I've moved on...
...to a different domain. Why, what were you thinking? The truth is, I just woke up one day and decided it's time for a change—a metamorphosis, if you will; or, in layman's terms, if Britney can shave her head, then maybe so can I? Nevertheless, it's been a rather handsome 10 years of talking to you, and thank you for putting up with all my moodswings and terrible dad jokes. Fear not! The hormonal imbalance and jokes are more terrible on CUBICLE, see you there.
Tailored Coat – La Redoute x Carven. Trousers – Stylenanda. Heels & belt – Bally. Bag – Vintage. Scarf – La Redoute

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creative direction SHINI PARK photography assistance SIMON SCHMIDT in collaboration with LA REDOUTE

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Coat – J Lindeberg
Tom of
Colours
Perhaps the most shade superior of them all…
Navy calms me. By this I mean Navy the colour and not Navy the maritime armed forces teeming with ripped men in uniform (gasp) amongst an assortment of heavy waterborne vessels. Although, I could also consider the latter as a go-to when the going gets tough and all the other shades exasperate me. (If not that, then at least the uniformed parking inspector on my road?) (the lollipop lady??)
I digress.
Silk scarf
La Redoute
Ring pouch
OTAAT Myers Collective
Tailored Coat
La Redoute x Carven
Les 4 Ombres eye palette
Chanel
Block-heeled sandals
La Redoute x Carven
Zipped cropped-top
La Redoute x Carven
Touche Eclait
YSL
Dry oil
Mauli Rituals

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Top – La Redoute. Flares & Coat – La Redoute x Carven. Blue cashmere tube-top – Mandkhai

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While the name indeed originates from the midnight blue as worn by soldiers of the British Royal Navy since 1748, to my sartorial purpose navy blue is a ‘safe’ colour, a colour that says “I got this” and pays the bill, the Tom Hiddleston of colours. It might not boldly jump fences, nor would it take you for a night of bar-hopping (there’s a whole other slew of hues for those activities), but you can bet on it when you’re packing for a week-long trip and all you can take is a carry-on and a silk scarf. It probably even has a British accent.
The fact that the La Redoute x Carven collaboration is sports-luxe done in said Tom Hiddleston after Tom Hiddleston just makes it incredibly difficult to choose from, but here are some of my favourite navy blue staples. The fact of the matter is, navy goes with just about any colour, so I suppose it’s all down to you being the Scarlett Johansson, or Sasha Grey, if you will. ;)

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London Fashion Week · ss16
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art direction SHINI PARK photography & styling PARK & CUBE supported by THE APARTMENT, in collaboration with KURT GEIGER

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coat HARRIS WHARF LONDON socks KOREAN (SIMILAR) shoes KURT GEIGER

Place Charles de Gaulle: the deathtrap of a roundabout in central Paris where twelve straight avenues cross intersect in a star-formation – a place where I have sworn I will eventually die no matter what mode of transport I’m in/how veteran of a driver may be commanding the wheel/handlebar – is possibly the best I can do to explain Fashion Month to those outside the industry. It’s that noise, the lack of traffic lanes of any sort, the uncomfortable closeness to fellow comrades marching around the roundabout, and having to manoeuvre through the full circuit without crashing into, say, a scooter, or a blithe pedestrian (most possibly a tourist – even in the metaphor) (how many a German tour group experienced a Lion King-esque streetstyle photographer stampede towards Kendall, I do wonder) trying to jay-walk his way across to the Arc de Triomphe and wreaking havoc to any conceived order in this chaos. That is Fashion Month, for me.

In this equation, London is a relative comfort zone only due to the fact that the bed is familiar and the husband is baffled IRL (instead of ‘Y U DO DIS’ goodnight messages on WhatsApp), but the chaos is as thick. Tickets are missing, Simon – my source of enthusiasm in all this – ever scrambling in pursuit of some order in chaos (an impossible feat), and of course, the new Soho venue is simply a ‘hilarity’. Between all that, the fresh, new collections are the only clear sound in the commotion, that and the Apartment – a sanctuary known to digital somebody’s in the same plight. It may hustle and bustle, but anywhere that’s stocked with burgers, nap-pods, emergency Kurt Geiger, and infinite charge-stations is a clear win in this roundabout of death. In fact it’s like taking residence in the Arc de Triomphe, which coincidentally is also one of the best vantage points of the city (Alice knows).

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shirt CARVEN top KEEPSAKE skirt KIRSTY WARD boots KURT GEIGER

Here’s a scribble and a song, on the past season in London. More a scribble, because even after three weeks of supposed R&R my ears are still ringing of shell-shock. But I suppose that’s just me, getting closer to my 30’s and the bottomless barrel of excuses that come with. Call us a cab, BECAUSE I’M 30 AND WALKING IS DIFFICULT. Heck, I can’t wait to be 50.

GTG, husband’s just texted me a ‘Y U DO DIS’ from the other room.

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09:10 Japanese Breakfast at Koya Bar
10:01 Soho traffic is actual comedy
10:16 Stripes = YAS. At J.JS.Lee
12:20 Picnic-chic at Mother of Pearl: Season’s Favourite
Wool-piqué top
Mother of Pearl
Twist Lock Bag
Louis Vuitton
Love Chords Bracelet
Park & Cube for X Jewellery
Platform Sandals
Kurt Geiger
Platform Sandals
Kurt Geiger
L Der Watch
Larsson & Jennings
Platform Heels
Kurt Geiger
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Top – Zara. Skirt – Louis Vuitton. Trousers – Finders Keepers. Shoes – Kurt Geiger

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A hub, rest-stop and playground for digital influencers during Fashion Month

Move aside coffeeshops, hotel lobbies and odd little sandwich joints. Wrangling over one power outlet with 12% battery and changing awkwardly in the unisex toilet is a thing of the past. the Apartment is juice-a-plenty (both of fruit and the electric kind).

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15:10 rockstar eedding vibes at julien macdonald
15:55 Flash hair trim at Jhair
17:25 slinky silk & fluff at Topshop unique
18:05 Regina Pyo pick-me-up
Peekaboo bag
Fendi
Matte Home Ring
Effra London
Asymmetrical knitwear
Joseph
Zipped Boots
Kurt Geiger
Pleated Culottes
1205
‘Streets of London’ bracelet
Park & Cube for X Jewllery

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Burberry SS16

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The Setting

this is a photo Diary(ish) of a twenty-something year-old taking on seven days in new york city for fashion week, one hot minute a time. watch as she steps into a puddle of trash juice and denies the whole thing happened, then does a marylin monroe over subway fart in front of a gaggle of construction workers. it’s ok, she is proud about it all.

I can never go back, can i.

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art direction SHINI PARK photography & styling TEAM PARK & CUBE supported by THE APARTMENT, in collaboration with KURT GEIGER
00:10
Checked into an AirBnb in SoHo and got lost everytime I went out to get milk.
Dress – 2nd DAY. Skirt – ASOS (similar). Hat & Bag – Kurt Geiger. Watch – Larsson & Jennings. Bracelet – X Jewellery.

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00:20
…so much that once I took a cab back from two blocks away.

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As usual, the effect of New York to this European-to-the-core is that of whiplash, whatever medal I mentally award myself for packing semi-appropriately for the weather (contrary to the numerous occasions in the past in which I had completely missed the memo about either blood-stopping cold or biohazard heat). The minute you get in that Uber at JFK, it’s Keep your hands in at all times, and better secure those sunglasses because they will fly off on the next loop. If a New York minute is to Johnny Carson, the interval between a Manhattan traffic light turning green and the guy behind you honking his horn, to me it’s that (ever so slightly dejecting) micro-moment when the tax gets added onto a bill. One minute you have the exact change, the next minute you’re splitting your $100 note and getting a Robin Hood sack of change in coins. My point is, seven days in New York is but a blink of an eye, and at the end of it all, you’re just in sheer amazement of how much you managed to take in such beautiful grandness, smelly, screaming awesomeness, in that split second of a minute. Well here’s me trying to explain in photos.

And of course, it’s just too bad a London Minute is essentially the customer ahead of me in the Royal Mail Post Office checkout line, which means I’m looking forward to being in New York again in about TWO BILLION YEARS.

Bag – Kurt Geiger

#SPARKYxNY

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#SPARKYxNY
Cotton shirt
Boden
Contrast boots
Kurt Geiger
Messenger Bag
Coach
Navy Bandana
ASOS
Mineral UV Shield
Omorovicza
V-Rings Pack
Claire’s
Denim Culottes
Topshop
BOND Stilettos
Kurt Geiger
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Dress – Coach. Culottes – Finders Keepers. Bag – Coach. Boots – Kurt Geiger. Watch – Larsson & Jennings. Bracelet – X Jewellery.

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New York Fashion Week
Lest we (or I) forget the fact that we are in town for work
Streets of London bracelet
Park & Cube for X Jewellery
Knit top
Carven
Tailored trousers
Filippa K
D Earrings
ASOS
Wool wrap-skirt
Jacquemus
Tortoise Sunglasses
Kurt Geiger
CM Silver
Larsson & Jennings
Sparkling probiotic drink
Kevita
A little bit obsessed with layering a wrap-skirt over similar-coloured trousers these days!

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00:30
Fell back in love with dresses at Zimmerman SS16

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…and fell in love with multiple beautiful models at POLO Ralph Lauren

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Speaking of falling, the models kept falling over at Opening Ceremony. On purpose, it turns out, and to one sick beat.

#SPARKYxNY

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00:40
The Apartment as a base between the hustle and bustle…
Brigadier Skirt
Boden
Rings
Astrid & Miyu
Belt
Boden
Platform heels
Kurt Geiger
Sunglasses
Gentlemonster
Sometimes I look back and think, how did I even handle life during the Fashion weeks without the haven that is the Apartment. Now, I haven’t explained much why I spend so much time at the Apartment, but it’s basically my second home away from my Airbnb home during Fashion Week, and voluntary self-spoil-station with manicures, plush sofas, food… Particularly loved gathering some of my favourite people during NYFW with the help of Boden for brunch this season.

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Pouch
Kurt Geiger
Black Bond bracelet
Park & Cube for X Jewellery

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#SPARKYxNY
Shoes – Kurt Geiger. Trousers – Filippa K. Top – Carven.

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00:50
…and of course, stuffed my trap every moment of the way.

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01:00
In the end, seven days in the city of dreams dashed by like a single New York minute
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Double,
triple life
Versatility, apparently, is a superpower

Every six months my parents ask me via Whatsapp, “so… what exactly is it that you do now?” And every six months, I struggle to explain what exactly it is that I do now. If they asked this morning, I would add ‘5-minute spaghetti chef’ to the list, alongside photographer, web designer and blogger, and my mother would show me the true spelling of ‘tsk tsk’. (It’s true, I am this close to a Michelin star tyre) There is no doubt that I do lead a bit of a double life, if not triple – just like any ambitious (read: charged with the crazies) individual today. Plus, it comes with the territory when working in the visual industry.

For this reason I don’t have a uniform, there is no one cape that I can wear to all three jobs, unless stained Pyjamas count (thank the heavens for Skype conference calls). Truth is, I rely heavily on versatile, multi-purpose pieces that can minimize the stress of having to face an important client in the morning and then go on a physically demanding photoshoot in the afternoon. On this collaboration with Fay, I thought I’d show you exactly how I live this double, triple life quite comfortably with just one coat called Virginia.*

Don’t forget to check the Double Life feature over at Fay.com with the full scope of the campaign and rest of the Double Life babez.

In collaboration with Fay. Photography – Krisatomic;

Coat – Fay ‘Virginia’.

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I start the morning with a meeting with a client over coffee and breakfast pastries to discuss her branding and a new website. I’ve done up the clasps of the Fay coat up to my neck and belted it at the waist for a more formal look, although by the third pain au chocolat I regret this decision. I do love that it gives an overall military (think cavalry…) vibe, but with a slight feminine twist with the stilettos and red lips.

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I work from a home studio/office so it’s always a big deal when I’m out in town, so I always try to make the most of it by scheduling in at least one visit to an exhibition or gallery. Today I’m gatecrashing at the Dorothy Mead exhibit at Waterhouse & Dodd.
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Back to the office where I swap my 5-inch-heel horse and into more comfortable gear. We’re shooting in the studio today so I’ve slipped on a skirt and a pair of yoga shorts underneath. (No one is seeing my uterus today…) The Fay coat is perfect to throw on for the coffee run, finished off with an oversized scarf.

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Coat – Fay ‘Virginia’. Top – ASOS. Skirt – Carven (via Harvey Nichols). Bag – Saint Laurent. Boots – Stuart Weitzman. Scarf – ZARA

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Is it just me, or late lunch always tastes better? Oh wait, that’s the hunger speaking. Despite the three pain au chocolats and a plate of eggs from this morning of course. Aubaine’s Poulet Paillard is my go-to hunger buster.
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Coat – Fay ‘Virginia’. Top – ASOS. Bag – Hipsters for Sisters. Skirt – Alexandra Grecco. Sneakers – Isabel Marant.
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Given how dark it gets these days, my happy hour is winding down somewhere bright and cheery, so I ask a friend out to meet at the Wallace Collection – one of my favourite places in London – before heading to dinner. It’s been a long day so I pull out something fun and comfortable to wear under the Fay coat, like this puffy tulle skirt and white sneakers. AND A FANNYPACK. I swear it sounded better in my mind…

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* I don’t really change three times a day (unless I spill curry twice a day, which has happened in the past, mind.), this is simply to illustrate the multiple scenarios of styling a coat.
** Apologies if my third-grader handwriting offended anyone’s eyeballs this morning. I blame the rise of the machines…