
March 2013 Japan Trip Teaser: A (Long) Summary
I love traveling even though I don’t get to do it often, especially going overseas to other countries. When you travel less with a mindset of a tourist and more with a mindset of an explorer, the experience simply opens you. It makes you invigorated and inspired, ready to see things both expected and surprising. Before March, 4 years has passed since my last overseas trip. After my March 2013 Japan trip, I pray that I will get to travel more often. You really miss out a great deal when you don’t travel and experience things. Trust me.
Amongst all countries in the world, I love Japan. Perhaps not as a country I choose to live in, but a country whose way of life, culture, and technology I admire so much. Before our March 2013 Japan trip, it had been 7 years since I first visited Japan. It was only 5 days, but since then I was patiently waiting for a chance to visit that amazing country, this time with the love of my life (you know who). As always, but maybe more so this time, he took gorgeous pictures that I am very excited to share with you.

Silvia Arguello on NBC’s Fashion Star and Her Upcoming Rosa Clandestino Online Shop
I have been a fan of NBC’s Fashion Star. I think the premise is brilliant and progressive; not only it gives the featured designers a great dose of exposure, it also builds immediate shopping impulse for the featured retailers.
Tonight on NBC’s Fashion Star (Season 2, Episode 8), my favorite Silvia Arguello was shockingly eliminated*. A Milanese fashion designer and Vogue Italia favorite, Silvia has made her mark on this season as the highest seller on the show ($905K record sales for NBC’s Fashion Star Season 1 and 2, successfully selling to all three retailers: Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Express). Here, she discusses her shocking elimination, experience thus far, and positive outlook to launch her prestigious Paris-based clothing line Rosa Clandestino in the US market through the upcoming launch of her global e-commerce store.

My April (2013 Version)
My April this year has been really tough on me. Just as soon as we finished immersing in our dream paradise of Japan (those travel posts are coming, I promise), Chris and I had been cumulatively drowning in illness, foot injury, apartment woes, and iMac hard drive...

Curtsy for Cheay Rochelle’s Fall/Winter 2013 Collection
First of all, let me apologize for nearly two months of no blog updates. I will explain that on the next blog post. For now, I want to express my admiration to Cheay Rochelle’s Fall/Winter 2013 Collection, aptly titled Victorian Nobility. The clean lines and tapestry...

The Art World of ILJA Couture and Ready to Fish
Photos courtesy of ILJA and Ready to Fish via THV PR. In a very saturated world of fashion, one of the biggest challenge is to be memorable. I think the fashion weeks happening right now can silently speak volumes to that. About one and a half month ago, I received...

Academy of Art Fall 2013 at NYFW
The winter blizzard cannot stop the Academy of Art talents from showing on the runway last month. The Academy of Art Fall 2013 at NYFW presentation is modern, chic, and sophisticated (as well as a bit wild, which is a good thing). The students' work once again proves...

ØDD Fall/Winter 2013 at NYFW
It's quite impressive that ØDD storefront at Manhattan's Lower East Side materializes less than a year after ØDD online store was launched in 2011. The avant-garde fashion destination at 164 Ludlow started with menswear-only destination and is equipped with pieces...

Heather Lawton Fall/Winter 2013
Making her New York Fashion Week debut, Canadian designer Heather Lawton showcases her Fall/Winter 2013 collection on February 7 at Studio 450 (450 West 31st Street). The so-called "dark horse" of her Parsons class first debuted her collection at 2011 Toronto Fashion...

Ivana Helsinki Fall/Winter 2013
"Childlike fun" is the mood I feel when I'm viewing Ivana Helsinki Fall / Winter 2013 collection for New York Fashion Week. The Finnish fashion brand designed by Paola Suhonen offers clean lines of dresses and coats splashed with colorfully elegant patterns and...