Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Lunar New Year Edition Coffee Cups


:)

My afternoon coffee break


What's yours?
It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act. There are two aspects to action. One is to overcome the distortions and afflictions of your own mind, that is, in terms of calming and eventually dispelling anger. This is action out of compassion. The other is more social, more public. When something needs to be done in the world to rectify the wrongs, if one is really concerned with benefiting others, one needs to be engaged, involved.

I find this quote motivating. I myself refer engaged and involved to one's life and the gifts/talents he has been bestowed with. Return your talents to the world tenfold, a thousand-fold. Live to nurture and hone and bestow those gifts to the world and that is the greatest contribution one can make for mankind.
When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle,
When 24 Hours in a day is not enough,
Remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class 
and had some items in front of him.
When the class began, wordlessly,
He picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar
And proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full.
They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured
them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly.
The pebbles rolled into the open Areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.
Of course, the sand filled up everything else.
He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively
filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided,
'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.
The golf balls are the important things - family,
children, health, Friends, and Favorite passions – 
Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, Your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else --The small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' He continued,
there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.
The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,
You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.
Play With your children.
Take time to get medical checkups.
Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

'Take care of the golf balls first --
The things that really matter.
Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled
'I'm glad you asked'.



cut&paste fun from February issue of NYLON Korea

paying around with colors. love the feeling of brush strokes hitting the paper :) 

models from stylenanda.comsimple collage by sophie! ^^
model from stylenanda.com


gosh, the models from trendy korean shopping website stylenanda.com are just gorgeous! I can't help but find myself playing around the site just stunned by the models more so than the clothes~


Wednesday, January 25, 2012

rambling thoughts

"The designer's practical skills in communicating novel ideas eased the smooth relationship between the production and consumption of goods necessary in a capitalist system of provision, and ensured that new products carried the requisite cachet to stand out in an overcrowded marketplace."

Christopher Breward. Fashion (Oxford History of Art)

Well, Kennedy could not have been more on the dot when he said the more knowledge we obtain the more our ignorance unfolds.
I was almost always under the notion that designers were a bit parallel to artists, to an extent.. but reading the designer's duties above in Fashion by Christopher Breward.. it feels like I've been exposed to a completely foreign idea that simultaneously makes complete sense.
With most big-name designers, I always felt-either you like it or leave it, people, they're a big deal for a reason. For instance, with Pilati, Tisci, Theyskens, etc. You know, they're amazing designers, and if you don't like their collection then too bad. The idea of the "celebrity designer" thrown around lately only reinforced those thoughts, too.

But after I read what Christopher Breward mentioned, the role of the designer.. of course it's not whatever they want to design.. it's designing for the wearer. Knowing what the demographic wants before they even realize it. And then it makes me think of Alber Elbaz's artist's statement, basically- I design for women and for women's bodies....Fashion is like food. If you can't eat it, it's not food. If you can't wear it, it's not fashion. And then on top of that he adds his signature..you know, telling a story with the clothes, the beautiful drapery, etc.

All these star designers.. they all know what people want before they even realize it themselves and present to us these fabulous, innovative and beautiful collections and then we can't help but go gaga for them. Of course.

Gosh I'm so embarrassed my foolishness.
Can't wait to see what other new ideas I uncover in this book.. hopefully it'll truly deepen my perspective on fashion.

just trying to put my thoughts into words..please disregard my gradually crumbling articulation skills..

Sunday, January 22, 2012

the looks that stood out to me from the moschino cheap & chic pre fall line~ 
the shoes the shoes the shoes!!!!



Thakoon Pre Fall Pt. 3


Definitely one of my favorite pre-fall collections

Thakoon Pre-Fall Pt. 2

Thakoon Pre-Fall Pt. 1


1. Listen without interrupting (Proverbs 18) 
2. Speak without accusing (James 1:19) 
3. Give without sparing (Proverbs 21:26) 
4. Pray without ceasing (Colossians 1:9) 
5. Answer without arguing (Proverbs 17:1) 
6. Share without pretending (Ephesians 4:15) 
7. Enjoy without complaint (Philippians 2:14) 
8. Trust without wavering (Corinthians 13:7) 
9. Forgive without punishing (Colossians 3:13)
10. Promise without forgetting (Proverbs 13:12)

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Cool like clemence









Oh my, imagine the inspirations this artwork would bring fashion designers!

Hm..
When I see beautiful illustration, works of art, and beautiful, beautiful clothes, this...this wonderful feeling I can't explain just floods through me from head to toe and nothing makes me happier, more excited and giddy. How can anything so gorgeous and fabulous exist? 
What's even more wonderful and beautiful is when I befriend people who feel exactly the same way when they see those things and the excitement multiplies and you feel so happy that someone else shares that same excitement you feel, and someone else finally understands all your fashion industry jargon and they nod and share their own opinion and we both nod and smile and jump up and down like little girls.

What a wonderful feeling. 

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Lately...











My drawing lines are getting so rusty it's driving me into desperation and insanity *pull hair out*



Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Rawrrr

Hello world, I am going to be une designer in ten years time. GRAPHIC OR FASHION? BOTH? LOVE!? *pull hair out* TIME!!! *calm*

Some goals for January

Simple collage of all favorite F/W '12, S/S '12 and PF collections.
Print out photo/laser quality picture of inspirations. 
One magazine collage everyday
Read 1 hour/ day 
QT every morning 
Gym 1 hour/day

Anyhowww, meowww I still can't get over how amazing the Givenchy F/W 12 collection was...I want..every..single..look. EVERYTHING! 


Saturday, January 7, 2012

Someone who is not a good tennis player may now and then make a good shot. What you mean by a good tennis player is the man whose eyes and muscles and nerves have been so trained by making innumerable good shots that they can now be relied on. They have a certain tone or quality which is there even when he is not playing, just as a mathematician's mind has a certain habit and outlook which is there even when he is not doing mathematics.

In the same way a man who perseveres in doing just actions gets in the end a certain quality of character.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Goals..Purpose

Mmm.
Lately I've been so busy with work I haven't had the energy to sit down and reflect on my goals in life, and it was getting to the point where I felt like I was just meandering my days away.

This is where good, successful older friends/ role models come into play.
To my genius oppa-friend:

Sophie (sighing): "_______, what is your purpose in life? Your ultimate goal?"
Friend: "To make a lot of money and eat everything delicious in the world. And to help stray dogs."

Such a direct, focused goal coming from a friend who's so busy and accomplished so much for being but 21 years of age.

So.. what is my ultimate goal?
What do I want to experience while getting there?

Hmmmm. You can do anything but not everything.

Look at the motivation that one friend's simple answer has given me. #love.