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Tag "Southeast Asian fashion"

HOW TO SURVIVE ADRIFT AT SEA

By: Kim Philley
15-05-2012
Kim

Objects you can use to signal for help:

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

aluminum can;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

sunglasses;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

metallic earrings;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

silk dress;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

vegetable peeler;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

votive glass;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

shiny onions;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion

your shoulder;

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, survival, how to survive adrift at sea, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook, AXARA Paris, silk dresses, soda water, Asia, street style, Southeast Asian fashion, Chanel powder compacts

a Chanel pressed-powder compact.

 

 

Massive metallic earrings: COLOR Vintage Clothing & Accessories, Phnom Penh; checkered shirt: eye-ful (gift from Vanessa Boots); hi-so sunglasses: GADHYPE, Terminal 21 Bangkok; gold ring: 1970’s Bangkok vintage (gift from my mom); black capris: “the Liberty” by AG Jeans (Adriano Goldschmied); blue-leather wedge sandals: custom-made at mosstories, Terminal 21 Bangkok; vintage Thai silk shirt: God-knows-where (gift from Vanessa Boots); Grecian silk dress: AXARA Paris; Chanel Radiance Powder Compact.

 

NOTE: If you’ve been wondering what the heck I’ve been blogging about with my incessant mentions of Terminal 21, check out today’s article from The New York Times T Magazine, “Bangkok Rising” by Pankaj Mishra, which traverses Thai history, politics, and, above all, shopping.

 

 

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COLOR IS THE NEW BLACK: Playing dress up with Dalis Chum of COLOR — Cambodia’s homegrown, microfinanced vintage clothing pioneer

By: Kim Philley
01-05-2012
Kim

Polished, affordable, vintage clothing and accessories in Cambodia? And all run by a whip-smart, sassy Khmer businesswoman with great fashion sense? I know I jump on a dime these days, but I went full-on trampoline for Phnom Penh’s new COLOR Vintage Clothing & Accessories:

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style

Dalis Chum–a 29-year-old entrepreneur, single mother, and owner of COLOR–gave me the run of her vintage racks yesterday. It was hard choosing, but I finally settled on three outfits and two motorbikes I long to sneak past Suvarnabhumi Airport customs.

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style, safari dress, Komono glasses from Terminal 21, Bangkok

Not only are COLOR dresses darling, scot-free of the typical fades / snags / stains that plague vintage clothing, and perfectly pressed, but her COLOR accessories rocked my world. These Chinese metal orbs-cum-earrings only set me back five bucks and they’re surprisingly light on the ears.

safari dress: Mashhad International ($18)

fabric belt with metal buckle: ($10)

hi-so sunglasses: KOMONO, Gadhype, Terminal 21, Bangkok

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style, red skirt, long fitted coat

slim-fit long black coat: Jazz Club Ctd. ($45)

black cotton top: ($8)

red skirt: ($13)

comfy Cece suede ballet flats with hidden wedge: J.Crew

After all that street jumping it was time for a more grounded look.

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style, red skirt, long fitted jacket

I love a maraschino-red mini paired with a simple top and jingle-jangle earrings ($5). And as you can see, COLOR doesn’t neglect the boys with its hand-picked selection of vintage vests, trousers, and other dapper menswear.

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style, red beret, silver-hoop heart earrings

I love these silver-hoop earrings with big black hearts for $30. How in the world did I forget to buy them? I think tomorrow may warrant a return visit. And if the beautiful glove don’t fit, COLOR offers in-store tailoring to ensure a flattering silhouette.

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style, Honda scooter, heart earrings, silver hoops

Two more things I can’t get enough of: Honda scooters and trompe l’oeil skirts. I have the hips of a 14-year-old boy and a waist that balloons after a single can of Anchor. Not only is this Mardern Milan skirt yet another COLOR five-buck steal, but it creates the nip-tuck illusion of a tiny waist with its poofed, ruched hips. Et voilà–instant voluptueux!

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style, Modern Milan

And last but not least, the impeccably accessorized beauties who made this post possible: Dalis Chum of COLOR and my booking agent/buddy extraordinaire, Vanessa Boots.

Kim Philley, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Vanessa Boots, Pedro, Dalis Chum, Sovandalis Chum, COLOR Vintage Clothing and Accessories, Cambodian woman, businesswomen, micro-finance, colorvintage.wordpress.com, asian street style, Phnom Penh fashion, street style

Photography by Dalis Chum and Vanessa Boots 

Clothes, glorious clothes by Dalis Chum of COLOR, #168 Street 13, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia (+855 9578 7768)

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FU MEETS ASIA STREET STYLE: Faux Chantilly Lace from a Bangkok Street Stall and Boise Moonstone

By: Kim Philley
30-01-2012
Kim

A large part of Bangkok is, to quote Beck, shopping malls coming out of the walls. And then there are the street stalls. And then there’s Nana Chen.

Kim Philley, Nana Chen, Frivolous Universe, Asia Street Style, Bangkok, street clothing, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, J. Crew

Lady Luck, happenstance, lot, pluck, providence–whatever you choose to call it, my first Friday night in Bangkok I got lost in a freight elevator with Nana Chen. Nana is a Saigon/Bangkok-based photographer with an exceptional eye for portraiture. She has a fashion blog called Asia Street Style (ASS). I blog for Frivolous Universe (FU). If that isn’t a match made in a stalled freight elevator, I don’t know what is.

Kim Philley, Asia Street Style, Nana Chen photographer, Frivolous Universe, Bangkok, FU, J. Crew, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, subtlely sexy

On Sunday, to initiate me into the city of cheap thrills, Nana trotted out her collection of subtly-slutty faux-lace: tiny, tatted Matador jackets, Chantilly-esque trenchcoats, and ultra-feminine DayGlo ballerina-necked cotton tops. Turns out she had purchased them all for a pittance–150 Thai Baht or under $5 USD–at her local Silom street stall.

Kim Philley, Nana Chen, Asia Street Style, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Bangkok, street clothing

I love the detailing on this top–so much romance for under five dollars! And all I had to do was slip it over my James Perse tank top and my thrifted skirt by Maria Bianca Nero. Nana styled my lacy top for this photoshoot and posted three of these photos yesterday on Asia Street Style. These peekaboo cotton tops get snapped up fast in Bangkok–Pepto-Bismol pink was the only color left when we reached Nana’s favorite clothing stall. The fact that I was already wearing matching Cece ballet flats by J. Crew? Kismet.

Kim Philley, Nana Chen, Asia Street Style, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Bangkok, street clothin

This is my Idaho grandmother’s moonstone necklace. Every now and then it sheds a moonstone like a seven-year-old loses teeth. Despite their translucence, I always manage to find the lost moonstone. Perhaps if I sleep with one under my pillow, the Lime Fairy will come . . . .

Kim Philley, Nana Chen, Asia Street Style, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Bangkok, street clothin

My handbag is Dooney & Bourke, and it’s getting dirty. I could take it to one of Bangkok’s hi-so bag spas for a good shampoo, but I’d rather save my baht for cheap, glorious street clothes. By the way, the above photo is what you look like when, in the Bangkok heat, you reach full-wilt.

Kim Philley, Nana Chen Aisa-based photographer, Asia Street Style, Frivolous Universe, FU, http://http://www.frivolousuniverse.com/, Bangkok, street clothin

And this is what you look like when you recover! It’s hot here and life moves fast. Sometimes you just have to trust where you are and who you’re with.

To find the faux-lace clothing stall: Take BTS to Sala Deang. Exit 2. Walk along Silom until you reach the junction with Convent. Bring a little baht.

 

 

 

 

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FU: It's not an insult, it's a fashion blog. A group of friends share their love for thrift store, vintage, and impeccably tailored clothes.

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