East Beijiing is my favourite hotel to stay when I am in Beijing, the minimal interior here at the hotel is very hard to find anywhere else in China. As a five star luxury hotel, East Beijing’s price is somehow much lower than other hotels, since the location is not extremely central. But there is a huge shopping centre you can visit from level 2 of the hotel, so you can basically just live “inside” the shopping mall for a few days and relax.
Escaping the rapidly cooling temperatures of Sydney to the golden warmth washed, ancient cobbled streets of Florence, Pitti Uomo 92nd edition gave occasion to Christian Louboutin’s debut, which was marked by a day-long Bike Polo tournament.
Bike Bolo, born in Seattle in 1999, as a two wheeled version of its horseback counterpart, has gained a worldwide following in the ensuing decade. The Pitti Uomo tournament, staged by Christian Louboutin, saw 8 teams from the world over gathered in the historic Piazza Santa Maria Novella.
And what does this all have to do with Christian Louboutin’s iconic red-soled shoes, which have, since the brand’s founding in 1992, epitomised innovation, artisanship, elegance and wit? The connection is made in the form of the ‘Aurelien’ sneaker, a 90’s inspired basketball sneaker with a low-top silhouette. In the beautiful showroom, where the Aurelien collection was expertly woven into the luxurious interiors of Studio Dimore, we saw the beloved sneaker expressed in its many wildly vibrant alter egos, from pastel washes to gem-incrusted incarnations. There is undoubtedly an Aurelien for every soul.
That day, the hand chained Moninin carried me through the winding back streets of old Florence, from the irreverent dome of the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore to the shimmering waters of the Ponte Vecchio, and of course, astride my own custom made bike, polo stick in hand. Though, I can assure you, that my performance was not at all as disaster-free as these images would suggest.
During my trip to Indonesia with The Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia, I experienced Belmond Jimbaran Puri beach resort Bali, The hotel serves extraordinary beach front seafood dinners, the best seafood I have ever had in my life! Make sure you reserve yours as early as possible, as they are very hard to book during busy seasons. Something else great about the resort? It is so close to the airport yet extremely quiet during anytime of the day, perfect for whole day relaxation and beaching around.
photo by Jelito De Leon
Adam wearing bally A/W16 biker jacket in red, with detachable zippers & push buttons | Uniqlo joggers | COS t-shirt
The one, the only.
It’s supposed to be one of the most cherished sentiments of ancient times, a reflection of true perfection and the product of all the heart’s desires.
It’s also a sentiment that has become lost; lost in the extra culture of social media; lost in the consumerist driven market place; and lost from our hearts.
How often do we hear that someone fell in love at first sight anymore, and that the a significant other (whether a human or a shoe) is ‘the one’? It’s as though the modern world has made us afraid to settle on the one. Overwhelmed by choices and options (however meaningless) every way we turn, we live in fear that there might be something better, newer and shiner waiting to be discovered.
Instead of going in search of ‘the one’, we make do with alternatives, the easily replaceable place-holder, to tide us over, ever waiting for what we perceive to be ‘perfect’ to come along. Impatient for this perfection, we lower our standards further down a notch and satisfy our immediate retail hunger. This is risky business because, like taking the Big Mac in place of the filet mignon, for every place-holder we resort to, the further away we drift from ‘the one’. At what point did we sell our fashion-loving souls?
Case in point. When the Alexander Wang Survival Kit bag was fresh on the Vogue runway photos, I immediately regrammed the snap on Instagram. But it was not until one year later that I had saved the money to buy it. When I look at that bag, I realise how much love and energy I had put towards attaining it, it is not just a piece of leather or piece of utility anymore, it is part of me, my character, my story, my personality and it epitomises my personal style. When the hype had worn off, it was still ‘the one’.
People shop on Farfetch with the same passion for fashion. The whole fashion industry seems to have backflipped since Alessandro Michele took over Gucci four years ago, from minimalism to maxamilism. When everybody was wearing a Gucci loose-fit T-shirt, unflattering Vetements stiff jeans, extremely tacky and uncool-but-cool Gucci monogram handbags, the industry was thinking “WTF”? But in a moment, a trend was created, a trend we can’t resist. Michele created the one for so many fashion-loving souls.
Don’t let ‘the one’ pass you by. Take a chance, for he/she/it may very well be the one, the only one.
One of my ‘the one’s’ are these summery palm and floral print iconic Gucci Horsebit loafers are perfect to go with anything when comes to “dressing up”: from editorial wide leg trousers at a photo shoot, or out on the streets with sporty jogger pants to a formal suit at events, these Gucci Printed Horsebit loafer will cover it all. It even (weirdly) goes with fall/winter elements such as turtlenecks, leathers and rich colors like burgundy and dark green. Continue Reading…
“Florals for spring? Ground Breaking!” It’s the infamous Devil Wears Prada line which has transcended from season to season and instilled fear in the hearts of fashionistas who dared to don anything that resembled foliage or flora from September to November.
It’s been more than 10 years since Miranda Priestly, who we might add isn’t even a real person but a character, changed spring fashion with a single scold. Since 2006, fashion houses, designers, stylists and those with their finger on the fashion pulse thought twice about florals for spring. As quick and as a dramatically as florals as we knew them shriveled up, they’ve made a bold, contemporary and (what we think) permanent return.
Trend forecasting aside, isn’t it interesting how one character with one line in one movie can make the fashion industry abandon an old faithful, a classic that was so loyal to us for so long. In the legacy of designer Alessandro Michele, we should be avoiding the trend chase, not buying up just because its new and fresh, cherishing the old and decorating a faithful piece to give it new life. Authenticity and freedom are the new rules for fashion designers.
That’s why we love Gucci.
As florals bloom into fashion for another run at the spring title, Runway Magazine’s influence is fading. It is a major shift of power in the fashion and social media world and that is exactly why major fashion brand including Gucci, Balenciaga and Vetements are targeting the younger generation who are, in the majority, spending their time “on the street” (where street style was of course born).
The whole fashion industry seems to have backflipped since Alessandro Michele took over Gucci four years ago, from the popularity of minimalism to maxamilism. When everybody was wearing a Gucci loose-fit T-shirt, unflattering Vetements stiff jeans, extremely tacky and uncool Gucci monogram handbag, the industry was thinking WTF? But within a second, a trend is created, a trend we can’t resist. (*quietly sneaks into the Gucci store and buys an overpriced Gucci loose-fit T-shirt).
Not to brag here, but when I saw Alessandro Michele’s second show with Gucci Princetown kangaroo fur slipper plus loafer, I ran to the Melbourne Gucci store and put down a deposit on own pair. Back then, the sales assistant told me, “Oh that is something extremely unwearable for Australian customers, we won’t stock them, unless you want to do a special order with us”. Fortunately luck was on my side as the Gucci buyer happened to be in Paris for the buying season. Gucci Princetown has since become the most selling styling in the world and also became the “Bloggers Shoe”. It’s like a knew.
Not only have Princetown and wearing-slippers-to-work become the new thing in fashion and style, but also the old tacky Gucci monochrome has as well become the “new cool”. I remembered how I was told “only the rich Chinese tourist and rich second-generation-overseas-student” would carry a Gucci or Louis Vuitton monogramed canvas tote or handbag years ago, but as the new creative director Alessandro Michele said, “There are too many rules in fashion in recent years”.
We were forced to keep buying new seasons to let people know we were stylish, we were cool. We forgot the old things, we abandoned the old-good-times, we think the old Gucci logo monochrome is not cool anymore, because it is old, and we are all chasing the minimalism trend. Sometimes more is more, there should be no rules in fashion, if something old is a beauty, it should always be a beauty. We should cherish our favourite pieces and wear them again in different ways or add interesting details to them. That is exactly how Alessandro Michele interprets the making old things new, making the uncool become the new cool. It is the same reason Rihanna is popular, why Vetements is popular. Show your authenticity, have an open mind and break the rules.
GUCCI knitted vest: Mr.Porter
GUCCI loafers : Farfetch
Final Editing: Emma Clarke
Creative Direction & Drafting : Bloggers Boyfriend
Photography: Bloggers Boyfriend Self-Portrait with Nikon D610 + Sigma 18-35mm f1.8
Trousers with front split zippers: custom made by Bloggers Boyfriend
Make-up, Hair & Photo-editing: Bloggers Boyfriend
Location: Gordan Street Garage
ACCOMMODATION, AIRBNB, BOUTIQUE HOTELS, MELBOURNE TRAVEL, TRAVEL, VIC
CHECK IN AT THE WHITE HOUSE DAYLESFORD, VICTORIA
April 6, 2017
I recently experienced the beautiful guesthouse The White House Daylesford in Victoria, owned by Interior Designer Lynda Gardener.
See below what I captured during my stay.
You can also book Lynda’s other properties such as the Estate of Trentham, The Apartment St.Kilda and The White Room Fitzroy with my discount HERE.
ACCOMMODATION, AIRBNB, AIRBNB, AUSTRALIA AIRBNB, BOUTIQUE HOTELS, MELBOURNE TRAVEL, TRAVEL, VIC
CHECK IN AT THE ESTATE OF TRENTHAM
April 5, 2017
I recently experienced the beautiful Estate of Trentham in Victoria, Australia, owned by Interior Designer Lynda Gardener.
See below what I captured during my stay.
You can also book Lynda’s other properties The White House Daylesford, The Apartment St.Kilda and The White Room Fitzroy with my discount HERE.
