dee ha's random blog

on a long term hiatus ....

2010-03-23T04:45:00.000-07:00

until i find inspirations to blog again. how long is this break going to last? I'm not too sure. Until then. baboosh! :)

what is it about this photo ...

2010-03-15T04:44:00.000-07:00

is that the coat, the pose, the shoes, or Carine ....

that makes it so wonderful?

I love

~Dee-Ha~

There's god ...

2010-03-11T05:20:00.000-08:00

Then there's Miuccia Prada. After such a disappointing season, finally Ms Prada closed fashion week with an ULTRA GORGE Miu Miu collection (Tip: never ever call Miu Miu a "diffusion line/sister line" of Prada in front of Mama Miuccia. It's a defiantly upmarket French brand now.).

I'm normally not into ultra pretty clothes. Please, leopard print and cut outs are more my taste, but there's something about Miu miu that always excites me. That being ultra pretty clothes, whimsical prints, or fur collars, all the tacky,vulgar, frivolous details that i seem to hate, somehow become so "sexy" and desirable under the masterhand of Ms Miu Miu.

This season is no exception. The collection was flawless. From the detachable (?) bow collar ( that seems to be a Prada statement for the past few seasons now)

to the beautiful lace and embroideries

to the "uber ugly" shoes that sure will pop up on EVERY SINGLE EDITORIAL

and finally the beautifully executed, pure genius designs and cuts and over the top chic clothes

Miu miu is truly PUR FEK TEEEOONNN!

Watch watch the show now!

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

Big shoulders are the new G-shaved 'hoo-hah' ....

2010-03-06T00:06:00.000-08:00

I'm glad Paris fashion week is finally here because London, Newyork and Milan were such big messes! Enough with long lame "inspiration explaining" excuses for ugly clothes *i'm looking at you miuccia*, I knew my tacky heart would sure be filled once Paris came.

One of the most anticipated shows in Paris over the past few seasons has got to be the "Balmain" show. I'm quite certain the moment I mention the B word, I'll have half the room of fashionistas screaming in ecstacy, while the other half would be the Chanel wearing b*$##$es gagulating.

Whether you like it or not, you've got to give props to Christopher Decarnin for ruling the fashion party crowds for almost a few years now. What I admire about him is seasons after seasons, it's a continuous process of development/evolution. The identity is always there, in the vainest, most vulgar, some might say, way of expression.

One critical factor in the success of Balmain has got to be the tremendous support from th Vogue Paris team. Carine Roitfeld put it on the fashion map, Emmanuelle Alt became the living Balmain muse. The rest is, well, history. It to me is almost like a de javu of the super powerful trio Carine Roitfeld/Tom Ford/Testino back in the 90s, early 00s, the authority of style that if you would have to be extremely oblivious to not notice had you lived in that era.

The similarities are there, though there are subtle differences. First of all is the target customer. The Tom Ford Gucci is Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, while the Balmain is, uhm, the 20yo version of Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct (perhaps her daughter, though would someone like that have a daughter?). Both are the kind of women that exude sexuality. They're the kind of women so vain, so dangerously provocative that the moment they walk into the room, men fire up with lust and the other women, well you know what women do when they see hot girls walking into the room, they envy subtly while calling them "sl*ts".

The second similarity is the kind of consistency in aesthetics that both designers share. Both Decarnin and Ford's designs do not change 180 degrees season after season, but would rather stay as a modified versions of the same aesthetics. Some people call it boring repetition, I say if it's the winning formula, why bother seeking for a change? Mind you, 10 years at Gucci, Tom Ford took over the fashion world with the same provocative aesthetics, and glamourised monogrammed Gucci thongs (which I did very secretly loved :P). Back to Balmain, I'm much more lustful of this season compared to the trashy military themed spring summer one. You know why? Because it combines three of my most favourite things in the world: tackiness, gold and napoleon.

Hate all you want, I say bravo Decarnin, long live the big shoulders.

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

The girl of the season ....

2010-03-02T01:52:00.000-08:00

So Paris week is not even here yet, but I already know who the girl of the season is. Step aside Abbey Lee, here comes the b!@#$ that dethroned you:

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the tallest, skinniest and ferosh-est of them all?

I love Freja :)

~Dee-Ha~

THIS is a MUST SEE!

2010-02-27T04:03:00.000-08:00

This ...

I know I do watch a lot of $%#!@!%!, but every now and then I do like to indulge myself with something, ahem, meaningful. Being a bit of a, say, obsessed fan of Tom Ford, I knew I just had to see 'A single man'. I'll leave the review part for the critics, but all I can say is I've never seen a movie like that, cinematography wise. Almost every scene is flawless, breathtakingly beautiful, and screams TOMMMM FFFOOORRRDDD. The cast (I died when I saw Jon K), the settings, the conversations, the actions, the table set ups, the way Colin Firth crossed his legs, or smoked his cigarettes, and yes, the clothes, EVERYTHING was almost ... too beautiful ... Not a Hollywood movie, DEFINITELY not a gay movie, it was truly a Tom Ford movie (which I think should become a new genre).

For the Tom Ford fans, you'll die after you see it. For the non Tom Ford fans that appreciate beauty, you too will die after you see it. I certainly did.

Thank you Mr Thomas Carlyle Ford.

I love you.

~Dee-Ha~

How on earth could this happen?

2010-02-21T04:14:00.001-08:00

One of my most favouritest things to do is to check out models.com to see if my favourite girls still remain in the top spots (I only have 4 Raquel, Natasha, Sasha, Anja who literally top the rankings anyway). With Raquel pretty much claiming authority at no.1 spot for the past 3 years, I almost had a heart attack when I suddenly couldn't spot her face in the top 10, but was relieved when I found her in the 'ICONS' list :D

I do think no. 13's a bit unfair considering she works much harder than ... ahem ... that MOSS girl, but anyhoo, at least she's an ICON now, and still being campaign and VogueUS/Paris favourite, it's only a matter of time 'till she's the next Linda :D.

One thing I just could not belive my eyes though was this:

Lara Stone beating both my gurls Sasha and Natasha who have been in the no.2 spots for pretty much the past 2 years, to become the number one model?! REALLY?

I personally do not have anything against Lara, but in terms of modelling history, how could she possibly beat the 9-consecutive-seasons-for-Prada Sasha, and the Gucci-girl-since-2005 Natasha? HOW? I mean Lara's not even doing New York this season, and Sasha and Natasha are stilll ruling every catwalk, working like machines! isn't modelling about hard work and longevity and not about fad of the moment?

models.com, ARE YOU LISTENING?!

*tries to inhale and exhale slowly*

~Dee-Ha~

images from models.com

The best show in New York this season ....

2010-02-17T04:20:00.000-08:00

Surprisingly has Vogue Paris written all over it. Watch watch:

I love Joseph Altuzarra.

~LOVE!~

Will the legacy live on? ....

2010-02-12T04:23:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty certain you all would have seen enough 'R.I.P' posts about McQueen by now. While I'm tremendously disappointed by this loss of talent, it'll be an irrational thing to say I'm mourning in melancholy. What's been on my mind though, is what will happen now to the house of Lee? What options will Gucci Group (the brand Alexander McQueen is under ownership of The Gucci Group FYI) select? In my mind I could only think of 2:

1) Shut down the house of McQueen completely, make it one of those fashion houses that defines history, and wait until they find the next bright star from St Martins who owns up to the legend to revive it from the old archive (like what happened to the latest Vionnet and Halston). This seems like a wise and safe choice, since it maintains the prestige image of McQueen, and does not let the brand go down the path of licensing like Pierre Cardin, Balmain and Lanvin.

2) Keep the house alive, because, as sad as it is, the amount of $$$ they'll be making from those skull scarves and skull everything will increase exponentially from this tragic event. This, however, is not as easy as it may sound, because the pressure to instantly find someone that is skilled and brave enough to step up to the throne of the mastermind is almost impossible. One criterion is almost certain: the heir/ess MUST BE a member of the Union Jacks, and, preferrably, graduated from St Martins. I've had a few picks in mind:

a) Roksanda Ilincic certainly has a flare for drama and romance, which are two of McQueen's distinct design qualities, though Roksanda's romance is a bit too ... romantic. It doesn't have that air of darkness that certainly breathes through MCQ's collections. In short, Roksanda's more Romeo&Juliet, while McQueen's a definite MacBeth/King Lear.

b) The duo from Peter Pilotto does amazing prints and colours, which is something Mr Lee never failed to exceed, but PP's clothes are too fluid, they have too much freedom. They lack that restraint sharp tailoring that we love about Mr M's clothes.

c) Gareth Pugh seems like a perfect choice. Extravaganza? tick. Dark romance? Tick. Play with geometry? Double ticks. But where's the wearability? the ultra sharp tailoring? the constant reference to all things Brit?

d) My top pick, which I'm sure many people would find appropriate, is the uber talented Christopher Kane. The boy seems to hold most of the late McQueen's qualities. The bad boy attitude, the grungy romance, the Brit-ness, the sharp silouhette and ultimately, the ability to transform "stage" clothes to "commercial" clothes. What we've yet to see from his past shows is the exuberant drama and couture construction oozing out from every outfit. But that'll come with age, and financial support. Saying that, I doubt Mama Donatella would let him part from the Italian family, especially after sucha successful Versus presentation?

Whatever happens, I'm glad I can later tell my offspring I once lived in McQueen time. Whether the fashion house will stay or not, his legacy lives on.

Mr Alexander Lee McQueen, you will be missed :).

~Dee-Ha~

how does this make you feel ...

2010-02-10T03:12:00.001-08:00

So I was shopping at David Jones (which is like the Aussie version of Neiman Marcus but way worse) the other day when I saw a couple of bags that shocked my eyes from Aussie label Witchery, that I had to go online and made sure I wasn't just having a nightmare.

Lookie lookie what I found from the Witchery website:

and this ....

I'm sure you all would've known what I meant by now. For those who don't, shame! and lemme present the two uber coveted bags by:
Balenciaga

and Alexander Wang:

The funny thing is Witchery even bothered naming those two imitated bags, like they actually spent time designing them ?!

Should I jump for joy or cry in embarrassment?

That's all

~Dee-Ha~

can't stop watching ...

2010-02-05T23:18:00.000-08:00

THIS ....

I'll say it now, and I'll say it again and again: I"M OBSESSED WITH NATASHA POLY!

WERK!

~Dee-Ha~

currently loving ....

2010-02-04T04:01:00.000-08:00

this ...

that embellished playsuit by sass&bide cheryl was wearing is BEYOND.

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

My little fashyon family ....

2010-02-01T02:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I last did a fashion pictionary/spot the designer entry, until my friend sent me this picture of little kids dressed up as big designers, and it's sooooooo cute i just had to put it up here. Can you guess them all, my little fashion family :D? (click on the pic to enlarge!)

The letters are too small, but my guess is (from left to right): Aunty Miuccia, Uncle John, Papa Albert, Grandpa Karl, Mama Donatella, I'm not sure who my sister is(Stellar McCartney maybe?), Brother Olivier Theykens.

How CUTE is the photo ehhhh??!!

If you know who the second girl on the right is, please let me know!

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

do all Italian men dress like this?

2010-01-29T03:04:00.000-08:00

THIS ...

So a few months ago I saw this photo on thesartorialist, and was literally dumbfounded. WHO THE HELL IS THAT GUY WHO WHO WHO?

I literally wanted to stab myself because I was so jealous. WHO THE HELL wears a double breasted jacket, with a fluffy mohair (PRADA?) top, then teams it up with joggers, a beanie and a men's clutch?! and wears it with such ease and still looks so good?!

With a bit of stalking and a hint of luck, I eventually found out his name was Francesco Cominelli and he's the style assistant at Vogue Homme Internationale. Okay, that explains it. THAT, my dear, is what I call style with a capital "S", no logos in sight, no "It" bags or shoes, 100% pure Fashyon!

I'm so obsessed I'm telling you. Doesn't he look like a 21st century Steve McQueen? If all Italian men dress like that, I'mma pack my bag and fly to Florence tomorrow.

To Mr Flawlessimo,
I adore you with much envy.

XOXO

~Dee-Ha~

10 reasons why i love 10 ....

2010-01-26T01:13:00.000-08:00

So all my friends know I used to be a true psycho fashion mag whore. I read literally everything that was on offer, from Vogue to W, Grazia to Shop til you drop, you name it, I would've read every single page of it. Though lately, properly due to the fact that I'm, ahem, not getting any younger, my health/vision/patience does not allow me to read that many magazines anymore, which means I need to be super selective, and for me to fall in love with a new magazine now, it needs to be something quite fabuleux-spectaculare' (relatively, in Dee Ha's term).

"10" magazine is one of those that made me fork out my hard earnt money (mind you, imported magazines are way too overpriced in Australia), and never have i regretted getting every issue. So to keep it short (and corny), I'll tell you 10 reasons why it became my new bible :):

1. It comes out quarterly, which means every issue is thick, with plenty of interviews, articles, editorials, well worth every penny :D.

2. You don't need to flick through 12345645743 pages of ads to get to the content, which is quite unusual for a high-end fashion magazines (Vogue US please take note?!)

3. 10's a UK publication. Call me biased or whatever, but I love all things Brit.

4. Being Brit, it has that dry humour, sarcastic kind of tone which endures through out the whole magazine, which I love.

5. Its editor is a self confessed 'shoe pig', which means every issue will have its own section of 'shoe porn'. Need I say more?

6. There's no section called 'MUST HAVE ITEMS'. It's about celebration of style, not about dictating the retail market. After all, fashion's about inspiration, not imitation.

7. The editorials credit the designers, but don't give out the prices (in ITALICS). It's a true fashion magazine, not a bloody catalogue.

8. The editors aren't afraid to tell you 3/4 leggings are bad, ripped leggings are disgusting, and jeggings are, well, ............ (please insert your own description)

9. The cover of every issue is always interesting, and not just a photo of some random celeb with a boring pose, underneath a sea of subtitles in tacky fonts.

10. My shamefully confessed lack of languages spoken limits myself to only looking at editorials of overseas magazines. So until I get around to learn some broken Italian, French or Japanese, this remains my FAV!

If you haven't heard of 10, run and get yourself a copy now! It's not a suggestion, it's a command (because fashion is all about distatorship!) !

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

Love me some porn ...

2010-01-23T03:18:00.000-08:00

(Don't worry, I'm not putting up anything NSFW on my blog.)

If Tommy Ton from JaknJil is famous for his 'shoe porn', then the latest f/m 10 Gucci menswear collection was 15 minutes of pure "bag porn". Clothes aside, Frida Giannini seems to get it right with the shoes and bags every season. After all, she was originally the accessories director under Tom Ford back then, which means she too was responsible for all those GG monogrammed bags flying off the shelves back in the 90s (which I admitted lusting after and gladly never got to purchase :D).

Now, until the whole movie comes out, let me introduce to you the the stars of "Gucci bag porn vol. 2010" :

1. Leopard baby got me excited ....

2. Mr Duffle made me sweat ...

3. oh Senor DOCTOR you've got to stop, this is getting too much ....

4. Monsieur Birkin-lookalike made me quiver ahhhhhhhhhh (screams ecstatically) ....

Someone please assure me it's not too late now to start saving for those babies? That maroon suede baby has got to be minnneeee (please bring it to Australia please please?!)

One thing I wonder though: Even with leather bags that good, Gucci still needs to rely on their tacky monogram canvas, isnt that a bit sad?

~Dee-Ha~

When Cathy says WERK, you'd better not walk, but run and WERK!

2010-01-20T02:18:00.000-08:00

Cathy Horyn is one of those rare journalists that have such incredible authorities in fashion. Famous for her ruthless criticism, she's never afraid to point out things in fashion that provoke much thoughts and debates. A few weeks ago, Ms Horyn posted this on her blog (which I LOVE) about how fashion houses need to step up in terms of media/marketing:

"...Go to the sites of the most innovative labels — Prada and Balenciaga, to name two — and you find almost no appreciation for the potential of digital technology. No special films that might illuminate the creative process, no animation, no design gestures that are consistent with the contemporary spirit of these brands. Instead, what you chiefly get is a video of the last collection, some still images from an advertising campaign and, in Prada’s case, an update about its art-world projects...."

Bet chu Prada staff wet their skirts in horror after reading such thing, and, "coincidentally" for the latest F/W 2010 menswear collection, Prada leaped a mile in terms of media/PR and:
1/ decided to stream their collection LIVE to world wide audience
2/ created their own YOUTUBE channel (here), which makes it much easier to access and navigate worldwide.

Talking about the collection, there's no denial that noone does TACKY just quite like Mama Miu Miu. Watch the latest FW2010 menswear (+ womens prefall) below:

In Rachel Zoe's terms, the collection was totally BEYOND and I went BANANAS. There's a strong 90s feel in Milan collections this season, but 90s tackiness never looked so fresh. I loved:

1/ The shrunken sweaters in carious poppy colours (which i'm sure will make them gayz go crazy and fight for the size XS once they hit the stores, mark my words :P):

2/ The camouflage. Trust me I normally have camo-phobia (especially after seeing those camouflage cargo shorts that are still being sold at shops, yuk!), but those prints at Prada look sooooooo DAYUM! Have i gone insane?

Thank you Cathy, thank you Miuccia, Sorry credit card! I have 6 months to save till these hit the stores!

Bring back more 90s tackiness!

~Dee-Ha~

I thought I wasn't a brand whore ...

2010-01-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

So all this time I thought I stayed true to Carine/God's teachings that non of the stuff you wear should have logos on them, not even a tiny weeny one (okiez maybe those GG monogrammed thongs back in the 90s did sound delish, but Tom Ford was in charge, so that was another story) until I saw these necklaces from the Lanvin menswear spring summer 2010 collection:

OH EM GEE I'm telling you. Logo crystal necklace in graffiti font and tacky hot pink? OH EM GEE! I wonder how much they cost? I've looked at all the online shops that stock Lanvin and none of them has those. OH NO!

The necklace in action:

That outfit is so flawless no?

I hope Mama Roitfeld would forgive me for this horrible sin. I promise to eat salads all year!

This flu's driving me crazy, eekk!

~Dee-Ha~

Dee Ha is ....

2010-01-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

SICK! ahh I hate being sick, makes me feel like a lifeless piece of meat, eeekkkk!! Will be back as soon as i get better!

Bedtime for now!

~Dee-Ha~ :(

the credit-crunch-wise ad campaigns ...

2010-01-09T07:22:00.000-08:00

With consumers still refusing to buy, and fashion houses closing left right and centre, it's about time luxury companies come up with more radical marketing strategies. One of the biggest attention grabbing method is, obviously, the ad campaign. And with the current economic crisis, there's been a new trend of ad campaigns that I've noticed this season, which I may name the "the clothes sell the clothes" trend.

Back in the 90s, when everything was still tacky, whacky and wonderful, and disposable income was flowing like tsunami waves, designers concentrated on selling luxury lifestyles, trying to lure customers into buying the brand from top to toe, to complete the customers' "designer ways of living". This included:

1) excessive use of supermodels, who were THE celebrities back then. Remember this classic?

2) making a house statement. Designer houses were like cults back then. They had excessive, impulsive followers (blame Tom Ford), who would have the cash to dress themselves top to toe in, say, Gucci fur, Gucci dress, Gucci shoes, Gucci monogrammed bondage G-strings (still my favourite till this day, but ahem, that's another story)

How time has changed, 15 years down the track, and the majority of the population now can't, or refuse to, buy a top to toe deisgner outfits. With runway looks being knocked off in less than a month (Topshop anyone?), and ridiculous bi-annual price mark ups of luxury items, consumers these days are happy to wear zara, and save up for 1,2 pieces of designer items per season instead. Which makes the whole selling a lifestyle thing a bit irrelevant in this day and age. So what to do now? Cut out the models' faces, and focus on the clothes instead! Let's have a look at a few ad campaigns this season that executed this 'trend' extremely well:

1) Celine (which I cannot praise enough):

2) Lanvin :

3) Prada - which continues to be my favourite seasons after seasons:

Then, there are houses that seem to stick to the conventional ad-campaign:

Artistic value aside, what's your first reaction when you see the ad? If it's like mine, it'd be 'Raquel looks AMAZING', and not 'I love what she's wearing!'.

Get my point now?

~Dee-Ha~

vanity's something you can't practise ...

2010-01-07T03:52:00.001-08:00

it's something you're born with, and it shows from very young:

LOL! am i the only one finding it extremely HIlarious? damn mama fierce calling herself snow white at 8 and auditioning for snow white even though she's african?

Talking about vanity, noone does VAIN better than drags, more specifically UBER WHACKY JAPANESE DRAGS. Introducing "J'ONTE MOANING" <~~ haha?

Now that is the reason why I need to pack my bag and move to Japan ASAP! It's where creativity, whackiness, craziness, all things feroshovicolacious are! Watch Jonte performing live here:

There's only one thing I can say: Beyonce and Gaga, you'd better watch and LLLUUURRRRNNN!!!

This insanity has got to stop!

~Dee-Ha~

New ideas may or may not be ideally executed ....

2010-01-05T04:30:00.000-08:00

but they're ALMOST ALWAYS REFRESHING! Take the audacious Balenciaga spring summer 2010 ad for example:

Would you call it a conventionally gorgeous ad? No. Truth is 80-90% of Vogue readers will properly think it looks horrid and doesn't sell the clothes. But really, does Balenciaga really need ads to sell their clothes? especially when the collection was the most talked about and most featured of the season? No. What they need is controversies, which means attention, which then means $$$.

A recent post by Cathy Horyn from the New York times (here) pointed out a very obvious fact that in this day and age, fashion houses really need to step up the game in advertising and presentation of their brand image, and not just of the clothes. Long gone is the time where most fashion lovers sit at home and drool about clothes on magazines. Consumers are well informed and well travelled these days, and can easily get to try on/experience the quality of the clothes themselves. Which is why airbrushed images of clothes are doomed to fail. What's lacking now are thought provoking ads that show the brand's direction and identity and what sets them apart.

Which is why the latest BRUNO PIETERS campaign, to me, is pure genius :

Amazing no?

Withh all that being said, can I have those Balenciaga boots PLEASE?

Can't wait for more campaigns to come out now!

~Dee-Ha~

What a way to start the new year ...

2010-01-01T03:14:00.000-08:00

with a bunch of Spring Summer 2010 ad campaigns! Let's see how much effort fashion houses put in to attract some $$$ from our half-empty walllets! One of my favourite has to be this:

Though I have to say: NATALIA REALLY? despite her effort for fierce stare, I do think she's more of a Stella McCartney/Valentino kind of girl. Saying that, this is the case where "the clothes sell the models" (in those yummy prints, even Dee Ha would look good too for a campaign, lol!).

Perfect example where models sell the clothes, though, is this:

The true Sasha Fierce for H&M! Can i have that sweater please? :D It is interesting, with chain stores hiring top models and airbrushing just a click away, how do top fashion houses manage to send the true craftsmanship/quality message to the consumers?

With runway videos of course! Watch watch the Givenchy ss2010 collection here to witness the amaazingness that is Ricardo Tiscy:

Did you die? I sure did. Definitely one of my favs!

LOVE YOU ALL!

~Dee-Ha~

Hermes's "diffusion line" ....

2009-12-28T23:59:00.000-08:00

is not going to be called "H by Hermes", but rather SHANG XIA instead. According to luxuo.com, this coming spring, Hermes will launch a CHINA-exclusive brand called SHANG XIA, which includes ready-to-wear and decorative arts inspired by Chinese culture and traditions of craftsmanship.

These are to be made using Chinese raw materials and artisanal know-how, Hermès said.

The aim of this new brand is to compete with the current luxury brands in China, which, to me, can bring a number of benefits:

1) The main reason Hermes doesn't do AS WELL (in relative term, because growth for Hermes has been reportedly increasing in China over the past few years quite dramatically) in China-land is because of its pricing. Most products from other luxury brands (say LV, Gucci) are generally "cheaper" (again, relatively) than Hermes products - a basic hermes H belt is about 1.5 times more expensive than monogrammed LV or Gucci belt, and given that Gucci belts do go on sale every season, it's much easier and cheaper for Asian consumers to (illusionally) become part of the 'luxury' world through purchasing Gucci stuff. Now with lower pricing, perhaps Hermes would become more "accessible" for the brand conscious consumers?

2) Hermes is no where near an 'instantly recognizable' brand as others. An LV logo can be spotted from metres away, while an hermes "h" logo can only be seen from the front of a belt. Even Chanel stamps their ugly CCs every where on almost everything, and with most consumers' favourite equation being "more money = more logos per square unit", down pricing will make the hermes logo much more "money justifiable".

3) Instead of creating a diffusion line called "H by HERMES", which will surely disturb current Hermes followers due to possible luxury image degrading, this line has a completely different name and has nothing to do with Hermes, which means the luxury image of Hermes remains, and people on the street will still know an Hermes customer pays 1000 bucks for their belt and not mistake it for another brand, which, afterall, is what most Hermes customers want anyway ( who's willing to paying 1000 bucks for something that dont get recognized or get mistaken for something cheaper, RIGHT?).

However, if you think this new idea is a Win-win situation all the way, there are still a number of potential problems that may arise:

1) Even though Hermes has always prided itself on being the 'brand of craftsmanship and quality', it has solely made most of its profits through easily recognizable items ("H" logo belts, clic clac bracelets, birkin and kelly bags, collier de chien bracelets, etc) and created "myths" about some items (ie. the whole '2 year' waiting list non sense about birkin bags - read read 'bringing home the birkins' to get this busted, and videos about the whole 'craftsmen' working diligently and passionately to make that special beautiful bag). This explains much of its pricing. Take the Birkin bag for example: nicely made bag? yes. quality leather? yes. Practicality that justifies 10 000 $? Properly not. I've tried on one myself, and to be honest, if you take away all the stories and nonsense that go behind this bag, it's just a normal tote bag with useless cover flap and straps, not to mention there arent enough compartments inside, which means all ur stuff always gets mixed up and u end up spending minutes to get to your lipstick.

Now while Hermes customers constantly mask themselves as being 'anti brand', we all know most people purchase a Kelly bag or collier de chien belt to show off their status, perhaps not to the average population, but to mix in with the 'high society' crowd. And to be crude, most (and I mean MOST, not ALL) Chinese consumers do not have the sophistication to tell or appreciate quality, so with a completely new brand and perhaps no items that are already famous, how will Hermes make profits in China-land? Have they forgotten that unlike the Japanese, the Chinese arent trending setters, but rather trend followers?

2) Speaking of lack of sophistication in recognizing quality, most Chinese consumers solely judge quality of items based on where they're made, which explains the whole "getting things made in China than having the tags sewn on in Italy" trap most luxury companies have been using to keep their profits up. With (I assume) a new brand being made in China, will your average Chinese customer be willing to pay 500 bucks for a cashmere jumper with a "Made in China" tag? Or perhaps Hermes will have things made in China then send them to France to get the 'Shang Xia' logo stamped and use it to clarify their origin as "Made in France"?

With all that being said, I'm still excited about the introduction of its new brand. I'm sure Hermes with its multi million dollar super smart staff would have thought about all the things mentioned and found a solution :). I've been an Hermes customer over the years and is completely not an 'anti-Hermes', and definitely do not want to offend any Chinese readers. :).

Phew, essay finished, it's time to eat!

CIAO!

~Dee-Ha~

Hello hello ....

2009-12-27T06:12:00.000-08:00

About time I get back to my dusty little blogging corner. It's hard to keep up with everything these days, especially in this super festive season, ick! Hope everyone's having a wonderful time with friends and families. what are your NY resolutions? Mine's summarized perfectly in this:

XOXO

~Dee-Ha~

Would you buy this?

2009-12-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

Miss Sasha Fierce's new fragrance - named 'HEAT':

She's destroyed our eyes with her fashion choices (sympathy goes out to Balmain and Gareth Pugh), now she's determined to destroy our sense of smells too ...

Sooo....

Top

free poll

today!

*Gagulates*

~Dee-Ha~

image from thefashionspot

Don't we all want to be a Gucci girl?

2009-12-19T01:46:00.000-08:00

Blonde, toned, tanned, rich, fierce and super vain?

That Poly girl is a machine I'm telling you. Who the hell maintains that body, books every campaign, editorial and walks/opens all the major shows after THAT MANY YEARS in the business?!! I say put Raquel in the ICONS list, and make Miss Poly number 1 on the models list!

Thank you Frida, thank you Natasha, thank you I&V, my tacky eyes had a major visual feast!

~Dee-Ha~

is this the future of movies?

2009-12-18T06:25:00.002-08:00

This ...

the trailer really does not do it justice. Storyline: 5/10. Cinematography + entertainment factor: 11/10! Make sure you see it in 3D :).

~Dee-Ha~

is this the future of movies?

2009-12-18T06:25:00.001-08:00

you've changed .... oh oh oh oh ....

2009-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

currently loving this ...

gotta support local talents!

~Dee-Ha~

I still had some faith in Proenza Schouler ...

2009-12-14T00:41:00.000-08:00

until I saw this on their website:

Really?! The duo Parsons graduates who are famous for their trend setting, hip cool, innovative designs that make me drool every season came up with something like that?

While I dont have much of a problem with the purse design itself, the "Proenza Schouler" stamp is just plain horrid. And the 'made in Italy' underneath completely ruins it. What type of customers did they have in mind this time? Monogram/brand obsessed customers in Asia and Russia?

To my knowledge, which I now assume is not that correct, a Proenza SChouler woman is someone who's sophisticated, who wants understated, hip and chic fashion. She's someone who can tell whether a dress is well made without looking at the brand. Now has she turned into one of those 'brand victims' that needs to let people know where she purchased her purse, and has to see those misleading 'made in italy' tags because she can't even trust herself when it comes to spotting quality? The "out of stock" sign said it all ...

To complete their 'online shopping experience', Proenza Schouler also offered this:

It is saddening that many designers these days have to turn to innane accessories and fragrance to boost their sales. Now noone needs to save for a beautiful Proenza jacket anymore, they can just go buy Target clothes, then buy a PS key ring, and they too can (illusionally) be a part of the hip, downtown chic 'Proenza' lifestyle.

I wonder what's next? Alexander Wang made in France poker sets, Christopher Kane made in UK usb sticks, or Richard Nicoll made in Australia cosmetic case?

*Sigh*

~Dee-Ha~

What was seen on Miss " I just gave birth still I look hot"

2009-12-14T00:10:00.000-08:00

The Ultra GEORGE Melanie Huynh:

is now MIIIINNNNEE!!

I chose the black/gold version because I have a thing for black & gold :). Now I need an occasion to wear this .... may be on my way to work at the Vogue Paris office? *wishful wishful*

Now if only I had some major legs like Melanie ...

~Dee-Ha~

i think i like it igh igh igh igh ihg ....

2009-12-13T04:08:00.000-08:00

So I'm far from what most people consider a 'party animal', but every now and then I seem to go crazy to some random 'Club Anthem', in my room, and not in a club (how ironic). The latest one was this:

The video clip is horrible, but I forgive them :).

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

Are you a criminal? ...

2009-12-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

for committing these offenses?

10 Worst Male Fashion Offenses

1) Low V-Neck Shirts
While some men can pull off this American-Apparel look, most agree that it's generally offensive.

2) Popped Collars
Hopefully, men are slowly realizing that this is a fashion don't!

3) White Shoes
White shoes were banned from the Australian nightclub. You all want to ban them too.

4) Baggy Jeans
We don't need to see any boxers or butt cracks.

5) Skinny Jeans
So baggy jeans are out, but so are skinny jeans according to you guys. Sounds like men need to find a nice in between fit.

6) 'Manpris' (Male version of capri pants:-P)
Let's choose either shorts or pants, OK?

7) T-Shirts With Stupid Slogans
Nobody's laughing.

8) Ed Hardy
All of you seem to agree that these designs just don't work. But we might be seeing more Ed Hardy – the brand is set to launch a line of baby products.

9) Sideways or Backwards Baseball Hats
It might work with Travis Barker's look, but most of you only want to see a baseball hat worn the correct way.

10) Flip-Flops Worn Anywhere but the Beach
Flip-flops with jeans: not a good look.

We've all done silly things in the past (I once lusted after an Ed Hardy t-shirt, but gladly never got myself to purchase one, phew ...), but if you're still making one of those 10 mistakes again, I pleade you GUILTY!

Click HERE for the original article with illustrations.

~Dee-Ha~

this is insanely addictive ...

2009-12-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

THIS ...

*gets up and does a tribal interpretive dance*

~Dee-Ha~

when pheobe philo takes over ....

2009-12-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

you know you can't deny! okiez that was a really lame use of the song "when love takes over", but can I please direct your attention to Celine's latest accessory collection. Remember a while back when I said Celine was going to be the new Chloe now that Pheobe Philo's taking over as creative director? Well, looks like not only did their apparel department get a revamp, the old boring accessories also got a make over! First up are the belts and shoes:

Though it's the bags that made me drool ...

Amazing no? Would those be the new paddingtons? Properly not, but then again IT bags are soooo 2006, practicality is the new THANG!

Just to remind you again why Pheobe was, and also will be the queen of minimalism:

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

xmas came early this year ...

2009-12-05T04:51:00.000-08:00

When I received this email ...

" Dear --------,

RE: Vogue Forum Feedback, January 2010

Congratulations, your reply to our Forum Feedback question was selected by Kirstie Clements , Vogue Australia ’s Editor-in-Chief, as the post of the month. To thank you for your time, opinion and involvement in the www.vogue.com.au forum your response was printed in the January edition of Vogue and you will also receive a 12 month subscription to Vogue Australia .

In order to claim your subscription, simply reply to this email with your full details including, name, daytime postal details and a contact number. Once I have received your confirmation email I will then organise your 12 month subscription to be sent to you.

Many thanks once again and we hope you continue to enjoy the www.vogue.com.au forum.

Best wishes,
Coco

coco di cocco - product manager / social editor

www.vogue.com.au"

The email actually went straight to my spam folder which I was going to empty. Fortunately I was so bored I actually spent time reading my spam emails muahahahaha!

Thank you Vogue Australia!

I love freebies!

~Dee-Ha~

Should 21st century techno-age Vogue covers look like ...

2009-12-03T06:33:00.000-08:00

this?

Vogue Italia's twitter themed december cover.

Love it or hate it, you still gotta love Franca Sozzani for being probably the most creative editor alive.

Vogue Italia + Meisel = EPIC!

~Dee-Ha~

the hottest show on earth ...

2009-12-02T05:50:00.000-08:00

is finally here! Watch watch and feel depressed about the last piece of carbs you just ate! lol

Is it just me or does anyone else also think the VS show is really starting to lose its lustre now? May be it's becuz Adrianna Lima got knocked up and couldn't walk this year?

I still LOVE!

Special mentions to Anja Rubik and Edita :).

~Dee-Ha~

2009-11-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

I *cough* love *cough* how they have to make a reality tv show out of anything these days. Doesn't matter if you're thin or fat, smart or not so intellectually inclined, as long as you agree to play the stereotypes, everyone gets a fair share of the spotlight! With viewers ratings starting to drop like house prices, it was time for Victoria's Secret to produce something to "engage" viewers and excite them pre-VS-show. And what's better than a reality (lack of) talent show to find the next VS angel?! Watch Watch:

Bravo to Victoria's Secret for their efforts to save a failing show! Totally got the weak hearted like myself hooked!

Watch the rest of the 'show' HERE!

I love how they put some random asian, brunette and african girls in as fillers. PUH-LEASE, we all know may only the blondes with double Ds win!

Cheesy fakeness I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

be aggressive, b, e, aggressive ...

2009-11-30T05:48:00.000-08:00

Just reminiscing the good 'ol times ....

oh ee oh ee oh, ice ice ice!

~Dee-Ha~

He put K in KOOL ...

2009-11-29T04:55:00.000-08:00

Or KEWL, like how the children prefer to say it these days. Anyhoo, in between my obsessions for fur, leopard print and all things tacky, I do try to squeeze in some admiration for the minimalist clothes, especially those that are geometrically/architecturally fascinating. And noone does minimalist better than Karl Lagerfeld ( some may be on par like Jil Sander, Raf Simons and what not but that's another story). No i'm not talking about Chanel here, but rather Uncle Karl's own label. Watching his latest collection just made me drool:

Am I the only one the gets the impression that the razor sharp tailoring can totally make shapeless people like me have definitions ? *wishful wishful?* Oh and those dresses with metallic strips are way better than dark chocolate!

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

the day he passed away ...

2009-11-28T04:56:00.000-08:00

a mid-summer day came with hails and chilling winds ...
i wanted to cry but oozing out a drop of tear seemed to be the hardest job ...
perhaps i was relieved that those eyes of his that showed no joy or sparks in the last year finally got to rest ...
i suddenly realized HE was my childhood ...
memories of him teaching me how to gamble at the age of 4, or how to fight an enemy by poking him in he eyes with your 2 fingers, fondled back, not with sadness, but rather a soothing drop of melancholy ...
he was always an easy man, never complained or asked for anything ...
everything he had, he gave all away, because he believed you should leave life the same way you came to life, with nothing ...
i still remember his smile whenever i scrubbed his back or brought food to his room, and those stares of lost hopes when i said goodbye, to leave himin that humid lonely room ...
i guess i was rather cruel, afterall i was one of the very few he could remember and identify after all the memory loss ...
sometimes i wish i was religious, then at least i could still believe he was here with me, or up there in heaven watching me ...
mum said he went away in peace, and i'm sure he did ...
in fact he was always at peace, to me he WAS peace ...
the day he passed away ...
was today ...

I love you grandpa ...

~Dee-Ha~

hiatus ....

2009-11-26T00:03:00.001-08:00

I'm going to be on a much needed break to Melbourne, so postings will be extremely limited, as I need to squeeze family, friend, food and fun times into my tightly packed 3 weeks. Please bear with me, since i'll be all refreshed and have much to tell once my mind is unclogged and purified :).

I love you all!

~Dee-Ha~

Reason no. 101 why you should buy ( or lust after ) Tom Ford's menswear ...

2009-11-23T18:42:00.000-08:00

To the mocassin lovers, I present ...

Those yummy crocs = heaven ...

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

WHAT THE HELL ?! ...

2009-11-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

What does she eat?! What form of exercise does she do?! How many bottles of LaMer and SKII does she go through a day to look like this?!

Carine Roitfeld, aged 25 ... I mean ... 55!

FIY, she doesn't get plastic surgeries ... unlike ... ahem .. sharon stone ...

*enviously in love*

~Dee-Ha~

I haven't been this entertained since Chicago ...

2009-11-19T06:32:00.000-08:00

THIS:

SINCE WHEN could Kate Hudson sing and dance like that?!

Totally brings out the *illusional non-existent* tacky diva-italiana in me! :D

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

Every now and then you see something that's just so beautiful ...

2009-11-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

you know you have to get it even when you don't know what to do with it ... It happened to me the other day when I walked past the BALLY store in the city. I've always loved Bally for their craftsmanship and understated accessories, without the super designer price tags (not cheap, but not crazy like say ... ahem ... Gucci canvas bags). Anyhoo, the other day I was walking past the Bally store when I saw this weird cigarrette case/pendant/necklace thingy on the mannequin I had to stop to figure out what it was:

Turned out I was right, the SA told me it WAS a clutch/necklace. The clutch is made out of gold brass with black vetvet lining, and pretty small and compact. I constantly fell in love with the victorian/boho design but did not want to make an impulse purchase so I decided to leave it.

Anyhoo, I just could not resist it anymore having to walk past it every day, I decided what the hell, I'm just gonna get it, so I went in the next and bought the damn thing. Not sure what I'm gonna do with it now though, but definitely not returning it. Practicality maybe not, pure lust? HELL YEAH!

Thank you Brian Atwood.

~Dee-Ha~

GURLLL, forget your peroxide bob ...

2009-11-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

It's time for a feminine curllll !! like Posh Spice's new do:

Even Ms Ferosha Ultimatum (aka Carine Roitfeld), who literally owns the straight hair smokey eye look:

decided to go soft lately:

and I'm loving it! 55 or 35 does she look in that photo?!

Not sure if this will become the trend of 2010, but I'm totally loving it!

~Dee-Ha~

HELLO feroshhhhhhhaaaaa !!

2009-11-14T05:39:00.001-08:00

Constance Jablonski on the cover of the latest black magazine:

speechless ...

~Dee-Ha~

When will we see this in Australia ...

2009-11-12T03:51:00.000-08:00

stylish people on bikes:

Given we're the 2nd fattest (and properly the 2nd worst dressed too) country in the world, about time we put on some ferocious heels and take our bikes out for a ride

At least a Maccas triple cheese burger meal afterwards wouldn't feel guilt-full ...

Someone please start this trend of stylish bike riding. I'm too scared of getting bricks thrown at by the bogans, ick!

~Dee-Ha~

Noone does drag better than ...

2009-11-10T06:27:00.000-08:00

Mr Silver aka Marc Jacobs

Fanta-f***ing-bulous!

I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

image from vogueaustralia

I love this girl ...

2009-11-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

Lara stone ....

especially after reading her interview on the latest UK VOGUE:

"She's been doing the model rounds for ten years, since she was 15, but says that even back when she was 16 and in Paris, drugs weren't a problem. "I'd already tried everything in Holland. Anyway, I never wanted to be that model on drugs, the sort who gives head for a line of coke."

She does, however, have a weak spot for food.

"If I could have the discipline to be super-skinny, I would be. I think of dieting, then I eat pizza. I'm a woman, and every woman wants to be skinnier — unfortunately."

But she doesn't mind going topless all the time for magazines.

"Everyone's seen them. My girlfriends love them — they play with them!"

She's concerned about her future — she doesn't want to act or design.

"I lie in bed at night and worry about what comes next. I'm not sure I have any other talents."

And thinks she has men trouble.

"Men don't like me. I haven't been on a date for six months. I've just started a club with a girlfriend called the We Hate Men But We Can't Be Gay Club."

But she likes to be mean to men.

"I figure out what they hate most, and then I do lots and lots of that."

If she doesn't wear a designer, it may be because she hates them.

"I shouldn't be wearing these shoes. Because I hate the designer and never wear people I hate."

And don't get in her way at a show — one Belgian model now knows that.

"I kept saying 'Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,' because I had to get to the catwalk, but she just kept posing. So I pushed her. It was only a few stairs." "

And I'm normally not a fan of girls with big bossoms.

LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

Currently obsessed ....

2009-11-08T03:36:00.000-08:00

with ACNE armour jeans:

I wonder if these Sasha Fierce jeans will make their way to our shore? I'm so putting my name down the waiting list for both Melbourne and Sydney stores!

One thing though: how to wash those jeans?

~Dee-Ha~

Is Ghesquiere going down the suicidal path ? ...

2009-11-06T03:08:00.000-08:00

by launching a new fragrance for Balenciaga? Saw this on the Vogue australia website:

"Balenciaga to launch new fragrance

Nicolas Ghesquière temporarily turned his nose on high fashion to sniff out the next signature scent for the Balenciaga house. Dubbed Balenciaga Paris, Ghesquière dove straight into his first fragrance project, working closely with esteemed perfumer Olivier Polge (of Viktor & Rolf’s hit Flowerbomb and soon-to-be-released Eau Mega scents) on everything from the fragrant notes right down to the bottle design.

Inspired by the smells of floor wax, petrol and carnations, this is not your everyday floral spritzer, as Ghesquière explains: “It is not a romantic floral,” the designer told WWD.com. “It’s definitely the mix of tradition and something quite contemporary and urban.”

That modern mix holds violet at its heart with redistilled woods cedar and patchouli adding a sophisticated edge.

Expect to see Ghesquière’s muse Charlotte Gainsborough, shot by Stephen Meisel, front the fragrance campaign when it arrives in Australia in mid 2010."

Uhm, I can already imagine something along the 'Narciso Rodriguez for her' or 'Agent provocateur' lines, which I don't mind to be honest.

Maybe now that the motorcycle bags arent that 'IN' anymore, it's time to bring out something new to bring the $$$$ in?

Just a thought ....

~Dee-Ha~

SIGH ....

2009-11-04T01:35:00.000-08:00

was what I did when i saw Henry Holland's new 'diffusion/sister' line, and was also how you pronounce it. Called 'H!' (like H? or HUUUHHH?), this line is targeted at the 'funky, cool teenage customers' *vomits*. Watch Henry Holland's introduction about the line below:

I have to applaud Mr Holland for his every effort to stay in the fashion business. Guess when your main line is S***, novelty t-shirts are so 2006, your muse/the only thing that attracts customers Aggy Deyn told the world she hated fashion and you were advised to quit fashion by style.com last season, what you need to do to keep the $$$ flowing in is to abuse your name and use it to lure in the teeny boppers!

I don't know about you, but I really hope this 'sister line' will never leave the UK and get to our shore. Please, Armani Exchange as a sister line's already bad enough.

~Dee-Ha~

I don't know why my parents are still hiding the truth ...

2009-11-03T03:07:00.000-08:00

that they adopted me from an orphanage in Italy called TACKI-LANO, because it's quite evident now that my tackiness is getting out of control. Say whatever you want to say, but images from the latest Versace show is hanging on to my heart like a hungry leech!

Mini skirts and dresses in sheer latex, with embroided studs and over the top prints?! Most people say NAY, I say YAY! I'm glad Donatella's bringing back the old Gianni flavours. In this so called 'hard times' with most stores bringing out boring plain stuff, those dresses will sure bring in loads of $$$.

That saying, my favourite collection from Donatella would still be the uber gorge sex on heels spring summer 2008 show:

I love how all the models look like Donatella clones lol! Skip to 4:41 to watch Natasha Poly do her fierce walk! and that aqua backless dress on Stam at the end of the video is BEYOND!

Gianni Versace may not be replaced, but I say Donatella is still BANANAs!

I love!

~Dee-natella~

Video kills the radio stars ...

2009-11-01T20:22:00.000-08:00

So true! who cares about what the song sounds like when the video's this good:

The dancing's genius no? I have no idea what she's singing about, but bleh lol!

On the other side, Britney's new video for '3' totally let me down! I was expecting a bit more dancing extravagance, with a massive snake wrapping around her neck ( like those 'slave 4 u' days). Oh well, at least she's looking healthy and hot again so I'm happy for her :).

Love you all!

~Dee-Ha~

I want. ...

2009-10-30T05:14:00.000-07:00

NO I NEED THESE, THEY'RE LIKE AIR TO MY LUNGS, BLOOD TO MY HEART, EXFOLIATOR AND TONER TO MY SKIN:

Gucci men's cruise 2010 leather slipper with bow.

I won't be able to sleep for many nights i'm telling you!

AHHHH!

~Dee-Ha~

The simple fashion equation ....

2009-10-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

divided by

multiplied by

equals

How I wish I was French :( ...

I LOVE super VP power duo!

~Dee-Ha~

This girl is totally BOOOOMMMZZZ !!

2009-10-28T03:07:00.000-07:00

Totally my new idol, Miss World Singapore RIS LOW!

Now if you think THAT was trashy, watch this!

Oh em gee, that's snake and leopard 'Prinks' outfit is totally me! no?

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

Ps. Apparently, she got dethrowned for Credit card Fraud! LMAO Now she TOTALLY is ... like ... my idol!

Currently loving ....

2009-10-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

newcomer Jacquelyn Jablonski (Constance Jablonski's African step sister?!):

Jourdan and Chanel's hybrid is that chu?

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

My (limited) sense of shame tells me no ...

2009-10-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

but my Russian tacky heart keeps saying yes ....

and my credit card thinks whatever! it's only 18 pounds!

this insane tackiness has got to stop! AHH!!

~Dee-Ha~

it's so bizzarre ...

2009-10-23T04:53:00.000-07:00

But i love it!

i love "the bird and the bee"!

~Dee-Ha~

Recession, WHAT RECESSION??

2009-10-20T03:34:00.000-07:00

Seems like retail stores are doing any possible things they can to boost their $$$$. I was browsing the luisaviaroma website for some last spring 2009 bargain sales, when i realized they already had SS2010 stuff on sale! HELLO didn't fashion week just finish like 2 weeks ago?! I mean, they have not even reached the peak of winter in the northern hemisphere! Anyhoo, it's not like I'm complaining, because there were some eye candies that I could already pick out:

1. The ultra glam-chic sequin embroided Lanvin jumpsuit, retailed at ~ $ 15K (!!!) which I LOVED instantly when I saw the show (tacky me hoho :D):

2. Rick Owen's beautiful goddess draped dress, although I'm more interested in the gold cuffs, so gothic chic no?

3. Despite the ultra harsh reviews, Lindsay Lohan directed 'high fashion' *coughs* brand Ungaro still managed to produce some wearable pieces with a (comparatively) decent price tags:

Of course there were pieces that made me roll my eyes and scratch my head, like this hooker fabuleux Balmain sequin ripped dress:

The worst has got to be this:

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but did the price tag say AUD 1315 ?!! PUH LEASE, in this recession time who would pay that much a for train wrecky (American Apparel inspired) t shirt? I might as well go down the road, ask some homeless man for his tshirt, put a Balmain tag on it and still look better!

So ....

WHAT RECESSION I'M TELLING YOU!

~Dee-Ha~

IF THIS is considered curvy ...

2009-10-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

then what am i? My recent visit to the Victoria's Secret website (don't ask why!) made me question whether the ideal image for a brand who's famous for only choosing 'CURVY' girls has changed over the years:

Don't get me wrong I love Ms Poly to death, but for VS, really? Then I saw this photo of LIly Donaldson and I couldn't believe my retarded eyes:

Photoshop much?

~Dee-Ha~

images from victoriassecret.com

Mark my words ....

2009-10-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

CELINE IS THE NEW CHLOE! I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pheobe's newest collection for chloe ... i mean ... celine. Clean, modern, feminine yet really strong at the same time.

Uber GORGE no? The sountrack too is amazing!

Bernard Arnault has got to be the smartest man on earth when it comes to acquiring talents. I can already see that leather shift dress with silk tie collar, the sleeveless trench dress and those sharp skirts and coats flooding $$$ into the LVMH group!

Can't wait for the full show video to come out now!

Welcome back phoebe philo!

~Dee-Ha~

Merrier the more, triple fun that way!

2009-10-14T05:37:00.000-07:00

I heart Britney ...

It's soo addictive, it's almost like (diet) coke to me!

Cheesiness I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

Today is ....

2009-10-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Moi!

Feel free to shower me with Kirkwoods and Ackermanns!

~Dee-Ha~

I need these ... like RIGHT NOW!

2009-10-12T08:16:00.000-07:00

Nicholas Kirkwood SS2010 brogues:

That blue pair must be MINE! *wishful wishful*

*needs to pack my bag and move to London FAST!*

~Dee-Ha~

image from stylebubble

She's bringing sexy (Tom Ford) back!

2009-10-11T06:16:00.000-07:00

I loved the latest Gucci collection. Practicality and wearability to the mass market? May be not. Authoritively bondagy sexy? HELL YEAH!

Now while I've always loved the whole boho chic themes Frida brought out the past few seasons, My jaw dropped when I saw a lot of Tom Ford in those uber provocative outfits. That saying, the collection is totally Frida Giannini still.

3 points taken from this collection: Bondage is official. Frida Giannini at this moment OWNS Gucci. Oh, and you better add 'sporty bondage' to your trend vocabulary for next season :).

Tackiness I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

I DIED ...

2009-10-10T17:56:00.000-07:00

When I saw this H&M shirt from OOoOO:

OH EM GEE, it's (almost) EXACTLY the same as the Lanvin beaded collar shirt I've been dying to own, minus the wrist slitting price (its RRP is 29.99 pounds, which is ~AUD 60!)

WHY DON"T WE HAVE H&M IN AUSTRALIA? :(

Any readers from the States or Europe or ANYWHERE with H&M wanna help me buy this please?! I'll pay you back along with my autograph! lol

*sigh*

~Dee-Ha~

For once I'm not scared, but rather fond of snakes ...

2009-10-09T09:00:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Alexander McQueen. Properly the best show of the season yet (for its theatrical and artistic values, production and most importantly, the clothes!)

Those shoes made me drool! They look so comfortable no? lol!

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

love me some miu miu fur ...

2009-10-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Properly the most innane obsession I've had yet, introducing the miu miu fur collar:

Would it keep you warm? Can you use it as a scarf? properly not ...

Can it cover your assets? Would you use it as a top? NAH AH!

I still love it nevertheless ...

This obsession has got to stop!

~Dee-Ha~

Gotta love Europeans ...

2009-10-07T04:37:00.000-07:00

Remember this video that caused a massive stir in the blogsphere a while back?

Looks like they released a male version too!

So ... what did you think of the song? LIKE ... YOU ACTUALLY LISTENED TO THE SONG at all you perverts :P.

Gotta love Europeans and their naked-ness!

Now I need to hunt down the second guy in that video! lol jk

~Dee-Ha~

GUUURRLLL you better VOOGGGUUEE!

2009-10-05T06:24:00.000-07:00

Why did I not know about this earlier?!

they better start calling themselves 'SASHAY FIERCE'

Let these MAMAs teach the pussycat dolls some JAI HO moves!

I DIED i'm telling you! *runs to the mirror and starts vogue-ing* :D

I LOVE Vogue Evolution!

~Dee-Ha~

This is how pregnant Vogue Paris girls still stay so chic ...

2009-10-05T06:02:00.000-07:00

LOL JK! Actually, it's more like this. 6 month pregnant Paris Vogueete GERALDINE SAGLIO:

Ain't nothing stoppin' ERRR from rockin' EERR leather pants and killer heels!

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

images from jaknjil

a stylist's advice may not always work ...

2009-10-03T10:14:00.000-07:00

Just saw this "OUTDRESS, NOT OUTSPEND" video from Target (I know... don't ask why), and I gagulated. Watch watch!

Nina Garcia should be fired I'm telling you. I'm ... amazed *cough* ... at her talent of being able to transform a very (fake) decent dressed (actress) girl into a real hoochie mama. And the close up of her metallic eye make-up at 0:27 makes my kitten shiver . Also, how do you persuade someone to try on colours when you're wearing all black from head to toe?

Just a thought ...

~Dee-Ha~

PS. did you also notice she was also wearing a $ 1K+ pair of louboutin fringe boots and a $1K+ Hermes Collier de Chien bracelet? NICE WAY TO PROMOTE TARGET NINA!

I know 123456789 fashionistas would've posted this by now ...

2009-10-03T07:40:00.001-07:00

but still, I'm mesmerized by Albert Elbaz's latest collection for Lanvin:

who says you can't be creative during recession time?

As always, the shoes and jewelry are TO DIE FOR:

The sequin encrusted dresses will have all the editors go BANANAS!

How could Mr Elbaz keep outdo-ing himself every season?! HOW?!

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

1 2 4 3 none of these chicks look better than me!

2009-10-02T05:51:00.000-07:00

I cant stop watching this!:

Addicted is an understatement!

tackiness I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

I love Chuck Bass and Arena Homme Plus ...

2009-10-01T09:26:00.001-07:00

But how does this make you feel?

A very ... exposed ... Ed Westwick (aka Chuck Bass) on the cover for the latest Arena Homme Plus, which I think is one of the best men's fashion mags out there atm. To be honest, I much prefer the (non chest hair) editorial:

They could've used this for the cover? :

Just a thought ...

SO ...

You know I love you all!

~XOXO - Dee Ha~

Seraphine de Senlis ...

2009-09-30T07:47:00.000-07:00

Once in a while, in between my super hectic schedules of cheesy asian music videos or tacky reality TV shows of metro narcissists sexing/bitching about each other, I do try to squeeze in some quality artistic time. Which was why I decided it was time my bean clogged poor artistic brain got some proper fix by watching this today:

I'm no cine-critic, but it was properly the best movie I've watched this year. Seraphine had that typical French movie allure which I loved, with minimal convos, beautiful melancholic cinematography and brilliant acting/emotional expressions. Yolande Moreau's performance as Madame Seraphine was stellar!

It was funny because I was the only non 60 yo-and-over member of the audience at the cinema (lol!).

Mind you I'm only an art noob, but I constantly fell in love with Seraphine's work, especially learning about how she developed all that talent over the years.

Towards the end of the movie, I couldn't help but ball my eyes out which was extremely EMBARRASSING! Thank god there wasn't much of an audience there to notice all my sobbing (phew!) .

Putting the movie aside, what came to my mind afterwards was how beautiful Seraphine's paintings would look on fabrics, so I decided to do a quick mash-up using Paint (excuse my lack of computer graphics skills, hence my choice of the most primitive painting program which i learnt in year 5). The results are:

Gorgeous no? I can so see Anna Wintour or even Franca Sozzani wearing those dresses!

If you haven't seen Seraphine, or are just desperate for some quality cinematography, I suggest you go see the movie NOW! My lack of art knowledge sure did get a major fix!

I love Sepharine de Senlis!

~Dee-Ha~

Want to be Cinderella?

2009-09-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

Margiela could make your wish come true with these (though you'll need to beg your fairy god mother for A LOT of money):

Margiela crystal (yes realy crystal!) heels.

Note: those shoes are NOT made for walking.

~Dee-Ha~

In less than 1 day ...

2009-09-29T11:01:00.000-07:00

This will premiere:

extra cheesiness to add to Dee Ha's boring life!

~Dee-Ha~

boom pow kaching bottega!

2009-09-28T02:25:00.000-07:00

I got a bit freaked out when I found out Karate was Tomas Maier's inspiration for the lastest Bottega Veneta SS10 collection. I mean hello, can you imagine wearing a BV outfit top to toe and fighting at the same time? Horrid I'm telling you. Anyhoo, if there's someone who can make martial arts inspired clothes look sexy and sophisticated, it's Mr Maier:

Just when you thought white cotton was as boring as you could get, Mr Maier turned white canvases into the most beautiful easy airy dresses. I love the karate wrap belt, so chic no?

Every outfit's super wearable, yet really fashion forward at the same time. This collection easily shuts those who keep complaining about lack of creativity during recession. Hello, just because you're not wearing tight studded leather doesn't mean you're not fashionable.

As always the jewelry and accessories are super delish too. The finale dresses kinda did not fit in with the collections, but after such a brillian show, does that really matter? To be honest, I've loved loved loved Tomas's venture into glam gowns the past few seasons. About time starlets switch from the usual asymmetrical, tight corseted, super heavy gowns to something a bit more relaxed, a bit more effortless:

I can already see this collection being in Style.com's top 10 collections.

Now let's all find ourselves some rich Italians who'll pay for our top to toe Bottega outfits, ladies?

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

This is why I fell in love with her ...

2009-09-26T08:15:00.000-07:00

and I still do. Jessica Stam in the latest Numero magazine:

Speechless.

~Dee-Ha~

Stuff Gossip Girl ...

2009-09-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

My new ADDICTION is THIS:

Here's a little intro from channel 10 website:

About the Show

GLEE is a one-hour musical comedy series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present.

The show follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to refuel his own passion while reinventing the high school's glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential.

GLEE follows an optimistic high school teacher, WILL SHUESTER as he tries to transform a high school Glee Club and inspire a group of ragtag performers to make it to the biggest competition of them all: Nationals.

McKinley High School's Glee Club used to be at the top of the show choir world, but years later a series of scandals have turned it into a haven for misfits and social outcasts. WILL has offered to take on the Herculean task of restoring the Glee Club to its former glory with the help of fellow teacher EMMA PILLSBURY, but it won’t be easy since the “brightest stars” of the pitch-imperfect club include KURT a nerdy soprano with a flair for the dramatic, MERCEDES, a dynamic diva-in-training who refuses to sing back up; ARTY, a geeky guitarist who attracts more bullies than girls; and TINA, an awkward girl who needs to suppress her stutter before her center stage solo. Will’s only hope lies with two true talents: RACHEL, a perfectionist firecracker who is convinced show choir is her ticket to stardom; and FINN, the popular high school quarterback with movie star looks and a Motown voice who is more worried about his reputation than singing.

Will is determined to do whatever it takes to make Glee great again, even though everyone around him thinks he's nuts. He's out to prove them all wrong – from his tough-as-nails wife TERRI to McKinley's cheerleading coach SUE SYLVESTER to an über-hip world that thinks jazz hands and sequined tuxedos litter the road to infamy rather than pave the way to Hollywood dreams.

GLEE is produced by Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television. Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk serve as executive producers, and Ian Brennan serves as the co-executive producer."

I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

There's VUH-SAYS (versace) tackiness ...

2009-09-24T04:27:00.001-07:00

then there's tackiness just for the sake of pure tackiness, like Jeremy Scott 2010:

Flinstones inspired fashion show or Flinstones themed Halloween partay? I'm not so sure:

and WTF IS THIS?

I've always defended Jeremy Scott's tackiness, but this is just too shameful.

*gagulates*

~Dee-Ha~

Some electro pop to start off the week ...

2009-09-22T07:32:00.000-07:00

with FRANKMUSIK:

So cheesy, so catchy, so good!

I LOVE!

~Dee-Ha~

START AGING, BITCH! AGE!

2009-09-21T05:20:00.000-07:00

Naomi Campbell, 39, at Issa fashion show:

I'm only ... very slightly ... jealous ....

~Dee-Ha~

You have to start training your babies early ....

2009-09-21T02:58:00.000-07:00

I can hardly remember a time when I was not tacky through out my entire life. Growing up loving sequins, leopard prints, WHAM and Backstreetboys, it seems tackiness runs in our (much to my parents' denial) genes. Now to those children who aren't as blessed (?!) as I am, tackiness needs to be introduced to and nurtured by parents, and it all starts with this baby Dior dress:

Leopard print princess dress with front bow and dangling DIOR tag?! Now that's what you call 'tack-4-in-1' :D.

Guess I know what little mini Dee Has will be wearing running around in the future now :).

I love baby Dior!

~Dee-Ha~

image from dior.com

And she did again ...

2009-09-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

Mary Katrantzou with her ultra megaly awesome prints for SS 2010:

This season, Mary followed on with the successful perfume bottle theme she started last winter, though this time she decided to 'organified' the bottle shapes:

How many bottles can you identify?

I love how new silhouettes were added this season too:

If you remember a few posts ago I was literally DYING to see her new collection, and she certainly did not disappoint. I'm so excited London fashion week is here. It really to me is the new Paris fashion week - the young, funky and innovative version!

When will there be such amazing prints for menswear?! *sigh*

~Dee-Ha~

who WERQS it better?

2009-09-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

the 'bowl' hair-cut:

1. Japanese sensation Tao Okamoto:

2. Or (another) Russian newcomer Ranya (whose surname i can never remember):

I love you all!

~Dee-Ha~

V for Valentino!

2009-09-18T11:04:00.000-07:00

Just saw this today:

I"ll leave the review/critic part to the professionals, but all i want to say is I LOVED!

Go to your nearest cinema and watch it now!

Oh how I wish I'd have a (good looking, well dressed and preferrably Italian) partner for 50 years to ... :(

~Dee-Ha~

my newest addiction ...

2009-09-17T04:57:00.000-07:00

isn't a tacky asian pop band, or some cheesy reality TV show, but can be summarized in this picture:

Go go add moi as thy neighbour and send me gifts (cows, trees, fences, etc etc)!

Now excuse me while I go harvest my strawberries and pumpkins.

I love Farmville!

~Dee-Ha~

A very holy collection ...

2009-09-16T09:43:00.000-07:00

Thom Browne S/S2010:

I love, but it looks rather Comme dont you think?

~Dee-Ha~

Marc Jacobs IS NY fashion week

2009-09-16T01:43:00.000-07:00

What's not to love about Mr Marc Silver aka Marc Jacobs? Stunning are his pilates bod, his uber-hot toy boys (or shall i say husbands), and most importantly his CLOTHES. I love Marc Jacobs for the same reason why I love Miuccia Prada. He has this talent of pulling references out of no where, and turning tackiest themes into the most coveted (& tacky :P) collections of the season. S/S 2010 is another story of success. While most other NY designers are still stuck in the whole eighties, studded leather, harem pants trend, Marc Jacobs decided to go mix fifties with opera/theatre, and the result was a splash of ruffles and tules:

Wonderful, no? Of course there just HAD TO BE one tacky outfit to satisfy customers like Dee Ha:

It's people like me that ruin fashion i'm telling you LOL!

Seems like the grunge imo Jacobs-boy has left 80s punk to join the ballet choir :).

I love Marc Jacobs!

~Dee-Ha~

She can be whoever you want her to be ...

2009-09-14T05:15:00.000-07:00

1. 007 bombshell:

2:Vampire princess:

3. Heroin addict:

4. 21st century gothic geisha:

5. Or even ghetto fabuleux hoochie mama:

Lara got her own Vogue Paris edition, now this girl snatched her own MUSE magazine edition, and she deserves every single page of it.

I love Natasha Poly!

~Dee-Ha~

images from models.com

What's that sound? I like that sound. I love that sound! - It's the sound of my shoes!

2009-09-13T01:58:00.000-07:00

I just can't get it out of my head! :

I know it's (not that) hard to believe, but the video clip screams 'DEE HA' i'm telling you!

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

Checker check check!

2009-09-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

Checkered shirt: check!

Checkered tie: check!

Checkered suit: check!

Checker overloaded outfit:

Triple checks!

Noone does it like Hamish Bowles!

I love!

~Dee-Ha~

image from thesartorialist