chadchad of the day 6.8

Quite the nice surprise reading the Metro Lifestyle section on the tube to work this morning and seeing one of my fashion week outfits on display for 4 million readers to see.  Also feeling very good about the fact I'm alongside such dapper company including menswear designers like Patrick Grant from E.Tautz and David friggin' Gandy himself!  Big thanks to Paul Hartnett for the photos - he was such a nice and talented gentleman to get to talk to during fashion week.




Also thanks to T.Lipop & Cutler and Gross for lending samples for me to wear.  For this outfit I decided to play with tones using blue accessories on T.Lipop's very sharp (and buttonless!) blue suit.  I found the braided belt at a street stall in Myeongdong in Seoul and the dark blue leather gloves at a street stall in Covent Garden.  


xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 5.4

knit cardigan / handmade vintage Norwegian wool
white polo shirt / UNIQLO
grey trousers / Sparks
red striped shoes / H&M
brown belt / Urban Outfitters






blue biker jacket / UNIQLO
navy polka dot shirt with collar clips / vintage
black denim / Cheap Monday
navy polka dot socks / Urban Outfitters
brown brogues / Prada



On Tuesday night Burger and I finally got a  chance to enjoy the dinner for two that I won from fancy pants French restaurant Bistro du Vin in Soho via a competition I entered with M:/P Magazine.  The choices were almost too hard to make on the two course set menu, I could have ordered everything.  In the end we chose the pumpkin parmesan soupe du jour for starts along with an order of garlic escargot on toast from the main menu.  Nom nom nom.






For mains I chose the succulent Donald Russel onglet steak frites while Burger opted for the light and perfectly roasted salmon & forestiere.  Talk about melt in your mouth. We were also given a complimentary bottle of red house wine that paired well with the strips of steak.






It was easy to take your time and savour every single bite rather than stuffing your face as fast as possible as is so often the case when you live life on the go.  We ended the meal with a perfect treacle tart with clotted cream, but I was so busy enjoying myself that I forgot to take a photo.  Bistro du Vin is definitely the perfect restaurant for that special occasion.   HUGE thanks to all the friendly and accommodating staff as well as to Sha from M:/P Magazine!





xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 4.5

navy waffle print top / Topman
magenta shorts / reformed UNIQLO
sunglasses holder / vintage from Guatemala
yellow socks / Topman
white woven leather loafers / vintage


Greetings from TRAFALGAR SQUARE! Now that I'm not working a full time job on top of an internship and other freelance commitments I've had a chance to check out some of the sites of London. Most recently I hit up Trafalgar Square and the National Portrait Gallery with an old roommate from Seoul. The last time I actually set foot in Trafalgar Square was way back in high school on a whirlwind European vacation with the travel club aka 13 other farm kids that actually wanted to see the world outside of Saskatchewan. We raised money from car washes, cleaning ditches, working Bingos, etc and traveled to London, Paris, Pisa & Rome in only 10 days, it was mental. Would love to go through those old photographs...



I found this sunglasses holder when I went to Gwangju, South Korea last spring to take party photographs of a Jagermeister launching party at Club Volume, with Korean singers HOUSE RULEZ  & SAPH FIRE performing. The shop owner told me it was vintage from Guatemala but who knows. I loved the vivid pattern and often use it as a holder for my iPhone rather than for sunglasses.



The loafers are also vintage from Korea, but these were picked up at Dongmyo Market in Seoul for only W2000 ($2.00 US). Great woven leather and suprisingly my size, which is not an easy task in a country with rather small feet. I wanted to bring out the colors of the sunglasses holder so I wore these baby yellow socks from Topman and a pair of magenta trousers from UNIQLO that I had tailored into short pants.


xoxochadchad

london girls 0.3

Kate


black lace dress / vintage
black boots / no brand
round black sunglasses / vintage
yellow headband / no brand
accessories / no brand




Kaye



owner of Queenies cupcake shop in Islington


black scallop edged tee / Topshop
brown leather jacket / vintage
pearl necklace / vintage
green trousers / vintage
brown belt / vintage
burgundy brogue wingtips / Russel & Bromley




Karina


stylist


black leather biker jacket / vintage
striped shirt / UNIQLO
black denim / no brand
black shoes / Converse
blue head scarf / vintage




Carla



visual artist & trend researcher


cream cardigan with zigzags & stripes / vintage
black leggings / no brand
black leather sandals / Aldo
black clutch / vintage


xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 4.0

striped shirt / vintage Ralph Lauren
magenta shorts / reformed UNIQLO
sky blue socks / Topman
black leather gladiator sandals / Giordano
black sunglasses / Asos
robot tote bag / Marc Cain
braided leather bracelet / Marc Cain

We finally had a few sunny days here in London so you can imagine the entire city was outdoors as much as possible sunbathing and eating their lunches in many of the cities lush green spaces. On my way to Hyde Park yesterday I passed this bronze horse head statue located in the roundabout next to Marble Arch which balances precariously on it's nose.  It was designed by English artist Nic Fiddian-Green and has since become my favorite piece of public art that I've come across so far in London.




I was recently sent this adorable robot boy tote bag (which has an amazing hot pink mesh lining!) & braided leather bracelet from German label Marc Cain and I wanted to create an outfit around them.  Thanks to Adeline & the team at Marc Cain for being so generous!  Here are a few pieces from their spring/summer 2011 collection that I found particularly charming:








I definitely wanted something bright to go along with the robot bag so I used the bold magenta color of my UNIQLO shorts as a starting point. They were originally a pair of trousers that were on sale for W5000 in Korea, so I bought two pairs and had one tailored into shorts. They matched perfectly with Burger's XL vintage Ralph Lauren striped shirt and these baby blue socks from Topman which I bought in a pack with 4 other pastel colors, perfect for adding a bit of summer into any outfit.



xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 3.9

blue & magenta plaid blazer / Topman
pinstriped denim Mandarin collar shirt / vintage
magenta trousers / UNIQLO
eggplant leather bag / VanHart Homme
eggplant patent leather loafers / Zara
sky blue socks / from Japan

I'm officially a Harrod's department store employee now. I was hired on for temporary retail sales for the duration of the summer sale season which is on now until July 10th. My first day on the shop floor was on Friday and luckily enough I was chosen to work in the Men's Lab, which is a new section in menswear location on the lower ground floor. It created last December "with a young, fashion-conscious male in mind, fusing urban style with a polished aesthetic to create a trend-led offering like never before." Which means I don't have to wear a black or grey suit and tie to work everyday like most of the other members of staff do and I can still be creative with my outfit choices.


I decided to base my outfit around this leather VanHart Homme bag (even though I wouldn't be wearing it on the sales floor of course) which was a gift from Korean designer Jung Du Young / 정두영 for helping him with a presentation he did before his FW 2011/12 show during Seoul Collection.  The bag along with the bright magenta colored trousers from UNIQLO perfectly brought out the colors of the plaid blazer I borrowed from Burger's closet which I wore over a vintage denim shirt.  The pinstripes and the Mandarine collar of this shirt add a pleasant contract to the plaid.


To keep with the quirky look of the jacket, I wanted to wear a pair of socks that really popped in both color & pattern.  I found these 'big fish' socks a while back on one of my visa runs to Fukuoka, Japan.  The separated big toe is so you can wear them with wooden sandals.  I love the Japanese sun over Mount Fuji in the background behind the red fish, but unfortunately their days are probably numbered and will probably fall apart after one or two more wears.

xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 3.5

blue cardigan / Acne
purple plaid shirt with safety pin shoulders / reformed UNIQLO
teeth & studs necklace / Topshop
baggy acid wash jeans / Topman
white 'xoxo' sneakers / reformed Plimsols




Greetings from Amsterdam! Well, officially I'm back in London, but I barely had internet access on my 2 day trip so I'm updating my 'chadchad of the day: Amsterdam edition' after the fact. I haven't been to Amsterdam since I spent a summer here during university working as an au pair for a Dutch family. What a summer! It was nice being in the city again & reminiscing about how much has changed in my life since I last stepped foot on these cobblestone streets. Amsterdam has changed too - it feels like the entire city is under construction, everywhere from Centraal Station to the palace to both the Rijksmuseum & the Stedelijk museum in Museumplein. It looks a little junky actually but I'm sure it will clean up & be back to its beautiful self in a few years.


I wanted to build an outfit around one of the tartan plaid shirts I've reformed to sell on ASOS Market. I cut the sleeves off this UNIQLO shirt of Burger's then added rows of safety pins to each shoulder to give it a punk edge.  It also looks good worn over a light graphic tank top.  You can buy this shirt HERE.


I rocked my 'XOXO' banner Plimsols the entire time I was in Amsterdam which wasn't the best idea as we walked more than I thought we would. I was hoping to explore via bicycle as the Dutch so adorably do but Burger's cycling skills are lacking & we thought we'd better keep out of any emergency rooms while on vacation. I reformed a similar pair of size 8's that you can buy at ASOS Market HERE.


It was chilly & overcast the entire time we were in the Netherlands, but fortunately I packed Burger's ultra comfy Acne knit cardigan to keep me warm.  It's so thick & cozy & grandpa-riffic.  I've been wearing it straight for a week.

xoxochadchad

chadchad of the day 2.3

grey toggle coat reformed into vest / vintage
denim jacket / vintage
white polo / UNIQLO
pink trousers / San Francisco Market
white woven leather loafers / vintage
blue check bow tie / no brand



Today is the Bling Night Flea Market at Platoon Kunsthalle and I have been busy reformed a lot of vintage clothing and creating necklaces to sell in a booth with my friend Cory. I found this vintage toggle coat at Dongmyo market for only W3,000 ($3US). I used a seam ripper to detach the arms then used a blanket stitch to reattach the lining. Quite easy work and I was really happy with the outcome. I made a black one & a brown herringbone one just like it to sell tonight.  I layered it over a denim jacket for today's look, but when spring comes it will be just as wearable over a t-shirt.


These woven loafers were also thrifted at Dongmyo for only W10,000 ($10US). Amazing for summer but when worn correctly can be used almost all year long. I matched them with these pink trousers I picked up in Seoul at a shop in Apgujeong called San Francisco Market. I have a sky blue pair exactly the same.


If you are planning on stopping by the Night Flea Market tonight, here are a few of the things I will be selling:


black toggle vest / brown herringbone toggle vest / leather bomber jacket with feather collar


embroidered necklaces / 'Go-Stop' necklace


dinosaur necklaces of all shapes & sizes


pearl gloves


pompom gloves / studded gloves


studded plaid peacoat / studded denim vest with tassels 


acid wash denim biker jacket with pompoms / floral shirt with pompoms


carpet shirts / denim vest with studs & feather collar


tassel sweater / tassel navaho print shirt / denim jacket with pearl shoulders


kelly green denim biker jacket with tassel / houndstooth shirt with pompoms


xoxochadchad