Hong Kong Street Style: The Marmite of the fashion world

A hat floats amongst a sea of denim at a HK Fashion Week trend forecasting event. [This is before the Mexican Wave which was foisted upon us. Yes, Nic, foist IS a word.]

I've been seeing these rather quirky winged Jeremy Scott- esque flip flops around.

Layer of lace: I see these everywhere here. A purely aesthetic item that appears to have no function whatsoever except to look cute [the fashion equivalent of Chihuahuas]. Which is, of course, perfectly acceptable.

Behold: the Marmite of the fashion world [you either love it or hate it!], right up there with harem pants and empty glasses frames ["eye dresses" as I saw them once advertised]. Flatforms. Or in Prêt-à-Porter algebra: Flat + platforms. Sartorial troglodytes or eccentric footwear? I'm still on the fence about these but they are endemic to the Hong Kong fashionista. Like gladiator sandals or pleated cropped trousers, I'll need a bit more exposure to this before the late-adopter in me accepts them.

Loving the Aztec theme that's currently emerging from the catwalks to the sidewalks.

xxx

/ˈjeməˌnī/ Gemini Photo Shoot

gem·i·ni /ˈjeməˌnī/
The third sign of the Zodiac, which the sun enters May 21 - June 20

A northern constellation (the Twins), said to represent the mythological twins Castor and Pollux.

Characteristics: Positive. expressive, extrovert. Thought, intellect, ideas, interaction.

Element: Air.

Remember me? Fashion scribe extraordinaire?  I would apologise for my blogging hiatus if I thought more people had noticed. Let's just say I blame travelling [Cambodia!], Christmas, New Year's, and Game Of Thrones [I read all first 4 books in 2 months. I should probably keep that little tidbit to myself.]

Anyhoo, let me tell you about a most fantastical photo shoot I did recently. I collaborated with my [utterly photogenic] friend Li Meng for her amazing food blog,  Bakker's Bites 1 year anniversary. I would play the part of intrepid photographer, she the model, and we'd shoot across various locations in Hong Kong.  We agreed to shoot some photos with a food related theme, and some in a more whimsical fashion [clearly my idea was the latter, my inspiration being Tim Walker one of my favorite photographers.] Due to time [and budget] constraints, we had to be resourceful with accessories. So I chose a mask/ Gemini theme, along with some other quirky accessories.  The masks were a general comment on the duality of most people's nature, just like the star sign embodies: The civilised veneer of normality and poise of what we show most people often belies our true nature. So, which of these opposing photos shows the subject's true nature?  

I have to say, shooting guerrilla style all over my home city with just the two of us was giddy fun. Blissfully indifferent to the strange stares we got at times, we hauled fake lashes, food props, masks and balloons with us on our creative journey. And boy were those helium balloons fun to have after the shoot was over!



The dauntless food blogger goes forth







The classical myth is said to demonstrate the mutual reliance of conscious reasoning and unconscious belief to indicate "acute polarisation of the spiritual and material, alternation between the extremes of rational logic and instinctive belief, and the quest to reconcile all contradictions in a central threshold where reason and belief, intellect and emotion, masculinity and femininity, merge into one".Source: [Wikipedia]




Is that the hint of a smile on her lips?





This photo is dying for a cheeky quip on original sin.

 I briefly researched the greek mythology behind the Gemini Zodiac sign. For those interested [I literally lifted this from Wikipedia]:


The ancient Greek tale of the egg-born brothers Castor and Pollux, born to their mother Leda after she was seduced by Zeus in the guise of a swan. Their consummation, on the same night as Leda lay with her husband, Sparta's King Tyndareus resulted in the birth of immortal Pollux, who possessed great physical strength, and mortal Castor who possessed great ingenuity. Upon Castor's death Pollux begged Zeus to let him share his own immortality with his twin to keep them together and they were transformed into the Gemini constellation.


...Juan Eduardo Cirlot also reports that the Gemini motif is essentially a symbol of opposites, inversions and alternating contradictions between life and death and positives and negatives. Cirlot points out that a study of the Gemini-myth in megalithic culture shows that it has two tendencies: "one white and the other black; one creates, the other destroys; both these characteristics are indicated by the arms of each of the Twins, which in landscape symbolism are identical with the river of youth and the river of death".[9]
They represent the months that join the seasons and signify a dualistic nature that is easily adaptable and can be one thing or another. For this reason the mutable signs are referred to as 'common' signs in traditional terminology.[7]


And I couldn't help throwing in a .gif:

Hope you like it!
xxx

Hello! Photoshoot blog coming soon....

Hello! I thought I'd break my blogging fast by announcing.....a forthcoming blog post. EXCITED?! Check out my awesome newly minted .gif making skills above. I had an amazing day conducting a photoshoot with a friend around Hong Kong: see above a taster. Balloons! Leaping! I promise it's not all as cheesy as this. Photos and details to come....

xxx

Stuff I bought: Bows, dusty pink, and bloomers

In the blogging grand tradition of too-much-information, I've decided to post my recent sartorial purchases online for all ye to share in my clothes gluttony. Due to my current quest for bargains, I briefly braved the cacophony of Hong Kong's street shops to fill in what I deemed were perfectly acceptable gaps in my wardrobe [see pink bloomers below. Totes in style right now, despite the fact that yes they do make you look a bit bigger. But for some reason, I had to have them]. Note dusty pink blazer, a piece I've been lusting over for a while in various shops. As I am directing most of my immediate savings to The Ibiza Fund [girlie trip to Ibiza in September: woop slash omg expensive] I steered clear of any brands in my retail therapy. A lot of shops here don't let you try on clothes before purchase and rarely allow refunds [one gives up this right when a shirt sets you back a mere 79HKD]. And so, a lot of fashion guesswork ensues. I literally had to restrain myself from buying things I already had/ really didn't need [need is a very relative term in fashion]. Mustard yellow Herve leger -esque bandage style miniskirt for 65HKD? Put back on the rack. What I needed was smart casual clothes I could go to work in that were humidity proof. I'm talmbout HK weather. Straighteners are basically useless in our sauna of a summer. But I digress.

Behold! The chode of a shirt: wider than it is long. I loved the batwing style of the sleeves and slightly hick string tie at the bottom. [Note: my work dress code is pretty slack, perhaps the chode-farmy shirt would not be appropriate for other jobs. Take heed.]

Behold! Dress that looks hideous on hanger but stunning on person. Seriously. Plus it's totes sparkly.

Chode shirt #2. Best with high waisted skirts/ trousers lest midriffs are not welcome at work.

And the aforementioned pink bloomers. 89HKD. I love Hong Kong.

xxx

Silk, Skull printed leather, and bowl cut swinging fashionistas

I had the fortune and slightly dubious distinction of having visited the fabric stock market not once, but five times in the last week. By the fifth visit I was dangerously close to feeling lachrymose about ever looking at cotton fabric again. I was at the fabric market to source various fabrics and accessories for various projects, including fleece, polyester, cotton and faux leather. I came across some bizarre fabrics and prints, like skull printed leather [which I imagine would only come in handy if one were a Gothic cowboy? I would love to present a vegan friend with a bag made from this print. Chortle. Jokes! Please don’t facebook unfriend me]. This area in Hong Kong is called Sham Shui Po, and the stores heaving with fabric/ beads/ lace/ ribbon are punctuated with wonderfully typical dirty dai pai dongs [cheap open air restaurants], almost ironically there to offset the potential glamorous fashion vibe. I say potential as it really isn't that glamorous. Most of the hidden part of the fashion industry rarely is. Butchers and other shop keepers sell all sorts of wares as well, adding a very raw feel to the place. I like the analogy of someone selling meat alongside fabric, both items waiting to be glamorized and moulded by their respective experts into something more delectable in a restaurant/ branded shop somewhere.

I did take the time to snap some photos from the area during the twilight hours of the second visit as the sunset gleamed off the bowl cuts of the harem pant wearing fashionistas who were skulking around. Alas, their bitchy glares and “I will cut you” demeanour made me hesitate to take more street style shots of them. Needless to say, my blatant enthusiasm at being there was highly unfashionable amongst their glamorous scowls and stony faces. I swear one almost hissed at me as I walked past.

There truly is something almost mathematical in how the fashion set dress, a sort of unspoken uniform illustrated by below equation:

Black (harem pants + brogues + pointy shoulder slouchy tux jacket + bowl cut) - smile = Fashionista

Black is almost mandatory in fashion as apparently it allows one to disguise the labels one is wearing quite well so as not to upset any designer/ colleague/ boss who works above you lest you are one of those interns/ lower level employees who can for some reason afford expensive designer wear. I had a friend who used to work at Chanel that would describe the bitchy passive-aggressive side comments cast her way if she, god forbid, wore a bit of color to the office. “You’re looking very…..summery, today” they would sneer slowly with the icy veneer of any girl who works in fashion, their eyes slowly making their way up and down the offensively happy color. Why is joy so often un[high]fashionable? Can one only be respected in any creative profession if one is mired in misery? Anna Wintour, please explain. [Stylistas aren’t always that bitchy and morose, and how I aspire to be one of them. Not sure if my curly 'fro would be good as a bowl cut though].

Note the lady butcher above WEARING PVC LEGGINGS AND HEELS. I saw her cutting and preparing meat for a customer. What a fashion-forward butcher[ess?]

Toodles.

xxx