Gok's Fashion Fix

Season 3 of Gok's Fashion Fix started on Channel 4 last night. For those of you who did not know about the show, it is about High Street Vs. High End Fashion. Each week Gok would put together a number of set looks (eg tailoring or ethnic) with High Street labels, in competition with the same looks put together with luxury labels by Brix Start, the owner of the London boutique, Start.

Brix would have Selfridges, Liberty and her own boutique as her playground and she has endless options of the most beautiful clothes and accessories to complete her High End looks. Whereas Gok would dance around High Streets and utilise his sewing skills to alter a piece of High Street clothing whether by adding a ribbon to create a trim on a skirt or to add on some beadings to a top. There is then a fashion show with models parading the two sets of looks for the live audience to vote for the winner. 8 out of 10 times Gok would win the competition. It proves that it is not about expensive clothes but about how well you put the looks together.

Gok wins most of the time because he is very good at putting the looks together by accessorising them. But I think a lot of the looks are over accessorised and extremely trend driven. Maybe it is a tactic of taking the attention away from the quality of the clothes. Nevertheless I still do not believe in buying throw away fashion. I would be even more careful with choosing what to buy from High Streets. And I would mix one or two designer pieces with more basic pieces that you can find from High Streets. For example, I would invest in a designer blazer with a good cut, and mix it with t-shirt and denim skirt from Top Shop. All you need is a good cut blazer and you will look a million dollars!

Money can't buy you style. Head to toe designer gears do not guarantee style. But I don't want to shop in Primark either!

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/goks-fashion-fix/4od#3072039

Brit Insurance Designs Of The Year 2010

It was such a beautiful day in London today. Everyone was taking the scarce opportunity and stayed out in the sun as much as they can. My husband and I had a walk along River Thames and then went to see the Brit Insurance Designs Of The Year exhibition in Design Museum. This award is the "Oscars of the design world" and it showcases the most innovative and forward thinking designs from around the world.

Alexander McQueen was the winner of the fashion category for his SS10 collection.



He was one of the most talented designers of his generation, and it is sad to have lost such a talent in the fashion world. I kept saying to myself before, "One day I will buy myself a McQueen dress". I guess this day would never come. All I can buy now is his legacy but no more new designs from him. Rip McQueen.

Shop Smart

One way to afford good quality clothes is to go to designer sample sales, which enables you to pick up good quality designer pieces with affordable price tags. It is advertised as 'sample sales', but really it is more left over past season goods than actual samples. These clothes were not sold in the current season for a reason, so you do need to watch out on what to buy. I work for a luxury brand in London, which holds regular sample sales every season for its staff. And you see all these people violently fighting for items, just because they are relatively cheaper but not because they really love them or need them. You could end up going home with a bunch of clothes that you would not wear or clothes that don't really do the brand or the wearer any justice. The worst part is you can't return goods bought from a sample sale. Thus extra caution should be carried when you go for a sample sale.

First of all, plan your purchase. Think about what you'd really need for your wardrobe. Then at least you know what to look for when you are in the chaotic sales environment. Don't buy things just because they are branded or on sale.

Secondly, try it on if you can. A lot of sample sales do not provide proper change room, and therefore discourage people to try things on. Hide behind a rail if you need to. But don't buy things that may not fit!

Thirdly, go to sample sales with a budget in mind. Don't over spend!

There is a website, www.dailycandy.co.uk that advertises designer sample sales. Definitely worth adding to your favourite sites. There is also word of mouth. Tell your friends when you know of any good sample sales, and they will return the favour by letting you know.

There will be a sample sale held for Alexander McQueen from next Thursday, the 27th of May. Check it out if you're game! There will be definitely a sea of people lining up for this one. I might see you there!



I would love to own this McQueen dress from his SS10 collection.


Photo Source: Style.com

Recycling My Own Wardrobe

After I read the article about Asos.com creating a platform for its customers to trade their wardrobes, I have been thinking about what I have in my wardrobe that I can wear this summer. As a matter of fact I have items that I wear season after season. It is good to invest in clothes that are timeless and good quality so I can get its value worth by wearing it every season, simply by mixing and matching to create different looks that's relevant at the time.

There are a couple of things that I can recycle from my wardrobe for this summer.

1. Oversized t-shirts, jumpers, and boyfriend shirts are popular in London at the moment. I have this printed t-shirt from my own label 6 years ago that I can wear this summer with leggings.



2. I bought this Vanessa Bruno blazer a couple of years ago and I can still wear it this season, either with skinny jeans, denim skirt, or a printed dress. A classic blazer is a staple piece to have in the wardrobe for every season. I want to buy a black one as well!



3. The pleated front trousers are still big this summer. So I can recycle this look from last summer with the shoes I bought in March.



This is a way for me to accumulate a good wardrobe when I need to budget. Every season I would invest in a couple of signature pieces, then to utlilise my existing wardrobe by mixing it together with new items to create looks for each season!

Recycling Fashion

I read an article on FT.com about the online store, ASOS.com. ASOS.com is launching its online market later this year, which offers a platform for its customers to trade unwanted clothes on its site. I think this is a great idea and it is also very relevant to this spoiled-for-excessive-choices time. I am sure everyone has a lot of clothes in their wardrobes that they don't even rememeber they own. This is definitely a good opportunity for people to recycle their wardrobes and to shop more responsibly.

Check out this article on FT.com and watch the space! It is time that we shop sensibly instead of buying into throw away fashion which is bad for the earth.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/031b1ed0-5715-11df-aaff-00144feab49a.html

Anyone who bought the below jackets from Yves Saint Laurent's AW09 collection or from Chanel's SS09 collection, and wishes to trade, please let me know!!!!





Photo Source: Style.com

Purchase of the month

I have found my printed harem!!!! They are from Whistles. I had a couple of options in mind before, such as the £278 Joseph printed silk harem I talked about previously. But I didn't really want to spend more than £150 for a pair of pants as I prefer to invest more in jackets, coats, or dresses. I cannot afford everything I want so it is all about planning for every purchase and mixing up designer clothes with high street or vintage pieces.

I quite like Whistles now. After Jane Shepherdson (formerly worked for Top Shop) relaunched its direction a couple of seasons ago, Whistles has been transformed into a cutting edge label with good quality and affordable clothing. They offer a good variety of prints so I went to a couple of Whistles stores and decided on the pair that I bought. The trousers were £125 which is under this month's budget. Very pleased indeed!!!

Every season I plan to buy a couple of signature pieces then I will team up the newly purchased pieces with my existing wardrobe to create different looks. I have matched the harem with the things from my wardrobe for three looks. The trousers are quite a statement so they are the focus of every look with accessories to enhance.

Look 1: Harems teamed up with biker jacket and laced-up heels. An edgy look. Suitable for work and going out.


Look 2: This is a more casual look with the flat Gladiator sandals. I put the thick belt to emphasise the waistline as the asymmetrical jersey top and unstructured harem can make one appear sloppy. Suitable for weekends.


Look 3: This is a quirky look created with draped balloon top, chunky necklace, and platform clogs. A good variation to the edgy look.


Creating different looks with the same piece gives people an illusion that you own a large wardrobe. So many times my colleagues asked me if what I was wearing was a new purchase, in contrary they have actually seen the same piece a few times. It is all about mixing and matching!

The Right to Decide

Every season all retail buyers go to the fashion shows and showroom viewings to select their next season's floor sets. This is the thing, retail buyers filter through designers' collections and select what they think would sell in the stores. If no buyers had picked up the pieces you'd like from any collections you would not be able to purchase them from the stores. Why should the retailers choose for what we would buy? Shouldn't we as the end consumers have the right to decide what to buy for ourselves?

The influential British brand, Burberry has started to narrow this gap between high end fashion and the end consumers by offering pre-ordering option for their Autumn/Winter 10 Prorsum collection; which not only allows the consumers to view the catwalk live on the web broadcast and also gives the consumers an opportunity to make an order of what they desire from the catwalk collection.

This is a brilliant idea. Wouldn't it be even better if I could pre order and have a couple of months to save up for the items? Then pay for them when they are ready for delivery. This way I would not spend money on things that I don't necessarily need for the season. It is all about planning and saving! Wouldn't that be wonderful!

I am definitely up for putting money away for these beautiful Burberry Prorsum Autum/Winter 10 pieces - the military inspired jacket, the aviator parka and the shealing-lined ankle boots!






Photo Source: Style.com