Karen Woo Style | Karen Woo Fashion Videographer

Finding rest in Penang

July 11, 2016Karen Woo Leave a Comment

“He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.” —Benjamin Franklin

I wasn’t expecting to go overseas with my family this holiday season, but Alan whisked me and JJ away for a week of family fun and soaking in the warm golden sun. We had a few destinations in mind: Hamilton Islands, Bangkok Thailand or Hong Kong, but we decided to go back to Penang, Malaysia; to the place we first had our overseas trip together when we started dating.

Our little family flew with Qantas and Jetstar Asia, and we checked into the Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa (Batu Feringgi Beach, 11100 Penang, Malaysia) for a 6 nights stay. Besides devouring bowls of Assam Laksa, sipping endless supplies of Mocktails and Teh Tarik, I spent a majority of my time braving the humidity and 37 degree heat exploring George Town. This little town was perfect in every way – a photographers and art lovers haven to say the least. There were plentiful of hidden gems to discover such as 3D interactive street art, textured walls, piles of ruins, and odd combination of coloured buildings which eventually grew on you. We were really lucky to come at a time of Hari Haya (Malaysian New Year) because the streets were quite deserted which made walking around town a breeze.

Here are some of our most favourite places spotted around George Town. Pictures of me taken by my love, Alan Woo, and the rest are from yours truly x

black jumpsuit // ALICE MCCALL purchased from Very Special Kids Sale
red dress // ZARA
rose gold sandals // BARED FOOTWEAR
clutch // OLGABERG

The Perfect Coach Backpack

June 20, 2016Karen Woo 5 Comments

As much I love the idea of holding a clutch or a handbag, I can’t escape from the fact that a backpack is best suited to my photography work and life style. I’m a fashion photographer on the move, so carrying a backpack makes sense for all the ridiculous amount of heavy gear (wait, more like tissue paper and shopping receipts) that I put in my bag.

Huge thanks to Coach Australia, I was completely won over when Georgina from the St Collins Lane Flagship store understood my needs as a mum with a 4 year old and a photographer; and immediately showed me the “Manhattan Foldover” backpack.

Ohhh…..it was perfect in every way. Just let me explain why:

Efficient and Multifunctional
- It is spacious and has three separate, inside compartments – I can fit my laptop, hard drive, book, my lunch, camera and two lens. YAS!
- Has two outside zip pockets – one for my lipstick and keys, and the other for my iphone. YAY! That means I don’t have to rummage through the inside compartments for my keys when I’m in a hurry.
- It has an outside zip to access directly into the inside compartment. WINNING! That means I don’t have to undo the clip closure to get my wallet!
Unisex
- Though the Manhattan Foldover backpack is a part of the Men’s Collection SS17, I honestly believe this bag is perfect for a girl, even better, the right fit for a petite asian girl like me.
Modern and good looking
- The zip details, clip closure, and stitching of this backpack makes it look modern and luxe. To top it off, I had my name embossed on a Coach tag at the St Collins Lane store which added a personalised touch;
- This bag can go hands-free or hand-carried like a tote!
Comfortable
- The straps are well padded, and are adjustable which means no matter how heavy the bag may get, I am rest assured that my back is taken good care of. I’m sure my Oestopath would be happy about that.
Quality Leather
- What makes this bag so extra special is that it is crafted in Sport Calf Leather. The type of leather used in baseball gloves, and it will age and soften overtime.

So can you see why I am so impressed with my new backpack from Coach?

Thank you Coach for my beautiful backpack! Ok guys, if you are like, overwhelmed with too many choices, just go and speak directly to Georgina or one of her staff at the St Collins Lane store. They know their stuff inside out, and be more than happy to find you the perfect bag!

Images taken by Alan Woo.

black leather backpack // COACH
sweater knit dress // ZARA
boots // ACNE
socks // COS
black coat // AMERICAN APPAREL

Living on the Edge

March 6, 2016Karen Woo Leave a Comment

It really isn’t that hard to believe that we do live in one of the world’s most liveable city. Melbourne is the epicentre of coffee, food, art, sport and music culture. Over the past years, I’ve noticed a peak increase of cars jamming up our roads, housing prices sky rocketing, childcare waiting lists nearing 2 years and blogging becoming the norm, the way of life.

I recently finished reading this biography book, “In order to live” by a young North Korean girl called YEONMI PARK who recalls her tale about the hardships, the starvation, the violence and propaganda she had to endure, in order to fight for freedom. She was “living on the edge” practically everyday. Though her struggles were incomparable to my life – but it’s a reminder to me to stop complaining, take a moment and appreciate all the little things. I need to remind myself daily to count every blessing, every experience with the biggest gratitude and smile. It’s always good to put things back into perspective and not get caught up in this fickle world of materialism.

So how fitting it was when Eureka Skydeck88, the Edge invited Melanie (@theTiaFox) and I to see and capture Melbourne at a different perspective. It was actually something I’ve been meaning to do for a long while but never made time for it, even when I lived at Eureka back in 2008! We rocked up at 4pm (tips: park at Crown, and wait till sunset), took the elevator to the 88th floor and stepped into the Edge which slowly pulled out from the building. Before we knew it, we were suspended nearly 300 meters over Melbourne city in a glass cube – glass walls, ceiling and floor, and we had 10 whole minutes to ourselves.

Though I wished we just stood there and soak in the majestic city views, we were too busy scrambling around the cube for the quickest fashion shoot EVER! But seriously it was all worth it. I’ll do anything for great snaps.

Enjoy xx

Just imagining what my office life be like on SkyDeck88 – haha!

MELANIE is wearing BCBGMXAZRIA blazer and detachable skirt // TONY BIANCO strappy heels

I’m wearing VIKTORIA + WOODS ribbed knit dress // H&M denim shirt // BEAU COOPER mules

Self Worth

July 29, 2015Karen Woo 1 Comment

Many years ago I used to thrall through photography blogs to measure my worth, wishing I was as masterful as them or wanted my life to be as flavorsome as their food flatlay. It was only until I realised how ridiculously unhappy and stupid I was and snapped out of it. I stopped comparing and focused my time and energy on doing my very best. There is so much freedom in that truth.

If that’s you right now, please do yourself a favour and stop deceiving yourself with lies. You are unique and damn good at what you do.

Happy hump day everyone! x