Circus of show, fashion miss hit

August 20th 2011

I was invited to the join the in-store show celebrating 1 year in operation of Vietnam Designers House on Hai Ba Trung – where I’m a frequent customer. In my previous posting, I made some criticism about the store, now not because I dont like the clothes and the intention behind, just want to repeat myself in this and my points of view: I totally support the local designers of Vietnam. So judging the show yesterday is a bit unfair and harsh but I dont think it was a good show as a show, minus the design itself.

In-store fashion show are normally ready to wear and not be treated as a proper show esp in Vietnam, apart from the luxury ones who can afford to hire an entourage. Even then, the night Christian L. launch party at Park Hyatt also received much horror from my friend who attended. It was, she said, cheap – which I think a pity since the brand is not esp at a whopping prize of 17mil plus prize tag. I often ask myself how are these brands when they come to Vietnam get away with doing stupid silly disgraceful thing?

(Photo: courtesy of E.N)

What on earth is this? Whore house of Christian Louboutin launch Vietnam? Oh my. This new concept of C.L needs to be done properly or it will just look cheap. And it did.

So when it comes to the local brands – dont expect much ‘class’. I’ve never been to a show, even in-store one, that has so many guys sitting a the front row, sitting next to a girl who wore a FLIP FLOP, in her old crinkly shirt and jeans. Her hands keep on the shutter of her camera and the mouth is non stop gagging with the neighbour. And yes there were children involved. People in the kind of attire where you feel like you’re at a super market parade. The MC was carrying and speaking from a pink plastic cover, couldnt be bothered with a proper branded card so that it looks presentable. She obviously just got the script a few hours before the show.

Among all the most ‘ok’ designers, there are some obviously I dont know what the heck they’re doing. Here are some of the most confuse outfits. Some are worse but I didnt dare to click. For the good ones – read my previous article.

Honestly, yes, the trend said go a bit wild but with taste. Mixing these strong zebra with the glossy of a dress. Who wears this stuff? For these jackets to work, the material better be high end. Is it PVC? This is just wrong.

To wed in these gowns, I will probably faint. The drape one on the left was the least eye-sore. Too much beading I think, make it all complicated. These gowns dont showcase the curves or what’s best of the bride body shape. And all it’s too busy in the wrong places.

Last time check, summer is pretty much over. Basket of florals is old. And that poor girl with the string cuts across half of her breast?

This one I have a mixed feeling about. It’s from Thien Toan and Ngoc Diep. The first lot seems to ties up with the next one with stripes dont seem to match very well as a cohesive 2 collections.

Having a beauty at the show helps, but I dont think Mai Phuong Thuy was very serious. Often she dropped many props, half laughing half looking serious. Did she get pay? She might be tall and pretty but her bottoms are a bit flat. It’s not flattering to invite such a star and she didnt seem to perform. Kindly disrespectful.

While laces continues to be in trend from summer to winter 2011 that exudes the so eternal, ultimate in feminine fabrics and almost a bit dreamy. I’m yet shocked by this interpretation again.

As for this dress, the model walked so slow holding the dress up and I was thinking what if? what if it falls!

A few last gags – anything wearable?

Some of other collections were pretty average and not hitting the mark for me. Enough bad for a while. Now, here are some of the shots I like. Would be interesting to visit the store after to see how the clothes are holding up.

Mixed feeling about those

I want those shoes. Clothes by The Line, shoes by Dieu Anh

At around 9ish, the show ends. Sales up to 40% is available to all customers for today only. Do rush in to get the bargain. For a more positive read on the same topic. Read Here.

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…..and the ‘legit’ excuse to be messy (my hair continues)

June 12th 2011

So I continued to look for the ‘perfect’ style and stylist. I didn’t stay with Lu hair salon very long. It was in the afternoon where I made a bold move to enter Art Hair, again in the effort of straighten my stubborn hair.

The experience taught me not to mess around with places that are no good for my tricky hair. The place was packed. Everyone has a number and get dressed in one of those clinical looking cover, and you wont know who your hair stylist is or know of his/her profile on your first time. Upstairs it was hectic. Customers occupied all the stations facing the wall and staff running around all the time. I felt lost. It felt like a factory with a messy assembly line. The hair dresser didnt bother asking my name and she got on with it to straighten my hair with other assistance. There were regulars for sure but again it was like a communal hair do place. My hair was straight after that alright but since there were chemical involved, hair do come off a bit in the first few days of washing. It was flat, straight but I could feel my hair being stretched, maybe they didn’t see good enough products.

Until I paid a visit to Le Brian. Brian is a Viet Kieu has apparently as made his name in the US, coming back to Vietnam to expand his business. I heard he was pricy but I tried any way, after a few failures, I learnt something:

1. Stop being product addicts. Ok some products help, they do but not all of them work and I ended up with tons of gum and styling brands which I dont use.

2. Live in the dirty, humid, and bike centric culture with the helmet on your head, you start to neglect your hair and it’s easy to give up.

3. Asian hair stylists arent necessary right just because I’m Asian and I have super coarse and dry hair!

So back to Brian. He started to get very popular among the elite, women with money and lady with styles. But this doesn’t change a thing or matter to me. He was angry to know I went to get my hair straighten without this consult. He was saying something very true but for years I totally did not pay attention. ‘Flat? with no volume? what kind of hair Ann? Are you mad? Listen to me!

And for once, no hair stylist has ever said such a thing to me. Now my friends said probably because I didn’t get it done at his place so he got angry. I dont know, I couldn’t careless whether he really meant it or how much I have to paid my for hair but I do know I feel great every time I walked out of that salon. I think he really loves his craft and he continues to polish it. He has an eye for it I think. I totally feel trusted and just leave my hair to him, just like my hair gave up and listened to Brian. It let him what he does best: bring out a style and life to my hair. I kept coming back. When I think about it there’s another lesson to learn: if you found your match, stick with it. I think hair salon and finding the perfect hair artist is not about how much it costs you, but about chemistry. I just felt like he understands my hair needs and somehow it’s right. He’s famous alrite, people know him alrite. All I feel is there’s no bullshit when it comes to a hair cut session with Brian.

(I love this style he put together for me)

(dress: Moda International, shoes by Gucci)

And now, his latest creation, I was impressed. I had something in mind a picture of Keira Knightley in a short curly do. I had left my hair long for months, blame it on work. I just needed a change but I’ve always kinda left the decision making to Brian. It was a Sunday afternoon, rain, dreadful weather I turned up and all he said was ‘Let’s cut it short and curl it’. I was like, ‘oh my god, I was thinking the same, how wicked it that’. Can Brian read my hair’s thoughts?

This is totally new to me, a permanent perm? I wouldn’t dare to think about it. Just a few days ago when I was walking along D.1 I felt like for the very first time my hair is how it should be. I has volume, wave, character, and yes still pretty low maintenance but bouncy, sexy and I know it’s there the short curls stay in place. And what’s even better? I have an legitimate reason and excuse to have my hair messy while not afraid to hear others complained that my hair is well everywhere. My granny once asked me during one of our reunion parties ‘Ann dear did you comb your hair before going out of your home?’. I laughed and said ‘nope’

(self portrait)

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My hair…….

June 12th 2011

I’ve always been a low maintenance kind of gal, especially with my hair. I believe my hair ‘DNA’ told me ‘I’m frizzy, rough, thick, stubborn and have a mind of my own’. When I was a teenager, my hair was a disaster, totally out of shape, well no shape, dry and just wavy at the wrong places.

See this is what it looks like:

Things get better when I moved to Auckland, the weather was kind to my hair. Plus I was working part time at Portmans on High street (when the first shop in town launched, now they moved to a different address, on Queen Street I believe) as sales for 2 years. I figured I was going to sell ‘fashion’ to women, I’d better dress and look the part, hence the need to really pay attention to my hair. The quest to find the ‘perfect’ hair stylist is on. Here is the drill:

1. Friends said Asian hair is more coarse and therefore western stylist wont know what to do with our hair. Try some Korean salon.

Ok pal, fine, I did. I sit in the salon on High street for 4 hours, the guy could not speak much English and his team was trying to straighten my hair. It was painful, smelly all of that chemical. The cut was simple, everything is neat in place.

(pretty straight hair there)

2. I ditched what my friends said and ventured into Toni&Guy. price range from as ‘low’ as 70NZD to a bit above 100NZD. I settled for something in between, took my chance, the girl was European ho lived in Auckland long enough to be a hairstylist. 90NZD. She has black hair, punk style, I was not worried, went with my gut feelings. In contrast to the usual hair salon experience in Vietnam, you dont just come to have hair cut, you come to relax, get your hair washed by someone else who would spend at least 1 hour on washing your hair several times, giving you head massage, facial, shoulder massage, put several round of conditioning on you. It’s a norm back home.

I dont see why, I wanted a hair cut not a therapy session. I was surprised my 90NZD hair stylist washed my hair! Quick and efficient, plus I guess she didn’t find much ‘dirt’ or think my hair was that dirty. It’s always been very simple, they never want me to curl or dye or do anything ‘unnatural’. Just a simple cut, blow dry and products.

My venture to the ‘western’ stylist also included some trials and errors with SAKs hair salon.

And here is my most proud moment with a straight long hair.

3. I was addicted to hair products, esp the BedHead collection, and was told to use gum and not gel.

So I bought a lot of hair products, starting to use proper hair shampoo and conditioner, after shower leave in conditioner. Some of my fav brands and some still are: L’oreal Kerastase collection (I use the Nutritive line), TIGI, Bed Head, Redken, S&P. Label.m esp the pineapple smell of the TIGI wax. I even went to indulge in the straightener GHD, the curl machine. Ended with loads of stuff. Stuff.

I continued to stay loyal to Toni&Guy brand when I moved to Scotland.

Here are the list of products I used to swear by:

a. After sun/pool product: S&P Sunshine Lotion SPF 15

b. My everyday shampoo brand of choice either L’oreal Kerastase Nutritive Oleo-Relax Smoothing pack (both shampoo & conditioner), at times use the Masque for home treatment. Or Bed Head Moisture Maniac and at times the Control Freak range. The line gives me hair comfort, non greasy feeling.

c. When down, I’m relying on Redken All Soft Conditioner for Dry/Brittle Hair or the lux feel of Sebastian Laminates Shampoo Moisturizing Shine Cleanser. The Nutritive line also have the split end serum product. I’m a big believer in leave-in conditioner. I think my hair suffers a lot of damaged by the surrounding, my stress on the sulk, even food I eat. I used the EgoBoost

d. On the playful side, I still remember the Fudge smell, so gooey? (probably not a word), the gum that smells irresistible. The entire TIGI line got me. From the Bed Head collection to the Catwalk line: starts with the Manipulator, to After party, Camera-ready (Love this, will rank no.1 any day), Hard to get Paste (the ball has sticky gum). I can totally identify with the whole concept of messiness, the out of control hair, the wild side.

e. My experience with label.m was at the hair salon, short-lived but I do have the urge to try more. The stylist used Sea Salt spray which I love very light fresh and the gel (the only gel I use) for styling.

I have also tried other brands such as: Biosilk, Tseme shampoo for a while actually, Paul Mitchel (making my hair super dry).

(these are basically a mess, generic shape)

(My hair obviously dont stay in its shape very long!)

4. Arrived home on the last day of 2007, one thing troubled my mind. Who will be my hair stylist? How am I going to find with the humidity, the dirt, the bike riding culture and abandon what I was so used to over the last 7 years?

I didnt seek out for any non Viet hair stylists, no points. In the city of more than 12 dwellers, even there is one, it wont be good. Likelihood they will be shit. So I went to Lu Dong Kinh and stayed for a while.

My current products: Now I’m going a bit extreme, but stick to TIGI: Catwalk Oatmeal & Honey shampoo. Although I think it’s time to change. My spray products: Bed Head Superstar Queen for a Day, Bed Head Masterpiece Shine Spray.

VERDICT: no major shift, no matter how much I use products, undergo various experiment, my hair still pretty much lame!

VERDICT: flat hair…..and they only look good in the first 24 hours after I’ve been to the hair stylist!

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