Shit Happens

I die!

2010-09-08T22:57:00.007-04:00

Hermes F/W 2010

I'm bored

2010-08-23T21:58:00.000-04:00

Everything I see in this month's Vogue, I've seen it before. This season's fashion is boring.

Old Perfume Ad

2010-07-08T02:37:00.003-04:00

Pic from Art Deco

Same Shoes

2010-04-26T04:20:00.004-04:00

Picture from Mr. Newton

Pierre Cardin: 60 Years in Fashion

2010-03-30T22:59:00.002-04:00

TOKYO—Hiroko, a top Japanese fashion model. She would later gain great success in Paris as the leading model for Pierre Cardin and as one of the first non-Caucasian models of the time, 1961.

PARIS—Cardin, 1977.

PEKING, China—Pierre Cardin clothes at the Great Wall, 1979.

PARIS—Collection Pierre Cardin. French actress Mireille Darc, 1967.

PARIS—Collection Pierre Cardin, 1967.

PARIS—Pierre Cardin's fashion show. From left: Cardin, Mia Farrow, and British actor Lawrence Harvey, 1967.

PARIS—Among the spectators are Shirley MacLaine, French painter Bernard Buffet, and his wife Annabel, 1967.

PARIS—Cardin, 1962.

Pictures from Slate Magazine

Material Girl

2010-02-24T00:06:00.001-05:00

The future of fashion belongs to the young and innocent. The new British TV series Material Girl makes that point clearly. The TV show, commented by the Guardian as “fizzy, bitchy, self-indulgent, obviously bad for you but dangerously addictive,” attempts to demonstrate that although the fashion industry is full of “twisted people,” with talent, courage, and kindness, one can still achieve success.

But I mean, CAN’T THERE BE SOMETHING NEW? Haven’t we got enough “fashion Cinderella” stories already? The beginning of the first episode sets at the backstage of a fashion show. A girl with curly hair and plain T-shirt wants to send out her design but was called off by her boss. We immediately know that the girl, Ali, is the heroine of the show, while the boss, Davina, is the villain. But when I was watching this opening, I actually hoped that Davina is the heroine. I mean, how could a woman dressed like Elsa Schiaparelli or some Dior model go wrong in fashion?

Things become more obsurd as the show goes on. Ali quits her job, a fashion critique offers to help her, of course, with the expense of Ali's aquitance or accompany or whatever you call it. But go watch the show, and tell me how could that critique not be a gay?! Anyway, with the help of a strange American guy and her friends, Ali starts her own brand. Although there are obstacles created by the villains, things always end up Ok in each episode so far.

In general, the show is not very "British" to me. So if you are looking for a fashion TV series out of the ordinary, Material Girl is not a good choice. But if you only want to look at the pretty clothes, you may well spend several hours on it.

I Like Pictures that Tell Stories

2010-01-18T01:09:00.003-05:00

Untitled

2010-01-14T00:12:00.002-05:00

A Brief History of the Bikini

2010-01-10T22:40:00.014-05:00

I know it's cold in most of the areas recently, but I couldn't help but posting some fun pics of bikini!

When the bikini was unveiled in 1946, it was by no means the first time that women had worn so revealing a garment in public. In the fourth century, for example, Roman gymnasts wore bandeau tops, bikini bottoms, and even anklets that would look perfectly at home on the beaches of Southern California today.

At the turn of the 20^th century, though, such displays would have been unthinkable. Female swimmers went to extraordinary lengths to conceal themselves at the beach. They wore voluminous bathing costumes and even made use of a peculiar Victorian contraption called the bathing machine, essentially a small wooden or canvas hut on wheels. The bather entered the machine fully dressed and donned her swimming clothes inside. Then, horses (or occasionally humans) pulled the cart into the surf. The bather would disembark on the seaside, where she could take a dip without being observed from the shore.

In the decades that followed, the seaside dress code loosened up considerably. In 1907, Australian swimmer and silent-film star Annette Kellerman—a vocal advocate of more hydrodynamic swimwear—was charged with indecent exposure for appearing on Boston's Revere Beach in a form-fitting, sleeveless tank suit. The ensuing high-profile legal scuffle led beaches across the nation to relax their swimwear restrictions. By 1915, American women commonly wore one-piece knitted maillots.

Oddly enough, the two-piece swimsuit—which usually consisted of a structured halter top and modest bottom that covered the navel, hips, and derrière—arrived with much less fanfare than the bikini. By the early '40s, film stars including Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, and Lana Turner were all wearing the two-piece, and it was seen frequently on American beaches. Why were the inches of skin above the bellybutton so much less controversial than those below it? Hollywood's Hays production codes allowed two-piece gowns but prohibited navels on-screen. That meant the rib cage earned a ho-hum reputation, but the bellybutton was uncharted territory.

In the 1940s—as Kelly Killoren Bensimon details in The Bikini Book—attractive women were known as "bombshells," and anything intense was "atomic." So, when two Frenchmen independently designed skimpy alternatives to the two-piece in the summer of 1946, both suits got nuclear nicknames. The first designer, Jacques Heim, created a tiny suit called the atome. The second, Louis Reard, introduced his design on July 5, four days after the United States had begun atomic testing in the Bikini Atoll. In a rather bold marketing ploy, Reard named his creation le bikini, implying it was as momentous an invention as the new bomb.
Thanks to its provocative name and cut, the bikini made international headlines. Photos of Micheline Bernardini, the stripper Reard had enlisted to model it, circulated across the globe. But in the United States, women—including actresses in movies like 1947's My Favorite Brunette and the model on this 1948 cover of Life magazine—stuck with the traditional two-piece. In 1950, Time interviewed American swimsuit mogul Fred Cole and reported that he had "little but scorn for France's famed Bikini bathing suits," because they were designed for diminutive Gallic women. "French girls have short legs," he explained to Time. "Swimsuits have to be hiked up at the sides to make their legs look longer."

Brigitte Bardot's legs, at least, didn't need the help. This photo was taken at the Cannes Film Festival in 1953, just as the bikini was becoming de rigueur on the French Riviera. Even so, it remained off-limits in the States, where it was seen as a suspect garment favored by licentious Mediterranean types. A few years ago, Sports Illustrated dug up a 1957 issue of Modern Girl that declared: "It is hardly necessary to waste words over the so-called bikini since it is inconceivable that any girl with tact and decency would ever wear such a thing."

Just three summers later, though, the bikini had established a beachhead on these shores. This was in large part because of the increasing popularity of the private pool, which gave women a secluded place to test out the new look. A Neiman Marcus buyer classified the bikini as "a big thing" for 1960. Brian Hyland also had a hit that year with the song "Itsy Bitsy, Teenie Weenie, Yellow Polka Dot Bikini," which takes on new meaning when you realize the swimsuit was still catching on at the time. No wonder the song's protagonist was "afraid to come out of the water."

The bikini soon became ubiquitous. In 1965, a woman told Time it was "almost square" not to wear a bikini—which, given the outlet, suggests she was right. In 1967 the magazine wrote that "65% of the young set had already gone over." The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue debuted in 1964—with a white bikini on the cover. And the swimsuit's increasing popularity was reinforced by its appearance in contemporary movies like Annette Funicello's How To Stuff a Wild Bikini and Raquel Welch's One Million Years B.C. One of the bikini's earliest and most memorable film roles came in the 1962 Bond film Dr. No. (A journalist who saw an advance screening reported, "Actress Ursula Andress fills a wet bikini as if she were going downwind behind twin spinnakers.")

The bikini certainly complemented the va-va-voomery of Raquel Welch and her peers, who tended to be busty and a little soft in the middle. (In early bikini shots, stomachs are often evidently sucked in.) But the 1970s saw the rise of models like Cheryl Tiegs, who possessed the athletic figure that, for the most part, remains in vogue today. The advent of this lean ideal led many women to wonder: Who, exactly, should wear the bikini? In the 1960s, Emily Post decreed, "It is for perfect figures only, and for the very young." Since then, though, a number of swimwear designers (most notably Malia Mills) have encouraged women of all ages and body types to take up the style.

Bensimon's lively Bikini Book splits the difference on this question. In one Q&A, the author asks venerated swimwear designer Norma Kamali who shouldn't wear the bikini. She responds, "Anyone with a tummy." Eighty-odd pages later, though, professional beach volleyballer Gabrielle Reece (who competes in a bikini) declares that "confidence" alone can make the abbreviated swimsuit sexy. Easy for her to say.

Today, you have to wonder whether the thong bikini—which first appeared in Brazil in the 1970s but has since made scant inroads here—will ever become common on American beaches. Never, you say? It's a suspect garment favored by licentious Latin types? Exactly what Americans used to think about the bikini.

Whether or not the thong ever makes it out of the lingerie drawer, though, the bikini is here to stay. Still, like most 60-year-olds, it's gotten a bit tame: It still has the power to titillate, but it's lost the power to shock.

Story and pictures from Slate magazine.

Chanel

2010-01-06T22:47:00.002-05:00

Picture from knight cat

Haper's Bazaar 1997 December Issue

2009-12-20T21:12:00.010-05:00

Story: Renaissance
Photographed by Karl Lagerfeld
Stylist: Sarajane Hoare
Make-Up: Fulvia Farolfi
Hair: Serge Normant
Pictures from Ready Set Fashion

Random

2009-11-24T20:14:00.004-05:00

Kate Spade

2009-11-09T22:25:00.005-05:00

Fashion Shows

2009-09-10T11:14:00.003-04:00

I saw these amazing pictures on Slate today. I love them because they tell so many stories. Most of all, they are real. They show that fashion shows are nerve racking; models sometimes can be lonely. However, they are still dreamy. Maybe that's the magic of fashion.

As Fashion Week commences in New York City, Magnum presents images of the glamour and organized frenzy surrounding fashion shows around the world.

PARIS—At the Rochas' fashion show, 2004.

PARIS—Nina Ricci, February 2008.

PARIS—Dries Van Noten, March 2009.

NEW YORK CITY—Models limbering up backstage before a fashion show in Harlem, 1950.

NEW YORK CITY—Fashion Week, February 2005.

NEW YORK CITY—Zac Posen, February 2008.

NEW YORK CITY—Zac Posen, February 2008

NEW YORK CITY—Fashion Week, September 2004.

MILAN, Italy—Versace, February 2008.

PARIS—Changing during the Christian Dior fashion show, circa 1947.

PARIS—Lanvin, February 2008.

PARIS—1953.

PARIS—Valentino and his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti check Erin's outfit before the show, 2001.

Fashion Shows 2

2009-09-10T11:01:00.003-04:00

PARIS—Yves St. Laurent backstage with his friend Loulou de la Falaise, 1985.

PARIS—Jean Paul Gaultier, March 2009.

PARIS—Lanvin, 2004.

PARIS—A Eugene Souleiman hair creation at Stella McCartney, February 2008.

NEW YORK CITY—Fashion Week, September 2004.

PARIS—Yves St. Laurent, February 2008.

MILAN, Italy—Emporio Armani, 2007.

MILAN, Italy—Model Ali Stephens' mother reads a magazine next to Karl Lagerfeld and Anna Wintour backstage at Fendi, February 2008.

ROME—Fashion designer Valentino being congratulated after a show, 1988.

NEW YORK CITY—Marc Jacobs with Victoria Beckham, February 2008.

All pictures from Slate

Coco Chanel in 1964

2009-09-07T17:54:00.002-04:00

Pictures from tfs

Ruffle Dresses/Skirts

2009-09-07T03:49:00.004-04:00

Anyone remember Leanne Marshall's design for the Project Runway Season 5 finale? Those ruffled dresses/skirts were really nice. Although it's hardly anything new :)
Just Cavalli Fall 2007 RTW
picture from style.com
Cocktail Dress
Creation date 1980 Materials silk organza In 1980, Women Wear Daily gave Halston a new nickname: "Mr. Ruffle." His ruffle technique was called a paradox because "while virtually every piece of clothing sports some sort of flourish or ruffle, the best of these also possess a cleanly sculpted feel." Individually cut petals are paired, gathered and stitched all over the skirt to create a voluminous look.
Picture and text from tfs

Different ruffle dresses and skirts still appear in numerous shows. Louis Vuitton Fall 2009 RTW.
Picture from style.com

Timeless Look: Halston and His Girls

2009-09-07T03:40:00.002-04:00

Pictures from tfs

Dolce Vita

2009-09-06T11:44:00.003-04:00

Vogue Germany September 2009 - Dolce Diva by Norbert Schoerner

Fashion Editor: Christiane Arp & Nicola Knels
M: Luca Gadjus, Emma MacLaren and Masha Novoselova

Picture from Helli's Fashion Scans

Plastic Bag

2009-09-04T01:29:00.000-04:00

Picture from tfs
LIBERTINE
V # 31 fall 2004
photographed by Inez Van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin
model Nadja Auermann
creative direction- M/M Paris
source: foto_decadent at Livejournal.com

Love This Bag！

2009-09-01T16:10:00.001-04:00

Fabulous!

2009-08-31T12:08:00.003-04:00

Picture from achAR's Fashion Scans

The Most Influential Style Blogs

2009-08-30T03:06:00.001-04:00

Click here to check out the list reported by racked.com!

Argentina SS 09/10 Ads Campaigns

2009-08-28T20:20:00.006-04:00

Pictures from Kokobombin's Scans

Random Inspiration Today

2009-08-28T10:59:00.005-04:00

Pictures from tfs

Movie Inspiration: The Boat that Rocked

2009-08-28T10:35:00.002-04:00

What could go wrong in the sixties?

Live From New York

2009-08-27T12:17:00.001-04:00

Picture from V Magazine

Random

2009-08-26T11:14:00.002-04:00

Pictures from set your style

Chunky Chokers

2009-08-25T19:01:00.002-04:00

Picture from whowhatwear

As Seen on gawker.com

2009-08-25T11:22:00.001-04:00

How Grace Coddington Stole The September Issue from Anna Wintour

http://gawker.com/5344335/how-grace-coddington-stole-the-september-issue-from-anna-wintour?skyline=true&s=x

Love the Necklace!

2009-08-23T14:39:00.002-04:00

Movie Inspiration: Letty Lynton

2009-08-20T23:42:00.002-04:00

Timeless Look

2009-08-20T19:05:00.005-04:00

Lord and Lady Dufferin of Ava and Lady Rosslyn walk to the State Opening of Parliament in London in 1938.
Picture from artdecoblog

Timeless Look

2009-08-20T18:48:00.003-04:00

Anne Scott-James, the famous British journalist, was in trousers in 1941.
Picture from www.independent.co.uk

Vogue 0907

2009-08-17T21:28:00.003-04:00

Timeless Look: Jean Shrimpton

2009-08-17T21:24:00.002-04:00

Kate Moss for Prada

2009-08-16T14:52:00.004-04:00

Pictures from www.eclecticjewelryandfashion.blogspot.com

Timeless Look: Zizi Jeanmaire

2009-08-10T18:42:00.007-04:00

The great French dancer and muse of Yves Saint Laurent has a really timeless and elegant beauty.
Malandrino Fall 2007 Ready-to-Wear

NEW YORK, February 7, 2007

By Meenal Mistry

Malandrino's models walked with slick black caps of side-parted hair: a gamine 'do in homage to Zizi Jeanmaire, the French prima ballerina who lit up fifties Europe with her magical Carmen.

Like the Spring show, which had a (slightly questionable) zing of eighties flavor, this was undeniably a retro moment, mining the sixties of Zizi's heyday (funnel-collared coats and graphic tunics) as well as the twenties (straight flapper dresses trimmed with marabou). For the most part, though, Malandrino avoided the dusty vintage pitfall, the one exception being a purple A-line coat that looked like it came off the rack at Resurrection. Pretty draped-jersey pieces, the least nostalgic look, tipped a hat not only to Jeanmaire but also to Malandrino's own dance background.

Over the past year, the designer has moved away from crafty fare and toward a cleaner look. Perhaps to fill a tactile void, she allowed herself to play with volume everywhere you turned—in the ballooning sleeves of a knit blazer, chic blouson jackets, and an iffy bubble evening gown.

In short, Malandrino packed into the collection everything that a modern-day Jeanmaire might tuck into her traveling trunks, from a sexy daytime suit to a kicky little beaded houndstooth shift for aperitifs avec her own modern-day Roland Petit.

From Style.com

What About the Chair? Sienna Miller

2009-08-08T13:42:00.000-04:00

British GQ September 2009

Wow!

2009-08-04T00:27:00.001-04:00

Picture from Jak and Jil Blog

Old Perfume Ad

2009-08-04T00:24:00.000-04:00

Old Perfume Ad

2009-08-04T00:22:00.002-04:00

Pinky-Punky: Roberto Cavalli

2009-07-28T16:17:00.003-04:00

Picture from achAT's Fashion Scans

Random Inspiration Today

2009-07-28T16:10:00.003-04:00

Vogue Paris August 08, pictures from tfs

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-28T16:06:00.001-04:00

picture from www.artdecoblog.blogspot.com

Old Perfume Ad: More Marcel Vertes for Schiaparelli

2009-07-28T01:03:00.006-04:00

Picture from www.derbycityprints.com

Pictures from www.lindacrispell.blogspot.com

Style from Tokyo

2009-07-28T00:25:00.006-04:00

I like the girl's tights so much. They remind me of Marc by Marc Jacobs Fall 2009. (Picture from www.stylefromtokyo.blogspot.com)Picture from style.com

Missoni

2009-07-27T19:46:00.004-04:00

Photographer: Ryan McGinley
Style: Vanessa Reid
Model: Hanne Gaby Odiele
picture from www.suprememanagement.com

Pinky-Punky

2009-07-27T19:32:00.006-04:00

Louise Vuitton Clutch
Roberto Cavalli Fall 2009 picture from www.style.com
Daisy Lowe picture from www.ellegirl.com
Jonathan Kelsey Autumn/Winter 2009 picture from http://www.highsnobette.com/

Old Perfume Ad: Shocking

2009-07-27T19:18:00.004-04:00

I have to say neither of these two is my favorite Shocking ad, which I haven't found online.
Pictures from www.aetheteslament.blogspot.com

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-27T19:16:00.001-04:00

Old Perfume Ad: Chinese

2009-07-27T19:13:00.000-04:00

The New York Times

2009-07-26T10:52:00.003-04:00

JANELLE MONÁE, the Grammy-nominated singer with a futuristic R & B sound, doesn’t regard her look as rockabilly. Rather, dressed as she often is in a tailor-made white tuxedo jacket, saddle shoes and a natty black-ribbon tie, her hair swept up into a pompadour, Ms. Monáe, 23, sees her style as purely her own. “It’s just Monáe,” she said. “Minimalist and classic.”

Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images

A look from the Armand Basi fall collection; high-heel creeper boots, $995 at Phi; Deadstock boyfriend jeans, $168 at Intermix.

Photo: Ugo Camera

“I like the boyishness of the look,” said Nancy Rohde, the British stylist behind one of two neo-rockabilly fashion articles in the August issue of Teen Vogue (left).

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/07/24/fashion/20090726-pulse-slideshow_index.html

The Black-and-White Wedge

2009-07-25T11:27:00.002-04:00

Picture from Altamira

Leitmotiv for Furla ‘Alice in Wonderland’ Capsule Collection

2009-07-24T13:50:00.001-04:00

Picture from www.setyourstyle.com

Random Twos

2009-07-22T22:41:00.006-04:00

pictures from the fashion spot

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-21T20:14:00.002-04:00

Blazer Three-Way

2009-07-21T20:11:00.002-04:00

Pictures from tfs

Timeless Look 6

2009-07-20T00:07:00.003-04:00

The wedding of Bianca and Mick Jagger
Pictures from virginmusic.com and glamour.com

My Summer Pick: Floral Coats

2009-07-19T17:48:00.002-04:00

Alexis Mabille Picture from Style.com
Picture from Girl With a Satchel
picture from Face Hunter

Green and Blue

2009-07-19T14:37:00.004-04:00

As soon as I saw these pictures in US Vogue August 2009, I was reminded of the picture below， which, in my opinion, is more stylish. Pictures above from tfs
Picture from Garance Dore

Movie Inspiration: Lady Eve

2009-07-19T14:13:00.003-04:00

Zuhair Murad Haute Couture picture from tfsArmani Prive Haute Couture F/W 09-10 Picture from www.style.com

Timeless Look 5

2009-07-19T14:10:00.003-04:00

JPG Haute Couture S/S 2000
Pictures from tfs

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-17T17:32:00.002-04:00

Picture from www.beckerstreet.com

Love the Bag

2009-07-17T13:31:00.002-04:00

Picture from achAT's Fashion Scans

Daisy Lowe

2009-07-17T00:02:00.003-04:00

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-16T23:46:00.001-04:00

Some Fall 2009 Ready-to-Wear

2009-07-16T23:39:00.006-04:00

Louise Vuitton
Bottega Veneta
Marc Jacobs.

Dries Van Noten. I really like the color combination.

Movie Inspiration: Pinstripe

2009-07-16T23:32:00.007-04:00

His Girl Friday

Armani Prive Haute Couturef/w 09-10. Picture from tfs
Balenciaga Fall 2009 Ready to Wear. Picture from style.com

Old i-D

2009-07-16T22:51:00.005-04:00

I spent yesterday afternoon reading Fashion and Style: The Best from 20 Years of i-D. I was absolutely amazed by how talented the creators were. Those street shots were extremely advanced. Look at those people's style, they're still trendy today. I saw so many elements that are "in" now. So here are some pictures of the very first issues of i-D.

Nixon in Taiwan

2009-07-16T18:12:00.002-04:00

I found this picture of Nixon in Taiwan with Pat Nixon and the Chiang Kai-shek couple interesting. As someone who studies Nixon, this is the first time I see him in white suit. And if you take a closer look, Mrs. Chiang's high heels are still quite trendy today.

Jenny Howorth

2009-07-15T18:17:00.004-04:00

i-D magazine March 2009

Photo by Arthur Elgort in 1988

What About the Chair?

2009-07-15T17:54:00.005-04:00

i-D Oct 2000, pictures from set your style
Vogue Paris Feb 2002, Picture from tfs

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-14T17:44:00.002-04:00

Go Palermo Goes Black!

2009-07-14T17:30:00.004-04:00

Go Palermo #16 Winter 2009
Models: Amanda, Ingrid & Yamil Castiglione
Photos: Antonella Arismendi
Stylist: Anita Noseda
Pictures from Kokobombon's Scans

Random Inspiration Today

2009-07-14T13:58:00.008-04:00

Shit Happens

Black and White

2009-07-14T13:14:00.003-04:00

Pictures from tfs

Ece Sukan

2009-07-14T13:00:00.004-04:00

Pictures from tfs

Old Perfume Ad

2009-07-13T17:06:00.002-04:00

Don't get me wrong, I love perfume ads today. But sometimes I can't help but thinking them a little--how to put it--too literal. Old perfume ads, in contrast, are more ambiguous, indirect. I used to see an old perfume ad from Worth, which was abstract. But it made me very happy. Making people "feel" the perfume, I think that's what perfume ads should do.

Yeah Yeah Yeah

2009-07-11T13:41:00.001-04:00

Movie Inspiration

2009-07-04T01:32:00.003-04:00

I saw Bonnie and Clyde in Dior Prefall.

Liberty Ross

2009-07-03T22:46:00.005-04:00

Best Resort Collection

2009-07-02T01:05:00.008-04:00

Kenzo it is!
Pictures from TheFashionSpot

Movie Inspiration

2009-07-01T01:54:00.002-04:00

Annie Potts in Ghostbusters II
Needless to say, the nerdy hairstyle and glasses are in trend today, her outfit--the pictures of which can't be found on the internet--is very Balenciaga!

Movie Inspiration:The Notebook

2009-06-26T13:31:00.004-04:00

I accidentally saw part of The Notebook on TV the other night. I was immediately in love with this bathing suit!

Inspiration Today

2009-06-17T10:19:00.004-04:00

DKNY, Yigal Azrouel

Tribal Punk, They Say.

2009-06-17T10:01:00.005-04:00

Givenchy Resort 2010, Image from Style.com

Movie Inspiration

2009-06-07T23:50:00.005-04:00

The "I Feel Pretty" Dress in West Side Story
Yellow+ Orange is too much? Tone it down (or up?) with gold!Picture from Garance Dore.

My Summer Pick 3

2009-06-04T00:35:00.005-04:00

Yellow/Orange dress

Dior Spring 09
Sonia Rykiel Spring 08

Steamed Egg

2009-06-03T16:31:00.003-04:00

Today，I steamed the first egg in my life!

It's quite easy: you break an egg, add some green onion, peas, salt, and oil; and then, steam it! It turned out better than I had expected. But I over-cooked it, and it wasn't as tender as it could be.

When I was a little kid, I spent a lot of time in my grandma's cousin's. She always made me a steamed egg after kinder garden. Those were the best steamed eggs I've ever had. The secret? Nothing but oil. The old lady--as well as my grandparents--was from Anhui province, where people generally put a lot of oil in their dishes. The steamed eggs she made were oily, but heavenly delicious!

One dish my college canteen often served was steamed eggs with ground pork. I never really like steaming eggs with meat, but it's kind of a tradition dish that people steam eggs with ground pork or sea food. My college canteen was awful. But guess what? Three years away from it, I miss the careless life with no burdens of cooking and washing dishes!

My Summer Pick 2

2009-06-03T16:09:00.006-04:00

Jeans Vest

I've been no fan of vest or jeans in any form other than pants. But this summer, I kind of want a jeans vest to go with all the lace, silk, and ruffles!

And of course, sometimes a jeans jacket works as well!

Timeless Look 4

2009-06-01T22:47:00.002-04:00

Jane Birkin

My Summer Pick

2009-05-29T22:12:00.013-04:00

White Lace/crochet

Relatively speaking, summer is the season that fashion matters less. Sure, colors, cuts, and prints change every year; but for me, summer is really about staying cool, and look feminine. Summer is probably the only season that I want to look romantic, soft, or even girlish. So despite fashion, that's a guiding line for my summer picks. I'm extremely pleased that 3.1 Philip Lim's spring 2009 collection meets all of my requirements!

White lace/crochet, whether in the form of dress, shirt, or skirt, always look cool, folk, vintage, even though recent designers have tried to make it more modern by giving it geometrical cuttings. Plus, I can't think of anything else that works with golden jewelries better!

Jane Birkin's white lace dress is bold and deadly sexy!

Boogie Nights have always been a fashion inspiration. I watched the movie again today, and man, they all wear white lace/crochet--both men and women! It also turned out that my memory had fooled me, this O.D.ed chick was not wearing a white lace shawl. But still, everything on her still looks fashion today!

And at last, this is my white lace shirt.

Timeless Look 3

2009-05-28T00:09:00.006-04:00

John Shea in the movie Missing (1982)

The not-so-well-known movie in 1982 features the missing of American journalist Charles Horman in Chile after the military coup there in 1973, starring Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek, and John Shea. While depicting the coup historically, the movie also shows contractions and connections between two different generations and those between the conservatives and the liberals.

The movie gives pretty impressive looks to different characters in the 1970s: Jack Lemmon, the father, always wears tight and a little bit short suit pants, as guys did in the 70s; Sissy Spacek's cardigans and dresses were apparently influenced by the hippies; John Shea's look, I think, is the most timeless one.

It's hard to find a clear photo of Shea's look online. This photo roughly shows how it looks: blue shirt, black tie, light khaki casual trench coat, and brown/chocolate pants. The colors work so well together; and he looks young, casual, but still professional.

You can watch the movie on Youtube, but the colors do not show very well:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmNKBhvcn0Y&feature=related

OK, to prove the look is timeless, let's look at several other more "contemporary" looks .

Blue+ different brown/khaki/chocolate is a very classic combination for men's wear.

Pictures from The Sartorialist

（转载）好久才来

2009-05-27T21:52:00.003-04:00

Article from: The Economist, May 16th-22nd 2009, pp. 90-91.
Translated by: SHIT HAPPENS

Masters of Sex: The Life and Times of WIlliam Masters and Virginia Johnson, the Couple Who Taught America How to Love. By Thomas Maier. Basic Books; 384 pages; $27.50.

上世纪50年代初期，当William Masters还是华盛顿大学的妇产科副教授时，他想要查阅图书馆里一本关于性生理学的教科书。没门。那本书被认为是色情书籍，因此只有正教授可以查阅。事实上，即便图书管理员偷偷地把书装在棕色袋子里借给他，他也从中学不到什么。在这本Masters和他的研究搭档，Virginia Johnson的新传记里，作者生动地描绘出，在那个年代，人们对性器官几乎一无所知。

自上世纪40年代以来，以另一位美国学者Alfred Kinsey为首的学者开始研究人类性行为。但是Kinsey是从社会学而并非医学角度进行研究的。他报道了人们描述的对自己和他人进行的性行为。但他没有调查任何这些性行为是如何进行的。而Masters和Johnson所进行的试验，则是大胆、严格、甚至奇怪的。在试验中，女志愿者头戴纸袋维护尊严，同时以“尤利西斯”自慰；所谓“尤利西斯”，是一种用树脂玻璃制成，内装摄影机的电动自慰器。数百对夫妇身上被接上电线，在严密的监控下行房。Masters和Johnson的第一本书，1966年出版的《人类性反应》记录了超过12000例高潮。《美国医学协会学报》毫无讽刺意味地感叹：“为什么这项研究现在才来？”

Masters和Johnson的研究粉碎了弗洛伊德女性性生理的理论：阴蒂高潮并无卑劣之处。他们的研究发现，不同于男性，只要方法正确，女性多次高潮是完全可能的。在第一本书之后，Masters和Johnson开始着手研究治疗性功能障碍。在这里，Masters承认，并无医学背景的Johnson女士贡献最多。今天针对夫妇性生活不协调的对话及抚摸疗法大多源自Johnson女士的想法，而Masters的生理学研究帮助了伟哥及类似药品的研发。

在他们合作的早期，已婚的Masters要求离婚两次、抚养两个孩子的Johnson和他发生关系。他辩解说这是为了避免之后会发生诸如他和病人发生关系的更严重的错误。为了保住工作，Johnson同意了。到1970年，情况发生了改变，此时的Masters已不愿意失去Johnson这个研究伙伴。Johnson女士即将与研究所的一位富有赞助人结婚，而Masters为了阻止Johnson离去，火速地和妻子离婚。第二年，Masters和Johnson结婚。Johnson同意结婚的动机不明，因为他们并不相爱；而她声称当她嫁给第一任丈夫时，她也并没有爱上他。1992年，Masters突然决定是时候更换研究伙伴，他因而与Johnson离婚；不久，Masters与分散多年的儿时恋人结婚，他一度以为该恋人半个世纪前抛弃了他，而后来意识到事实并非如此。如果这个故事有什么教化意义的话，那就是正如曾经神秘的性器官一样，人的心灵如何运转至今仍然是个谜。

（转载）新红牛可乐含可卡因？

2009-05-26T12:12:00.006-04:00

Source: TIME http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1900849,00.html
Translated by: SHIT HAPPENS

大约一年前，著名的咖啡因能量饮料红牛的制造商决定开发一种碳酸饮料，并将之毫无悬念地命名为“红牛可乐”。这名称似乎暗示“红牛可乐”也有和红牛一样的提神功效。但是有没有可能这款号称“100%纯天然”的可乐的功效是由别的原料中产生的呢？德国官员担心他们已经找到了答案--可卡因。因而现在，他们已经在德国六个州禁止销售红牛可乐，并有可能推荐全国禁售。

“（北莱茵-威斯特法伦州的健康机构）对红牛可乐进行了全面的化学检测，并在其中发现了微量可卡因，”德国联邦政府消费者保护部食品安全署署长Bernhard Kuehnle周六告知德国媒体。根据这项分析，每罐红牛可乐中含可卡因0.13毫克，这并不对人体健康造成严重威胁--你至少要喝12000升红牛可乐才能感觉到它的不良影响--但这极少量的可卡因也足以让人忧心了。本周三，专家们将发布他们对红牛可乐的研究报告，而Kuehnle所属的食品安全署也预定届时公布对红牛可乐的最终处理决定。

红牛一向对其新可乐的配方不加隐瞒。古柯、小豆蔻、可乐果的图片作为几个重要的“天然”原料被列在他们的网站上。然而红牛公司坚持宣称，作为调味剂的可卡叶，只在移除了其中非法的古柯碱之后，才被用于饮料之中。“去除古柯碱的古柯叶提取物在全球范围内被广泛用于天然调味剂，”针对德国政府的公告，一位红牛公司的发言人宣称。尽管古柯碱只是古柯叶中所含10种生物碱的一种，并且只占古柯叶化学构成的0.8%，世界反麻醉剂组织要求安第斯山脉地区以外的世界各地移除古柯碱。

同时，在地球另一端深处安第斯山脉的玻利维亚共和国，人们对红牛可乐的纷争嗤之以鼻。古柯是安第斯文化的基本组成部分之一；多年以来，玻利维亚人试图说服世界其他民族除非经过复杂的化学程序被加工成可卡因，古柯叶本身并不是毒品。自己也有种植古柯叶的左翼总统Evo Morales，曾经亲自争取古柯的合法地位，当他出境访问时，他经常在各国领导人及媒体前大嚼古柯叶。“试问，（红牛可乐）没有移除古柯碱，那么全球上百万人有人因为喝了它而生病或被麻醉吗？”Yungas地区的古柯种植领袖Dionicio Nunez说，“我们一直都知道古柯是无害的。也许现在其他人也该明白这一点了。”

在德国，红牛发言人坚称在美国和欧洲，红牛可乐和该公司其他含古柯提取物的饮料均达到安全标准。另外，一些专家在为红牛可乐辩护。纽伦堡市生物制药研究院院长Fritz Soergel告诉《时代》杂志: “基于红牛可乐中这么微量的可卡因成分就禁售它是没有科学依据的。”他还说：“红牛可乐中的甚至并不是可卡因本身。我们的试验发现它只是一种可卡因的不活泼的退化物。如果你仔细检查其他饮料和食品的成分，你将会大吃一惊。”

当然，在现代碳酸饮料的发展史上，古柯叶早就有一席之地了。其中最著名的例子是，19世纪可口可乐的原始配方中就含有未经加工的古柯叶。20世纪初，可口可乐公司宣称他们只使用退古柯碱的古柯叶；今天，他们拒绝回答他们是否还在使用任何形式的古柯叶。

但问题是古柯和古柯碱不仅是健康问题，还涉及到法律问题。自1961年以来，未经移除古柯碱的古柯叶不允许在安第斯地区以外使用--安第斯居民几个世纪以来都通过咀嚼古柯叶或以之泡茶来抵抗饥饿和疲劳。目前只有世界上少数公司有权进行古柯交易，大多数是移除古柯碱的制药公司。其中最著名的是总部在新泽西州的Stepan化学公司，据报道，该公司为可口可乐提供加工后的古柯叶。

然而，没有人知道红牛可乐使用的古柯叶从何而来，又是在哪里被加工处理的。红牛公司没有对此发表评论。而红牛可乐的制造商，澳大利亚食品公司Rauch Trading AG则很快恢复《时代》杂志他们不允许评论该饮料。同时，在玻利维亚，人们为红牛承认使用古柯叶而大感兴奋（因为可口可乐一直回避这个问题）。讽刺的是，红牛可乐并不在玻利维亚销售，但当地居民称，这是一个大好机会让人们了解，不管含不含古柯碱，古柯叶都是无害的。

译者的话：这则故事和国内近日“王老吉含夏枯草”的争论有所关联。食品安全是个全球问题，但和网络上不乏王老吉支持者一样，古柯的利用也算是一个“甲之蜜糖，乙之砒霜”的绝好例子了。

Timeless Look 2

2009-05-25T15:21:00.007-04:00

I love Patti Smith. And I have to say the cover of her album Horses is the most timeless cover I've ever seen.

Picture from http://blogs.lexpress.fr/cafe-mode

The last kind of movie you should watch with your boyfriend

2009-05-25T14:11:00.008-04:00

So guess what? The last kind of movie you should watch with your boyfriend is love movies!

Let alone the fact that most guys don't like the "chick flick" thing; unless you and your loved one are a happy couple like in the love movies--unfortunately, most of us are not--love movies could create a lot of awkwardness; or even endanger your relationship.

As women, we like to think, compare, and then think again. A love movie, essentially, is a combination of plots which we can reflect on our own relationship and make comparison. Well that creates troubles. Because men don't like you to do that. I don't even know why. But let me be cynical: they don't feel comfortable talking about certain things in your relationship because they know the truth is painful?

Last night, I watched He's Just Not That Into You with my boyfriend. It's not a great movie, honestly.
But it's fun to watch other people make mistakes in their relationship. As the movie went on, I started to regret my decision. It's one thing to listen to my boyfriend praising: "Scarlett Johansson is hot!" or commenting: "Many guys fear that they will meet the one they really love after they get married." But it's another to wonder: really? would you dump me for Scarlett Johansson? Will you meet someone you really "love" if one day we get married?

I know it sounds crazy, but once the thoughts started, it's hard to stop them. During the rest of the night, I tried to start the conversation several times. My boyfriend, apparently not interested, paid no attention to my questions. His aloofness almost got me angry. So the night ended with me going to bed unhappily, without my questions being answered.

I know my questions would never be answered. But I blame the movie for giving me a bad mood. The conclusion is, you can watch all kinds of movies with your boyfriend: horror movies, war movies, sci-fi movies, comedies, or even sometimes, pornography, but DON'T watch love movies with him. It makes you doubt, and doubts make you crazy!

High-thigh boots in the 1960s

2009-05-22T00:54:00.002-04:00

Thight-high boots are hot now--they were forty years ago.

Local news cameraman aiming his camera at fashion model Donyale Luna, seen from hips down, who is wearing thigh-high leather boots as local women enjoy fashion show.

Location:	Sydney, Australia
Date taken:	1967

Image and Introduction from LIFE Images.

Why Miss Chanel's Look is Timeless

2009-05-21T00:28:00.007-04:00

1. 宽大的棉制裤子+腰带

2. Turban

3. Pearl necklace, of course.