Whistles:Fast Fashion與高端設計師品牌的中間點。

幾年前剛到歐洲時曾經沈迷過Zara與H&M的價位及模仿風,隨著年齡的增長現在在意起了衣服的材質和做工品質。然而儘管被Christian Dior、Louis Vuitton的展示會影響得對真正的好料子與做工眼界過高,這些無法輕易入手的雲端價位自然還是不會出現在現實生活中的購物清單上(只能在Pinterest上的wishlist貼貼圖...)。再次搬到法國後開始接觸中高價位品質也不錯的ACNE Studio、Carven、maje,運氣好時則能在品質更高一些的品牌Private Sale(Fendi、Sonia Rykiel、l’Eclaireur...etc)裡挖到寶。除此之外也向更加親民一些的中價位品牌掏出荷包(COS、 &other stories)。當然也不是不逛Zara和H&M了,時不時還是會去關心一下他們兩位順便不小心購物一下。

不過這次要介紹的是最近重新認識的一位老朋友:英國中高價位品牌Whistles

還在英國念寄宿學校時就認識Whistles了,記憶中的它是位棗紅紫色背景配粉紅字體,有些英國波西米雅風花花味兒的品牌。直到上個月Whistles的法國Online Shop上線,受到邀請到它在巴黎的一日showroom見了好久不見的它,才發現它早就在我沒有注意的時候煥然一新,蛻變成一個乾淨簡潔高品質的高cp值品牌。  廢話不多說,直接獻上當天的照片。

Dior Haute Couture 14秋冬:高級定製服時光機

2011年春天搬到了巴黎後,follow從2012年4月Raf Simons就任藝術總監的Dior至今,兩年多一點的時間裡Dior的時裝、高級定製服、Cruise、早秋...不知不覺也看了好多系列。有時是坐在秀場裡喀嚓喀嚓的拍照,有時則是在蒙恬大道上的Dior showroom裏吃著茶點摸看衣服的細節。似乎慢慢開始有點懂Raf Simons美感哲學思考方式了。至今為止印象最深刻的是去年九月底在羅丹美術館舉行的14年春夏時裝秀,前天的Dior高定秀再次在巴黎羅丹美術館舉行,滿懷期待地去了現場,而Raf果然沒有讓人失望。

座位的正對面Dior社長兩旁坐著Emma Watson和Jennifer Lawrence,我的位置也太好。

14年秋冬高定的Dior從過去的歷史裡尋找未來的路徑。Raf Simons並非單純地將以前既有的東西現代化,反之他將所謂“過去”的服飾與"未來"的服飾混合後重生,太空裝與18世紀灰姑娘舞會撐裙禮服的合體,馬甲與刺繡的並存,拉鏈及平紋皺絲(taffeta)的組合;18世紀的法官袍、19世紀初愛德華七世時期的洋裝、1920年代Great Gatsby的flapper洋裝...東西多到記不起來。像是在太空艙裡看了一場穿越時光旅行的時裝秀。

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WHO’S NEXT挖寶記錄

來到巴黎不知不覺也三年了,從搞不清楚Fashion Week是怎麼一回事到這次受邀參加巴黎數一數二大的Trade Show WHO’S NEXT的活動,只能說我越沒得失心在做事時事情就進展的越順遂這現象似乎從小就存在。如此半吊子的態度經營的部落格竟然存活至今...真是很感謝大家。(替法國隊跟哥倫比亞隊加油時得失心太重於是比賽就輸了嗚嗚...)

Who’s Next主要是給專業買手的大小品牌展示會,從7月4日開始為期四天在巴黎Porte de Versaille舉辦。儘管是在現場不能直接購物的狀況之下,我還是逛的很開心。並不是說場內的品牌多容易找到合自己喜好的設計師,分析未來時尚趨勢這麼專業的事情我也做不來,但是當發現喜歡的東西並且現場就能和設計師或創辦者本人聊天,了解更多這些東西在被製造出來之前有些什麼樣的經歷,就像聽故事一般,是ㄧ件很有趣的事情。

- La Maison Ottomane

在活動開始前就先被告知這次WHO’S NEXT的主題是”土耳其”,沒去過土耳其也完全不會說土耳其語的我,當時還真的是心中ㄧ片迷茫。但不管會不會說土耳其語,今天在會場第一個讓我停下腳步的攤位就是來自土耳其的”La Maison Ottomane”。在掛滿異國情調毯子的帳篷裡我碰到了創辦者本人,來自伊斯坦堡現住法國的Çiğdem Naillat女士(別問我怎麼念,我真的不會)。她與羅浮宮美術館合作,製作當年被擺放在土耳其皇宮裡的美麗碗盤器皿的複刻版(真品由博物館收藏),由土耳其的傳統技術職人們手工製作,販售於羅浮宮美術館的商店內。此外還有將法式古董傢俱搭上土耳其布料的家飾品,和Naillat的姐妹所製作的珠寶首飾等。好想將這些花花綠綠的盤子放在白色的廚房裡。

My Daily Morning Beauty Essentials

So I’ve been working on this post since months ago, however it really did take me much longer than expected…since I change my beauty products quite frequently, I had to re-write some parts and re-take photos until hmm... I gave up on it. The fact is, probably I will be adding some new items to the list next week already.
Anyway, here are my "NOW" everyday morning beauty essentials:

1. Morning skin care & cleansing:

- Eve Lom Muslin Cloth
I use only water together with Eve Lom's facial cloth to clean my face in the morning, no facial cleanser, most type of face wash takes away not only the oil but also the water from your skin and makes it harder to put on foundation afterward, so only clean water in the morning! Eve Lom’s facial cloth helps me to clean up the night cream leftover from the night before, and makes my face fresh enough even with just water!

- Estée Lauder Night Repair / Lancôme Génifique
I then put just the serum in the morning for moisturising. Night Repair on a dry day, and Génifique when the skin is more greasy = Night Repair in winter and Génifique on summer days. I also use them at night when I feel my skin is less stable or being sensitive.

Breakfast at Ladurée:A Celebration of Tory Burch's first Paris store

It is a very bad habit but I must confess that I barely have breakfast in my usual life - I'd stay in my bed until the very last minute since I was...5 years old I think. However for some occasions I do try my best to attend to a breakfast meeting, for example the Dior breakfast back in PFW, or the breakfast at Ladurée when invited by KCD to celebrate Tory Burch's first Paris Pop-Up Store inside Galeries Lafayette.

Beloved Objects, Beloved Bags: PB0110 ( )

I've been talking about my new found love PB0110( ) quit a lot recently.

The first time I met a PB0110 product was after a casual cafe time at The Broken Arm, I couldn't take my eyes off the beautiful CM4 in mint green in their showcase - I soon asked the staff to take it out from the glass box and noted down the brand's name on my phone, and found on their facebook page that they are showing their 2014 autumn/winter collection in Paris during PFW, where I finally met the founder of PB0110, Mr. Phillip Bree in person, and learned about the deep concept story of the brand: "The Beloved Objects".



#PB0110( ) Inspiration image

The stuffed toy which accompanied your childhood.
The first agenda received on the graduation day from your parents.
The thing that you'd be so worried about during the whole flight when you mistakenly checked it in with the suitcase.

Found in Germany, the son of the 40-year-old history leather bag brand Bree family, Mr. Phillip Bree was inspired by the travel bag he received from his father at his age of 16. The bag which has been traveling with him for more than 25 years gave him the idea to create a brand with long lasting high quality and aesthetic design - the PB0110( ).

#Phillip Bree(founder of PB0110)received this bag from his father in 1988, which he now still uses.

(Photo credit: HAW-LIN Services)

Dior Addict x GL-OW gallery on Instagram

#Dior Addict Event

Earlier I did a pretty long post on the Dior Addict Event on my VOGUE Japan blog (in Japanese), here I'll try to make it shorter and easier to read.

Dior Addict Event was an event held at an art gallery in Paris by Dior Parfum, exclusively for selected bloggers to experience their brand new beauty products: Fluid Stick (not a lipstick yet a gloss) and the whole new series of their nail polishers, Dior Vernis. Thanks to VOGUE Japan, I was luckily the one invited from Japan side!

The event includes 3 parts: product introduction, make-up test by professional makeup artist & manicurist, photo shooting and filming with Dior's collaboration art works by GL-OW artists. The venue space was limited so only very few people were invited, which ensure that we could fully experience the new products and had all our questions answered.

After choosing the colour on the face chart, I had my full makeup done by professional makeup artist with the Dior Backstage Pro series, then had my lips specially done by makeup artist Violette, manicure painted by Anatole.

Kitsuné.Coffe.Kiko

Spring has arrived much earlier in Paris this year. Thus 20 degrees in March doesn't seem to be anyhow usual, and the air condition has been terrible, the sun still shines so I took a walk in my favourite walking spot in Paris center - Palais Royal in the afternoon before going to Drie's Van Noten's exhibition at Les Art Décoratifs. And a little cuttie caught my attention to the newly opened Kitsuné Café in the garden of Palais Royal. This PUPPY!
I've heard about Kitsuné Café's opening in Paris from another Paris based VOGUE Japan blogger Taco's article and have been wanting to visit but for some reason I always forget to note the address down, and this is how I ended up reaching it by coincident. The Café Kitsuné paper cups reminds me of Kiko Mizuhara's work in Kitsuné's 13/14AW Lookbook, where she holds the cup in front of a washing machine.(Oui, I'm a big fan of hers, and I checked her fan tumblr almost everyday like a kinky stalker. Even waited for almost 2 hours just to get a snap shoot of Kiko outside Chanel's Haute-Couture show) The Kitsuné (Fox in Japanese) knit tops are totally my type of must-have pieces!

Showroom:Louis Vuitton AW14 by Nicolas Ghesquière

有在follow巴黎時裝週的人相信都已經看到前Balenciaga總監Nicolas Ghesquière的Louis Vuitton 14年秋冬秀了。秀後隔天,我溜進了正在進行LV公關會議的巴黎showroom。今天整理好了showroom的照片和筆記,來說說我看到的服裝與配件細節。

作為一個有財力的大品牌新上任設計師的第一場秀來說,這是一場很實際,很不浮誇的秀。就像是曾有媒體評論過的,前Louis Vuitton藝術總監Marc Jacobs所看到的”法式”,是外國人想像中既有概念的法國女人風味,而作為一個真正的歐洲人的Nicolas Ghesquière,創造的則是現實中現在這個時代,在巴黎這樣的都市裡,實際上生活于其中的女人所追求的穿衣調性。實穿,低調,男孩女孩風混搭,在繁忙城市中穿梭行走,生活工作的女性。

貫穿整場秀的是60年代mini skirt與A字裙的silhouette。利用現代科技的3D print及laser cut將皮革、jersey和tweed等軟硬材質混合拼搭,創造出60年代俏皮女孩與工作女性woman in power的融合look。

Maison Michel Pop-Up Store + Photo Contest!


For those who follow me on Instagram might have noticed already, about my recent participation in Maison Michel Photo Contest
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Started last November, open until the end of June 2014, the Maison Michel Pop-Up Store located next to the Chanel flagship store on Rue Cambon, 19 Rue Cambon Paris
Maison Michel, the hat brand by Chanel’s head of jewellery Laetitia Crahay, has been mentioned several times in my blog. The earliest could go back to the time when I first started blogging for Vogue Japan in Tokyo. I met my very first Maison Michel hat in Restir, Tokyo where I worked part-time during my 4th year of college life in Japan. “It is made in the same place and by the same designer from Chanel.”was how I was told by my colleague, that one single sentence explains enough of its value.

Similar to the story of Chanel’s early career, Coco Chanel started her fashion business by selling hats to her friends. Maison Michel’s creative director Laetitia has made the Pop-Up Store as a friend-welcoming cozy salon, and the muses of her design are mostly her close friends and family.

#Maison Michel look book postcard shoot by Karl Lagerfeld, including friends of Laetitia who have be truly supportive to her works, Lou Doillon, Sasha Pivovarova are one of them. Laetitia wears the bunny mask in the last photo. Guests are welcome to keep the postcards for free.

Maison Michel Pop-Up Store Photo Contest!(中文)


不知道有沒有人注意到我最近在Instagram上參加的”Maison Michel Photo Contest”?

從去年11月開始,原訂開到今年三月底的Maison Michel Pop-up store,由於Pop-up store大成功而目前正計劃延長開至六月底。店址位於巴黎康朋街上的香奈兒總店一旁,19 Rue Cambon Paris

”細節”的故事:拜訪織品設計師Ejing Zhang


我是一個很喜歡細節的人。不管是衣服上的小細節,外套的內襯,口袋的掀蓋,領口和袖口的設計,褲管腳踝上翻的內裏花色。乃至生活中的杯子,茶罐,甚至廁所衛生紙的花紋或者是下眼線眼尾的勾勒...拍照時也特別喜歡捕捉細節的畫面。
初次認識姊姊英國大學的學妹嫕婧是何時在哪裡,確切地已經想不太起來了。或許是在RCA一年級的展上,或許是更早之前在Chelsea時曾照過面,也或許是某次在倫敦中國城吃飯的場合裡碰見的。總之,和她開始有比較深一點的接觸時,是在米蘭傢俱展結束後一起去西西里島的時候。對這個女孩印象最深刻的就是“顏色很漂亮”這件事情。在義大利時她頂著ㄧ頭酒紅色的頭髮,穿著藍底白點的Cath kidston雨衣,背著編織著彩色線條的相機皮帶,在倫敦街頭相遇時,她穿著踩著雨點的薄荷綠的皮鞋(並為了淺色皮鞋被雨水打濕而碎碎念..),淡藍綠相間的毛衣配上淺棕色的皮夾克,脖子上掛著自己手工做的飾品。不管是對衣服的搭配或是她隨手拍照的影像,記憶中的她是一個對“色彩”很有天分的女孩子。

織品設計師Ejing Zhang 張嫕婧

在一次湊巧和London Fashion Week同時舉行的London Design Festival造訪倫敦時,我又再次碰到了她。這次的機會讓我接觸到了更多關於這個擅長于顏色中國女孩的故事和她的作品,並得以到訪嫕婧在倫敦的住家工作室參觀她的創作。