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BABEWATCH: Designer Prabal Gurung
Name: Prabal Gurung
Hails from: Kathmandu, Nepal
Resides in: The East Village, NYC
Occupation: Fashion Designer
Why He’s a Babe: Nepalese women’s designer Prabal Gurung (pronounced “Prah-bull Grr-rung”) makes beautiful dresses for a living. And despite having only launched his eponymous line in 2009, he’s already becoming a household name, due in large part to several recent public appearances by Michelle Obama rocking his handiwork. What we love about Prabal is how he talks about The Woman He Designs For, whom he describes as someone who “dresses for herself” (check!), who’s “aware of the world around her” (we hope!), and who’s never vulgar (er, two out of three ain’t bad?). We also love the way he talks, in the most buttery of accents that’s a melange of all the places the designer’s ever lived: New York, Melbourne, London, New Delhi, Kathmandu, and Singapore. Which is fitting for someone who’s quickly developing a far-reaching influence. After a recent trip home to Nepal, Gurung began to understand the global impact of dressing someone like FLOTUS:
You know, to me, it’s just a dress, but when I went home I realized it was so much bigger than that. Being stopped on the street by people thanking me for being a positive representative of Nepal–it was overwhelming.
Just a dress? We think not
[photo via Just Jared]
[Prabal Gurung official website]
[HuffPo: Prabal Gurung On Dressing Michelle Obama: To Me It's Just A Dress, But People Thanked Me On The Street]
Filed under: Asian Fashion Designers, FLOTUS, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama Fashion, Michelle Obama Fashion Designers, Nepal, Nepalese, New Talent, party dresses, Prabal Gurung, Pretty Dresses, Reprzent
BABEWATCH: Forever 21′s Linda and Esther Chang
Names: Linda Chang and Esther Chang
Ages: 28 and 23
Occupations: Forever 21′s marketing and visuals department heads, respectively
Linda and Esther Chang are the daughters of Don and Jin Sook Chang, the Korean American founders of one of our favorite places on Earth, Forever 21. (Where else can you get a cute, fashion-forward $12 dress, we ask you? A $12 dress!) Like the company’s wares, the Chang sisters are young, fresh, and adorbs. They were recently profiled by the LA Times’ Booth Moore, where we learned the following:
- They’re best friends.
- They’re both Ivy League-educated.
- They work for the family business, which opened its first store in 1984 and, by the end of that year, had grown its sales from $35,000 to $700,000.
- They go to church with their parents on Sunday.
We tend to hate on people like this–i.e. people who please their Hardass Asian Parents all the time rather than disappoint–but with the Chang sisters, we just can’t. Their devotion to their family and the family business is just so earnest (older sis Linda says things like, “I love it when people come out of our stores being so happy”). And the girls themselves are just too cute.
Then, of course, it all goes back to the fact that the Chang sisters represent the $12 dress. The $12 dress!
[LA Times: Meet Forever 21’s stylish sisters]
Filed under: Adorbs, Asians Love Discounts, Cheap Fun, Clothes that Look Great on Diana and Jen, Cute Things, Discount Fashion, Discounts, Disposable Fashion, Don Chang, Esther Chang, Fast Fashion, Forever 21, Immigrants, Jin Sook Chang, Korean-Americans, Linda and Esther Chang, Linda Chang, Pretty Dresses
Fear of a Yellow Planet
The folks over at Gizmodo recently discovered, with the help of Google Suggest, that there seem to be an unusual amount of folks searching the Web for the subject: “I am extremely terrified of Chinese people.”
Curious, right? Fortunately, our friend Phil over at Angry Asian Man did a bit of debunking homework, digging up the most likely source for the popular search: an article entitled “I Am Extremely Terrified of Chinese People” on the satirical site Christwire.
Still, before I knew about the article, I wondered, are Chinese people actually so scary? Moreover, could I possibly be scared of Chinese people? Well, I told myself, Jen is the Chinese person I know best. But despite her sharp tongue and freaky-brilliant mind, she’s the most fun, kind, genuine, warm, generous, honest, caring person I know. What’s so terrifying about that? I can’t possibly fear Chinese people!
Jen also has–and I’m sure I’ve talked about this before–one of the most exquisite closets I’ve ever walked into, and she is eager to loan me a frock faster than a person can check out a library book (See? Very not-scary). She never asks for anything in return, and I always watch over the dresses as if they were my own child.
But (here is where my mind wanders) y’know what, if something were ever to happen–like an ungodly splash of wine, a drycleaning mishap, or somebody’s cigarette ash on my sleeve…
OH GOD. I. WOULD BE. SO INCREDIBLY TERRIFIED. OF ONE. VERY SPECIFIC. CHINESE PERSON. AND HER. VERY ANGRY. ANGRY. EYES.
So yeah, um, I guess it’s possible.
Source Source Source
Thanks, Abe and Phil!
Filed under: Fear, Google Rules, I Am Extremely Terrified of Chinese People, Pretty Dresses, Satire, Strange Web Searches, Weird World Behavior
Michelle Obama’s Inaugurasian Ballgown–Wuhoo!!!
As many of you have heard by now, First Lady Michelle Obama’s inauguration ballgown was designed by Jason Wu, a 26 year-old born in Taiwan, trained at Parsons, and based in New York. Welcome to the Smithsonian, dude!
The ivory-colored, one-shoulder dress looked bridal, and I mean that in the best way. Because Barack and Michelle are embarking on a new journey together, as they were when they got married. The gown also conjured this fantasy that we had all been invited to their wedding, that we were not only witnesses to this extraordinary event that had taken place, we were also their friends, which, let’s face it, is what we Obama supporters have believed all along anyway.
Source
Thanks, Neal!
Filed under: Asian Fashion Designers, First Lady Michelle Obama, Inauguration Ball, Jason Wu, President Barack Obama, Pretty Dresses, Taiwanese-Americans, Wedding Dresses
ROCK OF ASIAN: Little
Our friend Wing Builder sent us this gorge video from French popstress Little. And we don’t love her a little, we love her a lot! We want to know her: chew bubble gum, dance and listen to Brigitte Bardot records, lounge in Eames chairs, throw sock parties, shop at our favorite boutique with her–anything!
But for now, if this is as close as we can get… We’ll take it!
Source
Thanks, Wing!
Filed under: Brigitte Bardot, Cute Girls, Dreamy Beats, Eames Chairs, France, Little, Pop Music, Pretty Dresses, We Speak Fronch
AMAZIAN OF THE WEEK! Jessica Yu
Name: Jessica Yu
Occupation: Film director, writer, producer, and editor
Known for: A variety of documentary, scripted film, and television credits (most recently, her much-acclaimed Asian sports comedy Ping Pong Playa), the super-combo of beauty and brains, reprzentin’ for Yale alumni, and the memorable poke she made during the Oscar acceptance speech for her 1996 short film Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’ Brien–”You know you’ve entered into new territory when you realize your dress costs more than your film.”
Source Source Source Source
Filed under: Beautiful Ladies, Documentaries, Filmmakers, Jessica Yu, Ping Pong Playa, Pretty Dresses, Yale
Congratulasians
…to designers Phillip Lim of 3.1 Phillip Lim and Koi Suwannagate of Koi for garnering CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award nominasians.
Watch Douglas Keeve’s Seamless to see how this award can dramatically change a young designer’s fortunes.
Filed under: Asian Fashion Designers, Fashism, Koi Suwannagate, Phillip Lim, Pretty Dresses, Vogue is French for Ugly
When Worlds Collide: Debra Messing And Phillip Lim
Debra Messing and designer Phillip Lim at the opening of Lim’s store on Mercer St. in New YorkPhillip: Hi Deb! Thanks for coming to my store opening! Do you want some champagne?
Debra: Yes! I would love some! I’m so excited to be here! I just got nominated for an Emmy! I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!
Phillip: Congratulasians, Deb. Good for you.
Debra: I know! Isn’t it?!? I mean, of course I already have one Emmy, and that’s enough, because most people don’t even get the chance to have THAT, and that is so precious. Do you have an Emmy?
Phillip: Uh, no Debra. I’m a fashion designer.
Debra: Kidding! Har har! I’m baaaaaaaaaaack!!! They love me! They really love me! This is so great! Maybe I’ll get free clothes again! And land the cover of Vogue!
Phillip: Debra, darling. That dress of mine that you’re wearing was free.
Debra: I know! And thank you! You are a wonderful friend! But I had to buy this turban-thingy on my own! Do you think it makes me look thinner?! I think it makes my face look two pounds thinner! What do you think?!? Tell me!!!
Phillip: Well, that’s why I designed this flounce on the front of the dress. It disguises one’s imperfections. Not that you have any.
Debra: OMG. You think I’m fat?! You do, don’t you?! You think I look fat?! OMG. Do you have something else I can wear?! Oh my god, is Anna Wintour here?!? Give me a new dress RIGHT NOW or I’ll bite your dick off!!!
Phillip: Whoa. Debra. Chillax. Let’s find you something else to wear. We’ll make it all better.
Debra: Damn straight you will!!! Because I’m Debra Messing, and I’m baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!
Filed under: Bodies That Look Like Oatmeal, Debra Messing Bugs, Phillip Lim, Pretty Dresses, The Emmys Are Bullshit
All I Really Need to Do Is Find…A …Brand …New …Gender
I’m so pleased to find out that Kimora has found love again!!!
Oh wait. That’s not Kimora!!! That’s Dead or Alive’s Pete Burns (the blushing bride), tying the knot with the Michael Simpson (the man he cheated on his wife of 25 years with).
Hot!
Filed under: Blushing Brides, Cross-Dressers, Hating on Kimora is Our Pastime, Pete Burns, Pretty Dresses, Quel Scandal, Racial Drag, Weddings
On Marrying Well
Photographed at an event for Olivier Theyskens in New York is social-lite Helen Lee Schifter with her troll sugardaddy husband:
Uh, remind me, who are you again? And how did you buy your way in why are you always in Vogue?
Filed under: Fashism, New York Socialites, Pretty Dresses, Useless People
