Author: Battletag Ouchies

Audrey Magazine – Designer Kim Tae-hoon

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To see more about Kim and images from his collections on Audrey Magazine, click here.

From Audrey: South Korean Womenswear Line, FREAKS By Designer Tae-Hoon Kim – by Min A. Lee

For those of you keeping up with all the street styles coming out of Asia, we found a great designer with clothing accessible to stateside shopping fanatics! Meet Tae-Hoon Kim. Since 2000, he has been curating and perfecting his womenswear line, Freaks.

Working to find a way to represent the beauty of combining masculine and feminine balance, Kim shared with Audrey, “My original designs have been very straight forward and neutral feeling, but this collection for 2015 summer season has deployed more smoothly according to the trend in South Korea.”

When looking at the collection as a whole, you can see how his brand’s characteristics of “asymmetrical organization, aesthetic draping, mathematical crossing and structural formality” come into play.  Fit for navigating a bustling, modern lifestyle, we can visualize any piece of Kim’s collection on the fashionable streets of New York City and Seoul.  When we asked about the main influences behind his work, Kim explained, “It seems I had been looking for many buildings and works of installation and objects of the everyday surroundings before [a] sample design is planned.  I discover carefully and observe these things, and express it as a wearable contemporary character fashion.”

With several pieces available on a newly launched Etsy storefront, it’s easy to get your hands on the South Korean brand.  We picked out our favorite looks from their warm, summery tones and variety in lengths and fabrics.  There’s a nice range of form fitting cuts to dresses easy to move and stay cool in.  You can find more of Kim’s work here along with several look books and fashion films. – See more at: http://audreymagazine.com/south-korean-womenswear-line-freaks-by-designer-tae-hoon-kim/#sthash.Dn1oqhgj.dpuf

Image From Audrey Magazine Feature + Tae-hoon Kim

 

 

Audrey Magazine: Korean Designer Tae-yong Ko Interview

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Interview With Successful South Korean Fashion Designer Tae-yong Ko Of Beyond Closet, View The Full Article With Imagery Here.

Korea Herald hails Tae-yong Ko as one of South Korea’s most popular and sought after designers.  In the midst of working on his upcoming international collections, and appearing alongside celebrities Zico from Block B and P.O for the television show Fashion King Korea’s second season, we were able to catch up with the busy designer after two very successful and critiqued showings during New York and Seoul’s Fashion Weeks.  Ko shares with us his aspirations for his brand Beyond Closet, some favorite moments from both the spring 2015 shows and an in-depth look into the most recent collection. – See more at: http://audreymagazine.com/seoul-fashion-week-interview-tae-yong-ko/#sthash.6o61EYaD.dpuf

Fashion Writing – Deola + Clan

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Article For Magazine Done Last Year

A Fashion Week Debut Full Of Luxurious Textiles, Plus A Mix Of Bright Hues & Playful Youthfulness – Min A. Lee

Deola Sagoe and Clan (which is made up of Sagoe’s daughters Teni, Tiwa an Aba) successfully presented their New York Fashion Week debut collections full of color, youth and luxurious textiles.  Looking at the designs of Sagoe one can see how she draws upon Nigeria in a lovely mix tradition and current aesthetics in the fashion world.  Her line is filled of body conscious cuts with conversation-starting details from cut-out patterns to an iridescent sheen for shifting colors and then adding in echoes of Nigerian fabric patterns, all brought beautifully onto the main stages of New York.  We can see why Deola Sagoe is gaining world-wide notoriety and praise.

As we watched the models glide towards us, we could feel the bold presence in her designs—they truly speak for themselves.  This line is not meant to be taken lightly, but worn for that occasion you want to stand out.  Even in the neutral looks there are features that instantly pop out at viewers.  We hope to see more of Sagoe at the coming fashion week industry events and anticipate her future collections.

CLAN

CLAN interests us with their take on clothing collection availability.  While nearly all designers offer two main collections, one for fall/winter and one for spring/summer, CLAN decided to create truly timeless designs in the sense that “these pieces will be available all year round in chosen variations and upon personal requests,” explained Teni Sagoe.

While viewing the debut, we felt an immediate sense of playful, youth with a bit of urban wear appeal.  Amping up the paints with open-mesh appeal, draping and mixed-media was a fresh take for the on-going trend.  One of our favorites was a phonetic spelling for laid back (laid-back) splashed across a silky top.

A perfect descriptor for parts of the CLAN collection with its easy-to-wear designs and casual coolness.  There’s even a comfort appeal to the more complicated designs we appreciate.   When it comes to fashion, we are always on the hunt for compelling designs with functionality.

Fashion Writing – Costello Tagliapietra

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Article Written For A Review Of Costello Tagliapietra’s S/S2015 Collection

Exploring The Lovely Oceanic Blues Of Fashion House Favorite: Costello Tagliapietra – Min A. Lee 

Viewing each style from Costello Tagliapietra’s spring and summer 2015 collection is transitioning down through the layers of the ocean.  Beginning with the sometimes tumultuous clouds and winds that can create such beautiful stormy hues that slice through an otherwise golden palette.  How fitting the fabrics picked by the designers move like the wind and water and sometimes appear like a stormy horizon on some.  A perfect mix of emotion and grace for those who are a bit more on the serious side of wardrobe preferences because not everyone is into frills and flounces.

Just as the water turns into a crystal, clear blue, as does the flow of the collection to longer lengths of the hue while keeping water-like properties that move around the body in seamless waves.  Despite the form fitting cuts that emphasize natural waistlines, comfort is definitely key. These aren’t garments that you’ll constantly be adjusting and pulling on to keep its shape.  There’s something completely natural about the way they fall even in standing positions.

As the ocean becomes deeper and darker with tinges of green to black, the level of mystery arises. There’s almost a more quiet quality to the depths that aren’t pushed about by winds and the moon’s gravitational tug-of-war.  In the darkness you have to look closely to see the subtle details, the same goes for the design duo’s work.  At first glance the dresses seem simple, but look closer and one can see beautiful pleating to create small cascades, silky textures with gauzy overlays, contrast piping and lining for added contour and emphasis, and our favorite—their signature plaids but with an open weave.  Dark and mysterious? Yes, definitely…then mix it with the strong force of attraction these looks imbue and you are set for date night.

The gradient of hues in the collection complement every skin tone and hair color, which isn’t easy to come by because it can be difficult matching warm and cool to the right color—you don’t have to worry, they’re expansive line offers the ability to create looks depending on the wearer’s desire.  These are clothes meant to make any woman feel stunning.  Even the more sportier option with its silky bomber jacket and body conscious skirt still initiates a striking aura that is found in every collection produced thus far.  If you are looking for pieces to refresh your wardrobe for next spring put Costello Tagliapietra high on your wish list, they’re definitely up there on ours.

Fashion Writing – Teddy Stratford Shirts & Audrey Magazine

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Article written for Audrey Magazine, read the full piece here.

How the Police of Bangkok Inspired a New York City Dress Shirt Company

 

Normally, National Public Radio (NPR) is considered at the forefront of distributing news and cultural programming, not as a media outlet for fashion. But one podcast is beginning to change how the global fashion industry is viewed.  Rather than a constant stream of modern trends and red carpet celebrity drama, which at times feels more like a reality television show, NPR host Jacki Lyden was given the task of presenting the topic in a way that will appeal to listeners.

Regarding her new production, she explained, “We have to do it as anthropology—and more like a salon of the air.  That’s where public radio audiences would come in—in the amazing cultural context of fashion, and as business, diversity, history, entertainment and social commentary.”  Hence, The Seams: Clothing Is Our Common Thread: In Every Stitch, A Story was born, and from its recent beginnings Lyden has used the world as a palette and shared stories that force us to think about fashion as a complex, yet engaging academic conversation instead of an image roll of pretty outfits.

Lyden’s first episode on theseams.org pulled us into the streets of Bangkok with entrepreneur Bryan Davis, who credits his extreme fascination with the police attire of the city as an influential obsession that would lead him on a successful kickstarter campaign for a patented dress shirt.

“I was reading about the police department, so I was particularly tuned into the police, and I noticed the police had these awesome uniforms, these really close fitting, sharp uniforms,” Davis states during the recording.

During a traffic stop, Davis found an opportune moment to question the officer where the uniform was from.

Luckily, instead of a ticket, he received an address for a local tailor, “My friend and I walk in to the tailor’s…she’s got to translate.  But what’s interesting in Bangkok is that the police all get their uniforms completely custom made.  This tailor was measuring me up asking, ‘Do you want cuffs on these pants,’ and all this stuff and then he got to a point where my friend couldn’t translate she didn’t know the word apparently for zipper…I want a zipper I’ve never seen that before!”

Taking inspiration from the uniform, Davis enlisted the partnership of master tailor Carl Goldberg and launched the company Teddy Stratford.  Using campaign money, the “Zip Fit Shirt” was released featuring a zipper hidden under a faux button placket to create a slim, stream-lined look.  In order to maintain the high quality that can be easily lost with mass production, all shirts are hand made in New York City with a retail price of approximately $185.

This experience shows us how every piece of clothing we have carries with it some anthropological and/or sociological aspect.  Clothing isn’t only just a reflection of individualism, but part of a giant industry that battles financial and ethical concerns along the way, which is what Lyden’s series for NPR hopes to address to a growing consumership.  As the podcast advances, we aim to share with you more compelling features, and if you are interested in listening in, visit theseams.org to check out the latest aired episodes. – See more at: http://audreymagazine.com/how-the-police-of-bangkok-inspired-a-new-york-city-dress-shirt-company/#sthash.GYQQbp54.dpuf

Fashion Article – Iikonee

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Fashion Article Written For Feature Brand – Iikonee

For those of us living metropolitan lives, caught in the constant daily movements between coffee and career, Iikonee lets us slow down and learn an appreciation for simplicity.  Clothing becomes a reflection of our lives, and there is beautiful classicism to be found within the line’s Spring & Summer 2015 looks.  Vivid white offset by classic navy and black make up the entire architecturally inspired collection, but with comfort and ease.  Spring usually entails overcrowded patterns and bright, summery palettes, but Iikonee keeps to traditional minimalist expectations.

  • Most minimalist designs tend to veer away from girly flirtation, but there is still a perfect dose of feminine appeal with curve flattering shapes and shorter lengths.  While on trend with the midi-skirt and contemporary boxy cuts for their available tops, the ability to wear these pieces over several years is not lost, especially as fads come back just as much as they disperse.  If you’re seeking out a revamp for your career wardrobe and want to move away from the usual suiting options, Iikonee should be at the top of your list.

Fashion Writing Audrey Magazine – Fall 2016

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3 Fashion Trends To Consider From The Pre-Fall 2016 Collection Shows – Read The Full Article Along With Some Of My Favorite Looks At Audreymag.com

Photos From Audrey Magazine & Designers/Brands