May should go easy on May

May in Paris always turns out to be a beautiful month with the sun rising early in the morning and a nice weather that allows you to throw away your coats and heavy outerwear –well, maybe not throwing it away for real, just keep it on the back of your closet- but unfortunately since ever I came to Paris May turns out to be a specially difficult month. For starters, I usually pick the wrong timing to use dresses, shorts and the alike and I somehow end up having some kind of unfortunate incident, but well that’s nothing compared to a literally sleepless month when–I’m not exaggerating at all- sleeping 3 daily hours makes you feel guilty about wasting your precious time on such a pointless thing to do when you could be working instead. May is the month when we fashion students present our final projects, I know fashion sounds like an easy thing to do, but believe me arriving to school the day of the exam is like experiencing the zombie apocalypses. I have to acknowledge that, in my case, my tendency to over-think about every single detail makes whatever task million times more difficult but just in general I’d be glued to my computer, sketchbook, pattern making tools pretty much 24/7. Just as an example, this morning,  I woke up with an sketchbook under my pillow –no wonder my neck is  hurting so much-  and it’s not because I’m messy, it’s just that my bed became a table to place my stuff this past week, imagine me, sleeping on the bed for the first time in a week… sounds lovely. May it’s just awful, no sleep, no decent meals, just work, work, work and more work, sometimes I’d even wish my exam would simply include a piece of paper with questions like explain in 4000 words the legal implication of… or idk… solve an impossible equation… at least in that case I could come up with an answer right on the spot but it’s not like I’m shameless enough to appear –as I’ve seen some cases of lazy/’chill’ people who mainly do nothing all year round- in front of the school jury with an unfinished outfit claiming that they lost the sleeve of a raglan design on their way there *unbelievable, I know* and a lame portfolio that includes some handmade sketches colored 5 minutes before the interview. In any case I chose to be a fashion designer and I have to deal with it, but May also happens to be the month when my mom celebrates her birthday, -and yeah, there’s Mother’s Day at it-, I know many of you would find it childish and hard to believe but every time my mom’s b-day comes I become an emotional mess… why? Well, living far from her it’s like the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life and it’d take me a week telling you the story of my family’s history so everybody could understand why exactly but to be general she’s the greatest woman ever, I know us children always believe our mothers are just brilliant but my mom is so good that my male best friend would go to his mom and tell her ‘Mom, you aint that great’ haha –don’t ever do that to your moms though-. My dear mother is not only a great friend, but also the most wonderful woman on Earth, my Asian friends have nicknamed her the ‘wonder-woman’ and without being biased I can’t come out with a better name, she’s just that, unbelievable.

Everybody has let me down at least once, father, sister, relatives, friends, boyfriends, but mom is the only one who’s never –even now- left me alone, I’m just so thankful, I can’t describe it with words. I’m always telling it to her but as I finally finished my school formation I hardly doubt there’s a better moment to thank her again and tell her how much I miss her and how much I wished I could be with her and remind her I could never take a step without acknowledging how much she has given up on my behalf so I’ll try to be better, even harder, now.

I know not everybody is as blessed as I am and you guys would fight with your mothers, have these tantrum moments when you blame your mum for every single thing that has gone wrong with your life, find her worries completely absurd, complain about the food she cooks, ignore her calls and choose spending time with your friends instead of her or just do something she dislikes. I know those are usual things to do as you grow older and become independent, we can’t be all ‘love and peace’ we’re humans, but I want to remind you that growing older it’s also about growing wiser and above all never taking things for granted. I don’t want to ‘brag about myself’ but I can say I’ve been a relatively good daughter and I’ve been always close to my mother so now being far from her it’s simply so awful and painful that whenever I see kids mistreating their moms on the street or my friends calling their moms ‘crazy witches’ I seriously want to punch them on the face. 
Be grateful for your moms and all the things they do, even if you don’t understand them or their behavior is just beyond annoying, love them and respect them. Even if you’re not close and can’t share everything with them or do things together, consider them as a house where you can always return to and find all those things you’re lacking somewhere else and no one else will ever be able to give you. They’re all precious so treasure their love and don’t wait for the day you’re apart to appreciate all those things they do for you. 

Ok, I’m done with my emotional posts, I’ve been so overwhelmed with work and I’m just so happy about finishing school that I needed to be emotionally messy… if that even makes sense xD haha. In another note, it’s almost summer, Paris is unusually perfect for me and I’m seeking a job–an internship at least- life is always complicated but worrying it’s not an option so I’m being all ‘love and peace’ how are you? Hope life is treating you nicely.

XOXO

From Paris,

May

Courageuse

Recently, while attending to a concert in Paris I met a nice girl who happened to be there alone -so I was! /hey people do not judge me, it's not easy to have friends in my circle who like k-pop or a k-pop fan friend who doesn't dress like if she was cosplaying a Korean idol group/- so we both started to talk exchanging funny remarks about how we were such normal fans compared to most of the people in there, naturally then we began to make the canon-type of questions one usually ask when meeting someone for the first time, like 'How old are you' 'Where are you from' and alike. So once I told my new 'friend' that I was 21 and moved to France few years ago without speaking French and all by myself, she looked at me with her dark eyes wide open, the mouth slightly open and  then snapped at me "Tu es très courageuse, non?!". I've heard that phrase at least a hundred times by now but in the past I never really thought that moving somewhere by myself would show how brave I am, in fact for me that's been just the start /I've dealt with much more than that/ but, blame it to the excitement of seeing my favorite group once again, the sentimentalism of my recent nature or even the pain I was feeling from seeing so many people gathered there /dressed in such a lame way/ but I felt so proud of me and my -achievements?- that during the next two hours of concert I couldn't help but thinking about how far decisions and effort can take us. To be honest I haven't really achieved anything exceptional but I've had so many obstacles in my way that coming to this point -where I'm about to graduate from a fashion school in Paris- feels like if I had done much more than what I really did.

Everyone has a different way of living and consequently different problems to face, sometimes I'm just so absorbed in my problems and I can't help but feeling jealous of people who achieve a lot without much effort involved /I live surrounded by such cases/ but then, seeing such empty existences I'm happy I have something to look forward to /the typical, a better tomorrow/ and happy I've managed to overcome all my limitations and experience such hardships.  I like to remind myself how lucky I am just to be alive and have a place to live because sometimes my problems seem sooo big when I compared them to my son-of-a-senator- friend's or my heiress-of-a-law-firm classmate's but when I see them from another perspective at least I'm doing what I like and my family is averagely healthy -have you seen people struggling because their parents/siblings/children are battling against cancer or alike?- and that is enough for me. Of course I can achieve much more /I want to achieve much more/ because I've always been ambitious and I'm determined to realize my dreams but also I want to live everyday, thankful for the things I have. A family, a house, tree meals per day /if not even more/ clothes, a car, a computer, we all take those things for granted because they're all just 'there' but have you ever stop to think about those who have to struggle without them? We all could live happier lives if we stopped everyday for at least a second to appreciate what we have instead on focusing non stop on what we're lacking.
Sorry my entry is kinda out of topic but I just wanted to share with you an awesome song I like these days and somehow I ended up -like I always do- talking about something else!
Ladies and gentlemen, this is my current jam:
Enrique Iglesias - Bailando ft. Descemer Bueno, Gente De Zona

Hope you all are happy today!
xoxo

Ps: Should I teach some Spanish lines next time?

Fashion, my love

There are always times in life when I can't help but feeling that I'm way too ambitious and that I dream too high. I'm always self conscious about the way people see me because probably I tend to fall into the 'frivolous' category in everybody's eyes, having so many goals and promises kept to myself others misunderstand me easily, so I'm aware that most of my friends believe I've tried too hard in life; even my best friend keeps repeating 'jokingly' that I should go back to my 'homeland' once I'm done with school next year. Of course I know she has no bad intentions telling me so but honestly I can't help but feeling a little bit uneasy whenever she mentions it in a playful way -don't blame me, after all, people say that there's some truth behind every 'innocent' joke-, usually my only reaction is brushing her off with a 'nice weather today' kind of remark but I've noticed that lately I've started to worry about my friends avoiding me deliberately. Sometimes I hate myself for thinking in such a way about the people 'who cares about me' but they seem to believe I have the stereotypical kind of Parisian life -which is definitely not the case- and they tend to consider my problems less important or just pointless.

My friends believe that my biggest concerns fall into banality, one of them made fun of me the other day saying -and I quote it- "What kind of problem would you have living in Paris? being unable to decide if you'll have mint or burgundy as main color in your collection? Not having idea if you'll buy a Phillip Lim bag or a Carven coat instead?" To be honest I feel bad knowing that my friends are convinced that I hate my country and that's why I've decided to pursue my studies elsewhere. I love them just as if they were my family so I don't get really hurt by such comments but there's an obnoxious incomprensible feeling about this, I also miss home and although this entry has taken the 'complain' direction the real reason why I'm writing this is because they seem to forget I'm here studying and not in some kind of vacation. I'm probably venting my frustrations in the wrong place but I wanted to make some remarks so my brothers and sisters -as I always address to my friends- remember that we're both creating our own paths and that living in Paris is not as different than living in Quito -which for me after all these years wandering around various places is still the best city- or just in general, any other city.

I'd  even dare to say that Quito is just as beautiful as Paris -I don't forget  that my city was in fact the first city declared as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO-.

My city is beautiful, isn't it?

Unluckily, fashion is the love of my life and... unfortunately and pitifully while fashion shows in Paris look like this...

Fashion shows in Ecuador are -I can't even look at this more than 10 seconds, it's just so embarrassing!-...

 And while models in Paris look like...

Models in Ecuador be like...

& Lastly, people attending Paris Fashion Week...

People attending to Ecuador Fashion Week...

I'm totally sure I go to school better dressed after waking up 30 minutes before my class starts.

So guys, do you understand me now?

Mister Print and Miss Zadig & Voltaire

By this time of the school year I’m usually stressed out and extremely worried, this year however, -being my last- I promised myself I’d have a more relaxed and calm attitude  which is not exactly easy, being the perfectionist I am. However I recently re-found the pleasure of watching dramas. Of course KOREAN dramas. To put it understandable for those of you who are not  familiar with Korean stuff, they are the Korean counterpart of the Latin American telenovela. Some clichés, typical plots, handsome chaebols –conglomerates owners- and in most cases some comedic relief through silly characters. Well I was first introduced to Korean culture around 12 years ago through a hit drama of that time so I’m quite used to the repetitive ideas, but surprisingly I keep watching them because although there are clear formulas producers seem to follow devoutly, the final product is always different.

To be honest the only reason why I decided to watch the drama I'm currently following was the cast -filled with well known names in the Korean scene- including one my favorite actors –a former model- and the best drummer in the Korean Idol factory –ok, forget that last part, it's a lie, I’m just being biased-. Sincerely, I wasn't expecting much of it and that’s probably the reason why I’m liking it so far. My best friend described it as a ‘Gossip Girl’ kind of drama after reading the synopsis, of course that's not entirely correct but at some point she’s right. Heirs –the title of the drama- revolves around a group of young heirs and heiresses of powerful families; the story depicts their love lives, friendship, enmities and the pressure they endure being always forced to behave as society expects from the next generation of chaebols.

I’m unsure whether I’d recommend it or not /to my picky friends/ but it’s overall good, not brilliant, just a light drama I enjoy watching weekly to pour away my frustrations and most importantly -and the main reason why I stop my tight schedule 2 hours per week- an awesome styling work worthy of my praises!

Commonly the peak of this kind of productions –in any other part of the world- would be the pretty young heiresses' style and stylists would devote their efforts to enhance them, however Korean dramas are quite distinct and they tend put emphasis on the male characters’ appearance 'cause well, who are the main target of these dramas? Right! WOMEN! 

I have to remind people that the characters are supposed to be still in high school so they commonly go for a preppy clean style -that I simply adore- everything it's quite basic but yet so fashionable and trendy -although I wouldn't mind if they stopped wearing shirts+sweaters all the time!-.
Since the drama has a wide variety of characters I might end by dedicating one entry to each of them cause it's impossible to put it all together without killing you of boredom. 

I'll start with Kim Tan, the main character, who clearly -as you'll see- has a thing for patterns and prints, he's stuck being casually trendy -I mean, the guy even wears Kenzo to chill at home!-. His wardrobe is basically filled up with slim trousers, a thousand of shirts, his good share of sweatshirts and the occasional suits. I like his style, just look at him! he's '18' years old and the modern version of Prince Charming, we'd still look fine wearing a 5 euros t-shirt with an old pair of jeans, which hopefully he won't do -because patterns and prints fit him quite well- or that's my guess based on the style he's been pursuing:

Kim Tan, the main character has a thing for patterns, he's usually spotted wearing brands like Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Alexander Mc Queen and why not? he even chills at home wearing brand clothing worthy of 600 euros... but well, what else can be expected from the son of the president of a large conglomerate? 

If I had to choose my favorite outfit, though,  I'd totally choose the one Tan wore for his awaited comeback to Korea -keep in mind this story is truly a huge mess-. 
Dries Van Noten coat + Viktor & Rolf shirt + Philipp Plein pants and Gucci bag just to keep it 'simple' and 'classy'? This is what Koreans call 'a great airport fashion'.

Ugh, no, I had almost forgotten the 'beautiful' sneakers complementing such a perfect set! This is what I call 'the most ridiculous way to ruin the mood'. Let's keep this one as the biggest fashion fail in the drama! 

Next it's the simple and poor -but not so simple and poor- damsel in distress also known as Cha Eun Sang, the female lead who happens to be the daughter of the housekeeper of Tan's mansion -ugh, complicated storyline here!-. The girl is supposed to be plain, simple and regular because well she's poor but I don't think we'll ever see our housekeeper's family wearing Zadig and Voltaire sweaters 300 euros worth. Anyhow the girl seems to be the embassador of Z&V in this drama because she pretty much only wears the brand, along Fred Perry stuff and... oh yeah! Vanessa Bruno too -I thought she said she was poor! maybe she's addicted to French brands! ahem... now we know why she has no money... ha!-. 

Eun Sang is so standard that I've started to call her the 'plaid and stripes girl' because that's the furthest she goes in terms of style, not to mention that the girl apparently has no other option than wearing her shirts as outwear most of the time. But hey! don't pity her, she's won the heart of two handsome rich men so far, not to mention she has a cutie as best friend.

Tried to Walk on my Red Shoes under the Shadow of Love watching the Cherry Blossom Ending.

I don't have so much time to write a long post but I thought it'd be a good idea to gather some of my favorite Korean music videos -because it has to be Korean!- in one entry. I'm aware that my teacher is going to read this at some point, so this entry will include all those great songs that have been translated visually in what I consider 'the right way', thus I'll try my best to give an unbiased and objective opinion, putting aside favoritism and personal preferences. I might do similar post in the future so this time around I'll give you the Top 5 I can think of at the moment. 

 

5. Busker Busker- Cherry Blossom Ending

Although fashion wise this video is really weak, the visual elements combined with the plot story and the song itself manage to catch the attention of the viewer all the way throughout. I honestly might be picking this video because I find it incredibly 'average' but that's its charm and that's exactly why Busker Busker's song became the iconic 'Spring Song' in Korea. 

4. BEAST (B2ST)- Shadow

There's no much to say about this video other than it's visually addictive! At first I was quite unsure about including it in the list because to be sincere most of the people around me took the video really lightly and some of them even disliked it, however I think we can give it a chance, can't we? Although the video could fall into the 'guys-dancing-a-choreography' category, I think that other than just showing random close-ups of each member of the group singing, this video is full of symbolic elements, from the outfits to the effects, everything is in their right place, not to mention that the photography is -from my amateur point of view- indeed remarkable. Of course a help understanding the lyrics would make a lot easier to understand the visuals.

Hint: 'Breaking up and becoming a shadow while longing for the past'

3. B1A4- Tried to Walk

About this video? There's so much to say, I'd write pages and pages and still be halfway. First of all, a round of claps for the stylists, the artistic direction and the photography team, the outfits were very interesting mixes and -probably it wasn't even planned- the way on which the people in charge of the photography worked, allowed to clearly differentiate the variety of textures in the garments, I felt that unlike other videos, Tried to Walk gave a special emphasis on the fashion, the camera work is outstanding, showing close up of the accessories, hairstyles and clothes without downplaying other elements. My Respect.

Also, it was probably just me -the weird surrealism fan- but did someone else notice the clear references of Dali's work? I'm maybe hallucinating and I could be wrong stating the inspiration behind the video but I when I first watched it I immediately related it to the Cover for Vogue that Dali illustrated back in 1939 as you can see here:

Flowers, branches and skeletons, anyone?

Anyhow this video has its fair share of 'symbolic elements' that can only be understood if you understand the lyrics so:

Hint: 'Although it's hard, we're breaking up'

2. Teen Top- I wanna love

I can see people raising eyebrows at this choice, 'not remarkable' might be the main objection and it's true, there's no a 'defined' story going on, no special effects, no symbolism, just depressed teenagers over -apparently- breaking up with their girlfriends, wandering around Hong Kong in the most obnoxious ways. No link whatsoever. BUT... there's something that makes this video so unique to my eyes and is the quality of the styling work. Definitely, Korean stylist are the bestest of the best. There's so much textures, colors, prints. It's risky to combine all these elements but they did it without falling into the 'I'm-hurting-my-eyes-watching-this' type of video.

Other than that, the camera work is impeccable, simply amazing. I can't imagine all the work the cameramen had to go through to have such quality of images, they captured the best angles and I can have a twisted opinion but I find that although the guys were supposed to be the focus, somehow Hong Kong took over in this video, the city is in reality the main character.

1. IU- The Red Shoes

Bran New. I'll keep it short: IU is the best act in Korea just now and no one -I don't even like her- would dare to state otherwise. And there's no reason either, she deserves all the attention she gets, her new song is pure perfection and the music video is an awesome work of styling, art direction, choreography and photography altogether. The only thing I can say about it is that instead of MV -Music Video- this work should be addressed as 'Musical Short Film' because well, that's what it really is.