a-MEN-ments

change, they say, is the only constant. well, after three months of blogging, it's time to seriously look at what works on The Online Edition and what doesn't. after that, i should make change. people come, people go. here, features come and features go. i have decided to discontinue two of my regular features from this week onwards. the victims are '@dd it' and 'fl@me or fr@me'.

the main reason for the cut is the proximity to the other posts. for '@dd it', it goes live an hour and a half before the week's best and worst hence before one has time for the post to breathe, a weekly favourite competes with the post for attention. as for 'fl@me or fr@me', the reasoning is the same. it goes live at midnight when most readers (at least on my side of the world) are asleep. by the time they wake up, the monday opening post greets them. hence, there is no real reason for me to hold on to the two features when they are not getting the kind of attention that i would like them to have.

in addition, for the past few weeks, the content (in my honest opinion) has been less than stellar which then translates into weak readership and interest. in short, if i find it boring, you probably yawned while reading it.

thus, there will no longer be a 10.30pm (singapore time) post on fridays. instead, the third friday post will just be the weekly best and worst post.

so i apologise to those who have become fans of those two segments, they are gone but not forever. occasionally, these segments will still feature on The Online Edition but as specials. that said, i hope you will return regularly as i churn out more material within and without the world of fashion.

fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: armani

Giorgio Armani

yup, rub your eyes! i am doing an 'advertorial'... well, not really since i am not paid or stand nothing to gain in this. for this week's '@dd it', i am asking you to go into an armani store and pick up something for yourself. 

Adele in Armani couture

yes, you did not read it wrongly, i am throwing my weight behind a brand. my love for armani is no secret anyway. whether it is armani exchange, emporio armani or giorgio armani, shopping in an armani store is always a pleasure. for as well as my memories serve me, i've never walked out of their stores empty-handed. 

Lady Gaga

like i once remairked, 'i have an insane amount of armani. his work is crisp, clean, elegant and tailored. armani's designs have changed the look and feel of contemporary fashion in business, entertainment and the fashion industry itself. 

Milan's Men's Fashion Week 2012

giorgio armani himself can sum up his design philosophy, which has proven to be so successful, best, 'i design for real people. i think of our customers all the time. there is no virtue whatsoever in creating clothing or accessories or clothing that are not practical.' hence as we approach the end of another week, we should never forget that every piece of garment remains fabric until someone buys it and wears it.

fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: bell bottoms

having gone through periods and eras of fashion this week, i could not help but think about some of my past fashion choices and i must say that the one that i miss the most are my bell bottoms. back in college, there was even a school fundraiser that a few classmates and i dressed up as hippies and ran about two kilometres each. yes, i did it in my bell bottoms.

so how do bell bottoms look like? (you see the 'not-so-young' folks wagging their fingers at you yet?)

image from pew pew

bell bottoms are trousers that become wider from the knees downward; they tend to have a 'bell-shaped' look at the bottom of the jeans, which is where the name of the pant style comes from. related styles would include flare, loon pants and boot-cut / leg trousers.

The Brady bunch

Celebrities and their bell bottoms

i have been searching in recent months for a pair of denim bell bottoms so if you know any place that is selling it... do drop me a note because this is one trend that i added, forgotten but now, would like to bring back to my closet!

fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: fashion fear

so for the entire week, we have talked about halloween. on monday, it was about a fashion spread inspired by halloween and what i wore to a halloween event. then over the next three days, it was where to go, what to wear and how to look. hope you managed to see the underlying connections between the three daily posts. as for today, i wanted to share the background to a couple of halloween stories with everyone but in all honesty, i got really freaked out after writing the section on the pontianak hence i dropped the rest of the material. my friends know that i am one that does not like to scare myself. the last post is really a 'full circle' post where we look at fashion accessories that can be used during halloween. something light for the last 'content' post of the week.

but the question looms and remains, what can we possible trend this halloween? well, i would first encourage you to look into your closet and find one piece of garment that you have not worn in at least a year. ask yourself why have you not worn it for the longest time. 

this is what i found in mine... 

so what exactly am i getting people to trend? it can't be as cliche as old clothes, right? well, it's worse... a lot of times, we stop wearing a piece of clothing because our bodies change or we do not look as good as we think we should.

for my pair of jeans, i outgrew it in the year that passed. much as i would like to squeeze myself back in, i can no longer do that. one of my biggest fears: weight gain...

same for the two tees, one just hangs loosely and the other is also skin tight but both give away the weight that i have gained. 

so why wear them if they do not make one look good? i'm asking us all to take a look at our biggest fashion fears. why do we avoid certain articles, colours or patterns? is the fear of not looking good that scary? perhaps it is. it's normal to feel insecure about the way we look but there needs to be a point of balance within ourselves. 

there are days that we will feel and look like our worst nightmares come true but that is fine. this is why i say we should add to our true closet. a dose of confidence and a touch of reality that we cannot look our best everyday. there will be days when we look into the mirror and staring back at us are our fashion fears... let's face them with a tinge of courage. 

fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: preppy

each time i am on stage hosting, out of ten children that i interview about school, nine would gush about how much they love school. i'm guessing it's not about the examinations or the homework but the wonderful memories that are created. after we graduate, it's tough trying to catch up with ex-classmates but every time we look at our old uniforms, the memories return...

this week, i suggest we trend the preppy look! dress up like the good old days when you were back in school... of course with a little whiff of style...

for the ladies, these are some essentials for the preppy look...

image courtesy of divavillage

wikipedia will give you an in-depth scoop of the preppy look but essentially, examples of preppy attire include argyle sweaters, chinos, madras, button down oxford cloth shirts and boat shoes. 

as for the gentlemen, i think the magic is in the details... a bow tie, a fitted blazer...

image from high school cliques

finally, i personally think that no preppy look is ever complete without the black framed geeky glasses... so do throw in this final preppy detail...

preppy, geeky chic!

fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: jade

it's that time of the week again... time for me to indulge in me, me, ME! (truth be told, this week is not really about me. the inspiration came from a breakup that i heard about.) this week (keeping in line with the whole asian theme) i say we should add jade to our closets! 

for far too long, jade has had to bear a negative name. when someone says he/she is jaded by life or love, it is usually a rather bad shape to be in... the heart closes, the emotions harden, people become someone totally unfamiliar. but jade has often been misrepresented. if you want more nitty gritty details about jade, do turn to my dear friend wikipedia.

jade is often used as a family heirloom for the chinese, from one generation to another... as this gift is passed down, so are the stories and traditions. we can never change where we came from, we can only choose where we want to go. instead of trying to 'forget', we can fully embrace our past. while i recommend jade as a trend this week, the greater recommendation is the stories and traditions that accompany every piece of jade...

jade bangle... traditionally handed down to daughters

of course, no one would complain if they were being 'jaded' by these pieces of fine jewellery...

Cartier

Cartier brooch

as the world of fashion moves forward rapidly, perhaps it may be good for one to hold on to timeless pieces of fashion... not because they are great looking but because they remind us of who we are, that we are not random being but products of life's experiences (good or not-so-good)... fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: hoodies

it's friday, friday! usually, the final post of the day goes live between 10pm - 11pm... but fridays will be no different (thanks to the ability to schedule my posts!)... the post to wrap up the week will also be what i call a 'trend-ing' post... hence the title '@dd it'... it would be an item or something that i personally think we should trend thus you should '@dd it' (add it) to your fashion collection... of course i will try to stick to the overall theme of the week whilst trending a fashion item...

so something that i think we should all @dd it this week... HOODIES! to help me trend this fashion item, i enlisted some A-list help in the art of trending... say hi to justin bieber... 

courtesy of The Bieber SPACE

yup, i'm not even shy to admit that...

i am one of 28 million!

now that we have gotten that out of the way... let's talk the hoodie...

Nicki Minaj in Versace

why i think the hoodie should trend is because it's a nice departure from the collars that we are used to. round neck, v-neck, collared and the list goes on... the hoodie gives a more varied look and of course, it may not be as effective as a cap but it can still block out some sun! of course, in singapore, one can never predict the weather so a hoodie does well as protection (not much though) from the elements... 

my 10 hoodies ranging from Armani to ZARA

oh, if you are lazy to style your hair, wear your hoodie up whilst in public... bring it down when you're in private spaces... BAM!