Azygous

azygous adj. single, not existing in pairs

Minkoff X Penn

In the fashion industry, the surname “Minkoff” has become synonymous with innovation. Since her humble beginnings of making T-shirts in her apartment in 2005, accessories and apparel designer Rebecca Minkoff has grown her brand exponentially with a technology-focused business strategy. In partnership with her brother Uri, Minkoff has become a pioneer in digitizing customer service and creating fashionable wearable tech. As a part of Penn Fashion Week, the duo came to the University of Pennsylvania yesterday to speak about interactive retailing and capturing the millennial consumer.

PFW

Wherein P stands for Philadelphia. Despite the uniform blanket of snow that covered the city, the scene of Philadelphia Fashion Week's could not have been described as anything but diverse. I've experienced many fashion weeks (New York, Paris, Milan, London) vicariously through Style.com, but Philadelphia was completely new to me. If I had to place it along the spectrum, I would say that Philadelphia falls somewhere between the neutral restraint of New York and the flashy exuberance of London - perhaps a nod to the city's proximity to the former and its own R&B culture. Highlights of the ready-to-wear shows included the collection by Ian Alexander, whose looks were inspired by the organic world. Alexander's garments featured painted on motifs in sheer watercolor, a departure from the digital prints that we've been seen on runways for the past several seasons. His brushstrokes were playfully evocative, and his color palette bold, emphasizing the vividness of nature. His use of sheer, silhouette-skimming fabrics celebrated the human form in its natural glory. Designer (and former Project Runway contestant) Ken Laurence was yet another standout, with lacy looks set to the Fifty Shades soundtrack that exuded dark romance. His elegant capes and lace masks made an autumnal look fit for a lady. Overall, the City of Brotherly Love shows vast fashion potential, but also much room to grow. A few designers were overzealous in their embellishment, using fur, sequins, strong silhouettes and lace (sometimes in one look) in a way that could have been more nuanced. Despite this, such a young fashion scene can be an incubator for standout creatives such as Alexander and Laurence to flourish.

PHILLY FASHION WEEK FEATURING IAN ALEXANDER KEN LAURENCE LAS SWIMWEAR ...AND OTHERS

Hak

Lately, I've been roaming around PMQ - my friendly neighborhood creative center - in search of visual inspiration, aesthetic pleasure, and anything to delay revising for my final exams. It turns out procrastination can be productive after all, as I came across many intriguing designers in my exploration, one of them being HAK. HAK, a clothing and accessories brand started by local Hong Kong designer Ling Wong, features garments in delicate yet sporty fabrics and futuristic prints. In addition to her line, Wong also produces custom items, amazing me with her deft ability to manipulate digital printing on any material. I was particularly smitten with a pair of black leather loafers (above) with a marble/smoke-like digital print, a futuristic take on the elegant shoe. The way in which Wong revamps classic shapes and silhouettes with modern prints and fabrics is perhaps HAK's greatest success. With all the garments produced in Hong Kong, you can be sure to have a quality statement piece that will last you a long time.

HAK H202, 2/F, PMQ 35 ABERDEEN ST, CENTRAL HONG KONG

The Met and the Midriff

When I first heard that this year's Met Gala had the dress code of white tie, belly-baring was the furthest thing from my mind. But judging from the style choices of the fashion creme de la creme, it seems that exposed midriffs have graduated from hippie Coachella into the prestigious echelons of haute couture. Who would have predicted that a staple of teenage girl mirror selfies would have its place on the red carpet? The 2014 Met Gala was held in celebration of the legendary couturier Charles James, an innovator and revolutionary in his approach to ball gown design. In accordance to the theme, ball gowns was what we got on the red carpet, with dreamy Zac Posen numbers and probably the largest skirts in the history of the Met (ahem, Sarah Jessica Parker). The bare midriff was an unexpected surprise, but a welcome one to disrupt the formality of the occasion. Rihanna looked stunning in a optical white Stella McCartney twin set, the crop top giving us a cheekily provocative hint of her tattoos. Model Cara Delevingne, also in Stella McCartney, opted for an intriguing combination of plunging black crop top and white tuxedo pants, the perfect mix of sexy and sophisticated. My favorite belly-baring look of the night came from the demure but no less stunning Anna Kendrick. A vision monochrome J Mendel, the geometric cutouts in her dress added just a bit of edge to her classically elegant style. And that's the true value of the midriff. Plunging necklines and bare backs may add to your sex appeal, but exposed midriffs is sure to inject youth and fun to any outfit. So the lesson to take away from this extremely brief analysis of the Met Gala: if belly-baring can be done on the red carpet, it can be done in everyday life. The great thing about this trend is its versatility. You can show off your midriff in a lacy bralette with a blazer thrown on top, a cut-out dress, and even DIYing it by lopping the bottom of your basic white tee for a grungy model-off-duty effect. It's a surefire way to provoke double takes in the street (unless you're on the Jersey Shore where bare belly is as common as deep tans and poofed hair). Even if you do get berated for showing that little bit of skin, just fend off the slut-shamers with the knowledge that you're joining the superior ranks of Rihanna and Cara. And even if you don't have their enviably toned figures, at least you'll have their style.

MET GALA 2014 RIHANNA / CARA DELEVINGNE / ANNA KENDRICK

Headcase

Lately, there's been an unnerving resurgence of hats into the fashion scene. In January, singer Pharrell Williams wore a ten gallon Vivienne Westwood giant to the Grammys, causing a complete meltdown of the Internet and the fashion world. Just this month, designers such as Tibi and Christian Siriano showed extravagant headwear for their Fall/Winter 2014 collections, with respective sharp Amish-like brimmed hats and glamorously oversized designs straight out of a Dior New Look catalogue. In my winter looks, even I haven't been able to resist the pull of cozy beanies. Maybe it's because it's cold and we need cosy contraptions to warm our ears. Maybe it's because adorning our fingers, arms and necks has gotten blasé. Or maybe it's just eccentric and fabulous to spice up our outfits with a little something on the head. Of course, one can't speak of millinery without mentioning the man whose name is practically synonymous with the craft - Katsuya Kamo. The Japanese milliner and hair designer is responsible for many a great headpiece on runways throughout the years, such as the delicate paper roses in the Chanel Spring 2009 Couture collection, and the dark, drapey and sculptural pieces for Junya Watanabe's Fall 2008 collection. Currently, more that 300 pieces by Kamo are on show at Lane Crawford's Hong Kong stores, including exclusive floral works commissioned by Lane Crawford for their spring 'Botanica' theme. If you're in need of hat inspiration for spring, be sure to check out his work in Lane Crawford stores across Hong Kong.

KATSUYA KAMO EXHIBITION  LANE CRAWFORD, TIMES SQUARE UNTIL APRIL 14 2014

A Westwood Affair

There are certain times of the year that are extremely dear to a fashionista's heart. Sample sales, collection previews and shopping events are all great, but there is nothing that makes me jump for joy in my pointy Louboutins more than the two little words of 'Fashion Week'. So you can imagine how much abuse my toes suffered when when my dear friend Eugenia invited me to watch the Vivienne Westwood SS14 show second row at Hong Kong Fashion Week. Westwood presented an amalgamation of styles this season, from mountains of frothy tulle to glittering sequined gowns, from florals to crazy cat motifs. Augmented by the large cotton candy-esque hair, the show was so very outlandish and diverse. In other words - classic Westwood. As first proper fashion shows go, this was truly a fabulous one. I very much enjoyed the free flow champagne, mingling with Hong Kong's elite, and shuffling around to take photos with local celebrities (whom I abashedly did not recognize). Here are just a few photos of the event tediously captured using my iPhone - I'm pretending that the blurriness was totally my artistic intention. Shhh, don't tell.

HONG KONG FASHION WEEK VIVIENNE WESTWOOD SS14 SHOW

Fall/Winter 2013 by Club Monaco

For me, Club Monaco has always been the epitome of classic sophistication. This season, the brand experiments with bold patterns and embellishments to create a collection that reincarnates their vision in bold style. For fall, the garments incorporate African sixties-style prints,  juxtaposed with clean lines and modern fabric treatments such as laser cut detail. Club Monaco really put a spin on timeless silhouettes and traditional fabrics such as lace by contrasting them with modern textiles like neoprene and pops of fuschia color.

Fall 2013 also marks the debut of Club Monaco, an elevated extension of the brand marked by quality craftsmanship and the use of gorgeous fabrics - shearling, fur, silk...you get the drift. I love that they interpreted the pieces in beautiful timeless colors - red, camel, and naturally my favorite black and white.

As the weather cools for Winter, so does the color palette of the Club Monaco collection. Outwear is redone in dusty pastel shades of blue and pink, even ethereal white - a well-received break from the usual dark palette. Those of you looking for flashy holiday wear shouldn't lose heart though, as Club Monaco delivers in festive sparkle. Think feather-trimmed skirts and rhinestone-embellished sweaters, acid pink cocktail dresses and gold silk blazers. It's luxe all the way ladies!

Thanks to the lovely folks from Club Monaco for the preview! I hope you all enjoyed the clothes!