DIY painted jeans

Yeay! thank you guys for the 5000 views and what better way to celebrate it with a new DIY post. Its been a while since my last post and I haven't done any project this extreme. So I decided to give it a try. First of all, I came across this tutorial from love-aesthetics about this painted jeans and I've been dying to try it ever since.

Basically all you need is a pair of old jeans, brush, and paint. I actually use some left over screen print paint that I have lying around, and it works just fine. Although 3-4 coating (leave around a day for each coating to fully dry) is required to guarantee a nice clean white color on the jeans. Another thing to take note is that since the paint had blocked all the pores, it might not be a good idea to wear it too long outdoor on a sunny day. But for a night out around town should be just fine.

 

NYLON Singapore

Congrats to NYLON Singapore for the launch of the first issue! Not just for the awesome party held at zouk early this friday filled with the media and all the fashionable bloggers, but also for the awesome magazine itself. And the fact that I got one of the very first few copies (before official public release) alongside with a topman gift card really made my day :p Thanks guys!

Since I didn't brought my camera to the event due to its size & weight that easily causes inconvenience, I had to take a photo of my outfit for the party and the magazine afterwards. But I'll try my best to gather as much photos as I can to give you guys a little peek of the launching event.

Back to the magazine again, you can see that the first cover girl is the Singaporean singer-songwriter Stefanie Sun. Aside from the interesting contents that we all know NYLON always provide, I also have to talk about how beautifully the magazine is laid out. The contrast of scale and bold compositions (pardon me for the sudden graphic-design-geek language) made everything more exciting. Not to mention the stunning ombre metallic silver on the cover and the square shape of the magazine itself.

Bravo! Looking forward to witness more fantastic work from NYLON Singapore.

studded cap - DIY

tee - Gareth Pugh for topshop

jacket & rings - unbranded

 necklace & bracelet -H&M

watch & shoes - Jeremy Scott

Get your copy from the newsstands asap!

bloom not gloom

Sorry for the lack of posts this 2 weeks, its been quite hectic with new projects and everything. So rather than letting the craziness get into me, I decided to embrace the bright side. Let the prints bloom all over your clothes, because remember there will always be light after dark. Be positive!

cap - kidrobot

polo - unbranded

necklace & bracelet - H&M

jeans & shoes - custom

bag - Mary Katrantzou for topshop

british invasion

Hearing the good news from a dear friend of mine, Raisa, I was very ecstatic that the collection has finally arrived in Singapore. Yes, I'm talking about the collaboration of Topshop and Mary Katrantzou. I have been drooling ever since Dazed&Confused posted the film by Nick Knight of Karlie Kloss in one of the dress from the collection.

Since I find that there was a lack of publication regarding this launch, I assumed there wont be a large crowd similar to the Versace for H&M launch. Oh Boy! was I wrong or what! I came in just 15 minutes after the store opened, and most of the clothes were already swept away. In addition, there was another surprise that I didn't saw coming. Turns out, the launch also included the latest Topshop Unique SS12 collection and the Newgen 10 tees as well. Seeing this, without any pause I browsed through whatever was left from the hungry crowd (which happened to had been queuing since 8am). I still manage to spot some tees from Newgen range. I was torn apart from choosing between the Ashish sequin print tee and the Gareth Pugh geometric tee, but I decided to go for the Gareth Pugh. Yes, there are some problems with the quality for quite a pricey tee but it is all worth it. I mean, come on, where else can you get any clothes by Gareth Pugh for sgd70!

The nice surprise from this purchase was that they attach a brief personal interview from each of the designer. I never knew that Gareth Pugh had once consider to be a blimp designer and used to dream to become a dancer. For someone with a strong and serious visual aesthetic, he seemed to be quite a cheerful person.

And with every purchase of the Mary Katrantzou collection or the Newgen tees, came with a little floral tote bag as a souvenir. Finally, my quest for a decent floral item has now showed a more positive outcome :p

plastic fantastic

As you can see from my latest post, I've been sporting a new accessory that is my plastic bracelet. The whole plastic / transparent trend have been going on for a while and is still is. Starting with Charlotte Olymplia's transparent clutch to Jeremy Scott's purple plastic kilts. Even the fall 2012 collection from Chanel still preserve this trend in the form a gorgeous tinted hexagonal prism clutch with crystals bursting out on the exterior. So I decided to get on board the plastic fantastic train

For those who have the budget to go all out on this, Its up to you. But considering my wallet have been deeply scared for the past few weeks due to continuous shopping, I decided to get a little creative. From few trips to the craft stores to buy materials for my school projects, I came across a few transparent items including bolts, latch, and the 2 containers.

To made my collection of transparent accessories, its quite simple.

For the bag or folder carrier, I decided to add a velcro strap to made it more exciting. I was inspired by Nikicio's acrylic clutch from the Mixte Vol. 6 Collection. Which by the way, have some amazing pieces, including a fantastic acrylic skate deck.

For the bracelets, you will need

• scissors
• ruler
• pen/marker
• super glue
• ornaments of choice
• latch
• bolts/screw binder
• hinge
• transparency paper  
• note that the thicker ones would be more durable

here are the steps,

1. Cut the transparency paper into strips. Depend on the circumference of your arm and how thick you want it to be. I made in around 5 x 17 cm
2. Mark where you want the bolts / screws to be placed
3. Cut out a circle with around 0.5cm diameter from the the center of each mark
4. Do the same for the opposite end
5. Insert the bolt / screw binder through the holes, and then tighten accordingly
6. For the latch, glued the separate parts on each end of the transparency paper strips
7. For the hinge, cut the paper strip in half, and glued the hinge to reconnect them again

The possibilities are endless. Studs and rhinestones could be a fun applique as well for a more fancier look. So go on, try it at home!

botanic gardens

In the middle of going through my pile of school projects during the mid semester break, I tried to squeeze in as much relaxing time as I can before diving back into chaos. This include a nice Saturday brunch with my friend Tannia. Starts with fish + chips, mini-baked alaska, mud pie and then lastly creme brulee (pardon me for being a greedy pig, but after screen printing for 2 days, I deserve to treat myself with lots of good food :p) And since we circled around Bukit Timah for that culinary adventure, we decided to drop by the botanic gardens for a bit before heading back.

It's embarrassing how many times I've passed by this place when I used to stay in that area, but I only had a few little glimpse from outside the gates. The park turns out to be a really nice place, especially to hang out with friends and enjoy some picnic food, yum! And considering how most Singapore are now covered in pavements and skyscrapers (don't get me wrong, I do love a modern city) but its nice to have a different scenery once in a while. Maybe I'll drop by this place again to just paint all day :)

 

tee - giordano

shorts - custom

plastic bracelet - DIY

skull ring - far east
necklace, storm trooper ring, bag - scape
boots - H&M

lovely bones

It's been a while since I post any of my work, so here is some of my watercolor illustration.

I'm personally obsessed with any skull illustration. Although I'm not entirely on board with the typical gory and horror interpretation in the likes of tattoos and its association to death. I think of them with a different set of mind.

Our bones is what I consider as our identity. Maybe my obsession for watching the crime-investigation tv series 'Bones' for the past few years had a lot to do with it.  As Dr Brennan played by Emily Deschanel identified a victim's race and gender just by observing the bones, it led me thinking. The very bones underneath our flesh are like our very own mold and true identity. Because no matter how many botox injection a houesewive had, she still remain physically old.

But its not about the flaws, the beauty of our bones is in how it reflects who we trully are not who we pretend to be. That's why I reinterpret skulls to be more cheerful. More towards Mcqueen's diamond skull print from the SS09 'natural dis-tinction un-natural selection' collection. So, expect to see more skull-based illustration in my next few post.