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by Denise Kuan [19 Feb 2009 | 3 Comments | 211 views]
THE POP SHOP: Melrose Edition

It’s the end of a long week and all you need is an entire day to relieve that stress you’ve accumulated sucking up to your less-than-brown-nose-worthy boss. And what’s your relief? A completely fabulous day on Melrose, of course!

But what do you wear when you know that your entire day, including the early morning to dinnertime, will be spent without time to change?
Solution: the jacket. Los Angeles may be sun-soaked most of the time, but we all know that mornings and nights are chilly. Helmut Lang’s draped leather jacket is …

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by Denise Kuan [12 Feb 2009 | One Comment | 150 views]
Of the Moon? Virginia Ayala’s Designs Are Closer To Home

I met Virginia at Flock Shop in LA’s Chinatown, where her nature-inspired recycled leather wallets, clutches, flasks (for emergencies, of course) and boots are best-sellers at the quaint boutique. Nature is a theme that resonates throughout the line, and Virginia admits to being in love with Mother Nature. But the motifs on her clutches aren’t of forests, animals or plants. Her emphasis is on capturing those little details in a flower bush or tree that we probably wouldn’t even bat an eyelash at. And it’s because we never bother to notice these things that De La Luna’s items command a second look. A clutch with a cherry blossom flower motif caught my eye—and I was suddenly transported to springtime in Japan. A peacock craning its head towards the sky evoked recollections of trips to the zoo when I was 7. I can’t even remember the last time a pair of shoes sent me down memory lane.

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by Denise Kuan [11 Feb 2009 | No Comment | 153 views]
Temporarily at the Palihouse: Temperley London

February has just started, but with the surprisingly warm weather I’ve been experiencing, I have been keeping an eye out for summer dresses to throw on.

Temperley London’s pop-up shop at the Palihouse could not have arrived at a more appropriate time. Founded in 2000 by Alice Temperley, whose first collection was only dresses, the line has since expanded to include accessories (belts and bags, for now) and sportswear. Feminine, lightly embellished dresses that are tropical-vacation-ready have lingered as staples in Temperley’s collections, and eight successful years later, …

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by Denise Kuan [6 Feb 2009 | 3 Comments | 306 views]
THE POP SHOPS: Maxfield/LA Boutique review

The windows of any retail arena are the key to seducing unsuspecting patrons inside. Glamorous gowns or items featured in Vogue commonly grace the store front of any high-end boutique.
Maxfield in Los Angeles employs a different tactic—the entire building is concrete, except for a carved-out corner with two panels of glass. This is Maxfield’s only window display, and at first glance, can be a bit misleading.
The countless times I have trekked down Melrose Blvd in Los Angeles, I never noticed Maxfield. It is situated across the street from what used …

Fashion, Features, The Critic »

by Denise Kuan [4 Feb 2009 | No Comment | 324 views]
The Demise of Fashion

It’s official–fashion has imploded. What does this mean and how is it possible?
Let us first analyze the situation. Fashion is supposed to be defined as the “prevailing style of dress at the moment”. But at the moment, every imaginable trend out there is “in”: fringe, bright colors, dropped-crotch pants, skinny trousers, boyfriend blazers, shredded t-shirts, vintage floral dresses.
How to make a Shredded Tee video:

Obviously, this is creating a problem for designers as too many ideas are surfacing and there no longer seems to be a clear direction in the path …