summer hair 2012: braids, braids, braids

Ok so summer is half over, but my long-anticipated 9-day Italy trip (Positano, Capri, Bologna, Parma, Cinque Terre) is still 3 weeks away, so it is only now that I've started looking into summer hair. I didn't expect to write a post about this, which is why my image sources aren't as well kept as they should be, for this I apologise.

Braids have gotten me bad. My straight hair always falls too flat for my liking, especially after a dip in the sea, so they are perfect for giving it some texture. Half-ups are the best, as you can pair them up with a bun or pony tail, but when a photo opportunity presents itself, the hair tie comes off and you still have a girly do in place.

Dip-dyed hair is also a guilty pleasure of mine, though I think it looks much better with light coloured hair. Even so, I'm gonna give myself some multicoloured highlights, but probably not when I'm going to the beach.

Fabulous looking tute, if not a bit complicated, which is why...

... I'm going to try this instead!

I love these braids, even though the curls are a bit too much for me.

Another great kind of half-up do to try out.

I'm absolutely in love with the pony in the middle, if anyone knows of a tutorial, tell me!

Sources: Luxy Hair, Cute Girls Hairstyles, Pinterest

lana del rey's h&m full campaign

The pictures are here! First glimpse over at British Vogue. Lovely campaign, enough said!

florabotanica for trampires

Absolutely awful ad for Balenciaga's new fragrance. It's not just that Kristen Steward cheated on Robert Pattinson and ripped apart a family, she is a terrible actress, has terrible style and just looks terrible generally. I have  no idea why Balenciaga would cast her, someone somewhere obviously had a momentary lapse in judgement - seems to be a popular course of action to take these days.

lana del rey: vogue italia

This girl has retro glamour down to a T. She is stunning in this Vogue Italia photoshoot, I'm loving the platformed Mary-Janes, though the clothes are rather mediocre. Still, Lana Del Rey looks beautiful, especially when she smiles!

Girl crush moment, pardon me.

Vogue Italia

disney for fashion

All sorts of Disney x fashion crossovers keep cropping up these days.

When someone says I'm too old to watch Disney movies...

As the generation who grew up with all the classics - Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, Lion King (not fashionably relevant, I know...) - Disney definitely has some sort of lasting and nostalgic appeal. And when you put a fashion spin on the familiar cartoons, the chemistry is inevitable.

Jirka Väätäinen's absolutely stunning illustrations are more art than fashion. The smouldering sex appeal of the princesses, however, can be lifted out of any magazine. Jasmine is probably my favourite, and though I hated Tinkerbell in Peter Pan, I love Väätäinen's rendition.

http://jirkavinse.wordpress.com

A couple of days ago, I happened upon these fabulously original sketches of Disney princesses and villains by fashion design student 'Sashii-Kami'. The full compilation includes an astounding 26 characters, all immaculately designed to the very last detail. I love the hair on Rapunzel and Aurora here.

http://sashii-kami.deviantart.com

And today on Facebook, another random Disney sketch, not as pretty but proof that the trend is catching on.

Image source

Of course, unforgettable is the spread 'La Moda Animada' featuring the big names in fashion as Disney characters in Elle Spain in 2010, illustrated by Ulrich Schroder. Unfortunately I can't find any high resolution images, but this one featuring Karl Lagerfeld is simply genial.

Image source

i-d: youthful covers

Staying on the theme of cheeky photos, i-D covers are always wonderfully so, especially this special issue dedicated to celebrating the youthful.

What is particularly intriguing are the mysterious Asian faces. Who is Guo Yupei? Li Jia? Chen Yunxia? Typing these names into Google doesn't throw up anything particularly telling at all. Guess I'll have to buy the magazine to find out. 

And I'm definitely going for the beautifully paint splattered cover featuring Kel Markey and Herieth Paul, shot by Solve Sundsbo.

Image source: i-D

celebrity photobooth, yu tsai

I'm a total sucker for cheeky celebrity photos (original, I know), and these are just perfect. All by photographer Yu Tsai.

Joseph Gordon Levitt? Yes please.


All images by Yu Tsai.

weighing in on The Fancy debate: how to convince consumers to shop there

I've been meaning to write about The Fancy for a while now, and this article has given me the nudge in the bum to do that.

So apparently, 'sources' are saying that Apple has shown an interest in acquiring the Fancy to put a foot in the door of the e-Commerce market. There has also been a lot of hype surrounding the increasing use of The Fancy by luxury brands. The exclusive pre-order of a rather mediocre sequin tshirt by Oscar de la Renta straight off the runway generated $10,000 in sales and a lot of buzz, especially on Business of Fashion, but not really on The Fancy, where it only collected an unimpressive 1258 'Fancy'd's (similar to 'likes' on Facebook).

I'm no business insider, but I am a consumer who loves online shopping and fashion, though more often than not I lack the resources to indulge in my sartorial fancies. So with a plethora of online and physical luxury fashion retailers to choose from, why would a consumer like myself choose to shop on The Fancy?

Let's take these gorgeous Christian Louboutins listed on The Fancy as an example.

I see, I like, I Fancy'd.

Let's say that I want them. What do I do next?

Well, as a savvy online shopper, I google 'Christian Louboutin Lady Daf Suede Platform Pumps' and I choose to buy the shoes online from either Net-a-Porter and Saks Fifth Avenue. Given the choice, I will always choose to buy from the latter two stores, knowing that products are authentic, payment is secure and delivery and returns policies are in place.

But okay, for analysis's sake, say I'm an impulse shopper, and the second I lay eyes on these beauties, I go straight to buying them on The Fancy.

This is where the problems start.

First, they don't actually have the electric blue shoes on sale, but only in burgundy.

Second, the shots of the shoes look suspiciously like those on Saks Fifth Avenue. The angles and close ups are the same. WTF?

Which begs the third question - who is the seller? Is it EmilyEileen who posted the picture? Or some random retailer?

So I go to the cart and see if there are any more details on who is selling me these shoes.

Ahhhh, so apparently FancyMerchant is selling me the shoes. So who are they? Where are they based? What is their delivery rate? Is it special tracked delivery? Do they even ship to my country? Can I return my item if they don't fit? How do I return them? How do I know if they are genuine Louboutin shoes? Who do I contact if I have any questions?

I go no further than this page because there are no answers to any of my questions above, and if you think I'm going to shell out $1150.25 when there are so many question marks then you're crazy.

I have serious questions about how viable The Fancy will be as a full fledged market place, especially for the luxury fashion industry, despite PPR's $10 million investment.

Most significant of all, the competition is stiff from established online shops. There is nothing to stop consumers from seeing something they Fancy'd, then going to Net-a-Porter to shop for it. Exclusive products may be more of an incentive, but how willing are designers to sell a product only on The Fancy, when there are hundres of other online stores with way bigger consumer followings and more extensive global reach? PPR may seem to have a lot of faith in The Fancy, but what of others?

Moreover, The Fancy has a long, long, long way to go if they want to become a credible online shop. My little experiment shows its many shortcomings, and if you expect consumers to shell out big bucks for luxury fashion products, a lot of work has to be done to refine the shopping experience.

Obviously, The Fancy is not stupid. Their strategy right now seems to be aimed at filling the gaps of the online market rather than competing with the big retailers. They are targeting bloggers and encouraging them to share items for sale in exchange for a monetary reward. How profitable is this strategy? Can they really avoid competition with big retailers this way? I don't know, but my gut instinct is 'I don't think so'. And I don't intend to take part in this new form of 'social shopping'.

I do love The Fancy, but more of an online scrapbook and a way of discovering new and beautiful things. It's a shame it's trying to be so much more, but then it is a business, so what can you do?

david beckham, on the rocks, with a twist

I seem to be on a hot streak, stumbling across the most extraordinary images... here you go, David Beckham's H&M underwear ad projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover. Whoever came up with the idea is a genius!

Image source: Daily Mail

nicolas ghesquiere, the jedi

Isn't this just fabulous? Ghesquiere is the boss.

Harper Bazaar, May 2012

Image source: Balenciaga