Attack of The Duffle
March 6, 2013
byCategory: Designer Talk, Musing
Category: Designer Talk, Musing
1. Junya Watanabe faux fur dress S – from $199
2. Y-3 deconstructed dress S – from $18.99
3. Junya Watanabe deconstructed trench coat S – $340 BIN
Category: Shopping
Tags: Ann Demeulemeester Category: Wear
Inspiration
Jil Sander Spring Summer 2011
Result
Recently I found this billowy maxi dress from [Aqua][1] which I was immediately drawn to because it reminded me of Jil Sander’s SS09 collection. It’s the same dress which I wore in my beach holiday in my previous post. While I do realise that a long dress isn’t quite de rigueur of beachwear, I can hardly think of a more comfortable option for several reasons. Not only am I shielding my skin from potential risk of skin cancer, I can avoid putting my body up to the scrutiny of others while at the same time not having to squeeze into skin tight lycra that refuses to breathe, that is until I have to change into my bathing suit for a swim.
There is also something appealing and liberating with the idea of hiding one’s physical body, which is almost the anti-thesis of Western (and some Eastern) aesthetics that constantly emphasises the waist. It made me wonder why one’s attractiveness is so highly dependent on how much one’s figure is revealed. One would think that at this day and age where rational thinking is highly prized, we would enjoy a little bit of mystery that challenges our imagination rather than being shoved with obvious visual cues that denotes one’s suitability in procreation (ie. hourglass figures = fertile). It doesn’t help that most major fashion publications equate ‘flattering’ with the hourglass shape to pander to the male fantasies, disregarding the fact that a pear or apple or even trapezoid silhouettes can be as equally, if not more, fascinating.
To end this post, I’d like to share an anecdote that inspired this commentary. When I posted one of the pictures above to a female fashion forum, one of the feedbacks I received was that I looked like a tent, to which I replied: “I like looking like a tent, thank you very much. Not everyone wants to look like an hourglass. Be careful when you see me walking down the street though, I can’t guarantee my kimono will not hit you in the face.”
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No this is not the English lady who owns the tea room |
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Rosenrot – possibly my favourite cocktail which I’ll never get anywhere else |
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Mommy monkey doesn’t seem too happy to see me |
The next pit stop was the local spring called Telaga Tujuh, and to get there we had to climb more than six hundred steps up a steep slope. If I had known that I would be doing this much physical exercise in extreme humidity, I would have thought twice about my wardrobe choices (ie. long-sleeved shirt and Rick unbreathable jeggings).
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The spring flows over the cliff to form a magnificent waterfall |
So that was pretty much the adventurous side of my trip. The rest of the time was spent lazying about on the beach and stuffing my face with food ($1 burgers cooked on the spot; $5 BBQ fish, I could go on and on about this…). I’ll end this post with a bunch of cute ducks. Thanks for reading guys.
I just wanted to say thank you to all who have taken the time to read and/or shared your personal experiences with me on the previous post. It’s very heartwarming to hear that we are not alone in the battle against sexism, boys and girls and everyone in between, whether you’re in Australia, Mexico, Asia or anywhere in the world. I will try my best to address your comments one by one over the coming days. In the meantime, here’s a photo taken during my holidays. Louis and I were climbing down a steep, abandoned staircase at the side of a mountain in Langkawi (Malaysia) that led to goodness knows where. I’ll be back with more holiday photos.
“Local lore has it that Langkawi was once home to a band of Giants.
Mat Raya and Mat Cincang were two Giants who were the best of friends.
The son of Mat Cincang and the daughter of Mat Raya were both in love
with each other and the two Giants gleefully agreed to the the union
of their two children. During the wedding ceremony, Mat Raya became
angry when he noticed the bridegroom making eyes at someone else other
than his daughter. As a result of his rage, the two Giants eventually
became involved in a furious argument. Violence ensued and pots and
pans became thrown at each other. The spot where a broken pot fell
became known as the village of Belanga Pecah (broken pot), where the
gravy fell, became the town of Kuah (gravy) and where the hot water
fell became Air Hangat (hot water), where the present day hot springs
are, and finally where the wedding ring fell became known as Tanjung
Cincin (Cape of the Ring). As the two Giants fought, a third giant Mat
Sawar, tried to intervene between the two and separate them. Suddenly
a bolt of lightning struck down from the heavens and as the giants
looked up they turned to stone. Mat Cincang became Gunung Mat Cincang,
which is now the second tallest peak on Langkawi (and infamously now
home to the cable-car ride). Mat Raya bacame Gunung Raya, the tallest
peak in Langkawi. And finally Mat Sawar became Bukit Sawar, a small
hill in-between Gunung Mat Cincang and Mat Raya, still valiantly
trying to separate the two.”*
Tags: Rick Owens Category: Wear