Prada Pre Fall 2009 Summer Dress

First of all, sorry for missing in action for a while. I have been ill and spent some time recovering. 

Prada Pre Fall 2009

A few days ago I received an email notifying me that Spotlight, which is a craft store in Australia, is having a sale. it discounted all sewing patterns by at least 50% and already in clearance fabric by a further 30% off. I thought it was a good deal so I went there. I found this amazing camouflage pattern fabric. It instantly reminded me of Prada Pre Fall 2009. It was $16.00, but after the discount it became $3.5/ m. Unbelievable right!!!! So I purchased 2 meters of that. 

I did not want to follow Prada and make a winter outfit out of this. It is summer in Australia now and it is so hot. That made me decide to make a simple dress that is perfect for summer. So I look and look and look and look.............. look until I finally found this pattern. When I first laid my eyes upon this pattern, I thought "perfect, this dress is so timeless and elegant and more importantly easy to make". I bought it immediately. 

Got home and felt so dizzy. I only managed to cut out the pattern pieces on day 1. 

On the second day, I laid all the pattern pieces on the fabric and start cutting. I sewed the pieces together and found out that this dress requires some lining. Not as easy as I thought. When you are required to make a dress with lining, that basically means you have to make 2 dresses and sew them together back to back. That day I went back to Spotlight to buy some lining fabric and a zipper. 

morning... only finished the front side

end of day 2,... still have to do the hem line and the neckline

I only managed to finish the dress on the third day, but I am pleased with the result. 

Done!!!! in sunlight

inside 

Fendi Spring 2011 Peek-A-Boo

Spring 2011 Collection 

The cheaper alternatives:

Nine West  New City & SLGs Medium Top Handle Frame $159.00 

To die for: favourite looks from Mens Fall/ Winter 2011

(Top, from left to right) Alexander McQueen, Alexander McQueen, Dries Van Noten, Dries Van Noten (Bottom, from left to right) Jil Sander, Yohji Yamamoto, Dries Van Noten, Dries Van Noten

(Top, from left to right) Versace, Versace, Vivienne Westwood, D&G (Bottom, from left to right) Viktor & Roff, Burberry Prorsum, Vivienne Westwood, Vivienne Westwood

(Top, from left to right): Vivienne Westwood, Roberto Cavalli, Roberto Cavalli, Dolce and Gabanna, (Bottom, from left to right) Ermenegildo Zegna, Dolce and Gabanna

(Top, from left to right) John Richmond, Dries Van Noten, Salvatore Ferragamo, Versace (Bottom, from left to right) Costume Nationa, Costume National, Alexander McQueen, Bottega Veneta

Wait a minute... I thought you were wearing...

Prada Spring 2010 Crystal Bags:

More affordable alternative can be found at Peep toe

Retro Patent Bag with Jewelled Clasp $110 (http://www.peeptoeshoes.com.au/item/retro-patent-bag-with-jewelled-clasp--black#zoom)

Fall/ Winter 2011: Menswear - more brown

Etro

Gucci

Marni

Fall/ Winter 2011: Menswear - is brown the new black?

Ferragamo

Ermenelgildo Zegna

Roberto Cavalli

Prada

Burberry Prorsum 

Turban

The look

The goods


You can either buy a rectangular-shaped or a square-shaped fabric to get these looks. The most convenient way is to buy a scarf. Alternatively, you can buy a piece of fabric. I would recommend the fabric to be at least 1 m by 1 m. This size should enable to do most of the above looks.

yoox.com

You can buy quality designer fabric from http://www.tessuti-shop.com/. They have shops in Sydney: CBD, Chatswood and Surry Hills. It also has a shop in Melbourne.

fabric from tessuti-shop.com

For cheaper fabric, head to the Fabric Store. http://thefabricstore.com.au/index.cfm?page=4

You can also buy fabric from either Spotlight or Lindcraft.

The tutorial


a simple turban headband

making a full turban - using a long scarf

making a full turban - using a square scarf

making a full turban with 2 scarves

I like this video the most

Givenchy Spring Summer 2011 bags

Favourites from Pre-fall 2011

1.  Jason Wu

2. Matthew Williamson

3. Proenza Schouler

4. Emilio Pucci

 5. Zac Posen

6. BCBG Max Azaria

Hong Kong bargain shopping: where to go?

1. +wis+

It is an absolute must for any travelers to visit +wis+ in Hong Kong at least once. +wis+ is multi-brand store that offers 20% discount to any foreign passport holders who spend more than 10,000 HKD in one transaction. It is the only shop in Hong Kong that offers that. This discount makes the price of anything sold there in line or cheaper than the price of the same goods sold in the US or Europe.

What to do?

Spend 10,000 HKD in one transaction. That is easy because any bags will cost more than that. You will be given 20% for this transaction and a membership card. That membership card can be used in future transactions as a discount card.

brand: Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, Lanvin, Chanel, Prada, Tod's

http://www.twist.hk/

2. I.T., Lane Crawford, Club Monaco, Prada and Joyce warehouse

Everyone should get excited about this place. This building offers a wide range of variety, from luxury goods to antique furnitures. The best thing about this place however is the discount. Everything here is discounted at least 30%. You can find Comme de Garcons suit jacket from I.T warehouse for 50% off or a Dries Van Noten jacket from Joyce warehouse for 40%. When I was there, I saw a gold Balenciaga bag at Joyce warehouse half price. In addition, unlike other outlets that normally only stock very very large clothes, it was not hard to find small sizes here.

This place is easy to reach. You can catch a bus from Central, Admiralty or Causeway bay. The trip will take you about 30 minutes. Get off from the bus when you reach the South Horizon plaza where the Prada outlet is, just wait at that bus stop for a bit. A shuttle bus will come and you can get on it for free. It will take you straight to a tall building where all the other outlets are.

Brands: Comme de Garcons, Margeila, D&G, Etro, Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens, Balenciaga, Prada, etc

21/F, Horizons Plaza,Ap Lei Chau
Lee Nam Road

Square silk scarves

The look:

The new goods:


Hermes

Salvatore Ferragamo

Valentino from Forzieri

Christian Lancroix from Forzieri

The vintage goods:


Hermes

from luxury-scarves.com

For Sydneysiders, head to Shag in Paddington to find vintage Hermes scarves like below. This one was 200 dollars from memory. As for the quality, you should always check before buying because it is pre-owned.

The tutorial:

My own: