I love the concept of Song Dong's WASTE NOT exhibition, which I have seen twice now--once in New York and the second in London earlier last year. As much as I loved it, my fiance found it to be his worst nightmare. The clutter and hoarder-esque tendencies of the exhibit overwhelmed his senses and drove him into a slight hysteria (sorry honey). However, whilst he saw junk, I saw a cultural paradigm that caused many Chinese to see the almost never-ending potential in items. It also made me think of how we engage with items, and how we are sometimes too eager to discard them. Now it is also part of my Series on Waste.

The exhibition is based on the art of saving and re-using things, which is in line with the Chinese principle of wu jin qi yong – 'waste not'. However, the exhibition is not merely a reflection of this principle, but it is also used as a mechanism for encouraging a familial bond for the artist. After his father died in 2002, Dong collaborated with his mother, who had been collecting items for five decades, to create this installation which comprises of over 10,000 items. These items range from buttons, tubes of toothpaste, plastic bottles, and her husbands old clothes (to name a few). So what does this artistic form of hoarding teach us?...

I was having lunch with my friend Bre in Soho, NY, catching up on each others' lives as we munched away on Mexican food a la Papatzul (delish). We came back to our love of fashion and how our shopping habits have changed since we last saw each other. For me, it was buying less, and more responsibly, whereas for Bre, it was shopping in Consignment stores. I had heard of Consignment stores, but had never ventured into one. I hate shopping, well shopping in large stores where comparisons between them and a jungle filled with warring animals always comes to mind, so I avoid large shops, and stick to quaint boutiques (or online shopping). However, Bre was adamant about me visiting one, especially for the Blog. She listed a view, and later on texted the names of some of the must visits. The majority were in East Village, so I took a wonder and was quite impressed. Jimmy Choos and Louboutins from $100, I spotted an amazing Trina Turk Mohair Coat for $185, and not to mention a pair of Chanel flats (not in my size) for $255. Whatever your style, the following Consignment Stores definitely cater for it. Consignment stores, are not like Charity Shops, as you the merchandise are usually bought off of customers, or have been traded in for something else. Hence, what follows is my review of my experiences in five (5) consignment stores I visited.