I'm back and inspired again to blog after my girls trip to HK with my shopping buds J, J & P. It is my first "real" holiday in 3 years ever since E was born. "Real" in that it was a girls only therefore I didn't have any mummy responsibilities on the trip.
I knew even before I went on this trip that I really needed it, for a change of scene and just so I could step out of mummy mode for a little while. Am back and inspired to update my wardrobe after some cute buys from HK. I only spent two and a half proper days there and while I can be impulsive I'm usually quite a controlled shopper. So I didn't come back with a huge haul, but I'm happy with every piece that I got.
Here's a capture of the joint HK stash. Not everything is here though, only the bags & shoes (only 1 of the bags is mine btw. Click on the photo to enlarge)
So, couple things I'd like to do following the trip:
1. (The main thing) Edit my wardrobe, I've already begun. (I crammed so many pieces in there that the clothes are creasing and I can't wear them!) It's time for a style update! I might do some "Shop My Closet" posts if I get round to taking pictures.
2. Post pictures of my HK buys
I have some other ideas for the blog but am still mulling over it. Something along the lines of listing down clothes/accessories/makeup etc that I use and like. Any suggestions? Leave a comment!
4.06.2010
hello! i can't help but share the k-drama love....here's what I'm currently watching:
Oh My Lady starring Chae Rim ("Dalja's Spring") & Choi Si-won (of boyband Super Junior)
and Personal Taste starring Lee Min-ho (aka Gu Jun Pyo of Boys Over Flowers Fame) and Sohn Ye-jin.
So far, enjoying both but Oh My Lady more - could be because I've watched more episodes and the plot/characters have moved on a little further. The shows are ongoing and you can watch both atviikii. If you're the type who likes to analyse and review stuff, here's a good blog to check out.
"Good design has nothing to do with opinion and 'taste'. From a manufacturer's perspective, a good designs is a design that sells profitably....you need to create emotional distance from your idea of good taste on everyone else, because many people have lousy taste and will never change." The Entrepreneur's Guide to Sewn Product Manufacturing, Kathleen Fasanella
The past week has been spent mainly sketching and thinking up new designs for the next collection. i'm working on Spring Summer 2011 now - can you believe it? Ever since switching to marketing one season ahead, the entire work calendar has been pushed forward as well. I'm still trying to adjust. In fact I had to skip SS10 to catch up.
I need to get everything for SS11 ready by September, which means from now till then I'll be busy doing everything from conceptualization, design, sampling, photo shoots to preparing collateral e.g. catalogs, buyer's packs etc. All this on top of the day to day i.e. processing orders & deliveries.
I struggled a little initially trying to figure out the broad concept/direction for the new collection. I'm constantly trying to second-guess - hmmm, I think customers/buyers won't like such a style - as I'm sketching. It really kills the process because the design gets dumped before it even has time to evolve. Like, I want to try something I think is cool and different but then I end up trashing it because I don't think it'll have enough commercial appeal. Nursing wear is tricky in particular - you can't really be terribly adventurous because the typical customer is usually pretty conscious of their weight/appearance at that point and the styles can't be too radical.
Anyway, I've come to a stage where I'm happy with the direction I'm going from a design angle, and also think the styles will be marketable. The stuff needs to sell for the business to survive, but I don't really want to churn out the same old styles either. It's a critical balance, and not easy to arrive at.
The statement at the beginning is oh so true and something I tell myself to remember.
Time again for another shoot. It's only 2 collections a year but it seems like a neverending cycle of designing, sampling, shooting and production!
It was a very interesting learning experience for me, I've done a few shoots so far but there's always something to learn, something new to pick up. Everything was done in studio this time so it was pretty comfortable - no sweating under the heat at least.
It'll be a while before I can post the final results so have to keep everyone in suspense till then.
Knowing my craze over k-drama & Korea in general, Kisu very thoughtfully bought tickets to Seoul'ed Out when he found out about the event. It was held last Saturday at Fort Canning Park. I think it's the first (and probably last) standing room only concert I have been to (excluding Ballet Under the Stars which I went to eons ago at the same venue). I say last because dammit my legs and back almost gave way after 3.5 hours of concert time. A trip to the zoo earlier in the afternoon (for a friend's daughter's bday party) with all the heat and walking around had rendered my legs jelly, which did not help matters.
We were not ready for the power of hallyu, man. There was a line snaking all the way from the park entrance to past the Battle Box. Took us 45 minutes of waiting in line (90% teenage girls, 5% ahjummas, 5% hapless men who accompanied girlfriends/wives/daughters etc) before we got into the venue. And there were already throngs of people in there watching and screaming at the giant screens erected on site. Yes, there would be loud screams whenever their favourite boy band appeared on screen. On screen, people. Not like they were live on stage!!! (And by the way, the aforesaid boy band - Shinee - wasn't even in the concert lineup!!)
I had been waiting in anticipation for the event and the biggest draws for me were Lee Hong-ki from FT Island and Kim Joon of T-Max(more infamously known as the group that sang 2009 hit Boys Over Flowers theme song, Almost Paradise). Both have acted in the recent kdramas that I have watched, Hong-ki in You're Beautiful and Kim Joon as Woo Bin, one of the F4 guys in BoF. I also know the Brown Eyed Girls from a song they sang for another drama OST, My Fair Lady and from watching too much Music Bank/KPops/Showbiz Extra etc on KBS World/Arirang.
Concert started at 8.30pm (we sat on the grass waiting for about 30 minutes) - once the MCs came onstage everyone just jumped up and surged toward the front. I was surrounded by teenaged girls (front) and boys (back). We were in a pretty decent spot, I guess about 10 metres or less from the stage so I could see the performers very clearly. Had to endure the fringe acts and some silly MC banter before the main performers came on at about 10pm.
Lee Ji Soo - I have no idea who he is but he apparently he contributed a track in the drama My Girl. He had the quintessential kot mi nam (pretty boy) look favoured by male artistes these days - fair, smooth skin, slight built, comfortably blinged out, looking vaguely androgynous and probably the only guy (or girl) I've seen to rock a short sleeved jacket.
T-Max: The crowd only really got excited when this act came on, no doubt because of Kim Joon, who played the part of F4 Woo Bin in BoF. He was very charming and relaxed - every time he waved or smiled (which was a lot) the girls would scream and wave madly. One of my favourite acts of the night because they looked like they were enjoying themselves thoroughly and lapping up all the attention from the crowd. The crowd went absolutely wild when they burst out with Almost Paaaaaaradise, the theme song from BoF. With pyrotechnics no less (See below).
Fight the Feeling, also on the BoF OST
FT Island: I think this was the crowd favourite. There were a multitude of screams for "Hong-ki! Hong-ki!". He looked totally Jeremy-like (his character in You're Beautiful) with his blonde weird bundled up hair which resembled devil horns, and red and black leopard print leggings. An energetic performance but despite how I love his Jeremy character, I didn't feel much love for Hong-ki and his prepubescent looking band mates. The rest of the acts all tried to speak a few phrases of English with their Singaporean fans (which I appreciate no matter how clumsy they sound or how apologetic they are) but not Hongki. MC had to translate for him.
One Word
Brown Eyed Girls: Ooh I loved this act! I really wanted some slick dance moves and they were the only group that had it. Catchy tunes, cute girls, fun dancing. And Miryo had the best English (Mario doesn't count, he sounds totally American) and tried to give a decent speech to the fans.
They opened with "Sign".
And they sang Abracadabra, which I love - couldn't find a good one of them at Seoul'ed Out so this is another clip of their live performance. I want Ga-In's hairstyle!!! (She's the first one to sing. I also like Narsha's bob, but I think it might be a wig)
BEG closed the show, which ended at 11.30pm. As we were walking out cars were chauffeuring the artistes back to their hotel. We passed the car which Hong-ki was in, wah!
I recently bought some stuff online (not clothes!). They're kind of cute and there are nice photographs of them to share - always a good addition to any post.
I first found decorette which sells decals on etsy but discovered that the seller is from Singapore and has a proprietary online store. I couldn't stop pouring over the designs and promptly ended up with 2 sets - the Rabbit ABCs for Ellis' room
The other 2 items are for Ellis - a handpainted carousel for her room (which also plays It's a Small World)
and a Hello Kitty pouch from Stephie's Shop. I gave her the pouch and she went "Kitty!" then "Apple!" and then "Um!" (i.e. Kitty eats the apple)
And one final item, which I couldn't help but buy while making a delivery at Maternity Exchange - it can also be purchased online - the Pupsik Kapok Bolster! I got the one in Mocha Dots for Ellis. Kapok reminds me of my childhood pillow/bolster and Ellis seems to be liking it so far - she's been happily hugging it!
