Les Paul + Google

Click here to hear my 30 second "masterpiece".

Best way to start your weekend ...

... is with a big smile.

via Pinterest

Zen

Stephen Colbert + Jimmy Fallon + worst song ever = Magic

I really really hated Rebecca Black's original song, "Friday". But this was before I heard the version Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon came up with. Now, I just hate it.

J.Crew Goes to Italy - About A Print

The last installment of J.Crew's documentary, on their trip to Italy has finally been released. This time, it is all "About A Print". Jenna Lyons and her team travel to Como where highly esteemed mills Ratti and Canepa are located. With archives reaching back to the 19th century, we get a glimpse of fabrics that could easily be taken as ones created today. Nobody really does print and colour like the Italians.

More importantly, nobody does mainstream fashion like J.Crew. Rather than go with the fast fashion craze that is striking many a retailer, J.Crew has made the decision to go back to times of bespoke fashion where no detail is too small nor unimportant. This has definitely contributed to their success in an age where consumers (both female and male) have access to large amounts of information and they are becoming smarter about what they buy. Value is slowly overcoming brand names and super-low prices; something which has mysteriously stumped many formerly successful companies. It will be interesting to see how J.Crew develops as a company and whether a new fashion empire has been born. Watch out PPR and LVMH.

Video and Images from J.Crew

Dior + Kate Moss + Duran Duran =

I need to get me some lipstick pronto.


Video: Kate Moss for Dior Addict lipstick via Fashionista.

Dior + Kate Moss + Duran Duran =

I need to get me some lipstick pronto.


Video: Kate Moss for Dior Addict lipstick via Fashionista.

Daddy's Little Girl (Forever and ever and ever)

Boyfriends may come and go but a daddy will always be at your beck and call.

Currently Loving: Céline

The clothes, the bags, the hair and makeup. J'aime le tout.

Images: Garance Dore

The Loneliest Whale in the World

It seems that as most people get older, the more they worry about being alone. The fear of not having someone to lean on as your body breaks down or someone to still remember who you were when you have left this world can be quite paralyzing. But what if nobody can even hear you? To not even have the most basic of friends?


I recently read something that sabino wrote on his tumblr a few days ago via julia. 

i (sabino) just read a comment from a 2004 article by the ny times about the loneliest whale in the world. scientists have been tracking her since 1992 and they discovered the problem:

she isn’t like any other baleen whale. unlike all whales, she doesn’t have friends. she doesn’t have a family. she doesn’t belong to any tribe, pack or gang. she doesn’t have a lover. she never had one. her songs come in groups of two to six calls, lasting for five to six seconds each. but her voice is unlike any other baleen whale. it is unique—while the rest of her kind communicate between 12 and 25hz, she sings at 51.75hz. you see, that’s precisely the problem. no other whales can hear her. every one of her desperate calls to communicate remains unanswered. each cry ignored. and with every lonely song, she becomes sadder and more frustrated, her notes going deeper in despair as the years go by.

Image: we heart it

The 4 Icon Challenge

Saw the cutest designs when browsing through my Google Reader today thanks to Stephie. These logos which represent legendary movies are by the artist Kyle Tezak. I can totally see this idea being used for wedding letterpresses and labels. A great way of sharing the couple's love story with their guests.

Images: Kyle Tezak via Stephie Says

EF Language Schools

This is what I should have done instead of going to little Jouy-en-Josas where the trains to Paris were always on strike. Merci beaucoup RER! To be honest, I loved my professors at HEC and I learned alot from them. However, my French did not improve one bit. If I ever get the chance to go abroad and study a new language, I will probably go with EF Language Schools. Such beautiful and original videos!






Videos: EF Language Schools via design work life

Currently Loving: Repetto

Repetto - Vitrine interactive. from Marcel on Vimeo via Haute Design

J.Crew Goes to Italy - About A Thread Count

Amazing ...

(Video and images from J.Crew)

QOTD: Don't mess with me

This is an oldie but a goodie. I think it is from two summers ago. I cannot remember the exact subtext but it is not that important.

My sister = Y                             Her best friend's bf = C

C: Can I pay you back later?

Y: Sure. But ya better remember to give it back to me.* Or else I'll tell my sister to come after you.

C: Umm. Ok.

Y: She's REALLY fierce. You DON'T want to MESS with her.

I did not know whether to be pleased or insulted but I was definitely entertained.

* My sister speaks really ghetto English in informal situations (i.e. with her friends or me).

Currently Loving: Joe Zee

Currently Loving: French food

(Cooking Dinner Vol. I from William Hereford on Vimeo via the Bedlam of Beefy)

Have you seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory? The movie with Johnny Depp in it? There's a scene with Mike TV where there is this machine which can break up things into little particles which are then transmitted through the air to reappear on the tv. You can then reach into the tv and grab the object.* I really pray that one day this will really be invented. And then I can just grab fantastic French food off my computer screen.

My heart was beating really fast when I watched this video. I think I am in love.**

*I love Ronald Dahl. I have read and watched all versions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory several times.

**With the FOOD. The scenes with the duck were just ... (blush)

Currently Loving: French Lingerie

(all images from the Cherry Blossom Girl)

Cutie with an attitude

She really reminds me of my sister. Really cute but somehow already has a semi-bitter attitude towards life (or at least towards being photographed)

(all images from Stephie says)

Lunch Hour Quickie: Paris

Le Flâneur (feat. The XX) from Luke Shepard on Vimeo.

Happy (Belated) Valentine's Day!!

(Image: Katie Armour via Her name was Lola)

A New Take On A Valentine's Favourite

Love Is Lame Shit Bitch Bear, $12.99 to $23, available at Love Is Lame.

(image from Love is Lame via Refinery29)

Happy Chinese New Year!

The year of the Tiger has finally come to an end (and hopefully my bad luck as well) and the year of the Rabbit has arrived. Chinese New Year is one of my favourite celebrations because it is basically a non-stop eating marathon. Daikon cakes, fried sweet dumplings, and abalone with chinese mushrooms-its hard to stick to a strict diet with these temptations in your face. My mom tells me not to eat so much (or at least not so frequently) on the regular so I was kind of irked when I saw this decoration (on the left) hanging on my bedroom door a couple of nights ago. I thought that she might have been trying to send me a message implicitly.

With her usual contradictory behaviour, my mom made me realize that the decoration was more appropriate in representing her. I found her eating a bucket of ice cream one night at 10:30pm. Yes, she was not finishing the last two spoons of ice cream. There was enough ice cream for three double scoop waffle cones. And no, she was not crying over her broken heart.

Just a little reminder not to over-indulge. Happy Chinese New Year!

(image from me)

Lunch Hour Quickie: Male Models

Boys of Milan & Paris FW2011 from Justin Wu on Vimeo.

J.Crew Goes to Italy! (About A Shoe)

Three takeaways:

1) J.Crew can do no wrong.

2) J.Crew = Prada

3) I need to get a job at J.Crew.

J.Crew just released the first of three videos that follows creative director and president Jenna Lyons, VP of women's design Marissa Webb and VP of men's design Frank Muytjens as they visit various factories in Italy that produce their products. It is a great behind the scenes look of one of the biggest and most influential retailers in North America. The enthusiasm, passion and dedication to their products is clearly shown by all three executives. I loved the entire video but my favourite scene would have to be when Webb models one of her shoes fresh from the factory in the middle of a restaurant.

I am so happy that J.Crew is finally starting to move into Canada. This recent piece of news may also explain the recent sale of J.Crew to two investment firms. By going private, J.Crew is able to do what they need to do without having to deal with pesky public shareholders.

Great idea for shoe storage at home.

I really wish a pair of these will be on my feet when summer rolls around.

(video and pics from J.Crew)

Transformers, Chanel Version

QOTD: Korean BBQ

For NYE, my friends M, SH, and I went to a neighbourhood korean restaurant to eat. You were responsible for putting yourself on the waitlist and M ordered me to do it. The little devil on my shoulder made me put down "Fat Moo - Table of 3" and waited to watch the scene unfold.

Waiter: "FAT-TO MOO! TABLE FOR 3!"

Waiter: "... Just wait, Fat-to Moo? Is this right?"

M: "Yes."

Waiter: "Oh, so Fat-to Moo? Who is that? Is that you?"

M: "Yes."

Waiter: "Oh, I am so sol-li." (spoken in a very sympathetic tone)

SH and I laughed so hard we just collapsed into the booth.