hermes-y monday!

while everyone is busy studying for exam week, like everyone is to fashion week. i really think that the recession has impacted millions of businesses not only in the u.s. but to the whole world as well [it was a late realization for me though]. though saddening, hermes continues its 5-generation legacy of making luxury handbags. they are not for the middle class, they are made as a status symbol. you buy the bag, buy the name and the material as well. hermes is not just a bag, its 'the' bag.





















hermès international blamed poor returns on financial investments and currency fluctuations for a 7 percent dip in first-half net profits to 125.4 million euros, or $167.4 million.the french leather goods and fashion firm reiterated its target of steady sales for the full year at constant exchange rates and a "slight contraction" in current operating income.operating income fell 2 percent to 199.8 million euros, or $266.8 million, as sales in the half rose 7.6 percent to 874.9 million euros, or $1.17 billion. dollar figures are converted from euros at average exchange rates. at constant exchange, sales in the half eased 0.4 percent, reflecting declines in orders for watches, perfume and tableware and ongoing sluggishness in japan. the operating margin in the first half of 2009 stood at 22.8 percent versus 25.1 percent a year ago.wwd













it sounds like the start of a really bad joke, but in a recent article, the chief executive for the french "luxury" goods group hermes said, "It can take three to four crocodiles to make one of our bags so we are now breeding our own crocodiles on our own farms, mainly in australia."peta blog

when mama bear and papa bear left the hut

this is the unedited version.

i think i have the most colorful life. i think, i don't know how to start this but lets start with a line. "what would you feel if your parents wouldn't accept you for who you are?" tough right?

may 25, 2008, midnight, inside my mom and dad's room, we (me and carlz) staring at the wall blankly. we are talking about sexuality, our sexuality. my mom asked my twin, "are you gay?" it was just to confirm coz they knew all the while we were but she was just neglecting the thought of it. there was no answer. he was asked again and again but was hesitant to answer. time was running out! i wanted to admit my gayhood on the 25th and now what? a minute and clock will pass midnight! oh shoot! i insisted to answer the question but mom said it would be good for carlz to answer the question first.

it was a year and about a couple of months since our 'out' moment. we thought that all these time, they were Ok with the thought and they were happy about it. but seriously, they weren't! they assumed that some miracle would happen and maybe we will change! HELL NO!

i dont blame my parents for having felt that. i think, they were just stuck to the gay stereotype that "they dress like women and they make girls pretty (parloristas).

the fact that they were not open of how modern gays are described brought me to my knees, well, not literally! as exhaustion and frustration sank in, i almost felt that moment alone was the beginning of all my explaining. that gays today/even before were not really cross-dressers. probably one of my most down moments, i wasn't sure how and what to explain. good thing i haven't had an anxiety attack.

society taught me that the only thing people could respect you, is only when you open up and accept you for who you are. i'm a liberal thinker. i believe that in order for me to know that i hadn't been considerate or how my parents felt when they knew i was gay. i just thought that it was inherent that all parents were to accept their child for who and what he is (maybe i was just down when i wrote this last line).

the fact remains that life is not always fair! i think that no matter how unacceptable our being 'gay' to our parents were, we should respect them because they are our parents. as the line goes, "ang mga magulang, di matitiis ang anak"(parents always care about their children), well, in my case, the other way around. we can't just push them to accept us. we cant just tell them that we are gay and everything will be fine. i understand my parents for not accepting who we were. my case isn't just the only one. i know that there are a lot of people who understood my standpoint. im still hopeful though that time will come that my parents will wholeheartedly with open arms tell me and my twin, "no matter who you are, we love you and we will always be proud of you!"

*originally posted no facebook as notes.
*story applicable in philippine setting.
*i have a twin,

himbo bimbo, when men became sluts

male models had a major breakthrough in the fashion scene fall 2009. they stormed the advertising business and fashion houses nailed each print ad with their daring, nude-oriented spreads. surprisingly, it has been sought by consumers and more and more advertising centered entirely on men without clothes or men with women's clothes. there has been a shift on how the male body should be [the hedi slimane days]. today, male models are regarded as man whores, skinny, tall and meaty [by meaty i mean muscles]. the fall 2009 ads were queued with controversial almost censored advertisements.















stella tennant with four models wearing manties [left] and scarlett johansson and david gandy in dolce and gabanna fall 2009 ad















lara stone in dsquared2 fall 2009 ad campaign series

















calvin klein fall 2009 with jamie dornan and eva mendes






















calvin klein jeans tv fall ad 2009






















ysl fall 2009 ad with christy turlington and andres velencoso

but himbo does not only connote men posing nude, it is sometimes regarded as men wearing female clothes. like what uncle karl is doing to his baptiste giabiconi recently.






















french vogue march 2009.






















italian vogue july 2009

on vnecks and how

this coming wednesday, i will be wearing a super low v-neck from old navy. i know it sounds pretty american apparel. last spring, celebs wore v-necks and it was considered as a fad. thinking about how humid and hot this effing country is, makes me wanna wear nothing at all. i admit that its a simple piece of clothing but the deal is how lowered is the v-neck. the v-neck tee! but here's something to keep in mind, always:

• Don’t bare too much skin elsewhere. The key to wearing a top with a super low neckline is to make sure you don’t wear it with a super short skirt (unless you’re out partying or something.) When it comes to showing skin, less is usually more!
• Experiment with jewelry, but not too much. Low v-necks can be a great way to show off a cute necklace, like Nicole Richie and Lauren Conrad did in the photos above. Take note, though, that they didn’t wear earrings too: that would be overkill! Pick one piece of jewelry that you want the focus to be on. Note: bracelets are okay here, you can wear them too without taking away from the rest of your look.
• Don’t be afraid of color. While the trendiest shade for this tee is definitely white, don’t be afraid to rock one in a bright color too! These shirts are fairly inexpensive, so I recommend getting one in a bunch of your favorite colors if you’re indecisive about that kind of thing!
• Try one tucked in to a high-waisted skirt! The look is very Mary-Kate above, super high-fashion and really stylish. I like white with black because it’s classic, but you could try a brightly colored tee tucked in to a high-waisted pencil skirt as well!
• Wear a v-neck tee with casual jeans. This would be a great outfit to wear to class because it’s dressed down yet still fashion forward. Accessorize with a bright shoe or bag, and you have an outfit that’s comfy and cute for every day.

if these celebs are going white and simple and plain, ill be wearing a black on [just for the heck of it]. no color goes well with my brownish tanned skin tone except for black.

the fur, the olsens and moi.

everyone loves the olsens! including me... i think that they are a good tandem, like the two of them. one prefers the laid back, simple and classy look while the other opts the boho chic look. but which is which [that's another story]. well, the olsens are simply the olsens. they are terrific designers (according to barneys and bergdorf goodman's fashion director and chief executive consecutively). the row, their fashion line, is sought after by teens and moms alike. two is better than one. i just love them, and their fur!














it was a really boring day today, just had some shots with friends and we were off for tomorrow's reporting. sadly, it was our turn to present our fugly thing. but for now, im leaving with my face-full of chains and all.

let's make shopping fun again!

every designer, fashion icon, model and artist collide as they save the dying fashion industry through their 'lets make shopping fun again' campaign. not just another public service announcement, everyone encourages new yorkers to shop, shop and shop!



meanwhile, mary j. blige gets shares some love with frida giannini's help. gucci launches a new designer watch for 'women who seek hope and help'. with a price tag of a whooping $1895, for the benefit of her own foundation, the foundation for the advancement of women now inc. official presentation of this gucci watch will happen on september 16 in its 5th avenue flagship.

every designer

every big name is doing something to save the fashion scene in new york. from sarah jessica, to anna wintour, designers, models and artist collide as they encourage everyone to 'make shopping fun again'.

meanwhile mary j. blige gets charitable as she partners with frida gianini for a gucci watch. launching september 15 at 5th avenue.

anna wintour on david letterman show

anna says, 'i'm a lukewarm royalty with a whip from outer space'. she is still the best representation of fashion. she embodies a true fashion icon and an epitome of beauty. behold as aunt anna talks about anything on david letterman.



after commercial break.

rainy days are outfit days

rainy days are indeed starting [perhaps in its middle blow] but style should never conform. dress to impress and assemble yourself. the tip and tap of the rain really pisses me off coz you have to wear rain coats to cover your clothes. but these 3 strong, incredible and stylish women talk about how they wore their outfit, what they wore, amidst the pour of the rain. see and be inspired.

andré leon talley plays tennis!

drool over lv people.

malgosia bela snapped by cedric buchet (look back)

vogue uk brings us 'the new suit' starring malgosia bela, photographed by cedric buchet. name it, she has it, ferragamo, missoni, paul smith, ysl, vuitton etcetera! dubbed as a working woman, bela did a wonderful portrayal of how the modern working woman should be, edgy, fierce and strong.

big, bigger, biggest

absolut-ly vodka!

natalia brillis launched the new packaging for absolut vodka. i so can remember steve madden's marvel studded peep toe shoe boot





















or perhaps the givenchy studded shoe [my rate: not flattering!]

















and now behold! the absolut vodka rock edition. wrapped with leather and studded, this lim-ed gave the drink an extra rock feel. i love it.

christian siriano launches makeup line

just like a circus.

let the photos speak.















backstage at giorgio armani















irina kulikova at marni
















the runway at john galliano















anna selezneva at marc jacobs















placing the seat cards at chloe

more circus

simply dennis robles.

dennis robles is THE style icon of the philippines! i saw him in lookbook and i was really obsessed with the way he do his outfit! superb. im totally speechless... and let's not forget his bags and shoes--truly dennis!

im totally out of words to describe him. let his outfit do the talking.

there's more!

this is aunt kate!

the supermodel, still on top of her game!

joel peter witkin: a tribute by paul rowland

joel peter witkin was born in brooklyn, new york in 1939.




















he's a renowned for doing exhibits exhibiting corpses, transsexuals, hermaphrodites and the like. he is inspired by promiscuity, absurdity and what remains to be untouched, unseen and understated.






























































and to pay homage to his excellent work of art, paul rowland, founder of woman and supreme agencies snapped 19 models from his agencies and styled by nicholas grasa. here are my picks from the set.

joel peter witkin, whole set

saturday marc fever!

omg. i woke up thinking of marc jacobs and lorenzo martone, getting married with just 2 spectators. what a sweet couple.

well, too much of lorenzo. marc currently thinks hot pink is the new black. american runway goes 80's and expect to see the hue on marc and michael kors. hot pink patent flats, hot pink animal print clutch blah blah.






















oh, so i was thinking about marc jacobs and i stumbled upon this really huge story. marc is dressing up miss piggy, a character from the muppets and i was like 'no way, fat fat!' and he's like, yes way! and what's more envious is that, she fitted with marc jacobs. that fat bitch! she did not! i was almost teary eyed upon reading the post but that's just life! maybe its the new trend--fatness... from beth ditto, to uncle andre leon, to alber elbaz, everyone seems to get the hang of it. now im starting to worry bout my figure!lol.

some reminiscing of marc's glorious past. he has long hair back then. and the eyeliner--so major. but i still love him, just as much as i love my balenciaga bag.

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my eyes hurt!

i dont know if there was a problem with my eyes or what [surely, i have 20-20], but i thought that giorgio cantarini and spencer treat clark were one and the same. i was watching my downloaded gladiator when i remembered the beautiful life specifically the child actor. there was this part in the gladiator where spencer was running through an arid path and i can really see the semblance between the two actors. i dont know if its just me or they are really the same[somehow in terms of gestures and the like].






















life is beautiful is really a great film. it made me change my favorite, which was shawshank redemption. the story was great, expected ending, but i think what made it special were the subtitles! lol. great plot and greater costume design. the lines were superb and i can not say any negative feedbacks.

tired of best? try the worst!

august is finally come to an end and sadly, some mags were not able to pull it off. failing a single spread entitles you to the worst list of NY mag. nymag determined some of the worst and the best of august and topping my list is miley cyrus. no good for a fashion spread!

the pole dancer indicator look
miley wears over-the-knee boots and a minidress by rodarte on the left, and a william rast studded leather jacket with alexander wang booties and leggings on the right. How does a 16-year-old starlet evolve from that without a stripper pole?

worst styling - fergie

we hear tarzan was booked for a shoot in vines monthly.
















worst denim - nylon
the effort to do something different with denim intensified this month to an alarming degree. surely a plain pair of jeans isn't so odious next to these monstrosities.















the torture makeup! - vogue

poor karlie kloss probably had to sit there for hours while they pasted all sorts of things to her face and affixed a weird hybrid of a helmet and swim cap to her head. then she probably had to spend hours winking. models: sometimes we envy them and other times we so don't.

worst head appendage - nylon

not to be gross, but this just reminds us of south park's famous conjoined fetus lady.






















worst dressed for huggling - metal
that is, unless you really don't like the person.

read the rest of the story

shut up! you shi*t!

a shirt is a fashion staple. but considering the upsurging fashion house queue claiming shirt supremacy, who do we believe? shirts over time have been washed, dyed, printed, tattered, distressed, trimmed and a whole lot more, loden dager proved that there is another way of pulling off a shirt, that is--too difficult to explain. its not a sheer dress but its nearing the name. its a high-gauge long-fiber sea island-cotton that is loose but not baggy. its one, if not, the perfect shirt ever! i cant wait to have that shirt, but dont get me wrong. getting that envious shirt requires you to have $125 and guts. why? i wouldnt wear anything underneath those! would you?

note:
this shirt is not a statement shirt, you dont buy the name, you dont buy the tag. you buy status symbol.

source

ta-ta lacroix

there has been a rumor about christian lacroix's goodbye. models gave their service for free as lacroix revealed his "last" collection. christian lacroix is known for his out-of-this-world designs.

last tuesday, lacroix showed the world his last couture collection. fashion struggles to earn impeding fashion houses to run business.

the christian lacroix haute couture2009-2010 in paris was jaw-dropping. friends and supporters pitch in to make the runway show happen. embroidery was given by an embroidery house for free. maison roger vivier gave out shoes and donated heels to models. makeup artists and hairdressers provided lacroix a discount--and he did payed them all. location was free. the caterer also gave food for free. only 12 models were payed. very artistic and creative--qualities that christian lacroix was known for.

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