reading&writing require coffee

unexpected but wonderfully awesome collaborations are the main reason for this blog's existence:

classic literature&contemporary artist extraordinaire

french narrative&daily organization in the year 2013

ubiquitous caffeine&high fashion

rhyme - reason = 0

considering fashion is an unabashedly visual industry, you would think i'd be over unexpected inspiration outside of the workplace. chyea right. 

i enjoy an extremely select few of varieties of flowers, but the lotus is creeping into my top 3. i spotted the prettiest gold-rimmed glass lotus candle holders at a local brooklyn (we go hard) boutique. i'm already planning on purchasing 3 and using them to store delicate jewelry...

tried on this coat at oak. it's so beautiful but i was drowning in the xs. which never happens so they need to revamp their sizing/tailoring stat

friends already copped A$AP Rocky (who made the above hat/logo infamous and unfortunately a rampant trend in NYC) and Pusha T tickets and i'm still deliberating: stereotypical life situation of mine. i never understand people who don't appreciate hip hop and fashion symbiotically, you can't contextually separate the two in relevant contemporary culture

50 pages in and i'm disappointed at the crass tone. not expecting Nabokovian prose, but Harry Potter was extremely well-written?

i'm embarrassed that i haven't seen this yet 

power > sensuality

i've oogled at this collection forever ever.

haider ackermann ss13:

partner lemme upgrade ya

unknown source

 high cut korea

unknown source

indirect inspiration

not that a natural disaster would inspire me to blog about fashion because that's just plain weird and politically incorrect. homegirl Sandy just made me realize how much i've neglected my virtual world

unknown source

thefashionfilth

thefashionfilth

unknown

luxirare

without a doubt, fall is fashion's apex. residing and working in the concrete jungle makes me lust for every great coat in sight.

zara + pants = an addendum to 'i want everything'

i normally like my denim denim-colored sans print, but these will be the exception. very victorian (faux) brocade.

i gravitate towards sheer lace overlay errything.

celine print through a negative filter: yes, please.

i want everything

that is currently hanging, folded, and stocked in the Cut25 boutique in Soho. I must be living under a rock because I had no idea Yigal Azrouel had a diffusion line.

I don't like peplum for the sake of liking peplum, if that makes any sense. Trends aren't dogma.

[updated 8/30/12]:

The Man Repeller wrote about the sentiments I expressed in the last sentence here: http://www.manrepeller.com/2012/08/blinded-by-the-label.html

Totally agree (and kinda feel special that I briefly explored the idea *first*) and completely empathize with the fashion greats' so-called uniforms. Think Karl Lagerfeld in addition to the aforementioned Anna Wintour example: they stuck to monotone amidst melodrama. 

My clothing rack is pillaged with dove grey and jet black. I like my pops of color secondary: mostly accessories and nail polish. Plus now that my hair's ombre blue (yeah, so, that's a thing)...

One wears the clothes, the clothes do not wear such person. It is quite a depressing predicament if your adorable peplum top is prettier than your personality.

Olympia Le-Tan

Excuse the repetitiveness, but harmonious juxtaposition of my interests delights me so very much.

It's a clutch...it's a book...it's brilliant.

I'd like a Madame Bovary and every work by Haruki Murakami, please.

so much aw

fawning and musing

The "and" in the post title assumes there are two entities to follow. Absolutely no correlation, of course. Just inspirations of the now.

1. Bridal fashion:

Totally irrelevant, yes. But if/when I do decide to partake in such affairs, this will be the costume aesthetic I want. Organic, simple, personalized, minimal. BCBG couldn't have picked a better name either: the Aurora dress, combining my love of astronomy and classic Disney movies.

2. Frank Ocean and synesthesia:
http://newyork.grubstreet.com/2012/07/taste-flavor-synesthesia-frank-ocean.html

One of the hottest music cats out right now + previous name of my blog/concept of which I'm really intrigued/inspired. I love when my interests overlap.

get it, gurl, get it

Get It Beauty is a South Korean TV show focused on makeup and skincare hosted by a former pop star and a bunch of random people I don't know. It often features celebrity makeup artists and hair stylists, as well as product reviews. The dialogue is semi-corny and the show itself is not going to rock one's world, but it's entertaining and mildly helpful. 

While my ethnicity's standard of ideal beauty is incredibly unrealistic and borderline artificial, I find the general aesthetic personally relevant. Pale skin, almond-shaped eyes, and button noses are just as beautiful as their Western counterparts, despite how hard global media tries to portray otherwise. I also love any of the specials on hair because Korean styling is ze best in my opinion.

dress softly and carry a big stick

If you need to flaunt something, you ain't got nothing; I realize the double negative is a mistake, but mainstream ignorance makes it sound better. Neutrals are louder (read: impactful) than neons, solids than prints or even worse, logos.

    

-images from various unknown sources-

languages and linguistics excite me

My AP classes in high school made me appreciate English - idiosyncrasies (some yet undiscovered) and all. My zeal for French blossomed earlier on in middle school when I chose to pursue it against my parents' wishes: Spanish's practicality beat chic Parisian culture in their eyes. Korean, surprisingly, was my last love; I only became truly competent in college. Korean is a deeply involved and beautifully simplistic way of communication. Use it in a romantic rap or have it exhaled from a good-looking actor/singer/random stranger on the street and I automatically swoon. 


Good Love - Dynamic Duo ft. Kim Bum Soo
넌 날개를 펴 지옥에서 날 꺼내줘 
내가 힘들 때는 가녀린 니 어깨를 줘
조그만 손으로 머리를 만져주면 
불면증도 도망가 
불 같은 나를 잠재우는 소방관 
너 없이 그 어떤 공간에 있어도 무덤이 돼 
떨어져 있어도 혼자라는 것이 부담이 돼
외줄타기 세상살이에 넌 내 낙하산이 돼 주네 
어디론가 숨고 싶을 때 내 다락방이 돼 주네 
나무라고 쳐 난 뿌리고 넌 꽃이야 
널 위해 어둠만 상대할 테니까 넌 활짝 피어
난 기도해 항상 니가 다 잘되게 
영원히 해줄게 배줄래 내 팔 배게


내 옆자리에 앉아서
내게 기대 눈 감고서
바보 같은 날 위해서 
영원을 약속해줘서 
고마워 내게 준 
고마워 


넌 너무 쉽게 꼭꼭 숨겨둔 
내 맘의 금고를 부셨어
그리고 아주 비싼 내 마음을 훔쳤어
딱 갖다 붙였어 니 마음 옆에다 
그 후론 가둬 버렸어 사랑이란 섬에다
넌 꽃 중의 꽃 내겐 그 누구보다 이뻐
벗 중의 벗 내겐 우리 관계는 너무나 깊어
넌 덫 중의 덫 내 발목을 꽉 잡은 
우리 사랑은 누구도 못 넘보는 벽 중의 벽
우리는 다투기도 해 서로 화 풀기도 해 
남보다 더 차갑기도 해 얼음처럼
그래도 걱정 안되 우리 둘의 관계 
소주한잔이면 풀어지니까 처음처럼 


두 발 자전거 페달을 처음 밟은 아이처럼 
삶에 비틀거릴 때도 (날 잡아줬어)
성공에 집착해서 성격이 좀 삐딱해져 
술에 취해 비틀거릴 때도 (날 잡아줬어)
넌 너무 착해 
어쩔 때는 좀 딱해 
때론 난 참 못되고 야박해 
그래도 날 믿어 나의 치어리더 
숨이 내 허파를 떠날 때까지 널 위해 뛰어


누군가는 날 보고 미쳤댔지만 
너와 함께할 수 있다면 난 미치고 싶어
누군가는 우릴 손가락질 했지만 
어렵게 깍지 낀 손 절대 놓치긴 싫어
넌 죽어버린 나란 별에 다시 불을 붙였어
난 태양이 되 니 두 눈에 오랜 장마를 그쳤어
봄날의 향기처럼 풋풋한 우리 사랑의 
숨결 속에서 난 다시 영원을 꿈꿔


Swooooooon.

What's that jacket, Margiela?

 

I present to you the trinity of "Most Played" on my iTunes.

swag = intrinsic talent + personal style + a sick tailor

Being a huge fan of the understated and anti-flashy, I'm loving the current adherence to simple, well-cut, and high quality trends of men's fashion in hip-hop.

Can't stop won't stop.

ありがとうございます。

I skimmed through a documentary on Haruki Murakami and the narrator said something along the lines of, "something in your brain changes when you read your first Murakami novel". I enthusiastically agree. I've read 4 of his novels in the past 2 months or so and I can't get enough - I unashamedly scoured the New York Public Library catalog and placed holds on the rest of his works. 

He is aesthetically the best modern writer in our world. Ugh so good: his concise, subtlety eerie, and detached style combined with ever-present existentialist themes. His novels make me want to learn Japanese to fluency, so I can reread them in their original expression. He approaches his native culture with such reverence that I want to visit Japan again and explore the country with a different perspective (read: non-dumb-dumb-tourist). 

I could do without the weird sexual references, for sure. Other than that, he blows my mind. 

Dior Spring 2011

Once I realized and respected fashion design as an art form, I began appreciating its timelessness regardless of the season. This Dior collection still continues to inspire me. It's haunting yet playful, outlandish yet ladylike. The saturation and gradient of color is absolutely gorgeous.

    
-images from style.com-

Kelly Cutrone is kinda badass

This book kinda changed my life. Or it contributed to and catalyzed my move to Manhattan as well as my career pursuit of fashion. It's not particularly eloquent or stylistic, but Cutrone's life is pretty freakin' amazing. She's one of those free spirits that managed to live up her youth and work her way up the corporate ladder simultaneously. While I definitely couldn't handle or desire her exact experiences, it was eye-opening. A strong testament to human will. 

I remember reading my library copy while I was volunteering in an hospital ER last year, as I did every Sunday evening so I could add yet another pretty line or two on my medical school applications. Huh.

Beyond learning about the fashion industry, I realized, and still continue to realize, that everyone has a story. Everyone has overcome terrible tragedies and achieved wonderful happiness throughout their narratives - learning to respect and love people regardless of their history is pretty much the essence of growing up.

She also wears only black, which is slowly becoming my thing, too.

these are a few (if not all) of my favorite things

I'm not the biggest fan of sitting in front of a screen and passively absorbing information. It rots your brain (prototypical Debbie Downer here) and I'd rather read.

But this. This. I will spend $15 on a movie ticket and sit in an overcrowded movie theater for F. Scott Fitzgerald and Baz Luhrmann. Arguably the best American novel + my favorite director? Yes please. Leonardo DiCaprio is icing on the cake. The fact that the trailer opens with "No Church In The Wild" is the light dusting of crack* and 24 karat gold leaf.

*I have never done drugs. Crack is indeed, wack. But rainbow sprinkles weren't going to get my message across.

I do realize this isn't coming out until Christmas Day. I've been waiting since fall of last year. I sound/am neurotic.

040412 / source unknown

겨울이 가고 봄이 찾아오죠 우린 시들고
그리움 속에 맘이 멍들었죠

(I’m singing my blues)
파란 눈물에 파란 슬픔에 길들여져
(I’m singing my blues)
뜬구름에 날려보낸 사랑 oh oh

같은 하늘 다른 곳 너와나 위험하니까
너에게서 떠나주는 거야
님이란 글자에 점하나
비겁하지만 내가 못나 숨는 거야
잔인한 이별은 사랑의 末路(말로)
그 어떤 말도 위로 될 수는 없다고
아마 내 인생의 마지막 멜로
막이 내려오네요 이제

태어나서 널 만나고
죽을 만큼 사랑하고
파랗게 물들어 시린 내 마음
눈을 감아도 널 느낄 수 없잖아

겨울이 가고 봄이 찾아오죠 우린 시들고
그리움 속에 맘이 멍들었죠

(I’m singing my blues)
파란 눈물에 파란 슬픔에 길들여져
(I’m singing my blues)
뜬구름에 날려보낸 사랑 oh oh

심장이 멎은 것 만 같아
전쟁이 끝나고 그 곳에 얼어 붙은 너와나
내 머릿속 새겨진 Trauma
이 눈물 마르면 촉촉히 기억하리 내 사랑
괴롭지도 외롭지도 않아
행복은 다 혼잣말
그 이상에 복잡한 건 못 참아

대수롭지 아무렇지도 않아
별수없는 방황 사람들은 왔다 간다

태어나서 널 만나고 죽을 만큼 사랑하고
파랗게 물들어 시린 내 마음
너는 떠나도 난 그대로 있잖아

겨울이 가고 봄이 찾아오죠 우린 시들고
그리움 속에 맘이 멍들었죠

오늘도 파란 저 달빛아래에
나 홀로 잠이 들겠죠
꿈속에서도 난 그대를 찾아
헤매이며 이 노래를 불러요

(I’m singing my blues)
파란 눈물에 파란 슬픔에 길들여져
(I’m singing my blues)
뜬구름에 날려보낸 사랑 oh oh
(I’m singing my blues)
파란 눈물에 파란 슬픔에 길들여져
(I’m singing my blues)
뜬구름에 날려보낸 사랑 oh oh

hopefully the way to my brain is my stomach, too

i've (unintentionally) neglected my blog for the early half of winter. i think it's because i'm having a hard time trying to find the right direction/color for my posts, and i don't have the luxury of endless time to brainstorm. hopefully something will come to me soon. but as per advice from my mentor (i love that i can say that i have a mentor), i figured i should at least establish a consistent pattern of posting.

life is great. i don't think i've felt this comfortable in a very, very long time. not to say that i lack any stressors, that would be very un-steffi-like. but i'm happy to build a foundation for my new career path. work hard and work harder.

random intake photos since my arrival to manhattan:

vegetable minestrone and jalapeno cheddar bagel from the bagel store. typical work lunch. SO good.

lemon yuzu tart and apple tart tatin at dominique ansel (he was there when we went!). one of my dearest friends (since junior high!) works at a 3 michelin star restaurant and always takes me to the best places to eat.

desserts at lusardi's.

black sesame latte, pumpkin pastry, etc. at paris baguette.

otto pizzeria. the owner, mario batali, was dining on his own fare that night.