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

Candy parfum by Prada

image via Tumblr

It is always good to see an effective teamwork especially if it results in a beautiful product. In this case the genius pair Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola utilised their fantasy-like predilections in film production into a short for Prada's cult fragrance introduction as an eau de toilette, Candy L'eau.



Known to successfully work together for the Oscar-nominated Moonrise Kingdom, Anderson and Coppola have brought their best yet for this project. Starring French actors Léa Seydoux, Rodolphe Pauly and Peter Gadiot, the clip is about a playful girl named Candy, who is being tied in a three-way relationship. The film is created in four episodes, each primarily about love - one that is filled with seduction and rivalry. And with a Nouvelle Vague feeling, Candy is not just a fragrance, it is visually sweet as well.

 

Words by Hafidzudin Zainal

Moschino love

instagram image via @jeremylangmead

I love it when a fashion show invite is all quirky like the one from Moschino's AW 2013 Menswear, where a plastic plate is used to foretell a gastronomy-related show. Our prediction was indeed true when we arrived at the Giannino restaurant, just near the Milano Central Station. The venue is a continuation of unusual fashion show settings from their SS12 where the show was held inside an unassuming Italian hypermarket, unlike the typical majestic piazzas or villas every other major fashion labels are accustomed to.

The luxury of Tod's

To be honest I am not an avid follower of all things stereotypically categorised as 'luxury brands', especially the ones that are lagging in the directional front and revolve around preaching their so-called rich history, heritage and craftsmanship. But there's no denying of Tod's commercial role in today's luxury market: successfully selling expensive driving shoes, propelling this footwear style into popularity among young men (and women) resulting in the infiltration of cheaper high-street versions into the market. But of course no other brands (except Car shoes, maybe) can instill people's trust in these kinds of shoes like Tod's does. How do they do that?

CAMERAderie: Bukit Bintang street style

It's good to temporarily veer from European fashion scene and stay on the local grounds for a while. My weekends have been spent either doing nothing at home or lurking in the dark, candidly photographing the 'cool' kids in the Bukit Bintang area...