Dots[Connection]: Exotic Groove

Here is your weekly recap of Draw A Dot.!

The Orange Dot Project has finally come to an end and the last piece is created by my other long time collaborator Lisa Nishimura. I really like the underwater theme and the jellyfish definitely reminds me of the beats of the song. [Read Here]

Courtesy of Lisa Nishimura 

Are you tired of this cold cold winter yet? If so, maybe this piece by Alessandra Divizia can warm your heart a bit. This piece is inspired by the Alexander McQueen VOSS (S/S 2001) collection and I am sure you can feel the exotic vibe. [Read Here]

Courtesy of Alessandra Divizia 

Please remember, you still have a little over a week to enter the AmongMen S/S 2014 Menswear Trend Contest! Don't miss out this golden opportunity!

Ray of Inspirology: Field Day

I was at a bookstore reading some of the latest magazines the other day, and this editorial just caught my eyes.

Featured in the latest issue of W Magazine, these lovely images are shot by Craig McDean. I have to give props to Edward Enninful for picking the right iconic pieces of this sesaon, as he made Malaika Firth, Marina Nery, Sasha Luss, Irene Hiemstra and Juliana Schurig look so good in these images. The background creates a very interesting contrast against the models, and the mirrors create depth to the photos. Now I think I am ready for spring.

What do you think?

Photographer: Craig McDean
Models: Malaika Firth, Marina Nery, Sasha Luss, Irene Hiemstra and Juliana Schurig
Styling: Edward Enninful
Hair: James Pecis
Make Up: Peter Philips
Nails: Megumi Yamaoto

Ray of Inspirology: Alexander McQueen S/S 2014 Campaign

Based on these images, it seems like Alexander McQueen has turned Kate Moss into a voodoo queen!

Shot by Steven Meisel, these images are part of the brand's latest collection campaign. The vibe is very dark and it's interesting to see Kate Moss is paired up with a doll in the same outfit in most of the photos. To my surprise, instead of showing the tribal side of this collection, the creative team has turned to another direction and showed the darker mysterious side. Maybe this is partly influenced by American Horror Story: Coven?

You can also visit the official site to view the video campaign of this collection.

What do you think?

Courtesy of Alexander McQueen 

Tendology: KRISVANASSCHE White Croc Print Tie

Many of you know I am a huge fan of interesting ties and this KRISVANASSCHE gem is on my wish list right now!

This piece is from the S/S 2014 collection and I love the "croc" print a lot. The irregular lines create a very interesting texture effect and the black and white combination makes the entire piece very "cartoony". If it is pair against a white dress shirt, it should create a very interesting effect.

You can now purchase this accessory piece on Ssense.

Courtesy of Ssense

Trendology: Six Lee F/W 2014 Collection

"Only once in your life, I truly believe, you find someone who can completely turn your world around. You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more. You have to find them by feeling but not what you are seeing.”

Six Lee has recently presented his F/W 2014 collection during menswear fashion weeks, and I find the inspiration really reflects how I feel about life (strange but true).

The entire collection is inspired by Andy Denzler paintings, and therefore you see some amazing abstract prints to represent the complicated feelings of human beings in some of the garments. As usual, most of the silhouettes are still inspired by the 19th century tailoring of the English aristocracy, but this time, there are also new elements of the Tibetan costumes, which you can see from the oversized coats.

I continue to fall in love with the suits, and am still waiting for the chance to try them out. Hopefully this goal will be met soon!

Dots[Connection]: Charge!

Here is your weekly Draw A Dot. recap!

Part 3 of The Orange Dot project is finally out and I invited Gerardo Larrea to be in charge of this piece. I really like the composition of this piece, as I like the futuristic vibe and how the orange dot represents a treasure that needs protection. [Read Here]

Courtesy of Gerardo Larrea

F/W 2014 Menswear Paris Fashion Week is finally over and Peter McNierney has created this beautiful illustration based on the Dior Homme collection. I like the energy of this piece and I feel like the model is ready to take action! [Read Here]

Courtesy of Peter McNierney

If you are an illustrator, make sure you do not miss the AmongMen S/S 2014 menswear trend contest! You still have more than 2 weeks to go!

Walk the Walk: Valentino S/S 2014 Haute Couture Collection

Today, Puerpaolo Piccioli and Maria Grazia Chiur brought the audience to the Valentino version of safari forest.

The runway show opened with a very nice music notes motif tulle gown and at first, I thought the collection was inspired by musicals/ operas. I could be partially correct because the animal motifs in this collection somehow reminded me of Swan Lake and Lion King. The use of tutus made the garments to look very light and romantic, and I especially liked the black piece with butterflies embellishments. There were some very nice solid colour pieces, which looked very elegant on the runway.

Valentino is again on my favourite list this Haute Couture season, and I just hope this duo will continue to produce more nice garments in the future!

Pros:
- The entire collection is inspired by animals and nature, and I like how the team uses different styles of drawings on the garments.
- The use of tulle makes the pieces look very light and feminine.
- The colour palette is nice, as it matches the romantic aesthetic of the brand.
- Love the fringe element on some of the pieces, it spices up the outfits a lot.

Cons:
- I was expecting a few more pieces using the music notes pattern. 1 is not enough.

Eye Candies:
- The music notes tulle gown
- The animals print grey gown
- The lion print dress
- Forest print kimono inspired gown

Please visit Style.com to view the complete collection.

Ray of Inspirology: Kenzo S/S 2014 Campaign

Ever since last season's campaign, I am finally starting to get addicted to Kenzo. For this season, Humberto Leon and Carol Lim continue to translate their imaginations into wonderful photos.

The photos are once again shot by Pierpaolo Ferrari and it is a pleasant surprise to see Devon Aoki in this campaign. I like the pop art feeling of these images and they somehow also remind me of Japanese anime. Devon really matches the aesthetic of the brand and I am hoping the Kenzo team will use her again for next season.

Sometimes, you really should not take fashion too seriously, just like this campaign.

Walk the Walk: Dior Homme F/W 2014 Collection

Without a doubt, this is the best collection Kris Van Assche has ever created for Dior Homme to date!

The designer transforms some of the menswear basics into fashion forward pieces. Instead of a normal pinstripes suit, he has added a few thick lines to make it unique and edgy. He also uses the lily and rose patterns to add a romantic touch to many of the pieces. I personally find the entire collection is very wearable (if you don't like the head to toe look, you can just pick one of the pieces and wear it separately) and it makes the Dior Homme men to look very classy with a nice edge. Now I can't wait to see what Kris has in store for us in the up coming season.

Pros:
- I love the pinstripes suits here, especially the ones with different width of stripes
- The lily motif is a great element, as it injects energy to many of the pieces.
- I love how Kris Van Assche uses the suit material to create the utility jackets.
- The rose print adds a romantic vibe to the collection.
- The polka dots look should be a key look in the upcoming editorials.

Cons:
- I wish to see more accessories from this collection. The prints are too beautiful.

Eye Candies:
- The pinstripes suit with wide width lines
- The lily print tie
- Pinstripes utility jacket
- The rose embroidery suit

Please visit Style.com to view the complete collection.

Art[s]ense: Dolce & Gabbana S/S 2014 Illustration Project Part 1

The new Dolce & Gabbana illustration project is finally here and here is the part 1 of it!

For this series, I asked Connie Lim, Peter McNierney and Alex Vándor to each create an illustration based on the red pieces from the collection. The result is amazing, as each artist captures a very different vibe of the collection.

Please visit Swide to learn more about these pieces and Draw A Dot. for my personal remarks!

Trendology: Alexander McQueen Pre-Fall 2014 Collection

Let's switch gears to look at the womenswear pre-fall collections for a moment here. I was on Style.com today and this Alexander McQueen collection instantly captured my heart!

As you can see, some of the pieces are inspired by the menswear tailoring and I cannot stop looking at the trench coat. The fur accessory adds a feminine touch to the look, which create an interesting soft vs hard contrast.

When it comes to the dresses, I love the flower print/ embellishments and these pieces remind me of the S/S 2012 collection, but in a darker way. I certainly believe I will see some of these pieces on the red carpet soon, maybe even one on the Oscars?

What do you think?

Courtesy of Style.com

Dots[Connection]: Bubble Pop!

Here is your weekly recap of Draw A Dot.!

The Orange Dot Project continues this week with a nice piece by Ben Liu. I like the concept of this piece a lot and the orange bubbles are very refreshing. Can't wait to show you who will be the next illustrator for this series!  [Read Here]

Courtesy of Ben Liu

JSK has created an awesome series related to the S/S 2014 collections in the past few weeks and here is the piece based on the Burberry Prorsum collection. I love the composition a lot and the Susu Girls are like fairies here. [Read Here]

Courtesy of JSK 

Make sure you visit this link to find out who is the winner of the welooooveit Italian Divas contest!

Walk the Walk: Valentino F/W 2014 Menswear Collection

Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli always excite me with all their Valentino collections and the latest men's collection is simply brilliant.

For this collection, the designers have brought the pre-fall abstract prints to the men's pieces. I am in love with the cashmere coats and also the knitwear. The owl and the ship print should be a big hit next season for the men's fashion world, and I can safely assume some fashion fashion brands may want to copy this idea right now. On the other hand, if you prefer some safe options, there are always these amazing suits for you to wear at different occasions.

Overall, this is a very solid and cohesive collection. I am excited to see what the designers will create for the F/W 2014 womenswear.

Pros:
- I love the abstract tribal print, it's an element I love in the womenswear pre-fall collection.
- The fur and knit pieces are very nice here.
- I believe the sneakers will be a hit next season.
- It's great that the designers continue to have a few pieces in the camo category.

Cons: 
- Would love to see a few more camo pieces.

Eye Candies: 
- The abstract pattern cashmere coat
- The owl sweater
- The suit
- The camo jacket

Please visit Style.com to view the complete collection.

Walk the Walk: Dsquared² F/W 2014 Menswear Collection

When Dean and Dan are committed to a theme, the collection will usually turn out very well. This F/W 2014 menswear collection is a good example.

Prison (or as many of the critics called, Orange Is the New Black) is the inspiration of this collection and the brothers have created their own versions of prisoners, guards and even doctors. Denim has once again become the major element of this collection and I am totally in love with the double breasted jacket. Aside from denim, there are also some great black pieces and the black tuxedo jump suit is definitely one of the biggest surprises.

This is probably the best collection in recent years (the last one that is still stuck in my head is the hockey F/W 2010 collection) and I am once again excited to see what they are going to show for the S/S 2015 season.

Pros:
- I like the theme of this collection. Using prison as an inspiration is something unexpected, and it serves as a good thread to link the entire collection together.
- Glad to see the denim element is once again playing a major role in this collection. If you are a fan of this brand, you know its denim is the trademark.
- The black tuxedo jumpsuit is a big surprise and I am sure you will see this in editorial in the next season.
- I quite like the cutting of the coats.

Cons:
- I think the bags are too big for everyday use.

Eye Candies:
- Tuxedo jumpsuit
- Double breasted denim jacket
- The boots
- The orange cropped jacket

Please visit Style.com to view the complete collection.

Ray of Inspirology: Miu Miu S/S 2014 Campaign

From Lady Gaga to Nicole Kidman, Rihanna to Miley Cryus,  it seems like the fashion brands are all locking down the celebrities to be the faces of their S/S 2014 campaigns. Few days ago, Miu Miu released the new campaign and it involved 4 of the hottest actresses in the world.

Elle Fanning

These shot are done by Inez & Vinoodh and the cast includes Elle Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Lupita Nyong'o and Bella Heathcote. The photography duo captures the youthful vibe of this collection flawlessly and I like the composition of each image a lot.

Now I am very curious if Miuccia will continue to expand the celebrity roster for her next Miu Miu campaign. For that, we will have the answer by July 2014.

Bella Heathcote

Elizabeth Olsen

Lupita Nyong'o

Courtesy of Miu Miu