The Top 7 Moments of SS15

Playing: No Shows-Gerard Way
Reading: The Ramayana by R.K. Narayan
With the oncoming of midterms and numerous essays, it was hard for me to digest everything that went down during the whirlwind that we like to call fashion month. If you're having trouble getting through all of SS15, don't worry; I came up with the top seven moments of SS15 for you.

1. Although I still prefer Marc Jacobs leading Louis Vuitton, I have to admit that Nicholas Ghesquiere isn't doing a bad job at all. However, this season what caught my eye (and admittedly, stole my attention away from the clothes) was the dramatic eye makeup, half doll-like in its cartoon-ish proportions and half grunge '90s girl.

2. For those of you that prefer a more romantic approach to makeup and accessories, Valentino killed it with their delicate gold hair pieces, reminiscent of the laurels Greek goddesses wore. Whether you pair it with a floor-length gown or dress it down with a cozy sweater, be prepared to receive massive amounts of hair envy.

3. Dries Van Noten has a history of creative runways (Example? SS05's chandelier extravaganza!) and this season was no exception. Models casually relaxed and posed dreamily along a mossy runway, while displaying an offering of flowy clothes and mixed prints.

4. As much as I love the newer faces on the catwalk like Lindsey Wixson and Yumi Lambert, I have to admit that my favorite models are mostly the queens from the mid-2000s. Consequently, Gemma Ward opening for Prada plus Freja Beha Erichsen (Louis Vuitton), Jessica Stam (Jean Paul Gaultier), and Vlada Roslyakova (Ralph Lauren) all returning to the runway had to make the list for the best moments. While Freja still reins as queen of everything cool, Vlada, Jessica, and Gemma prove that the doll era is back. (Sasha Pivovarova even took a walk down the runway, but where was Lily Donaldson?)

5. Jean Paul Gaultier announced that SS15 would be his last pret-a-porter collection and that he will be focusing mostly on haute couture and costumes from now on. While I hate to see him go, I think his exit from the world of ready to wear begs a few important questions: Where is the balance between creativity and marketability? Is it too demanding to ask designers to come up with hundreds of looks a year? Will other designers follow suit?

6. Although this wasn't announced until after fashion month, it's still deserving of making the list of top 7 moments you should know. John Galliano, after leaving Dior and his namesake brand, will be taking over at Maison Martin Margiela. Will he be bringing his love for historical fashion to the brand or will he follow Margiela's sleek modernism? We'll just have to wait and see.

7. Hedi Slimane killed it once again with his collection for Saint Laurent. Somehow he manages to bring all of my favorite things together - sparkly shoes, military-inspired jackets, miniskirts, impossibly cool girls, etc.- and nail it every time. It didn't hurt that YSL also had the coolest models from Hanne Gaby Odiele to Grace Hartzel, stomping down the runway among rainbow prisms.

Photos 1, 2, 3, and 7 from Vogue.  Photo 5 from New York Times. Photo 4 from Style.com but collaged by me. Photo 6 from Telegraph.

Jeff Koons: A Retrospective

Playing: Granada-Il Volo
Reading: Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds by Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle

Left to Right: Matthew, me, Yish, Aristo, and Filip

It feels like I've done a lot within my first month at NYU yet I haven't taken that many photos. Fortunately, I went camera happy at the Whitney Museum of American Art, so I was able to write this post. I loved how the Whitney Museum managed to showcase a wide variety of Koons' work from the past three decades and how they dedicated five floors to this retrospective. Seeing Koons' balloon dog sculptures in real life alongside the infamous "The New" (a collection of vacuum cleaners in clear boxes) was  pretty exciting for me. I've seen them in books and online for years yet never saw them aside from a small collection at LACMA. Apart from looking at the art and enjoying free tickets courtesy of NYU, my friends and I pondered the deeper meanings of each piece of art jokingly or at least that's what we thought. As we walked away from one painting, we heard a security guard laugh and say to himself, "Holy shit. College students these days." 

PS I'm changing my URL soon to satellite-buzz.blogspot.com soon, so don't be alarmed when the name of my blog changes on your news feed. 

Japan Trip: Osaka

Playing: The World is Ugly-My  Chemical Romance
Reading: Metamorphoses by Ovid

After our day trip in Kobe, Tina and I head off to Osaka for a three day visit. We of course did the touristy stuff like visiting Osaka Castle, which is probably Osaka's most famous attraction. The garden around it is pretty and is a nice area to walk around. If you're planning on going inside the castle, know that it's more of a museum than a castle. I expected it to still be a castle like the ones I've visited in Europe, where you can see each and every room, but that's not the case.

After Osaka Castle, we took a quick trip to Kyoto so that we could experience Gion Matsuri, one of Japan's most famous festivals. Tina and I even brought yukatas all the way from America to wear to it. Highly recommend Gion Matsuri, if you're ever in Kyoto during July. It's just a lot of fun to get a taste of Japanese festival foods (Bacon wrapped onigiri, scallion/mayo pancakes, and kara-age? Yes, please!), play all of the games, and watch everyone walk by in their beautiful yukatas. Disclaimer, Tina and I don't know the three girls in the middle of the photo. We just wanted to look like we were actual, Japanese teenagers.

The next day, Tina and I met up with a friend of ours, who moved back to Japan three years ago, named Marika. We met up with Marika at America-mura to go shopping and do a round of purikura. If you ever get the chance to do purikura, you must do it. Purikura is basically a Japanese photo booth that alters your appearance by smoothing out your skin, enlarging your eyes, lengthening your legs, etc. and it's so funny to see your photos afterwards.

Although Marika visits America-mura often, she told us it's kind of a sketchy area. Consequently, we gave up our dreams of finding cheap clothes there and walked over to Namba Parks, which is an architectural masterpiece of a shopping center. You must take a walk around the winding buildings, resembling Antelope Canyon. After you're done walking through Namba Parks, sneak into the tallest office building or hotel, go to the top floor and admire Namba Parks' twisting roads and patterns from above. You won't be disappointed.

Tina's and my favorite part about Osaka was Dotonbori at night time. Everything lights up and it looks like a stereotypical snapshot of Japanese life - crowded streets, bright lights and the whole deal. Not only that, but there are tons of great places to eat at and plenty of arcades to keep you busy all night long. If none of that interests you, at least get a photo with the famous Glico Man sign!

P.S. I'm officially living in New York now and I promise a post soon about what I've been up to. New York (and NYU) has spoiled me so far and I love all of the opportunities here.

winter appropriate

Playing: Beware the Dog-The Griswolds
Reading: The Human Comedy by William Saroyan

Preparing for my move out to New York was kind of hard mostly because I have no idea what to expect from New York winter. California winters are all pretty mild as in I can wear a tank top with a denim jacket and feel just fine. During my hunt for warmer clothing, I had to pick up a few jackets and sweaters. The quilted jacket I thought would help dress up my jean outfits and the holographic overlay on the geode sweater is what got me. Both are from Zara.

I also picked up a baggy BP sweater, an ASTR scuba skirt, and a Topshop cropped sweater all from Nordstrom. I've been relying on the cropped top and skirt combo lately, so I'm hoping that with a pair of warm tights and a good pair of boots, I can pull the look into colder weather.

While in Japan, I didn't pick up a whole lot for myself. The only other things I bought that aren't pictured is some food and stationary. I'm super psyched about the CC Cream and the perfume-shaped phone case, which is the only one I could find without the Chanel name on it. (Chanel doesn't make these, so all of the ones you see are fakes. I liked this one because it wasn't trying to be something it's not.) The Wego cropped sweater is a nice shade of Slytherin green like the BP sweater and the Topshop crop top is really easy to pair with everything. In terms of shoes, I got an odd pair of sneaker platforms and a pair of ugly yet great Bershka boots.

Back to the winter appropriate clothing. I walked into Nordstrom with the intention of getting a pair of Hunter boots, but walked out with a pair of Valentino boots. The Valentino pair had a deeper tread than the Hunter pair and let's face it, the Valentino ones are prettier too. Even though they aren't lined, I'm hoping that I can wear these when it snows too. Maybe a thick pair of socks will help with that?