Asian Fashion

I just got back from Hong Kong and Taiwan, enjoying a highly anticipated vacation that turned out much better than my daydreams about it in 5th period history...

Aside from the loving relatives, greasy, delicious food, and beautiful, sparking weather, one of the highlights of Taiwan is shopping. Street markets with stalls lined farther than your eyes can see. Huge cloth signs screaming prices that seem to get cheaper as you walk down. The clothes are there are dirt cheap, but magnificently amazing.

After a few years of visiting Asia and shopping giddily, I've realized something. What is trendy in Asia seems outrageous and mindblowing to me at the time but comes into style a few months later.

When I visited Taiwan about 3 years ago, I saw all females between the age of 13-30 prancing around in shirts that were wayyy too long. I wrinkled my brow and concluded that perhaps Taiwanese women just wanted to cover their bottoms. Nevertheless, I bought a few of them just because.

Come home and 6 months later, guess what is the hottest trend that is still going on strong in 2011? Minidresses decorated the Western runaway and quickly covered the bottoms of Americans.

This time, I paid attention to the daring outfits worn by glitzy and glamorous Taiwanese girls.

Something that was very popular was distressed denim, as distressed and ripped as possible. Distressed jeggings with a yellow acid wash are also trendy. Lighter denim shades with sharper washes were worn by many high schoolers paired with bright and colorful tops.

As for tops, Taiwanese fashion still carries the neutral colors and simple silhouettes that have graced the American fashion scene for this past fall and winter.

Minidresses and light knits are popular.

Here are some trends that I love from Asia:

Cant wait till summer gets to America and I can wear all this! :)

The Not-So "New Look Of AE" For Spring 2011

During the weeks leading up to Christmas, I was spammed with emails from American Eagle offering me all sorts of wonderful goodies and "holiday gifts".

One day, it was BOGO 50% off, the next day it was free shipping! Who could resist?!

Succumbing, I eagerly scooped up the "today-only" free shipping deal and bought a comfy warm coral hoodie.

The next day, I checked my email and found that AE was offering free shipping and 20% off "just for that day--one time deal."

Hmm..

Perhaps feeling my annoyance, AE has felt bad for cheating poor teenage girls out of their hard-earned money by persuading them to take "one-time" deals, which in reality were offered the entire holiday season. Thus, they decided to bring around a "new look" for 2011 as compensation.

But unfortunately for both of us, poor little Melody doesn't like the new arrivals.

After Christmas, AE completely revamped their website. Before, festive holiday colors and bright reds dominated the design. However, visitors to AE's changed site are greeted by a cool, nautical look of navy blues, whites and greys.

Some aspects of the collection are positive--especially the menswear collection. It gently carries along the whole "whee-I'm-a-wannabe-sailor-theme," but also includes many surprisingly classy dress shirts. Aside from the long gone flannel shirts, the tops are perfect to fill a guy's closet come spring time. Paired with rolled cargo jeans or skinnies, a slightly disheveled yet devastatingly charming image is rolled out.

And the women's collection is not complete without AE's standard spring outfit. The cardigan over the floral print tank/shirt with/without ruffles/lace/buttons/a collar. You pair it with dark skinny jeans in the correct wash and cute little ballerina flats. I mean, after all it is AE. All their clothing comes back in style eventually... well in this case, every season.

However, the main staple in spring 2011 AE wear is the prevailing nautical theme. This white and navy striped cardigan pretty much describes Ae's "new look."

photo from ae.com

You can now get this cardigan at AE for $50. It is a great "today-only" deal.

But hey, guess what?

You can find this cardigan's pattern in a short sleeve top with cap/bell sleeves. Or maybe a blouse/long v-neck sweater/flowy short sleeved cardigan.

You can also get a cardigan that looks almost identical at Target for $18.99

Or perhaps you are feeling a need to make Miley Cyrus just a little more richer while expressing your inner sailor-girl? Head to your local Walmart. Along with picking up 99 cents bread and $5 DVDs, get some Miley Cyrus with BCBG's Max Azria tops in "nautical style" for under $10.

Maybe Miley will use that money to buy some...

Anyways: bottom line is, the nautical look is terribly overused.

Perhaps fashion geniuses get stonewalled by designer's block and seek solace in their...sailboats. Drifting hopelessly in the ocean , they see endless blue skies and infinite white waves of limitless water...

And not to mention, the nautical look is definitely not new. Unless you think 1917 is current.

Because at that time, a random woman in Paris by the name of Coco came upon the idea of sticking navy blue stripes on a white shirt.

Audrey Tautou as Coco Chanel in "Coco Before Chanel."

Along with a black dress and a certain scent, it would make her very very famous and also unfathomably rich.

Hey, maybe you are one of those people who ardently buy each new AE look just because its AE, don't get mad and let this post prevent you from buying a $50 striped flimsy cardigan. I mean, I shop at AE too and fall for the sporadic "huge" deals.

However, just like Rachel M and I agreed during journalism today, you don't go to AE to buy "nice clothes."

AE has nice jeans, comfortable sweaters, some basic pretty tops and basically everything else that everyone else is wearing--just with a little eagle on the pocket.

So that's perhaps what AE really is. It's a dependable, iconic, "all-American," staple in the fashion planet...and also the economy.

Because after all, if Coco Chanel can pull it off and make it chic, internationally famous and most importantly, money-making, perhaps American Eagle can do it too.