

• Multiple range featured the mix of exotic leather and prints- pony fur to python leather, to crocodile skin
• The introduction of new colours for the classics- focusing on Lavender and Mint green.
• The Takashimaya boutique stocked in Jonathan Suanders and Philip Lim's collaborations!

All pictures from Ridhwan Sesapar.

Special thanks to OneSixtyNotePad.

Here Again: British Fashion Awards

Check the nominees here!

So far, the nominee that I'm most excited with is Meadham Kirchhoff for the Emerging Ready-to-Wear category. Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff has been on my lookout since their first season in fall 2008, but I still felt that the duo deserves more recognition. So I'm delighted that their efforts are paying off, and the British Fashion Council is see that.

TraiT's Letter: In A Comfortable Place

Yoohoo~~ Anyone still out there?

Well, as obvious as it already is, I'm nowhere near how a discipline blogger should be updating his/her blog. Sincere apologies if you're one of the (very) few who clicks into this little space once in awhile just to find that it's as abandoned as ever.

However, keeping matters in facts, I'm not wasting my ass off time waiting for the enlistment date for my national service (ok, if anyone cares, it's the 11th of Dec *sob*). Yours truly has been keeping his brain-juice working all these time with all the freelance writings through other channels.

After several contributions writing for some of the Spring 2010 collections, I'm now an official writer for the blog of Mykromag! I was truly overjoyed when I learnt that I'll be having my own username and such!

Many of you might already heard about the amazing TESTSHOOTGALLERY due to the multiple mentions all over the local Internet websites. I'm also pleased to announce that my first writing contribution for the online fashion gallery is up! Show your support alright?!

All the contributions aside, I am not willing to give up my little TraiT. He (or maybe she, who knows?) had went through so much with my venting of fashion thoughts that I couldn't had done in real-life. There are quite a number of exciting posts at draft in the dashboard now, but am just taking my own Bingboompia time to craft them up.

Look, my point is, I'm finding myself in such a comfortable place right now. I got to know so many more helpful fashion people, that the "fashion-ally trapped" feeling I used to have is fading; which also explains the lesser venting into TraiT means lesser posts. TraiT has never been a blog for me to earn, gain, and attract recognition from the very first day counting anyway. So I just wish that you (few) readers still enjoys TraiT as much as I do *and with that, I'm looking at you as well nasty anonymous commenter :)*.

Harper’s Bazaar Singapore- Asian Models Embracement

I remember explicitly during my interview for the Harper’s Bazaar Singapore internship (which by the way, Laila, I still owe you a treat! :P), when asked about my opinion about the magazine by fashion features editor, Kim Reyes, I openly stated how much more relatable the magazine will be if it has more Asians being featured on it’s covers.

It seems that my prayers have been answered. Pretty much.

Before I flipped the pages of the August issue with Lucy Liu in Dior on the cover, and overlooking the texts (I hardly read them. If the cover’s good, I’m sold), I was thinking, “Ok, another celebrity cover, typical. But oh well, at least she’s Asian!”
But through the "editor's note" section, from editor-in-chief, Gisele Go, I finally realised that it was an issue dedicated mostly to just Asian Talents! Above all, it was the work of fashion director, Kenneth Goh, editorial featuring Wang Xiao that made me (and still) love that issue so much. Everything- from the location, to the hair, to the make-up, to the styling, to Wang Xiao’s natural sensuality- are all love-at-first-sight.

“Love at first sight” hit me again when the October issue came out. Guess who the cover girl was:

I remember myself double-checking the month and year on the issue just to make sure I’m not holding on to a vintage issue from the 90s or something. Wang Xiao, with the blown-up puffy hair, beauty mark, and the sharp make-up, truly blew me away. This girl, must be having some charm for Kenneth to feature her more than once.

Just recently, in Borders bookstore of Wheelock place, approaching the magazines section, I recalled a little gasp from my diaphragm when I saw some black Asian haired slender figure wearing resort Chanel (Chanel Venice):

Hello there Sheila Sim (also known as Singapore’s very own Natasha Poly), shot along with another model with a gorgeous butt, makes the cover of the November issue.

Now look, correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m almost sure Harper’s Bazaar Singapore had only used Caucasian models for their covers most of the time. Nothing wrong with that, just felt that Asian models has been under-appreciated in the high fashion magazine world for far too long. However, with this recent acknowledgement from Harper’s Bazaar Singapore towards featuring Asian models, I’m feeling more than delighted.

Picture source: Design scene

Preen S/S 2010

After a few seasons of the hard edged and wild dresses, Thea Bregazzi and Justin Thornton’s Preen girl for spring 2010 is tangibly walking back to the softer and mellower lines. Not entirely giving up the deconstruction that got themselves celebrity worshipped by, the couple not only gave the girl the usual cut-outs and the vulnerable shoulder straps, patchworks of lace and puffiness (that was last seen from Giambattista Valli) was also pieced into the romantic collection.

Couldn’t get any more evident of a supplely season, out came a yellow and a couple pink sheer draped dresses, as well as a series of grey and white loose translucent blouses. Also in the placid colour palette are beige and nudes that gave the girls that extra body-conscious appeal.

But shaking off the trendy zippers and houndstooth prints, what might seen as a déjà vu this time round are the shoulder pads that pops out once in a while through the show. And just when it seem that nothing could be more abrupt, out came the PVC-glossy pieces which might let their customers re-inquire when they look at their price tags attached.

Photo credit: Fashionologie, Style.com

Yeay!

I've made a humble contribution for the blog of the amazing Mykromag here!



More fashion week posts coming up there, so do visit alright?!

Thank you so much Dinie(who have been working so hard) for letting write there! :D:D

Spring 2010, Suede Overload?

Alright, it's just the third (or is it the forth, or even fifth already?) day of NY fashion week, and there have been so much suede thrown to our faces already?!

Joseph Altuzarra

Jeremy Laing

Derek Lam Vivienne Tam

Keep our eyes open guys, S10 trend contender~

New York S/S 2010: Helmut Lang

The first day of New York Fashion Week usually does not amaze me, and it's not until the early morning of this red dot country that the first group of pictures starts floating around the net. So why am I sacrificing my "beauty" (or "handsome" if I may) sleep just to view collections after collections of designers reinterpreting past season's trends - which is logical since it's still "trendy" even it's already the next season-?



But a lunch with one of my dearest, a short nap, and dinner at my aunt's later, I came to realise that throughout my day, nothing had been stuck in my head except these:





You might question yourself, and the answer from me will definitely be, "Yes, they do look familiar! So old and used!"



However, the only explanation or enlightener for our mercy-less eyes can only be one name, Helmut Lang.


Try a stroll in Helmut Lang's archives, and you'll see the rows and rows of the same drapes and silhouettes staring back at us. The legendary original designer might have resigned five years ago, but the Colovos couple, Michael and Nicole certainly hasn't put Helmut Lang's legacy to shame of any kind since they became the creative directors of the brand when it's resurrected into the fashion scene again in 2008.



So what might seem ordinary now, was actually been shown through the career of Helmut Lang and successors. Could it be time just seem right for the house's aestheticism and blatantly names it "trendy", or is fashion as a whole moving too slowly to appreciate Helmut Lang's eyes for clothing art?

Spotted: SJP @ SATC 2 Set

Not that I'm a movie buff nor am I one of the billion SATC fans, but am I just not quite expecting a dress as obvious as this would be Patricia's chose for Carrie:

Sure, SJP has that gorgeous yoga-toned body to carry that dress well. But the thought of Carrie Bradshaw would possibly choose this dress out of her walk-in closet just isn't that convincing.

Bring in more of the unwearability in SATC movie one Pat! Fuck the haters (her styling for the actual series isn't that amazing to me anyways), you took that chance, and you should enjoy it!

*Peace*

Rainy Day Humour

Carrie Fisher:

"I'm one of those rare people who can take a designer dress and make it look like I got it on sale at Ross."

"The common look I got seemed to be one of pity. A look that asked, "Why would someone with her breast size wear something that encourage so much attention? Why didn't she stay home wearing a Snuggie watching the exercise channel and sobbing quietly before crawling into bed to count sheep, like calories, until she fell asleep, perchance to dream of thinner times, outfitted in more appropriate outerwear?""

September UK Harper's Bazaar , an article about her attempt on what they call the "IT" Balmain jacket.

Nice humour Princess Leila! :D

I'm Bitter, But...

When it's on ZARA, it's time to move on with the trends...

ZARA Fall 09 Campaign

Oh god... Expecting eyeliners-overdone-petite-skinny-blog-shopping girls grabbing the shoulder pads like it's doomsday, when it'll obviously suit the taller and bigger better... (ok, subjective)

It has been around for waaay too long anyway Mr Decarnin, NEXT!

Though I have to say, Toni's rocking the campaign really well ;)

Source: fashin

TraiT's Letter

If my blog address is still in your blogroll or whatever, thanks alot! Things has been really frantic for the past few weeks. I'm still constantly updated with the going-ons, but am just too tired to start typing.

If anyone out there is still watching this space, I promise, I'll be back soon. (I hope? HAHA!)

Picture from OhJane

TraiT's Top Picks From Fall 09 London Fashion Week

Ann-Sofie Back "Ann-Sofie Back burns in hell", the theme for her fall 09 show couldn't get any more literal. For the make-up at least. The pieces emits vampires dark aura, but still do quite appeals to me. What a drastic change from her usual girly, soft and sometimes sexy designs.

Really intricate in the details, from the pattern cuts to the torn oversized shirt. Such a genius to show the fairly wearable piece in such dramatic fashion. Styling and make-up are really all straight "A"s.

Danielle Scutt

To me, work from graduates of Central Saint Martins are usually pretty much recognizable. They have this abruptness present in their work. Danielle Scutt's definitely one of them. What I'm specifically talking about are those opening suit pieces with bright red, flames looking details jutting out from the neckline and hems. But as the show progress, She moved into something more futuristic and luxurious.

Erdem

It's undeniable to say that the prints from Erdem Moralioglu are pretty much his signature and instantly recognizable. So consistant for so many season, but still one of a hot favourite of mine.

Louise Goldin

I've stated Louise Goldin as "my girl" multiple times here in TraiT. But when I say that, I really do mean them. Every London fashion week, her show would definitely be the top few that I'll be anticipate. For fall 09, she got a little wearable, which has been consistantly getting more and more obvious through the seasons. But still, her take on futuristic never disappoints me.

Mark Fast

When his first collection was presented during fall 08, his knits and hole details left a deep impression for me. Though not really fall/winter looking, but it's impossible not to be amazed by his attention to details. One amazing Spring collection later, this Fall 09 collection provoke the same questions. To me, this is Mark Fast. Still loving it.

Meadham Kirchhoff

Another top favourite label of mine. Edward Meadham and Benjamin Kirchhoff always fuse their aesthetics, womenswear and menswear respectively, so extremely well together. And as always, the tearing and metallic armour-rish is still so freaking lusting.

Nathan Jenden

After a disappointing spring 09 collection I found my love back on Nathan Jenden. Though it still doesn't wow me like how fall 08 did, but the paper-looking pieces are incredible!

Peter Pilotto

Another signature-based designer, Peter Pilotto, with another season of colourful, glittery and structural silhouettes.

Vivienne Tam

Not the first time for Hong Kong designer to take inspirations from her asian aesthetics. Not evem when she's presenting for the first time in London.

TraiT's Top Picks From Fall 09 New York Fashion

Matthew Williamson

In my opinion, the best collection from his own label. Shaking Emilio Pucci off his shoulders proves to be an advantage for the man. His prints are as amazing as always, but what made this collection special and stand out as compared to those from his archives is that this collection seems very coherent. Each pieces grows and evolves from the previous one, really do show an elegant flow.

Preen

The Mulleavy sisters aren't the only designers to sick firmly with their aesthetics, take a look at what Justin Thornton and Thea Bregazzibrough brought to the table. For Preen, it's about the tailoring and placement of fabrics. Maybe some prints, maybe some embellishments, but it's the loose silhouette when they first started out in London 13 seasons ago, to today's emphasis on swirly fabric placements that kept their works locked in people's minds.

This season, Justin and Thea exaggerates last season's closing element of a slight bondage mixed with the right amount of softness. But what truly interests me would have to be the closing of the show. Out came dresses that seems to be an animated version of the designer duo's aesthetics in cherry poppy colours that seems to be a statement of optimism, something that most designers in New York missed this season, which is rather important in present time.

Erin Fetherston

Besides from Coke Light, Erin Fetherston might just be another solution for the ease and lightness that I crave whenever I'm dealing with stress. Cheesy it might sound, but it's the perfect timing for me now, and I'm caring no lesser. How delightful it is to see the always girly and dreamy collections from Fetherston?!

After having a very negative review for her previous collection(exclude me please), Erin stuffed their faulty mouth this time with a collection that looks like Luella Bartley's Fall 08 show, but with Erin's own angelic touch to it. Dolly playfulness, yet a little witch spunk.

Phi

When it comes to Andreas Melbostad's works, I've always been amazed by how wearable they look, even if they're heavily rock/biker influenced. Some designers might get too costume-looking, while some might just overlap something that had been done somewhere else.

Andreas's silhouette also seems to be getting tighter and tighter each time round, which really presents his attention to the prints this season really well.

Ohne Titel

With more and more designers using drapes as their signature, indie or commercial, collections might seem repetitive and old. But the draping technique used by Alexa Adams and Flora Gill certainly wouldn't fall into that context. Alexa and Flora paid much attention to the textures as well. The last three looks that I've picked out had the right embodiment of hard textures with soft layer draping that few designers are able to achieve.

AnOther Shows Them Off

Yes, my dear Louise Goldin. You've proven to the world that you can do as amazing to your usual works when it comes to gowns.


Kudoos to AnOther magazine for using, aside from Goldin, Peter Pilotto, Louise Goldin, Sandra Backlund, Craig Lawrence and Mary Katrantzou, who all made exclusive dresses just for the issue. Yes, it means that it can't be seen elsewhere, but on AnOther.



I know, Tilda Swinton might be in the limelight of the shoot now, but in my eyes, the pieces are the diamonds. Amazing diamonds.

Absynthe Never Looked This Good.

Especially when it's on Vlada Roslyakova.

Looks like Christian Lacroix really love Vlada.

After having her closing his spring 09 couture with the bridal gown, now he used her for his third fragrance in collaboration with Avon.

But never am I a fragrance wearer, so the excitement of seeing Vlada for Lacroix fragrance ad overwhelms me more that the scent.

Vlada has always been a really high-fashion model to me, with a gorgeous gorgeous signature walk. But in a commercial, really did convinced me that she can do so much more in the industry.

How stunning?! Girl's gonna make us tear up.

Via her thread in tfs

A Change Of Mind?

Nothing important, but interesting...


For such an amazing shot for the preview of V magazine, why does it not make the cut for ending up in the pages?

From the preview:

Looks like Nick Knight had a change of mind:

From March British Vogue

Pics from tfs and rock.the.trend

Wonder Ladies Hits Again.

A post I once did, UK Vogue Wonder Ladies, I confessed how much I love the UK Vogue team's interpretation of the "fantasy" theme.

Nonetheless though, Alexandra Shulman do have her hits-and-misses times (last two issues aren't really impressive).

But for the upcoming March issue, my recurring love for UK Vogue came back once again.

Really amazing content and team for this issue. Six editorials, two of which is by Tim Walker, another two by Nick Knight, one my Mario Testino, and last by Patrick Demarchelier. The usuall UK Vogue photographers, but to have all of them together for one issue, how is it not lusting enough?

Additionally, besides the usual styling from the fashion directors, Lucinda Chambers and Kate Phelan, it's great to see Charlotte Stockdale and Miranda Almond back with more work on British Vogue even though they're both in contract with the magazine.

Chocks Away

Lily Donaldson with Jonas Kesseler by Tim Walker, styled by Kate Phelan.

Quintessentially Tim Walker, with the extravagant settings. Loving Phelan's styling by making the Spring 09 pieces looking vintage and World War II era.

Black and White

Anja Rubik by Nick Knight, styled by Charlotte Stockdale.

Really typical Nick Knight's studio shoots, and Charlotte's styling's a little no brainer as compared to her past works. But Anja's energized posing really made the ed interesting.

Fringe Festival

Lily Donaldson by Nick Knight, styled by Kate Phelan.

Another typical Nick Knight's studio shoot. But another signature of the photographer is his love of movements, which really compliments the theme of the ed, fringe.

You might think the obvious collection, Jil Sander for the ed, but not for Phelan. She chose every other collection with fringe, except of Jil Sander, which has been featured in most other magazines. That's why I love Phelan :)

Iron Maiden

Daria Werbowy by Mario Testino, styled by Lucinda Chambers.

My favourite ed of the issue. Daria rocked the shoot, and Testino use of the lighting is really perfect. But the Lucinda definately deserves the cake, as always. Like Shulman, a great supporter of the young designers of London fashion week, she used many of their pieces when not many people are familiar with their names yet. An example, she used one of my favourite collections from LFW, Meadham Kirchhoff pieces.
Go Chambers!

The Snow Queen

Caroline Trentini by Tim Walker, styled by Kate Phelan.

Another great ed by Tim Walker with the wonderful set. Caroline looked so so magical.

Acid Reign

Agyness Deyn by Patrick Demarchelier, styled by Miranda Almond.

Not really fond of this ed, and it's not because of Agyness (I think she rocked it well). Patrick use of the lightings aren't original anymore, and though Miranda bold choice of colours ensembled well, I thought it lacks creativity. But the use of the John Galliano Spring 09 shoes are really a plus point, since I love them so much.

Alright, I'm getting over analyzing again. Sorry :X

All-in-all, four words.

HAVE.TO.GET.IT!

Pics all from tfs