Clarks' 60th Anniversary Desert Boots in Malaysia

After dinner at 1-Utama today, I was walking past the shops with my friend when this guy came charging across us from our left with a purposeful walk and curious eyes. While I first thought he might want to attack us, it turns out he was actually attracted to the window display on the shop to our right. It was a Clarks shop that he was looking interested in (not us), and I was wondering what the fuss was all about.

After all, the Clarks in Malaysia hardly ever sold the classic favourites like Wallabies and Desert Boots. I remember entering the MidValley shop, and the sales assistant told me proudly that they seldom stock old products like that anymore. Rather taken aback with this ignorant answer, a Malaysian Clarks shop never caught my attention eversince, until today. But I digress.

Back to the story, I waited for the guy to finish salivating in front of the window display so that I could check it out for myself. No wonder he was staring for so long, he was looking at all 6 of these:
What a sight, right? These are actually the 60th anniversary collection of the Clarks' Desert Boot.
The original desert boot is a suede one in tan, first sold in the 1950's. The six designs shown here represent each decade since the birth of the iconic desert boot. From left is the tweed version (50's), women's paisley (60's), women's purple suede (70's), women's acid washed denim (80's), men's Britpop (90's) and for the noughties, a reproduction of the first desert boot according to its original specifications.

My favourites are the oo's (obviously), and surprisingly the women's paisley and purple suede ones. While it is designed for women (and selected flamboyant or secure men), the paisley pattern is beautifully designed ("uses a classic print from the world-famous Liberty fashion house") while the purple shade gives the suede a rich feel, and the fringe is rather FBT. The tweed one for me is just OK, while the acid denim one lost a few marks with the odd-looking pocket design. As for the Union Jack boot, I think the flag is more suited on a pair of Doc Martens than on the rather dandy-looking Desert Boot.

Each pair is retailing in the UK for 89 quid (~RM500), but with Malaysian markups I am not sure of the price here. The regular Clarks desert boot is sold at GBP69.00.

The desert boot, be it the anniversary version or the regular boot, is a classic shoe that should be on every discerning man's shopping list. The classic shape with its ankle length and four shoelace eyelets is timeless and versatile.

I've been eyeing on a regular sand-coloured pair for some time already, but first I need to replace my ailing wallet and crumbling notebook.

Read more on the 60th anniversary collection here.

The grass is greener on the Tokyo side.

When buying men's clothes in KL, there are three main factors that come into play: the mercilessly scorching weather, the limited selection of menswear labels and the negative perception about guys even attempting to dress up. I found a solution in Americana labels like Gap, Banana Republic, and the recently departed Gant that seem to adress all three concerns. These Americans sure know how to make their summer clothes comfortable in balmy weather while maintaining a modest but tasteful aesthetic .

I thought that the summer collection menswear that was brought to KL shores this year was pretty good- lots of nice shirts and shorts in breathable material and tasteful patterns (plaid, stripes, madras, gingham). That was until I saw this photo as I was flipping through a Japanese men's fashion magazine (Men's Non-no, if you must) and saw this ad in its first few pages:

[photo credit: BOI]

This is the Spring/Summer '09 ad campaign for Gap Japan. I was as green (as the second model from left's canvas sneakers) with envy at the realisation that so many of the items did not reach Malaysian shores. Model 1's shoes, t-shirt, mint green bag; Model 3's scarf, bag, t-shirt, belt, pants, shoes.. and the list goes on. Luckily, I calmed down after I looked at the ad hard and saw the words: Gap JAPAN. Japan, the country with a fashion sense/buying power so advanced that clothing labels have released separate clothing lines especially for the Japanese market, Converse Japan, Paul Smith Japan. Some items released in Japan will never see the light of day even in the native countries of that brand, I comforted myself.

I got hold of the said issue of Men's Non-no, and the picture above does not do justice to the full-blown ad in the glossy pages of the magazine. Several details are not visible in the picture above, such as the crumpled texture of Model #1's t-shirt, the stripes on model #3's pants and the knitted belt on model #3,4,6 and model #5's micro check shorts.

Sigh, the sad state of Malaysian menswear.

*Please click here (Boimpression blog) to see pics of the full ad campaign for Gap Japan SS09

The Sartorialist, the book.

I was browsing The Sartorialist website and the current post was about his book signing in Colette, Paris. It was then that I realised that the book he has been mentioning about since early this year (here and here) is already out in the stores.

I am hoping to see it in the Malaysian bookstore shelves soon, but I have yet to decide whether or not to buy it. I love the works of the Sartorialist, but I follow it so religiously that I may not even need the book. I am not expecting the contents of the book to be vastly different from the blog postings, so if I decide to buy the book it would only be for easy referential purposes and as an homage to the man on the front lines of street fashion photography.

The book, available in hard cover and paperback versions, has been release in the US on August 12th and on worldwide release early this month. It can be ordered online from Amazon and the like.

Deconstructing men's style: Lessons from the Sartorialist's eye.

Scott Schuman's blog, the Sartorialist is one of the most widely read style blogs for a reason. His eye for detail is among his blog's many qualities. I am certain that I am one of many who would turn to his blog for style inspiration and, with the availability of large hard disk space nowadays, save countless photographs posted by him for future reference.
Here I'd like to share photos that I would keep for my personal style reference, and the reason behind liking the particular photo. Click on the photo to go to the original post at The Sartorialist.

original pic by Scott Schuman

• I can't determine whether or not the tie was a silk knit one. All I know is that the tie's colour and texture looks great in his outfit.
• Love the ethnic bracelets. It's not unlike another photo also posted by Scott last year, where a man wore similar looking ethnic bands around his ankle (no socks, obviously)
• Electric blue pants are the obvious attention seeker in this outfit
• Belgian velvet slippers as seen here, and not too dissimilar from the English house slippers seen here. Don't let the word 'slipper' fool you into underestimating their make and price tag!
  

Posse Part Deux: Kanye West South Park'd

The South Park creators took a jab at Kanye West's ego with a parody episode called "Fish sticks". Kanye is portrayed as a 'gay fish' who embraces his true nature and swims with the other gay fishes. Hilarious!

I haven't watched it yet, god knows how long it has been since I last watched an episode of South Park.

I love how the guys at South Park used Kanye West and his crew's actual outfits (seen here outside the Commes des Garcons FW09 show, taken from Jak & Jil blog). Good effort, Trey and Matt!

More finds by a desperate choosy beggar.

I am a few pennies poorer today, thanks to the Amanah Saham 1Malaysia.
No DSLR for now, I'm afraid.
I had many hours to spare today though, and in usual KL fashion, the 'sale' sign was everywhere. I was mindful of my new financial status, but says who you can't get good stuff on a budget? My two pairs of patterned rocks from Zara and plastic aviators from Topman only set me back a grand total of RM48.80. Yay me.

Sorry this was an absolutely pointless post, beside the fact that I am using the phone camera and phone blogging feature

I am stealing this look!

American Casual (probably Ame-kaji to this guy) done well, as captured by The Sartorialist.

I am in full support of the American Casual summer style to be adapted by more Malaysian men. Why not?

• The style is relaxed and unpretentious, if you are afraid of being labelled an attention whore. (refer: picture above)
  
• Most items are worn in relaxed/regular fit and not figure-hugging tight, if you're afraid of looking ghey. (refer: picture above)
  
• Materials are lightweight, if you're afraid of getting soaked in sweat. And shorts are definitely acceptable! (refer: picture above)
  
• The shirts are in bright summer colours that would look great in the Malaysian sun. (refer: here)
  
• Most elements in American Casual clothes are time-tested classics, if you're afraid of ending up looking like a fashion mistake.
• The styles are conventional, if you're afraid of looking too modern.
• The colours and patterns can be modern, if you're afraid of looking too conventional. (refer: here)
  

So what IS the American Casual style? Discussing that would need a whole separate blog posting.
In the most superficial sense, it's (in terms of a 21st century summer):

gingham, summer plaid, seersucker, ribbon belts, boat shoes, loafers with no socks, Ivy League, East Coast, tailored shorts, plimsolls, madras, oxford button-downs, chinos, linen, repp ties, cardigans, cotton blazers, nylon raincoats

OK, I've found a way to shorten it to two words: Ralph Lauren. :)

Posse.

via Jak & Jil Blog

I have made a discovery. 10 months late.

All this while, my daily dose of menswear came from a small staple of blogs and websites. As I started to blog again, I notice a whole kaboodle of fashion blogs (the amount of blogs linked by Susie Bubble is dizzying), even local ones (totally impressed by the number of Malaysian fash-blogs out there). As usual, many were filtered out due to their focus on women's wear or editorial fashion. One blog stayed on my mind for posting one excellent shot after another.

paparazzi of enviable style, via fashion royalty or otherwise
+ belles femmes de paris
+ belle donne milanese
+ mind-blowing details captured in camera
+ amazing photography
= add to delicious bookmark + save as *.jpg

This unsurprisingly popular blog is Jak & Jil, and I am ashamed to say that I am ten months behind on the greatness that is Jak & Jil. Nevertheless, better late than never.

The Sartorialist's Picks for Summer 2009

Spring Collection 2010 on the runway = Hot summer 2009 style off-the runway

I am one who appreciates fashion shots taken of people on the street, more than fashion displayed through runway models and magazine editorials.
Scott Schuman who blogs at The Sartorialist takes shots of the best fashion styling going on OFF the runway (i.e the attendees) of the menswear fashion shows in Milan, Paris and New York City. Fashion show season (June/July, Jan/Feb) would be a personal period of anticipation for updates from the Sartorialist, who would post his photographic findings in his blog on men.style.com.

As for this season's fashion shows, the pics have slowly begun to arrive.
While he has yet to post the complete collection of photos in his men.style.com blog, he has a feature on The Upgrader to highlight some of his best shots to date for the season.

Here are my favourite shots from the feature:

You may have noticed that many of my favourite shots happen to be men of a slightly mature age. Perhaps the more mature man have gained, through experience, conviction of what works and what does not.

Stockholm Select : Streetstyle snapshots

Taken from one of my favourite streetstyle blogs, Stockholm Streetstyle.
Click on the pic for link to original blog post and photo.

DAM (ladies)











HERR (gentlemen)

Malaysian Mega Sale 2009: Guide for the male 'choosy beggar'

NB: There is a blog by the name of The Choosy Beggar, a name which is rather self-explanatory (it is a blog that blows the whistle to discerning but broke shoppers in NYC whenever there are sales in credible/noteworthy brands or shops) . Closer to home, we do have a few blogs that announces sales dates etc (one of them is extremely popular, in fact). However, these blogs report sales of all sorts, including electronics, stationery, near expiry toiletries. Furthermore, going to a sale in Malaysia is like a lucky dip- some goodies are no goodies at all. Malaysians who have lived abroad would know what the sale situation like in Malaysia when compared to other countries. Many sales in Malaysia comprise of either very very old/ugly stocks or meager reductions not worthy of the word 'sale'.

Compounding to this problem is if you were the Malaysian version of a 'choosy beggar', and a male one at that. I could spend a whole day writing about the predicaments of being a male 'choosy beggar' in KL, but in two words- it sucks.

So in conjunction to the nationwide sales, here are some relevant observations and updates which I hope would be useful to some. I didn't do this on purpose- I was basically wandering around my favourite shops to work off my lunch before my gym workout.

1. Gant
Is closing! It's a pity that American East Coast/Ivy League style did not catch on among Malaysian shoppers. I am surprised it didn't because the materials are suited for Malaysian weather (cottons/linens/seersucker) and the designs are conventional and not over-the-top. Plus, they are de rigeur of summer 2009, all over the streetstyle and fashion blogs

Hurrah:
Discounts=Great. 70% off storewide with some value buys. If you are an Amex/Maybankcard user you get additional 10% off the discounted price, ie a 73% discount (You don't get 80% off, mind you)
I finally found a pair of slim chinos after 1 year of hunting (told you it was hard being a choosy beggar in KL!), at 73% off! It's probably several seasons old since I didn't see them at last year's year end sale. I don't know if slim chinos are in favour this year, but who cares? We live in KL!
Boo:
Menswear items still available are mostly in sizes L or XL, with the smaller sizes already snapped up (sale started 1 July). My slim chinos were W34, the last and smallest size of the bunch.
A question of ethics arises for the shop not informing the customers that the additional 10% discount is on the discounted price and not the published price.
Verdict: Goodbye Gant, sorry Malaysia didn't love you as much as I did for your 70% off reductions. But I hope you get bad karma for misleading your customers about your discounts.

2. GAP
I respect the FJ Benjamin group for not insulting the Malaysian shopper's intelligence and giving genuine discounts on their current items. Their sale started about 2 weeks ago, and it was for the current SS09 collection!

Hurrah: 30% off almost all of their great shirts. I got one in teal gingham long-sleeve for about RM140. Lots of nice summer shirts and shorts in tasteful plaids, ginghams, madras, seersucker. Many sizes available.
Boo: None noted.
Verdict: Noteworthy, genuine sales for up-to-date yet practical American casuals.

3. Zara

Hurrah: Black and white espadrilles for RM49.90.
Boo: Most stuff are only reduced by 15%, but they made seem it like a hell of a big deal. No wonder the cashiers on the men's dept weren't busy. The sales in UK were much better in comparison.
Verdict: You call this a sale?

4. Nautica
Selection this time wasn't too impressive. Discounts were fair, but not noteworthy. I once bought a brown leather belt for RM50+ there, but this time around the discounts were only 10%. Perhaps the best discounts are not to be had at Megasales period.

5. M boutique by Melium, the Gardens
This shop, tucked behind the escalators in the ground floor, stocks the more edgy and youthful fashion labels like CDG, Fred Perry, Y-3 and K by Karl Lagerfeld.
Hurrah: 50% off Fred Perry made in England (I repeat: made in England) polos at various sizes
It doesn't get much better than this. Hope to cop this during their next sale in the year-end.

6. Club Monaco
Visited this last week in Pavillion. Reductions were mostly for their AW 08/09 collection, not the summer collection. In general, I think they have better discounts at the end-of-season sale, especially with further reductions.

7. Banana Republic
Also visited this last week. Discounts this time around weren't that great, but being part of FJ Benjamin it still is a genuine sale. Didn't see many 40% reductions as compared to previous years.
Maybe their other sales are better.

Final word: Don't fall for the 10-15% discount crap. And as you know, Malaysian sales happen all year round. Many shoppers would realise that some great deals are to be had outwith the Megasale period.

UNIQLO opened in Singapore 3 months ago.

I am behind time as usual.
Just got to know about this after visiting DJ Blink (of Lapsap)'s blog. Singapore is so lucky as usual, all the major Japanese retail chains will choose to open there. They've already got Muji and Graniph, and now Uniqlo!

I visited both Graniph and Muji when I was down there in Feb, Muji was fine (was tempted to buy their boston bag) but Graniph wasn't as impressive as its website suggested. I guess the selection of items brought over to our shores tend to cater more to the South East Asian, less adventurous tastes. Just like how a friend mentioned that H&M in Shanghai wasn't as good as the ones we were used to in Europe.

Hope the selection in Uniqlo would not dissapoint. On my list are nice slim chinos sold last year. And perhaps some UT's, too.

Would be looking forward to visiting Singapore at the end of this year, provided I don't come back a pauper after my Aussie trip this October.

Update: Upon seeing the pictures posted here, I have a gut feeling that I might be disappointed with Uniqlo Singapore? Place looks a bit more F.O.S than its counterparts in NYC or London. Nonetheless, it's what they sell that matters. Many H&M stores look unsavoury too.




On a related note,
I also hear of a new mall opening up in Singapore around these coming months called the ION Orchard? According to this blog here, they are going to house:

"Cartier, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Louis Vuitton and Prada. Burberry, Ermenegildo Zegna and Yves Saint Laurent....Christian Audigier, Dsquared2, Diane von Furstenberg, Harry Winston, Hilfiger Denim, Just Cavalli, Marc Jacobs and Vivienne Tam.....Bally, Miu Miu, Muji, Salvatore Ferragamo, Sephora, Thomas Sabo, Topshop/Topman, Uniqlo and Zara."

Typical luxury shopping mall fare. Meh.