The Great Dictator

Balmy weather in March (complete with shorts and tees)? Let’s commemorate another milestone of global warming with some spring fashions! Even though it’s not spring yet (the Vernal Equinox is tomorrow) and it feels like summer (with a high of 26° C/79° F in the next few days). This is bizarre. In fact, I heard the ice cream truck roll down the block just now. If this is winter, how will summer fare?

Anyways, back to spring fashions. I found this editorial in last year’s issue of FASHION Magazine (that’s literally the name of the Canadian glossy- I still find it funny to this day). Irina Lazareanu portrays your typical fashion editor in the editorial, titled “The Great Dictator”, and she does it well too. Irina is such a wonderfully dynamic model, and she’s one of the most versatile girls in the industry (the likes of Sasha Pivovarova). She can pull off tomboy, punk, ’70′s, flapper, class, bohemian, girl next door and even Gibson girl. Straight hair, long hair, short hair, waves- this girl is UNSTOPPABLE. I think she’s the only model that can have cheekbones, a sharp nose and a small pursed pout while still maintaining an endearing softness. It must be the doe eyes! The only negative side to Irina is that she won’t stand out in a crowd photo (as opposed to someone like Kate Upton or Isabeli Fontana who are both quite raw and sexual).

Okay, I’ll stop and let the photos speak for themselves. Just note how Irina takes an intake of breath during the shots, which breathes life into her poses (Tyra taught me this one!).

I love how the editorial is poking fun at the whimsies of the fashion publications industry. LOOK LOOK: here’s “Anna Wintour” (left) and “Grace Coddington” (right)!

Even though the clothes are a year old, I would love to wear some of the fresher pieces (i.e. the Jil Sander mint skirt in the third photo- just look at the origami folds!). Everything about this editorial is just perfect- the witty captions, the set and props, the extra models (and Jeanne Beker!), the lighting, the classic make-up (wing-tips, red lips, scarlet nails, light matte eyelids), the shoes, the tooth statement necklace, the cut and draping of the clothes, the juxtaposition of hard lacquers and soft beige; details galore but very to-the-point. I would’ve been beyond excited to be behind-the-scenes for this shoot and watch the art direction.

Why not everyday

Starring models Polina Synyavska, Michelle Schermer and Alma Durand, photographed by Alessio Bolzoni and styled by Moreno Galatà for Grey Magazine #5- “Sabbath,” as the editorial is titled, combines energy and confidence in an unconventional, yet simple ad that’s both a feast for the eyes as it is food for humour.

Let’s dance into the new year!

I wish I can find editorials like this everyday. Instead, I see commercial editorials with doll-models that we’ve all seen countless times in malls. I say, if all you need is the girl to wear the clothes and to look pretty, you might as well have mannequins with pouts and cheekbones! And seeing how advanced Photoshop is these days, a few clicks of a mouse can surely mould plastic to flesh. (It’s not like human models look like skin and flesh in ads, anyway.)

Source: Fashion Gone Rogue 

Boys of Fashion Week SS/2012

I’ve noticed how rarely I dabble into menswear… so I’ll make up for it. I present to you: the Boys of Fashion Week SS/2012!

This is by far videographer/ photographer Justin Wu’s best piece so far. I love the energy and movement of both models and cameraman. The shifting angles and music compliment the mood perfectly!

I’m trying to enjoy the last of summer and prepare for the upcoming avalanches of homework by catching up all that I can now in fashion. Watch me go back to posting once a week. It gon happen.

Missing In Action

Sincere apologies for not writing in three weeks. Did I just break a record for being M.I.A. in fashion?  I have 162 unread posts on Bloglovin’. But to keep up with the mystique of the fashion blogger, I can’t tell you what I’ve been up to until it’s over (e.g. would we ever know what Bryanboy‘s job is? Who take’s Chicmuse‘s photos in public? What school does Tavi go to? How does Rumi upload 6 outfit posts a week and still have a life? WHAT DOES KNIGHTCAT LOOK LIKE?). DUN DUN DUN. Just know that I’ve been very VERY busy lately  and I exhaust my creative juices ERRDAY. 

But the Eye is still open. And look what it found in Elle Canada’s May 2009 issue. Usually Elle Canada editorials are like what professional fashion bloggers produce on a bigger budget, with horrible titles. But I found a rare jewel. 

It’s an epic eye candy kebab with dollops of bodacious bling! (Do I get extra marks for alliteration?) The positioning and proportion of the model’s faces are perfection, when you hold the editorial in print and flip the pages, the models are looking straight at you on the same spot on every page! And since it’s in a fashion magazine, we completely forget how nonfunctional 10 pounds of jewelry is on a girl that’s 16. Especially the second last model. I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw her in my classroom come September. (Actually, on second thought, I would be. I’d ask for autographs.) It’s like the World War I movie All Quiet on the Western Front when the commander looks at a new fleet of soldiers and exclaim that new enlistees  were getting younger and younger. Fashion is a sartorial battlefield.

Okay I’ll stop blabbering and continue acting mysterious. Just know that when I come back, you can expect a Noah’s Ark flood of photos. (Animals not included.) 

Model Musings: Liu Wen

Okay let’s admit it- Dig or Dump kind of died went into hibernation. How about a new blog feature? (This post isn’t at all new, I started the draft in January. LOLoLOLoLOL.) Anyways, “Model Musings” highlights my favourite established or up and coming models with their background, achievements, runway looks and streetstyle photos.

First seen on spring 2006 runways, Chinese model Liu Wen’s got staying power. Originally from the Hunan province of China, Liu Wen entered modelling in a contest to win a computer and to improve her posture (her mom told her so). Of course, she won and fashion has not been the same ever since. Liu (last name) is credited for bringing a wave of East Asian models to western runways. 

Christian Dior Fall 2010 Couture 

Jean Paul Gaultier Spring 2010 Couture 

Christian Dior Spring 2010 Couture 

With her classic full lips and cat-eyes, it’s not hard to see why Liu Wen has “walked a total of 49 shows for the Autumn/Winter 2010 season” according to Models.com.  

Photographed by Paolo Roversi for Vogue China, September 2010 spread “Dream Away” styled by Nicoletta Santoro

Photographed by Victor Demarchelier for Vogue China, February 2011 spread “Classics Re-presented” styled by Nicoletta Santoro

She is currently the first model of Chinese origin to be a face of Estée Lauder and has appeared in Joe Fresh Beauty ads.

She is also the first Chinese model to appear on Victoria’s Secret (while the Black Eyed Peas sang onstage). The 24-year old has also scored current campaigns with The Gap and Calvin Klein. Her stretch does not stop there, she models off-duty as well! I can spot Liu Wen anywhere anytime with her deep dimples and signature tomboyish style. 

No one has worked sweats and a hoodie so well. And during fashion week? GASP.  (By the way, let’s hope that jacket is faux.)

Gosh, why can’t I have this much swag?

Miu Miu Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear 

A token of backstage awesomeness from style.com!