Cardboard Cut Out Me

6a00e5508e95a9883301310ffaad02970c-640wi.jpg

Was it a weird coincidence that the week before I went to Hong Kong, the lovely Kat from Style Lines got herself some lifesize cut-outs done in a Sportsgirl store and then I hop over to HK and got myself…

…yes… some 1:1 life size cutouts too… actually in some cases, it's 1:1.5… that's a GIANT me, hulking over you with fringe, frills, colours and my top knotted hair that is threatening to topple over…

Susie

Let's backtrack…

I mentioned that I was going to Hong Kong and whilst I was there covered the still mind-searingly spectacular Maggie Cheung x Rodarte event and the Versace event hosted by Joyce (I know I keep saying Joyce like it's something everyone should know it… let's see… it's the Browns/Maria Luisa or HK…).  I was also there to basically have a super elevated version of what I used to do in Topshop back when I was 16.  That is, try on a load of clothes.  Only this time, the clothes involve labels like Gareth Pugh, Rick Owens, Alexander Wang, Toga, Marios Schwab, Tao, Ohne Titel etc etc… the list goes on.  Plus I have my own clothes and accessories at my disposal to mix it up.  I'm also being photographed as opposed to emerging from the changing room to give my best friend a twirl to get a yay/nay.  Oh, and the photos get blown life size and larger in some cases to be put into the window.  Ok, so it's QUITE different from what I did back when I was 16.

That Joyce asked me to do this, thinking that it was something of a hardship, was also quite funny because clearly ransacking their rails at their Pacific Place store, choosing things that I could only dream of owning (well collectively anyway…) and mixing it all up with my own stuff was of course insufferable!  In all seriousness though, I am most grateful to Joyce for this weird yet wonderful opportunity and I'm just hoping passers-by are not too freaked out by a 2 metre cut-out in towering Acne shoes.  I also got my Mannequin moment when I freeze framed in amongst the cut-outs, standing very still and then freaked a passer-by out by suddenly moving my arm.  If that wasn't a moment of pure awesomeness, I don't know what is.

Ok…so bewarned, there are a LOTTA images here and because Steve had to take them in a mall where there's no natural light, I did have to colour correct them a little, something I never normally do so apologies for that…

I've also bunged in some of the images Joyce took as a behind the scenes thingamajig…

DSC_1304
1) House of Holland x Levis jacket, Richard Nicoll skirt, my own vintage hat, Topshop velvet body and Luella shoes – It's funny how I go all the way to HK to see Brit designers that I rarely come across in London.  Plenty of things to play with courtesy of the straps on the jacket, which I'm contemplating buying and ….yesssh…. grosgrain and fringe on the skirt! 

DSC_0034

DSC_0054

2) Marios Schwab Swarovski gem jacket, Rick Owens grey skirt, Rick Owens grey cardigan Alexander Wang grey suede sandals, my own long sheer vintage dress, American Apparel vest and Sou Brette necklace – Magpie me instantly honed in on this Marios Schwab jacket.  I love how the crystals are encased within the organza of the jacket so they're not so blingy.  Note to self: Must save up for Rick Owens knitwear that felt really good to stretch over the arms.

DSC_0077

DSC_0080

3) Manish Arora embroidered neoprene vest, House of Holland pink and orange shirt dress, my own Bebaroque tights and Acne shoes – It's pretty easy to limit the layers when you have things like this jutty-outty neoprene structure throwing some wild shapes over your body.  American Quarterback shoulders with a bit of bling bling, no?

DSC_0099

DSC_0107

Steve and I very SERIOUSLY pondering the meaning of these Alexander Wang long johns… 

DSC_1412

4) Alexander Wang grey jersey waistcoat, Anthony Vaccarello ruched cut-out minidress, Marselle black and white lace-up flats, my own Marc Jacobs tee, vintage lace trousers and zipper chains – This was the point when I started feeling like I had to pick up the pace a little… with more than ten outfits to go so I think this is a slightly cheesed off face at the camera as the lighting kept on going bezerk.  I wish I had shot the detail of the amazing cut-out dress.

DSC_0144

DSC_1434

5) Rick Owens grey leather jacket, Sacai dotty dress, Alexander Wang grey suede sandals, my own COS white t-shirt, H&M cycling shorts, I Heart Norwegian Wood cage dress – I started delving into the Japanese label rails and Sacai has always been a fave of mine.  I especially loved the rubberized texture of the dots on this dress which you can't see in pics.

DSC_0165
DSC_0169

6) Toga jacket, Mary Katrantzou printed dress, Markus Lupfer lace-up leggings, my own Fred Butler necklace and Acne shoes – Mary K's dresses have grown up in the past few seasons, so I in turn had to make it less so with the necklace.

DSC_0174
DSC_0185

This is the 'checking size of bum' shot..

DSC_1468

7) Dress33 velvet sequinned one-shouldered dress, my own vintage floral jumpsuit, Topshop headband and Irregular Choice shoes – I had to grab this dress even if on me, it does sort of look like a lost toga.  Damn that furry shimmery blue texture for reminding me of Little Mermaid tails.

DSC_0196

DSC_0213

8) Undercover dress with underslip, Manish Arora sequin leggings, Alexander Wang leopard print wedges, my own Michelle Jank necklace – Apologies for the very moody over the shoulder shot.  I just had to show the back with these equestrian-inspired tan straps that hold this dress altogether.

DSC_0235

DSC_0241

9) Ohne Titel wrapover cropped knit, Ohne Titel draped front knitted dress, Alexander Wang leopard print wedges my own Cooperative Designs legwarmers – I had to work these legwarmers in somewhere and though I'd pit American knits against Brit knits.  I love the simplicity of the Ohne Titel pieces. 

DSC_0272

10) Mastermind Japan blazer, JC de Castelbajac red and blue knit jacket, Margiela yellow trousers, my own Tim Ryan scarf and Luella shoes – Couldn't resist the primary plus nautical combo when I saw both jackets by Mastermind Japan and JCDC.   

DSC_0283

Another serious couple shot of us err… 'hard' at work…

DSC_1643

11) Anthony Vaccarello jacket, House of Holland nude and black lace shorts and black lace tee, Ann Demeulemeester strappy wedges, my own grey tee, Bebaroque tights – I'm sure you're familiar with these statement jackets and of course with Joyce being one of Anthony's first stockists, I definitely had to get my mitts on these. 

DSC_0322

A fair amount of straps to do up on the Ann D sandals…

DSC_1648

12) Tao fluro pink and safety pin knit, House of Holland pink lace dress underneath, my own vintage frilly bed jacket, lilac tights and Irregular Choice shoes – It was the colour of the Tao knit that hooked me in really and with all its stringy goodness, it's a fidgeting fashion lover's haven…

DSC_0346

DSC_0362

13) Markus Lupfer scribble print top and matching leggings, Richard Nicoll navy silk trousers, Ann Demeulemeester strappy wedges, my own vintage floral blazer – Seeing as I normally have a fear of trousers, it seemed weird that were so many viable options at Joyce. 

DSC_0391

DSC_1714

14) Manish Arora sculpted blazer, Alexander Wang stripy draped shorts, Alexander Wang leopard print wedges, my own Acne dress and Prada socks – Yes, it seems the Wang's S/S 10 collection had me with all its easy-to-wear pieces.  I thanked my lucky stars that I had the Prada socks with me as I think bare legs might have killed the outfit somewhat. 

DSC_0410

DSC_0419

15) Yuima Nakazato chain shrug, Marios Schwab gem-print dress, Ann Demeulemeester strappy wedges, my own Michael Angel leggings and Jennifer Loiselle headband – And the final one!  The last hurrah as it were… I really wanted to have a go at Yuima Nakazato's changeable sandals that zipped into a gazillion different combos but as we were running out of time, we bunged on the chain piece instead. 

DSC_0436

And… c'est fini…

DSC_1789

72 comments

  3. I LOVE that Manish Arora vest and House of Holland dress!! Obviously the acne wedges as well. You’re so lucky to play dress-ups like that with designer goodies!!

  6. Jealous= understatement. I can’t believe they thought it a burden. Fashion bloggers love dress up. You look ecstatic and that is pleasant to see. No more sour puss face.
    JD
    iplayfaves.blogspot.com

  7. I am SO jealous! Every piece is extremely beautiful. Especially love the grey Rick Owens skirt, and the Yuima Nakazato chain shrug. Off course, non of these outfits would be quite this extraordinary without your own personal pieces in the mix.

  9. i’ve been following your blog for a while and since im from hk, ive been excited to read on all the things you did while you were here! seems like such a fun experience! i have to go check out those 1:1 cardboards!

  10. love all the outfits. is this display in the pacific place mall store then? must go check it out!

  11. So much gorgeousness packed into one post … I’m always inspired by your bold pairings, Susie.

  12. Ahhh! You look amazing. I especially like the first few where it looks like your hair is cut to shoulder length. It works really well with your hat. Cute way of faking short hair and it looks awesome on you! ^_^

  13. Brilliant photos…have now fallen in love with the Undercover dress…any ideas how I can get my hands on it before I go mad please?

  19. what an amazing looking experience! looks like lots of fun, and hard work as evident from photos. I look all the looks. I especially love the Manish Arora pieces.
    xx-LJ from SOS!

  22. It’s like the billboard from Somerset!!!! That’s WAY BETTER than buying for Joyce…Kudos to whoever set that up, that’s golden marketing. Would have thought a London store may have shown the impetuous first…

  25. All of these looks are BE-YOND; your fabulous, idiosyncratic style x100!! But the Luella shoes make me all sad 🙁 I miss her!!

  26. Bloody hell, awesome outfit overload! I don’t think I’ve ever even touched clothes this amazing. I’d love to know the collective price for the whole lot >< Or perhaps not, I'm not sure my near-minimum wage brain could handle it!

  27. that post was a fashion dream. the checking out your bum line cracked me up. and i hope i don’t sound like some kind of creep by saying this but you and Steve look so cute together

  30. It must have been heaven going through all that clothing! I’m LOVING the Sacai dress btw….the rubberized texture sounds amazing, can only imagine how great it must be in person!!

  31. Wow susie, there are so many things I love from the Wang grey waistcoat/jacket, the amazing Anthony Vaccarello jacket and those Wang stripey shorts. I saw a black and white skirt from River Island that looked almost identical to those shorts!
    Also, must have been a bit freaky seeing all those cut outs of you all together and I wouldn’t have been able to resist standing amongst them, very still either! Brilliant!

  32. Incroyable! Amazing outfits and so many great designs, I surely will have to come back to look at them again. And please don’t mind me saying – You are like the perfect dress-up doll!

  38. I would have died to model the AW leopard wedges. I am in love with them currently. I also love the HoH outfit. Quite good! Hope you had fun!

  41. I totally want a big you to keep in my house. Then I’ll talk to you all the time, take you to restaurants even though you can’t sit down and basically make you my #1 relationship. I’ll be like a crazy cat lady but even more alarming. Wait, I’ll be like the Japanese guy who married a doll. This is all totally cool with you, right?

  43. wow, so unbelievable, and so many designers that i have admired for awhile now. actually nice to see the clothes ‘natural’ lighting and unique combinations! you look wonderful! totally inspirational.
    xx

  44. Wow, I love all the thought you put into these looks and there’s a great variety. I feel like there’s elements we could all take from this, crazy layering and playing with colours (though it would look completely different). Love the denim look, Wang skirt and the cut-out minidress.

  45. i love all of your outfit! fantastic layering and colour play!
    it must be great to look at the cutout cardboard on your size 😀
    xoxo

  46. awesome post I felt like it is one of your longest posts yet, which is a good thing! I die for outfit #6, the jacket, the printed layers, and the crazy shoes. I can’t believe there are cardboard cutouts of you in a shop window must have felt crazy surreal!!

  47. dress33 blue sequins looks so good with flower print.. also richard nicoll skirt, undercover dress, hoh dress, cooperative designs leggings, tao knit…..ahhhhh

  48. SUSIE THIS IS AMAZING!
    I especially love that Manish Arora vest, it’s so beautiful!
    You’re a much more stylish, much better model than me too, you’ll have to teach me your ways.
    Meanwhile. YOU + AUSTRALIA SOON! Bloody contact me woman so we can organise some sort of coffee date (even though I know you will be flat your busy and pulled around every which way by every which person, I demand a cheeky date, however brief it may be!)
    xx

  54. The clothing shots are really quite lovely and enjoyable, but all I can really say is…
    AAAH, AN ARMY OF SUSIES! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES, FASHION PEOPLE OF THE WORLD!
    😉 just kidding. haha I bet that was FUN!

  57. This post is just FANTASTIC. Your mix of clothes are always unexpected and very original. Love All of these outfits! <3<3<3

  61. Nyaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhh! Too. Much. Good. Stuff. Can’t say anything coherent.

  62. I think that if you have a blog, then it is what you need.
    Tell people about something, someone is advertising, to somebody else for something else.
    Personally, I think so.
    Here I have a blog about my travels, but I can not share them with people, because somebody would write that this is spam.
    A hoster will also kick 🙂

  64. especially loved the Manish Arora embroidered neoprene vest and House of Holland pink and orange shirt dress outift and i need to get my hands on that mastermind japan blazer, just perfect.

  66. Oh, that is some serious dressing up, Susie. Did you get to keep a cardboard you? Wouldn’t it be cool to gift Steve with one of those cardboards? Haha

  67. really really cute! i love popping into joyce when im in hk just to stare at the awesomeness of the stuff they have. you such a lucky lucky lucky girl, plus you look great!
    i’ll be in hk for a week next wed, maybe i’ll beg or steal one cardboard of you back!

Comments are closed.