Twenty Seven Names NZFW '13

Today was the official start of  New Zealand fashion week, I had been wondering about whether I should get tickets for a while, but then the uni workload got to me and I completely forgot. Sure enough, as things do, it crept up on me and then I was ticketless, and unhappy. The day before the first official show, my friend Chelsea says she won two tickets to the Twenty Seven Names show which made me incredibly excited and also terrified. It would be my first NZFW show, and there was so much to think about. When being a part of a crowd of people with a common interest which was fashion essentially you need to be very fashion savvy. How was I going to do my hair, my makeup, what shoes, accessories, and the most important, what was I going to wear. I was still at Uni at the time, and was going to stay there until late so I wasn't even home to consider anything.

Nevertheless, I hauled ass in the morning, dashed on some orange lippy, and my shark print dress and walked almost a kilometer in blistering shoes to get to the show. Waiting to get in was a buzz, and extremely exciting in the simple act of observing. I was in the presence of a creative hub of people, whos primarily role was expression. It was all so fun. I admired the audacity and the cohesiveness of numerous outfits and pined over items of clothing.

The inspiration for the Winter Season titled 'I'm Lost' was the Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte (which is admittedly my favourite surrealist) whos work includes 'The Son of Man' and 'The Treachery of Images'. Twenty Seven names effortlessly blended in the more androgynous icons of the bowler hat, and blazers with their romantic and indulgent creams and whites. The patterns were whimsical, the looks fresh but somewhat very wearable. I mostly fell in love with the blazer and pants combo and the crop top and culottes, but I guess I'm a sucker for matching sets, and want to invest in an abashedly girly and a-line coat for next winter. Overall the day was extremely satisfying, my eyes were like saucepans the whole time attempting to absorb every look on display whether it was from the crowd or from the runway.


Lastly, thank you Chelsea for inviting me to the show! If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have this experience for which I'm extremely grateful. And the number of photos in this post should be a crime. Nevertheless, Enjoy!

- N

[Also, it was freaking badass that the collection was called 'I'm Lost' and the final song was Kanye's 'Lost in the World'. Great great great juxtaposition with a common thread of continuity.]

Portrait of Suburbia

 From my bike ride; feelings of wanting to escape, of quaintness, small towns, feeling restless, muddy tracks and low rise houses. Feelings of stillness and isolation, quiet silence broken by the occasional dashing car. Welcome to suburbia.

Outfit Post 5: I Want to be Circa 90s Drew Barrymore

Something I wore to my friend Joycelyn's 18th birthday! It was a really cute night where I caught up with everyone despite just bumming and home or studying and it was really nice. I saw a lot of my friends from high school that I didn't see much of. It's kinda sad that I can't see their lovely faces that often, and I guess it doesn't help that we pretty much all pursued different bachelors, so it was really sweet to catch up. I wore the loose pants with a nice structured top and it looked very formed and architectural but still cohesive. There were cute little balloons (stuck to the ceiling with tape!) and mini pies (mini pie consumption count = 12)

Current obsession : Loose fit pants with prints, I don't really have great legs for pants but these daisy print pants are too cute to resist. In a weird way I feel very Drew Barrymore in the 90s when I wear it (Drew Barrymore IS the 90s man)

Here's some Drew Barrymore love, stay golden.

Outfit Post 1: Unsaturated with Love

Breaking the Rules: Cute Questions

It is late and I have uni in like 4 hours but I am going to be stupid and reply to some tumblr question thing my friend Chelsea tagged me in. I'm meant to tag other people too but I can't be assed and I'm posting it here! (Because my tumblr is partially inactive because no friends.) 

I'm pretty sleep deprived and going to sleep in 6 minutes so yeah rushed answers

I broke the rules chels, sorry.

1. What is the single most important inanimate object you own? Why is it important to you?

 It would have to be my DSLR camera, it's really shitty (but I love it to bits) and I've pretty much destroyed it because I take it everywhere not in a camera bag (hey, live a little, man.) and I got it like... 4 years ago actually but it created a completely new medium and aesthetic for my own expression, as well as allowing it to be something to keep me holding on to the parts of me I felt like I was losing in my academics.

Being a Lonely Girl

I Love Cats

Uni Student Blues

I have two exams coming up, one is next Monday worth 15% of my mark (which is actually a lot better because I thought it was 30% for like two weeks, but now have done some poor prioritizing) and I have on on the same week, on Thursday worth 36% of my grade (fuck.). I am not lying when I say I am behind. I have so many gaps in my knowledge that need to hastily be filled in a week, which means I'm really really feeling the pressure. It doesn't help that I have exam anxiety and am not very confident in my own abilities. I don't know. Partially it feels like everyone around me knows everything already and I am just trying to keep up, while they seem to be having a brisk morning jog.

Anyway, this was not meant to be a depressing wall post, but possibly a post to laugh at all my problems. I'm become the bumbling, sleep-deprived, mentally unstable, food stuck in teeth, falling-asleep-in-lectures university stereotype. And I've decided on a right-of-passage type deal which completely consolidates my new found status

1. Nutritiously poor meals; pies, pies, ramen, sandwiches (okay this one is questionable), mountain dew, and an unreasonable amount of hi-chew. (hi chew are these japanese/korean candies which are on sale at the university dairy type of thing which has allowed be to report that the blood glucose in my bloodstream is 90% due to hi-chews). Anyway, these wonderful high energy dinners have been fueling me the last couple of nights, and what's worse is eating them alone at a table late at night still at the uni.
2. Going through 2 cans of Bastiste: I don't know if I spelled it right and I'm not going to check (it's 2:31 dammit). It's pretty much my quick fix cleanliness in a can. The next best thing to cheese in a can. It's dry shampoo, on the days that I can't have a quick morning shampoo and condition I use dry shampoo as a quick-fix to make my hair look less nasty. I know, it's not pleasant and now if you' know me you'll never come near me again. Also other shortcuts to hygiene; buns and ponytails. Now you know when to stay away from me. Now you know.
3. Being not on time: okay so this is not as detrimental as it may seem. But today I turned up an hour early to my lab (but I thought I had come right on time) and started freaking the fuck out because no one was there. Laboratories are mandatory and part of our grade so naturally I was so scared thinking I would be late. I rang other people in my lab, they were confused and said they'd be there soon. I didn't know until I asked another girl who was waiting, and we had a brief argument about what time it REALLY was currently and I discovered I had not turned my watch back for daylight saving. Yay.

Anyway, I am terrified out of my skin for my exams and it feel like I don't know if I'll get through these ones. I guess I've always naturally been good at academics (not trying to be arrogant k) but now that I'm in a cohort where I'm 'average' its really really really not been a fun time. Also I want fingers crossed to get into optom but I need AT LEAST an A- average in all my papers and only 60 from a potential 500 (?) get in.

Argh. Fears aside, here's my bipolar blogpost and a picture of a (clay) embryo my brother made 2 years ago. (I made one too, but I don't have it yet. I call her Meryl Streep (it was that or Beyonce Jr.))

And mind the typos, I'm really tired. 

This is me

 pants: stolen girlfriends club - zip riding pant in tweed, shoes: STYLENANDA, lips: free elizabeth arden lippy my friend gave me! (love you chels!), top: found in my wardrobe 

THIS IS ME.
I live in New Zealanddddd and I am Koreannnnnn
I decided I might as well post a picture up of myself.
omg #regret

Anyway, my pants by NZ brand Stolen Girlfriends Club arrived as well as my shoes that I ordered from STYLENANDA. I actually planned to return these pants, because they were pre-ordered and expected to arrive in March, but then didn't ACTUALLY arrive until today... And then during the time of March began to regret my decisions and then had delirious visions of guilt because of the cost (it was pretty much the tell-tale heart but I hadn't murdered anyone) and then emailed the website the next day saying although it hadn't arrived, I wanted a refund, (wow I am a bad customer.) but they never replied. I wasn't very pushy (I'm a passive person at heart) and then they arrived. And they are beautifuuuuuuuuuul.

The material is really nice they're really thick and warm and the tweed is very soft and comfortable. I love how it's quite high waisted and elongates my body (I am actually very tiny) and arghhhhh it's so form fitting and actually looks really cool.

But then regret again man, I went and splurged with this purchase argh but it's too late now to return it right? RIGHT? ...

(Side note: It's very tragic how Roger Ebert passed away yesterday. He was the first critic that I started reading his essays of, and his writing was very poignant, critical and beautiful. In a weird way he's influenced me a lot, and it's truly disheartening to hear this news ): )

I'm gonna pop some tags

As you can tell with the title I WENT THRIFT SHOPPING TODAY! I haven't gone in so long I was itching for some thrifting. I had an idea for things that I wanted, I'm a sucker for prints and textures. And I wanted to be inspired in the way I dressed. Some inspiration that I thought about when I was thrifting was Cher from Clueless, Enid from Ghost World, Frida Kahlo, Penny Lane from Almost Famous and Jessa from Girls.  all of which I am obsessed with and which I could real life body swap. I bought quite a bit of new stuff (some of which I adore to death) and I guess I'll list the reasons why I love thrifting so much

1. I can go completely crazy. Releasing me into a thrift store is like a kid in a candy store. I go completely insane and I pile my clothes into a trolley of which I try EVERYTHING on and then eliminate. I guess with thrifting I love it because everything is soooo cheap. And as a byproduct of that I have more license to try on things that I would never even consider getting full price! Like today, I got a nana cardigan with this interesting texture as well as a plaid child's vest! 
2. There is so much range. The thrift store that I frequent isn't one of those hipster stores where the store is actually selling the clothes at almost what would be retail price, it's a huge warehouse of donated and old clothes. It is simply massive. Therefore it's like a needle in a haystack you have to really be open to getting anything, and although there is A LOT  to get through, once I find something I love about something I will get it, and give it a good home. 
3. DIY. Okay I haven't done this this visit, but usually when I go thrifting I look at things that I could use to DIY. Thrifting is good that way, because you could create something amazing, or if all goes wrong you can safely tuck it away without it ever leaving a hole in your wallet. Previously I've fashioned numerous shirt dresses from old men's shirts- of which one as an earthy Aztec print ahhh one of my better DIYs. I've always been attracted to DIY when I was about 12 I heard that tights with ladders were 'in' and so I ripped up some tights and wore them with pride. Sadly I just looked like I needed new tights more that being super savvy high end fashion model.
4. Guilt-free. As thrift shopping gets more commonplace (and currently is considered 'cool' instead of embarrassing) it's a great alternative to regular chain stores as well as really discovering what you like. It's cheap, it's fun, and really it's quite satisfying. You're giving old clothes a new home, and paying not much for it either. Wooooooooo!

I think I've expressed thoroughly why I love thrifting and may or may not show my haul later. Anyway talking about Thrift stores, isn't this the greatest cover of 'Thrift Shop' ever???

You and I

So university life isn't as amazing as I had idealized  It's only been my second day and I'm so tired all I seem to dream about in class in when I will get home. I imagined (as I do with most things) that university life would be like in the movies or like in Undeclared (created by Judd Apatow) where I expected to gain extreme best friends in a new school with a new and improved 'me'. It isn't. It's the most tiring and physically strenuous change that I have ever experienced. I wake up extremely fatigued and by the end of the day feel like collapsing. After a 7 hour block of lectures and labs with a quick 1 hour break in between life isn't very pleasant. Also, I'm in a extremely competitive course of study, which creates a very nerve wracking atmosphere. Everyone seems like they're sizing each other up to everyone else, or making swift comparisons  It's just tiring. It's exhausting. The pressure is great. In a bad way. Half the time I don't want to talk to anyone. The other half just wants to have otherworldly conversations with like minded people and have serendipitous moments with the people which I am assumed to spend the rest of my life around. Which I haven't done at all.

Today was made suddenly better when I got home (far too early with no study done). I got the book that I ordered from the mail 'You and I' which has the photographs by Ryan McGinley. It is an amazing book and encapsulates the irrational, spontaneous spirit of the young, and the young especially when immersed in adventure and life. It's exactly the pick me up I required, and yes, it again creates unrealistic expectations of being young and free, (because one can not spend their entire life on a road trip) but it gives me a little vacation to rest my mind. It allows me to be absorbed in a world where time is endless and the rules are trying to not get caught. To visit beautiful places, to run around naked, to play with fire.

I guess I need to free myself from the mundane. I need to experience and overcome this hardship, because there will be a time where I will have this freedom. I need to remember to make the most of every moment in time, because it will be gone in a second and one day this might be the stuff I wish for.

Ferries and the Oscars

So today my friends and I WATCHED THE OSCARS WOO WOO WOO. After a heated game where we predicted the choices (I lost because I was too attached to my favourites - cough Joaquin Phoenix and Emmanuelle Riva and Zero Dark Thirty for almost anything it was nominated for) and too angry at how much Les Mis was nominated as well as the lack of The Master. ANYWAY, my friend lives rather far, so we had to catch a ferry there. (I will probably rant about the Oscars later into the night when I am exhausted and a swirl of passions and feelings.)

Me, not being the most punctual person in the world (I like to maximize the time I have before being on transport which usually consists of trying to finish a movie, finish a cake/ sandwhich/ ramen / general food) arrived literally as the ferry was just about to leave and dramatically dashed to the ferry. Anyway, it was a pretty good day, lots of laughs as the most hilarious facial expressions were pulled on the roof of the ferry (is it just me or are ferries actually pretty fast) due to the wind and spending a day with passionate people was kinda great. It seems like this is going to be one of the last full days of my holidays before orientation week for University, and I'm terrified. It's a huge step and I guess today was a good way to spend it, relaxed and happy with great people.

ALSO MICHELLE OBAMA PRESENTING AN AWARD?? WOW. I am a happy snapper.

My Thoughts on: Frankenweenie

Frankenweenie

2012

Tim Burton

Sprinkles of the macabre are usually absent in an animated film. A ghastly or ghoulish atmosphere is usually avoided to not influence their sugar coated perspective of the world that children harbor. Yet in a Tim Burton film it's commonplace and familiar. And thank goodness. Frankenweenie brings Tim Burton back to his roots and has many familiar elements of Burton's earlier films that have been gravely missed. It brings back the originality, the magic, and the human elements (all of which missed me completely in Alice in Wonderland).

Victor Frankenstein likes to be alone, alone in the sense he's completely absorbed in his own world, a world that meets all his human requirements - he finds companionship in his dog, Sparky, and has a passion for making films (that star Sparky) and science. It worries his parents, but precocious Victor just seems to want to exercise his curiosity and indulge in his own thoughts. I think it's safe to say without spoiling it that the general premise of the film is about how after an unfortunate accident Victor brings his dog back to life.

Firstly the visuals of the film are very beautiful, in classic black and white, the various shades of monochrome reminiscent of classic horror films perfectly sets up the gothic atmosphere. The characters are designed with the typical Burton quirk, some large and waddling, some very thin and spindly, with their own distinctive personalities. The movements of the characters is truely a marvel. The fluid kinetics of the ways the characters are very humanistic and delightful. The way Sparky bounces around with vigor and energy is full of life, with a distinctive moment where Sparky keeps bouncing and chasing the water that he drank which escapes through the seams of his patches.

I think the film did a great job in capturing the charm of Sparky and Victor. Their companionship seemed very strong as well as his sorrow. My favourite scene is a short montage of the day that Victor spends without Sparky (gif above). It's got accompanied by an enchanting yet morose composition by Danny Elflman (whom I love and is making a big streak in my Spotify playlist) and it very simply captures the way there may be a lack of life and passion when feeling sad. The way we slowly sink into a slump that we can't control. The face of Victor stays the same, yet his surroundings change, but his face slowly drops during the day. I guess everyone feels this way at some point in their life, I have been fortunate enough to not lose a pet yet that I cared about dearly, but this film made the possibility of the occurrence seemed all too possible and painful without making the feeling forced. The subtleties of sadness.

The film is rooted in love and passion. Victor simply wants to get back his friend even if it means going through any type of scientific necromancy, and the problems arise when good intentions turn sour. It also seems to have an overarching point about the responsibility of power. To have the chance to change or create must be done with good intentions (as his science teacher Mr. Rzykruski says, one of my favourite characters) creating a golden fable for children to achieve only things out of love and goodness, not for their own personal gain. It also makes a point about the fear the resides in the unknown - a primary trait for the classic Frankenstein story. The townsfolk don't understand the resurrection of Sparky as well as the science that Mr. Rzykruski teaches. It emphasized the primal fear of the unknown and the sad truth that we don't try to understand that that we don't, and try to destroy instead. Overall Frankenweenie embodies all the beauty of childhood in the somberly graceful Burton aesthetic. A story of love, curiosity, discovery and overall, friendship.

(Also, as a Winona Ryder devout it was great to see her back for a small voice role as Elsa Van Helsing (!!!))