The Life and Times of a Problem Child

A Thing Called HOON

 
Streetwear is constantly evolving and a label called Hoon seems to bring it a little more upmarket. According to its brainchild Adrien Haddad, he wanted to build further on the concept of luxury streetwear. D'ailleurs, I'm not going to pretend like I am so keen on streetwear (I mean I do enjoy it from time to time but I just can't get too geeky about it) but one thing I know is that I am totally in love with leather jackets. As for now, I may not have gotten that ideal one from Belstaff or Hermes but on a similar plane, the extremely exquisite black leather trench from Raf Simon's SS2010 collection is another one to aspire to. En tout cas, all such I've mentioned are far from being acquired so as to lessen my agony in some ways, I'm diverting my attention into more leather jackets. This time it's from Hoon's autumn-winter pickings. Adding more to justify the luxury label for streetwear, the materials are what you could expect from something intended for those with deeper pockets- reindeer, lambskin, and a variety or rare and beautiful animal skins. Do add up that manufacturing is purely done in Parisian ateliers so in any case, a price tag of a couple of thousand euros wouldn't be so questionable.

Moving away from the leather jackets which is Hoon's major merchandise this autumn-winter season, the label is currently offering something really interesting but I just don't see myself justifying its tag price and purpose. A staggering EUR 1,160 would get you a pair of headphones covered in python skin on the outside then lined with goat skin on the inside. Above is the said headset done in collaboration avec Public Unison. The aim of this product is to create a marriage between luxury and technology but since I'm more sold to the notion of luxury, I'd draw the line on this one. While it may be nice to flaunt your headphones. It's just purely for show on the behalf of someone like me. I'll try and have a DJ friend teach me how to spin and when it's my turn at a gig, I'll be so smug with these headphones but in the long run they're just never going to be one bit practical. Thinking things through, maybe the state of Florida must consider making an industry out of those invading pythons. Make money out of these invasive pythons, save the local ecosystem over there and make fashionistas happy. A big triumphant hiss for style, non? And since they're actually considered as pests, the price would seem a little close to affordable. So, if in any case I want to make a trench coat out of python skin, I'll find necessary contacts in Florida. I'll have one from a bunch of albino Burmese pythons and another one from the regular strain.  

An Eye for Detail

I've started to believe that the average lifespan of a digital camera these days is so much less than the one-year warranty. I am saying this as the current handy camera I'm using gave up on me at 10 months old (I'll still have to see if things can be mended with it). Du lieber gott! How disposable are electronics these days?! And just when I thought my world was gonna end because I'm so dependent on my camera, my dad had one he barely uses so it was a huge sigh of relief! And since none of my other family members are as camera dependent as me (subtitle: are as vain as me and as obsessed with catching visual proofs of the things that exist around me on a daily basis), I'm the one who most often than not ends up with a fucked-up camera. While, I was caught up mourning why my soi-disant supposed to be trusty Pentax is malfunctioning, I took some time off the matter and said hello to my Nikon DSLR. I mean, I've always had it but hardly use it because it's quite a hassle bringing it around with you. First of all, the camera being heavy and it's not always convenient but lately since I've been seeing so much of detail shots of the clothes and accessories alone in fashion magazines like Numero Homme and Man About Town (who do it so exceptionally well), I decided to heed the aid of my DSLR and took photos of my latest acquisition: a Jil Sander jacket! 

Anyways, I'm just wondering how you find the details? Are they clear enough? For some reason, a stroke of paranoia hit me. And do pardon the amateur photographer in me. I love taking photos but up to this day, I do not feel so confident about the photos that I take but I do say at times that I am an aspiring photographer. Who am I fooling, non? Maybe if I have a Hasselblad with me then maybe I'd take photography more seriously. As for now, I really do love my Jil Sander jacket. That's all I wanted to say other than that camera incident.   

C'est le soi-disant cinephile!!!

Back at long last! I've got a bunch of stories to tell and I have to say that it was hard to keep myself silent because I had no computer. If only I had known that my so-called laptop was at the brink of crashing some two weeks ago.It was horrible to keep things to myself. It's Christmas already this side of the world and our family didn't really had the enthusiasm to prepare a Christmas meal. I just ate canned goods for goodness sake! That's laziness, really so no one's to blame. I'm in a somewhat festive mood. I've got a new ordinateur, I can waste time with Photoshop again, and I'm somewhat enchanted by Sagan's Bonjour Tristesse.

P.S. I'm still running slow on updates and have barely gone through the thoughts I'm supposed to share. To make things worse, I'm adjusting to the new OS that I'm using parce que I've only shifted to Windows Vista a few days ago and I have to say I'm dumbfounded. I'm not so good with new technology, you know. Haha

Let There Be More Baskets

Shoes can be quite addicting if you let it become an addiction or peut-être I just lose all my logic when it comes to shoes. For as long as there is spare change, and an interesting pair is saying "hello", they're bound to go all the way home avec moi. It doesn't really matter if I end up broke or the last money I have will be paid for my cab going home or for the parking fees and lunch is out of the question. I know it will sound stupid to say: "the fact of having new shoes fed me more over a hearty lunch." Using these past two weeks as a very particular example, I've gotten myself 4 pairs of shoes through those second hand fares I've been doing around poor Manille. The present loot includes a pair of brown mock croc slip-ons par Miu Miu, a somewhat platformed round-toe lace-ups par Kenzo, black patent lace-ups which reminded me of Reppeto's Zizi as popularized by the iconic Serge Gainsbourg, (which I've always wanted but couldn't find any so purchase initiatives are futile), and a great pair of tan combat boots from Fiorentini + Baker (which I never thought are to be taken seriously as the price range averages from $400-$500++ judging it on the Barneys New York site. And that for an unemployed bloke, is not by any means cheap!!!) Note to self: There is always Google to research a little something and somewhat realize the value of certain obscure labels you've acquired by means of those second-hand, vintage, thrift fares.

What's interesting about these baskets is that they fuse techonology and contemporary design which is true to the Jil Sander image. Apart from that, there is this something that has made me really fond of Jil Sander over the past few months is the fact that one could be attain a look that's luxurious and minimalistic at the same time. I'd say minimalism being a discipline hard to live by especially in terms of dressing up but I've always had such a high regard towards it. Et alors, moving back to the aspect of technological advancements, the way these baskets are constructed guarantee daily comfort and the perfect grip which is something one must consider when purchasing baskets. Aside from that, I do agree with the article that the semelles, soles do emphasize a certain lightness in terms of the construction of the shoe.

The only thing I'm somewhat worried about is how the label could have been somewhat more discreet as they seem a bit loud for me. In a few ways, something Margiela-esque, non? But these baskets are really highly desirable for me. Then again, stating the obvious, I easily lose my logic with shoes and say these all so familiar words: "I want them."

Hurrah! Ich bin wieder da!

Hurrah! Ich bin wieder da!
Hurrah! Ich bin wieder da!
Hurrah! Ich bin wieder da!
Hurrah! Ich bin wieder da!

You don't know how delighted I am to be be having PROPER internet service (finally) again. I was on/off-line hier parce que the connectivity was fucked up and it wasn't funny. It just came to a point that I got pissed that I can't secure a stable connection that I've lost my appetite for blogging. Donc, so much time was waited to get connected just to get disconnected a few minutes after. It is more dreadful than realizing that my Sissyphusian fate. It's worse than dial-up, really. Et alors, what is reliable here in poor Manille? Rien, absolument rien.

All I can say is that it feels good to be back online...

Could There Be Too Much of Yourself These Days?

Since I personally believe that my blog just ain’t enough, I’ve tried my luck basically everywhere from my geeky moments chez Facebook to my somehow updated but not so recently IQONS (which reminds me I have to manage that account and get rid of some comme ci, comme ça images in my portrait). Okay, I’m sounding really ambiguous but you should really know by now how I love being in the gray. I strongly oppose that decision making or taking sides as to black and white. I can easily get lost in my own words hence how language is constantly adjusted to one’s own way of dealing with it. Meanwhile, the focus on the self has gotten more and more a bigger issue that needs to be adressed. And I myself feel a great involvement on this wave sur tout le monde. It’s like first there was The Sartorialist and The Facehunter documenting real people and their relationship with fashion. Et puis, street style blogs emerged here and there and is existent in almost every city around the globe from Stockholm to Tokyo to where have you. Whether it’s real people, real style or just some eye candy, it’s all a matter of subjective assesment. I myself frequent a few for inspiration and to witness how style evolves in today’s scenario fueled by cultural hyperconsciousness.

There’s chaos amidst the evolution of style and vice versa, there seems to be a constant flux of things here and there. It just keeps on getting more and more interesting. Seemingly, narcissism also seems to be on the rise.The youth (more specifically well known for their obsession with fashion) seemingly continue to create a far more complex culture associated with personal style. Some may have found it, some may have, others have distinct personal style as to how you could differentiate Serge Gainsbourg from Marcello Mastroianni kind of vibe. And, I on the other hand of the equation feel that my Personal Style Files aren’t enough so I’m thinking of extending my whereabouts to a few more sites on the internet like I Like My Style where I have just started my luck some 30 minutes ago. It seems like a wonderful new discovery like how I was so amused by my discovery of IQONS. It is an online community for those who’d like to showcase their style and showcase their creativity and I am a sucker for such things. I love anything creative. This also serves as an excuse to re-activate my narcissistic tendencies.  As for narcissism, it’s just a really good thing for me. It has always been my saviour.  What I find weird but not entirely too weird is that I put myself in a position as a voyeur to myself. The digital age and the constant proliferation of the personal in the modern age seems to somehow take us into this sentiment, non?

Well, if you’ve started your own I Like My Style account just tell me. I’d love to discover the styles of my dear readers! Prost!

Radiohead: Fake Plastic Trees

Lazy, lazy, lazy sunday. After listening to Alejandro Sanz and good 'old Billie Holiday and my constant dependence on Adobe Photoshop (ouais, editing pictures again), I'm now easing down with some of the good 'old tunes of Radiohead. I'm still overwhelmed by the last few days and most especially the screening of the short film project, Altered States which was recently exhibited at a local film festival here. I'm still trying to go back to regular programming. I sometimes wish I was like the Energizer bunny at times like this!

Temporary Solution

I finally found a temporary solution to my technical difficulty as of yesterday. I had my laptop reprogrammed yet again and the Adobe whore in me is alive and kicking again. I seriously believe I could not live without Photoshop. On the down side, I do believe that this solution won't last me long perhaps a couple of months long and definitely less than a year. And when that penultimate month comes, I seriously have to be prepared to purchase that Macbook Pro. Honestly, I'm dreading the idea of spending a lot of money on a new computer parce que I'm thinking I could spend it on something from Raf Simons or Dries Van Noten but there are just some things that can't be compromised. De toute façon, it's officially back to business, my friends. The blabber mouth is back. haha

Prost!

Technical Difficulty

I do not know how to express my anger and irritation right now. My Adobe applications in particular Photoshop which I use almost on a daily basis is not working properly due to lack of RAM. Arghhhh.  I even added some memory to this darn computer. Adobe does take up so much space on my hard disk and eats up memory space as well but what can I do, it’s the wonder drug of the times. It’s the miracle drug to combat my boredom other than blogging. I think this leads to me needing to buy a new laptop. It’s not funny as I have no excuse to the parental to get me a new as they are well aware the only use a computer to me these days would be for the sake of blogging and nothing else. I don’t think there’s any better solution than replacing this laptop that I’ve had for more than 4 years now. I think a MacBook Pro is the best option around considering the fact that I’m such an Adobe whore if only I could buy one this instant. Grunts**

VACHEMENT PLUS TARD

Finally an update. haha

A weekend with some kind of giancinephile productivity (50% pleasure, 50% duty) that started with a bunch of colourful paper clips.

For the past 2 jours, I have been purchasing magazines like crazy. For instance, I got 14 magazines from good old Book Sale. As I have said so many times already but I will say it again: magazines in poor Manille are extortionately priced. It’s like paying 3 to even 6 times the cover price so my only choice would be to hoard back issues. Another thing would be those magazines I like aren’t available here at all or not on a regular basis… Tank, Numéro Homme, Dazed & Confused, He Magazine, L’Officiel Hommes, L’Uomo Vogue, Vogue Hommes International, etc.

A few trips to the mall, some little cheap thrill at Maldita Man (a local clothing brand with some decent pieces), dealing with obesity issues (as told by my BMI), tried out this new food chain in town called Pepper Lunch avec my AFM classmates, unexpectedly found myself a copy of CSS's album (which I couldn't get enough of previously) at Theodore's. and one crazy evening with Marlboro Reds, alcohol and somehow wasted fun.

Now, it’s a Sunday and I have missed a lot of action from Paris Fashion Week updates online. I have some serious catching up to do. From my latest whoring around the net, I’m very much in love with the presentations of Kilgour, Gaspard Yurkievich, Julius and Unity. I have seen a few interesting looks from Véronique Branquinho but couldn’t really have a say parce que, I haven’t seen much from the shows.

It’s a good thing, I’m relaxing to the sound of Françoise Hardy and it’s all good. Updates coming in a little while. Just bear with me. Now that things are looking up, I don’t want to say too much. I’ll just talk about it when it’s more of an actuality and definitely minus the gray lines. Prost!