Oh here we go again… Gone are Noughties, and therefore gone are the 80s influence that seemed to take over the past 10 years. It has always been said that Fashion usually works in a 20 years cycle, where trends somehow reflect a time of old…20 years to be precise. It is pretty scary to actually remember the original decade of which fashion was new, and being the 23 year old girl that I am, that decade I am referring to is…THE 90s!!! I remember bodysuits under my baby 501s, where the occasional snap would get undone and therefore embarrassingly start flapping around. Scrunchies and bumbags, and LA Gears that flashed with every step took were the coolest things, and yes…there is photographic evidence of me wearing a matching waterproof shell suit somewhere, a family trip to the USA in 1994 seems to ring a bell. What frightens me the most is that on current reflection I have totally started going along with the trend and slowly been channeling my 7 year old self…the passed few months I have proudly adorned myself with my denim bomber jacket I found in a thrift store in Brooklyn and paired it with my acid wash skinny jeans…and to make the look even more authentic my hi-tops may have been on my feet. Obvious characterisation aside, subtle hints too pepper my look as just the other day I was seen in a cropped tee shirt and body con mini skirt…and I may have been in a 90s Hip Hop night when said outfit was worn. Eeeeeek. Regardless of the fact that I am giving off vibes that I find this total situation uncool, I actually do find this comeback phenomenon quite exciting. So while trawling through the web I came across some beloved TV shows and images that were so familiar to me in my youth, that I thought I would share them with you. And you know what…the style anchorage is so obvious… SHELL SUITS FLORAL TROUSERS MOM JEANS GRUNGE PRINTS CROPPED TEES DOUBLE DENIM BODY CON DRESSES
I have just read an article from Trace magazine. It covered the journey of photographer Nadia Bettega travelling to Cote D’Ivoire located in the Western region of Africa. The Cote D’Ivoire region has the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in the West of Africa; this article highlights the personal stories of 10 Ivorian Women from when they first received the news, how they dealt with it and what they are doing when moving on. These women are part of IDEAL, (INITIATIVE DEVELOPPEMENT ENVIRONNEMENT AFRIQUE LIBRE), an initiative set up for the affected community from several persons with a background of working in Non-Profit humanitarian organizations. They deal and tackle with the issues that accompany HIV/AIDS such as stigmatization, poor healthcare and poverty. The full article can be found here: http://www.trace212.com/pdf/TRACE_85.pdf page: 40 The article really challenged me in my knowledge of AIDS/HIV sufferers, dispelling a lot of misconceptions I had, especially in regards to the fatality of it all. Here is a snippet Testimony from one of these beautiful and brave women. Below are the portraits Nadia had taken as part of her campaign and study in this area. These shots just continue to fuel my love of African material. I love that their everyday clothing are these wonderfully coloured and patterned outfits.
While I am in the process of writing my next post I thought I would leave you with a random photo I have taken and stumbled across...here it is. On an empty subway station on route to Coney Island, NY. To the left is my handsome boy, to the right is my gorgeous sister. That is how I play. Peace. x
Issue 10 of LULA, my favourite magazine is out now! (Click on the images to check out their multiple covers) This was my first ever LULA, issue 8. It was about this time last year that I picked this magazine up. In London we get spoilt with the many publications that are available to us, pretty much every UK edition of any magazine can be found here, and most international ones too. The Newsagent across my office stocks all the best magazines, one's that feature the best in fashion, media and design. However, with the plethora of magazines out there, especially in the Fashion genre you tend to see something common about them. Yes, they are featuring the same clothes and trends in the catwalks, but the same Polaroid style, with 80's style fashion and marker pen typography can get boring. Then we have LULA, never has a magazine influenced me so much. The magazine is unashamedly feminine, but it doesn't do it in a sickly, princess way either. The girls featured are beautiful and have a fun, life loving, care free disposition. There is also variety in the photo shoots and the editorials. You can have a gorgeous 4 page spread featuring 70s inspired clothing, on a film camera and then turn the page to find a feature on a small designer with the vibe of Miami Vice, and the art direction to enhance it. The features they run too are something to applaud, like mentioned previously they interview and expose some amazing unknown talent, not just in the fashion apparel area but also in art. The magazine is littered with illustrations from some much underrated artists. Where else can you find the old photos and diary entries from socialites living in the 30s and then in the same issue an in depth interview with independent movie directors who live on farms in Kansas. My Lula issue 8 was a God send. I went to the Philippines last year for 2 months in the hopes of getting The Bamboo District started, and off the ground. I planned some sewing lessons, time to design, source fabric; organize the manufacturing of my designs and of course soak up some general inspiration. It sounds quite hectic, and at times it was but I did find that I had A LOT of free time. I spent the majority of time in a small town on the tropical Island that my parents are from. Electricity was touch and go, and though I had occasional bursts of internet connection, it was no way how it is like here in England. So out came my trusty magazine and it motivated me to make the most out of the beautiful surroundings, use my eye for hair, make up and styling and hang out with the cute Island girls and play dress up, and shoot them for a photo shoot. I had my laptop with me too so I played around with Photoshop a lot and made little ads using layout designs that were used in Lula. I probably picked up the magazine 20 times and read an article I missed or really concentrated on a photo shoot I didn’t look at properly before, it rarely became boring, it always seemed there was something new to devour. The magazine comes out bi annually for the two main fashion seasons S/S and A/W. Though I would like to receive this magazine more frequently I think the fact that I do have to wait so long makes me appreciate it even more. Also, for the quality that it brings I know takes time so I personally would rather wait than receive and look at a substandard publication. So I am taking this time to applaud Lula magazine who have managed to make a girl like me super excited at reading a magazine, and makes me want to dress pretty and take photos of other pretty things. So to the people at Lula…two things, 1) Let’s collaborate Lula vs Bamboo…it will totally work and 2) Please send me all the back issues…that would make me smile…immensely. Hook a sister up. Enjoys the stills. 13th Witness is branching out of still and short clips, watch his hand at music video direction for the Deftones new video... I had dinner with my lovely Japanese friends, Nobuko and Akio. We ate in a lovely place near Chancery Lane where I had sushi and other bits of traditional Japanese cuisine. Japanese food is hands down my favourite food and no one can deny how awesomely creative and out there the Japanese are as a nation. Their fashion is insane, from Harijuku girls to the Tokyo punks, and also more high fashion designers like Kenzo and Issey Miyake. In every creative industry you are able to find a strong presence of the Japanese, whether in design, hair and make up. Their hand in the technology game is so far beyond so many other nations and things featured on websites like 'japanisweird.com' presently, will probably be the next new Christmas trend in 3 years time.So let's give it up for the Japan for all the amazing things that have rooted from there. Tekeshi's castle, TEKESHI KANISHIRO, Tamagotchi's and generally ALL things super cute. Oh, and we can't forget about Hello Kitty. Definately not :) Enjoy a BBC doc on Japanese fashion... Ooooh, how I love a competition.
Swatch have set up a competition between the all glossy Fashion mags such as Dazed, ID, Another and NYLON. Its to launch their 80's inspired Colour Codes Collection. They all submitted a photo shoot to promote the watches, and now it is up to the public to vote for the best best! They will be giving away 100 watches to people who voted for the winning entry, so start voting! I'm pretty much leaning toward the DAZED shoot, well that;s what I voted for. You can too at: http://www.swatch.com/zz_en/colourcodes/howwewearit.html I like to keep things international! And what better way to do that then write about an awesome Fashion show fundraiser in Malaysia!
I got an email from a girl called Su Mei Tan who is doing her creative thing by making jewelery, she is based in Malaysia but studies in the U.K. She is affiliated with Orkidstudio, the architectural design company I featured a few post previously. Herself and some other young creatives have collaborated together to put on a fundraiser to generate funds for Orkid studio and three local Malay charities: Pusat Bantuan Sentul, Shelter and Calvary Victory Centre (an autistic outreach). Here's what she sent as to what's all going to happen: "The event is certainly an event which focuses on the community development of youths in Malaysia. We will feature some up and coming Fashion Designers, Artists, Singers and other Performers. The main show being two showcases of young Malaysian Fashion designers Ka-Men Fong and label Chic Yamada. Su Mei will also be showcasing some of her ‘jewellery’ collection. There will also be a side art exhibition showcasing local artists including Raja Aiman (photography), Faizal Sidik (painting), Justin Lim (painting), Farah Omar (film and poetry). The congregation of independent Malaysian artists signifies a social reach for the betterment of society." I love seeing the world of fashion, art and design used for charity. I know it is pretty random to feature an event so far away but I think its great to keep aware of things happening by young people worldwide. So if you are in the area, have relatives there or wanna tell someone about it, here are the details: FASHION FOR PASSION A Charity Fundraising Event Bangsar Shopping Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2nd of April 2010 R.S.V.P details: Email: [email protected] Telephone: +60 12 381 3611 |
MAMA BAMBOOLondon Girl.
Mama to Maya. Daughter of Filipinos. Wife of a Mexican'ish. Urban heart + Island soul. Right brained. Left brained. Likes to see & likes to do. Food. Travel. Photography. Fashion. ..... Arsenal supporter. THIS BLOG WILL SHOW ALL OF THE ABOVE IN SOME SHAPE AND FORM Categories
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