Art time at Publika

It is such a coincidence when I stumbled into this wonderful mini art exhibition by Nando's at Publika. Of course I'm always bad at catching up the good artistic projects that are going on in and around KL, especially with my current location in Melaka. All I can say is my much needed chatting session with a dear friend definitely ended meaningfully with this beautiful display of local talent, all having such potential to grow successfully...

Not so summer kicks

Past-season fashion will always be in fashion (well, in my books at least), depending on how classic and relevant the design is. Due to the ever changing and rapid turnover of trends I find it too fleeting, and not to mention expensive to keep up with the latest styles of clothing. Hence buying last season items at a fraction of the original price is one of the ways for me to enjoy fashion without creating a huge dent in my bank account which is already burdened with monthly bill payment, etcetera.

Fast fashion: are we moving on?

Anna, a survivor of the building collapse in Savar, Bangladesh, lost her hand in the accident.

Wong Maye-E/Associated Press for The New York Times

Worries have been escalating over the news of the collapsed clothing factory building in Savar, Bangladesh on April 24. The topic has become increasingly controversial, heated with the fact that more than a thousand of workers were killed and not to mention that major American and European clothing companies have their products manufactured in Rana Plaza (they include Gap, the British low-cost chain Primark and H&M, the company that has the largest volume of production in the country). Not so long after another garment factory disaster ensued in Tream Tbal, Cambodia - this time around involving a collapsed storage area at a footwear factory, killing two people and injured dozens other.

This issue inevitably brings up the question: is this the price to pay for our cheap, mass-produced clothing? What can be done to improve workers safety, especially in a cheap-labor country like Bangladesh?

Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images for The New York Times

Sometime by Asian designers

My mission attending last November's Urbanscapes was to finally feel what it was like to be a festival-goer, and of course it was not supposed to involve shopping at all. But it was hard to be firm on my principles if there's something wonderful enticing me, especially when it comes in the form of good-looking and affordable bags. I stumbled upon Sometime booth right in the middle of the field, quite separated from all the music action that was going on.

What is luxury?

The fashion world has been always too comfortable with the definition of luxury and the connotation it brings. Soft silk and cashmere, supple lambskin or ostrich, exotic alligator, 24-carat gold or ideal-cut diamond jewelry: these items are luxury in their own terms. It's undeniable that fashion is a business-based sphere and to steer away from overt use, or sometimes, misuse of the L word is somehow too farfetched an expectation - luxury is the pinnacle of fashion and it's understandable why consumers easily fall into the perceived luxury, all thanks to many brands' marketing strategy that succeed in creating that illusion of exclusivity.

Lacoste in action

Living in a country with tropical climate requires one the wear more often than not for comfortable, perspiration-friendly clothes. I do love me some artfully layered outfit combo and try to incorporate that but somehow it feels a bit too ambitious (and silly, frankly) to don a blazer/jacket, despite the thinness and breathability of the fabric in such unforgiving humidity. I certainly feel good about looking sharp in such look but the prospect of being drenched in sweat the moment I walk out of the overly air-conditioned malls/cinemas is, in fact, one of the pitfalls in fashion that I try to steer away from.

CAMERAderie: Zakwan Anuar presentation at KLPAC

To get a cohesive collection going on in a nascent fashion industry like the one that Kuala Lumpur has meant one thing - the attendance of the who's who of KL city to celebrate Zakwan Anuar's talent and creations. The crowd was a mix of notable local fashion publications figures from GLAM, fellow young designers who came to show support, celebrities, socialites and fashion enthusiasts.

Kudos to Zakwan Anuar and his team for putting up a commendable show earlier this month at KLPAC.

Zakwan Anuar Fall Winter 2013 Presentation

I had no expectation set upon attending Zakwan Anuar Fall/ Winter 2013 show last Wednesday. I came to support a former staff who is now working as part of the design team; and I was invited by Jiman Casablancas, a cool PR guy who I have known over the years through several exchanging of interesting conversations we had at parties and events around town. Hafidz enlightened me just before the show (through phone call as he was in Malacca at work) that his previous collection was all about houndstooth check and beautiful brocade incorporated into very clean shift dresses or offered as separates. How enticing!

Dior Homme A/W 2013

Dior Homme presentation was our final few events in our itinerary before we enjoyed the city of Paris sans the feeling of being caught up rushing to fashion shows. After braving through the sloshes of snow (it was heel-deep) on a Sunday morning, and almost got lost in the midst of searching in between similar-looking weathered buildings, we finally found the presentation venue - tucked in between of unassuming office buildings...

The lost tenacity

I always thought that I have the tenacity to produce blog entries frequent enough to make Dunia Fashyon enticing. But it seems it takes more than just compiling pictures and making up sentences to create a credible post. 

But I shall try again, dear readers. Thank you for still clicking the previous posts.

Coming up - Dior Homme A/W 2013 collection review.

words and image by Hafidzudin Zainal