How Rihanna Learned to "Actually Like" Her Body

16 March, 2011 - It's hardly debatable that Rihanna, 23, is one of the most beautiful women in music -- but like any woman, she's far too hard on her own looks. In the new Shape Issue of Vogue, the pop diva from Barbados says that she's finally learning to love the body she was born with.

"Over the holidays...I realized that I actually like my body, even if it’s not perfect according to the book," says Rihanna (who must have a different book than we do). "I just feel sexy. For the first time, I don’t want to get rid of the curves. I just want to tone it up. My body is comfortable, and it’s not unhealthy, so I’m going to rock with it."

And here's that last sentence again, in case you want to tape it over your mirror: My body is comfortable, and it's not unhealthy, so I'm going to rock with it. What a fantastic way to look at things.

Part of Rihanna's new appreciation for her body comes from testing its limitations on the set of her upcoming feature film, Battleship. The singer's trainer gave her a varied but tough routine of weight-lifting, core-strengthening and endurance exercises, until she was in the best shape of her life -- and comfortable firing a machine gun in an inflatable raft, amid seven-foot waves and sharks! ("I loved it," says the singer.)
On her first Vogue cover, Rihanna looks gorgeous in a sheer lace dress that floats from her body. With her curves and the sea in the background, she looks like a mermaid -- more specifically, sporting her current flame-red curls, she looks like Disney's Ariel. But she knows how hard it is for the average woman to feel like a cover girl.
"For a woman to accept her body the way it is, is almost impossible," says Rihanna in a behind-the-scenes video from the photo shoot.

"The grass is always greener. I think it's really important that Vogue decided to team up with me and Annie (Leibovitz) on an issue like this, that promotes loving your body the way it is, all different shapes, sizes, curves...I'm very big on dressing to my body type."

Rihanna's the only girl for us

March 12, 2011 - RIHANNA took to the Entertainment Centre stage last night and was sexy, sassy and certainly on the prowl.

She opened with Only Girl in the World, and fans at the sold-out show screamed as if she was. A deafening roar erupted when the pint-sized singer took centre stage in a colourful dress that was discarded a song later for Hard - a sexually charged song featuring shirtless male back-up dancers dressed as soldiers. It was during this number that Rihanna climbed atop a hot pink military tank and straddled the canon in a glittering bodysuit.
It was not a soft start to the show, with the 23-year-old taking to beating up a car with a baseball bat for her hit Shut Up and Drive.

The singer has toured the nation with her Last Girl on Earth show heavy on flesh flash, sexual innuendo and not-so-subtle lyrics, treating audiences to a visual transformation that confirms she really is a Good Girl Gone Bad.

While her radio-friendly tunes appeal to scores of teens and children, the on-stage translation of Rihanna's music is not for the faint-hearted, young or impressionable.

From her on-stage antics to parading around in a seemingly endless series of provocative outfits, Rihanna is all about giving her concert fans value.

She has toured relentlessly since she first topped international charts in 2005.

Ellie Goulding WILL release Rihanna cover

Yay!

Ellie Goulding has confirmed she will release her beautiful cover of Rihanna’s Only Girl as a B-side to her new single Lights. Ellie is certainly proving her stripes when it comes to the fine art of banging out a good cover - see her cover of Your Song by Elton John for more details.
The singer first performed the track for Fearne Cotton on Radio One’s Live Lounge back in December and ever since then we have been frantically You Tubing to get another listen. Unlike with Your Song, this time we didn't have to watch the John Lewis ad on loop.

Lights is due to be released March 11th (which is tommorow, how convenient!) and Ellie is currently in the studio recording her second album, which she reckons has a ‘darker’ sound to her previous stuff. We can't wait to hear it!

But for now we are loving this version of Only Girl and almost prefer it to the original. Which one do you prefer?

Getting a custom-made suit at EZ Collezioni in Taipei

If you are looking for a custom-made suit in Taipei, read further...

I was never really a "suit guy" before I came to Taiwan. I would avoid wearing it at all costs. Besides, in my home country there weren't many occasions where wearing a suit would be the norm. If you're not in politics or big business, wearing a suit is pointless. Of course there are some posers and wannabes... But once I came to Taiwan and got the current job, wearing a suit more frequently was inevitable. Taipei is a global city full of important people. If you want to be taken seriously in the business world, you need to have a proper formal wear. So far, I'm not as rich to fly to London and pay £3,000 for a bespoke suit at Savile Row, but I have a great mother-in-law, who followed the Taiwanese tradition and treated her new son-in-law a custom-made suit.

Where did I get my suit made?

I went to Ximending, to the EZ Collezioni shop. They have several branches in Taiwan and they specialize in custom-made suits. I have not known about them before, but now that I do, I have to say that they are really good. I was pleasantly surprised at their professional attitude, friendliness and good service. Let me stress, that they did not pay me or give me discount for writing this post, I am only doing so, because I want to help those like me who need a customized suit at a decent price somewhere in Taipei. This is purely my personal recommendation.

The shop is very small, but was quite full with people every time I passed by. All employees are wearing customized suits (including a female) and you can immediately see, that they offer a very fine product. I had my wife with me, who handled all the details, I am not sure, if they speak English well enough to serve you. I think it's better you bring someone, who speaks Chinese with you.

This is how the shop looks like from outside.

In order to get a perfectly fitting suit, you will need to give them your measurements. But not only that, they will ask you all kinds of questions in regards to the look of your new suit. You choose the materials, patterns, colors and some additional design elements. They will fill out a form first and later ask you to try on a generic jacket and pants and take your measurements.

Samples on display for your reference.

The very skilled female employee taking measurements.

The most interesting and partly awkward part was when a very lovely young lady took my body measurements. She was of course very professional and careful, but I did feel a bit embarrassed, when she put the tailor's meter around my too roundly shaped belly. In a normal situation, where a beautiful woman would be so close to me, I would of course pull my belly inside, but what's the point in doing this here? In the end the suit would be too tight and would need to be altered to my tummy's reality. There was no way to escape her perfect measuring skills and I just had to let her do the things she had to do. The toughest part was, when she went down on her knees in front of me and measured some very private parts. I won't go further into this, but if you're a guy, you probably understand the tricky situation. However, if you want a perfectly fitting suit, that's just part of the bargain. And she's really very fast and accurate. Later I was thinking about how she sees men. Since she has measured so many male bodies, she must see a guy and already know all his sizes. Kinda scary in a way, as if she has some kind of super powers.

On the photo on the left you can see the suit I've chosen. They needed about 1 month to make it (I guess it's because they have a lot of customers) and it cost me 9500 NTD together with the shirt (that's around 225 Euro or 330 USD). If you want only jacket and pants, it will cost you 7700 NTD, the shirt is 1800 NTD. The tie is for free. Their cheapest suit will cost you 3800 NTD (90 Eur or 130 USD).

I have to say the suit fits perfectly, the materials are great, I couldn't be more satisfied with what I got for my money. Adding the good service with a lot of tips, I have to say that EZ Collezioni in Ximending is really a great shop and I will definitely return, when I need another excellent suit. And next time I don't need to be taken measurements again, they saved them in their database. Of course If I get fatter lose weight, they might need to take the yellow tailor's meter out and take few measurements again. But next time I am ready for it.

Show bigger map

You'll find the shop at the northern part of the Kunming Street 昆明街 in Ximending (click here for a detailed map), very close to the intersection with Hankou Street 漢口街. Use the Google Street View above for your reference.

[My LIFE IN TAIWAN page][All photos by MKL, 2011]

Rihanna almost had a wardrobe malfunction

Singer Rihanna almost had a wardrobe malfunction at a recent charity dinner in New York. Her breasts just about stayed in place inside the deep, lacy neckline as she leaned over to greet some famous celebrity friends.

Rihanna had leaned in to say hello to David Bowie and his wife Iman, when the singer almost gave a little too much away, prompting fashion insiders to suggest that she should use sticky tape more often to protect her modesty.

The S&M singer looked stunning in a long black gown as she arrived at the gala held for leukemia awareness, but as she posed for photos, she almost gave the game away beneath the dress's plunging neckline, reports a newspaper. Rihanna was a guest of honour at the event where she was honoured for her dedication and fund-raising work in the fight against the disease.

Taipei street fashion, 2011

Photos, impressions, opinions

Some of you might know, I'm pretty famous for having no fashion sense, so please forgive me the lack of proper fashion jargon. I'm about to introduce you the latest trend for girls in Taipei this year.

Women in Taipei, and even more so teenage girls, are not shy to show their legs and "extend" them with high heels, even if it makes walking difficult for them. I think showing legs is considered a norm here, because it's definitely something you notice very soon after arriving in Taiwan. And to someone, who comes from a country, where most women and girls wear trousers, this phenomenon is probably the first thing you notice. I'm almost certain that none of the white foreign guys are having any issues with that (I definitely don't), but I'm not sure about the white foreign women. But let's return to the Taiwanese girls. So what trend is totally hip in 2011?

Something I have seen very often are boots, black stockings (often transparent) and denim shorts. I don't remember seeing so many denim shorts last year, I think skirts were more popular back then. But I have to say that this year the shorts are very short, sometimes even so short, that you can't really see them, because a longer blouse or jacket is covering them. Below are few photos I took few days ago, when I visited Ximending, Taipei's popular area for young people. I took photos of people and buildings, usually from afar. These images are zoomed and cut out, hence the bad quality. I didn't really aim to take photos of these girls, they just happened to appear in them.

This is a case, where the sweater nearly covers the shorts.

Left girl's boots remind me of these. This photo shows that the style is very popular.

I like this girl's style, the bag and the boots match very well.

Of course there are many other styles in Taipei. A lot of girls would wear trousers and dress more conservatively. But I just had to mention this one, because it really stands out. I'm sure it'll be popular throughout the whole winter and spring 2011. Alright, now you have another reason, why you should could visit Taipei around this time.

So how do you like the style? What are girls wearing in the town you're currently living?

[My UNIQUELY TAIWAN page][All photos by MKL, 2011]

Lee Hyori for Clio: Killer eye liner?

I know this is not really new, but it was today that I managed to update myself on Lee Hyori's latest projects. She's recently involved with a Korean cosmetics brand Clio. She has shot an ad for one of their products called "Waterproof pen liner Kill Black" and she once again proved that she's still one hot diva at age 31. In only two weeks after the launch, 50.000 eye liners were sold and people are starting to call it "Lee Hyori eye liner" (source). See the famous TV ad:

She definitely looks hot in the video, I love the heels, the way she tears the dress and everything... but I feel the eye liner is too strong. Somehow it doesn't suit her so well. I liked it more, when she uses a more discreet eye makeup. I think generally she doesn't need a lot of makeup, because she has that girl next door appeal. She looks better when she smiles than when she tries to be a vamp. I liked her more in the video on the right. But then again, that's just me, someone who's known to have no fashion sense.

What do you think? Is the way she lines her eyes hot? Or too strong? If you're a woman, would you do it this way, too? If you're a guy, would you like your girlfriend do it like Hyori here?

[My HYORI page][Photos by Clio]

How to trick people into thinking you're good looking

A hilarious and intelligent video by JennaMarbles

This video has over 3 million views at this moment and I'm sure it'll become even more popular in no time. JennaMarbles, the creator of the video, is really hilarious and although she's very funny, she does make serious points. Her point is: These days almost every girl can look hot, if she has good make up skills and fashion sense.

What do you think on the issue? Most of you would probably say you prefer a natural look. But then again, natural could also mean naked or with a leaf in front of your private parts ;-) I think once mankind started to take daily baths, combing and/or cutting hair and wearing clothes, we bassically said Eff you, nature.

Chinese blogger 妮妮 is a great example of extreme makeover (source).

I don't really feel turned off by fake eye lashes, dyed hair and a lot of make up. It all comes down to how it's done. And of course I still need to like the girl, when she removes everything. When it comes to my girlfriend, she looks good with heavy, light or no make-up, because she's naturally cute. But if the difference was as big like in the case of a Taiwanese blogger or the Chinese girl on the photo above, then I'd say "thanks but no thanks." :-) How about you?

I have no fashion sense!

Read about my fashion fail

Imagine it's summer and your girlfriend says she bought a pair of new high heels. Of course you're excited, because which man doesn't like to see his girl showing off her sexy legs in the hottest of the seasons? Well, I certainly do. That's why I was very happy, when she told me, that she got a pair of new fashionable shoes with high heels, that are very popular in Taiwan. Of course I was picturing shoes like the ones on the left photo. Hey, I'm a simple guy and when it comes to fashion, I like things simple and sexy. But... women are different. So what happened?

Well, she bought these shoes:

I thought: What is that upper part for? O.o

Are these heels or boots? Or should I call them "hoots"? :-P [Source and more photos]

I was shocked first and thought the shoes really don't look good. Actually they wouldn't look so bad to me, if it wasn't for the upper part. I mean it's summer, why do you need that for? So when my girl told me, that these shoes are totally in now, I replied that it may be popular in Taiwan, but certainly not in Slovenia or Europe. I said, I'll ask my sister, who's working at a shoe shop, about her opinion. I expected she'll say something like: The shoes are ugly. Guess what? I was wrong again. O.o My sister also loves them and she says they're totally in now and look very good. I apologized to my girlfriend and acknowledged, that I totally have no clue about the latest shoe fashion, even if I follow bloggers such as Carina or Karen ×_×

Now tell me, did I totally fail, because the shoes look really great?
Or are you on my side and think the shoes don't look good at all?

[Photo 1 by Kendo, Photos 2, 3]

Elisha Cuthbert at the Chanel Cruise Show

Lindsay Lohan at Chanel's Cruise Show Presented by Karl Lagerfeld

Juliette Lewis at the Costume Institute Gala in Honor of "Poiret: King of Fashion"

Poiret really was genius, to those of you who love fashion but know nothing about him, Google him and be amazed.

Poiret exhibit

Sarah Jessica Parker at the Night & Day Exhibition of Evening Bags & Vanities

Love the dress, bag and shoes..hate the hair and necklace!

Scarlett Johansson at the Louis Vuitton 'Love' Party - 5/03

Scarlett Johansson looks amazing!

Of course she is always beautiful, but I think at the Vuitton 'Love' party that she looked her best.

Nevermind the stretchmarks..















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