guest post: riot grrrl.

 One of the things I’ve been really obsessed with, and am still obsessed with, is the Riot Grrrl feminist music movement of the 90s. During this movement, some of my favorite bands to ever walk the face of earth were started, such as Bikini Kill, Hole, Bratmobile, and Huggy Bear. Bands like these weren’t singing about parties or broken hearts, they were singing about feminism, girl (or should I say, grrrl) power, and strength. They wanted their songs to inspire women and girls to be strong and brave and independent. They wanted their music to empower girls to be themselves and live for themselves, rather than dressing to please their peers and conforming to the standards they didn’t agree with. This was the start of a new wave of feminism, a wave that, in my opinion, is still being ridden even in this generation.

I think Riot Grrrl is really important. I feel like a lot of people thought it was just a fad in the 90s, but because of the Internet, cool people and zines, it has really stuck around. I'm really thankful for blogging, because without it I probably wouldn't have developed a sense of personal style or as much confidence as I have today, or any understanding of feminism or what Riot Grrrl is or who Courtney and Kathleen are. I get really frustrated with those people who are like, "You can't mix feminism and fashion!" because it just shows they know NOTHING ABOUT FEMINISM. 

I definitely acknowledge that people can have different opinions when it comes to defining stuff, but sometimes I feel like people just try to form opinions about topics they aren't familiar with, which just gets annoying. Isn't feminism supposed to encourage girls/women to be comfortable with who they are, and do what makes THEM happy? Hasn't feminism always kind of been like that? Even when the first wave feminists just tried to avoid conforming in all aspects of life, I feel like the underlying foundation of it all was not just to obviously obtain more rights and respect for women, but to also eventually get to this point where women could do what they wanted and what made them happy, without being objectified or judged or labeled or criticized. So these annoying people are all like, "Boo you! Being a feminist and liking fashion and caring about clothes! You fake feminist, go away!" Um, Jake, you butt hole (if you get the reference, I love you) you are stupid. You are clearly the one who isn't a feminist.

I'm a feminist because I'm awesome, and I am who I am and I don't try to change who I am. I think anyone can be a feminist as long as they are unapologetically themselves. I definitely sometimes obsess over embarrassing myself in public and scold myself for being so socially inept, but at the same time, at the end of the day I'm just like "screw it, this is me and I like it" and I think that's important. Being insecure is fine; you can be insecure. I'm insecure. Humans are insecure. But you/girls/people just need to also understand that being you is okay, and I think if a person/women/girl can understand that, even if they are still struggling to be themselves instead of conforming for the approval of others, than they are a feminist.

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PS: ALL GENDERS (and all those who don't specify their gender, I forget what it's called) are feminists! Boyz can be feminists! What ho, it's awesome! I think if everyone in the world were a feminist, we wouldn't need feminism in the first place.

Thanks to Eva from Style Wandering for this post - check out her blog here!

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paris - part I

Bonjour! 

After an exhausting three weeks in the mountains (read about it here!), I barely had a week of R&R back in my own bed before I was off again to Paris! The transatlantic flight was exhausting, but as soon as we left Charles De Gaulle Airport we were absolutely stunned by how beautiful the city was - even from the window of our Airport Shuttle Bus. 

There wasn't a single modern, glassy skyscraper in sight; every building we saw was authentically designed with unique floral patterns engraved in the faded stone fronts; each structure oozing with culture and history. Rows of dainty cafes lined the narrow cobblestone streets, each filled with Parisian women in leather boots and tailored trenchcoats, with their elegant, manicured fingers wrapped around warm lattes. Tree-lined avenues greeted us at every corner, each punctuated with wooden park benches occupied by lovebirds - young and old. Even the streetlamps looked so romantic, even though it was broad daylight. Within minutes of entering the city, I had come to a definite conclusion: The movies were right - Paris is really the city of love. 

After dumping our bags at our conveniently located hotel (on a quiet backstreet of Champs Elysees!), we instantly roamed the nearby streets and acquainted ourselves with the nearest coffee shop - Paul. Food always tastes best when it's made close to home, and Pain au Chocolat has never tasted better!

Apologies for the fluctuations in image quality; I'm using pictures from my digital camera as well as my mom's DSLR, so some images will be of better quality than others. 

2 more Paris posts are coming your way soon!

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ladakh 2012 - eighteen days at altitude.

I still can't believe that less than a week ago I was at an altitude of 6000m in the Himalayan Mountain region, taking ice cold river showers and sleeping in tents and wearing the most unfashionable hiking gear you will ever see. Now I'm back, safe and sound in the comfort of my own home (back at sea level - no more altitude sickness!), with hot running water on demand, lovely home cooked food and all the luxury of high speed internet. From the 17th of June till the 7th of July, I was lucky enough to travel all the way to the sprawling mountains of India along with 50-60 other people in my grade. We did a huge variety of things and it was one of the best trips I've ever taken. Here's a little bit about what we did:
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1. Lamdon School Homestay

pictures of lamdon school by isabel

Our school has a very close relationship with Lamdon School, the best school in all of Ladakh. With the financial help of our school, Lamdon School has grown from a tiny establishment with a few hundred students to a multi-building campus with an impressive student body of 1800, not to mention the 9 additional satellite campuses of Lamdon School that have been opened around the Ladakh region. Our relationship with Lamdon has always proved to be mutually beneficial in the form of an age-old tradition: the 2 night Homestay. 

My best friend Isabel and I partnered up for this leg of the journey, and we packed our bags  for an experience we'd never forget - yet we knew nothing about. We were posted off to go live with a local Ladakhi family; the family of a Lamdon student! It was such an exciting opportunity and I don't think I've ever been fed so much in my life. We lived in their small but absolutely beautiful house, and our Lamdon buddy Sonam was the loveliest girl ever (see a picture of her AMAZING room below!).

(from left to right): Sonam's mom, Isabel, Sonam, Stanzin (Sonam's sister), and Sonam's cousin

9 Day Markha Valley Trek

At the top of Ganda La Pass (5800m in altitude!), marveling at the priceless view (and taking our shirts off....?!)

view from the trek on day 1 - we had NO idea what we were in for.

on one of the practice hikes around leh, ladakh's capital

one of the beautiful inland lakes, up about 4000m in altitude!

isabel and i having hot chocolate in our tent on day 2 - a freezing morning!

 one of the many stunning views we had - check out those snowcapped peaks!

 kim and i lookin' fly!

 the view that i woke up to (literally; this picture was taken from inside my tent!) on the morning of day 5.

ganda la pass

isabel and i before the trek on day 2!

The 9-day trek through various parts of the Indus Valley and the Markha Valley was one of the most challenging things I have ever done. It required not only a huge amount of physical agility and fitness, but a phenomenal amount of psychological strength. Believe me when I say this: Life during those 9 days became so much easier when I realised that putting a smile on my face and having a positive attitude was half the battle won. We walked for up to 12 hours each day, completely unaware of the weather circumstances we'd have to face on any given day. Ladakhi weather is truly bipolar; it could hail for an hour, stay sunny for lunchtime and then rain until dusk (which it did), and we'd have to be prepared to deal with such huge weather extremes. We walked up mountains and then down again, rolled up our pants to cross rivers (I'm guilty of taking the easy way out and piggybacking some of my larger guy friends!), and in a certain extreme circumstance, we even got down on our asses and slid down a fatal vertical slope. At the end of it, we were all in serious need of a good scrub in a hot shower, a huge meal and a proper bed - and thankfully, that's exactly what we got. 


Being away from the city and all it's superficial distractions for 18 days was more cleansing and refreshing than I ever imagined. To strip our lives down to the bare minimum and only use/take what we really need left all of us a great deal more humble, more content, and more appreciative of the immense luxuries that are readily available to us at home. I never thought I'd say that not showering for 9 days straight would be beneficial in any way, but I learned so much during our time in Ladakh and the memories I made there will stay with me for the rest of my life.
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Hope everyone's having a beautiful summer!

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the faces of fashion.

I've always really liked the concept of a brand choosing a "face" or an "ambassador," someone to live out the brand's ethos and be a human embodiment of what the brand is all about. It's almost like a game of translating a brand's aesthetic into a series of physical and emotional characteristics and traits, and finding a celebrity/model who bears the most resemblance to those characteristics. Having a real, walking representation of a perfume, item of makeup or seasonal collection adds a whole new dimension to its meaning - and makes it that much cooler. Below, I've picked 5 of my favourite model-brand partnerships: 

1. Abbey Lee Kershaw x Flora by Gucci

(source)

At first glance, Abbey Lee Kershaw is anything but a flower-girl. Her gap-toothed smile could complement a shabby plaid & denim farmer's ensemble, and her piercing eyes would definitely work with a tough biker-chic facade, but the last things I pictured Abbey posing with were a bunch of flowers and one of Gucci's girliest scents. I'm glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by this ad campaign; given the correct styling and makeup such as that in the picture above, Abbey's striking features add a powerful, feminine aura to the soft, floral perfume. 

2. Gisele Bundchen x Givenchy

 (source)

This smouldering Brazilian beauty looks absolutely unstoppable in Givenchy's ultra-cool s/s2012 ad campaign. The sophisticated ensembles on Bundchen and her two beaus look smashing against the gloomy backdrop of a stormy sky, and her free-flowing blonde locks create a great contrast with the knife-sharp aesthetic of the collection. Normally I associate the bubbly blonde beauty with her beachy iPanema shoe collection, so this campaign was both a surprising and refreshing addition to my mental picture of Gisele.

3. Miranda Kerr x Reebok

(source)
I absolutely fell in love with Miranda's campaign with Reebok. The stunning VS Angel clearly proves that her assets can be flaunted in ways other than just in lingerie. The sporty look is amazing on her (well, she's Miranda Kerr. What doesn't look good on her?!) and her smoking feline looks add a healthy smidgeon of sexiness to the sportswear brand. I don't know about you, but Reebok is suddenly a whole lot more appealing to me now!

4. Sheila Sim x SKII

 (source)
I'm so biased towards Sheila Sim; she's such a babe. After seeing her walk in two shows at Singapore's Audi Fashion Festival 2012, I suddenly felt so proud of Singapore for cultivating such a star. Her charismatic, bubbly smile makes me just want to reach out and hug her! SK-II definitely chose the right face - she's naturally radiant and possesses an elegance and dignity that is sadly growing rarer in this industry.

5. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley x Marks and Spencers

(source)
I was originally convinced that this curvaceous lingerie model was far too promiscuous and sexy for home-y brand Marks and Spencers, however when all was concealed by uber-conservative-British clothing at the M&S Autograph campaign shoot, Huntington-Whiteley's English rose features took the spotlight, and she looked absolutely stunning in toned-down hues and timeless silhouettes. 
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What do you guys think of these campaigns and the models that were chosen to star in them?

Don't forget to place your vote in my new poll on the right hand sidebar!

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seventeen singapore - again!

Benita and her lovely team of writers at Seventeen were lovely enough to have me in their issue for the second time in three months! The main story for Seventeen's July issue was "Be a Budget Babe," which was all about shopping smart during the annual GSS (Great Singapore Sale). For those of you who aren't local, GSS is basically when every single store has a massive sale, and everyone just shops and shops and shops! 

However, like I said in my little paragraph, it's important that the usual shopping rules still apply (even though price tags have been shredded into microscopic bits and you just want to buy everything in sight simply because you can). Buying a fully priced pair of shoes for $100 is going to make you happier than buying three damaged or ill-fitting shirts/accessories for $100. Exercise quality control, and be careful with impulsive buys; the choices you make when there are neon price tags and huge signs all around you, filling your head with the idea that everything within your reach is worth every dollar it costs... yeah, hate to be a party-pooper, but choices in those circumstances tend to be the ones you regret later.

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Hope everyone's having a good summer!

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10qq with maggie.

Meet Maggie Pa, a multi-talented, 17 year old Chinese-American from California. An avid violinist, a graphic design/digital art student and a self confessed shoe addict, Maggie enjoys documenting her fashion and culinary experiences on her blog, Salt and Leather. 

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1) Favourite magazine of all time: Nylon or W.
2) A celebrity you hate: I don't really hate any... I'm not interested in celebrities at all.
3) Two of your style icons: Sen Mitsuji and the Olsen twins, although I prefer street style to specific people.
4) If you were on the red carpet for a day, who's designs would you wear? McQueen or Vivienne Westwood.
5) All-time favourite accessory: My Forever21 plated necklace.
6) First song that plays on your iTunes shuffle: "Back to Tomorrow" by DBSK.
7) 3 things you keep beside your bed: My lamp, a small sketchbook and pen for late night ideas, and an alarm clock.
8) Favourite food: This is tough... But I'd have to say Taiwanese Oyster Pancakes.
9) A place you'd like to visit before you die: Tokyo, Japan.
10) What you want to be when you're older: Advertising/Marketing and Graphic design.

What do you think of Maggie's style and her blog, Salt and Leather?

my life in pictures I.

all photos taken from my instagram - @veenamccoole

1. My Vitamin Water Wall - it's almost done! I'm such an addict, it's incredibly unhealthy.

2. My best friend Camilla and I getting ready for a party together. That black lace top and skirt combo is one of my all-time favourites!

3. Kimbra - I'm literally obsessed with her song "Cameo Lover." She was featured in Gotye's overrated single "Somebody That I Used to Know," and although she's an all-round amazing singer, I think her vocal skills are much better displayed in this song.

4. Jane By Design - I sped through the first season of this amazing new TV show, and that's coming from someone who never really commits to watching shows! A must-watch for fashion lovers in particular.

5. My eye - Although my European side clearly decided on my eye color, my Asian genes unfortunately dominated my eyelashes, which is why they're so short. This picture is one of the few that actually makes my lashes look remotely voluptuous (you have no idea how much mascara I was wearing though...). Oh the pains of being Eurasian!

6. My room - I took this while I was lying on my bed, and it actually captures my room at a really great angle and sums up what the rest of my room is like. Cluttered, covered in pictures, quotes and random things, as well as more Vitamin Water labels!

7. Me and Pixie Lott - yes, I met Pixie Lott. And I had a heart attack and started hyperventilating and literally went insane and oh my god she is the most beautiful, talented, perfect human being ever and I got two pictures with her and hugged her and talked to her and got her autograph and she said I was pretty and I almost fainted and it was all extremely exciting for someone like me. *phew.* *breathes.* She was having a Personal Shopping appointment at Topshop, and although her appearance was very well publicized beforehand, only 20-30 fans actually went along! It was a quaint, cozy affair and everyone got a chance to meet her, which was really nice.

8. My horribly messy desk - Unfortunately, this is what my workspace looks like when I'm actually being productive. When my desk is neat, that's usually a sign I'm procrastinating and not getting stuff done. Sorry mom!

9. Me! - I am the queen of selfies (although I'm not sure whether I'm proud of it or not...), and that's all I have to say about that picture.

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