Notes from Thailand (Part 2): One Night in Bangkok

Dear Readers,

I know that I promised you more pictures from my trip to Thailand and these will be posted shortly. Right now, I am writing this post from an airport hotel in Bangkok, where the Mr. and I are getting ready for our long trip back to New York via Tokyo... The internet connection is kind of dicey, so I'm going to save the pictures from our Chiang Mai and Phuket leg of the trip for another post.

The trip was incredible, and I can't wait to share more. I want to thank my amazing guest bloggers for keeping Dream Sequins chugging along during my vacation. And I want to thank you for your visits and wonderful comments. Even though I wasn't able to visit your blogs as often as I would have liked, I promise to return to my normal schedule after my return to New York today...

Here are a few more pictures from our time in Bangkok. Have a wonderful Saturday!

xx D

P.S. I purchased adorable souvenirs from Chiang Mai for the top ten commenters as a special thank you. I know that you didn't necessarily do it for the gift, but if this applies, I will be contacting you by email to see if you would like me to mail you one.

P.S.2. Happy Halloween!

I Love Fashion... Photography!

One last guest post-- and it's a good one: a primer on fashion photography by the lovely Monica of Ciao, Chessa! Hope you are enjoying your Friday!!

I Love Fashion... Photography!
Text by Monica of Ciao, Chessa!

Ciao, Dream Sequins readers! I'm Monica Shulman, aka Chessa, the photographer and art lover behind Ciao, Chessa! I am thrilled to be a guest blogger on this fabulous and fashionable space.

Photography is my passion and it's my career and the only thing that comes second to that, after my husband and family of course, is fashion. Combine the two and I'm a very happy and inspired woman. I love all aspects of fashion - the garments, the feel of the fabric between my fingers, the way the models wear it, the way photographers capture it and bring the clothing to life, the stories that photographers tell using the clothing and how they engage the models, the makeup, the hair and...everything. All of these things come together to make art.

I have a very long list of photographers who have motivated me and inspired me. Narrowing it down is certainly no small feat but here, in no particular order, is my list of my current top five favorite fashion photographers...

Steven Meisel - One of the most powerful photographers in the fashion industry, he has photographed every single cover of Vogue Italia since 1988. This man is a genius.

Photos via here and here.

Peter Lindbergh - There is a reason why he has been called the "Poet of Glamour"...When I was a high school girl in the 90s he was my idol and I had his images posted all over my bedroom wall. I carefully tore them from my magazines and studied them, fascinated. Gorgeous. Timeless. Iconic.

Photos via here and here.

Irving Penn - This master and photography legend passed away earlier this month at 92 years of age. I love his work in particular because much of it was lit with light from a window. As a portrait photographer who does not work in a studio and who works mostly using natural light, I have learned so much from studying his work. I love the sense of drama that he portrayed through his images.

Images via here here and here.

Richard Avedon - Mr. Avedon started as a fashion photographer and then expanded his work into fine art. He did not conform to the then-standard of fashion photography and I really admire his style and his many personal projects, including his "American West" collection.

Photos via here, here and here.

Helmut Newton - He knew women. He was noted, in particular, for his nudes. He was an artist.

Photos via here, here and here.

As you can tell, I love fashion photography in black and white but of course beautiful images are shot in color - like the ones you see in your favorite fashion bibles!

One of my favorite places to read about photography in general and fashion photography in
particular is Fashion Photography Blog. Head over there to get a behind-the-scenes look on the industry and to see some incredibly evocative work.

I hope you enjoyed this post! I love it here. Thank you, Dream Sequins!

Thank YOU, Monica! To check out some of her amazing photos, run run, why don't you-- to her blog here: Ciao, Chessa!

**Readers: Making our way back to New York from Thailand over the weekend. Expect a Thailand post from me, unless the internet is flat out awful! Thank you for sticking around for my guest posts. Aren't you glad you did???**

Designer Profile: Le Colonel

Still in Phuket, Thailand. While I'm away, here's another divine guest post to keep you entertained. The amazing Aneta of BobbinTalk introduces us to a new Paris-based accessories label, Le Colonel, which I think you will really enjoy! I'm totally feeling hats right now, too, Aneta!

Designer Profile: Le Colonel
Text by Aneta Genova of BobbinTalk

Hello fashionable darlings! I am so excited to be a guest blogger for Dream Sequins while she enjoys her trip in Thailand. I cannot wait to see all the great photos she’ll take on the trip! Today I’d like to introduce you to a talented young designer: Julia Gonnet from Paris, who started her own label called "Le Colonel."

It’s a fun concept, which she describes as “neither Mustard nor Moustached!” I love the imaginary reference to this military guy who is mad about plaid and loves lace. I’d love to meet him!

The company specializes in accessories and hair adornments, and the latest collection is called The Orient Express. All the headpieces are named after cities where the Orient Express train stopped during its trip from Paris to Istanbul. This idea is especially close to my heart because I was born and raised in Varna, a city on the Black Sea coast, which was on the original train route. Here is a photo of the Varna headpiece:

I love Julia’s sensibility and the overall presentation. She added vintage postcards and stamps to some images and created worn out faded paper like borders.

These are some of my other favorite pieces from her collection!

To discover the whole collection visit the LeColonel website at Le-Colonel.net. There is a French and an English version of the website and you can order straight from The Shop.

Thanks for the beautiful post, Aneta! For more tantalizing new designer finds, check out BobbinTalk!

**Readers: My how time flies, when you're on vacation! As the Mr. and I say farewell to Phuket and make our way back to the US, you can look forward to one more guest post. I'm saving the best for last: a post on fashion photography by CiaoChessa. Thanks for reading!**

Wishlist Wednesday: Gryphon New York

Today's guest post Wishlist Wednesday comes courtesy of the lovely, ever stylish and creative Alix of alixrose. I was just thinking about fall coats recently, and Alix chose a few images from the Fall 2009 collection of New York based label, Gryphon.

Wednesday Wish List: Gryphon New York - A Coat for Every Occasion
Text by Alix of alixrose

Living in Seattle you live with this feeling, a feeling that can only be described as an emptiness. The emptiness stemming from the fact that you can never have enough coats. Truthfully, the coat part of my closet is larger than the regular part of my closet, but in Seattle you do spend the better part of the year in them, thanks to the rain and wind …but I am not complaining . So when I stumbled onto the Gryphon New York website, I felt like I had encountered a designer who understood my situation.

“We took the iconic coat and played with fit and form, but always with an eye to the practical.”

“Staying true to our origins, we continue to offer fashion forward designs in weather protective fabrics each season.”

The beautiful thing about these coats and why they are on my wish list is because rain or shine, Seattle to Australia, these coats will stand out. All images and quotes from Gryphon Fall 2009. To learn more check out http://gryphon-ny.com.

Thanks for the wonderful Wishlist Wednesday post, Alix! For more inspired stylish finds, check out alixrose.

**Readers: By the time you read this, the Mr. and I should be settling into our final destination in Thailand, Phuket. The guest posts will continue to rock this week. Check the schedule on the left sidebar for a hint of the awesomeness in store. Up tomorrow: a new Designer Profile by BobbinTalk! Thanks for reading.**

Designer Profile: Lauren Kovin

Hope you are enjoying the week thus far! Still on vacation and for today's guest post, we have a designer profile of Lauren Kovin, written by my friend, the blogger behind Beatrice Waldorf's Diary. Read on to learn more about Kovin's work and be sure to watch the amazing David Lynch-style video lookbook that the label produced recently. So amazing!

Designer Profile: Lauren Kovin
Text by Beatrice Waldorf's Diary

When I was asked to write a guest post on Dream Sequins, I felt incredibly honored. This blog is my favorite resource for up-and-coming designers and so I felt it was only fitting that I introduce readers to my dear friend and New York-based designer Lauren Kovin. (I wore a dress from Lauren’s first collection to Dream Sequins’ bloggers meet-up during NY Fashion Week.)

Lauren’s design aesthetic is difficult to describe because it’s such a unique and personal point of view. “I can’t describe my style like ‘safari chic’," Lauren explains, “I work like a musician: experimenting and mixing different beats. My Spring 2010 collection is about exploring new shapes and memories.” Indeed, it’s nearly impossible to pinpoint references for the pieces in her stunning latest collection.

For the first time, Lauren launched a series of eight “commercials” that perfectly encapsulate her brand ethos, an intangible aura. This surreal series of snippets was conceptualized and executed by her boyfriend of twelve years, Jesse McGowan, who is also the art director for her line. Why commercials? “Well, we originally intended for it to be a short film, but each sequence was so short (15 to 30 seconds) that they were more like commercials,” she says. The pair was influenced by David Lynch films and wanted to achieve the feeling of “a soft horror film.” The narrative follows two girls who get lost in the fields, come upon a house with strange furniture, drink a potion, and become possessed.

Check out the commercials below:

At the beginning of the month, I was invited to the Museum of the City of New York’s New York After Dark party at The Plaza hotel. Instead of wearing a traditional party frock, I chose Lauren’s nude cotton-silk circular 2-way dress (look 5 and 6 in the online lookbook)—a bold, avant-garde decision that was definitely against-the-grain considering the traditionally uptown crowd.

I never expected to receive so many compliments. Her dress was modern, visionary, and elegant; it really stood out among the sea of frou-frou. It was a true test that Lauren’s artistry transcends dictated taste levels.

For more information, check out http://laurenkovin.com. Thanks so much for your writeup, Beatrice Waldorf's Diary!

**Readers: While we continue to make our way through Thailand, the amazing guest posts will carry on... Tomorrow, it's a Wishlist Wednesday with the lovely alixrose. For the full schedule of guest posts, check the left sidebar! Stay tuned!**

Behind the Blog: Wendy Brandes

Wendy Brandes "Clemence" necklace = amazing
All photos courtesy of Wendy Brandes Jewelry blog

We're still on vacation in Thailand and I have a great group of guest posts scheduled for this week. Here's a fine way to start your Monday: a Behind the Blog feature with the gorgeous Wendy Brandes, jewelry designer and blogger with a unique sense of style and wit. I am sure most of you are already fans of her blog, which she began to promote her namesake jewelry line, but if you haven't, I urge you to check it out right away. Read on to learn more about her...

Five Questions for My Favorite Bloggers

Who are you?

I'm Wendy Brandes, but since you say I can use a pseudonym, description or other creative answer, I'm going to ask that your readers call me "Wendy Brandes, Mistress of Pain."

Where are you?

On a bed that is covered with leopard-print sheets. Really! The bed is based in New York.

The lady has a thing for leopard-print ;)

What is the concept behind your blog?

I started my Wendy Brandes Jewelry blog to promote my jewelry , but I thought non-stop promotion would be too boring to read regularly. So I also write about fashion, dogs, feminism, royal ladies and things that annoy me. I've come close to getting all of these topics into a single post.

When you are not blogging, what else do you enjoy doing?

When I'm not doing my jewelry blog, I'm often found at my other blog for the Francis clothing line. Also I spend a lot of offline time with other bloggers. When I'm not doing either of those things, I enjoy staring into space and trying to remember what life was like before blogging.

WendyB and Christian Francis Roth

More importantly… what are you wearing? :)

Keep in mind that I'm lying on a leopard-sheeted bed. Therefore, I'm glamorously dressed in a Madonna concert t-shirt from 1990 and gym shorts. If I ever get out of bed, I'll probably wear black Acne jeans, a black Michael Stars t-shirt and my hairy, purple Versace jacket. Something about that jacket sometimes inspires people to rudely tell me that they don't like my jacket. Too bad! I like it. I started wearing it even more frequently just to annoy the haters.

Aforementioned Madonna concert tee


A snap of that hairy, purple Versace!

Thanks for the interview, Wendy! Intrigued? Click over to her blog to learn more about this fascinating lady...

**Readers: Thanks so much for visiting my blog while I am away on vacation. Tomorrow, look for a brand new Designer Profile by my friend, the blogger behind Beatrice Waldorf's Diary. Check the full schedule of guest posts on the left sidebar!**

Notes from Thailand (Part 1): Bangkok

Bangkok is a spiritual place, a decadent place; an ancient town, a super modern city: it is a blend of all these things and much much more.

The Mr. and I landed safely after a long flight from New York.

On our first full day in the city, we decided to tackle three of Bangkok's most significant tourist attractions: The Royal Palace, Wat Pho (an anicent Buddhist temple) and Jim Thompson House museum (a shrine to traditional Thai architecture built by an American who built a sprawling compound of houses and stimulated global interest in Thai silk).


Buddha shrine at Wat Pho


The lush gardens at Jim Thompson


Swoon: lotus blossoms


Our first proper lunch at Jim Thompson cafe


A so fresh it melts in your mouth noodle dish

On our second full day in the city, we decided to tackle shopping areas, which mostly revolve around giant, air-conditioned malls (the AC part is key, as the weather killed me on our first full day around open air tourist sites).

One of Bangkok's newest shopping centers, Siam Paragon, teemed with large crowds, clusters of global luxury boutiques such as Hermes, Chanel and Armani. Nothing we hadn't seen before. The Mr. and I were more fascinated by the Paragon Department Store, which carried local labels and had fun trying on the "Thai meets Italian" style of Greyhound, a popular national brand.

Our most delightful finds were in the Siam Square area, where you could find asymmetric jersey basics reminiscent of Comme des Garcons or shoes hinting of Marc Jacobs at small Mom-and-Pop boutiques or in most cases, stalls, where the shopkeepers were most likely related to the designers.


The Sky Train, one of two subway systems in the city.


MBK, one of many large malls around the city.


A Laboratory, one stall around the Siam Square area, where the Mr. and I had fun trying on Yohji-esque shirts and jackets.


A Laboratory


Some of the delicious finds at Greyhound.

We loved our hotel, the Le Meridien Bangkok, where we were upgraded to a spacious king suite, complete with a deep soaking tub and views of the city. The hotel is across the street from the infamous Patpong Market, which hawks mostly counterfeit merchandise (think NY Chinatown) and is lined with "go-go bars," which reminded me a bit of Amsterdam's red light district. We would highly recommend this hotel for its slightly off-the-beaten path location, proximity to public transport, and impeccable service. Not to mention its cool modern meets Thai decor.


A view of the bathroom! Farewell, bath tub. I will miss you.


Wearing: a black balloon dress from A Laboratory, grey, shredded leggings
from Tree, a local label, and off-white peep toe booties, another cheap, chic buy.




Wearing: a grey circular draped jersey top from a local designer around Siam Square and my new beloved shredded leggings. I'm kicking myself for not buying more pairs. Ugh!





I hope you are enjoying your weekend thus far.

The Mr. and I will be traveling through Chiang Mai and on to Phuket for the rest of the week. I will plan to do another update next weekend. Please stay tuned for some amazing new guest posts starting tomorrow (check the left sidebar for the schedule).

Thanks for reading! xx D