tribute

this is my tribute to the fashematics formula:

TAKE ONE FEARLESS KOREAN MALE

+ADD THE ESSENCE OF SCI-FI GROOMING

+SMOTHER IN ELECTRIC ICING

VOILA=


g dragon unveils his dior-homme+ spock 'shroom hybrid at the SBS network gayo daejun performances dec 29.
below is his performance of 'gossip man' in skin tight cropped pants and creepers:

HAPPY 2010!!!!!

december 25th_____2009

when december rolls around, and the temperature suddenly plummets, you know the burden of christmas looms near.
i say burden because being away from home there is a unspoken pressure to create some semblance of tradition. somehow transport the homey-ness of the familiar to the cold foreign streets of seoul. last year was a quiet night of home alone and ice cream cake. this year was a menage a trois with the likes of krispy kreme, apple pie and ice cream cake coupled with sober dancing and new friends.
traditions are warm and comforting but changes fuel growth and progression. for once, i genuinely look forward to the new year.

follow me

first and last two photos from the leeum samsung museum of art

the leeum samsung museum of art, comprised of two collections housed in two dissimilar structures, is definitely worth a visit or two.
gallery 1 focuses on traditional korean arts whereas gallery 2 is basically a who's who of contemporary art: rothko, murakami, matthew barney (bjork's hubby), damien hirst, anish kapoor, louise bourgeois, and even a full size dollhouse by yoshitomo nara.

word of wise: spend the two dollars for the digital guide, i didn't......thus why i must go for round two. also, seeing the louise bourgeois giant spider sculptor at the entrance made my heart tingle just a little ...it reminded me of the same one we have in ottawa, plopped so scandalously in front of the National Arts Gallery. ooooh, a sudden shooting pain of homesickness for ottawa...could it be?

the replacements_II

"well hello there, you certainly look familiar..."


all good things must come to an end.
black walking shoes from last year: you were great. couldn't have survived fall/winter 08 without you. but now you're overly stretched and your platform is hanging on by a few shoddy nails...it's time to let you go with your dignity still intact. so, meet version 2.0: cheaper, sleeker, taller and unfortunately a lot less comfortable. nevertheless, your duties have now been relieved.

am i the only one that gets the frantic need to replace a favourite possession when its nearing its end? for instance even if the item in question can continue to service for at least a few more months, there is an obligation to respect its remaining life by preserving it and buying a replacement that must look almost identical to it. then the original can just rest on its laurels for the rest of its shelf life. never discarded but never worn again either.

abnormal or just a symptom of packrack syndrome?

all i want

there's something inexplicably intoxicating about being in a room lined wall to wall with twinkling, strappy, elevated bundles of leather. especially if there is sign nestled between two four-inch patent soldiers that reads, "all samples 50,000won."

unfortunately...sample sizes stop at size 7.5

no better day

somedays i lament over my lack of heterosexual male friends...but most days i don't
* baozhi had in samcheongdong, mussels at macaroni market in itaewon

toosexshigirl

we miss you T.T

light up

good friends

new friends

...and old friends

its nice to have good friends waiting for you in seoul. friends that accompany you when you go shopping or walk hand in hand with you when you stumble home at dawn. friends give you protection, strength and lift you up. literally.

during the weekdays they wait patiently, sheltered in their temporary seoul abode. until friday eve arrives, then they can come out and play. some friends collect dust in the background because sometimes they don't act like good friends and cause you pain and heartache. and others are so worn out because they've been too good of a friend.

as seasons change out so do some partners. some are deported back to the country life and some....to the abyss. but nevertheless, they always remain in my heart.

no easy feet

why settle for a glass slipper when you can slip on a virtually invisible mirror panelled wedge bootie by andreia chaves?

along with four other footwear designs that experiment with the concepts of chaos, texture, form and visual effect, brazilian born chaves is all about expressing contradictions within the context of visual illusions.

her 'invisible' shoe can camouflage into any surroundings by reflecting the surfaces around it while 'the prism shoe' can project intricate shapes and designs with its complex three dimensional structure.



the 'form & texture shoe' is a jumble of flat leather squares combined with strategically placed sycamore wood cubes that creates the illusion of being much bulkier than it actually is.
'the twirled shoe's' spiral sculptural effect is created by the combo of soft pvc leather and malleable metal that allows it to look rigid and delicate at the same time.

however my absolute favourite is 'the velcro' shoe which is not solely (pun intended) visually stunning, but also for me completely wearable and versatile as well.

it's no surprise that chaves is inspired by concept heavy designers such as rei kawakubo, yohji yamamoto, issey miyake and margiela as the 'twirl shoe' pretty much has MIYAKE stamped all over it and 'the velcro shoe' is practically screaming to be worn with a margiela nude body suit. but in addition, chaves also sites her hometown of sao paulo to be a huge inspiration for her chaotic harmony of optical illusions as well as europe, where she studies.

now i've seen enough strange and unusual footwear concoctions...but andreia chaves' creations are truly a hyperbreed of innovation, artistic whimsy and a surprisingly high level of aesthetic appeal. whereas other footwear as art have borderlined on the grotesque or literally been the form of their inspiration (ie: a banana shoe), all of chaves' shoes retain the function and form of being a shoe in addition to being a piece of art. i cannot wait to see her final collection which is to be revealed this february.

images+info from yatzer & refinery.