passion is in fashion

Stepped into the cobbler’s today to fix my Tory Burch flats. Had them for almost a year now and they have become my goto shoes for, oh, those lost days spent crossing China borders. The soles are worn and the inside leather lining a little uneven.

The cobbler could not resole them today because they were wet from the rain, but he did glue the inside lining for me. When I got them back, I started trying to press the leather smooth as he kept on working on other shoes. About a minute or so later, he turned to tell me: “that leather will never be smooth again, like the wrinkles on a person’s face.” I thought: shhh… don’t let the believers of La Mer hear you.

I tried to pay but he would not take it. He also had long salt and pepper hair. As I walked away, I realized he is the personification of the cartoon sketches of Confucius I used to read when I was little.

And there you have it. As inspired by trip-planning, I am becoming more and more interested in the merits of flats. F got me new ones for, oh, sparkly days!

Giuseppe Zanotti Banana Flats

From the Moncler ad campaign.  Woof!

Bought a pair of shoes over the weekend and was just shocked to find out that it’s about the same price as the little pink camera I’ve been wanting, ever since my current little pink camera is consistently freaking out… probably because I have dropped it too many times.

Either shoes are really expensive or cameras are really cheap.

Mrs. O in Narciso Rodriguez dress and Michael Kors coat. Carla in Dior as always. The OECD countries are looking good!

Against all odds, lacking in the accompaniment or a lover/protector, I ventured to the unknown land that is Malaysia. My client is one of the biggest retailers there. I had a full day of no less than five meetings, with a rushed lunch break in the middle. Though it was tough, I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. I faced a challenging group. I met with the boss. I had the most delicious mint drink during lunch. I had a personal tour of the client’s concept store. It was the high point of my career.

In the style of Lonely Planet guide, let me explain to you the soul of KL.

Modes of Transport

There are several ways to get around in Malaysia: flying, being escorted by armed guards, or taking one of its many confusing cabs.

Due to the Cathay flight being overbooked, I offered to fly on Malaysia Airlines.  The seats were ultra colorful in alternating shades of red, orange, and green. During boarding and takeoff, the sound system plays island music nonstop. Malaysia – even its airline is like a vacation. The downside was that the only English newspaper on board was Star – the People’s Newspaper, which is a local gossip rag. I had fun reading the advice column.  It is always useful to know what to do when a Hindi man falls in love with a Muslim woman… or what to do when struck by lighting.

Upon arrival I was shocked by the high security of the airport.  It had the most number of armed guards I have ever seen. They stood around looking alert, yet stylishly dressed in army boots accessorized with machine guns. The guys were actually really nice. When I could not find cabs, one of them escorted me back to the arrivals hall to get a ticket. Never before had I been escorted by machine-gun-carrying guards.  Hmmm.

The market structure for cabs in KL is like cereal in the US – there are just so many. To begin with, airport cabs are controlled by a monopoly. Like going to the immigration office, one has to get a ticket to take one of them.  These cabs are the only cabs allowed to drive people from the airport.  At my hotel, there was something called the “executive taxi”.  It is a fleet of really nice SUVs run by the hotel to drive hotel guests around. I loved the executive taxi.  The height of the SUV enabled me to happily gawk around like a puppy with its tongue out. My client was about an hour outside of the city and I did not want the ride to end! Finally, the “real” taxis of the city are these dangerous little vehicles that look are they are on the brink of break down. They also comes in sorbet shades of hot pink and lime green. Comic, yet fashionable. I took one of these from the mall one day and the driver smoked a vanilla hookah while I was in the car.  Enuff said.

Commerce

My hotel was right next to the KLCC, which was super convenient for some after-hours market research. The surprising thing about the mall was how closely it resembled any mall in midwest America. Within an hour of wandering around, I ran into a Banana Republic, Gap, California Pizza Kitchen, and Auntie Anne’s Pretzel. It also had the British high street establishment of Topshop. Some of these are stores that haven’t even entered Hong Kong or China yet!  Interesting that so many foreign retailers choose to enter Malaysia first before China.

People watching at the mall was entertaining. KL is a huge melting pot. I heard Chinese, Cantonese, Malay, English, Hindi… and so on, everywhere I went.  I wonder, if in Hong Kong sales assistants automatically approach me speaking Mandarin, because it seems like the mainland Chinese are the big spenders these days (and I don’t look like a tiny Cantonese girl), what is the default language of sales assistants in KL?  I saw a woman in full burkha walking out of Jimmy Choo with a huge shopping bag.  Muslim women, my client would later tell me, are the one that spend the most on accessories and lingerie.  Interesting.

Hotel

I loooooved my hotel. The Mandarin Oriental had excellent service (and excellent cabs.) But what closed the deal for me was the pool. It was on the third floor and overlooked the city, like a bit of peace and quiet amid chaos. I went swimming every night.  I was by myself but had fun anyway.  A pool boy was extra attentive and chatted with me for a really long time.  By the end, he asked me to a movie.  He was cute, but alas, I don’t think he could afford the long-distance calling fees.

And must inform you I have turned into a little mouse.  Woke up at 5am this morning and spent some time scouring the fridge and snacking.  Yummy.

Am home for the week and it’s tres fun!   I am currently watching the sunrise and a little squirrel play in my garden.  Awww.  I plan on playing tennis everyday in order to feel fully in tune with the French Open.  Mais oui!

The ride over wasn’t too bad.  I had a headache during my flight and asked for painkillers.  OMG you should have seen how the poor flight attendant freaked out. “What seat are you?  What other syptoms do you have? I have to write this down…”  Alas, it was because I slept so little the two days because I was feeling headachy, not due to the supposedly swine flu.  Hmmm.

On route home I picked up the most giant thing of iced mocha from Starbucks and looooved it. Overpriced coffee drinks from corporate conglomerates…. yuuumm..

Lastly, owing my little blog recounts of my Hangzhou and KL trips.  Coming shortly!