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| from this... |
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| ...to this. |
- One comment • Category: Catwalk, Jail Jeans
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| Combat boots-Creepers hybrid |
Office is in chaos right now. After a failed attempt to get me a passport, I have to prep everything and box all outfits they need to brinf to the Men's fashion week in Singapore. Heard Philip Huang is walking for our brand. Darn! I'm going to miss it!
Few weeks back, I've been praying for a good career break. I know I'm meant for something bigger. Bigger than usual. Guess what? God answers all prayers. He really do! I guess it's just me who's not ready for it. Yes, I skipped 2-months worth of waiting for that passport interview and yes, we pulled some strings and got approved without having to present any ID's, but that's the farthest my luck brought me. I was given a receipt with a pick up date on April 6, a week overdue from the show. It was explained that that's the quickest way they could issue a passport and the end of any human intervention as electronic machines take over afterwards. That's ePassport for you. I learned a very important lesson from this situation, nonetheless, that one should always prepare for that greatness one has been dreaming of.
Few weeks back, I've been praying for a good career break. I know I'm meant for something bigger. Bigger than usual. Guess what? God answers all prayers. He really do! I guess it's just me who's not ready for it. Yes, I skipped 2-months worth of waiting for that passport interview and yes, we pulled some strings and got approved without having to present any ID's, but that's the farthest my luck brought me. I was given a receipt with a pick up date on April 6, a week overdue from the show. It was explained that that's the quickest way they could issue a passport and the end of any human intervention as electronic machines take over afterwards. That's ePassport for you. I learned a very important lesson from this situation, nonetheless, that one should always prepare for that greatness one has been dreaming of.
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| Got a new ID! |
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The exhibit pushed through, thankfully. It was a small intimate affair. Nothing grand. It was a good warm up for a bigger and better exhibit in the future.
the prep
the launch
- Leave your comment • Category: Exhibit, Paintings. Cubao X, Party
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2 words. Not going to Singapore. Exhibit on Friday. Shoot on Saturday. Make that 10.
The office is busy prepping for Men's Fashion Week in Singapore on April 1st.. I'm not supposed to join but I jokingly volunteered and reminded my advantage as I am also a stylist and very familiar on how backstage works. My boss quickly agreed and asked for my passport number so he can forward my personal deets to Singapore, where our tickets are coming from. We are flying in an all expense paid trip! I was excited and about to scream for joy until I realized, I don't have a passport yet. I told him, I'll find a way, and tried calling everyone in my phonebook who I thought could help in this very, very, urgent matter. The fastest way to process passports in our country usually takes 3 weeks. That is if you get an appointment for appearance the next week. I went to our epassport site and found out that the soonest available schedule for interview is on May 18th. My heart broke. But there's nothing a bottle of beer and a shot of vodka couldn't heal. When I got to the office this afternoon, I told my boss that I am not going. I could help organize the packing and write them a schedule so they would cover everything there even without my presence. He shook his head.
I've been told so many times by my friend Tina to "get a passport even if you don't need it!" She would say this over and over. I wanted to get one. I really do. At the back of my head, however, is a voice telling me that if I am meant to fly, passport wouldn't be a problem. It's not that I could get one right away, it's just that if I decided to fly out of the country, I would probably have enough time to fix my passport before I could save enough money to buy me a ticket. And God knows how much I've been wanting to go to, at least, Hong Kong or Thailand. Money and time has always been an issue with me. The two never came together at the same time so no trip plans were ever pushed through. As I was procrastinating my design work in the office and daydreaming of the things I would do in Singapore if I ever pushed through, I realized a proverb I read from somewhere, that: "you should always prepare for your dream so when the opportunity comes, you're ready to grab it." So much for procrcastination. I left the office early and bought a Big Mac on my way home. And besides, if I could ever find someone who can fix my passport half of the usual processing time, I don't have ALL the requirements. My wallet was stolen two months ago with all my digitized ID's in it. I have my Birth Certificate alright but the NBI Clearance can take up to three weeks.
When i got home at 9 pm, I got a call from my boss telling me to come early to the office tomorrow and bring with me my Birth Certificate and some 2x2 photos. I GOT A FUCKIN APPEARANCE! My boss really moved heaven and earth for this! I may not have asked for a great salary deal but this is epic! I am not rejoicing yet, my fingers and toes are still crossed.
More jackets! That's what I did today. I drew more jackets! Before I sat on my table I have in mind to toy with the idea of dark romantic minimalism and explore what more could be done with the idea. Before the day ends, I noticed that all my jackets are heading towards the punk direction. As much as I try to make it not punk and do a mix of japanese streetstyle and european club, punk remains to be a major influence. Oh well, wwe'll see tomorrow. Byers.
- Leave your comment • Category: Accessories, Nails, Rings
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What I wore today.
I SURVIVED DAY 2! I spent the day clean-sketching. I just came up with 8 looks today 'cuz my pen ran out of ink (so juvenile, right?) . The process is time consuming but fun! It was like sketching all my dream outfits in black denim!
Shoes that arrived to the office today for the Singapore show. Combat boots with buckles! Matches my outfit for the day.
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| old-school "Recto" buckles, baby! |
- Leave your comment • Category: Jail Jeans, Outfit Post, Shoes
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Hi. Welcome to my new blog (again).
Last Friday, I got a call from an old-time friend who is an ex-model and is now a denim designer asking if I could help him in his line. Being an old-time friend, I said yes right away and decided to drop by his office over the weekend to discuss what exactly he wanted me to do. He said that his brand, Jail Jeans, is doing very good in the international market and that he needed an extra creative mind to help him come up with new designs. He said he chose me because back in his modeling days, he would remember the things I would do/create during fashion shows when I was working as runway stylist. He also said that his own designs are selling very well and that in order to expand the market, mixing in products with different look would welcome a different set of customers. The meeting was great timing because lately, I'm in the middle of a career switch from styling to designing. I realized that after years of working as a stylist, I am expected to level up as a designer (or a politician's secret gay lover). Truth is, I'm in the process of starting up my own label called Ryan Conrad (my real name), which I intend to market as Women's Designer Wear. The idea of designing Made-To-Order was an issue for me at first because although I believe I can do the job, I don't want to give up the edgy creative work I do when I am styling. It took me months of pondering until I recently decided that I'm up for the change and challenge. I know that this two different jobs will become crazy when both Jail Jeans and my label starts to pick up but until then, what I will learn from here I will never learn anywhere. The real deal-maker here is that Jail Jeans is giving me total creative freedom on my designs. He said that I could treat this like my own line and that I can do whatever I want. As the office, the money, the production area is not of a problem, how can I say no.
JAIL BIRD
Also, the idea of working in two very different design houses would make a good blog topic, hence this blog. I think it would be fun to document the clothes I wear, the things I do and all the contrasting stuff for both houses. While Jail Jeans claims to be edgy I think my RCXY-side will fit in here very well. And when I'm into softer fabrics, and beads, and gowns, you can go check out my other site here .
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| Rawr! |
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| My ex-model designer friend. |
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| Prototypes and showpieces now ready to fly to Singapore for the Men's Fashion Week. |
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| and this was what I wore. |
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