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What I'll Do on Easter Weekend

OK, here is my submission for the third blog entry. Last Easter, I got the chance to go back home to Jakarta. I was so excited to see Jakarta. The lovely city has grown to be a very hip town, with new places popping all over the lovely town – So rapid is its growth that only in 2 and half months(I last peeked the glory of the city during the Chinese New Year) we suddenly have all these lovely places to choose. So, me and my beloved friends decided to hang out in 3 places, which was Loewy, Social House, and Indochine.

1. Indochine
This trip to Indochine which is located at (as I remember) the 8th floor of FX was kind of like a little reunion, with my junior high friends showing up for the gathering and reliving the old silly days. As some Singaporeans might know, Indochine is really big here but in Indonesia, the trend just started to grow. However upon noticing the place, I took the pride in saying that Jakarta’s Indochine is far better. First, the place is two-dimensional(it has one romantic dinner-y area and a lounge complete with dancefloor). Secondly, the ambience is so much better and the price is slightly cheaper. Without blabbering any longer, I would showcase you some of the pic from Indochine and the dress I wore that day

I am wearing: (Inspiration: somewhere along the lines of Kurt Cobain and Kate Moss he3)
1. A vintage flannel shirt from Pasar Senen
2. Cheap Monday skinnies
3. Sandal from Raoul
4. A bag I bought in Far East Plaza(It reminded me of the Mulberry Bayswater – slightly – and plus the color is quite gorgeous, nori green he3)
5. Marc by Marc Jacobs Tenacious-D Ring(somehow I lost the padlock while eating at Prata House in Bishan – delicious prata though he3)
6. Some rings from a bazaar in Menteng Pravda, Cikini
7. Various bangles from Bali(worn thorough)
8. A wayfarer inspired reading glasses I got in Bugis Market(I lost the distro-bought one such a long time ago, so sad. Anyhow, this one is a wee bit bigger)(and worn thorough)

3 babis and me, looking haute and happy

do you say cheers or fierce?

Galloping in Indochine

the highlight is in the bag, the green bag

jump, fabulous, jump

with ichul and naomi. please take a good look at the stack-em-high bangles and naomi's fierce leopard-print scarf, Sprouse-y no?

the big gathering

2. Loewy
It was a fun trip to Indochine. The next day, me and the 3 babis(my friend Inge, Tita, and Febri) hang out together for some early supper at Loewe in Oakwood, Kuningan. The place is relatively new. It has Koi(the venerable institution) food, and the ambience is very Cafe France, with Parisian Jazz music floating while you’re enjoying your peppermint tea with garlic frog leg(the item du jour that I surely would not order he3). It’s very chic, it’s very moody, and it’s definitely great...

I am wearing: (Inspiration: 80s random vintage look meets Sonny Bono)
1. A vintage brown velvet shirt from Pasar Gedebage, Bandung
2. A flannel thick cardigan I purchase from Pasar Gedebage, Bandung
3. Tailor-made oversize brown pants
4. Vintage Levi’s belt from Pasar Senen
5. Interracio(do I spell it correctly?) strap sandal from Pedro(a clear ode to the various Bottegas out there he3)
6. Vintage briefcase bag from Pasar Senen
7. Coral-rock ring from Forever 21
8. Blue watch from Guess
9. White leopard-print bangle from Forever 21(I am trying to emulate the various bangles look from the Madonna shoot for LV S/S 09 ad campaign by the lovely Steven Meisel)

Garlic escargot, duck roll with hoisin sauce, and Tita’s pasta(I cannot recall the exact name)

Some sweets: Creme brulee and triple chocolate melted cake, the best in the whole Planet Earth! He3

Loewy is cool, and so are my ladies

3. Social House
Social House, which I proclaimed as one of the best place to hang out or eat in Jakarta is indeed, marvelous. It has 2 sections: the dining area and the lounge. After some hearty supper at Loewy, we decided to hang out at Social House for some drinks and snack. We ended up ordering silly-named drinks and a pan of thin-crusted salmon pizza(Thanks God I met pizza, I rarely eat pizzas in Singapore he3). For your info, Social House is situated in the grand Grand Indonesia mall. The lounge area has no windows, therefore you can clearly feel the air from Patung Selamat Datang breezing through your face – moreover, it’s always great to have a photo-shoot moments at Tugu Selamat Datang without being anywhere near the humid weather there he3. Nice drinks, nice ambience, quite-loud music, and good friends made my night he3!!!

Pardon us flashlights, we only want to werq it...Look at the briefcase I’m carrying he3

Fantastic Four(well, so-called)

Outrageous view!

Inge’s dhoti Zara pants and intricate wedges are too good to be true...

That’s all from me. I do hope you have a wonderful day, and stay fabulous until my next blog outing he3...(sorry for the delay between the two parts of this full blog entry hehehe, busy2 he:P)

Little Balenciaga Blazer and A Voguette's Guide to Stay Fabulous

Well, finally I got the chance to update my brand new blog. Just to catch up with you guys, last Sunday I went to Orchard Road for some sightseeing. My initial plan was to let my friend Agia discern a bag in Zara that I though of buying for its texture is similar to that of a Balenciaga striped lariat. Well, he liked the bag. However, the price hindered me from buying that piece of beauty. He recommended me to try on zooming the kids department of Zara. I know it sounded crazy. But I remember once reading a blog about a young teenager who works at a Marc Jacobs kids store and use the resources to gain ‘notoriety’ in her ‘fashion statement’. So, why not? As I was skimming through racks and piles of stuffs there, I wasn’t that interested. I was turned off by the petite sizes. However, I stumbled upon a hooded jacket. The basic shape of the jacket is similar to that of a Balenciaga jacket I once lusted over seasons ago. I was even happier to found out that the hoodie-cap in the jacket is attachable so I could just as well wear the blazer. I consider this purchase as a treasure find, because Zara kids is considerably cheaper than the adult counterpart and this particular jacket is smashing, and is similar to Balenciaga, a little bit Ralph Lauren meets Ed Westwick(very college preppy that’s what I mean). So here is the pic to satisfy your craving for some nice ala-Gossip Girl dressing:p

The jacket viewed from the front


Ed Westwick and all his prep-style glory serve as an inspiration

This Fall 07 Balenciaga jacket launches a thousand imitators, and a trip down Zara Kids:p

The jacket viewed from the back

The buttons for the attachable hood-cap

The look of the jacket with the hood-cap attached


And, on the side note, I also bought American Vogue. I usually settle for American Bazaar and the various avant-garde magazine(the bi-annual LOVE, the countless V-man and stuffs). However, this particular issue is the special model’s issue. Last time we common person settle for the model issue, it was 2 years ago and me and my friend Agia share the purchase of Vogue model’s issue and an ordinary issue of Harper’s Bazaar. When it comes to who settles for what, he decided to take the Vogue with him. What a lucky bitch he3(kidding)! Since I that time do not have the knowledge that this model issue comes practically ‘once every lifetime’, I have to mend my magazine collection with a banal issue of Bazaar.
Now I wouldn’t miss that chance to buy the model’s cover edition. Coinciding with the Model as Muse exhibition at the MET gala, Lara Stone and Isabeli Fontana, two of the hottest model in the industry pose side-by-side in an inset for the cover of Vogue. What a hot mess that is!!! I mean, Lara and Isabeli are for me the epitome of model, the most exotic looking woman and the most high-fashion in the industry. Their look is not as alien as that of Iekeliene Stange, but they managed to be otherworldly while still maintaining their pretty. Just look at those gorgeous Lara cheekbone! Never in a million years a creature is created near perfect as that! So here are some beautiful models airbrushed to perfection for Vogue

Vogue lying in my bed:)

Two of the most gorgeous looking creature on Planet Meisel:>

That's all from me as of now. Can't wait to wear the jacket. I am thinking to do a whole preppy Gossip-Boy look, and I'm also thinking of a more Ralph Lauren womenswear kind of way, with harem pants and oversized vintage shirt:)...Stay tuned and have a good day everyone:)

first blog entry yeahhh!!!

Finally, I started doing what everyone else seems to be doing right now: blogging. I was confused as to how to start my blog. I have written a long essay enlisting my love of fashion and so on and so on, but I found it too boring and obscure. So, while skimming through theSartorialist courtesy of the great Scott Schumann, I found out this Q and A and straightly went for it for my first blogging entry(thank you Mr. Schumann). I hope you could find out more about me by reading my personal answers. Sorry for the bad English, it's late at night and my eyes are in need of some resting

What I'm wearing(my inspiration: the leather/jeans look from Alexander Wang runway)

Me:
1. biker jacket from Tanah Abang
2. denim shirt from Topman
3. ripped jeans from Topman
4. gladiator sandal from Linea
5. various bangles from Bali
6. vintage ylex briefcase from Pasar Senen
7. Michael Kors watch
8. my always-ready digital camera
9. wayfarer-inspired reading glasses I purchased in a distro in Bandung
My beloved friend, Inge with her on-trend jumpsuit paired with a flirty vest and simple but gorgeous gladiator sandal


Dennis Lauren

Job?
Student at Singapore Management University

Best Sartorial advice from your parents?
Don’t wear anything that’s too matchy-matchy. It will end up being tacky

Style icons?
Chloe Sevigny, Kurt Cobain, Alexander Wang, Steve McQueen, Erin Wasson

Describe your personal style...
I am still fairly young so I don’t have any particular personal style – yet. However, I’m always drawn to a particular grunge look circa the 90s. I also love anything dramatic that’s straight from the runway. Right now, I am really in love with the girls from the Alexander Wang runways and also Balmain, Givenchy, and Lanvin. I love eccentric menswear collection, but I also adore simplicity. I’m kind of a mix between gothic and romantic. I’m all in between.

I build my daily look around?
That one particular item I really want to wear. For example, I will chose a beautiful vintage messenger bag and I will make it the attention of my dressing that day. I’d build my look around that particular item, but I love ‘surprise element’, so I would not exactly gone all-grandpa with that vintage messenger bag

Personal Style quirk?
I always follow trends not only from the menswear collection, but also from women wear collection. I read magazines from Bazaar to French Vogue. I think that women wear is not only limited for women. It sort of gives me the edge and innovative inspiration for my daily look. I also play some 80s acid music whenever I want to dress up, esp. for special occasions.

Favorite designers?
constant fave will be Maison Martin Margiela, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen. However, currently I’m also keeping my eyes on newcomers like Rodarte, Alexander Wang, and threeASfour

Most cherished item?
I constantly found things from my mother’s treasure chest like vintage Chanel that’s unisex to me, and various old brands accessories from the likes of Paloma Picasso and Versace(my mom is a big fan of 80s Versace)

Never caught wearing?
Never vow to not be caught wearing anything. After all, fashion is unpredictable and the most banal or outrageous trend can be chic suddenly

Most underrated item in menswear/womenswear?
White stuffs like t-shirts, shirts, all-oversized. I also think that motorcycle jacket and nice flip-flop is underrated

Dress to impress who?
Anyone, particularly those who have seen my style evolving every season, strangers on the street, and myself

Flats or heels?
I’m a guy so of course I don’t do heels. However, I like challenging shoes for men, like gladiator with cut-out details or intricate woven sandal. It gives me the strength to do difficult tasks each day. It sounds silly but shoes does motivates me

Favorite stores?
I am an avid vintage stuff collectors. Everytime I go back home, I also search through pilage of things at Pasar Senen, Tanah Abang, and Gedebage(my personal favourite). However, I also mix up my things with high-end stuff. Club21 is a great go-to store when it’s on sale. I also love purchasing stuffs at x.sml, an Indonesian fashion brand designed by the renowned Biyan. They always have pieces that are sort of ‘limited’ in quantity and ‘avant-garde akward’ in quality. I also buy stuffs from Zara and Topman because face it: Everybody does. I buy bangles and rings from Forever21 for they’re cheap and chic

Your next "must have" purchase?
Pajama pants inspired by the Dolce and Gabanna runway, a jeans military jacket that I will bleach slightly and accessorize so it will look like it came out of the Balmain runway, a nice pair of oxford shoes(I still haven’t found one)

I skimp when buying ...
Expensive stuffs that are too on trend. When in doubt, it’s always safe to buy classics when buying something that’s exorbitantly priced. Go for quality, because ‘wow factor’ only lasted for a season or two, but the ‘quality factor’ will go on forever. Plus, you can always pass it to the next fashion generation

I splurge on...
Leather accessories and nice shoes

Favorite item of clothing?
My Italian-leather gladiator will always be by my side. I can always dress it up and down. I also have stacks of rock tees that I will wear for years and years to come

Favorite fashion magazines?
many. But I particularly love Harper’s Bazaar, Purple, V, L’Officiel Hommes, Arena Homme, and Pop(the Katie Grand days)

Favorite (style) books?
I find photography books with great styling interesting, particulary those that are captured by Helmut Newton and Amy Arbus

Favorite stylish movies?
The Darjeeling Limited, Annie Hall(Diane Keaton always looks smashing and one of a kind), Kids(such inconic 90s street look), and Funny Face(I’m a sucker for some Hepburn)

Favorite vacation spot?
I’m not a world-class traveller. However, I always find a special spot for Bali

Favorite neighborhood restaurant?
Singapore: everything’s so expensive here so I don’t even go to restaurants. Indonesia: currently I love Social House(the lounge) for hang-out. I also order Chinese Food from Wong Fu Kie in Asemka. They’re the best. and we hungry eaters love the desserts at cork and screw, esp. the melted chocolate cake