You gotta love Paris, shorty fine I see a future in her face...

It never surprises me when people ask "Ryan Leslie - who?". Though he's been around for a while now, his talents as an artist are still relatively unrecognised. I know he'll never be one of the greatest but if we were to judge on pure talent, he has a lot more going for him than a lot of successful artists today. He's another artist that should have made it big, but never did. His production on Fly Together with Red Cafe and Birdman is proof, and if that fails to convince than his production on Cassie's Me & U is concrete evidence.

Cassie is undeniably beautiful, those who doubt her beauty are haters. But talent wise she falls flat...her vocals are mediocre at best and her rare live performances were beyond crap. So when she made the switch from NextSelection with Leslie to Bad Boy with Diddy I was confused. Diddy's label has a reputation for signing artists which never really make it - bar BIG - and despite being signed to the label for 7 years Cassie has yet to release another album. She's never stopped claiming that it's 'coming soon'.

In short, she made a big mistake career wise. But I guess it doesn't matter when you factor in her relationship with Diddy..she is the definition of official side chick. Everyone knows the two are together and yet Diddy has failed to confirm their relationship up until now - how Cassie is okay with this lack of confirmation I'll never know, maybe his ridiculous amounts of money help soften the blow, maybe it's true love - f*ck knows. All I know is, she'll never do as well with Diddy as she did with Leslie...meh at least she has her looks. I can't even lie her latest singles off her mixtape are bangers - solely because of the instrumental; after all this time her vocals still haven't improved.

I fell in love with Leslie's Beautiful Lie video purely because it was shot in Paris. Since I was little, the French capital has always seemed to epitomise glamour and elegance and my childish dream of one day settling in the city still exists today. When I flicked through pictures the Love Ball 2013 I realised the opulence I associated with Paris extended to the entirety of France. Held at the Opera de Monte-Carlo by Natalia Vodianova, the lots included a sitting with Mario Testino and an internship at Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld. I am officially jealous. The interior of the venue amplified my jealousy; put simply, it is beautiful!

I know that for some, the ridiculous amounts of gold leaf plastered around the theatre will prove overwhelming and downright gaudy, but I love it! Too much of a good thing is never good but I suppose this is an exception to the rule...the completely gilded interior conjures up mental images of a magical never-land for me, it looks like the kind of place that doesn't belong in reality and only in people's imaginations. As a colour, many people shy away from gold but I've loved it since I was little. I've always had an affinity for metallics but being Asian, I think the cool tones of silver and gunmetal wash my brown skin out, so I stick to gold. 

When I came across this gold leather skirt on the Zara website, safe to say I fell in love instantly. 70 quid is a lot but when it comes to leather - and metallic leather at that - I'd say it's reasonable. True, it won't be to everyone's taste and I suspect that a lot of people wouldn't have a clue of what to pair it with but for me...it's beaut. 

The last instance of a successful outfit that included a gold skirt I remember was probably Blake Lively's head to toe Gucci look, where she paired a gold pleated mini skirt with a cream shirt complete with a flower brooch. I don't really get the green Casadei pumps she's chosen but they're not completely offensive so...meh. Same goes for her hair but that ugly brooch needs to go. But I really like the outfit as a whole, the simple shirt works really well with the metallic lower half and makes her almost glow. But I definitely prefer the cut of the Zara skirt - the simple pencil skirt cut serves to highlight the slightly more silvery-gold tone of the metallic leather.

Black and gold is a traditional colour combination and I think this skirt would translate well across seasons, working with dark sweats and jumpers in the winter but considering it's still summer I reckon I would pair this with a white top like Blake. But considering the sharp silhouette of the pencil skirt I'd steer clear of an office look and choose a cute crop top like the one below from Topshop, which can be found here. Excuse the bad photoshop job but I guess this is kinda what the outfit would look like, complete with this turquoise necklace from Miss Selfridge. In real life I think the skirt would translate even better...I can't wait to get back to London and see it in store!

Because the high street is still showing SS collections it's pretty much impossible to show any possible AW outfits but I just peeped a denim shirt/gold skirt outfit on the Balmain runway which I thought was casual yet still dressy, contradictory I know but...whatever the overall look was still sexy as hell. Now I have to try and find 70 quid to actually go out and buy this skirt...meh. 

I just want a Picasso, in my casa, no my castle

In less than 7 hours, I'll be on a plane leaving London for 7 weeks and yeah, I'm excited but I'm pissed at not spending the summer with my team. Everyone that knows me will know that I don't use the term friend lightly...like a lot of people I don't have time these days - I make time for the people that matter so I'm annoyed that I won't really see much of my homies this summer. My friend M told me to watch the new Jay Z interview with Zane Lowe and when he speaks about his relationship with Timbaland, and how they only recently reconciled on MCHG, like most people I sat up and took notice. I had never really questioned why the two suddenly stopped working together, so I was definitely shocked when both Jay and Timbo came clean about the story behind their parting of ways up until now. Peep the whole interview below, Jay is really revealing about how the whole album came about: 

Knowing that come October I'll be front row with my homies waiting for Jay Z to perform makes me that much happier! I know for a lot of people £80 for standing tickets is extortionate, and to some extent I have to say I agree...but my love for Jay and his music eclipses everything else so hell my bank balance took a hit but I don't regret it. All I'm saying is for that kind of ticket price, he better put on a hell of a show...

So Jay himself admits that MCHG isn't his best album. It's his 4th best after the Reasonable Doubt, Blueprint and the Black Album according to him, and I definitely agree.It's a great album, not legendary. But the truth is, Jay's 4th best is probably still better than the best album of some rappers' entire careers - he is THAT deep. That's kind of how I feel about Hedi Slimane. Like Jay, I put him on this pedestal with good reason, he's proved that he is a visionary. His rebranding of YSL was dangerous to say the least but it paid off. 

Slimane was responsible the refurbishment and redecoration of the Saint Laurent flagship stores worldwide from Paris to New York to London, and having looked at photos from the new stores I don't really have much to say except for the man has the ability to create masterpieces in every artistic discipline. 

PARIS:

NEW YORK:

Hedi's preoccupation with perfection is evident here, he was clearly in complete control of the creative process. Marble is often associated with antiquity and yet here, Hedi was able to give it contemporary significance, adding luxury to an otherwise minimalist palette. The store is opulent yet simplistic, possessing a contradictory character reflective of Hedi's own. The monochrome colour scheme coupled with the restrained use of nickel-plated brass, mirrors and marble all add up to make a beautiful concept that seems to define the new image of Saint Laurent whilst still referencing Yves' love for French Modernism. All I know is when I visit Paris in March, I will definitely be paying a visit!

If you don't see me on the block I ain't tryna hide, I blend in with the hood, I'm camouflaged

One of my favourite Lil Wayne features..back when he was younger with less tattoos and better lyrics..post Carter III he's just sh*t. So anyway this whole post came out of a dress I saw on Zara; this camouflage dress to be exact which can be bought here:

I don't really know why I like this dress - muted colour scheme, oversized cut loose fit, cute back detail - probably because its just different without being in your face...standard casual camo prints, if they're the wrong shade of green, can actually look nasty as hell and I think very few people look good wearing the print. In fact pretty much one of the only people I think rocks camo print effortlessly is the Weeknd:

Everyone knows that Abel is one of the most reclusive artists out there, so when he agreed to an interview with Complex I knew it'd be EPIC...having peeped it today I was right. The way he opened the interview was deep - he gave his reasons for not wanting to do an interview before now as:

 "I felt like I had nothing to say. I still feel I have nothing to say. I’m the most boring person to talk to." 

Judging from the content of his lyrics and his production it's probably so far from the truth it's laughable and yet up until now, he's definitely hidden a lot of his life from his fans, to our frustration. But once you read the interview you'll clock why; when asked whether the mystery that surrounds him is intentional he replied: 

"Yes and no. In the beginning, I was very insecure. I hated how I looked in pictures. I just fucking hated this shit, like, crop me out of this picture right now. I was very camera shy. People like hot girls, so I put my music to hot girls and it just became a trend. The whole “enigmatic artist” thing, I just ran with it. No one could find pictures of me. It reminded me of some villain shit." 

Read the rest of the interview here and try and tell me you're not amazed by the mindset this guy is in. After finishing the interview I had a 3 hour long session of pure Weeknd music...reminds me of why I bothered to read the interview in the first place.

So anyway back to the whole camo trend - when I checked out the Valentino exhibition at Somerset House a few months back there was this one chiffon camouflage print evening dress that I remember (picture above doesn't really do it justice). Considering this was designed for AW in 1995, I always find it strange that more than a decade on we're still reinterpreting the same trends. I won't lie I doubt I'd ever wear this myself but I can imagine someone like Rihanna wearing this..though she would look good in any outfit, however disgusting. Having scoured the whole Valentino website I realised that camo has been a big thing for the house, they have a whole collection of accessories dedicated to the print. I actually am surprised at how nice they are...the ballerina flats need to be mine!

We can dance if you want...

It always surprises me how many people sleep on this song but it's actually one of my favourites by Brandy. With the weather fixing to become cold and overcast again, I thought this perfectly described the mood I'm in right about now. Truth be told, I'm actually one of the few strange people that prefer the winter weather anyway...I think it matches my personality - I'm not really a sunshine and light kind of person, and I think that translates into everything I like...music, clothes, people's personalities - they're all just better when there's a dark undertone. That's how I feel about the Bottega Veneta AW13-14 collection..it's definitely a different direction for the brand.

So I just saw this ad campaign for the new collection, and I need this coat in my life. As much as I love winter, it's a pain in the ass because no matter how nice your clothes are no one can see them because you've always got a coat on top. Pain. And I don't like wearing the same coat 24/7 that's just boring. But see, this coat is IT for me. The colour, the exaggerated shoulders and hips, the cut, the architectural structure of the whole thing...beautiful! It's like it was designed for a modern day Red Riding Hood or something. Oh and the back is equally as impressive - I always hate it when detail is always focused on either the front or back - hell I want both! Though the aesthetic of this collection is very different, Maier has definitely not compromised on the level of detail of each garment...it's crazy how much love and attention has been poured into this coat.

The rest of the collection was equally impressive...not for the faint hearted by any means, the silhouettes were very architectural, with flat square shoulders and skirts with pleats folding outwards. The colours were dark or vibrant: black and charcoal grey were broke up with moments of crimson and yellow. Known for its leather goods traditionally, this Veneta collection actually showcased a variety of materials - from wools to leather to silk to satin to straw. If this collection were a man, it'd be one after my own heart.

Aside from the red coat I'm obsessing over, another stand-out piece for me was the gorgeous cognac wool dress with the ruffle detailing on the hips...perfect for autumn! I've looked everywhere for a similar red coat but in this case at least...you definitely get what you pay for. I can't find anything with any of the sculptural details that make this Veneta coat amazing but I did manage to find an Asos coat that was similarly striking...

So this version is definitely a more oversized boyfriend coat, which for me is an equally beautiful silhouette - it's always big in AW collections. But it's the same tomato red colour as the Veneta coat, and I think that's what makes it so nice..the addition of the black buttons is also a nice touch! Okay so it does cost a bit..£120 is no joke when you're on a student budget like me but I tell myself that's very reasonable for a good quality coat and plus I get 10% off. I know I'll be getting a lot of wear out of this come Autumn! This coat can be bought here on the Asos site.

You’d take the clothes off my back, And I’d let you...

Fresh from the newest Jay album, the vocals by Justin Timberlake on this are actually magical...anyone who is seeing either of them at Wireless - I hate you. Right about now this is my SONG, it's constantly on repeat.The number of religious connotations attached to hip hop right now is ridiculous...from Jay's Magna Carta Holy Grail to Kanye's Yeezus to J.Cole's Born Sinner, the theme of religion is everywhere. Seeing the album artwork for MCHG I knew it would always divide critics - some say it is too simple, I swear I saw one tweet claiming it looked like it could have been designed on Paint. Meh, I think its sick. It's bold, simple and perfectly complements the album's in my humble opinion. Increasingly, I see this kind of religious iconography on luxe T shirts everywhere! Guess we have Givenchy to thank for that...

Drawing inspiration from his  Catholic upbringing, Tisci merged the religious imagery of Madonna with overtly sexual undertones, with the spookily faded and blurred faces bringing a Gothic edge to the whole collection. With the face of Madonna emblazoned repeatedly on t shirts and jackets, Tisci has managed to create a simultaneously historical, religious and sexual collection that speaks of a new age religion whose god is Givenchy. As much as I love the pieces, the price tags are way out of reach for the average person; these days so many small companies are creating t shirts with a similar religious and/or historical aesthetic. I've already mentioned my love for the Renaissance repeatedly, so naturally I love this collection but my dangerous bank balance means I have to look elsewhere:

All of the above t shirts belong to Sugarpills clothing, and can be purchased here. Rita Ora is a fan of the t shirts and sweats, and the prices are suprisingly reasonable...especially when compared to that of Givenchy. I've already got the grey t shirt top left, but now I've got my eyes on the blue mirrored sculpture tee pictured bottom right. Ahhh I want them all!

These items are possibly the most obvious copies I've seen of the Givenchy SS13 collection yet - I should be pissed off that someone has, for all extents and purposes, stole from Givenchy...it's not a case of borrowing elements of various ideas to construct your own unique designs, this is blatant copying. Yet I can't hate it because clothing like this is Givenchy for broke people like me. All of the above can be found here, at a similar online website. I'm feeling the sweatshirt pictured bottom right in particular, named Lostinparis the colouring is so beaut - perfect for spring/summer. 

So this pair of tees come from Iridium 77, and I honestly can't be bothered to sound boring and repeat myself, so I'll just say that they can be bought here. It's just more of the same designs really.

 More religious imagery found here at Underrated London.

Finally, the end! So these last two tees are designed by Chiron London, and can be purchased here. The tee pictured on the left was actually seen on Chris Brown a month ago, so yeah they're here to stay. My friend bought the tee on the right and in person the quality of the print is amazing! So yeah, I think I've proven my point about the fact that religious/historical imagery is beyond popular right now, I can't even lie I've jumped on this particular bandwagon.