Asian Designer Spotlight: Jason Wu Fall 2012

Jason Wu drew inspiration for his latest collection from several decades of Chinese fashion history. Starting with the hats from the Qing dynasty, the cheongsams from 1940's Shanghai and the jackets from the Mao years of China. There's simply no better way to pay tribute to your roots than dedicating an entire collection to it.  

Wu's modern take on the classic cheongsam, dark and metallic

 Mao's military inspired jackets with structured shoulders and gold hardware

It's not a fall collection without some Clothes with the fur, with the furrrr!


I personally liked this collection, it's a lot more dark and fierce than Wu's previous collections. I love that he's such a versatile designer, I mean if you put his Target collection next to this you wouldn't even think it's from the same person. (I kind of wished his Target collection was as form fitting and streamlined as this one..) I can't wait for the sample sale on this collection, that red jacket is MINE! lol

I rate this collection a 5 out of 5! Perfection!

Do you think it's cliche for a Chinese designer to design a Chinese themed collection or do you think it can still be creative and different?

Asian Designer Spotlight: Tadashi Shoji Fall 2012

Japanese designer Tadashi Shoji showed at New York Fashion Week yesterday and here are some notable looks from his collection (influenced by the Golden Age of Shanghai); featuring plenty of lace, chiffon and velvet fabrics perfect for the fall season.

Dark emerald greens were featured in three of my top favorite looks from this collection. I especially loved the scalloped trim lace dress (center).

 Lace embroidery give a classic elegance to collection and the high collars of the two photos are reminiscent of the cheongsams from Shanghai.

Velvet makes a small appearance in the collection but he ties them in with the on going color scheme of emerald greens and dark reds

Though I see the Asian influence of the florals, I found that this print mixed with the colors and drop waists that Shoji decided to go with, aged the models by an extra 10 years.  And no woman wants to look older than they already are...

I think Tadashi made the "Golden Age of Shanghai" a lot more glamourous than it really was. I like to judge a collection by how wearable it is and while I find the designs to be beautiful, it would be difficult for most girls to pull off the drop waist dresses. It could be blamed on the models for being thin, but found that most of the dresses to looked really baggy. It made me miss his past collections of simple pastel dresses with soft ruffles and florals, but of course no designer can design the same thing for every collection.

I give this collection a 2/5, I just liked his past collections more...

Click here to see the entire collection and let me know what you think in the comments below!

Asian Designer Spotlight: Richard Chai Fall 2012

Ahh Fashion Week in NY, there is no better time to ogle at clothes I can't afford and wishing I was at a show instead of at my dead end job. Wait, where was I going with this post? Oh right, 'tis the week where I will feature all the Asian designers debuting their Fall 2012 collections at NYFW and there are A WHOLE LOT of them this year. So excited and happy for all of them! And to start things off we have Richard Chai's fall 2012 collection (Richard Chai Love), here are some notable looks:

 Chai throws some dark tie dye in the mix with this dress and pairs it with a large boxy coat

 Darker florals make this trench coat more fall appropriate

 Oversized women's jackets are prevalent throughout the collection

 Multi colored stripes are also another pattern Chai plays with 

 I would probably be swimming in a jacket like this but I'd be doing so in such a chic way ;P

     

How sick are those large pockets? It's like the new fanny pack!

Richard Chai kept this collection simple with the running theme of menswear for women or as I like to call it Girl becomes Boy.  Unlike most designers he wanted to make the collection more "approachable" so that even a woman not in the fashion industry would be drawn to it.  While I am all for wearing menswear, I can never wear anything oversized because at 5'0" I am undersized. 

I give this collection a 3/5

Click here to view the entire collection, and let me know what you'd rate this collection.

3.1 Phillip Lim Sample Sale for Japan

3.1 Phillip Lim is having a sample sale (3/24-25 TODAY's the last day!) and proceeds go towards Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. When I first heard about it via Twitter, I was so excited because 1. Lim is one of my favorite Asian designers 2. It's for a great cause and 3. I may finally get to own a piece of his work!

It was my first time going to a designer sample sale and the experience was quite overwhelming! There was a line out the building but good thing it was only about a 15-20 minute wait and when we got upstairs there were tons of chic city girls raiding the racks of clothing and piles of accessories!

I wanted the dress with the scallop trim so badly but before going in I made a deal with myself to only buy something less than $100! Someday... :*(

The moshpit of accessories @_@ There were some really cute shoes but my feet are too small for sample sizes (which are usually a 8 or 9) -__-

My friend Tony got these beastly shoes for $100! Loves it!

And I came out with this awesome top! Retail Price:$495, Sample Sale:$100

Still a bit pricey but I have justified it as charity shopping so my wallet won't feel too guilty, ahem. haha I love that I can wear it in the winter as a vest or summer as a tank, super versatile and you can bet that I will make it worth the money! There's still a couple hours left for the sale so if you live in NY get out there and shop for a good cause!! ;)

b+ab X Angelababy Spring/Summer 2011 Collection

Last summer, I posted about Hong Kong model Angelababy's foray into the fashion world with her first collection for fall/winter 2010. Yesterday, b+ab debuted their latest collection for Spring/Summer 2011. Feminine florals, ruffles, crop tops, maxi dresses ... basically everything a summer collection should have is in this one! And how befitting, the name of the collection is "Hawaii Summer," definitely what I would love to wear on a trip to a tropical island or even just to the beach in the Hamptons (ok so maybe not the Hamptons ... more like dirty ole Jones Beach for me lol) If I get the chance to go to Hong Kong this year, I'd love to check out this store, so perfect for a girly girl like me! And I must say Angela looks gorgeous in the promotional pics!

Love what you see? Click here to view the rest of the collection ;)

Asian Designers Spotlight: Best of NY Fashion Week F/W 2011

NY Fashion Week is officially over and just like all Fall/Winter collections, it was not short of any black or fur. Last season I did individual designer spotlights but I've been a bit busy this month, so I decided to do one big post highlighting my favorite looks from the hottest Asian designers in the industry that showed in NY last week.

Zang Toi

Toi Trends: Camel tones and black; fur; menswear as womenswear; bold necklines
and floor length coats.

Yeoh Lee

Lee Trends: Large cozy knits; blacks, whites, greys; structured jackets and capes and capri trousers.

Vivienne Tam

Tam Trends: Tweed outerwear and dresses; fringe and crochet dresses.

Vera Wang

Wang Trends: Black; coats adorned with long haired furs and sheer chiffon gowns.

Thakoon

Thakoon Trends: Print mixing, plaid, long vests and more than just black.

Tadashi Shoji

Shoji Trends: Fluffy chic chiffon dresses, assymetricals and feathers.

Son Jung Wan

Wan Trends: Tweeds, furs, metallics and v-necklines.

Richard Chai

Chai Trends: Sporty-chic in grays and blacks, layered maxi dresses and cozy coats.

Prabal Gurung

Gurung Trends: Reds, greys and blacks, Textured knits, sophisticated fitted coats and trousers, and lace details.

Jason Wu

Wu Trends: Reds, grays and blacks, Menswear as womenswear, lace details and feathers.

Derek Lam

Lam trends: Reds, grays and blue solid pieces, sleeveless oversized coats and menswear style jackets.

Anna Sui

Sui Trends: Bold prints, chunky fur pieces, and Anna's signature hippie style florals.

Alexander Wang

Wang Trends: Menswear as womenswear, fur pieces, metallics and chunky tunics.

Phillip Lim

Lim Trends: Black, gray and green solids, leather and funky prints.

Looks like a lot of girls will be stealing clothes from their boyfriend's closets ;P I absolutely loved Thakoon's collection, completely caught me by surprise as he brought over spring inspired pieces into fall. I loved all the colors and textures he used and the design was very fresh and perfect for a city girl. Thakoon's got my vote for best F/W 2011 collection at NY Fashion Week!

Who's got your vote? Let me know in the comments below!