Happy Wednesday, everyone! So today we have quite a special feauture - it's our collaborational shoot featuring designs of oh-so-talented young and promissing Malaysian designer, Jo Yean. Now, aren't these pieces just beyond gorgeous?! Get to know what inspired this collection in our interview with Jo.

M: So tell us, Jo, how did you get into the fashion world?
J: As a child, i was very interested in making things. I would take felt fabric and hand stitch it together making pouches and many other things. I made lots of crafts and was very interested in art. My family was a big influence to me as we are all into arts. We were all artistic in our own way.

In my early teens, I would read a lot of fashion blogs and magazines and I started to wonder how clothes were made, how was it drafted and what other possibilities were there in the design. I then started to mess with my mom's old sewing machine. A few years later I found myself in Raffles College of Higher Education Kuala Lumpur pursuing fashion design.

M: Wow, sounds like a true calling. What about this particullar collection? Where did the inspiration come from?
J: These designs are from my graduating collection. It's a mini collection that consists of 5 looks. The collection was inspired by the mysterious femme fatales in Film Noir. I looked at Greta Garbo and Mata Hari as one of my influences for this collection. I wanted to capture their mystique. My clothes are very sheer, provocative and revealing. It's something a daring women would wear and be able to pull off.

M: What about current fashion trends? Any favourites?
J: As a fan of the applique technique, one of the trends that I love is floral appliques. Many 3D floral applique have been seen lately from Spring/Summer 2013 runways. Another trend I like would be the sheer look. It's a trend that have been evolving to be a seasonal year-round trend.

M: All in all, how would you define fashion in Malaysia? Is it really different? Are there any special trends going on?
J: The fashion scene in Malaysia definitely has a lot of potential. There's plenty of growing talented young designers from Malaysia that are now making their mark in the local and international scene. One of the trends now would be the white shirts as it's easy to pair with and a wardrobe staple. Also since, the weather in Malaysia is constantly hot, many tend to wear looks that are lighter and comfortable.

M: What's your plan for the future? Do you consider starting a men's clothing line someday? Or may be a jewellery collection?
J: Currently, my plan is to further my studies to the UK to pursue a degree in women's wear. I'm definitely interested in starting a men's clothing line. Men's wear is something I would like to explore more as it's much more limited in certain ways and I it would be fun to challenge that.

Photographer: Cyntia Chen Barbachano
Clothing: Jo Yean
MUA: Tob Thippawan
Model: Melanie de Wit

Capturing thai version of 21st century dolce vita. Seemingly simple shapes and plain colours look unapologetically sharp and chic in combination with that sultry make up and hair all messy and volumic. If you like me were getting a little tired of color blocking lately take this shoot as an inspiration. I mean, electric blue and orange-red, who knew!

Photographer: Cyntia Chen Barbachano
Model: Sasikan Chaipratoom

Model Tom Askew
Make up, Hair styling Splendidp

Model Anya Levine
Make up Splendidp (Tob) 
Post shoot lunch: our quirkiness was trumped by a dancing man doing a mad solo in Terminal 21.

Thousands. That is how many runway photos I took during the Aurora Fashion Week.) Thousands, no kidding! (well, o'key, the number is closer to 3 ths, not like 25.000, but I just love how great it sounds :) Anyway, while  I was looking trough all of those pictures a brilliant question came to my mind: Seriously, Daria, why SO many?

And then here the answer was - right in front on me, on the display: whole outfit photo, details photo, portrait photo, some more portrait photos, then again detailes, audience faces and..oh look - they are using a fake-snow machine, let me just take a picture of that fake snow in the air! Wait, wasn't that a Fashion show, was I supposed to look at the clothes? Oh.

And then I got curious – is fashion show is all so much about fashion? Or is it more about the show?

(well, of course it's about both!) (and that was supposed to be a final phrase, but it's not hahah)

Now what are those magical components of a fashion show (besides clothes I mean)?

1. Presentative models. Not only with a perfect body and gorgeous face - but with a strong eye and inner confidence. See, you can walk like this:

or like that:

 Here again, not that it's the most important thing, but it definately affects the whole impression.

2. Wondering how I spent the next day after Bessarion fashion show? Well, literally, crooning. Yeah, again and again that music from the show (it was the one from the Shindler's List movie). So it brought me to the next point - music matters.

3. Fashion show production is a big deal, too. For example, at the TOSHA fashion show models were doing eye-catching stops at the corners of the runway. It had some artistical input I must say and even if the pieces vere quite pale - well, the show wasn't. At the Sandra Straukaite show models were walking really slow and in addition to some dreamy music it created quite an athmosphere too.

4. Visual effects. Huh, yes, remember fake snow I've alredy wrote you about? 

Or look at that background projection:

After all - those are all just detailes, but what do we remember after a fashion show? The a whole bouquet.

 

Sooo. Custo Barcelona. That was a really, and I mean reeeaaally, great show. Bright, colourful, fresh, with a lot of various materials mixed (including a tons of sequines and shining everything), with gorgeous eye-catching shoes (hands down, those were the most awesome shoes we've seen this AFW season, and as we all remember LV shoes were also involved). And those men's clothes were like super-fine and exquisite (and it's me who usually ignores men's fashion is writing it now). Honestly, guys, I'd wear it all to death: dresses, swimsuits, men's blazers, SHOES of course. Oh.