Talking to: Leah R from The Frill Seekers

Leah is a tart. I actually developed a teensy bit of a tooth ache reading through her blog and loving how sweet and sincere she is in her posts. She isn't one of the bloggers who want a me-me-me-me page on the internet but she just says what she thinks and what she likes and posts some really pretty photos. Also, how cute is she? Ridiculously so.

What got you into the world of blogging? And how did you decide on the really cute name of your blog?
A couple of years ago I got really into reading fashion magazines (though technically they were just the style section of my parents newspaper) and I came across  fashion bloggers who really inspired me to start my own.
Well, I'm going to have to give credit to my friend for the name, as I  was struggling with finding a good one and she came up with it and it just clicked - its cringy but my first blog name was 'fashionphotographyandblog'.

Who are your favourite fashion bloggers?
CoMonroe  - she is my favourite, her photography is so great too
Rookie Mag  - not really a fashion blog but they have a great style section
Ms Vintage Virgin  - her outfits are crazy but amazing
Fashion Rush  - also loving her outfits at the moment

If you could have dinner with any of the biggest names in fashion, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Coco Chanel - it's kind of obvious.

You live in the UK but you also visit Spain quite often. How different are the fashion scenes between these two countries?
Very different! The way I see it is that England is cooler and more ahead in terms of vintage and experimenting whereas in Spain they are more stylish and elegant yet their fashion scene can get a bit samey and boring - especially the small town where I am from.

Where are your favourite places to shop in the UK and Spain and why?
[In the] UK it has to be Urban Outfitters, Charity shops (they don't exist in Spain), Topshop and H&M. I love Zara in Spain and Stradivarias and Pull & Bear are also great.

How would you describe the way you dress and what influences your style?
My mixed background means that I am quite influenced by things I get to see when I travel abroad. I'd say I don't have a defined style, because I like changing it to suit my mood. I'm mostly influenced by what I see on other people, or my grandmas are a big source of influence as well as other fashion bloggers of course..oh and Lana Del Rey

You work/worked at the British Heart Foundation, which is a charity store? What’s that like?
It was awesome, not only did it make me feel like I was doing something good for the charity (its voluntary) but I also developed my passion of styling because my role became focused on styling the mannequins. It made me aware that you can easily make anything look good. Clothing is not exclusive.

You’re obviously a big fan of photography. Who are some of your favourite photographers?
I love art and photography, to be honest I haven't ever studied it so I don't know much about it but I love Cindy Sherman and Norman Parkinson.

Do you plan on taking photography as a career? Or art? (Your drawings are really great.) If not, what do you plan on doing?
At the moment I'd love to do something to do with the creative industries, whether that [is] art or photography or fashion I have no idea! I probably prefer art to photography but I also love writing as well as my languages (Spanish and French) so I'm a bit stuck! I'm just gonna go with the flow and see where the tide takes me.

Your friend, Sophie, is featured quite a bit on your blog. Is she often the focus of your photography and do you ever style her?
I love to bring my friends into my fashion blog to make it more personal and fun because they have great style and I don't want the blog to be all about me; plus I get to test out my photography (don't get the same satisfaction using self-timer). I love to do collaborative posts where we think of a theme, e.g. Molly Ringwald in the Breakfast Club and use each other’s wardrobes to make-up outfits. It’s like a dress-up game, only we ain’t kids no more.

You’re very into music. What are your top five favourite songs at the moment?
At the moment I'm in love with No Angels by Bastille ft. Ella (it’s a remix of TLC’s No Scrub and something by the XX, I think - so good.
The Kooks – Naïve
Imagine Dragons – Demons
I love Wicked Games cover by Coeur de Pirate 
As We enter by Nas and Damien Marley

What are your trends for June/July are you absolutely in love with and which ones would you like to see end?
I am so over studs. I used to be really obsessed [with them] but they kinda look a bit tacky when overdone now. Love the new dungaree trend, though not sure if I'd go for full length and pretty, lacey tops are essential for summer.

Are there any style rules/guidelines you follow or rebel against?
I never mix prints. I like co-ordination a bit too much sometimes (my Spanish influences) and never ever wear Uggs or Crocs - even if ugly shoes are for fashion, they are ugly full stop.

Lastly, what is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and from whom?
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass; it’s about learning to dance in the rain -- someone I know.







Find Leah on The Frill Seeker and fan her on Lookbook.

All images are from Leah's blog.

 

Good Hair

From the Man Repeller

We all know Chris Rock--most of us love him. (If you think Chris Rock is some sort of assortment of boulders/stones name Chris, you need to take your little ignorant self back to 2005)
And I'm sure that everyone has at least heard of his film, Good Hair. The movie that still annoys me to this day. Well, actually, it's not the movie and the content of the movie itself that drives me up a wall but the way lots of people have interpreted it.
But people's idea of how desperate all black women (because they're all the same, right?) are to have perfect hair and that natural hair is the only way is not what I'm going to go on about.

The movie - documentary - actually is about the lengths some black women will go to for hair they believe is good because they are not happy with their race. It is not about how bad relaxing and braiding and weaves are (despite how itchy they can be) but rather as to why some women cause themselves so much stress and spend so much money. Obviously not all women do all that to their hair because they want to be white or Asian. If it looks good, why not?

Recently on the blog Man Repeller, she shared the story of how she wanted to go blond but was never completely sure it was for her. And it's a funny thing, right? The relationship between girls and their hair is a very fragile and very important one but I guess from the 'matured' perspective: totally daft.
Hair is very important. It determines how you feel about yourself for the rest of the day.
Messy bun and a hat = rushed.
Blown out and shiny = fabulous!
Lopsided top knot = is that another cheese stain on my sweatshirt?

I don't know if you've noticed but I actually have closely, cropped hair. But I didn't somersault from between my mother's thighs like that. And deciding to cut your hair for almost everyone isn't an easy decision (granted that it's only hard when you're not drunk or, like, crazy).

This is me in September, 2011. All bright eyed with long, thick hair that was pretty much my sole purpose for living. The hours I spent relaxing, washing, moisturising, combing, blowing and straightening were all I looked forward to. Sad, I know, but it was so pretty! And don't even get me started on how every other black girl would be all, "Oh my gosh, your hair!"



 Ah, me circa April, 2012, trying out quail for the first time and, despite my facial expression in the photo, loving it! I got kind of experimental with my hair: I started braiding it and plaiting it in what I thought were cute styles and then curling it sans heat. It got damaged pretty quickly after that. And ever since I got into high school I decided that I would never spend eons in uncomfortable leather chairs having a loud, gum popping woman poke and prod and pull at my scalp. So what was I to do?

Cut it! There I was July, 2012 being ever so brave as to remove an important part of my identity. But I couldn't just "cut my hair to, like, cut my hair" - Lord knows that I don't have the skull for a close shave nor the willingness - so I spent hours looking at hairstyles online and I decided on one.

Wham, bam, turkey and ham! As brave as I thought I was I couldn't just part with all of the hair I'd spent years growing so I settled for an in-between with closely shaved sides and longer hair in the middle.
I think that everyone has this idea that when they get their hair cut shorter their lives change dramatically but they don't. You're still awkward and clumsy and spend too much time in front of an empty fridge. A lot of my friends would ask me if I missed my hair and they were surprised when I was indifferent. Something a lot of black women need to learn - actually, women in general - it's just hair. And you know what's so magical about it? IT GROWS BACK.

And if you're really sad you can get a wig or whatever.

Purple braids, December, 2012.

Itchy-as-hell, ratchet-as-ever weave, January 2013.

Constantly-falling-out, itchy-as-hell-part-tow braids, February-March 2013
 

And back to what works, yo!

 And besides; short hair is never mainstream.
xx Khenzo xx



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Badgley Mischka "Fall" Ready To Wear 2013

First off, it's autumn. Fall just sounds so obvious and pretentious. "Oh, look, it's the time of year when leaves fall off of trees. Let's call it fall."
Moving on...
If I had the money and the multiple invites to formal events I would be a loyal customer of Badgley Mischka. I love all of their collections. It's cool, fun, different and quirky.
Here was their most recent fall line and what I thought about the pieces. There were forty-three looks but I didn't care much for all of them so I'm posting the ones that caught my attention.
If you want to see the rest without my wonderful commentary just go to Style.com, which is where I got them all.

And in regular Sunday news:

My Sunday play list.

Bless Debby Harry and her fantastic lyrics.
Khenzo xx

Pictures Came and it Broke Your Heart

 

"He wishes he could control his demons instead of having his demons control him. He's lost." The Vampire Diaries, Season 4, Episode 20.

 

I actually want to print this out into a giant A2 poster to hang above my desk and add as many pretty images as possible every time I'm inspired or if I have a vision. (I'm constantly having visions; clothes I want to wear, differently ways to style hair, hilarious concepts for TV sitcoms and what could possibly be my first submission to Rookie.)

 

And how amazing is 'The Originals' episode of The Vampire Diaries? I really hope they do make a spin-off series about Rebekah, Klaus and Elijah. They're the only part of the TV show that is truly better than the books.

If you have no idea what I'm going on about then you, dear sir, are not living.

 

Happy Saturday

xx Khenzo

 

[Outfit Post] Like A Boy

Chinos are probably my favourite piece of menswear because they're a smart pant but can be very casual too. They're like the LBD of pants for guys. I saw these skinny fit ones at Mr Price on Labour Day and I had to have them! I'm always very careful when I shop at main stream stores like Mr Price and Jay Jays--where a lot of my friends tend to shop (and, I mean, duh, they have really great stuff there)--so I try to buy things that I don't think anyone else will buy or style them in a way no one else will. There's nothing worse than being one of the crowd and that's why I went straight to the menswear section. I also saw some lovely, dress pants that I'll snap up when I get my allowance again.



LEGiT trilby hat, LEGiT cardigan,  Mr Price emerald pendant,  Mr Price Oakridge chinos, Triscot wristwatch and maroon ankle boots from Ackermans.

I shot on my street when the sun was beginning to set and the lighting was absolutely great. The unkept grass there reminds me of the long stretches of veld you'll see when you're driving in Jo'burg.

I got my first pair of flatforms on Labour Day also (I used to really hate them until I saw how Anna Dello Russo, Stef and Jess from How Two Live styled them). They're actually two sizes too big being a size seven but they were ridiculously cheap (they went from R140 to R30) but you can't tell all that much. As long as I wear them with socks (which looks awesome) or stuff a little toilet paper at the heels. And the print is so, so pretty!

Mr Price.

Love,
Khenzo xx

Talking to: Nün Visitsak

She has bright red, curly hair, a lean, petite body and the starry eyes of a day dreamer and creative thinker. Nün Visitsak has a sartorial talent for mixing patterns and pairing cute shorts with some very great finds. She’s a Thailand based film director who studied in London and looking upon her Lookbook profile you can’t help but what to know her.  Her profile has been viewed over 10 000 times and yet she still finds the time to respond to each and every comment on her looks with sincere thank you's and kind words. She’s an active presence in the Lookbook forums and now she’s agreed to share a little bit about herself with me.

OK, first. Your hair! It’s amazing. What is your natural hair colour and why did you decide to dye it?
My hair is actually quite a long story! My natural hair is black and is super straight! So much so that even though I would use iron curlers, my hair was so straight that the curls would never stay! I had long (almost waist length) black, straight hair for 18 years of my life but when I moved to London to further my studies there, I decided to cut off all my hair as I was in a new country, doing new things and I wanted to create a new identity for myself.
So, for the entire 4 years of my stay in London, I had extremely short hair (I guess you could call it boyish) and I constantly changed its colour almost every month. I really had fun with my short hair and I felt [that] it made me different and gave me an edge. I have never been a 'girly-girl' anyway and this change created a new sense of confidence for me.
But eventually after having very short, boyish hair for 4 whole years, I was beginning to get bored of it and wanted another change.
And because my hair was so, so short already and there was practically nothing left to cut off, the only change I could make was to grow it. But as I was growing it, I was rapidly feeling as if I was losing my sense of self, my 'edge', and therefore my confidence. I felt like I was going back to my long, black, straight, natural hair again which I couldn't really handle. So I thought, what would be the opposite of that, that would still allow me to have long hair without it being too 'normal'. The opposite of straight is 'curly/wavy' and then I decided that just because my hair is longer, I didn't need to stop dying it! So I headed straight for the salon, permed it (I asked for the frizziest perm ever! I'm a huge fan of VOLUME!) and asked for the reddest red you could get. So there, the 'history' of how my current hair came to be! (I did say it was a long story But I love it now, though, exactly how I wanted it to be. I can still be girly, but still keep my edge!

Being a film director sounds like a very exciting job and shows that you’re an artistic spirit. Does your work influence the way you dress?
Yes, I would say it does. I'm always running around, meeting people and going location scouting; so being comfortable on my feet is extremely important and I don't see myself working properly in heels! Everyone that I work with knows that I wear a lot of Dr. Martens boots (I have seven pairs), they are extremely comfortable, durable, and stylish! Who says you have to give up being stylish when you are working? But obviously, I am a very petite girl (five feet and three inches) and [I] often feel like I need a height-boost, so I would usually go for platform boots (Jeffrey Campbell 'Riot' boots are my favourite at the moment) as they give me crazy height but I can still remain comfortable on my feet!

You live in Bangkok, Thailand. How would you describe the fashion scene and industry there?
I would say that the general population here (girls) dress very girly. They like to wear a lot of high heels and ballerina flats paired with skirts or dresses. Shopping wise, we have a lot of shopping malls (where you can buy brands, but obviously, these shops are more pricey) but we also have a lot of shopping markets (where clothes are extremely cheap but with good quality and a lot of different styles and designs to choose from) and most people here will wear a mixture of both items from the malls and items from the market! I think it's a really sweet aspect of Thailand; mixing brands and market clothes!


Your profile says that you’ve studied film in London. How different is the fashion and culture in London and Bangkok?
The one thing that is clear from the get-go is the fact that no one in Thailand ever needs coats or jackets as we have summer all year round! Whereas in London, you see a lot of different and very interesting layering of sweaters, jackets and winter coats! Also, if you are walking along the streets of London, you would notice the varieties of styles that everyone has got. Whilst I was living there, I always felt that I did not need to purchase magazines as the people around me were real-life fashion catalogues! In Thailand it is quite different, as I mentioned in the previous answer, everyone here dresses more 'girly' or 'lady-like' and walking down the streets of Bangkok, you would notice that a lot of people dress very similarly. There is also an unspoken 'expectations' from the society of how women should be dressed (high heels, flats, skirts, dresses, long hair) and anyone who dresses differently from that (trainers, boots, jeans, t-shirts, short hair, shorts) are often considered 'scruffy' or 'unattractive' as most Thai people have similar views of what 'beautiful' women should look like. The aspect I miss the most about London is the diversity, acceptance and appreciation everyone has for each other's fashion sense.

What are your favourite stores in Thailand and what destinations would you suggest for shopping for a noob like me?
I don't have specific store names, but when I have the time I like to go to the weekend market (Chatuchak Market aka JJ Market) with my boyfriend and shop there all day! There are over one hundred thousand stores there, so that is my excuse for not having a favourite store as there are too many! Or if I'm free on a weekday and JJ market is not open then I would go to an area called 'Siam' which is a shopping district. One side of the road are shopping malls (Siam Paragon, Siam Centre and Central World) and on the opposite side of the road is a massive market area! So I always like to go there, spend half the day in the shopping malls, have lunch, then spend the second half of the day in the market opposite!

How long have you been interested in fashion? What brought on your love for it?
I guess it's difficult to say. I have always enjoyed dressing up, but I guess I really got interested in it about 3 years ago when I stumbled upon a fashion guru, Chriselle Lim, on YouTube and she completely blew my mind as I never could have imagined there were so many aspects to fashion and so many things to consider in order to put an outfit together! That got me interested in fashion, but what got me really involved in fashion in my spare time began at my discovery of Lookbook! My mind was blown for the second time and I hadn't realised that 'street fashion' could look so 'chic' too! The reason being, I have always been into street style but I thought there was no room in the fashion world for people that dress like me (and I got this idea from how my fashion sense is received here in Thailand) so I never pursued anything to do with fashion or never even thought I was fashionable or that anyone would be interested in what I wear. So when I discovered Lookbook and it's [an] extremely supportive community, I straight felt 'at home'. That there was indeed a place for something like me! I signed up right away and told my boyfriend that now I was going to be posting my outfits and he was going to take my pictures--ha, ha! I have been posting my looks ever since (and my boyfriend has been amazing and has taken all my pictures ever since) and I'm over the moon about how well received my looks are!

Which designers do you like best and why.
I am completely IN LOVE with all of Alexander Wang's collections! The designs are so modern, so sleek, and tom-boyish! I also love that the collections are mostly solid colours (mainly black and white!) but because of the use of different materials and textures, he is able to jazz up the outfits! Sadly for me, their clothes don't suit my body type at all so I can only look and admire!

When you’re shopping, what do you spend most of your money on?
Am I allowed to say 'everything'? Because seriously, I buy everything from clothes, shoes, hats, accessories, makeup, bags, to even sports gears! But I guess, if I really have to pick something I would have to say shoes and clothes. I have almost 100 pairs of shoes (oh dear...a bit over the top, I know...) and I have recently had a renovation for my bedroom to extend to room and create a walk-in closet for my never-ending items of clothing! So there, I have an unhealthy addiction for shoes and clothes!

Can you name  the June/July trends that you love and the ones you’re not too keen for?
This year's most obvious trends would be the black and white stripes, and dungarees! And I love both of them! Black and white stripes are extremely helpful for a little petite girl like me as they make my legs look longer! And I would have to say I am ecstatic that dungarees are back in trend because I have spent the past 2 years searching everywhere for dungarees to no avail and then suddenly they made an epic comeback in the fashion world and now everywhere I go, I can find dungarees! I'm extremely happy. So I have bought denim dungarees, black dungarees, skirt dungarees, denim skirt dungarees, and I'm about to buy polka dots dungarees! Better grab 'em before they go out of fashion and can't buy them anywhere again for the next ten years or so! I don't really have trends that I am not too keen on! I just think that not everyone suits the same things and so the things that might not suit me, will suit someone else. I like everything, but if I'm not wearing it, it would mainly be because I can't pull it off!

Describe yourself in ten adjectives.
Loving, caring, loyal, ashionable, bubbly, tomboy-ish, true-to-who-I-am, realistic, reasonable [and] outgoing.

Name five items you never leave your house without and why.
Well, despite car keys, clothes and shoes;
My iPhone: my work requires me to be on the phone almost all the time! And plus, I can check on lookbook.nu whenever and wherever I want! Sunglasses--365 days of Thai sun would be too overwhelming with no sunglasses. Lip balm--I don't drink enough water so my lips are always chapped! My bag--for carrying to few essentials :) and I also believe that a bag could complete an outfit! I change my bag almost everyday according to what I'm wearing! I'm afraid I can't think of number 5! I don't carry very much at all.

Where does your style draw inspiration from? Any music, decades or particular style icons?
No particular place. Everywhere! Things I see on lookbook.nu, people I see on the streets, outfits I see in films, etc...

At the risk of sounding cliché, what style/fashion philosophy do you live by?
I don't believe I have one. That is too orderly and predictable for my liking! I change everyday: from tom-boyish, to girly, to bright colours, to plain colours, to clashing prints/colours, to matching prints/colours. I guess, and similarly to the question, at the risk of sounding cliche, my fashion/style philosophy is to have no style/fashion philosophy!

If you could go back to any decade in the 20^th century, which would it be?
The 80s! I feel like I should've been born during that time! I LOVE 80s rock music and I love grunge style! Time-machine me back to the 80s!

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten and from who?

Can I list two people? Chriselle Lim: This is the same youtube guru I was talking about earlier. She always talks about 'knowing your own body shape' and dressing accordingly to that. In my case, I'm very petite, so I have short legs, but I have a tiny waist. So what would be best for my body type is to create an illusion of longer legs and accentuate the best part of my body, which is my waistline. Luckily for me, I can achieve this my doing simply one thing: wear high waisted bottoms! They accentuate my waist and extend my legs! My favourite easy combination for lazy days is tank-top, high waisted American Apparel skirt, Jeffrey Campbell 'Riot' platform boots. This outfit does so many things for me, tank top (awesome for Thailand's boiling hot weather), high waisted skirt (accentuate my waist and extend my legs), 'Riot' platform boots (extend my legs whilst still staying true to my style). My awesomely fashionable MUM!: Since I was a little girl, she bought me Dr Martens boots to wear with my skirts and dresses! She always said that not every item of your outfit has to 'match' with each other but sometimes clashing items could complete an outfit!

Fan Nün now on: www.lookbook.com/nunvisitsak


Fashionably,
Khenzo xx


All images are from Nün's Lookbook page.