Spring 2013 is (almost) here

It's still autumn/winter 2012/13 and what is to come next season is already upon us.. and it's sure is refreshing. Fun hues to perk up your day and those twists on old classics are a nice touch! So let's see what's big this spring/summer 2013, shall we...

Bright colours (e.g. white, orange, purplish pink, mint) on a background of the usual pastels. White shirts are abound, and those lime green loafers at Hackett's first ever runway show sure look nice.

Metallic and shiny fabrics. Designers at Daks made it a point to make some pieces shiny for spring/summer 2012/13, while those sexy butterfly-inspired things at Roberto Cavalli are nothing but. Burberry next season opts for all things metallic - maybe too intimidating for some.

Cummerbunds. Les Hommes and Daks are proponents of the thing but definitely not me. Where would I wear it to?

White leather shoes and gladiator sandals. Spring/summer always ensures things are light and breezy. People at Louis Vuitton and Gucci sure love their white leather shoes. If you want to go overboard with your gladiator sandals (and other ancient Roman stuff) you can head straight to Versace, but Corneliani and Givenchy offer some nice leather sandals as well. I'm so needing a pair right now :)

Wayfarer sunglasses. Big at Louis Vuitton. Nice change for my aviators.

Hmm.. I've probably been using the words 'nice' and 'things' way too many times now.. But coming back to the point I was going to say, contrary to the Mayan calendar's prediction of impending Armageddon, the world of fashion certainly is not ending in December 2012!

Bye-bye summer aubergine

Bye-bye mustard and aubergine, hello reddish brown and teal! That's how I feel about this season's sentiment. Happier hues of blue, purple and tawny brown are here as well. My gut feeling for Burberry last season was spot on - high street stores like Topshop, H&M and Uniqlo are cashing in like mad from clearly Burberry-inspired designs. And the trend is going strong this season. The warm optimistic colours of spring/summer inevitably give way to more sombre tones but the autumn/winter 2012/2013 collection brings with it a more interesting (i.e. not boring) splashes of colour in addition to the ever-so-often recycled black, grey and dark brown (yawn). Something to brighten up the not-so-bright economic outlook, I guess.

Apart from the staple leather items, fabric this season is soft and comforting in the form of velvet and wool. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised when I ran my fingers through a washable merino wool cardigan in a high street store just last week. Merino wool, washable - can you believe it?

Other notable items include umbrellas with mallard head handles by Burberry and Louis Vuitton's uber-luxurious kimono-style silk shirts (reputedly the Japanese silk factory where they come from makes only 20 centimetres of the fabric per day). Unfortunately, I hardly see them in the stores here in Malaysia, huhu...

This time around also welcomes a wave of change in the fashion world as new designers are taking over the helm of some notable companies. Paul Surridge at Zegna and Kim Jones at Louis Vuitton are doing well and I hope the coming of Hedi Slimane (my fashion hero) to YSL for spring/summer 2013 is nothing but good news.

As rumours of the European fashion industry facing a gloomy forecast fly around, fashion houses are turning to the Asian market for salvation. This can only bring good tidings to us Asians since I can now see 'Asian Cut' shirts in Zara stores and smaller sized pants in some other. Thank God for those size 28 pants :)

Curiously, they are now also selling chunky woolen sweaters here in hot and sunny Malaysia. Err.. why exactly?

Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?

Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities... or a not-so-gifted adult looking for a special book?

Brilliantly written by Trenton Lee Stewart and graced with adorable artwork by Carson Ellis (in fact, it was the illustration on the front cover that initially caught my attention), The Mysterious Benedict Society is the first children's book that I have ever read in my adult life.

The writing on the back of the book reads:
"Are you a gifted child looking for special opportunities?" When this peculiar ad appears in the newspaper, dozens of children enroll to take a series of mysterious, mind-bending tests. (And you, dear reader, can test your wits right alongside them.) But in the end just four very special children will succeed. Their challenge: to go on a secret mission that only the most intelligent and resourceful children could complete. With their new-found friendship at stake, will they be able to pass the most important test of all? Welcome to the Mysterious Benedict Society.

A rip-roaring tale of adventure from the get-go, four children of seemingly different backgrounds were brought together by a series of tests conjured by an enigmatic and an equally gifted Mr Benedict, only later to find themselves hanging on to each other in an unexpected mission to save the world!

For a child, the book is a reminder of the virtues of loyalty, true friendship, trust, self belief, and selflessness, among others. And for everyone else, it also delves into the deeper issues of racial tolerance, gender equality and respect for other people.

I enjoyed it so much so that I already bought the other sequels except the new one, The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict (I'm waiting for the paperback to come out, hehe) for future reading. A good read indeed!

Perfectly legal brainpower boosters

Blueberry cheesecake. Eat me - you'll be smart and fat!

Come June and it's high time for me to put my thinking cap on again 'coz I'll be furthering my studies. At this age, it's perfectly alright to worry about one's probably dwindling cognitive abilities to absorb and retain tons of new information - I'm not sweet 17 anymore and so is my brain, you know ;)

Lucky for me, I did a bit of a research on how to boost my brainpower to prepare myself for times like these. As the Malay saying goes: sediakan payung sebelum hujan (literally translated as get yourself an umbrella before it rains, a.k.a. always be prepared). Love the elegant way our Malay language has of putting things into words :)

After an exhaustive study of research papers, here are some things that may actually help boost your brainpower (please consult your physician before trying them especially if you have any medical condition):

1. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) - i.e. the stuff they're putting in formula milk for babies nowadays, or just take loads of fish oil ;)
2. Ginkgo biloba - not for people on aspirin or other blood-thinning medications!
3. Phosphatidylserine - only extensively tested on old people with dementia, and it's quite expensive :(
4. Ginseng - may take months to years to produce significant improvement if it really does work
5. Vitamins A, C, and E - may take several years to produce significant improvement
6. Certain types of vitamin B (e.g. choline, vitamins B1 and B6)
7. Grapes and berries (especially blueberries)

My mom used to give me a spoonful of fish oil everyday when I was small even when all these research papers didn't exist yet, and I probably owe my academically successful life to her. Thank you, mom!

The best perfume for a gentleman

Creed Feuilles Vertes - nice bottle, nice price.

When's the last time you walked into the perfume section in a departmental store and sprayed a few samples? It's been a year for me, and that seems like ages! The last perfume I bought was D&G Light Blue at the end of my thoroughly indulgent trip to Bali. But I also enjoy the scent of Very Valentino for Men - having a second bottle definitely marks it as a favourite. Easily bored by my purchases, last year I amazed myself when I managed to finish a big bottle of D&G Le Bateleur (a.k.a. The Juggler as in the first card of the Tarot). Now let's see what people say about these fragrances, shall we?

D&G Light Blue pour Homme. I like its fresh, mild and unintrusive citrus-marine-musk smell, but I think it's a little too mild for others :)

• 24% positive, 37% neutral, 39% negative out of 83 reviewers - www.basenotes.net 
• About 25% love, 55% like, 20% dislike out of 439 reviewers - www.fragrantica.com

Very Valentino for Men. I adore its sophisticated-sexy, manly smell that also makes me smile. Many reviewers agree!

• 36% positive, 41% neutral, 23% negative out of 22 reviewers - www.basenotes.net
• About 30% love, 60% like, 10% dislike out of 53 reviewers - www.fragrantica.com

D&G Le Bateleur. I like its romantic, clean, gentlemanly scent, almost faded but certainly addictive. Marketed as a unisex fragrance but most female reviewers say it's more on the masculine side.

•  27% positive, 55% neutral, 18% negative out of 11 reviewers - www.basenotes.net
• About 20% love, 50% like, 30% dislike out of 162 reviewers - www.fragrantica.com

Not bad, considering the negative remarks by the highly regarded perfume reviewer Luca Turin. Now let's hear what's his top 10 male fragrances are:

• Azzaro pour Homme (Azzaro) – anisic lavender
• Beyond Paradise Men (Estée Lauder) – green woody
• Cool Water (Davidoff) – aromatic fougere 
• Derby (Guerlain) – smoky wood 
• Eau de Guerlain (Guerlain) – citrus verbena 
• Habit Rouge (Guerlain) – sweet dust 
• New York (Parfums de Nicolai) – orange amber 
• Ormonde Men (Ormonde Jane) – green woody 
• Pour Monsieur (Chanel) – masculine chypre 
• Timbuktu (L'Artisan Parfumeur) – woody smoky 

Tried a few of them a long time ago, didn't really work for me as they are a bit too heady. Once in a while I dab myself with some Middle Eastern attars as they don't smell of alcohol - the better ones I bought in Beirut, Istanbul and Laayoune. Oh well, in the end, it's down to personal preference. As long as you smell good, why smell like everybody else?