THE FASHION FILES

by Liz Kennedy

When I was a kid in elementary school I used to imagine that God Almighty was up in the clouds and was purposely torturing me via the weather. Monday through Friday it would be beautiful outside. Saturday and Sunday would usually be some shit storm of rain – ruining my weekend. Now that I don’t work (regularly) I can go enjoy the sun whenever I want, or so one would think! Noo, not in Hong Kong.

In London, Paris and in NYC vintage gear is almost always in fashion. People mix vintage pieces with modern trends thereby inventing new styles all the time. After all, what is fashion but a cyclical rehashing of something that's already been done before?

Much like art, clothes allow people to express themselves. Not only can clothes make you more attractive or noticeable, but your choice of clothes also gives others visual cues about who you are, how you feel and how you want to be perceived. Therefore, like it or not, the clothes you wear can be an important part of daily life.

How to get Style
If you have a perfect body and a supermodel face, you can probably make a potato sack look good. However, the rest of the general populace may need a bit of help. Contrary to popular belief, style is not just about having the {it} handbag, following the latest trends or wearing brand name clothes. Real style is an innate sense of knowing what works for you.
 

At a recent fashion/ art happening hosted by Kanchan Couture and UFO art Gallery, a pop-up shop was constructed in the gallery for 72 hours. One of the happenings was called 'White Nights'. Everyone was supposed to come in a white T-shirt- symbolizing the blank canvas- and people were meant to draw and paint on each other to express their creativity.

We asked Kanch how she put together her unique look for the evening.
 

Style should be a reflection of your lifestyle. Kelz is an artist, sculptor, massage therapist and NGO volunteer who recently spent 7 months in India hence the urban hippie look is a perfect expression of who she is.

HHK: Where did you get your outfit?

Kelz: I love to save fabrics so the head scarf is made from an old dress I got in Japan. The shirt and pants are from a vintage clothing shop in New York. I didn't like the sleeves on the shirt so I tore them off and left them frayed. The jeans are bell-bottoms from the 70s (BTW we notice a big yellow trend for the summer). The canvas bag I'm carrying is a recycled bag that I've had forever. The rings are from the mother nature series which I designed and made myself. One ring is supposed to be the roots of a tree and the other one is supposed to resemble coral. I also have a ring called 'mantis' that looks like a cross between a shell and a praying mantis and I have another ring which looks like a crashing wave. 

With all the focus on recycling these days, a naturally new trend in Hong Kong is 'eco-chic'. The area around Gough Street in NoHo is a particularly good place to get recycled fashion handbags, soda bottles that are squashed into card holders and even dresses (Okay maybe it's just for display)! The handbags are made with juice box wrappers, candy wrappers, magazine and newspaper. Talk about creative ways to reuse materials!

Welcome to Hiphongkong's new blog about anything and everything fashion. In this column we'll explore these topics:

-Hot Shops: shopping areas, brands or designers

-Fashion Police: Our panel of catty fashionistas pass judgement on poorly dressed people. Verdict-guilty!

-Reality Fashion: We interview fashionable people on the street and grill them about where to shop and how to get style.