On OCTOBER 29, Don Protasio will present their collection for spring summer 2012 as part of Cambodia Fashion Week.
DON PROTASIO S/S 2012 COLLECTION FASHION SHOW
'DISSECTION'
ROMEET GALLERY
NO. 34, STREET 178
PHNOM PENH
Please check out the DON PROTASIO BLOG for more updates.
Things can trigger a memory. You can associate someone to a particular thing.
My mother used to have bags like this. Gucci was popular in the 70's, I guess, and I have a mental picture of chic girls in bell-bottom denims, tight button downs and big shades carrying this sort of style. Those were what I saw in old magazines in our house. Of course, I grew up loving minimalism and didn't really appreciate the logo-laden aesthetic of those bags. Actually, even now I can say it's not me. But I love looking for such pieces to sell. It would have been nice if I saved the ones my mom used.
I wasn't familiar with Celine until Michael Kors designed for it. It's amazing what Phoebe Philo is doing there now. Lately, there has been quite a demand for vintage Celine so I'm always on a look-out for cool styles. I got an envelope style recently and I've used it to some events where I needed something to hold my wallet, phone and keys. It's the right size for those things.
Lately, I've been collecting military and utilitarian stuff. This buckle is a vintage military issue with zig-zag teeth that can snap to the belt. Very Helmut Lang.
Helmut Lang had a memorable collection where he used military uniforms as inspiration. I don't know why I liked it so much. I still remember the fatigue wool jackets with bold red stripes and the layered knit pieces in olive. It's one of those images that I always remember when I design. The military jacket above could be one of Helmut's.
My friend Daniel works at the Gap. Great selection of covers, too.
At first, I thought this Toga Archives sweater was torn. Then I realized it was really intentional. It reminded me so much about the reason why I love progressive Japanese labels. Small details like those often kill me.
How can you not love a bag with these words on it's tag: 'Finding For Freshness. LESUE. Come On. Feel Rich. Produced by Ace'?
It's black, big and light. Most of my bags fall into that category so another one to add wouldn't hurt.
I only like complicated things when it comes to the patterns of my clothes. But I don't want a complicated life. I'm thankful life here in Siem Reap is devoid of unnecessary stresses like traffic, pollution and noise. That's the price I pay for losing a bit of urbanity and embracing a more rural life. One luxury I really enjoy is spending a lot of time savoring a simple meal. When you get awfully busy you lose that because there's so many things in your head. I think it takes a different frame of mind to appreciate the simple things in life. To me it has become more important. I'm happy to have that choice.
I went to Angkor Wat with friends to help them film a video. It was hot so I decided to wear my reworked biker tee. It was so oversized that I had to make it my own. Besides, it's much more Margielic that way.
There are folded details on the sleeves and I let the hems raw. I also tapered the sides to look loose but not super oversized. I think the original size was an XL.
I paired it with Gap jeans and PAID draped apron. The apron was a reworked piece, as well. I think it sorta makes the whole look a bit elevated from the usual basics. My tote is Comme Ca Ism and my sneakers from Converse.
I went out for dinner with my friends and since I was craving for Korean dishes we decided it's gonna be a Korean night.
First stop is North Korea and like in the communist side, the servers at Pyongyang didn't allow us to take pictures of our food. Such a bummer since you know me I like to document what I eat. We had some squid, bibimbap, omelette, cold noodles and chicken for my friends. It was a bit expensive than you would normally pay for Korean food here in Siem Reap but the novelty sure makes up for it. One thing I noticed in Pyongyang were how really pretty their servers.
I did manage to take a photo of the kimchi but after I was asked to refrain from doing anymore.
Apres, we went to Ti Amo for desserts. And like the modern and westernized South, Ti Amo represented the international side of Korea. This coffee shop has the usual pastries plus truly Korean ones like Baby Chu, Mamoth and sorta like hopia bread. Everything is yummy! I decided to get Afogato because I've never tried it before. They serve it to you with vanilla ice cream plus red tea.
You pour the red tea on the ice cream and, voila! I love the ritual and presentation.
We had that hopia thingy and a slice of cheese cake, too.
I was with Linette, Faith and Loven.
It was raining that day so I wore my hooded vest from my fall/winter 2011 collection.
Fashion Diary: top - DP hooded vest with H&M black tee under, bottom - EDITED pants, shoes - DM's.
Just some cute stuff I got from the thrift shop:
A black rat I'm giving to my nephew, Gino.
Really cute button pins and key chains. The art on the key chains remind me of Galaga, an old Atari game.
A leather flower brooch.
Stitch in black&white!
I'm such a sucker for useless stuff.
A few moons ago Franco met up with his friends here in Siem Reap.
We didn't really spend so much time together because I wanted him to enjoy more of his time with his friends who are just visiting. But we did manage to bond and even met up with Nod and Ardin who came also to Siem Reap.
It was Ardin's first time in Cambodia and he was visiting Nod in Phnom Penh.
We went to the usual places after they toured Angkor Wat.
If there was more time I would have brought them to places outside the Pub Street area. Their trip was very short so we ended up just going around near.
I brought them to AHA for desserts.
AHA's honeycomb ice cream never fails to impress.
Nowadays, it's really normal to see complex patterns in clothing being sold in your regular clothing stores and malls. Back in the day when I was growing up you will be hard pressed to find anything that is unconventional or not preppy, unless you go to Hong Kong or Japan. There must have been a few stores in Manila selling edgy clothing designs but in Iloilo there was nothing at all. Thanks to thrift shops you can also find a lot of interesting looking clothing that goes beyond the normal cuts.
When reduced what I'm wearing here are basically a layered tank and shirt paired with pants. But this stripe top from Bo Parcon has unusual seaming with asymmetrical drapes on the sides. The front is also longer than the back. Underneath I wore a 2xist tank for contrast. My pants is plus minus multiply divide, a very unusual style that seems to marry a skirt and pants in one pattern. I tried looking for a website for this Hong Kong brand but I couldn't find any. This label has always been fun to wear because they make really interesting patterns using very comfortable fabrics like cotton jersey. My bag is Ann Demeulemeester that I got from the thrift shop and my shoes is DM's.
