Mercibeaucoup - Clothing For the Mentally Challenged

Mercibeaucoup which should actually be two words, merci beaucoup, is French for 'Thank you very much', but also the name of a Japanese retail fashion label which seems to have quite a fanbase in Hong Kong because of its ridiculous priced 'adult-baby' clothing. I imagine that when a French person views this store name, they see it as 'Thankyouverymuch'; aside from being shocked by the appalling grammar, they'd likely be insulted that this brand, of what basically amounts to clown clothing, should associate itself with French culture, which traditionally has been at the forefront of fashion history.

If we're to learn anything from all the mistakes made in fashion during the 80's, it should be that if it looks like a lemon, then it probably is a lemon. A decade later, people were burning those embarrassing photographs of themselves in fluorescent leg-warmers and mile-wide shoulder-pads; ten years from now, entire Facebook photo albums will mysteriously disappear. Well, some people never learn, and they continue to thankyouverymuch to those who will gladly accept cash or credit card for those overpriced lemons.

Though, I'm willing to admit that I could be wrong, and vomit patterned dropped-crotch clown pants might be the pivotal ground-breaking turning point in fashion history. Nevermind Alexander McQueen, we're talking Eri Utsugi, the founder and lead designer of Mercibeaucoup, who uses inspiration from anime and manga for her designs. Now I confess that I'm not a big fan of the anime genre of comics, of which, nowadays, primarily attracts teenagers and asian business men, who have a mental age of fourteen, with rainbow coloured renderings of pre-pubescent doe-eyed superheroines with big boobs and men that look like women. While Alexander McQueen was influenced by world culture and historical fashions, Eri Utsugi studied Japanese comic-books (and possibly some Hentai during her spare time).

It would be unfair to compare Alexander McQueen to Eri Utsugi, because undoubtedly Eri Utsugi is a genius ahead of her time, and with a concept to rival Einstein's Theory of Relativity in complexity. The concept found on the Mercibeaucoup website, reads thus:

Brand Concept

purely, happliy, beautifully. mercibeaucoup,
neat and proper, but with some fun.
do have something to say, but never with airs put on.
mercibeaucoup,
in the name, we show our dedication
never to forget, but everyday cherish,
the precious feeling of appreciation and thank

BAAAAM! Take that McQueen!

Hong Kong Vice

Q. What do you get when you mix Miami Vice's Don Johnson with three sizes too small?

Tron style is IN this season in Hong Kong

When I saw this outfit in the window display of a trendy fashion store in Causeway Bay, I felt compelled to go inside and offer my life savings and lifetime unlimited bodily molestations to the service of gay monkey-faced midget priests with unregulated nostril hair.

Those without the gifted eye of (le) fashion, may be wondering why is this outfit so cool? I'll tell you why - for starters, it's got these cool shapes on it, like triangles, and cookie cutter moon-shaped crescents, and shit - all over the damn place, as if shapes were going out of fashion - No! Shapes will never go out of fashion dammit! When you wear an outfit like this, you get respect; total, utter, unabominable (yeah, I made that word up, so what?) respect. It's badass, because it looks like ...

this.

It's got the shapes, and shit. It's Tron, and Tron is the new black this season, if you didn't know already.

The guy pictured here, knows exactly what good fashion is, and he's got camel toe too, and camel toe is in.

Who would have believed that this 1982 movie (Tron)  could have been such inspiration for Hong Kong fashion designers?

Shapes are f*ckin' cool! I like Tron.


TRON!!

Asian-ized Styles

Walking around the luxury malls in Hong Kong really makes me feel like I am in some other world or dream.  Every globally-known brand has been Asian-ized beyond recognition!  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that we are moving away from globalization, but this absurd localization completely destroys some brands.  

I remember drooling over the girlie, flowy dresses in the Jill Stuart New York boutique in Soho.  Their Spring '08 and '09 collections confirm they are still pretty like the old times.

However, check out what I saw in the Jill Stuart store in the Elements Mall, which is holding the same season sale:

 

For a moment, I seriously thought the salesgirls in the shop must really hated their job and played a joke on the brand.  Pardon my minimum knowledge on the retail industry, but I thought there are global standards that the local shops need to adhere to in some way?   I wonder what  Jill Stuart herself thinks about that see-through top and cropped pants display...

Just across from Jill Stuart is Daks - the classy UK brand often mistaken as a copy-cat of the locals-beloved Burberry's.  From the latest Fall/Winter '10 collection, we see simple classic ready-to-wear outfits:

Take a deep breath everyone... introducing the Fall/Winter collection of the same year in the grandiose Elements Mall...

 

... Bringin back the 90's tuck-your-skinny-pants-in-your-skinny-boots-trend.  Don't forget to add a hint of that classic pattern around the neck.  Oh and remember to tuck that neatly under the collar.  Now you can walk around proudly and buy more Asian-ized products in this shopping paradise of the world!

Style-Tips.Com - Hong Kong 'Fashion, Beauty, Shopping' Website

I may not be the savviest dresser, nor the most knowledgeable about the latest trends, but I take pride in knowing that I have an eye for what not to wear. If you happen to belong to the unlucky group of people who were not born with the ability to recognize a dud style even if it punched them repeatedly in between the eyes, then fear no more, because style-tips.com exists to exploit people like you and give you the confidence to put together an outfit like this one ...

If you hadn't guessed already, the image is from style-tips.com.

Yellow tank, and 'I crapped my pants' style trousers/legging things. Those bag pants or whatever you call them, always look as if a fat person tried them on but gave up halfway.

Failed version of this outfit (left)? The kid makes up for a lack of style by being cute. At least the shoes match.

or maybe HAMMER TIME! - Like Lady Gaga, Mc Hammer makes up for lack of style by being famous.

Eason Chan: Repeat Offender

Hong Kong tries to make up for its lack of vibrant gay culture and strict drug possession laws with popstar Eason Chan - a singing dancing one man carnival cum demon overlord/ 7th level of hell gatekeeper. Hong Kongers  love to emulate his ... um ... stuff.

When it stops raining and the sun comes out - a raincoat that doubles as a pair of curtains.

Preserve those wedding memories - this bridal gown is made from mothballs.

Still can't keep the moths at bay? dress up as a king moth.

The Bird Has the Final Word!

If Big Bird (of Sesame Street fame) could design clothing, would it look something like the contents of Eason Chan's wardrobe?

Let's interview this teleportation-experiment-gone-awry to find out:

Me: So what were you thinking (when you designed Eason Chan's outfits)?
Big Bird: When I design clothing, first and foremost, I like to think what would look good on me.

And there is your answer.