JERRLIFE

How To Go Blonde If You Are Asian or Have Black Hair, A Short Story

2016-01-18T00:07:00.000-05:00

Why I Wanted To Go Blonde

"Don't trust anyone who's had the same hairstyle for five years." It's wisdom I share to others (sometimes unsolicited) that result in the recipient giving me a crazed look as if I'm already the crazy drunk uncle who speaks in inebriated tongue I'm destined to be. Let me assure you I am not - yet.

Think about it: would you trust somebody who eats the same thing everyday for five years? I don't think so. It's suspicious. Keeping the same hair for years is a sign of compliance. A surrender to life and ambition for experience. If your hair has stayed the same, what else has stayed the same?

It's partly the reason why I've been cognizant of changing hairstyles. Last year I let my hair grow to a freakishly long length to donate and cut it all the way up to my chin this spring. After, I knew blonde was next.

Maybe it's me but extreme hair changes are the scariest but the best.

My First Attempt

I told my hair dresser I wanted to be as blonde as possible. Bright, light, and maybe biracial I described to her. She seemed unsure.

Going black to blonde is an arduous journey. You are travelling from one side of the hair spectrum to the other. It's not one I recommend you travel alone - unless you want to be left for ~~dead~~ orange. So I looked for a salon.

I visited the Aveda Institute on December for a consultation. I chose them because it's affordable and they have teachers to help the students. It was reliable I thought. They asked me what colour I wanted which prompted them to ask me if I have any colours in my hair (they ask this to assess the condition your hair is in since bleaching is one of the most invasive process you can do to your hair. Also to get an even colour, they'd want to know what colours are in your hair). I had virgin hair so that wasn't an issue. The girl said yes they could do it and so I went ahead to book an appointment.

A week later I came in for my appointment. I told my hair dresser I wanted to be as blonde as possible. Bright, light, and maybe biracial I described to her. She seemed unsure.

I also knew there was a chance they couldn't do it so I gave myself emotional allowance to be let down.

I asked her, realistically, how light could they get me? They showed me asian people with "blonde" hair on their iPad which was kind of racist in a funny, not offensive way (like did they google 'sort-of-blonde asian people' specifically? lol). I was more offended they kept referring to their hair as blonde. I was like um....that is honey brown.

I was conflicted. I was excited for change and thought, partial change is better than no change! But that change would make me unsatisfied - angry even - and they didn't seem confident they could do it by the second appointment. I decided not to go through with it.

I was disappointed but I also knew there was a chance they couldn't do it so I gave myself emotional allowance to be let down. However I appreciated them being honest as to where they could get my hair to and even recommending not to do it at their salon (they recommended another salon). I wish they told me this at the consultation though...

Instead I ended up getting a protein treatment, a great haircut from the instructor, and learned about this magic called Aveda' Smoothing Fluid. It's also called hair lotion which just sounds like a bad idea but my ends get dry after washing and does whatever it wants and this leaves it shiny without residue. Like I said, magic. Also it smells like you just came from a salon.

On The Second Try

Without it, my hair would look fried as if I ironed it everyday like a Jersey Shore cast mate. Instead it's still shiny. Olaplex is revolutionary!

I ended up going the week after to the salon the Aveda instructor recommended, Fringe. The internet also told me they were good. So I called them, told them what I want, and confirmed repeatedly and adamantly that yes, they could do it. (eg. It's black, there's lots of it, can you do it? Yes? Are you sure? I am asian.)

Yesterday was my appointment. I woke up early and just my luck, it was the first snow storm of the season. Initially, yes, the combination of getting lost and the uphill walk on a windy snow day was brutal. However, I know once at the salon, they would have no one to cater to but me.

Turned out I was right and was the only client most of the day. They bleached my hair three times. Originally my hairdresser intended to bleach it twice only but my ends still had orange to it(read: red particles) and bleached it again(The ends of your hair is the hardest to lift colour).

First bleaching

Second bleaching

So for anyone, who thought my head was burning for 8 hours, it was not. Your roots is actually the fastest to lift colour so bleach doesn't have to touch your scalp for very long. My scalp had bleach for 1 hour and it wasn't even bad. They put Splenda in my bleach, which for some reason, reduces the pain. My scalp was hella dry(no moisture) after however and I have scabbing on some parts but it's really not that bad.

Third bleaching (only the end)

Also, if you're going to colour treat your hair inquire about Olaplex. It's a new chemical solution that allow hairdressers to do more invasive processes (such as bleaching) without ruining the quality of your hair. For example, Olaplex allowed me to do a third bleaching. Without it, my hair would look fried as if I ironed it everyday like a Jersey Shore cast mate. Instead it's still shiny. Olaplex is revolutionary!

After bleaching it three times, we finally got to tone. What toning does is get ride of the brassiness (aka the yellow in my hair). It's always interesting how different toning can make your hair look. You can sit there for hours bleaching but you won't really have a good idea what your hair will look like until you put toner in it.

Because I still had orange in my hair (and no way I was bleaching my hair again a fourth time and I suspect it won't have much effect anyway) they had to use a toner that offset the orangey tones in my ends but also darken the rest of my hair.

Final Thoughts

I spent 8 hours at the salon. I could go to Europe faster than I could go blonde. It's no metaphor blonde is a journey.

The hair colour I achieved wasn't the colour I desired but I don't I blame it on my hairdresser. My hair did all the lifting it possibly could. I wanted platinum hair and if anything, I blame my black hair for having so much pigment to lift.

I know one more bleaching will get me to the colour I want and a few more washes and the toner will subside. For now, patience.

I spent 8 hours at the salon. I could go to Europe faster than I could go blonde. It's no metaphor blonde is a journey.

Before/After

How Much To Go Blonde?

Finally, it shouldn't be a surprise going blonde is expensive. In total it cost me $300 with tip. It was $70 per bleaching and Olaplex was $30. Plus 8 hours is a lot of work so I think it's reasonable.

I also bought a staple purple shampoo called Shimmer Lights and a leave-in treatment from Ion (which I plan to use as conditioner) from Sally's Beauty Shop.

Touch ups need to be done about 4-6 weeks and will probably cost less than $100.

Essentially it's like buying a phone and having a monthly bill.

To Recap:
If you want to go blonde:

- Have virgin hair

- Find a reputable/confident salon (DO NOT DO IT YOURSELF)

- Have time

- Have money

- Can commit to maintain looking cute.

Troy Sivan's Youth: A Sensible Way of Saying Forever

2015-11-15T16:25:00.000-05:00

I find the word forever suspicious. Whenever someone says it, I ask/think, 'So you can tell the future?' It's not that I'm an asshole, it's just I don't trust people who are unaware of how they speak, hyperbolically or otherwise.

On Friday, Troye Sivan, my favourite new artist released his new song, an anthem called Youth (getting ready in the morning may have been prolonged as of late due to dancing to this). In it he sings in the chorus 'My youth is yours' and it's probably the most romantic thing I've heard this year. It has the promise of forever that's actually feasible and in the context of youth, a promise that's innocent and precious. Subsequently, the phrase is also adorable.

My point is, I trust Troye and admire his writing.

My other favourite line is 'What if, we're speeding through red lights...into paradise?' It's dangerously dreamy.

His new album Blue Neighbourhood comes out December 4th. :)

I want that Balmain X H&M Blazer But...

2015-10-15T16:46:00.000-04:00

I've been fixated with this Balmain X H&M blazer ever since Kendall wore it to the Billboards Awards earlier this year and Olivier Rousteing announced the collaboration. 'I want it, I'm getting it!' was my immediate reaction. I have established that my style is best described in three words: easy but considered and indulgent. This blazer is the indulgent part. I will pair it with a white t-shirt and black pants and fool everyone to think there was more effort put in this look. Pieces like this do all the work for you.

Fast forward to a few months later I learned it is retailing for about $450-$600 unconfirmed. I balked hearing this although with all of that embellishment, it wasn't exactly unexpected. But this is the conundrum it presents. It's a special piece: where and when else am I going to get a piece with this design and (presumably) quality? Never. But, where and when am I going to wear it? Rarely but beautifully.

That money I could use for other things I want, practical things. Maybe a Canada Goose jacket to finally protect myself properly from winter? Or a Celine tote I will use for a lifetime. Or maybe new eyeglasses that's long overdue.

Purchases like these are practical because I will use them on a daily basis. However unlike the blazer, I put off buying these products because they will always be available to purchase.

A few days ago I learned there will only be 200 of those blazers made allegedly. So it's become more urgent I get it.

Also New Years Eve is coming up.

Tell me, have you been anticipating the launch of this collection like I have? What items do you want to get from the #HMBalmaination collection come Nov. 5th?

Rome Diary Day 3

2015-09-07T22:02:00.000-04:00

Check out day 1 and day 2 yo.

On our third day we decided to visit the Trevi fountain. It's considered the most beautiful fountain in the world and people throw coins in it to make wishes. What we didn't know is that Fendi commissioned it to be restored - for 2M - and wasn't reopening until October 2015, in case you were planning to go. It is tradition to throw a coin over your shoulder in the fountain and make a wish. There was a minuscule portion of the fountain to throw your coins in.

I wished for the fountain to be open, just kidding.

My friend was supposed to meet her friend in the area so we stayed for a bit. We went to United Colors of Benetton which was surprisingly underwhelming and looked at Birkenstocks because comfort becomes paramount after walking 40 000 steps a day. Unfortunately said friend didn't show up so we continued on.

We decided to check out some shops. In particular COS and &Other Stories - stores I love and don't have in Canada *yet*. Their appeal is their play on proportion and textiles on basics. I didn't get anything unfortunately.

We also went into a small mall. It's amazing because even their malls have incredible architecture as if it's of historical significance.

And maybe they are, I'm not sure.

Afterwards we made our way to the Pantheon. It is one of the oldest buildings in the world at 1 889 years old (126AD). How it managed to do so, is astonishing. Inside, the Pantheon is a dome and has a single light source from a circular hole in the ceiling called the oculus. I was curious if it could tell time like a sundial.

Afterwards we went to Sant'Eustachio, an infamous cafe. It's one of the oldest (as you may have noticed, Rome is rich in legacy) and considered one of the best in Rome. We got some pastries but what's really woah, were their drinks. We had the cappuccino. The body was rich and creamy. The flavour was not bitter; it was smooth. Although it was a small portion, it took a while to drink it. Also it wasn't that expensive considering the quality, it was 1.5 euros if I remember correctly.

What's unique is that people don't sit down on the tables outside since there's a mandatory service charge. Instead they hang out in the cafe after getting their drinks and chat away creating a crowd.

After finishing our drinks we headed to Castel Sant'Angelo. It was originally built as a mausoleum for the Roman Emperor Hadrian and his family. Then, it was used as a fortress and castle by the popes in the 14th century. Today, it is a museum.

Outside it looks like a simple cylindrical structure, inside it was a labyrinth. We didn't die but we did get lost and go in circles. There were spy holes on the walls; we saw canon balls; and even a narrow escape path that lead to St. Peter's Basilica for the Pope.

We ended up going to the top of the castle and hung out there for a while. Then we left and decided it's time to eat.

Bonus: We saw girls taking selfies with a seagull on the way. Basic bitches are an international phenomena, I can confirm.

We were immensely picky about finding an authentic restaurant. We ended up walking a good 1-2 hours without success and at that point there were a thousand more steps as to why we were not going to settle for a tourist restaurant.

Unfortunately, my friend suddenly realized she had lost her phone. We panicked and searched. Being in a tourist country, we were convinced she was pick pocketed, and her phone was never to be seen again. The irony is I am a notorious loser and if anyone should lose something on this vacation, everyone would bet on me.

Fortunately for her, I have the worst luck and the best luck (I have a pretty great recovery rate in dire circumstances). I called her phone and turns out, someone turned her phone in and gave it to the police. After waiting for a while at the place we agreed to meet, we suspected this was some kind of scam. After a few more calls and a few more delays, we did end up not being scammed and the police gave my friend her phone back. It was a suspenseful, stressful hour or so.

After, we resumed our search for food. We probably spent another 2 hours looking for a restaurant and started developing hysteria tbh.

I am actually pretty dumbfounded by the stamina I have. Rome has been pretty much a bootcamp vacation.

Eventually we wound up finding a restaurant and scarfed our that faster than you can say 'Roma!'

When we left, we switched footwear in an attempt to salvage our obliterated feet. I was wearing socks and sandals and my friend wore sneakers with no socks.

No photos of this so it never happened.

Fact: Carly Rae Jepsen Has The Summer Album Of 2015

2015-08-16T19:18:00.000-04:00

Favourite Tracks:

Runaway With Me

Emotions

Gimme Love

All That

Your Type

L.A. Hallucinations

When I Needed You

Favourite Colour

(Basically listen to the whole thing)

I don't know what is happening but there is a serious drought of pop albums this year. Rihanna released a single in January and then 2 and a half more songs after that but an album never materialized. Hilary Duff released one but apparently pop fans are not loyal or nostalgic (waste). I can only listen to Taylor Swift's 1989 so much guys.

When I heard Carly Rae Jepsen's album Emotion I was no longer thirsty. Do not be fooled by the lead single I Really Like You which is a very obvious attempt at Call Me Maybe 2.0 (except I think it's unique in trying to articulate the in-between feeling between like and love which I guess is by saying the word 'really' six times but I digress). Emotion is not just another pop album. Carly Rae Jepsen co-wrote all the songs (she collaborated with the likes of Dev Hynes, Sia, Vampire Weekend's Rostman Batmanglij) and took three years to create the album (a rarity in pop music) and the work shows. It's cohesive, danceable, and not trite. This is quality pop music y'all.

I'm not the only who thinks this.

What I like most about Emotion is when Jepsen tackles conflicting subject matters and straddles between, well, emotions. In Your Type, a friend zone song essentially, she sings I love you, I'm sorry/ I'm sorry, I love you. (Follow it up with When I Needed You and it's not so tragic). It's frank and emotionally potent. Jepsen conveys a range of emotions with two phrases rearranged. It's skillful and warrants the album title Emotion.

Finally, if you like Taylor Swift's 1989 you will like this...more.

Emotion aka dance party comes out this Friday, August 21st!

Rome Diary Day 2

2015-08-04T00:46:00.002-04:00

Missed Day 1? Check it out here!

The second day in Rome was really our first full day in Rome. We were rested - sort of - and ready to walk 40 000 steps. No more of this 20 000 pussy steps like the first day. Let's get to exploring.

Bless this angel for having freaky good sense of direction. Let's join Amazing Race Canada

Vatican City

We decided to go to the Vatican first. The Vatican is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and considered to be a holy place - if not the holiest. A city within Rome (like Quebec but if it made sense). Papa Francisco lives there. Some of the most beautiful, historic, and oldest artwork and architecture in the world can be found here. How am I here?

Disclosure: I'm actually pretty clueless about said artwork and architecture in Rome. I can recognize them but I don't know their significance let alone their name most of the time. So if I refer to something incorrectly, let me know. If I refer to something as 'that thing over there', I'm sorry.

E.g. We arrived at St. Peter's Square and my friend was being particularly sassy that day about being on schedule or something so I decided to sass her back:

Me: Where are we?
Aleks: St. Peter's Square
*5 minutes later*
Me: This is cool and all but don't we need to go to the Vatican?
Aleks: I know you're trying to be sassy, but St. Peter's Square is at the Vatican JR. *death stare*

*looks at that pretty thing in the opposite direction*

Anyway Vatican City is the reason for the word beautiful. If you want to see the world's most beautiful architecture, go here. St. Peter's Square which is a misnomer because it's, in fact, circular. The large collonades surround it and above them are 90 statues of saints. Below them are numerous surveillance cameras. I felt secure. In the square itself there are two fountains and an obelisk right in the centre. Fun fact: Rome has the most obelisks in the world (8) and they were taken from Egyptians.

Directly across from St. Peter's Square is St. Peter's Basilica. We decided not to get in line - I don't really remember why since we lined up anyway afterwards. More on that later.

Vatican Museum

Instead we lined up for the Vatican Museum a.k.a let's go see the Sistine Chapel! Again, I don't really know much about Rome so it turned out to be a lot more than that.

The line up was awful. Not only because we waited - I want to say more than an hour - but because there, again, were vendors. They made it really confusing. When someone lined up they would bombard you with a pitch on skipping the line. Convenient, sure, but like every street vendor there, it was sketchy. Plus, it was more expensive I think.

Also it was particularly hooooot that day so I was desperate to get in. #thatswhathesaid

My friend wanted to get refreshments. She also came back with gelato for abandoning me in line so we were cool after - figuratively and literally (which is the best kind don't you think?).

Boiling and next in line to enter.

Finally we got in. We had to go up a spiral stair (there weren't actually steps, so like, an incline??). The crowd walked really slow and we didn't appreciate that. So we zoomed our way through. We have art to look at people.

We first went to the Belvedere Court. There we saw the Fontana della Pigna which literally translates to Pinecone Fountain. I didn't really get it. Thematically, a pinecone just felt out of place in the Vatican's Baroque/Renaissance style. The Sphere Within Sphere, a bronze sculpture, is located in the middle of the court. That was cool too.

(I had to google all those things I name checked. I was oblivious to the significance of everything other than they were beautiful)

Sphere Within Sphere

Afterwards we proceeded into the long halls of the Vatican Museum and immediately became awestruck. Seriously, try to articulate the sensory overload of this place I dare you. We entered and boom: there are large artworks hanging on the wall and above, the ceilings are covered with ornate paintings. It was insaaaane. It was rooms and rooms and rooms of this. I googled it right now and we went to the Borgia Apartments, Raphael Rooms, and the Sistine Chapel.

Probably more to be honest. Again I wasn't sure where I was, when what ended where and what started where, but I was having multiple visceral responses to what I was witnessing that was an afterthought.

Here are some photos. Awe away:

Afterwards, we needed to take a moment, collect ourselves, and eat. They had a cafeteria there. My friend sent some postcards and exited the museum.

Next up, St. Peter's Basilica!

St. Peter's Basilica

We returned back to St. Peter's Square where the line to the Basilica remained everlong. The line probably had 400 people but we got in in about 30 minutes. Also perks of being in a holy area: no vendors. Bless, literally.

Like the Vatican Museum, what is impressive about St. Peter's Basilica is that it is massive and detailed. I wish we did a tour so we could learn more about the art and architecture - but we didn't (ahem, Aleks...). I did keep eavesdropping on tour guides. I learned Michaelangelo's last piece is located in St. Peter's Basilica for free :). Read here for some c00l facts.

After exploring the floor we found an entrance to the Pope tomb. Yeah, there are Popes buried here. It was a grim but also holy place. I guess I knew this but it's incredible the papacy is centuries old tradition. I didn't know however there were Popes who reigned only for days.

We saw a bishop while we were down there! It was thrilling.

We were not allowed to take pictures in the tomb, obviously.

What is a Cupola?

After, we ended up exiting to an outdoor area of the Basilica. On one side there was a tour group all listening to their tour guide through their headphones. I'm mentioning this because it was weird and lol. There was just a group of people silently staring at one person . I tried to eavesdrop but I think they were speaking a differently language...

On the other side there was a line. It said 'CUPOLA.' We were like, what is a CUPOLA? We tried to gather clues and figure it out, but no dice. There was a long line - not as long as the other ones we've lined up in - so we gather it must be worthwhile.

There were 2 prices: 5 euros walking or 7 euros for the elevator. It said too, that it was 1000 steps. After the traumatizing stair situation in Paris and tbh our whole vacation of walking 40 000 steps a day, we were like, what's another 1000 steps? "LET'S DO IT FOR THE EXPERIENCE." my friend exclaimed and chose to walk.

This was our catchphrase every time we we faced uncertain situations which was often.

It was a spiral staircase and as my friend suspected, these stairs were not going to be your average stairs. I don't know what the Romans were thinking, but these were like pancake stairs. They were so wide each step was more like 2-3 steps. But that's probably just the 21st century in me...

PARIS IS HAPPENING AGAIN.

In addition to walking in a spiral, what was terrible was we didn't know when it would end. I kept sprinting hoping that turn would be the last but it just kept turning. We passed by older people catching their breath.

Until finally, an exit.

It was an outdoor area and I thought this was the Cupola. I started to think Cupola was like a grail and it's like a greeting or something. Like cup and ola - as in hello. Anyway, there were another set of stairs, I'm assuming led to the mystery that is the Cupola. Us and a couple other people stopped here to catch their breath. We also took some photos.

Why are we so dramatic here??

Seriously, what is the Cupola? Are we getting ordained??

This climb was brief. We were on the ceiling right on the centre of St. Peter's Basilica (trivia: it's the shape of a crucifix). The view was beautiful and the artwork on the ceiling was too.

Then slowly, I saw people exit through another entrance and I thought this is the Cupola now let's go back down. But the stairs continued to ascend...

This is when it starts to get scary. There were different sets of stairs. At first, it just started to narrow. Then the walls started to curve.

I wouldn't call myself fat and I felt squeezed in. I'm not exactly claustrophobic and I was freaking out inside. There were quite a few people up there and I didn't know how long I was going to be in this situation.

I found a video of what we climbed. Watch to the 3+ minute mark to have a better understanding of what we're dealing with here.

At this point too people are exhausted. Thankfully there were windows with cool breeze coming through. People sat there to take a break. I however was anxious to just get to wherever it was we were going. Is the Cupola next? Are there any more surprises along the way? Uncertainty gives me anxiety and I didn't know much more I could endure without losing my chill.

Seriously, what is the Cupola? I hope it's an escalator.

Moments later an exit and a breeze of cool air. WE HAVE ARRIVED AT THE CUPOLA.

Turns out the Cupola, is the highest point of St. Peter's Basilica. The Cupola is the dome above the Basilica. From here we could see what feels like all of Rome. The view of St. Peter's Square hundreds (thousands?) of feet below is incredible and you appreciate it more after walking 1000 steps.

A selfie at the Cupola. Do you have one of those??

We stayed at the Cupola for a bit. It was beautiful and breathtaking. We were sweating but up here there was a cool breeze; a rarity in Rome. It was crowded but that was okay. After walking that much to get here, we just wanted to take the moment in. This was such an experience. I didn't know when I'd be here again.

If I want to do that again.

It was horrifying and gratifying. It was a story to tell. And we accomplished what we set out to do: LET'S DO IT FOR THE EXPERIENCE.

On the way down, we exited through a different side of the Cupola. It was so similar I tripped out. The difference was there was a bathroom and a gift shop here. I bought a figurine for my mother and made our way back to the ground.

Let's Eat

After we left Vatican City to get food. Finding good food in Rome is very challenging. Most of it is subpar Italian food catered aggressively to easily persuaded tourists who don't know any better. Most restaurants have servers outside waiting to pounce on you and blown up menus to make you stop and look.

We know better. Sort of.

My friend's relative recommended a restaurant. First of, Rome has a lot of these small narrow streets with uneven cobble stones which we got lost in. Second, many of them don't have names. Like are these "alleys"? Eventually we found the place and it was closed. We were in distraught. We've walked so much and just wanted an amazing meal. The restaurant had so many award stickers on their door. :(

So we looked for an alternative. We passed by dozens of restaurants with menus outside and servers waiting to chat us up. One was playing Ooops I Did It Again, so I was sold but my friend did not like their chairs. That's the third thing, no generic-we-bought-this-at-home-depot chairs. They need to be homely or old.

For people who just walked maybe 30 000 steps at this point, we were pretty persistent about going to a good restaurant (soon exhausted). We weren't going to settle for mediocre tourist food.

Eventually, we did. The place had wi-fi okay.

They had vegetables and fruits for decorations. They had I believe, flowers suspended upside down from the ceiling. And in the entrance plates of food surrounded by a variety of fruits and vegetable. It was strange but okay.

My friend's pretty accommodating with shooting our food, but she was like get it quickly I want to inhale this for this meal.

My friend hated her lasagna and I was okay with my spaghetti. She liked it too so we switched halfway because I'm such a good friend.

The wi-fi was good though. #snapchat #instagram #tweet (ps. @jerrlife on all platforms hollaaa)

Afterwards we had gelato. We decided we were going to get one every single day. This was my favourite one during our stay. The serving was big and they covered it in that chocolate drizzle that goes hard. Soooooooooooo good.

My friend got gelato on her dress and was not happy about it. She sat down on the bench and her dress touched the ground which had gelato spill...

But we fixed it - sort of - and we walked back home.

Fashion Is Not Saving Lives, It Shouldn't Kill People Either: The True Cost Tackles Cheap Clothing

2015-07-27T20:35:00.000-04:00

I just watched The True Cost on Netflix and I urge you to do the same. The documentary explores the adverse impact of dirt cheap clothing on the people who make them and the natural resources they are made from.

For us, consumers, fashion is fun. Fashion should be indulgent, but it shouldn't be irresponsible. Fashion can be expensive but The True Cost will make you reconsider buying that cheap thing.

People are dying from how our clothes are made. Garment factories are collapsing and killing the workers in them. They knowingly ignore these problems because pressure to keep costs low from these fashion companies is very high. If they cannot fulfill orders for a certain price, there will be another factory to do so.

At the most emotional part of the documentary, a mother Shima talks about being a garment worker. "There is no limits to the struggle of Bangladeshi workers. People have no idea how difficult it is for us to make the clothing. They only buy it and wear it." She then talks specifically about the collapse of Rana plaza (with a reported 1133 deaths, it's the biggest death toll from an industrial disaster) and starts to tear up. "It's very painful for us. I don't want anyone wearing anything, which is produced by our blood."

The fashion industry is second most polluting industry (oil is first).Tanneries (leather) are poisoning the workers and the environment they work in. The chemicals (chromium) used are being dumped in to their water resources. It is poisoning children (death or cognitive and physical disorders) who drink the water and contaminating the crops grown from their land.

These are some of the hidden costs of cheap clothing. They're not financial, they're social and environmental ones. Ones that doesn't affect us but others in a way that is more significant than the dollars we are saving.

Fashion is not saving lives, it shouldn't kill people either.

Rome Diary Day 1

2015-07-21T23:08:00.004-04:00

Did you miss out on my Paris trip?! See what happened here, here, and here.

Let's talk about flying and my luck.

The airline emailed me that because there was a fire at Fiumicino (the airport I'm supposed to land on) our flight might be rerouted to Rome's other airport Ciampino.

Maybe, I don't know. My friend also doesn't know where she was landing. And she's on another flight.

Paris was happening again.

She had an earlier flight so we decided she would wait in the airport so we could just get lost together instead of having to find each other after. It's the lesser of two evils. But we didn't even know if our flights would end up in the same airport..

Fortunately, both our flights ended up arriving at Fiumicino. Phew right? Wrong.

Side note: I sat next to a couple. They kept making out. Fortunately I slept through most of the flight. Unfortunately, when we were landing they decided to shove their gopro on the window for 30 minutes. I was at the window seat...

Because of the fire, I'm assuming, I ended up waiting for my luggage for more than an hour. It was horrible. The conveyor churned out 10 bags and then nothing the majority of the time.

My friend ended up waiting in the airport for 4 hours. She wanted to murder me.

We made our way to the train station to get our tickets. We ended up being stuck behind this older couple who spent like 20 minutes - it felt forever - asking questions and getting their stupid ticket. There were two other lines and people who were there after us left before us. Eventually I ended up queuing up at another line and actually almost ended up getting to the booth before my friend did. It was such an infuriating experience.

Finally we ended up on our train. The train has compartments designed for big luggages and I thought that was interesting.

We ended up sitting next to an older nice lady. She was had a horror story of her own. She was from San Diego, I think, and had a morning flight and didn't fly until night time. Or something like that.

Point is, shit happens. Getting lost and ending up in unplanned situations is part of travelling. Be prepared.

Thankfully everything else went smoothly after that. We stayed at a place right across to Termini Station. Like in Paris, we stayed near the train station so we can easily go to the airport when we leave. Also it turned out to be a useful reference point when we got lost in Rome.

The area outside our building was really sketchy. The street was dirty. There were people who loitered outside our building and I didn't feel safe.

Inside the building was fine. Our airbnb host met us on the first floor almost immediately and took us to our apartment on the fifth floor. The building had this minuscule elevator. It was like a 1.5meters x 12 inches. You could fit maybe 4 people side by side - uncomfortably. It also had two doors you had to manually close otherwise the elevator wouldn't operate.

Our host was really nice. Unlike Parisians, I find Italians friendly and hospitable. "Rome is better" our host Maria joked.

Her husband (who doesn't speak English) was there too to show us the place. Again kitchen, bathroom (with a hairdryer bless), and bedroom (with an air conditioner! Rome is boiling).

I had asked if she had any advice for staying safe - I truly felt unsafe - and she didn't understand what I was asking and she insisted because she wanted to help. She said it may seem like it but everything is fine in the area.

Thankfully she was right. We never had problems.

She also asked the relation between my friend and I. I thought it was the boyfriend/girlfriend conversation again(lol). But her curiosity was more on how an asian person was with a white person. Multiculturalism is a thing Rome... She asked if we met while travelling and we're like nah we're bffs from Canada.

But like in a less sassy way.

She told us where the grocery store was; how to use the air conditioner and the water boiler in the bathroom ; and to eat gelato. #coolstorybro

Then we ended up talking about Pope Francis who she referred to as Papa Francesco. My friend and I thought it sounded funny but they really do refer to him as that. We referred to Pope Francis as Papa Francesco during our stay there.

Indefinitely too tbh.

After they left we got settled and went to the grocery store. Conveniently, it was right across our building. Again we bought some water, bread and cold cuts to bring with us to travel. We also got chocolate and chips. #haul

On our way back someone almost spat on me. We were going up the stairs to reach our building and somebody spat from the balcony. Not cool.

Then we took a nap. Two hours or so later, we woke up.

We decided to roam the city with no plans. Given the circumstances of the day, keeping it light seemed right.

We passed by a park. We went to a basilica. It's a special church designated by the pope (here's an explanation of the difference). In Rome, they populate the city. They have elaborate sculptures and artwork. They're beautiful.

Basilicas have a strict rule with clothing. Women must not show shoulders or legs. They have to cover themselves with these cloths. Since it's hot in Rome, this happens a lot. My friend was wearing shorts and as she joked she's 'basically a whore' to the basilica's eyes. I see legs and shoulders at churches all the time so this was disorienting to me.

We walked around a little and I had my first gelato in Rome. It was delicious. With the heat, satisfying.

lol.

Then we went to the Coliseum. I'm very affected every time we arrive at a landmark. It is not lost on me what a privilege it is to be able to travel and see the world. These landmarks are so distant, people only see and read them in books. But not me.

The Coliseum is formidable and to be in the same space where gladiators fought and died thousands of years ago, it's surreal.

It was however already closed. We just walked around the area and took pictures and planned to go back another day.

The Roman Forums was steps away (it was closed too). To be honest, I was not familiar with it. It's essentially where communal events happened. I also think government officials lived there. Unfortunately there was a fire and it's mostly a ruin now.

It was hot and trekking the uphill cobblestone was a workout.

After we finally decided to go find somewhere to eat.

Here's the thing with Rome: because it is essential a tourist city, restaurants are spraaaaaaawled all over and they are not the best Rome can offer. They are also aggressive in getting your business. Servers wait on the sidewalk to try to lure you in. Menus are displayed outside to make you stop and look.

Here's a tip: find restaurants that don't have menus and servers outside. Those are the authentic ones. I also recommend you find them online in advance. (I have a story about that another day...)

Fortunately we ended up finding an authentic one. It took some time and the decor was questionable but the food was great.

After we walked all the way back home. We got lost but that's okay.

See more photos on Instagram and follow me!

Paris Diary Day 3

2015-07-12T23:41:00.000-04:00

Missed out on day 1 and 2? No worries, I got you. Read 'em here and here.

On our third and final day we booked a fancy dinner. The kind of fancy we had to book weeks in advance. More on that magical dinner later...

First, we went to Starbucks. They have collectible city, country mugs that can only bought in the corresponding countries. They had 'Paris' and 'France' so I took both. They had pancakes so we ended up having breakfast there. We went for seconds, lol.

Then my friend wanted to mail post cards and so we went to the post office.

After we made our to an area called Le Marais and spend our afternoon there.

Our Airbnb host notified us there was a music festival happening today. Restaurants, cafes, and even stores hosted musicians to come perform at their establishments. As we walked around the city we passed by a few performers. The normally quiet streets of Paris came alive.

Also, it was Sunday and we noticed many stores were closed. It was weird but I was like 'okay, Paris...' It's nice for the employees though.

On the way, we saw two women arguing on the streets. Not just women, French women. Typically this is amusing by itself but because Parisians are reserved, this was a rare treat we were witnessing. My friend was looking at the map while I discretely watched them. It was tres magnifique.

On the way we saw a place with cats on the window. And then more cats. Turns out the place was a cat cafe. We already ate breakfast but since we've never been to one we decided to go in. We needed reservations. Fortunately, the lady was nice enough to accommodate us without one. We both had teas and mini desserts. Mine had a white bug (lice?) in my raspberry but I didn't say anything because the cats were cute and I am weak to cute.

Most of the cats were sleeping. They had 3 rules: you can't pick up the cat, you can't pet a sleeping cat, and you can't wake them up. It was a little bit of a bummer. However one cat was awake and sat next to the window behind us. Then it became interested in my friend. It sat on her lap and examined her sweater. It was magical. It didn't come to me, but I'm okay with being magical adjacent.

After we finally made it to Le Marais. It's a place where the streets are narrow and stores - that are open, yay - populate the place. It seemed to be a tourist area (it was busy) but there is something very French about it.

The stores are more contemporary. Think Sandro and Maje (Michael Kors and Kate Spade if you're a basic bitch). We did see COS and Uniqlo. In general disposable, cheap clothing isn't really Paris's style. I love that and I think that's why their style is so infamous. They're more considerate of what they buy and there are no Forever21s or Dynamites to taint their wardrobe.

What was so bizarre however was we kept seeing stores with multiple locations in close proximity. We saw, I think 2-3 Maje stores. The biggest culprit was The Kooples. We saw 5 in the span of like 30 minutes. After the second store or so, we started pretending we've never heard of it and that we should go check it out.

I mean, one was 'opening soon...'

Also located in Le Marais is the Picasso National Museum. The museum was only open for another hour and something minutes. So we kinda felt rushed. It seemed small to me, but it turned out to be 5 floors. The design was also more modern (read lots of white, simple).

The collection includes pieces from, I feel, all of Picasso's periods. Cubism, African, sculpting, Blue, Rose. Even his early Realism work (I didn't know he did this) and pieces of artwork from his personal collection.

Seeing the work Picasso made in his lifetime - the styles and mediums he worked in - was inspiring. It reaffirmed that it is important to continue to grow and evolve despite of age, how established you are, and even if you develop a 'signature.'

Just outside the museum was a restaurant selling hotdogs on the street. Street meat is such a Canadian thing so obviously we made a stop and did it. Their street meet was different though: the bread was flat and the hotdog was like soft beef jerky. My friend put mustard and it was spicy, I don't know. They did give me an extra hotdog (bless) which I shared with my friend (share the bless).

With the cat cafe and this, unplanned eating just kept happening. I'm very okay with that.

After we made our way back home. We had to pack for our early flights and also change for our fancy dinner.

On the way to the restaurant we made a detour. Because I am me, we had to reshoot a shoot. It was at the Arc de Triomphe and I loved the concept we had. The results I had were unsatisfactory and since it will probably be a long time before I come to Paris again, I was adamant in getting the perfect shots. My friend concurred.

Thankfully, it was in the same area as our dinner. Unfortunately, we were strapped for time. We took the shots and rushed to the restaurant.

It was dramatic and we loved it.

Finally we made it to the restaurant. We were late but our reservation was honoured. It was at a place called Les Ombres. It was recommended by the internet as a go-to (highly recommend this list of things not to do in Paris) for having the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. I was winded, disheveled, and sweaty. The food was alright and the serving was tiny but after seeing the tower light up at 10pm, none of those things really mattered. Coming to Paris has been a dream come true and we were ending on a magical note.

After, we walked back home one last time. We slept maybe 2 hours that night (morning?) and I walked my friend to find a taxi. I made my way to the airport 2 hours later.

We were off to Rome. STAY TUNED.

Paris Diary Day 2

2015-07-04T12:42:00.000-04:00

If you haven't read my traumatic first day in Paris, here you go heaux.

On our second day at Paris we finally got our tourist on. Throughout our vacation, we decided to walk everywhere. This - we felt - gave us a richer experience of the culture by being able to see more of the city and people. Not just the tourist areas.

Also, it saved us money. Cha ching.

So we planned to go to the Eiffel tower. It was about an hour away. We also wanted to soak in the culture, explore, and smell the flowers.

First stop: pastries. I got a chocolate croissant and a twisty bread filled with melted chocolate chips cuz I'm extra like that. They were delicious, expensive, and worth it.

However this incident is a prime example of how you never win with French people: my friend started speaking French and the sales person spoke to her in English. I'm poor in French and I'm self conscious about it, so I spoke in English. My sales person kept speaking to me in French. They're just not impressed whether you try or not.

We went to Guerissol next, a second hand store recommended by the internet. It's apparently a go-to thrift shop in Paris. I'm not really a thrift shopper looking to be delighted by a surprise (I want specific things and I lurk sales until prices have drop low enough I can snatch them). My friend however is and skilled and patient at it. She found a Masimmo Dutti romper, Maje jeans, and Dior jeans.

We took a lot of photos after this. I can't repeat it enough: Paris is beautiful. For instance, the long rows of buildings in the narrow street we walked in disappeared in to the horizon. It seems commonplace but it was dreamy.

Wrong city bro: Sometimes French people are funny.

Up to this point of our trip we've avoided souvenir stores. However we found one not filled with tourists with cheaper prices. I ended up getting a mug, two place mats, and two eiffel towers: one was gold and the other was made of baguettes. My friend got keychains, an Eiffel tower, and a mug

We regret nothing.

We then found a mall and because we are basic, we went in. The mall was small and stores like H&M had three stores selling by category (e.g. bathings suits, womenswear) instead of one big one and the rack were not overflowing. I suspect Parisians prefer a boutique experience.

The mall had an openness to it. They had an area with plants and sunlight shining through the glass ceiling. The a.c. wasn't blasted. Instead, fresh air. We even found a pigeon inside. I went to the Starbucks to try a drink we didn't have here (a blended mango yogurt?). My friend went to use the bathroom which she had to pay 1 euro for.

Soon we were in the Champs-Elysee area. It's best described as the Time Square of Paris (read: big retail stores for tourists). From where we were, we could see the Arc de Triomphe, it was kind of exciting.

We saw another Guerissol. It was smaller and more edited. They only had menswear.

We ended up walking down the street with all the high-end stores. Being around designer clothing, my friend and I yearn. Yearn for a lifestyle that afford us these things. It's sad and shallow but simultaneously, also motivational. To have such privilege, you must aspire to be great.

It was funny: we saw stores we liked more on the other side, so we crossed. Then almost immediately we crossed back again because there were more stores we liked on the other side (I think it was Celine and Chanel). #fashion #ridiculous

As we exited the street, boom, there it was: the Eiffel Tower. Just casually within sight. We stopped by a bridge to take photos, danced a little, and kept walking.

Finally we made it to the Eiffel tower. We ended up entering next to it (instead of the large path that leads to it). That would've been more climactic I suppose, but I'M IN PARIS NEXT TO THE EIFFEL TOWER. I will take any entrance and be happy with it.

The Eiffel tower is one of those things you've seen and heard of so many times. It is incredibly surreal to be in the presence of it.

There was a line up to go up the tower but we weren't interested in that. Plus there was a long line. Instead we made our way to the lawn. There's a long lawn where people have picnics and my seemingly random purchase of place mats now seemed perceptive.

We had a picnic with the Eiffel tower as our background. What.

Lots of people selling Eiffel towers and booze.

Let me take a minute to talk about scams though. There were women who would come up to tourists asking us if we spoke English. There demeanour just seemed suspicious and my friend told me to ignore them. I looked it up online and what they do is make you sign a petition and harass you for a donation. They also swarm you and pick pocket you.

So if you're going to Paris, please look up 'scams in Paris' to protect yourself.

Afterwards we walked on the path. We saw ferry rides. Kids performing to Michael Jackson like really well. Police officers inspecting men (pick pockets?). There's a carousel and obviously we took a ride. We also bought a photo of us riding it lmao.

We stayed awhile taking photos. A long while.

Then we made our way to the Arc de Triomphe through Champ Elysee. We went to Laduree and bought some macaroons. There was a line up outside and inside.

Finally we got to Arc de Triomphe. It's in the middle of the road surrounded by traffic so we weren't sure how to get there. Instead, we went on the middle of a street and took pictures. What's funny was nobody was on that spot - because it's kind of dangerous - and by the time we finished shooting, basic bitches were waiting for their turn...

Basic bitch comes to our spot and then half ass copies my pose. GIRL BYE.

We then made our way to Notre Dame (the one in the Disney movie!) which was maybe, 45 minutes away. We walked through Pont Alexandre III, the most ornate bridge I've ever been on. There are gold accents everywhere and sculptures on the side of it. Four statues on massive pillars are found on each end of the bridge. It's so wow.

We stopped by at the lock bridge, which I think was not the famous one because we passed by another that was filled with tourists. Whatever, more photo taking space for me.

We were exhausted at this point (we walked everywhere). Then we found a mirage of a pub literally called The Great Canadian Pub. It wasn't particularly Canadian. The signs were in english and the bartender had a British accent.

I guess that's close enough...

So exhausted at this point.

Afterwards we finally did make it to Notre Dame. There are in fact, gargoyles high up. It's a beautiful church. We went in for a bit. Outside we were looking at our to map to find our way home and this man in leather - who was staring at us for a bit - approached and asked us if we needed directions. NO THANKS, TAKEN 4 IS NOT HAPPENING TODAY. #SOSliamneeson

Then we left, had dinner, and safely got home.

About eating out: great food is easily found in Paris. We made a decision for this vacation we were going to splurge on food and eat out everyday. Tip: tipping is not required in Europe! Sometimes a service fee is included already as well. They think it's wild we leave money behind. So save your money and get dessert.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. We got ready to do some night life and went to Le Comptoir General, a "ghetto museum." On the street, there's just a white cement wall with people lined up. Once we got to enter (no cover cha ching), there was a pitch black alley way which we were pretty sure we were going to get jumped. This seemed like a poor life decision at this point (I read about this too).

But after 15 seconds, there was a building and inside, people were alive and having fun. One room had chill music and the other had dance music. The music was okay. The place looked like a shabby museum but it had character. There was a tiki bar. My friend had some awful alcoholic beverage I liked (I don't drink) and I had a coconut. It was authentic and delicious and it was 6 euros. Which - fine - I mean, who has a coconut in Paris? Me. #ridiculous

The place became increasingly hot as more people came so we decided to leave an hour or so after. Right outside was a river that ran parallel to the street. A row of benches ran on each side of it and lively young adults filled them. We found a vacant bench to sit down on. I thought about the events of the day and how great this new experience I was having.

That night, I was just another kid in Paris.

Then some man approached us, called me Xiao Ming; spoke indiscernible French; shook my hand and didn't let go. That was our cue to leave and call it a night.

And on our final day...

Paris Diary: Day 1

2015-06-30T11:59:00.000-04:00

As you may know, I went to Paris last week. It's been a dream to go and it was exciting to finally be able to. In addition to taking a lot of photos, I also wrote about my experience (I did this for New York too!). So if you want to know 'How was Paris?' read on.

Day 1: "Remember how we didn't take 40 000 steps everyday?" #thingswedidntsayinparis

After a 7 hour flight, I finally arrived in Paris at the Charles des Gaulles airport. What's weird is that the planes do not connect to the airport itself. We had to get on a shuttle - with no seats - to be driven to the airport. You would think because Paris is Paris their airport would be more sophisticated. American airports are sophisticated compared to it.

I then took the train to Gare du Nord where I was staying at a place nearby. We wanted to stay close to the station so we could travel back to the airport easily. Plus, points of interest like the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower were in walking distance (read: under an hour).

Gare du Nord was confusing and not luggage friendly. I got lost and when I did go the right way, I could not find any elevators - if there were any - so I had to go up 2-3 flights of stairs.

With my 60lbs luggage...

Exiting Gare du Nord, the first thing I noticed about Paris are the buildings. I'm not familiar with technical terms for structures, but theirs is different from ours. I would just describe it as French. And you can feel the history of it. It has more style and character than it's North American counterpart - in my opinion.

Definitely more beautiful.

But the horror story continued. We rented via Airbnb and there were some miscommunication and got the wrong address. I was punching in lock codes on the wrong doors. Plus, their streets are not two-way intersections like ours. Theirs are 3-5 intersections so going straight, turning left/right, is not really a thing. The street signs are veeeeery discrete. They are not found next to the street light or on a pole on the corner of the street, they are small signs bolted to the wall.

Short story, I got lost.

In addition, the roads are inclined. The hills are steep and I went up and down the street maybe 4-5 times with my 60lbs luggage.

When I asked for help French people were reluctant to speak english/to me. I did find a hotel nice enough to give me access to their wifi which I had to keep going back to every time I didn't find my place so I can contact my Airbnb host. Friendly French people are a rarity I learned.

After more than an hour of the traumatic experience of being lost, I finally found the right place. I was exhausted, in distraught, and my anxiety was flared up.

But my struggle was not over yet.

The building had 3 points of lock: the entrance to the building; the entrance to the stairs and the door itself. I was horrified when I saw the stairs. There were 5 FLIGHTS OF STAIRS. It was 100 steps. At this point, going up those stairs was unfathomable.

But I did it. In addition to my luggage I was also carrying a heavy carry on. So I carried that upstairs first, walked back down, and then dragged my luggage up the damn stairs. That was 300 steps.

I checked out the rooms half alive. This is the first time I used Airbnb and I was glad I did. There was a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom (there's a tenant occupying the other bedroom and I met her once and she was nice and helpful). Not only was it significantly better value to have access to these amenities and a space larger than a hotel, I got to see what living in Paris was like. It just added to the experience.

View from the 6(th floor)

I crashed on the couch for a moment and then changed out of my sweaty clothes. I had to leave the apartment soon. I was thiiiiiirsty and I had to find a way to get a hold of my friend who was arriving later. Surely she was about to have the same experience as me. The place also provided me the wrong wifi password so I had to return to the hotel that had given me wifi access.

So I went downstairs.

There's a door after the stairs I didn't know how to open. The horrifying feeling of having to go back up those stairs again for the fifth time and find something to help me open the door and feeling trapped gave me a panic attack. I grabbed sets of keys I found in the apartment and on the way down knocked on the four other apartments (but remember French people are unfriendly).

Thankfully, this mirage of girl opened her door. She spoke english like I did; she thought I was here for fashion week (I was wearing a t-shirt and pants, what?); and she moved here from LA with her French boyfriend. She was living my dream.

More importantly, she opened the door (clicked the button above the door handle...) because she's also magic.

I made my way to the hotel I got wifi from and waited for my friend there. She never appeared so I went back to the apartment. She eventually made her way there.

This grocery played rainforest background music at the fruit aisle. Idk.

Once she got situated, we went back down again to grocery shop. Went back up and ate our cold cuts sandwich as we try to figure out what we were going to do that day.

We decided to go to COS and we got lost again. We went up and down the same street maybe 4-5 times. We would cross the street and the street name would change. THIS IS NOT HOW STREETS WORK PARIS #BLAIRWITCH.

So we had to go back up the apartment again (FOR FUCK'S SAKE, DO NOT RENT AN ELEVATORLESS PLACE LIKE I DID #poorlifedecision) and check the internet. Turns out we went the opposite direction of the street.

We finally found COS this time around. When I told people I'm going to Paris, they kept mentioning how much shopping I was going to do. I forgot I'm a fashion kid going to a fashion capital. I don't know, there's not many stores we don't have in Canada so shopping wasn't in my mind. COS is one we still don't have in Canada (it's opening this fall!) and it's essentially me in store form. However, I ended up not being compelled to get anything.

We saw &Other Stories across the street, so we went there as well.

After, we made our way to the Louvre and this was the first landmark we visited. After seeing places like these in books and hearing about them from others, it was surreal to actually be there. It's a dream and to realize it, I feel privileged to say 'I have been there.'

Then I got interrupted by someone trying to sell me a selfie stick.

Selfie sticks pollutes the streets of Paris. Tourists using them and merchants selling them, both obnoxiously. They're largely harmless - until you/I hit someone with it - but there's just something insufferable and basic bitch about them.

We explored the outside for a bit and took some pictures without selfie sticks, with self respect before we entered the Louvre. To get in, you go through the pyramid which takes you to a downstairs area.

The Louvre is massive. The building is in the shape of an eight and two floors tall (I think). It has medieval and renaissance arts. Greek, Roman, French art. Sculptures, paintings, and even armoury.

Dick, ass, dick lol.

Pimp cup

Wrong sculpture, but okay.

There was a lady before us taking pictures posing with her hand out like this. I thought it was hilarious so I did the same after her. I am a troll.

Pray for me.

Thinking with my crew,

Would you rather: have both arms or a penis?

The room Mona Lisa is in.

I don't know if you can tell, but these paintings were 10 feet tall or so.

That building across is a continuation of the Louvre and houses more artwork. It is MASSIVE.

Just being a sculpture.

Adjacent to the Mona Lisa is this massive painting.

The most popular however is our girl Mona Lisa. Again, really surreal when we finally found the room she was in. She was surrounded by her fans but I pushed and shoved my way to the middle. Everyone says it's small and I don't think it is. I thought it would be like the size of a paper 8x11 but it's actually closer to 30x20 inches.

I see you tryna smile at me.

It was night by the time we left the Louvre so we decided to call it a day. We went home, got changed, and went out to find a place to eat. It was around 9-10 pm and places closed by that time so it was difficult to find a place to. We ended up having asian which there is surprisingly a lot of in Paris.

Paris begun terribly but it was promising at the end.

~~Stay tuned for day 2 in Paris~~. Day 2 is here! We visit the Eiffel tower and everything but your vacant soul.

How I Feel About The United States Legalizing Gay Marriage

2015-06-27T14:03:00.000-04:00

via cbsnews

Yesterday the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in the United States. Yes homo. This is a historic moment for those who believe and fight for equality. Gay people finally got what is rightfully theirs.

But it's been a long time coming and it could have come sooner.

This is the problem with America: always last but first to celebrate. For a country who has as much clout as it does and a leadership position in politics and economics, their progress in social issues is often antiquated.

I'm complaining because America has influence. Did you know Canada legalized gay marriage nationwide in 2005? Of course, there wasn't as much noise made about it. But when America does something, there is a cultural impact. Discussion are made and opinions are changed.

Imagine, if you saw all the celebration and coverage yesterday's announcement has garnered - say 10 years ago - what impact it would have on the rest of the world? How different would public opinion be? How many lives would be changed? How many lives would be saved?

And it's not just gay rights. Why did it take this long to have a black president? Why is there still no female president? Why did slavery occur for hundreds of years before it was abolished? Why is there no universal health care? Because, trust me when these things happen, America will let you know.

That is, if it happens in your lifetime...

I'm Going To Paris For The First Time

2015-06-16T03:25:00.001-04:00

Me in a few days. via frenchclass.au

What is my life? I'm going to Paris. For the first time. This week.

Remember on The Hills when Lisa Love offered Lauren to go to Paris and told her the trip could be so life-changing, she might not want to come back? (Then she turned it down; was known as the girl who didn't go to Paris; but eventually got to right that wrong later on yaaay)

(via tumblr, popsugar, tumblr, readbetweenthehemlines)

Or that New York fashion is clothes you wear, but Paris fashion is clothes you dreeeeeaaaam.

If not, stop reading this. Otherwise, carry on.

What I'm saying is, I've built Paris as a fantasy in my head for a looong time. The kind that felt too expensive and undeserved to ever be fulfilled any time soon. It's also geographically distant, it is literally a long shot.

But dreams come true kids.

I keep telling everyone going to Paris for the first time is like being born again. My entire environment will be different, the way people live will be different, the way people talk will be different. And I'm going to attempt to acclimate.

So here's the thing: Because I'm soooo 2015, I'm going to be chronicling my Paris trip on social media. So if you want, check me out on the following platforms below and experience Paris vicariously through me. It's the next best thing and I'm going to try hard.

It's going to be trés dope:

Instagram (@JERRLIFE):

Twitter (@JERRLIFE):

Trying to watch Sense8, OITNB, and listen to Hilary Duff's new album while trying to eat pizza.

— J.R. (@JERRLIFE) June 12, 2015

Snapchat (@JERRLIFE):

Launch snapchat, place your screen in front of my ghost and tap it. So cool!

I Went To AGO's First Thursdays For The First Time and Shit Got Real

2015-06-07T01:33:00.001-04:00

...and by shit getting real, I mean we just took a lot of photos of ourselves.

For someone creatively inclined, it's hard to believe that I've never been to First Thursdays or the AGO itself. I've never been to the ROM either. I don't know how or why. Just ask me out sometime.

Here's what I learned: First Thursdays is like One Direction for adults. Every month, the AGO has this party and every month, it sells out. So get yours online in advance!

When I went, a point of interest was a life drawing session a.k.a. draw a naked person.

There is a Facebook event set up every month. It details the DJ, features, and activities available for the night. It's usually $12. When tickets sell out, the thirst gets real and the page becomes a rabid buy+sell hub.

But like, in an artsy way.

When I went, a point of interest was a life drawing session a.k.a. draw a naked person. I didn't get to go because I found out too late. There was also a vessel making with clay class too apparently.

The galleries, from what I gather were mostly open. I was a little surprised and nervous this was okay. Expensive art and drinking guests seems like trouble to me.

Or a performance art.

You can check out other floors as well. We liked Stephen Andrews in particular. The exhibit was well lit and some of his work were perfect backgrounds for future Instagram posts as seen above. He's critically good too, swear.

We weren't particularly fond of the featured DJ's music. It was anonymous dance music accompanied with psychedelic quirky visuals. Maybe sparingly, but for the most part, I feel the people just want some top 40 and nostalgic throwbacks. There ain't no party like an S Club party, you know what I mean?

If you want to people watch, the crowd is a refreshing change from the the typical party crowd. It's varied and unusual. Art kids dressing for the dance floor; basic bitches trying to be cultured; older people in suits and cocktail dresses cuz they're sophisticated and shit; and the miscellaneous - you know the ones.

Nobody's really here to dance but do wear pants. There are style notes to take and you're going to want to put them in your back pocket.

I may go again. See you next First Thursday?

Bad Blood Isn't Taylor Swift's Best Song

2015-06-01T12:57:00.000-04:00

I was supposed to be in the video but then they realized I wasn't famous.

You've seen the posters and you've watched the music video. Taylor Swift and her army of famous bffs (fbffs?) kicked ass. And perhaps her serial dater persona finally was too. Lest Taylor Swift be known as the serial friendster from now on.

Another kickassery Bad Blood made: it set a new record for most views in 24 hours with 20.1m views. Add that to Catastrophe's list of powers.

It's fucking genius really. With the combined fan base of her fbffs (we're making this a thing) + Kendrick Lamar + bros's weakness to latex babes , I can't think of anyone not pressing play.

Otherwise, you're not relevant. Or have internet connection.

Also, imagine Taylor Swift developed these friendships just so when she finally said 'Sup, wanna make a music video with me?' they'd say 'yaaaaas!'

Hollywood is always suspect.

Admittedly, I was a casualty of the video (cuz I was SLAYED). However, I can't help and think 'What about Style?!'

Style is a standout from 1989 and a favourite from Taylor Swift's entire catalogue. When I heard it for the first time on a 1989 promo commercial for Target, I was hyyyyyyped. It was like sodium. I ate it and the thirst for 1989 became realer.

I've never played a commercial so much in my life. When I heard it in full, I was quenched.

So I was disappointed when I saw the music video for it. Sure, it was pretty and neat but it didn't surpass my vision for it. I imagined a mustang being driven through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Winter, spring, summer, and fall. The fashion for each season. There would be conflict, joy, and nostalgia. My vision was vivid and it was big and dramatic.

(Specifically, I wanted a tunnel scene a la Perks of Being A Wallflower pre chorus and as they exit and reach the cityscape the chorus would drops and I would feel.it.all.)

I just wanted the visuals to match the song and I was underwhelmed. On top of that, Taylor Swift paid it dust not promoting it. No performance at late night or award shows.

So although I enjoyed Bad Blood and the promo that came with it, I'm disappointed Style didn't get the same treatment. The song deserved it.

The Appeal Of The Jumpsuit

2014-08-18T15:49:00.000-04:00

At midnight when July became August, Zara launched their fall campaign online. I was visiting it for the umpteenth time that day - as I do on a daily basis - and experienced technical difficulty with the sidebar. I was annoyed; I have a sale to browse. However when Edie Campbell and Ine Neegs appeared in front of me with 'AW.14' across the page, the sale just seemed so last season, so last minute.

I was excited differently.

After examining the campaign (repeatedly), I looked at the new arrivals and there it was. The jumpsuit. The kind I want; the kind that would make me look like a flight crew; or from another side of earth; or the closest truth, a fashion kid (ambiguously compelling anythings attract me). It was grey, buttoned up, collared, long sleeves, and roomy; a sub-category of jumpsuits sometimes called a boiler suit. It even has the D-ring, Zara ripped of Celine and insisted was the hardware du jour of the summer and I didn't mind it this time. And let me tell you, Zara used that shit like it's sprinkles on a donut - never fucking enough.

But for $149? I'll wait. I've bit the bullet before and that wound worsens not better with time when the price goes down to $20.

How did this apparel affair started? I had just discovered Jayne Min's blog STOPITRIGHTNOW and was infatuated with her herself (ephiphany: you become what/who you love). Her skater boyish, not-serious p.o.v. felt cool and new to me in a way the rest of the homogenous blogosphere largely didn't. I admire and identify with her ease and humourous take on fashion. She subverted the likes of Celine and Acne that it read less fashion victimy and more authentic. Like yes, she would wear furkenstocks, duh and in ways, made me re-evaluate my own established codes of dressing.

And one instance of that is the jumpsuit. Min was wearing a marled grey one from ASOS with the Givenchy shark necklace (just one of many pieces of hers I covet). At this point, remnants of any baggy jeans were deserted in my young teenager days - I called them elephant pants - but her outfit was so convincingly cool, I had to reassess.

Jumpsuits just made sense. They are a fashion hack: it's a top and a bottom, so I wear and more importantly, decide only on one thing instead of two. Its efficiency is compelling. Like, you'd be surprise how fascinated people are by what essentially is a shirt and pant sewn together. My style modus operandi afterall is maximizing impact with as little effort as possible and a jumpsuit is an unlikely addition.

Apparently, I wasn't the only one: said jumpsuit was uber popular on ASOS that it sold out but I'm a boss (read as: bawss) so I got my hands on them anyway. This took my ASOS shopping v-card.

It wasn't going to be my last either. I've gotten more since then and it's never enough it seems - am I a jumpsuit slut? Fortunately, the demand for jumpsuits must be increasing because more and more retailers seem to carry them. My only concern is their ubiquity. I am not trying to look like a mall-babe here.

When I was browsing Zara's site later on I noticed that they have introduced a separate category for jumpsuits whereas before it was a game of hide-and-fucking-look-forever-seek. It's a lesson, I thought: if you're persistent enough, people will stop putting you in the wrong category and give one all your own.

Wear a jumpsuit. Be a jumpsuit.

photos via: zara, stopitrightnow

Alexander Wang X H&M: What I Want To See In The Collection

2014-07-08T19:46:00.001-04:00

Oh hi there. It's been awhile, I know. But that changes right now.

Alexander Wang X H&M: has also been awhile since we heard anything since it was announced in April at Coachella.

I was watching SNL as usual and checking Instagram for the umpteenth time mindlessly at midnight and thought, 'Hey, Alexander Wang used his instagram, cool, weird. ' Then the video loaded, played and boom, the reveal. There was the initial screaming naturally which then included jumping around maniacally, but then celebrating alone just wasn't cutting it. I texted all interested friends about the news - in caps lock of course - and rejoiced together. When it all sank in, we speculated and discussed in-depth like the dedicated cult that we are.

It's true. In the past few years he's worked on growing his following even more. He's introduces logos on his designs; his clothes are seen on Rihanna; and his name is rapped by Jay Z and Kanye. Now, mere admirers from a computer screen away can also be part of the Wang life come November 6. This collaboration is a major step in becoming a lifestyle brand and I highly suspect he's designed/ing this collection with this as the objective.

What's most curious is that Wang will be introducing something that hasn't been done before. "There's gonna be a lot of stuff that's going to be new for the collaboration... there is something to this collaboration that has never been done before."

So what could he do for H&M? I have been speculating a lot. A selection of everyday items a la Objects line? It could be cosmetics or a fragrance. Maybe a playlist with all new tracks from his favourite artists - he did announce at Coachella... What if it's food?! Imagine getting Alexander Wang ketchup on your Alexander Wang shirt because you were getting too turnt listening to Alexander Wang music? I want this life.

What would also be interesting is how the marketing will be done. Glow-in-the-dark runway finale; comedy skits for the T line (my favourite girl); gas station and carnival after-parties Wang knows how to get the people talking. With H&M's backing and a scale this large, one can imagine what left field idea they'll go with. A social media takeover of sorts? A concert? A simultaneous global party where you can dance with a holographic Wang?

The apparel itself is clouded with mystery. Will he be recreating his most memorable pieces? Or will it be an all new collection? I hope the former because I have a lot of archive pieces I want to get my hands on. I also think he'll be doing a collection of core pieces with Wang sensibility (read: sporty, utilitarian elements, hybrids, unique fabric treatments): a leather jacket, an everyday bag , a dress shirt, a party dress. I also wish for off-beat things like a basketball or pen because what's a lifestyle brand without these two things?

Soon enough we'll get answers. For now here are a few pieces I want to see in the collection:

This was exclusively available at Opening Ceremony and hard to find. I just want to flap my arms wearing it.

This shirt with a criss cross front that becomes a cape in the back. Perfect.

I just got this jacket! But keeping it here cuz this is *the* jacket that revived denim(even though it's actually suede)

Cool play on layering and again a successful reintroduction and reappropriation of a fabric. This time with mesh.

For a few seasons, Wang played with proportions of epaulettes and fusing elements of peacoats, perfectos, and military jackets. This is one of my favourite pieces from that experiment.

This is from his earlier collections and let me tell you, I've found this a few times online and they still sell for $$$. Grunge 4vah.

I've only seen this in an Asian online retailer and I'm not sure why. Doesn't everybody want a blazer cape jacket thing??

This sweater has fringe going across from one sleeve to the other in the back. This pant zips from the front all the way to the back. So...

Surprised not to see buyers buy this. Was there a surplus of leather tees that season?

The babely Anouck. PLEASE MAKE MENS SIZES. My life will be more complete with a shoe that's missing a piece.

photos via style

Why I Started Wearing Sneakers

2014-04-25T14:58:00.001-04:00

Confession: for a long time I had an aversion to sporty shoes. Running shoes, walking shoes, sneakers, and watchumacallits were not acceptable forms of footwear.

I have two theories. One, I feel like I am an innately sloppy person and dressing casual sends me to Hotmessville and I'm just not ready to reside next to last night's drunks. I could do better I thought. I'm already innately allergic to dress shirts - that's not a hyperbole, they make me physically itch - and balance is something I strive (sometimes subconsciously) for in every aspect of life that a sneaker/t-shirt combo just isn't representative of me. Dress shoes ftw.

My second theory is I associate athletic wear with a lot of negative memories from years of mandatory gym class. It reminds me of things like: this one pair of sneakers whose soles had separated and would flop open every time I took a step and resembled a mouth; or being the only person who failed the arm lift test cuz I couldn't do any at all; or being hit in the face with a ball while everyone laughed. Gym class was rough and I want to leave it behind. Footwear included.

Or it could be both.

What I'm trying to say is I'm just not a sneaker person. I didn't see myself belonging in any of the tribes of people associated with it. Come along, fashion: Alexander Wang, whose design philosophy is partially reappropriating athletic wear as cool streetwear. And then Phoebe Philo who started an internal conflict in me about sneakers that sounds something like, 'I like her brand of cool... and if I wore sneakers then...no, what if someone challenges me to a race? Yes, that could definitely happen. But eventually I came around to the idea that I could belong to this burgeoning brand of cool despite the price of entry being more decorative and less functional (ideally, my choice of clothing is both because balance remember?). Maybe I could start running? Yeah, right.

Also I have a bum knee and bad back that were getting worse. I was willing to try anything. Even sneakers.

So last fall I went to an unfamiliar store called Foot Locker. Or was it Champs? Either way, I asked for their comfiest shoes and the guy immediately chose the Asics Nimbus. They were ugly to me but not any uglier than the rest that covered the walls for full price. They were discounted heavily and available in my size left, so why not? My immediate reaction from wearing was 'my god, is this heaven because I'm walking on clouds.' I purchased them immediately. However, I was still ugly.

(Side note: I've tried on many sneakers since then and nothing's come close to the Nimbus's comfort. Those gel insoles make a significant difference)

So the search continued.

Fast forward to now and somehow, I have another pair of Asics, an Air Max, Air Force 1s, and Raf Simons X Adidas. Like, wuuuut? That is a lot of shoes for anyone but especially for me. Yeah, I will spend a respectable amount of money on apparel but shoes? No. I get it, and you should too, that shoes really makes - or breaks - an outfit (same with bags! Cheap bags have noticeably poor finishes). A cheap shirt/expensive shoe can look rich but the reverse? Not so much.

But I digress.

The thing is, it's hard for me to justify paying the same amount of money for shoes which covers 10% of my body versus a shirt, which covers 30% of your body - approximately - despite knowing better.

What I'm trying to say is it's significant I've converted to sneakers. It's like if I didn't opt for a dark palette (read: black) or not eat vegetables. These are established codes of my identity and it's disorienting for people who know me to suddenly see me wearing sneakers.. Maybe I just want to feel easier or maybe it's still the same thing style done differently. Or maybe sneakers are just part of growing up.

Let's hope sweatpants are not next.

Watch Out For: Melitta Baumeister

2014-03-28T11:56:00.000-04:00

via thisispaper

Pardon me, but this topic may seem albeit outdated but hear me out. Back in September last year, designers/brands were showing their spring/summer 14 collections and I found them largely banal. Maybe safe, digestible, uncomplicated were key words for this spring/summer. The jury is still out. What is out is a lot of yellow and the return of pastels/sorbets. The former I find is universal jaundice inducing while the latter I simply am not a fan of - I mean, why would anyone want to look wash out?

Except for maybe Prada, Celine and Christopher Kane (and Alexander Wang, but I am biased to that). Those are the only collections I still remember. Or wish to remember. (Seriously, who looks good in yellow???).

Oh and this designer: Melitta Baumeister.

Baumeister who? I know, right? Which, really, makes it even more impressive that an unknown designer can stand out in a sea of established designers. Well maybe if they did impactful pieces the way Baumeister did...

But I digress.

via style

I was looking at Parsons The New School For Design show on style.com which debuted for the first time on the site (the second show for the program however). It showcased the collections of the graduates of the new MFA Fashion Design and Society course. Anyway after clicking it, that instant visceral reaction I look for in clothes and find so rarely, happened. It was the image of a stark white motorcycle jacket (it seemed to be made of neoprene) so tremendously oversized and volumed.

Again, this kind of reaction is almost always visceral and inexplicable but my guess would be is that the combination of a moto jacket being perennially cool, my penchant for neoprene (look expensive, cerebral for cheap, hellooooo), and the largeness of the piece maybe had something to do it. So basically everything about it drew me in. It felt familiar and curiously new at the same time.

Naturally, I went to google her as one does when something/someone fascinates them. I had to find out more. She is a German designer based in New York and her aesthetic is informed by "focuses on new materiality, while her work merges fashion, objects, sculpture and installation." What's most interesting is perhaps how the garments are created: "Baumeister cast sewn pieces in one continuous layer of silicone, creating a rubberized, pliable fabric with bounce and structure. Rather than relying on patterns and cuts, shapes are predetermined by the molds into which they are cast."

Fabric, the new frontier.

I was impressed and for someone with an obsessive personality, I couldn't stop think about Baumeister's pieces. Fast forward to February and I was pleasantly surprised to see she was showing again. This time with VFiles who puts out a show "which plucks ambitious designers out of cyberspace and plops them onto a New York catwalk." Her pieces are editorial after all (shout outs internet!).

A few weeks later, Paris Fashion Week happened and Rihanna was in town to attend a few shows. And although I hate labels and admittedly those of fandom, I was following Rihanna's activities religiously which is totally #RihannaNavy behaviour don't you think? (Or maybe I'm just generally a large fan of pop culture which Rihanna is largely a part of).

via le-21eme

Anyway outside of the Comme des Garcons show, there was Rihanna wearing what was undeniably a Baumeister jacket. It's kind of like seeing a legendary Pokemon like Mew (I hope I know my audience and hope you get this reference) and to see it on one of the biggest pop stars just seem improbable.

And also respect to Rihanna's democratic approach to fashion - she paired the coat with another unknown designer Hyein Seo's FEAR fur. Wearing an unknown designer to a prominent show is doooope. "Melitta’s coat was one of the greatest coats of the season, even if a lot of people haven’t heard of her yet. That whole collection blew my mind." says her stylist, Mel Ottenberg. I'm glad you agree.

And now I'm writing this. Because I'm excited. Because I want to see more of Melitta Baumeister. And because I want more people to see her work and maybe exclaim like I did. After all, we could all use a giant neoprene coat, don't you think?

Normcore: Why You Shouldn't Say It

2014-03-26T16:15:00.001-04:00

Last month, NY mag published an article proclaiming a new term to describe a prominent style: normcore. DON'T USE IT.

The problem with normcore is it means different things to different people; it's nonsensical. And the only commonality are the eventual/negative connotations around it. Like hipster, normcore will be an ignorant mocking and dismissive term of one's style. I also find the word 'normal' problematic because it suggest conforming to an imagined standard but most definitely so in the sphere of personal style and social behaviour. Normal can mean so many things, it means nothing. But when it does, it means mediocre, not special. And the play on words of normcore to hardcore as in an intensely committed attitude towards something - for this matter, normality - doesn't make fuck sense. Like, the context of mom jeans on a twenty-something versus a mom are different and the point being that, individuality is part of the perception of style; exactly the opposite of the sameness of normcore. Or when it does, it's presumptuous. That's because one wears simple clothes it is in consideration of others before oneself. Personal style is best when it is selfish and I'm inclined to believe minimalists are characteristically aware of this. You can call me blackcore, functioncore or comfortcore because those are my intentions not normal. I also fear introducing normcore to the zeitgeist puts it in the same box as minimalism and utilitarian and subsequently tainting those terms. I'm just not fucking about all of these.

I believe in death by anonymous but fashionistas are inherently trend inclined normcore feels inevitable. But my hope is it dies a quick death by making every person who use it feel more gross than the person they just said it to.

Anonymous

2014-03-20T18:41:00.000-04:00

via businessinsider

Lately, I've been fascinated by the idea of anonymous. Maybe because I have grown up in the age of celebrity, arguably at its peak - hello sex tapes, paparazzi culture, and reality TV - and subsequently the age of social media where everyone and anyone can experience degrees of celebrity. On the latter, more than ever, has become easier to want to/overshare and the human condition to want to belong has become more public than ever. In Elle Canada, Cate Blanchett comments "Fame can be a fairly limiting, hollow achievement unless it’s backed up by ability and substance.” But for many the attention that comes with recognition is enough and the meaning and purpose of it is not the point. I am also curious how the subject, the celebrity, can influence perception on the object, the work.

A significant factor as a point of differentiation has been one's personal brand. Having a p.o.v./ voice/look/sound/taste/message that resonate and is reliable consistently is what creates a following. People are drawn to things they can identify with, aspire to, or be entertained by. In 1971, Coca Cola created the 'I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke' ad and it repositioned Coke, as Coca Cola's creative director Bill Becker said, "Not as a liquid refresher...but as a tiny bit of commonality between all peoples." and also as an inclusive and globalized brand by featuring a diverse cast. Heartwarming and ingenious, Coke is still just a 'liquid refresher.'

I mention Coca Cola because it's an example of style over substance. This is how I often view/talk about pop culture: separating the substance from the style. By this I mean, I could give two fucks about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart dating (or not) but I'd gladly debate why she should/shouldn't have issued that apology as a discussion on infidelity/celebrity/role model(she shouldn't). But mostly I just want to talk about the work - the music, the film, the process of it - because we're not in the relationship, we're not in the addiction, or whatever scandal is written about. The facts are incomplete and too many things are alleged so why are we even discussing it. Escape in the work, it's a fantasy not in people's live, it's real. However surreal.

And this perhaps is why I'm most fascinated by anonymous: what if the subject is removed entirely and judgement is left solely on the object? Would Teenage Dream be as big a hit if it was Bonnie McKee singing it and not Katy Perry? Would Apple still shift record breaking numbers of its newest revolutionary product if it wasn't for the keynote or the iconic logo? Would you have given two shits about Picasso's work before he was dead and famous? I'm not saying style is a bad thing: I bought LOVE because Miley Cyrus was on the cover and I bought INDUSTRIE because there were lengthy interviews with industry people talking about their careers - not because Cara Delevingne was on the cover. I'm saying prestige/reputation can be upheld or cause complacency.

I'm also saying be conscious and recognize what you are actually buying into. I think it's important to indulge in shallowness (like the leather jacket that will change your life) and dwell on meaningful things (like life aspirations) because balance. The shallowest and deepest conversations after all, are the most interesting/worthwhile/memorable.

via billboard

Anonymous however still feels like the ultimate as success based purely on substance and not style and subsequently, success without the fame. There're the invisible Jeffrey Campbell and Martin Margiela, who are known as brands not people. "I get to sit at home with the dogs on the sofa, record in a closet in the office, send them off and, if I'm lucky, make a million dollars." says Sia whose words you've probably sang to through Rihanna, Beyonce, or Katy Perry (she is releasing an album this spring and I've been listening to Chandelier nonstop and Breathe Me is a classic). “Anonymity is a word we talk about all the time, in life and in clothes.” Ashley Olsen said when talking about The Row, their high-end clothing line they once considered to ghost design. Sure, it's idealistic - to an extent - to think brands can be successful without marketing, explaining or contextualizing their work but it's something to keep in sight.

Chanel F/W 14

2014-03-04T14:28:00.000-05:00

I'm not really a fan of Chanel. Every show always has a theme (e.g. rodeo, art) and instead of innovating and reimagining our concepts of these themes and make it feel inspiring and/or revitalize, it's been stereotypical and rudimentary. And sometimes offensive.Put a double c here, use tweed fabric there, place a camellia here... like, I see you Karl. It's lazy and it gets old fast.

For today's show however, F/W 14, this concept worked. Lagerfeld erected a Chanel Shopping Center a.k.a. a grocery store. This resonates personally because a) I am as obsessed with food as it is a necessity and b) there is a running joke when I question purchasing an article of clothing, say a sun hat or gold pants (true story), of where I would wear it and my unsure go-to answer is 'The grocery store?' And it works because there is no grocery uniform; you can wear what you wore to bed (guilty) or wear last night's clothes (also guilty). It doesn't offend with reappropriation and by placing Chanel codes on ordinary items like doormats and water bottles, it doesn't feel lazy, it feels elevated. I wouldn't mind if my grocery was filled with Chanel-clad customers and everything was en francais (okay maybe not: I love the language, it hates me). The contrast is also humorous. Chanel bags wrapped like meat in cellophane and mini-baskets to put said Chanel bags? Funny.

And I guess the clothes were alright too.

Elly Smallwood: Bare

2014-02-16T15:19:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, my life changed forever. Well, it got more beautiful. I met Elly, an artist whose work got a reaction from me and who I then became friends with. Her work is mostly of face paintings (some bodies). So if you like selfies as much as I do, you will like this. Last weekend, I got to attend her first solo exhibit entitled Bare. It was beautiful.

"Bare is my attempt to strip faces of their pretence, to strip them down to moments of raw emotion. The surface of the paintings is similarly stripped; under-paintings are left unfinished, rough sketches overlay the paint and faces are cropped in close. These aren’t carefully posed subjects, each one is laid bare at their most vulnerable. They aren’t painted with careful precision, but with raw abandon."

If you have time, check it out. The exhibit is only up until February 23rd at Goodfellas Gallery.

Alexander Wang Fall 14

2014-02-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

Alexander Wang is one of my favourite designers for a number of reasons. Ultimately, it's because I like his brand of cool. It feels relevant to me - and evidently, to a large group of people - that it's a fantasy world far enough to be dreamy but close enough to be something aspirational. It's why every season I look forward to his show like it's Christmas.

One of the coolest things however is when we're somehow in the same headspace and he sends out something I've been thinking about/feeling. Last time, I was growing out my hair and he showed jackets and tops with slits for your hair. It's strange and exciting at the same time like when someone finishes your sentence. How did you read my mind???

Me and my minions.

I was looking at backstage photos prior to the Fall 14 show last night and was shocked to see bleached eyebrows. This is nothing new however, I had just bleached my brows the day before and posted a photo on Instagram with the caption 'We're taking over the world one eyebrow at a time.' Apparently, the Alexander Wang show is a good place to start my invasion.

I joked to a friend I can't show emotions for the next two weeks (I was referencing Fiona from Cinderella Story because Hilary Duff forever) and I suggested I wear a mood ring equivalent for eyebrows. So when I saw the finale, something Wang is quickly becoming famous for, of thermochromic pieces I thought 'woah' and 'can I get that fabric for my eyebrows stat?'

I've also been thinking/revisiting the idea of neon. 'Fashion is always wild when the world is dark' I read somewhere as to why neon was so big two years ago during the recession. Then I read what Cathy Horyn wrote on Amy Spindler's obituary: 'Fashion [is] a cultural barometer'. That quote single-handedly explained to me the importance and significance of art. Last season was so insignificant that I read into it that the economy is recovering and people are rebuilding and want something safe and a sure-thing (also explains the resurgence of minimalism). And maybe it's why I'm thinking about neon. I've been looking at this neon coat at Topshop for the last two months and I've been apprehensive to get it. But seeing Alexander Wang showcase dashes of neon last night, I got the message loud, clear, and bright.

Finally, one of the things I love about Wang is the irony and humour in his designs. Say, fur sunglasses or silk jogging pants. Fall 14's collection showed coats with pencil holders and a variety of pockets. I've recently discovered Kate Spade's Saturday line and in particular fascinated with their inside-out-pocket tote bags. Again, funny but also maybe, functional(?). At Alexander Wang however the joke is these features are typically found on urban apparels such as camping vests or safari jackets but instead they're on pea coats.

photos via style, saturday, topshop

Menswear Trends Fall 14

2014-01-22T19:02:00.000-05:00

Men's fashion week is never as interesting as womenswear - if at all. Men's fashion after all, is still largely more utilitarian than fashion. For fall however, designers are making a proposal of the best of both worlds with a focus on volume. Bigger is better is the mantra and for fall, not only does it seem sensible but also potentially forward.

Outerwear was crossing the universally flattering three-quarter length and hitting pass the knee. Sometimes they were oversized too. Even Hedi Slimane, purveyor of everythin (#seewhatididthere), sent down his gang of boys in coats that hid instead of showcase their lanky frames; spindly legs still withstanding. Even ponchos were making a play at Belstaff and Martin Margiela.

Accessories too pumped up the volume. Blankets scarves enveloped the runways. Haider Ackermann simply wrapped it around necks; Louis Vuitton regally slung it over shoulders; and Phillip Lim managed to make scarves look sophisticated and nonchalant at the same time with a wrap-and-tie technique.

Other accessories were also not just sizeably functional and fashionable, they were humorous. Alexander Wang's beanies were so droopy, they started to resemble a gnome hat (side note: his two-layered cashmere hats are a winter staple of mine). Raf Simons's boots would be clown-approved... and curiously, 13-year old J.R. approved. At Burberry Prorsum the bags were so big, you could shove all the aforementioned items and still have room.

And if you want to take it to the maximum, you can try one of Thom Browne's suits, fat suits(#iseewhatyoudidthere):