I bring you: PICTURES GALORE + detailed commentary

You have no idea how big of a pain writing these long picture posts are… it takes such a long time to resize all the pictures on Photobucket and then copy and paste HTML… blah blah.

Anyway, I’ve come back from Hong Kong, as most of you know and I’m continuing my internship at Marie Claire and Cittá Bella. So far, it’s been a lot more interesting than the first couple of weeks. I’ve been going to a lot more press conferences and photoshoots. I forgot to bring my camera yesterday so I didn’t get to take pictures of the awesome VIP Presentation of a Taiwanese designer named Shiatzy Chen’s Fall/Winter ‘07 collection. I do have the press kit that they gave out at the presentation, so I’ll take pictures of that (and the Prada/Miu Miu ones I got) when I’m not so lazy. The Shiatzy Chen thing was pretty cool. His store is in between Gucci and Louis Vuitton, so it’s definitely rather well-known and high-end. He’s not a big deal in the US (he only has boutiques in Paris, Shanghai, and Taipei) but apparently, a lot of Asian politicians’ wives and important businesspeople like to wear his stuff because it’s largely Asian-inspired and has some great detailing in both the embroidery and the fabrics. I got to watch a fashion show with around 14-15 models wearing Shiatzy Chen’s stuff and it was quite an experience. Going to all these fashion thingies makes me really not want to be a model. (Not that I could be one of course, my body type is entirely insufficient.) One of the models was wearing high heeled shoes that were much too small for her. Not only are heels inherently painful, when they don’t fit right, you are basically setting yourself up for a really attractive faceplant. Before the show though, I got to go with the Editor in Chief of Cittá Bella, who took me to this whole thing, to the VIP room. The VIP room has black painted walls, dimmed lights with several dark-toned candles throughout the room. There are Zen-like black stone of various sizes to give you that ambiance of luxury, inner peace, and like, perfect chi or something. There was also the very excessive sprinkling of tiny Swarvoski crystals all around the candles and and rocks. (They made it clear that the crystals were Swarvoski because they had little signs that told you who put together the interior and with what materials.) On the black tables, they had square ceramic plates (also in dark colors) with perfect little desserts. There was this tiny crème brûlée that I wanted to try, but I didn’t get the chance. There was some other stuff, but I didn’t get a good look… I’m sure I saw tiny crackers with caviar though. These little desserts were like, less than an inch in diameter and arranged in perfect 4×4 squares on the square plates. In the center of the room, there was a big wooden birdcage with 4 fat and tiny fluttering birds that were SO CUTE. People sat around in clusters on rather low dark wood benches that were backed in poofy dark green or purple pillows. Every other person had a Louis Vuitton bag. It was kind of revolting. Anyway, I got a tiny bottle of mineral water (everything’s tiny at these functions, it’s kind of lame… but I guess that’s why everyone in the industry is waifish. They serve food to satisfy Tom Thumb…) before we had to go to the fashion show.

Okay, onto the pictures.

LeSportsac’s tokidoki Fall/Winter ‘07 Bag/Anniversary Party

Apparently, the beach pattern is “new” this year. Last season was notable for the heaven/hell pattern.

Some of the less flamboyant bags… but they are clearly still quite flamboyant.

LeSportsac tokidoki schmoozing action.

More of the display…

Thin, tan, and sparkly model numero uno.

The really tan male model who shows you that men can proudly carry tokidoki bags too!

Models showing how cool you can be with a tokidoki bag!

OMG LOOK HOW CLOSE I AM TO THE MALE MODEL. *swoon*

The flower in her hand was later given rather flirtatiously to some old European guys who showed up and were probably VIPs/important donor or Board of Directors people…

Male model expounding the merits of LeSportsac and tokidoki.

Prada and Miu Miu Fall/Winter ‘07 Press Conference

The male model at this thing was CUTE. I wish I had the audacity to take a picture but he looked kind of angsty and I wasn’t sure if cameras were allowed. I’m posting the pictures now because some of this stuff is already in stores, so it’s not like I’m leaking information. I must say though, Prada’s shoes for men are quite sexy. If you guys have like, 600 dollars to spend on a pair of patent leather shoes, definitely go the Prada route.

Miu Miu’s bags this year. Apparently, the theme is “the new old bag.” So basically, they were last season’s bags only they went through considerable hand damage. As in, there were people actually paid to mar and stain the leather and beat it soft. So, if you have any dilapidated-looking leather bags, they’re in this fall.

The Prada fashion show that was played on a loop.

Miscellaneous Pictures from Magazine Outings and Hong Kong

This is where the first photoshoot I went to took place.

The shoes I had to take out of the boxes and set out in rows. I also had to make sure there was one shoe that was clearly visible in each box. Doesn’t sound too hard, but I was pretty freaked out that I would do something wrong. This was my first task of that day.

Testing the light…

The second time I went to pick up clothes, I went to Mango. This is apparently their Fall/Winter stuff…

Some of the clothes that the Senior Fashion Editor picked…

We went to pick up some hats…

… and I spotted a Lacoste!

Afterwards, we had some cold desserts. Pictured is boba + do hua (which is tofu + sugar water with a faint almond taste). It tastes a lot better than it sounds. (This is a recurring pattern in Chinese food, I think.)

This is the second photoshoot I went to. Some of the clothes I had to iron and lay out for the photographer.

Testing the light again. Apparently, this needs to be done a lot.

Chinky desensitizing toothpaste. Beats Colgate, I bet.

Food we ate in Hong Kong. It was pretty good, but I’ve had better.

Mom and me at Hong Kong International Airport. We are kneeling because I don’t have a tripod and we were being skilled with the digital camera timer. We put it on a trashcan and it wasn’t tall enough…

Me in front of the Dior store on Canton Street. My mom bought a pretty cute handbag per my recommendation. It’s this classic pink and has the signature Dior Cannage pattern only in perforation. Totally new for the Fall but also totally timeless. I’m getting to be quite the bag expert.

Mom and me in front of Chanel. We were also using a timer but we got to stand because the street was lined with these metal poles that were a good height and my mom’s camera has an adjustable lens thingy that can tilt up.

If you are this height and below, you can ride the subway for free.

Really good typical Hong Kong/Cantonese cuisine. The braised pork with rice is divine.

Me holding my Lacoste and Burberry shopping bags standing in front of a rather large ad campaign featuring the awesome Elyse Sewell from ANTM Cycle 1.

I thought this was funny.

This entire post took 45 minutes to type. I don’t know how long it took to upload the pictures though… Internet here isn’t as speedy as my Internet at home. It’s not ridiculously slow, but yeah…

Anyway. Hope you enjoyed that. I come back on the 20th of August.

The Coolest 2 Days Ever

The day before yesterday and today were pretty awesome in terms of things done.

Day Before Yesterday…
The Fashion Editor has decided to take me on as her little intern and let me follow her around as she does her errands, which mainly comprise of photoshoots, picking up clothes, going to press conferences about new lines, etc.

First, we went to a Japanese-influenced clothing store called 2Percent (2%) to pick up clothes. The clothing there has a kind of punk/grungy feel. Not exactly what I like, but it was definitely interesting. We picked up a lot of tank tops (that was the theme of the photoshoot we were doing) and things to match them with–pants, jackets, cardigans, etc. We spent around an hour and half there.

Then, we went to LeSportsac to attend a press event to mark the brand’s anniversay and to celebrate tokidoki’s Fall/Winter ‘07 line. It was amazing. Upon entering, the Fashion Editor was given a small giftbag, which contained an special tokidoki stuffed pig, a voucher for free ice cream, and a packet that explained the line’s history. While in the store, we could admire the supreme cuteness of all the bags from the tokidoki ones that Asian girls go completely nuts for, to the marginally more practical ones that have normal (definitely using that word loosely) patterns like paisley on crack, stamps (?), and like, Austin Powersesque Shagadelic hearts. Then, models came out wearing beachwear and carrying several tokidoki bags each. The models were gorgeous. There were two girls and one guy. The girls definitely didn’t look like a lot of the famous celebrities in Taiwan/other Asian countries. They were really tall, really tan, really peppy. They were also like, doused in glitter, but they definitely can make you feel short and stubby. The guy was the same, except not particularly tall. Definitely really tan and really peppy. He definitely sold the entire concept of men carrying tokidoki, but honestly, I don’t know any guys that would. I have pictures from this event that I will definitely post.

After that, we went to a Prada/Miu Miu to preview their Fall/Winter ‘07 lines for men and women. (Well, Miu Miu doesn’t have stuff for men.) Anyway. God, the place is so chic. We walk in, and the receptionist room is all white. On the back wall, in huge letters it says P R A D A. Two women, in identical short black bobs wearing fitted black suits ask us which magazines we’re from and give us offical Prada and Miu Miu folders with packets (containing pictures, in-depth descriptions, and of course, brand history). We walk through a short and narrow hallway into a main area actually has all of the products. A runway show is playing on a mounted plasma and on the walls, you have the clothing on racks. I have to say, this particular experience made me see fashion, at least high fashion, in a totally different light. Like, maybe this is intuitive and obvious, but I really always thought about fashion in terms of whether or not I would wear it, not for it’s artistic significance. The stuff they showed was more or less unwearable by the public, but when I saw the pieces with the attitude of me being in an art gallery with a museum curator explaining the works (yeah, Prada’s PR and Advertising Manager was there the whole time to explain each piece–including designer’s intent, materials, and construction), I definitely gained an appreciation for this batshit crazy fashion stuff that comes out every season. They served orange juice and club soda with lime as well as tiny bite sized desserts that were absolutely delicious. You all know what a dessert freak I am. I had a little kiwi tart and it was fantastic. I also have pictures of some of the stuff, but I’m apprehensive about posting them… I don’t think this stuff has even been published in magazines yet and I don’t want to get in trouble. They also had two models at this press conference. The girl was typically Asian, but of course, really tall. She had a really cute like, baby doll look about her and she made the sometimes weird Miu Miu clothes really appealing. (At one point, there was this skirt suit set that was made of see-through water-proof material…) Anyways, the bags this season for both Prada and Miu Miu are really gorgeous (I personally have my sights on this one Miu Miu bag) and the men’s line is quite nice in terms of shoes and bags. I’m not sure about the clothing… there’s some weird stuff going on with mohair and skinny dress pants with the elastic bands at the bottom (yes, like women’s exercise pants…). The mens shoes are really sexy. They have this hi-tech, metallic thing about them and they kind of shine like a new car. Prada and Miu Miu have some reeeally nice shoes too. The heels of Prada’s new shoes are very very nicely curved and Miu Miu added some great feminine touches to their shoes. Overall, I’m excited once this line actually gets more public… I think Prada is kind of underappreciated in the US. Everyone seems to be about the LV. And granted, Louis Vuitton is nice sometimes, designer stuff really doesn’t have to be just about the tell-tale monogram.

After the Prada thing we went to a place called Joseph to pick up more clothes. Joseph is like a mix of Banana Republic/Express/J. Crew. Maybe a more formal/professional version of the Asian-famous brand Giordano.

I went home with dead feet. Seriously. I wore my Lacoste flip-flops that have a tiny heel and it made trekking around the city extremely tiring. There was also a gnarly thunderstorm in the afternoon (like really loud thunder and torrents of rain) and I didn’t have an umbrella. My flip-flips got a little wet, but I’m confident that like, I dunno, Lacoste’s quality craftsmenship can triumph the damaging forces of raw Mother Nature.

Today, I spent around 6 hours photographing all the clothes we picked up (and then a lot that got shipped) and then some shoes and handbags (nothing high end though, unfortunately). My task the whole time was “steaming,” which is basically fancy-pants ironing of nice clothes. However, steaming mountains of clothes is not that fun when you’re in a room with no air-conditioning and only a fan that is not pointed in your direction for circulation. However, an upstairs photographer somehow lost some of his shots so I did get my fingers on some really nice menswear. I got to steam some really nice wool slacks from Louis Vuitton and a heavy wool jacket from Yves Saint Laurent. (The jacket wasn’t too attractive frankly speaking, but it was definitely appealing when compared to the black leather poncho that they were also photographing…) What kind of a man wears a leather poncho? I already question the rare instances when women wear ponchos…

Hopefully I’ll be able to do more of this kind of stuff. It’s kind of menial labor (especially the steaming) but it has to be done and I want her (the Fashion Editor) to feel that I’m helping her out and being useful, since the first day I hung out with her, she told me that the magazine really hates receiving interns because they’re always lazy and don’t follow directions and just lounge around instead of finding things to do. I don’t want to be like that! Especially since I got this amazing fashion internship as a result of luck.

Good thing the weekend is finally here… I’m still missing San Diego (mostly the weather) but I miss hanging out with friends… (the few times I’m allowed to that is!!)

Picture post is definitely coming soon… I also have a weird surprise soon. You’ll see.

Oh my god I am going to cry.

I just spent like, 2 hours assembling a photo post and I screwed up somehow and now it’s lost forever. FUCK.

Every picture had commentary and it was awesomeeeee.

Well anyway. I’m now going to try again. I have pictures of my office, funny things from my trip to the grocery store, and my apartment.

Some of the magazines that I’ve been reading.

The Burberry Boba I’ve mentioned. The guy who owns the store is cute. He’s also in his mid-30s I think (like the Fashion Director). :/ I think he’s why I go to his store instead of the 24839482309 boba places nearby. That, and I love Burberry plaid. The entire store has Burberry accents.

Some models that are really really excited to be Città Bella covergirls.

Even the clocks on the wall are Swatch!

The girl who sits next to me has a really decked out desk. Note the computer monitor wearing some sort of stuffed sheep.

You can kind of see my desk.

The fashion posters on a cubicle wall nearby. This cubicle is the Fashion Director’s cubicle. Kate Moss for Calvin Klein and a Dior ad campaign.

The desk of the girl behind me. I don’t even know what her computer monitor is wearing.

This isn’t in the office, but I took it at the vegetarian buffet place from the dinner with the Director. I think we should use plz more on official labels. The SVP is quite chic.

Household items!

I’m not sure what a washtank is, but based on the Mandarin, they are probably referring to a washing machine. I think a bathtub can be considered a washtank though….

Yes, that’s right. Sopp.

One of the best things about Asian countries is the pre-scooped ice cream. Ice cream is better in Japan though.

They sell scented trashbags!! Brilliant. From left to right, we have lavender scented, rose scented, and orange scented.

I’ve always wanted a whitening shower.

YES, see, the crocodile is an emblem of quality. Lacoste for the win!!!

For emo people who suffer from dry air, here is your Emo Dehumidifying Cylinder.

Black people toothpaste. Hehe.

My Apartment:

The office area where I do my stuff.

The bathroom. :/ I’m not a huge fan of the bathroom because it’s ugly and like, I dunno. I miss my bathroom…

The Living Room.

Hello Kitty magnets on the kitchen fridge. So cute!!

The little stand where my mom and I hang some of our clothes and bags. No, I don’t have a closet. It sucks.

Sleeping area. It kind of looks like it’s on the ground, but it’s actually on a raised platform… think of Japanese tatami beds and futons…

This is what you see when you are sitting on my bed. I drink way too much boba here….

Sorry if the commentary was rather lackluster and uninspired. You have no idea how awesome my post (that is now lost somewhere in cyberspace) was.

More pictures coming of an anniversary event for LeSportsac celebrating the tokidoki Fall/Winter ‘07 line and my preview of Prada’s Fall/Winter ‘07 Line.

On the Job: 3-Day Evaluation

My favorite thing about my job is walking to it every morning. I carry my small laptop bag and my bag-bag that carries all of my actual stuff and cross two streets to get to the building. I proudly wear my cité Publishers badge, which grants me access to locked automatic glass doors so I can go use the bathroom any freaking time I want. So exciting. And anyway, when I’m walking, I feel so… corporate… and special. Like, I can pretend that I am the Editor in Chief of Vogue or something and I’m all awesome and the shit.

My least favorite part is sharing an elevator with 15 other people and having it stop at practically every single floor and being the last person to get off because my desk is on the highest floor. On the way down, it’s the same exact story.

What exactly do I do from 10:30 to 6:00? I read magazines. So far, I’ve flipped through about 20 thick magazines ranging from those intended for financially dependent preteens (this particular magazine is actually called ViVi, haha) and the really high-fashion stuff like Marie Claire that can’t get past a page without using the words Louis, Vuitton, Prada, Bottega, Veneta, Balenciaga, or Chloé. I freaking love this designer stuff… it’s almost like shopping. Fuck, I’ve decided that I love fashion. But I hate how I like this kind of atmosphere but like at the same time, I feel that the industry is so… volatile, competitive, not-rewarding, etc. etc. And sometimes kind of lame. You who are actually reading this most likely have heard my reservations about this already.

I work under the Managing Editor and Editorial Director. She has given me some kind of “research project” (as she calls it) that consists of (from what I gather from her really ambiguous instructions): market analysis, competition analysis, and (she emphasized this several times) interviews with the internal distributor and the distributor. I don’t know if those two things are one and the same or if there’s something called external distributor…? Regardless, I’m instructed to make some kind of “map” that places all the magazines versus their markets. I also could be completely wrong because her ambiguous directions were written in decent English, but her verbal instructions were in Mandarin and she was both intimidating and awe-inspiring and used like, educated Mandarin. So far, I’ve emailed her what I’ve done and she has emailed me back saying “We must meet so that I can explain more clearly” which certainly does not bode well for me. I’m not sure if I care though… like, I’m clearly insignificant, whatever “work” I’m doing sounds like it could be important, but like, what I want to know is, isn’t this market analysis stuff important and if so, shouldn’t they have a paid someone who actually has like, a degree in Marketing to organize all this?

I’m enjoying myself, more or less though. It’s great sitting in an air-conditioned room with my own little space and have a huge stack of magazines to kind of work through. I don’t know what I’m going to do once I’m done with the stack. (Which should be soon, since I only have 2 Marie Claires left and like, one Mina.) I’m hoping that I can just ask the secretary for more older magazines, but I can’t really provide a reason why since I’ve already used the reason of “research” and she has already given me some. I think I will have to talk to the distribution people evenutally, which is rather daunting… Why can’t she just email them or something and ask them what’s up? I think that’s basically what I’m supposed to do, but again, I’m not sure.

Another downside is lunch. We have really long lunches (actually, I don’t even know if there’s a lunch limit) but basically what happens is everyone leaves at 12:30 PM and we go to like a really busy area that is just full of restaurants, convenience stores, and drink stands. It’s kind of like the Highlands, only not so organized in a shopping center, and the only things that are corporatized are the convenience stores that literally occupy every corner here (and in the rest of the city, essentially). The first day, I was taken to lunch by the Director’s personal secretary and yesterday (day 2) I was taken by the Managing Editor’s personal secretary and her friends. I felt awfully intrusive and like, totally inadequate because when they inquired about how I got my internship it totally made it apparent that I competely relied on connections and that in a real sense, I’m not supposed to be there anyway because interns at magazines like these are usually in college. I know I did get this internship because of like my uncle and it’s annoying because this situation is pretty similar to the whole college and legacy thing. I want to feel like I earned something!

In other news, as I’m sure you have all heard my gushing, yesterday, a guy came over and asked me if I was a new coworker. I said no, that I was just a random intern and he gave me his business card and a copy of the latest Cittá Bella which is a pretty popular Taiwan-only magazine. If you didn’t know, Marie Claire comprises of their international division, seeing as it’s really a French magazine. Cittá Bella is kind of the pet of the Director (she started it) and it’s also quite thick. In terms of thickness of these magazines, you can imagine like, a wedding magazine. Anyway, back to the guy. He’s pretty cute but I kind of just assumed that he was a mid-level employee, since I couldn’t read his business card. It turns out, he is the Fashion Managing Editor.

I’ve been too lazy to upload pictures, but I do have a few, mostly of my office surroundings, but I have one last little anecdote to share.

I bought boba at this place that is decorated in Burberry plaid. It’s so pretty. The cups are Burberry, the menu is Burberry and the straws there are all black, to match the cups. It felt very chic.

Oh, and yesterday, instead of getting Burberry Boba, I got some green tea mixed with some of that yogurt drink with a red foil lid on the plastic bottle. You know what I’m talking about?

Today, I managed to avoid inconveniencing other people and went out to lunch myself. I bought myself a tall bottle of iced tea (Jasmine Honey Tea) and had a green onion pancake. It was very yummy but I think I burned my fingers the slightest because it was so hot.

I guess that was more like 4 anecdotes, but my life right now is pretty much pages and pages of magazines with maybe a random interesting thing.

The girl sitting next to me has a pretty decorated desk, as I will show you at some point.

I’m missing San Diego weather and I am craving In ‘N Out.