Runway Look For Less: Burberry April Showers 2011

"Tut-tut, it looks like rain!"

Just in time for the first rainy day in Spring here in Hong Kong. These visuals mark the second year since Burberry launched its April Showers campaign. Once again, bright and vibrant colors are confirmed to be on the hit list this season.

First off, I'd like to say I'm digging the white pants - they definitely made raining look less gloomy. The waterproof fabrics also made the outfits light and breezy. Another take-away from this campaign is to limit your outfits to only three colors to keep things simple and chic.



Topman has this purple trench coat which I find to be along the same vein as the April Showers campaign (especially the blue trench in the second picture above). It's now available here, retailing at £110.00. The styling isn't perfect - would've preferred the buttons to be black and I wouldn't pair this with brownish pants (unquestionably I'd go with white) - but then when the Burberry one costs £395.00, this one from Topman will have to do for now. No?

Photo credit: Topman

Photo credit: Burberry via DesignScene

Gossip Guys: While You Weren't Sleeping

Just like what it must've been for Blair Waldorf this week, Gossip Girl has been a major brain fog. For Blair, it was the lack of sleep that finally got to her and she was totally off her game; for us, it was the plot twists, after the plot twists, after the plot twists....

Among all the things happening in this week's exceptionally busy episode - namely Eric's 18th birthday party, Operation Save Bass Industries, Operation Destroy Bass Industries, Operation Raina, Operation Drug Mule, the return of Vanessa, as well as Blair's (surprisingly not annoying) budding romance with Dan - were some great outfits worn by the ever so sexy cast. Let's take a look at what the guys were wearing!

Photo credit: The CW

Corporate espionage never looked so sexy thanks to Chuck Bass, who was sporting this brownish tweed jacket slightly reminisce of the FW2011 Burberry Prorsum one sans the furry collar (see below). Also loving the polka dots tie - great balance of playfulness and dandyness.

Photo credit: Burberry

Photo credit: The CW

Eric van der Woodsen finally had a new outfit (it's his 18th birthday after all)! I love this very age-appropriate ensemble he was wearing at his party - a dark plaid shirt paired with a tweed vest, complete with a tie and a pair of pants in a darker hue. It looks very Ralph Lauren, catches the right amount of attention but not so in-your-face. Great job, Eric!

Photo credit: The CW

And the duffle coat is BACK for the fourth time in a row! Now begs the million dollar question: Will we see it for the fifth time next week?

Photo credit: The CW

This marks the very first time Ben Donovan is featured in our fashion recap! The resident ex-con is catching up with the fashion on the Upper East Side and was wearing this cute fitted black jacket with leather details.

Wondering Dan Humphrey and Nate Archibald were? Find out after the jump!

Burberry Prorsum Menswear FW2011 Show

Burberry Prorsum Pre-fall Collection 2011

It's a bit weird to already be talking about fashion in FW2011, but anyways, there are many things in this world I'd never understand, so I'll just have to let this one slip. (Or wait, is this some sort of meta thing fashion royalties cooked up by creating an extra fifth season?)

These are my favorite looks from Burberry Prorsum's pre-fall 2011 collection. Looks like camel is back, bringing along its neighbors in its color scheme vicinity - bronze, tangerine and a more chocolatey brown. Shearlings will also make a return but looks like it'll be blended into different fabrics other than leather like we've seen this season. I'm also loving the brown shoes, a lot.

See more looks I like and figure out where to view the full collection after the jump!

Runway Look For Less: Shearling Leather Aviator Jacket

Saw something on the runway you absolutely adore but can't afford? Don't worry, you're not the only one! As a poor, meager student, my means are extremely limited. All the expensive textbooks, plus my Starbucks lifestyle don't exactly leave me with a runway fashion budget for every season. Fear not. That's what Zara and H&M are here for!

So I'd like to introduce you all to the first of a recurring segment called "Runway Look For Less", where I'll be showcasing fast fashion retailers' takes on the latest trends and seasonal must-haves.

Photo Credit: Burberry Prorsum

To name thee one runway piece that I'm absolutely and completely obsessed with this season would be Burberry's Shearling Leather Aviator Jacket. I don't know what it is, but the mixture of shearling and leather has created some sort of fashion aphrodisiac for me and I've been in love with this look ever since I first saw the Burberry Prorsum runway photos earlier this year. However, a look at the hefty price tags - for the one on the left: £2,995 (roughly HK$36,988) and the one on the right: £2,295 (roughly HK$28,238) - brought me back to my humble reality.

All is not lost though - after getting my haircut the other day, I saw THIS at the Zara in Times Square, Causeway Bay:

Photo Credit: ModeMan

Maybe I'm biased (since I snatched it right off the rack the moment I saw it and now it's sitting in my closet waiting for its debut), but I'd say the Zara version shares a, what, 90% similarity with the Burberry Prorsum one on the right? All that is missing are the two leather straps on the collar - which I briefly thought about fixing by getting two leather bracelets from H&M - but this is something I am willing to overlook, because the Zara version is only retailing at HK$899 (roughly £73)!

I know the Zara one doesn't even come close remotely in comparison to Christopher Bailey's divine creation, but it'll have to do for now!

Boots for Dudes

In an effort to create that military-inspired look for this Winter, I've been on the look out for boots lately; and I must say unlike boots for the ladies, the perfect pair of boots for guys is extremely difficult to find (the same also goes for manbags). Either they're not tall enough to reach my calves or they're too rain boots-y. After some research, here are my favorite boots of the season:

Burberry Prorsum Shearling Lined Boots
Shearling is definitely one of the biggest trends for FW2010 - especially for Burberry. So it seems fitting to add shearling into the mix to create the hottest boots this season. The only thing pulling me back is the white shearling peeking out of the boots - from afar, they look as if the seamings of the boot itself bursted exposing the cotton inside. Love the calf-length though. If there's ever a standard for calf-length boots, this would be it.

Burberry Prorsum Distressed Leather Lace-up Boots

Slightly shorter than the one above but looking extra combat-ready in this delicious brown leather. It's like a pair of normal leather shoes given a leather tube on top. I actually bought something similar in suede from Zara earlier this year (see below). Coming to think of it, it would not be a bad idea to have the tube part detachable from the base! Then you get two pairs of shoes in one!

These are the Zara ones I got (Photo Credit: 00o00):

Bottega Veneta Double Buckle Boots

This is like the standard for combat boots out there. Very Dr. Martin and hard-looking. The buckles make the boots look extra macho and military, but they're a bit shorter than what I'm looking for and I'm not exactly sure if I want shiny leather all the way (vs distressed). Hmm...

Zara Combat Boots

You can always count on Zara to bring some cheaper-yet-similar option to the table. These look a bit like the Burberry ones and I like the studs at the top giving a more rustic feel to it. In fact, I saw these boots at Zara in September and I thought it'd be a tad bit too early to be shopping for boots already but guess what? They've been sold out for a month already. Lesson learned: there's never too early, only too late. Hong Kong has some fierce shopaholics. 

And my search continues...

Photo Credits: Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Zara

Burberry Winter Storms Collection

My obsession with Burberry continues.

Following the April Showers collection earlier this year, the British mega brand is back with a brand new collection aptly titled Winter Storms for FW2010. These stunning images feature the brand's classic trench coats, signature checked scarfs and lots and lots of studs! Now, if only I could get my hands on all these amazing pieces and look so ridiculously hot in the Winter cold...!

Photo Credits: Burberry