Mesh-merizing

I picked this mesh top in one of my thrifting forays not really thinking so much how I'll end up wearing it. It turned to be a good layering piece and it lends a little bit of an unusual edge to my boring Calvin Klien buttondown shirt.

top - Calvin Klein button down shirt + thrifted mesh top, bottom - DP pants, shoes - Converse, accessories - Kinggor pixelated frames

Cocktails For Christine

We celebrated Christine's birthday with a little cocktail party at The Exchange. We went thrifting before that so it was a nice little treat to relax and celebrate, her birthday and the cool stuff we found!

Creatives

Had a fun lunch at Sesame Noodles with some of Phnom Penh's creative minds: (from left) Claude Garrigues of [cgbcn], Catherine Theron of Kashaya, Julie Schrag of La'or, and Christine Gauthier of Waterlily. We shared chocolate bombs except Claude who had an order for himself.

Black & Blue

I've never been a blue kind of guy. It's a color I associate with uniforms and boring preppy stuff. I've only liked its classic associations when I began collecting Yohji Yamamoto. It's a color he often used besides black. The tee I'm wearing is from Maison Martin Margiela, the AIDS tee, and I've been collecting it. Whenever I can I buy one or ask friends to get it for me. It's a little bit hard sometimes because there's no stockist of Margiela here in Cambodia. And shipment can be more expensive than the actual tee itself so I missed some seasons. I'm lucky to get some older versions in the thriftshop especially the 10th anniversary version and the black tee with black print issue. Hopefully I can find the older versions especially the first issued tee.

top - Margiela AIDS tee + thrifted vest, bottom - DP pants, shoes - Kenzo, accessories - ESQ shades

Chains Draped Layers

One of my favorite piece to wear is this Y's Yohji Yamamoto oversized tank top. I got it in a thriftshop in Siem Reap. My necklace, a crochet chain from A.N.D., is my new favorite. The label partners with Wathan Artisans Cambodia, a worker-run cooperative of Cambodian artisans with disabilities.

 

top - Y's Yohji Yamamoto tank + Calvin Klein tee, bottom - DP dropcrotch pants, shoes - Converse, accessories - A.N.D. crochet chain necklace + Kinggor pixelated frames

Ethnic Minimalist Margielic

I got this traditional cotton wrap top from my friend Danny. Like me, he favors neutral and monotone colors like black, white and gray. I think he got this top from one of his travels. I'm not really sure where because it can be from China, Thailand or even here in Cambodia. I see similar tops being sold here but more in bright colors or printed fabrics. It's really very comfy and I wouldn't mind getting more in black or gray. It's a piece that works in the weather here. Danny also gave me this Margiela boots from the H&M collaboration and I thought it's perfect to tone down the 'ethnic' vibe of the top. Overall, I still want to look urban.

top - cotton wrap shirt, bottom - DP dropcrotch, shoes - Maison Martin Margiela x H&M, accessories - Kinggor pixelated frames

Punk Ninja

I commissioned Waterlily to make me a nose ring for a shoot I did. We came up with an Indian-inspired version. So it was perfect to use after when I attended the fashion show of Cambodia-based label, Punk Couture by [cgbcn]. The collection that was presented had the Japanese samurai as their take-off point mixed with punk and deconstructionist sensibility. I wanted to convey the same spirit of style but mixed with my own flair. Everyone kept asking me where I got it and one of my friend, a textile designer, even commissioned one for herself because she liked it so much. Needless to say, I got a lot of attention that night and I'll be lying if I say I didn't enjoy it.

top - Another Place tee + DP top, bottom - DP pants + Uniqlo skirt, shoes - tabi, accessories - Kinggor pixelated frames + Waterlily nose ring + spike cuffs

LV For Less

I'm not really an LV kind of guy and I don't collect bags from that label unlike my unhealthy obsession with Y'saacs or the Jeremy Scott x Longchamp collab. Anyhoot, I was thrifting a few moons ago and I was lucky to have arrived in the thriftshop while they were unloading a huge sack of bags. On top of the pile was this Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 and still in good condition except a broken leather lock tag on the zipper and the missing lock&key. There's no major tear except for the usual signs of usage and the changed patina of the leather sections. It was selling for $25 and, although it's a little bit expensive to pay for a thrifted bag here in Cambodia, I'm pretty sure I can't buy that piece for the same amount anywhere else. Although it's a little bit difficult to work around its color, I'm really not a brown person, but I've been using it quite regularly to shoots if I needed to lug stuff. Slowly I'm acquiring more 'brown' pieces like a few Celine and Yves Saint Laurent bags. It's a good foil in looking less serious and morbid especially if you have the predilection for wearing somber tones, like me.

top - Tsumori Chisato tee + DP frayed vest, bottom - DP, shoes - tabi, accessories - Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 + Kinggor pixelated frames

Keep Comme And Carry On

I needed to 'understand' this Comme des Garcons dress so I decided to make it work with my style. I still don't understand why there are random asymmetrical elastic ruching on the dress. That's Rei for you.

top - Tsumori Chisato tee + Comme des Garcons dress, bottom - DP pants, shoes - Converse, accessories - Kinggor pixelated shades

Predator

I don't wear that much animal print, nor some busy kind of print often. But I made an exception with this tee because it's much more neutral in tone and there's a sort of trompe l'oeil happening. I think it's witty to have the leopard sorta blend in with the rest of the print as it goes hunting. After all, the real test for a predator is how to blend in your surroundings and surprise your victim. Very much true in the cut-throat world we live in. Question is, are you the predator or the victim?

top - Neville&Neville tee, bottom - Uniqlo skirt + DP s/s 2013 pants, shoes - tabi, accessories - A.N.D. crochet chain necklace + Kinggor pixelated frames

Not Quite Black, Not Quite Blue

This midnight blue Y's Yohji Yamamoto can be at times black on certain light. It's one of my recent Y's find from the thriftshop.

top - Zucca shirt + Y's Yohji Yamamoto double breasted tailored jacket, bottom - EDITED, shoes - Kenzo, accessories - pixalated frames from Kinggor

 

Some Things Feel Better With Time

Like this Vivienne Westwood top and my jacket from s/s 2013 with tattered details. I found the VW top in Iloilo and I've worn it countless of times and it feels softer more and more. I plan to wear it until it is totally wrecked, strewn with holes and tears. I think it's much more lovely that way. My jacket has frayed details on the sleeves and hem because I wanted to imbibe that same nostalgia of decay when I designed the collection it came from. And with constant washing and more use it gets frayed more in this softer fringe. I don't know if it's only in my head but I find those details give more humanity to how you look. That's why I don't mind a little bit of imperfection in what I wear.

 

top - Vivienne Westwood Man draped tank + DP s/s 2013 jacket, bottom - DP, shoes - Converse, accessories - pixelated frames from Kinggor