Dear readers,

After much consideration, I have decided to close this blog to move on to other projects.

I no longer have the drive upkeep this blog with more thought provoking posts about the fashion industry, and I think with the overwhelming information on the internet, and the constant struggle to keep things fresh was too much for me.

This has been a great journey and I appreciate everyone who has kept up with the blog thus far.

This blog’s domain will expire in Feb 2012. All related posts will be archived on my computer, but will not be available online any longer.

I want to thank those who have made my experiences fun and have enjoyed making new discoveries in fashion. I will still follow fashion diligently, but I honestly have nothing further to say.

Best wishes to everyone.

Sincerely,

Dahlia

ASOS.com is one of those sites that I really wanted to like. They were like the new kids in town selling fashionable items at some pretty reasonable prices, and I wanted to give them a try.

Disappointments ensued one after the other. I’m not particularly blaming ASOS’ services, they were pretty speedy in their shipping, but a few things have happened since ordering two pairs of boots from them.

The first pair were the Hunter wedged rain boots. Ultra cute and sleek, it was love at first sight. I carefully looked up their UK sizing, and ordered a size 3, which in US sizing equals to 5 (I’m a true size 5/35). But what I didn’t know was that a UK size 3 teeters between a US size 5 and US size 6. So to my surprise, my boots were slightly too big (fixable), but also slightly too high (hitting the knee caps). I wasn’t sure what to do with them at first, but I knew that if I couldn’t walk properly with the boots on, they’re not worth keeping. So, I looked up the return policy and decided to give a go. Getting my money back was a sensible option.

Except Canada Post isn’t so generous. I found out more horrible shipping news: it would cost me $124 to send the Hunter boots back to the UK.

Are you serious?

Apparently a 2kg pair of boots in its original packaging was going to cost me just over a little more than what I had paid for them. Either way you look at it, I was going to lose over $100. Is it any wonder Canadian retailers can’t make any business online? Blame the Canadian postal services!

I decided to keep them and make do. Luckily these soles that I bought give me just enough height for my knee to bend over the boot, so I lucked out.

The second item was a pair of open toed booties signed by ASOS on sale at a decent price of $84. I wanted to put away my prejudice for cheap affordable boots and wanted to believe that not all things cheap were of cheap quality. Upon inspection, there weren’t any crooked stitching, no traces of glue anywhere, no pieces of string or lint hanging out. It looked and felt really good.

I was wrong. And I learned my lesson the hard way. Sure the booties are ultra cute I loved them. I’ve worn them a total of about 5 times until I noticed something odd last night. I was actually able to bend my foot more so than usual until I looked down and saw the sole half hanging from the heel.

I was mortified.

I managed to superglue the thing back on, but my confidence in cheap items were totally shot.

I gave the label a look, but of course, it’s MADE IN VIETNAM.

So far as I know, anything Made in Vietnam is utter crap. That’s why I refuse to buy anything from Mango. I’m Vietnamese, but I’m not afraid to say that Vietnamese made goods are far worse than things made in China. I think ASOS should definitely post where their items are made from so that we know what we’re getting ourselves into. I know Net-a-porter does so, I believe this should be a standard for any clothing business.

I’m so disgusted with myself. But also so incredibly disappointed in ASOS. I really wanted to like them, but my experience with them was by far the worst online shopping I’ve ever done. Can’t return the shoes, and got really crappy quality shoes. Needless to say, I will not be shopping with them anymore.

Let this be a lesson to all, sometimes expensive designer shoes are simply the better way to go. Don’t waste your time and money on companies and products that offered at a “consumer friendly” price range, you really do get what you pay for. I’m going to save my pennies and buy a pair worth purchasing.

I’m not particularly a big jewellery fan, I know very little about fine jewellery and have only poked through the cheap ones at Aldo and Le Chateau. But once in a while, I come across something that I fancy and buy it.

As you know, I have a huge interest in Japanese culture, and I think this is the first time that an anime/manga has actually pushed me to wanting an object so badly, I had to searched the internet for it. After reading several volumes of Nana and watching all 40-something episodes, it has sprung me to do two things:

1) Immediately become an Anna Tsuchiya fan for both actress and singer.
2) Become obsessed with a Vivienne Westwood armor ring featured on one of the main characters.

Armor rings are nothing new, they’re a bit gothic, and they stand out from most normal rings. Well that Vivienne Westwood ring was (almost perfect). It has four plates that can move with your knuckle and has a trademark orb on it, costing a whopping $280 if I bought it online.

The problem is, I have very small and slender fingers and most typical adult rings range from size 5 and up. I wear size 5 on my thumb, so I knew that even if I wanted a ubiquitous Vivi ring, I wouldn’t be able to wear it. Other sites sold “Nana’s armor ring” but looked grotesquely oversized and cheaply done.

But Rakuten to the rescue!

After ordering my used Louis Vuitton bag from Rakuten, I was confident enough that I could probably find something on the site.

And there it was: a store that made similar armor rings but with slight variations. The structure was virtually the same, but without the orb and had several options of either having a skull, a heart or a cross on it. It even gave the option of having a “bald” version, meaning one without decorative trinket on top. Price $100, give or take a few dollars on the exchange rate with the Japanese Yen.

Perfect.

The English site of Rakuten isn’t perfect, but it’s accurate enough to give some idea on the quality, size, and finish of the product. DICE makes silver accessories from scratch, all handmade and had favourable customer reviews. Best of all? This Japanese company also produced smaller sizes! Ring size 3 to 4.5! I was beyond ecstatic. In a few clicks, I put in my order.

And voila. My ring fits beautifully on my ring finger, and I could also interchangeably put it on my index finger without any problems. The quality is remarkably good, unlike my Aldo rings I bought for $20 where the inside is rough and unpolished and starting to show tarnish, my DICE armor ring is slick and shiny on all surfaces. By far, the best ring I’ve ever bought. There is no doubt in my mind that if you look hard enough, you’ll be able to find some pretty good deals on Rakuten.

Alexander McQueen, Fall/Winter 2011. Style.com

Despite the passing of Alexander McQueen last year, his protégé, Sarah Burton, has been successfully carrying on his legacy with her second collection for Fall 2011. Ms. Burton does not simply have her own take on the McQueen DNA, some fashion editors proclaim that she IS the McQueen DNA.

While my knowledge of McQueen’s work is limited, if I were to compare past collections from McQueen’s and Ms. Burton’s work, I can tell that there is a liaison, but a direct heir to the man’s work, Ms. Burton is not. In fact I find that McQueen’s aesthetic was far more aggressive in colors and was much more hard edged. He was much more daring I would say.

On the other hand, Ms. Burton offers much softer looks, which I find appeals much to women, it’s a contrast, but a good one. Her Spring 2011 collection was almost fairytale-like, and she continues with this ethereal theme for Fall 2011. The edgy pieces I found were in the lace up over-the-knee boots in shiny patent leather, dabbling into fetishism (seems like a trend for fall, LV and Mugler also had fetish ensembles).

Her main d’oeuvres are without doubt, sharply executed, especially her couture-like pieces towards the end with massive ballgowns and detailed embroidered work.

Bref, it doesn’t matter what people call her, Ms. Burton’s work was for me the most outstanding collection in Paris.

Lady Gaga for Mugler Fall/Winter 2011. Style.com

As a fashion blogger, the name Thierry Mugler can only perhaps ignite a vague sense of familiarity: “Oh you mean that Angel fragrance in the blue star bottle?” That’s as close as I’ve ever gotten to know Thierry Mugler. As a person who grew up in the 80s and 90s – during Mugler’s prime, the fashion world back then was truly only for the fashion elite.

In 2011, his brand name, now only known as Mugler, has been propelled into the spotlight in perhaps one of the most anticipated shows in Paris this week, with Nicola Formichetti, Lady Gaga’s stylist, as the new head designer for the brand.

Style.com

Like any curious person, I looked up Thierry Mugler, and believe me, it’s difficult to find information on him. I had to rely on the NY Times to catch up on what had actually happened to Mr. Mugler when he dropped out of the spotlight some time in the early 2000. I then learned that his label had gone under in 2003 and that he has been in a constant battle with his parent company, Clarins, since being acquired in 1997. I had also learned of Mugler’s eccentricities, how he went from lithe ballet dancer to muscular monolith. He was also an avid photographer, artistic director and fragrance creator. He’s still around, but he has purposely distanced himself from the fashion world and interviews, so it’s been difficult to find articles on him.

As for his shows, they were of the theatrical and fantastical kind, and he also did Haute Couture for a time. Thanks to YouTube, I was able to see some familiar faces during his late 90s shows that featured models like Ester Cañadas, Naomi Campbell and Iman. I made comparisons from his previous shows to the one that Formechetti presented yesterday, and could see where the influence has settled into the Fall/Winter 2011 collection.

Style.com

Formichetti’s show was every bit of a Mugler show – fast paced, wild futuristic clothes in latex, transparencies, and mile high shoes, exciting music with a star that powered down the catwalk. Mugler shows are usually hectic, with models coming in pairs or in groups, posing like they were in an editorial photoshoot, growling, slinking, gyrating. Formichetti’s show was all very sexual in a fetish sort of way. And indeed, previous Mugler shows were said to be very popular amongst fetishists due to the clothes, and this new one kept in step with the house’s history.

The clothes though were another story. While there were odd shapes and powerful shoulders with slender waists and lots of latex and transparencies, I felt that the clothes were a smidge too simplistic since Thierry Mugler’s work was usually quite elaborate. Perhaps this is the new formula that’s needed in order to sell, as after all, the goal of all this marketing tactic is to sell the clothes. Indeed, I do believe the clothes will sell. What with social media perpetuating the brand to the world, with a Facebook video, Twitter, and a major celebrity endorsement by Lady Gaga, I’m quite sure the fashion crowd will jump and gobble it up. Formichetti’s work reminds me a lot of Gareth Pugh, so treading into these types of futuristic wear is still a risky move to make. Still, I believe the Mugler brand has been injected at least temporarily with a new energy and excitement over the brand.