Stuff I bought: Versace for H & M, D & G and faux animal skin

When it came to the Versace for H & M collection, I read the fashion blogosphere warnings of stampedes and long queues with trepidation. As a girl who values [and really needs] her beauty sleep I refused to get up at the advised 4 am start last Wednesday on the opening day. Needless to say, I was casually passing by H & M on Sunday, and couldn't suppress a moment of curiosity. Low and behold there were indeed a few Versace items left on the rack. "Totes amaze!" quothed I, hastily checking the garment sizes as my boyfriend looked on with a mixture of disinterest and judgement. He'd never seen me move so fast.

"I don't get it", he said as I, pupils dilated and heartbeat racing, flicked past the numerous pink fringe dresses that were clearly the runt of the collection. I ended up purrrrr-chasing a divine draped red dress that I had my eye on from the start but had given up hope of acquiring. A very Grecian drape meets slightly superhero-esque cape, with studs on the shoulder. The stretch jersey fabric gleefully betrayed its size EU 32 [UK 4], and, thankfully, it fit like a dream. Oh, and the gorgeous turquoise leopard-print garment bag and velvet hanger were the icing on the sartorial cake. I EXCITE. Just in time for the Christmas party season!

In other hedonistic news, I interrupted my furtive Christmas shopping with a present[s] for myself. Behold Tory Burch paraphernalia. Above: faux reptilian glossy shape shifter that works as a clutch or two different side bag configurations [note different places to attach strap]. Below, my new wallet and makeup bag. Yes, I may have a slight inclination for animal skin prints!

Above: I received word of a Dolce and Gabbana sample sale. Having heard the news that their diffusion line D & G was being closed down, I thought that this was justification enough to attend. Once again, news that was great for my wardrobe but not my wallet. Behold, more animal print. Sadly, no fitting was allowed [major sad face] so I avoided any complication and went with simple garments.

Hong Kong yields great bargain no-brand gems if one looks carefully [a task that I happily take upon myself. Fashion martyr, moi?] Above: a jacket by Korean fashion "house" 'The M and M' [in no way affiliated with the rapper or candy] is my current fav, perfect for the faux-winter that Hong Kong pathetically teases us with.

Above, magpie tendencies quickly satiated. Imagine my surprise when I notice Rachel Zoe, Hollywood stylist extraordinaire, wearing a very similar leopard ring. It turns out, my trinket was 'inspired' by the Panthere de Cartier Ring. The original is 18k yellow gold, Peridot (eyes), Onyx (nose) and Black Laquer (spots) and it's priced around USD $14,600. Nice.

To offset any bad karma from a fairly consumerist month and also to push for a cause I believe in, please do take 30 seconds to sign this petition to aid help for those affected by famine:


Fight the Famine - sign the petition to maintain Congress' commitment to funding farmers in developing countries:


http://act.one.org/sign/hungry_no_more_us?referring_akid=.5755041.TOc-ij

 
xxx

Chevaux de bois: Sun Tzu, window shopping, boxy purses and other fine musings

If ignorant both of your enemy and yourself, you are certain to be in peril.
Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories.

Sun Tzu, The Art of War

I learnt a new french word today. Chevaux de bois. It means "Wooden Horse" [thank you google translate]. I had no idea how to pronounce it so I made the nice google translate voice read it out loud several times as it sounded so pretty. I thought it would immediately lend a certain chicness to this blog as I once again try to convince my reader[s? ] that I am indeed part of the style cognoscenti. It was the name of a cute little boutique in one of my favorite shopping malls in Hong Kong: Beverly Island, Causeway Bay. Much to my boyfriend's chagrin [and the reason we rarely shop together] I can happily window-shop for hours, not buy a single thing, and feel like I've had a productive few hours. To me, it's akin to browsing an art gallery of sorts.

Don't be fooled, Beverly Island is not a posh resort island somewhere in the Caribbean. Nay, it is a typical Hong Kong style mall full of lots of dainty little boutiques, like a charming box of macaroons just waiting to be explored. J'adore. Situated very close to Sogo. I have to say, the best street style [where people make the most effort] in Hong Kong is definitely around this area. And with clothes like these, it is inevitable.

One of many delectable purses I saw. Love the boxy envelope shape, the Miu Miu inspired [slash blatantly copied] swallow print, the chain. Alas, with The Ibiza Fund pulling in most of my savings [saying it in third person makes it seem a sort of involuntary thing I have no control over, lols] I hesitated to buy it. The reason I included the aforementioned Sun Tzu quote was that often shopping can be a bit of a battle, with willpower being one's army and the sartorial urge to spend being the enemy. I know that once I've broken the 'seal' with my first purchase, I find it a lot easier to buy other things. Queue heavy artillery damage to my wallet. I can often get by just on window shopping though, the methadone to my heroin if you will. Although, it is a VERY slippery slope. Ah, the joys of retail therapy. Although, some may say it is my job to do this! [see below].

Boxy purse numéro deux: Coral orange, white and gold. Awesome color combination. P.s. Once again I've proven myself as an adept photographer. In my defense for using mobile photos, taking pictures is not really allowed so I had to be a bit sneaky [I live life on the edge].
Pink blazer: I'll admit that this shopping trip occurred a few weeks ago, before I managed to finally procure the dusty pink blazer I had so lusted after. Hence, errtime I saw one I took a snapshot. As above. With the suspiciously Gucci-esque logo print on the inside. Hmm I do shop in fine legal establishments, don't I? Continuing the completely narcissistic trend inherent to being a blogger, let me tell you what I else I liked: the purse. The gold framing is almost skeletal in its aesthetic reference. The gold leaf "fringe" is very bohemian meets...Grecian goddess? I doe low. But me likey. I feel now would be a good time to thank all those who say my blog is very well written...! Chortle.
Behold! Boxy purse numéro trois. [Boy does that sound pretty in French when I press the "listen" button on google translate] Very Celine, very Phoebe Philo. One of those almost reverse shoppers remorse. Sob. But honestly, how many of your bags do you use on a daily basis?



Boxy purse numéro à quatre. [Literally the nicest sounding number so far. See for yourself here. ] Again, totally unnecessary but oh so darling. [Darling: wouldn't that be a great name for a shop/ boutique?]

Random mood courtesy of slightly stressful week. Went back to China [most people distinguish between Hong Kong and mainland China thusly] again on Tuesday to sort out recent handbag orders. Rest of week spent dealing with follow up and to do lists such as:

• Confirm purchase orders and sales confirmations


• Reconfirm handbag details and list fabric, zippers, accessories, lining with suppliers


• Make sure chosen fabric is still in supply, that the check doesn't look too much like Burberry


• Etc

As I'm always on the hunt for the next great product [some may even call me the Indiana Jones of product WASSUP!] I try to justify any shopping trip as mere marketing and thusly as work. It is my duty, nay my obligation, to shop. Some may even call me selfless, yes. Although sometimes it does feel that I get paid to shop, which is, um kinda amazing.

Oh, and we got an email from a supplier called Winnie Pooh today. Chortle. Little things like that just add a twinkle to my day.

And so I conclude this rather boy-friendly shopping blog.
Au revoir
xxxx

Chevaux de bois: Sun Tzu, window shopping, boxy purses and other fine musings: la deuxième partie

Oh, and allow me to get off my sanctimonious high horse. When I said that I went purely window shopping in my last post, I totes fibbed. I caved when I saw this blue faux snake skin [I heart faux snake skin!] boxy shoulder purse. It was minimalist and twee enough to wear to work. HKD 70. Erm, just part of my job as a 'buyer' innit...

Toodles

xxx

Fashion Access show & Peclers Paris 2012 trend forecasting

Earlier this week I received an invitation to the Fashion Access trade show in Hong Kong. With ebullience I immediately accepted. Shyeah, so it ain't no ticket to Gucci or whatever, but one has to start somewhere, right? [I have had the fortune of attending a couple of Yves Saint Laurent shows in HK, but that's another story]. Fashion Access is a 3 day international fair for accessories such as leather items, handbags, shoes, jewellery etc. This is where brands/ buyers come to source their items, so inevitably a place they don't want the general consuming public to access lest they see the real price of that cute leather black clutch they're flogging at 10 times the original price.

Playing with volume always adds interest to an all-black ensemble

I spent the greater part of the fair restraining myself from requesting items that were irrelevant to our business, or asking for shoe samples in my size etc. I suppose it was the fashion equivalent of dieting, where leather bags were the equivalent to carbs in my fash-atkins diet. However, I did indulge in a few sartorial treats, if you will.

Trade shows typically host several fashion shows

Leather bags galore = fashgasm

The other great aspect of trade shows in Hong Kong are the free fashion seminars one can attend. I chose to attend the Peclers Paris'/ Style Central SS'12 Women's Fashion Trends for RTW and Accessories. A style forecasting company and progenitor of trends, this was one I was excited about. Having deferred (regrettably, and probably indefinably) a place at the London College of Fashion in a masters of Fashion Marketing, any chance I get to attend style oriented seminars/events/shows I indulge in.

In a world of icy skeletal editors and fashionistas, our host and presenter was a surprisingly and refreshingly warm and down-to-earth stylista. The main points she made followed four trend groups:

NEW EDGE:

• 
  
  Modernism, minimalism, characterised by angular, boxy designs as exemplified by Celine, Dries Van Noten, Catherine Malandrino.


• 
  
  Styling is a relaxed, deconstructed formality as seen in loose blazers, trench coats, pleated skirts. [I was all 'totes agree' when she said that. Totes. TOTES. Best new addition to our vernacular. Up there with WTF and himbo (male bimbo). But I digress...]


• 
  
  Fabrics are stretchy jersey fabrics, thermal regulating materials, silks, linen mixes. Natural color leathers mixed with canvas materials.


• 
  
  Inspirations are centered on the new safari styles, desert glamour, sexy nomads, the luxury adventurer, a very seventies direction in terms of minimalist prints on voluminous shapes.


• 
  
  Jewelry tends to follow a desert gold.

FATAL ATTRACTION:

• 
  
  Inspired by the idea of poolside glamour in the summer with notions of escape, vacation, bejewelled, jet set opulence, California cool.


• 
  
  Colors are muted pinks, blues, turquoise, orange being the new pink. White offset with flashes of warm tones and navy.


• 
  
  Designer references include YSL's minimal white silhouette and Stella McCartney.


• 
  
  Postcard prints on fabrics, dresses make an appearance, as well as other repetitive prints that are reminiscent of the sixties.


• 
  
  The notion of Kinetic Geometry is introduced, with geometric prints and optical illusions also appearing in fashion. especially stripes, as currently seen at Prada.


• 
  
  High shine and shimmery fabrics appear.


• 
  
  Accessories are black and white retro with canvas, off white and beige cutouts.


• 
  
  Sporty, California girl chic is another strong trend, leading to the mix of beige and primary colors (a trend I personally love).

SOFT ALTERNATIVE:

• 
  
  Inspired by notions of delicacy, softness, old fashioned and an idea of slowing down.


• 
  
  Colors are candy pink, pottery blue, menthol.


• 
  
  The woman is an eclectic aristocratic, refined. Very feminine products.


• 
  
  Silhouettes show soft structures, long, pleats. Discrete, delicate, fitted with small structured touches e.g. tux collars. Baby doll dresses, preppy look, with a slight hint of rock and roll. Floral romance as seen in combinations of blue and white. Ruffles.


• 
  
  Prints inspired by antique porcelain designs.


• 
  
  Retro 40s silhouettes also making an appearance.


• 
  
  Accessories are sweet, flirty, soft. Color schemes for accessories are gold, black, navy and white, very Chanel.


• 
  
  Denim is very in, and not just confined to jeans but showing up on coats, tops, dresses.

ASPHALT JUNGLE:

• 
  
  The importance of the "BRIC" nations as growing consumers: Brazil, Russia, India and China.


• 
  
  Colors are darker in this group, dark, grey, purple, green, gold.


• 
  
  The woman is urban, active, sporty, amazonian. The idea of an urban warrior expressed through sharp chic: peaked shoulders, jackets and trousers mismatched.


• 
  
  A theme of American Indian/rock/ ethnic folk cultures crossover touches - leather skirts, fringes, crossover tops. Prints, colors inspired by animals - See Stella McCartney's digital prints. Jewelled dresses. All making an urban ethnic trend modified for city wear e.g. feather touches, beads.


• 
  
  Color blocking - exotic art deco. Shoes becoming more like sculptures. Reptile prints/ fabrics (grey snakeskin is literally one of my favorites, adorning a sizable portion of my wardrobe.)

She also showed some pretty awesome fashion illustrations and drawings of clothes that showed such perfect technical detail. It's difficult to predict what people will wear in a year or two's time, but I love watching the development of trends as they wax and wane. For example, lens-less thick glass frames look cool now as an acceptable 'ironic' trend (for those not into fashion it's more like 'dude, WTF?'), but is it simply a modern re-run of the eighties big glass frames, that will someday meet the same 'laughable' fate?

And with that, I must bid you adieu.

xxx

I love Eric Bana. And this bag.

This is Ismay. I really like her bag. It's working both the minimalist boxy shape of purses which is on trend this season, which juxtaposes the very un-minimalist leopard print, stud and leather-look that has endured for a season or too. Very Rachel Zoe with a strap on!!!...ha not really. I've always wanted an excuse to end a sentence "it's...with a strap on!" but I'm just not cool enough. Speaking of straps, I do like the thin chain strap option that allows one to wear it as a side bag. Surprise surprise, it's from Maple, Hong Kong's stylish facsimile to, say, Topshop, but at Primarni prices [that's Primark, or "Preeemark" if you're Welsh. See, I'm culturally aware, y'all].

Do you know what I love about blogs? I can pretty much write what I like, in whatever level of grammar and punctuation that takes my fancy,.,. Yes that's a comma full stop comma full stop situation right there [this man has forever ruined that word for me. There really is no good alternative or synonym for that word]. Despite my lexicon jests, and as demonstrated by my acute punctuation skills, I've always considered working at a magazine, having interned at WestEast magazine in Hong Kong one summer during university, but fear that it might not be the most lucrative career. Sigh. I envy those with more fruitful career passions, such as those who actually enjoy Law or trading or other prosperous careers. I like fashion and photography, and so will probably end up penniless like the old woman who lived in her shoe. Which would be alright if they were Manolos. And there were no children involved.

Oh and I really really like Eric Bana.
xxx

emotional [bag]agge

Top with print: Lanvin by H&M. Side satchel: Marc Jacobs

This is Priscilla. She's an awesome friend of ours from Holland, and was visiting Hong Kong for a few days en route to Australia. I had literally just got back from Beijing and our routes overlapped for a day and a half, and so I rose to the challenge of trying to show her as much of the greatness of the 852 as possible. It definitely was a sprint, not a marathon , in this case. Knowing she was a bit of a fashionista, I gave her more of an aesthetically biased tour of Hong Kong. And she certainly dressed the part, in a mixture of high fashion and high street.

She being a Hong Kong market neophyte, my sightseeing tour basically went like this: Granville road in TST, amazing bargain quirky finds without the overcrowded mosh pit air of the more famous bargain-filled Ladies Market in Mong Kok. Harbour City mall, then Star Ferry (I love having friends in town so that I have an excuse to ride it). In central, we perused IFC mall and street shops like Maple (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE). The Landmark, where we spent a hefty amount of time in Marc Jacobs. Then, of course, the Peak, where one can get a stunning 360 degree view of the urban jungle I call home. For a well-deserved meal that is literally my favorite dish in Hong Kong: proscuitto and truffle pizza at Cafe Deco. Yum. The Peak is very touristy so I often struggle to convince my friends to make it up there. (Did I mention why I love having friends in town?! Chortle.) So, yeah OK I basically took them on my dream day in my home city, but c'mon ladies, you can't deny it was flawless! :)

I'm still on the hunt for that dream leather side bag in a shade of camel/mauve/coffee/ chocolate/[insert other pretentious version of the color brown here. Damn hair colorist marketing teams, making every hair color sound delicious. Hmmm, honey caramel! Suddenly I have the urge to eat this ammonia and I don't like it! Once again, I digress...]

Here are a couple of snapshots of side bags that I saw out and about and adored.

This one below I actually got in Beijing, at Ya Show market, famous for bargains (and fakes). It's not a famous label (unless you have heard of Dukamou, which apparently is "Spanish" the lady told me but sounds very Asian...? Correct me if I am wrong..). In Beijing, it's a common rule that whatever price you are offered initially is pretty much 3/4 times any reasonable amount, and that one must start haggling at 15% of what they offer. This is sometimes met with a cry of "Kai shenme wanxiao!" Which translates to "You're kidding!".

Anyhoo, I managed to bargain down from 900RMB to a more reasonable 120RMB within about 10 minutes, my somewhat dubious Chinese not adept enough to convey much except "I'm a poor student please make it cheaper". It's pretty much my favorite bag at the moment.

But as always, I'm still on the lookout.

xx