Haute History

Self portrait of style. 

Haute History  

Fashionista: Jesica Colbyn

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Breakdown: In this photo I am wearing a military inspired blazer, dashed with a tribal head wrap — served with a vintage box purse. Vintage meets the street.

Secret: Fashion is the voice of self-expression, an extension of my skin. I am a fashion connoisseur, passionate about street culture.

Street Chic

Street Chic

Fashionista: Jesica Colbyn

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Breakdown: An all occasion takkie ‘ Converse’ and a head wrap. This look is reflective of Johannesburg as a city with great eclectic hodgepodge of different cultures

Secret: Comfy is key. With her Converse at bottom and gorgeous head wrap at the top, brings forth a cool cultural couture. And let’s not forget the fabulous monochrome approach with the boost of colour with the cute white fringed shrunken jacket. Perfection! 

Market Watch

Market Watch

Fashionista: Jesica Colbyn

Location:  Johannesburg, South Africa

Breakdown: For those lazy days spent at neighbourhood markets, a relaxed African inspired look is an order for the day. I’m wearing a print dress as a skirt for a maxi look.

Secret: The prints add such a fabulous ode to heritage. And fabulous way of delving into the multi-functionality of dress.

Photography by  Joan (Haute History);  Zewone (Market Watch)

*Jesica is a 20 something from Johannesburg South Africa with a passion for fashion and a heart for style. Imagination is a space in which she creates, dreams, play and when lucky – live. Fashion is an integral part of who she is. A silent voice in expression.

Tall Cool One

Fashionister: Tall Cool One.

Location: Berlin, Germany

Secret: This tall drink of fashion fabulousness was spotted at what easily can be called at a pretty swish boîte. With clean lines, and strategically placed hardware it’s no doubt that this gentleman knows his style.

Breakdown: When in doubt just go all black. The uniform for the chic and this impossibly cool guest is slick in his fitted blazer, skinny pants (look closely and you’ll notice some cool strappy action on his left leg) and of course black spit-polished pointed shoes. From head-to-toe, it’s all angular. And pretty damn awesome.

Photography by Maribel Carvajal-Vallejos

Written by Hina P. Ansari 

*Maribel  is a journalist, currently based in Berlin. Her works are linked symbiotically: music, politics and fashion.

She's cool. 'Nuff said.

Haute Pink!

Rainbow Brights

These Japanese stylistas still work their trademark style.

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Breakdown #1: She rocks the school uniform look brilliantly with layers of blue and beige combo and of course topped off with the great mesh baller cap. Look down. What’s that you see? Yeah that’s right, cute bands (we’re guessing hair accessories) that rim the top of the superbly slouched (and layered) socks. We mustn’t forget the finishing touch: The must-have stuffed toy pinned to her blazer and the cute and colourful phone accessory. That’s right, it’s head-to-toe-to-phone fabulousness.

Breakdown #2: While strolling we caught this fabulous pink-hued gal who has no doubts about flaunting what we think could be her favourite hue. She looks so comfortable doesn’t she? With her own unique blend of layers (let’s count: teal blue pants, teal blue top, white star studded top over that, and then finishing it off with what looks like a great comfy pink zip-up). Did we forget something? Oh, that’s right those kick-ass pink boots. Accessories? Sure let’s go there: the groovy white quilted bag, the multi-coloured bow-like floral themed hair clip which adorns her red ponytail and if you look closely, just near her neck, it  looks like a…stuffed toy. That’s right. We can’t even process.

Secret: Well, if we knew that, than we’d all  be breaking out in this Harajuku-style fabulousness. If we were brave enough that is. It’s one of our favourite things when documenting styles from across the world. Spotting such fantastic fashion scenes as these.

Photography by: Cam May

Written by: Hina P. Ansari

*Cam is recent photography graduate from New Zealand  who is currently living in Osaka Japan. He is busy soaking up the everyday Japanese city lifestyle buoyed by his love for street photography.  You will always find him attached to his rangefinder. You can check out more of his photos on his flickr site at http://www.flickr.com/photos/cammayphotography/

Karolina

Fashionista:

Karolína

Location:

Dvorákovo nábreží (Dvorák’s Waterfront) in Prague’s Old Town

Secret:

I first crossed paths with Karolína in New York City where, amidst a sea of urban black, she stood out like some exotic Central-European bird (should such a thing exist)—bold and unapologetic in blocks of color, skirts of neon tulle, Minnie-Mouse hairbows and plastic glasses with frames the size of your fist, all without a shred of Brooklyn irony—only hell-bent on having fun.  As I ground and groaned out the first drafts of an undergraduate thesis, Karo, between performances of her jazz-band tour (she does vocals, natch), grumbled politely about the price of beer and the sprawl of grey pavement and proudly showed off a pair of Chuck Taylor knockoffs she’d scored in midtown, covered heel to toe in sequins.  Still in her final year of high school, she strutted and sighed and smoked a cigarette with the nonchalance of a silent film star.  This girl, I thought, could pull off anything.

Now an art history student at Charles University in Prague, Karolína’s wardrobe for the weekend is as fearless as it was when we met, but it’s rounded out with classic pieces she’s hunted and gathered for the school and work week.  The secret is a keen eye for second-hand shopping—Karo is that enviable breed of woman who seems to scout a treasure out of every trash heap.  And paired with a quick wit and a shock of self-confidence, just about anything works.

Karolina uses her father's book bag from the Czechoslovak army

Breakdown:

Karolína’s classic blazer and Klein-blue blouse are finds from Prague second-hand shops, and her pleated mini was a steal from a sale rack in Munich.  But the real gem is her gorgeous leather bookbag—her father carried it in college, Karo told me, but it was originally issued by the Czechoslovak army, her family believes, as a holder for a gas mask.

Photographed and written by Morgan Childs 

*Morgan currently lives in Prague, Czech Republic, where she is an MA student in the Department of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures at Charles University.  She is a graduate of Barnard College and a native of Texas.  She tweets here: https://twitter.com/#!/MorganAChilds.

Designer Frau Neppl

Culture-Vulture.

Fashionista: “Frau Neppl”

Location: Berlin, Germany

Secret: This Berlin-based designer  www.neppl.me whose design tagline is “Surgery to Wear” shows you the level of rogue she has in her style.  From this photo she clearly is not one to fall victim to trends but takes a maverick-like approach and knows what works for her.

Breakdown: Her rockin’ dreads pulled up into what seems like two (or three) ponytails, secured by a pair of googles placed at the top of her head sets the tone. Which is then punctuated by the layered approach to style with her black underpinning peeking through the top of her turquoise blue & black cowboy-esque piping shirt and topped off by the gorgeous lavender blazer. And she ditches the oh-so-predictable denim to finish this look off: instead opting for a fusion take with her pair of Turkish pants. Fashion is elevated off the charts.

Depression from Singapore

(slideshow)

Depression. It isn’t something most people want. Well, not quite.

By: Audrey Kang

Singapore

I stumbled across this quaint shop in the heart of Singapore. It isn’t like most of the stores you’ll find around this part of the world. There was a certain draw to this brand and I couldn’t help but want to know more about the brains behind the amazing pieces that shop boasts.

Fall 2011 Birth Defect Men’s Collection

A quick look at their website shows designs in mainly monochromic colours of black, white and grey, but dull would be the last word you’ll use to describe their designs. I developed an instant fondness for the Fall 2011 Birth Defect Men’s collection — the designs are a breathe of fresh air compared to what you’ll see on the streets. Wearable, but still insanely unconventional.

Fall 2011 Birth Defect Women Collection

Established in 2006 by former Copyrighter Kenny Lim and Art Director Andrew Loh, this Men’s and Women’s Wear label from Singapore certainly push boundaries. Why Depression? They were depressed, that’s why! As much as they enjoyed creating ads, they got tired of the templates clients forced upon them. Frustrated with the advertising industry, they started looking for a new medium for them to toy with. ‘DEPRESSION’ started as a design outfit that would be the antidote to their depression, and fashion became their canvas. Moreover, to them, starting a fashion label was very much about creating a brand concept, image and lifestyle, and that provided much more gratification.

Fall 2011 Birth Defects Men’s Collection

So what shapes and influences their unique designs? Irony. Irony is their inspiration. Most shoppers would expect their aesthetics to play more towards the glam-punk styles. Instead, every collection aims to entertain. Kenny and Andrew’s Fall/Winter collection, ‘BIRTH DEFECTS’, aims to exaggerate a certain ‘flaw’ in construction, thereby re-inventing classic pieces. A key piece is the Superhero Blazer, which is simply a men’s jacket with a superhero cape attached.

Superhero Blazer

Since they’re called DEPRESSION, each collection falls under an umbrella clinical idea. You’ll find collections with crazy names such as ‘Birth Defects’ and ‘Dysfunction’. Kenny come ups with the overall concept and direction, and their designs stem from there on.

Sometimes flamboyant and simply far-fetched, one cannot deny that Kenny’s ideas are imaginative and original. Andrew, in turn, adds greater detail to the designs and makes sure that the designs aren’t too over-the-top to the point that they’re unwearable.

Fall 2011 Birth Defect Women Collection

Their next collection for Summer/Spring 2012, is titled ‘PLASTIC SURGERY’, and features detachable pieces that can be taken apart to enhance and modify its look. One piece of clothing, versatile looks!

In a country where homogeneity is celebrated, DEPRESSION certainly stands out. This unassuming store tucked in the middle of one of the country’s most popular hangout is definitely an unpolished diamond, waiting to be discovered.

DEPRESSION

http://depression.com.sg

Cineleisure Orchard Singapore #03-05A

Singapore-Millenia Walk Parco #P2-21 Singapore

Photography courtesy of: Depression Singapore

*Singapore born and bred Audrey is a full time Media student and unabashed literature nerd. Also has an unhealthy love for shoes (unhealthy for her wallet, anyway!) and an inclination to wandering around observing people.