Shoe Collection
I'm on a roll!
Shoes. I love. If there's one type of accessories I would love to have thousands of, that would be shoes. Of course it will be impractical but I can't have enough! Call me Imeldific, or in my own language, Marcosian, but you can't only have a few pairs of shoes. As they say, the shoes make the man.
Alas, here is my current shoe collection. It's really not a lot, but it's plenty enough for me.
Puma midtops - Roy Lichtenstein inspired
Puma Pop
Zara pointy bogues
Zara suede brogues
Zara chocolate brown boots with stacked leather soles
Lanvin sneakers
Zu black patent leather
Dior wood soles oxford shoes
Wayne Cooper military boots
I'll be posting the shoes I'm looking forward to buy this season!
Men's Fall Winter 2011
I have a thing for brands. I'm not ashamed to say it. Some people avoid brands like it's the plague because they want to be detached from consumerism, but I know I'm part of the consumerist culture sweeping the whole world today. I'd rather admit to it than sit on my high horse. I hated people who brandished their brand name bags before, but later realized that I just could not afford them so I hated. But now I realize it's just people's preferences, and who am I to judge?
My personal favorites are the classics: Prada, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior. I own an item from each, albeit starter pieces like wallets and a money clip. Cheapskate, right?
Every now and then though, I tend to depart from the classic brands and look at others. I still couldn't afford them, but who's stopping me from dreaming? There's a store in Sydney Westfield called
Harrolds (weird choice of name since it's too close to Harrods) that stock my favorite brands and I admit they are very aspirational (read: save up for four months for those sunglasses).
For the past few seasons, I've liked stuff brought out by Christophe Decarnin (Balmain), Ricardo Tisci (Givenchy), and Christopher Bailey (Burberry). This rings true for their Fall Winter collection pieces. It's kinda cool being in Sydney with the weather patterns opposite those of the Northern Hemisphere (it's winter here when it's summer in Europe) so we're always a season ahead. Or behind, depending on how you look at it. I prefer looking ahead, so I get inspiration from Europe's current collections.
Hemingway's, here are my top picks for Men's FW 2011:
Burberry Prorsum
OK, I must admit I wasn't particularly impressed with Burberry's pieces for this season. It really worries me when a designer goes "back to basics" as this implies that the designer has lost his way, therefore going back "to the roots" of the brand. Of course, this only applies to designers who have carried over a particular brand.
I did not like the Burberry check coats that were on display this season. The past three seasons of Burberry have definitely been strong, but I'm just not sure about this one. Nevertheless, there are some that I find appealing:
Camel jumper - Classically contemporary
Black jumper - Great texture, versatile piece.
And my favorite piece of them all, the see-through plastic raincoat with black piping. It is very versatile and practical. I can see myself wearing this during the coming rainy months. I wonder if this will be available here.
Givenchy
Ok, Riccardo is now being hailed as one of the future greats in the fashion industry. I must agree. His clothes spell chic with a capital C. He is the epitome of edgy. His inspirations range from religion, clowns, rock, and even death. Now, he's into barking dogs. There's a thin line between crazy and edgy, but this is fashion. I like that he gets to have fun!
Plus he uses Asians in his shows. THANK YOU RICCARDO.
My favorite pieces are:
The shoes, the shoes! I'm not buying one because it's gazillions of dollars and it won't suit me and I don't know where to wear this, but I still love it!
Classic Givency shirt in black.
Classic Givenchy shirt in camel.
I must have this belt!
And the best look to summarise how strong this collection is:
Now this, I can definitely get away with.
Balmain
Thank Christophe for resurrecting rock. His pieces have been coveted for the past years and have been seen on most fashion editors and insiders in Paris and Milan. His menswear collection speaks volumes of relaxed luxury. He usually doesn't Overpriced jackets and pants aside, Balmain has remained to be one of the top aspirational brands out there.
My favorite pieces are:
Navy jacket and boots. The Military trend has been going on for quite some time now but nobody does it like Balmain.
Grey jacket. Perfect timeless piece.
Shearling and fur duffel coat. I also like the scarf.
And the best overcoat to come around for the past several years.
Another view:
Now THIS is an overcoat. Great shape, fab fabric, and the shearling lining makes me want winter to come sooner!
So there you have it, my review of my 3 favorite brands of the moment. I'm hoping I can do this more often so I'm looking forward to the next season.
All photos care of gq.com.
Labels: Balmain, Burberry, Givenchy, Men's Fashion
Looking Up.
After more than 6 months in my job, I have finally come to accept that work is not the end all, be all of life, and that even though things are hard, at the end of the day, it's just a job. It's nothing personal.
I swear I would've just up and left before Christmas, but thankfully, I got a really good deal at work so I'm staying! And all things considered, I am in a pretty good position and there's nothing too pressing to make me leave. I've never been in a better financial and professional situation, so why go? Because systems aren't working the way I want them to? Nah. Because I don't get along that well with colleagues? Not good enough. Because it's taking time away from life's little pleasures? Not an excuse.
Two of my former colleagues who came to the new company with me are leaving. They just couldn't handle going to work everyday. One of them cries every day! Which makes me wonder what it is with the job that is that harsh, because I haven't really experienced anything difficult enough to make me shed tears. I'm sure they both have their own very personal reasons.
I know life's a roller coaster ride, so I'm more careful not too be overconfident and think that everything will fall into place. I know one day, a kind will blindside me on an idle Tuesday, and I wouldn't know how to react and what to do. But for now, I'm looking up.
