I used to be...

 This what I used to feel like on Friday...

 Now...this is what I'll be

 

 I know I'm being real whiny about this. But still. Its the weeeekend.

They took away everything. They even took away my weekend.

Today has been a real shitty day. Like seriously up here with the worst. From the time that I found out that I would have to retake a stupid Fibres theory exam, to the day when Salman my trusty travel agent screwed up my flight, to the day that I found out that Montreal wouldn't be the same any more and neither would I.
I love working. Why you may ask. Well I love having to wake up to something, and some sort of a vague direction and purpose in my life even if it ain't all that. And I love that I have a good work ethic- its something I never imagined myself to have. But the best part is, that when the weekend comes, I feel like I really deserve it. Like its MINE. only mine. The feeling I get on a Friday is incomparable to anything else I feel these days. And today, my weekend has been officially taken away from me. Our office is now going to be open Saturdays as well.I have no idea wtf this universe is upto, and why my favouritest thing in my life is being taken away from me.
If I kill myself, nobody can blame me.

Naeem Khan - What a skirt!

 

How cool is this skirt? It so loud, and fairy-tailish and so unapologetic about its boldness and brightness. The cinched waist and the exaggerated volume display such great chemistry together. Not to mention the beautiful bodice. The beaded, shimmery gold top is subtle and elegant balancing out the brashness of he skirt. Great outfit. Although I'd love to wear the pink skirt with just a white tank /tube/cropped tee. Maybe even a dirty grey one with studded black belt.

 

Tangerine has been on my mind for the entire summers.So I loved these dresses. I love the gold embroidery on the left on, it so sexy, but not like over the top , "only-a-starlet-can-wear-it-to-her-movie-premier-type" you now? I hate that. So annoying. This one , I could maybe wear someday when I get the money to afford it, and am not living in Pakistan anymore so can start investing in beautiful gowns and dresses because there would be occasions to wear it.

How hot is the skirt in the second outfit on the right? With that thigh high slit and tight pleating around the waist.Yum. Its polished and sexy, but has the element of not being tailored to the T, so adds this non-chalant summer vibe to it.

Arora makes my mouth water

 The first four below are separates based on a  photo print abstracted from a picture taken by Robert Altman at 1970's Holy Man Jam festival. I just love the pop feel of them. I love photo prints on clothes, and the addition of the neon colours in the mix is just the icing on the cake. How bloody cool are the dyed skinnys and the printed capris?

  How beautiful is this piece? The rose-gold flesh tone, the metallic applique on the skirt, the mesh like-beaded bodice. Everything about this ensemble takes my breath away. I would love to own this some day. 

The shimmery, forest metallic green and the black together, the sheerness of the dress- all come together to make this dress so unforgettable. Granted,maybe this dress doesn't push the boundaries the way we have come  to expect Arora too, but that doesn't mean we cant appreciate the eclectic subtlety  of this dress, the sort that could perhaps only be achieved by someone like Arora.

In the metallicy-nude ensemble right next to this, I just love the pants. Yes, yes, I know how many times would I wear it, they might look kinda crazy blah blah....but no. These are genius.Too genius. I'm actually salivating just looking at this picture.

SS 2012- Manish Arora + Naeem Khan

I think its absolutely fabulous that you have a number of Indian designers hitting the center stage of fashion and getting international acclaim for their work. Manish Arora and Naeem Khan are by no means newbies to international fashion, both having seasoned a number of fashion weeks to their credit, and celebrities wearing their clothes to all sorts of glamorous events. Arora, for his SS 2012 pret line,  was amazing. His designs are infinitely more wearable than usual, not so Arora-esque, and that might be a disappointment for his fans but I kinda really liked some of the pieces, especially the photograph print separates and dresses.Very pop and Andy Warhol-so no complaints from me.
Naeem Khan, I've been a fan of his since his early collections. I love how he blends the eastern, and western sensibilities so well. Whether its through his silhouettes, or his intricate detailing you can very clearly see a fusion, which by no means actually interferes with the gorgeousness of each dress. To be honest I loved seeing the harmony he created with ethnic embroidery on western silhouettes.This time, somehow, I didn't feel the presence of the fusion as strongly as before.Don't get me wrong, beautiful dresses, lovely silhouettes - but didn't quite do it for me like he usually does.

Savage Love

Nope, this isn't about the Alexander McQueen's exhibition that I previously mentioned in this space. Its the name of a column in a Seattle Publication called ' The Stranger'. Dan Savage is the editor at The Stranger and he has been writing a weekly relationship and sex advice column for like the past twenty years or so. He is hilarious, I look forward to his column every week, and most of his advice is really, really good. He doesn't squirm around the issue and say crap like most advice columnists do about being patient, working it out and i dunno- fairy tale-ish stuff.He calls it like he sees it, and isn't afraid to call someone who is being a douche a douche. In my opinion his greatest gift to mankind is the invention of the term " DTMFA" - a piece of advice he is famous for giving. What does it mean? Google it.
I've attached a link below for those who don't know about him to get acquainted. FYI- the link below is for his letter of the day, which he blogs. The column is separate and can be found on the site as well.
He's kinda cute too btw, too bad he's gay and happily partnered.

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/09/28/sl-letter-of-the-day-bad-tattitude

Va-Va- Vaccarello

 Anthony Vaccarello was this year's ANDAM prize winner, chosen by a panel that included Emmanuelle Alt,  Martin Margiela, and Christopher Lemaire. This was his first season at Paris Fashion week , and I've got to say- the confidence in his designs speaks volumes of his skill. Uber-sexy, flesh-baring, and entirely unapologetic about its boldness; this collection is for the brave.

 I love this top. I'd totally wear it, so interesting.

 I know these are really bare, and cut from every place imaginable, very few women would actually wear them- but structurally the composition is quite intriguing. Like fabric sculptures- it would be interesting to see the tailoring , and how the dress on the far right is being kept in one piece no?

 I love the metal detailing in this one. The thing wire frames. Powerful, bold yet delicate.

Nice dress. Possibly the more wearable pieces for us commoners without super-modelesque bods.

Gurung you genius!

These are my favorite Prabal Gurung looks from SS 2012.I love the whole metallic/ painterly prints juxtaposed against pristine white that he's got going on in some of the pieces. I just love it when it seems like the designer has had fun with the design. I always looks for pieces that don't take themselves too seriously, and these pieces are exactly that. Then there is the purple and black dress. Who wouldn't want to have that dress for a great night out?  and with that dress...guarantee GREAT night . Then there is that soft, flowy white dress, with some amazing detailing and elements. The thigh high slit definitely amps up the sexy-quotient of the dress, but somehow it doesn't take away from its angel like purity. If I had a white wedding, I would definitely wear something like this. Simple, no fuss, but so dreamy and oh so sexy.

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Alexander McQueen, always a pleasure.

  I could very easily say that I've loved McQueen since his first collection and have been a worshipper ever since, performing strange rituals in the name of fashion and McQueen. But that would be a lie. I knew of his work, vaguely, and how he was hailed a true genius-but the only thing that I remembered him for for the longest time were those skull-print scarves which were all the rage a few years back, and still continue to be. It wasn't until this May when I got the chance to visit Alexander McQueen's retrospective, "Savage Beauty" at the Met in New York that I fully started understanding how truly magnificent , and gifted of an individual he was. His collections were never just "clothes", they were much more than that, art pieces each one of them. From his shoes, to his jewelry, to his head pieces,dresses etc. everything he did was a philosophical concept materialized through fashion,and in fashion  but never just "fashion". I could go on, but I'm afraid this post is already longer than it needed to be, and I haven't even gotten to the resort collection. Sarah Burton, the creative designer of McQueen, is doing a commendable job. She has kept that crazy ,genius aesthetic of  McQueen, but added her own element as well making it more wearable, and adding this element of royalty to it- and im not saying that because Kate Middleton  wore it to her wedding.These are my favorite two looks of the season.

Spring/Summer 2012

So, as you may or may not already know, All the major fashion weeks took place this month, and wow, Spring/Summer 2012 just seems so much fun! Especially Prabal Gurung, who has this amazing knack for blending quirky , kitschy elements in his collections in a way that is unique to him.Then there is Anthony Vaccarello , who kicked things off at Paris with his ultra sexy collection with no lack of deep-plunge necklines, thigh-high slits , and cutouts - very 90's Kate Moss (not that she still couldn't pull them off, she still got it going!). Also this is his first season, so wow...very confident. So here are my favorite looks from the aforementioned designers, and some others I fell in love with.

Well hello there, Mr. Draper

Oh , and also! fair warning people, I'm a huge Don Draper fan, and Google him at work regularly. Not Jon Hamm, Don draper. Although I really wouldn't mind Jon Hamm if I cant  get Draper , so you might see a lot of him in here, and possibly his quotes might make a regular appearance. Which I'm sure most people here will enjoy as well. (Why not?)

"The reason you haven't felt it is because it doesn't exist. What you call love was invented by guys like me, to sell nylons. You're born alone and you die alone and this world just drops a bunch of rules on top of you to make you forget those facts. But I never forget. I'm living like there's no tomorrow, because there isn't one."

Come on, thats sexy. Especially in his voice.

Ciao!

When I thought about starting this blog, I wanted it to be about ads- old/new/ - Pakistani/ everywhere else in the world. Especially print ads, since there are some beautiful works, that really make you go wonder how genius are the creatives working on those campaigns, and as a creative myself I often wonder whether I'd ever be able to produce /concoct such work.
In any case, this blog will not just be about ads, but also really anything and everything that I come across in my daily explorations of the web at work, stuff that I find interesting, and hopefully you might too. I'm a visual person, so a lot might have to do with visual aesthetic and how are understanding of it is constantly challenged and changed by media, fashion, art etc...