really fashion

a holiday and a weekend off training later, the mind (and body) is much better rested and i'm back for another week of writing. i've had a lot of time to think in the past week. typical topics would be the blog numbers, the direction and style of my writing, where i want to take this blog. couple of things are apparent: numbers have dipped and my material is no longer original. hence, this week shall be a re-journey to discover the 'edge' that i used to have. (read: feisty writing like this and this!)

after much deliberation and arrangements, this week's posts will revolve around real fashion, but what is real fashion? well, you know that The Online Edition always has a twist to the content that i put out. so this week's 'real fashion' is actually a look at the fashion featured on reality television. from the ultra-chic and glamourous to the theatrical and dramatic, if it was showcased on a reality television series, it might just earn a spot on this week's The Online Edition. all i can say about this week: it's all real.

now, for the irrelevant bikini babes and half-naked male bodies (with a bonus).

Miss Universe New Zealand 2012

8 Days Shirtless Guys 2012

fash'on... BAM!

the best and the worst: week 13

so we made it pass the three-month mark! applause, hugs and pats all round. thank you for all your support. if you are reading this post, it shows that you still believe in the potential of The Online Edition, even though i may not. this has been a bad week for readership. i'm not even going to try to mask things. i first thought that the slump during jennifer week was acceptable because it was not fully fashion in its nature and it was more of a week to take minds of the hardcore fashion material.

i really expected a much better showing this week with vintage fashion but the truth is, page views were dismal. i can get through a good part of the day without any hits on the blog at all. very disheartening i must say. with such poor figures, it always dampens the mood and then i fall into the cycle of asking if i should continue blogging. 

well, let's just observe things till the end of the year and if i don't recover from the reader recession, i'll probably need to re-invent The Online Edition.

anyhow, your readership still matters because it determines who gets a second feature at the end of the week. this week, your hits decided the following:

the best: taking ad-vintage

as always, the opening post is a crowd favourite because most like to know about the week ahead. what direction i am taking for the rest of the week and a glimpse into the material that i would cover. or simply, they just like the half-naked hunks and bikini babes at the end of the post. either way, it doesn't matter. if it keeps people reading The Online Edition, it has to be something good.

the worst: vintage icons: audrey hepburn

this post really burnt. i am not afraid to reveal the number of individual hits it garnered - nine. this has to be one of the lowest 'single-post' readership so far. either the subject of 'audrey hepburn' has been done to death or it's just not captivating enough.

in conclusion, we now bid farewell to the past and look forward to a new week! meanwhile, have a wonderful weekend.

fash'on... BAM!

ps: i'm not sure if The Online Edition will recover from the dip but if you care about this blog, do pick your all-time favourite post and share it via facebook or twitter.

taking ad-vintage

this week is dedicated to a dear friend who was first featured here. she is into all things vintage and retro. often, i would joke with her that i am bringing my trash over so that she can rummage through it and keep whatever she likes. however, jokes aside, i thought that as the end of the year draws closer and most of us start getting into reflection and recollection mode, it will be good to look at fashion from the vintage and retro point-of-view.

before we go into the fashion proper, we need to understand the terms. there will be a couple more during the week but let's just get the biggest one out of the way first. 

vintage clothing is a generic term for new or second hand garments originating from a previous era. the phrase is also used in connection with a retail outlet, for instance, 'vintage clothing store'. generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 1960s is considered vintage. retro, short for retrospective, or 'vintage style' usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. reproduction, or repro, clothing is a newly-made, copy of an older garment. clothing produced more recently is usually called modern or contemporary fashion.

as with traditions, here are a couple of topless and shirtless male models with female swimwear models who have zero relation to the rest of the post.

Shirtless Beefcake Hunks for sale?

Maxim Girls: April Rose, Amanda Mertz, Kaitlynn Carter, Melanie Iglesias

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i am jennifer

how many jennifers do you know? jennifer is surprisingly a common name hence i was shocked that i didn't come up with this week's theme much earlier. well you all know how technology is very helpful and each time you type in a word, there will be suggestions. this is exactly what happened to me when i was writing earlier posts. each time i typed in 'jennifer', the suggested matches are pretty lengthy and varied. that got me thinking, how many famous 'jennifers' are there around the world?

therefore this week, we are going to look at all the various 'jennifers' and do an evaluation of their styles. i'm certain that you have your list of 'jennifers' by now hence if i am unable to feature the jennifer of your heart, i beg for your understanding. if you are truly passionate about your own 'jennifer', you can always put up a post on my facebook page as well to share with the various readers of The Online Edition. so whether its jennifer, jen, jenny or just j, we are going to feature well-known 'jennifers' in the week ahead.

but before you get an overdose of 'jennifer', here are some random shirtless dudes and babes.

Manhunt International contestants

Miss World 2012

fash'on... BAM!

broadway bares

it's the start of a new week. the heart is heavy because on the day i celebrate my birthday, i had to say goodbye to my third aunt from my paternal side. it was such a weird day, much of it was an attempt to stay with status quo: working and enjoying a simple birthday dinner. however, the mind was confused and i am truly thankful for the support system that my friends created. i think most didn't know how to react as well but we all made it through. it just goes to show how important good friends are.

anyway, life will have to go on. there is a responsibility that i feel towards the ardent supporters of The Online Edition hence i made the decision to continue with the blogging and the posts. this week, we are going to explore the fashion of theatre. many times, we are wowed by the music, lyrics and the plot of a play or musical but rarely do we sit up and applaud the costumes. costumes within a theatrical performance are the 'fashion' of the make-believe world. through it, the audience is given a glimpse of the life in the world of the play.

throughout the week, we shall place the clothes worn on stage and their makers under scrutiny hence i hope that through this exploration, not only will we grow a deeper understanding of stage fashion but we will develop a greater appreciation of the art of theatre.

in conclusion, the signature pictures of the opening post of the week. once again, i ask myself what they have to do with the post. the answer: nothing. they are just here so that i have sufficient reason to use the labels and have better blog traffic.

Bodypaint Swimsuits (Sports Illustrated)

Jake (right) with friend

fash'on... BAM!

comfort women

if you are familiar with history, the term comfort women is nothing comforting. 

this week, we explore the way fashion has created the notion of the 'comfort women'. instead of liberating the female, the society has created fashion trends and traditions that are highly uncomfortable. yet, within the time and space of that trend, it was deemed acceptable. as we look at some of these 'fashions', emotions will be stirred up and you might ever get angry that such things even exist.

however, as we journey through the entire week, i ask that you take a balanced view of the dis-comforting fashion. like joyce carol oates remarked in a recent interview with the bbc, 'not every woman is a feminist.' just because someone is born a woman does not mean that one naturally has to fight for female supremacy. while we may not agree, i ask that we do not judge. there are hosts of reasons why women chose fashion over comfort. for instance, uncomfortable as it may be, i will still wear skinny jeans just so that my legs look slimmer and give the illusion of beauty.

now, for the irrelevant tradition of girls in bikinis and men who are half-naked. 

FHM Super Seven

Malaysia's Hottest Hunks 2007 / 2008

fash'on... BAM!

haute, haute, haute

it's monday again. yes, i'm in a chirpy mood because it was a good weekend. i really enjoy the good times i get to spend with my dragon boat teammates. that's what life is all about, great laughs and wonderful memories!

anyway, looking back at the material that i put up for the last month, i haven't been looking at much clothes. yes, there were still fashion elements in the various weeks but it hasn't been full-on fashion so i shall repent this week. over the next five days, on The Online Edition, we are going haute! for the uninitiated, haute couture refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing. haute couture is made to order for a specific customer, and it is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable seamstresses, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques. yes, there shall be a study of haute couture designers and hopefully, we shall all gain some insights to the direction of the various fashion houses.

i will try to present you with some of the signature collections so that throughout the week, there will be moments that, i pray, will take your breath away... so visit often and share posts that you like! after all, caring is sharing and friendship is magic.

and now, for the best part of this post! the shirtless, topless male models and the beautiful, sensual female models. (it's true, i heard from the grapevine that readers flock to this post for the pictures.) since we are going haute, the pictures are similarly HAWT! enjoy...

shamelessly ripped from Stomp

shamelessly taken from dipity

before i end, if you have an hour to spare, do watch this video and the other parts that can be found on youtube.

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timeless fashion

this week, halloween kicks into high gear. you will hear more talk about events, costumes and parties but that's in the past here on The Online Edition. if you came to this blog looking for material about halloween, please click here!

moving forward this week, we are going back in time! (i love the irony...) i am serious. after a week of just celebration and festive cheer, i think it's time to get back into the mode of fashion and to get us all in tune again, we should get in touch with our fashion roots and heritage.

all week long, we will visit different time periods, different eras, different events and look at how fashion was like back then. you can say that we are going retro or vintage, call it what you want but get your bell bottoms ready as we zip back in time.

like always, well-toned bodies (this time from korea) and they have nothing to do with a word that i wrote about!

image from korea.com

picture from asianbite

fash'on... BAM!

spooky clothes

it's finally my turn to talk about the sentosa spooktacular. yes, it is no longer news that i went to the media preview with some members of the staff. (my apologies to those who had to wait in line while i waltzed through trail after trail) so having gone through the entire experience with five ladies, i'm not going to sell you the event. many other blogs would have done that by now and seriously, the online edition is only interested in the fashion aspect of it.

so here's a look the spooky clothes that you will see.

the culturally dead

the ethnic: this is a sure-win for me. i am all things asia and i do take a lot of pride in my asian culture (just look through the posts of week two). sick as it may sound but i rather be spooked by the ghosts from my own backyard than by a spirit with an accent. (think spider spirit calling 'lai ar, lai ar' as opposed to female vampire saying 'come to me darling so that i can devour you and drain you dry of blood') the familiarity factor is always an intimate touch. so it was nice to see how asian culture, myths and legends were infused into the fright fest. when i saw the ancient guards at the walkway, i was sold (not fully though).

the shiny and feathery dead

the sequins and feathers: the pictures were taken at two different venues, far from each other. 

the first set of feathers and sequins for the cross-dresser, that i understand, for its reference to thailand and the cross-dressing shows they stage. 

however, the sequins and feathers on the left were a tad out of place. they were  located very near the ancient guards and the monkey god (who will be featured in the final post of this series). so it took me a long time to figure out why they were there. unless they were showgirls but showgirls, along the street with other characters that had a distinct ethnic or cultural reference? if the entire walkway was to be a presentation of the 'asian nightmare', this touch of modernity pretty much ruined the authenticity of asian superstitions.

the simply dead

the dead-something: air stewardess, man off the street, schoolgirl. frankly, these ones are the worst of the lot. if i were to take wet wipes and clean their faces, their outfits would look like my nieces and nephews after a day of rolling in the mud. as halloween fashion, it does not give me the 'wow' factor. but that's the problem when you have to cater for two hundred talents, you cannot put everyone in a fanciful and elaborate outfit. so i chose to believe that they were more the 'talents' than the 'costumes'.

fortunately, most of these simple dead-something fashion are found in the dim and smoky parts of the trails so you will have no time to be spooked by their plain outfits because they are busy scaring the living daylights out of you. so it worked out well. it's true: out of sight, out of mind... you won't see them much hence a lack of opportunity to b***h about what they're wearing.

the bodily dead

the 'gym rat by day, roaming spirit by night': or also known as the group of 'i forgot my costume so i'm just going to rub on body paint and bare my torso' halloween costumes.

before i critique this 'collection' on their clothes, or rather lack of it, most (if not all) of the talents are students hence baring their bodies take a lot of courage. they do not have the time to spend hours at the gym to tone and sculpt the muscles so kudos to the boys! (the girls played it safe...)

that said, this series is almost expected at any scare fest. they will make one (especially ladies) go weak in the knees from their well-toned bodies. in fact, for just one moment, the joke's on you because you will wonder if they are the damned ones with the pecs and abs or are we the ones cursed because we work so hard just to shed a few pounds.

(sidenote to the organisers: a friend went through my pictures and asked that the talent from the middle picture can be brought out into 'light' cos he has probably the best body but no one can see it through all the smoke. haha!)

so what my verdict in terms of the fashion / clothes / costumes / outfits? i understand the concept but the execution feels disjointed. the uniformity of fashion and ideas on the trails were almost seamless but once out in the open, it was like a dress held together by hot glue... messy and on the brink of breakdown. true halloween reigned and the spirits roamed in every direction they pleased.

fash'on... BAM!

hello-win

halloween is not till the next weekend. so why is the online edition covering this theme so early? well, i believe in preparation and also i don't fancy being the last on the bandwagon to cover the material... haha.

anyway, if you are one of those who 'liked' my facebook page, you would know that i was on sentosa last thursday for the media preview of sentosa spooktacular. my guess is by now, you would also have read up on the media reports by the mainstream media and multiple bloggers. expecting me to not cover the event is like giving me cash and telling me to not spend it. hence, expect coverage on the event here as well but it is your choice whether or not to attend. 

like mentioned by sherlyn, i plan my material way ahead thus i would encourage / plead / beg / bribe / coerce / threaten / (insert your own word) that you come back daily to look at my coverage of halloween. i'm not going to give any more content away because i want you to surprise of the quirky posts and weird angles that i will come up with over this week. 

after all, halloween is when all hell breaks loose and i can lift the reins off my creativity to let it run amok. 

in closing, here's a link from my good friend, wikipedia, on halloween and pictures of scantily-clad chiseled bodies that i did (and will be) putting on every week's opening post just to shamelessly drive up blog traffic.

the Pussycat Dolls celebrate Halloween

courtesy of JustinTimberlake.com

fash'on... BAM!

five things you should know

it's monday morning again... another week begins... how is it going to turn out? no one knows but we go on anyway... 

after an entire week of children, this week i invite you to join me on a journey of learning, going back to fundamentals and basics. for the next five days, as i continue my growth, we shall learn some terms and jargons together... for those who have prior knowledge, good for you... but for the rest of us who don't, you are welcome...

so to kickstart the entire week... here are five things you should know about this blog and me...

1) the online edition is not merely a fashion blog. i will do fashion writing. i will tell you about certain trends that are going on. i will tear outfits apart (not literally... at least not everyone's, not every soul looks good naked) but the online edition is more than that. it is an avenue for me to be a writer and explore the world through the medium of fashion. certain posts are going to make you go 'huh, what is he thinking?'. that's the idea... i am expressing thought...

2) compliment, critique, comment, challenge... i invite everything... one of the main reasons why i create this blog is not just to air my thoughts but to have avenues for conversation. fashion is a big concept to digest but if we see it as a constant dialogue, one day we will all understand... i hope to be a participant and not just a bystander. honesty is the best policy, so please give me your frank opinion (just be ready for a discussion if we disagree.) hence, i will tear you apart if i can, you can also return the favour. 

3) numbers matter... more than once, i asked myself why the obsession with page views. first up, it is not because of the advertisements and the possible income. ask yourself, if you are a chef but serve up food to zero patrons, are you still a chef? similarly, for a writer with no readers, i constantly ask myself what wrong did i make that readers don't return... so now you know, i have my insecurities too and the numbers keep me going...

4) i am a techno idiot... everything you see on the blog is my own work. i would love to have fanciful layouts and trench coats twirling around but until i learn how to do it, you have to live with my dull layout. of course, if you would like to help me with the layout, i never turn down help (as of now, i have no budget!)... don't come here and expect perfect shots of my daily outfits... anyway, most of the time, i am rushing to get out of my house and moving around for engagements, i hardly have the energy to stop and pose for the cameras (oops, did i just offend more bloggers?)

5) finally, laugh lots... life is too short and this post is way too serious... there can never be too much laughter in your life. if you have problems laughing, just turn to the person next to you and be glad that you are not him / her... unless the person is God then the joke's on you...

now that you have faithfully completed reading the post... here's are some half-naked bodies and victoria's secret girls to spice up the post... (hey i need to justify the freaking labels right? i would love to have 2000 hits on one single post... haha... did i just insult a fellow blogger? ouch!)

image of A&F models, courtesy of inside retail asia

image courtesy of iamcatwalk.com

want more? google it yourself... haha... 

fash'on... BAM!