James Nord

28 year old fashion photographer living in New York City.

 

Early on my Mom always stressed the importance of being different and normalcy was our family’s only taboo. As I grew older, I was drawn to formality and back when everyone was in skinny jeans, chucks and some tragic t-shirt I decided I would wear a suit every day. That was 3 years ago and while I have more or less been in a suit and tie every day of it. My style has changed a bit and my suits have gotten a little better but I stick to an easy formula of skinny pants, lapels and ties with cropped pants and big hair.

 

Recently I keep going back to Prada’s FW2012 show, could I pull off turtlenecks under dress shirts without a tie? I am not sure, but I might as well try.

 

For suits, J. Lindeberg is my go to: Slim cut with Scandinavian tailoring (this sounds more pretentious than I mean it to be). For shirts I like to go to Michael Andrews Bespoke when I can, and active wear I am a Rapha devotee.

 

I am a bit of an obsessive and grew up in a passion centered house. I race my bicycle here in New York City and have a cycling brand Deux North that I run with my little brother. I am also a co-founder of Fohr Card, which is a new service that will change the way brands and bloggers work together.

 

In high school I was obsessed with winning a state championship in wrestling. I was completely consumed with it. I used to watch TV with my family while drilling moves and I also was working hard to cut weight. I was 5’10 112 pounds and I was only eating about 600 calories a day and working out 3-5 hours. I used to wake up at 5AM every morning and ride a stationary bike next to a fireplace for an hour to sweat. It was dangerous, stupid and untimely futile (doctors made me stop) but I wouldn’t change it. Getting through that season gave me the tools to deal with the hard things I have to do in life. All the sudden a 20 hour work day is a breeze as compared with losing 13 pounds in 24 hours.

 

I am a house photographer with Oscar de la Renta and I am really excited to be shooting 10 editorials with them over the next 6 months. I also have things coming up with J. Lindeberg, Rapha and Penguin that I am really excited about. Beyond that I am really excited to be working with Holly Stair and Rich Tong on Fohr Card, we have a chance to make a real impact and that’s invigorating.

Denise Lai

I’m a silly little graphic designer from Hong Kong working under D-NYCE Designs and I also run a fashion and lifestyle blog called SUPERWOWOMG. I spend most of my time working/designing (which I actually love), hanging out with my friends (95% of the time around a steaming bowl of hot pot and/or eating Korean fried chicken) and if I’m not laughing, talking, shopping or eating, I’m probably on my phone tweeting or instagramming furiously.

 

Just like my sisters, I’ve never been particularly girly, always opting for a baggy tee or sneakers instead. In highschool, I’d never cross the line and go all the way to the total manly end so normally I’d wear something like a fitted tee with baggy camo shorts and balance it out with tons of jewellery and lots of eyeliner. My personal style basically developed from that aesthetic so I always keep constant the need to balance out a tomboy-ish look with some feminine elements.

 

I’m forever drawn to the “cool girl” aesthetic. For me, it’s always about baggy rolled tees, black jeans, grungy/teenage a-line mini skirts, ankle boots and camo-print everything. I’m also really into sportswear right now and am on the prowl for the perfect all black windbreaker/parka.

 

Stores: Zara, Topshop, H&M, Lane Crawford
Brands: Rag & Bone, Alexander Wang, Vans

 

Hong Kong is the land of humidity and sweat-pool-inducing temperatures but being someone that loves layering and never really wears shorts, I basically dress opposite of how the weather thinks I should. I’m pretty much always in pants or tights and I just convince myself that this is okay since I try to avoid the outdoors as much as possible. Hong Kong is infamous for the furiously cold air conditioning indoors so it hasn’t been too difficult for me to continue layering throughout summer.

 

Apart from fashion/blogging, I really just enjoy hanging out with friends, chilling at some restaurant or lounge and most likely feasting on something super scrumptious. Mostly only my super close friends know this but it’s pretty embarrassing how much I love the internet and how super design/web nerdy I am. Part of my design background is knowing how to design and code websites so sometimes I’ll just be at home coding a site or reading up on what are the latest graphic design and coding trends #sonerdy #noshame (oh look, hashtags – internet talk).

 

When I first started my blog I never ever thought it would become what it is today and so it is extremely rewarding just knowing that people have even heard of my blog, let alone like reading it! I just very recently transitioned to fulltime design freelancing so I’ve been lucky enough to have the chance and a lot of time to work on projects that I enjoy and am really interested in. At the same time, it’s a constant challenge trying to develop my blog which takes a lot of time and effort whilst also trying to further my design career. It would probably take me ages to find the perfect balance on how to maintain the two but hopefully I’m already on my way there.

 

Spending basically my first free summer since 2004 chilling and hanging out with my close friends whilst still working hard and blogging my brains out and designing my butt off. Specifically, blog-wise there are quite a few fun projects coming up for myself as well as collaboratively with other bloggers and other brands. Apart from that, I’m just really trying to enjoy this unfamiliar thing called free(from-fulltime-job)dom and spend as much time with friends and family as possible. Also, Sha and I have a whole long bucket list of projects that we are hoping to tick off slowly but surely this whole summer!

Sha Lai

I’m the youngest and smallest of a family of 4 mean kids, currently living in London. I love to travel, mostly because I love to eat and getting to munch on really good food from around the world genuinely excites me. I have a background in public relations but really wish I could just drop everything and become a zookeeper because animals fascinate me.

 

I’ve always gravitated towards the “La Garconne” style – which probably started in high school when I would parade around in fitted tees, baggy Gap boys jeans and Timberland boots. I love the balancing act of masculine versus feminine – clean cut lines and generally looking a bit “undone”. I’m an extremely practical person (annoyingly sometimes) and I think that’s reflected in my style; black is my favorite color to wear and shorts are by far my go-to wardrobe item. Maximum leg mobility and breathability.

 

Summer! Hot weather calls for super slinky silky shirts, baggy tank tops and LOOK-MA-I-GOT-LEGS shorts!

 

Brands: Alexander Wang, Celine, 3.1 Phillip Lim,
Stores: Zara, Topshop, Waitrose

 

Living in London is only a temporary thing for me so it’s forced me to be more confident and sure of what I like in terms of style and what I want to buy. I try to keep things minimalistic (in terms of my wardrobe and general daily doings) because I moved here with one suitcase and am hoping that everything will magically fit in that same suitcase when I move back to HK.

 

Cooking – or at least trying to! I document my culinary attempts on instagram almost daily. There’s something so extremely satisfying when you manage to whip up a meal that’s noms. Cooking has so much social context behind it that people just forget sometimes.

 

Quitting my job and moving to London has been the most rewarding experience so far. I’ve managed to pursue what I’ve always wanted to do (fashion journalism and art direction), while discovering my love for cooking, parks and general wandering. I’ve also had the chance to travel to places that I wouldn’t think I’d be traveling to so soon. The most challenging part? This wretched, are-you-joking, schizophrenic weather.

 

Moving back to Hong Kong (my first true love) and hopefully finding a job that multiplies my experience and what I love! Denise and I have a few blog/cooking/sleeping/Obi projects lined up which will be revealed in the summer!

Keiko Lynn

I’m a 27 year old Floridian, now living in Brooklyn. I’ve been here for five years, so I have five more years before I can call myself a New Yorker. I have a handmade clothing line, Postlapsaria, and am currently working on a men’s and women’s accessories line. I also blog at keikolynn.com, my personal diary of daily style, beauty, and general musings.

 

My style is ever evolving; I like to change things up. I never thought of myself as being into fashion when I was young, but when I think back to my childhood, I was very particular about what I wore – and what I wore was very weird. I think that in itself is the quintessential fashion-girl: headstrong in her self expression, often a little offbeat. I was not very girly when I was younger, though – I downright refused to wear dresses or skirts. I even tried to wear jeans under my prom dress! Now, I’m more often in a dress than not. I like to mix my feminine pieces with something a little tougher or more structured, or top it off with something quirky like a headscarf and my ubiquitous cat-eye specs.

 

My dear friend Shae Acopian Detar. Her photography and style is unrivaled, in my opinion!

 

Thrift stores and flea markets are always number one. I’m also a little addicted to online shops. I find myself browsing these on a regular basis: shopbop, asos, etsy, threadsence, modcloth, bona drag…among many others. I also love to pop into local shops like bird, wink, and cloak + dagger, and I’m a regular at Beacon’s Closet. For bags, I wear a lot of Rebecca Minkoff. Shoes, Seychelles. Clothing – too many to list.

 

I’m not sure if I could pinpoint one event. I had a pretty challenging childhood and I’m so grateful for that because it made me who I am today. I’m resilient and can take on any challenge presented to me because of it – and I’m incredibly grateful for everything good in my life!

 

My main focus right now is getting my clothing line back on track, and expanding to accessories. It’s a collaborative effort, and I’m hoping all of our hard work will pay off in the end!