passion is in fashion

Check out the beautifully-designed L-atitude site, which combines luxury fashion with travel.  It’s like my two great loves in life finally found each other.

Guess who wrote the Hong Kong Zip Code Guide?

Correct answer: Yours truly.

L-atitude

Hong Kong Zip Code Guide

During my time off, I wandered into the Louis Vuitton flagship, battled with the latest batch of Chinese mistresses who are there to buy their tax-free status symbol 包包’s, and actually found a pair of basic black sunglasses that I really liked.  I have trouble finding sunglasses that fit my face (small round Asian nose!), and LV is really ahead of the game here — not simply enticing the affluent Chinese consumer with their ubiquitous logo, but also designing things ergonomically to fit the Chinese frame.  Cool!

Was just checking out their site as linked by The Selby, and found Todd Selby’s collaboration with the brand.  Selby to me always represented indie cool, so this is a delightful surprise to me.  (But I mean, indie is the new cool.  Just take a look at the Gossip Girl soundtrack and Elle magazine’s music recommendations.)  I lvoe (typo, but I’m keeping it) that LV is going back to its travel roots.  After all, it is what really distinguishes the brand from its counterparts.  Be sure to check out the Shanghai profiles — the sound is very China!

Journey of a Wardrobe by Todd Selby for LV

My feet, for your reference

Was in Bangkok over the weekend which was totally !  The weather was perfect and I was all running around with a bikini under my sundress while exploring the various leisurely offerings of the Bangkok Shangri-la.  Kekekeke.

It was the Bangkok jewelry fair, which drew precious gem dealers from all around the world, a sizable population being Jews.  Saturday was of course Shabbat, where they are not allowed to work until sundown, so the poolside was populated with elderly Hebrew-speaking Jews playing backgammon and smoking cigars.

And then there was me!

Halal Sprite in the airport lounge

Kitschy table lamp at Potato Head

Was in Jakarta last week and wishing I was still there.  My client arranged for me to stay at the Lippo Karawaci Village, which is a rich suburb where everything from the grocery store to the hospital is owned by the Lippo Group (Note 1: Lippo Group is now bankrupt due to a rather delicious scandal.  Note 2: in SE Asia, the same person owns everything.  See book Asian Godfathers.)  Sometimes I woke up in the morning, opened my curtains, saw a bunch of palm trees, and mistakenly thought that I was on vacation. But alas, the 8 am conference calls never fail to bring me back to reality.

I’m really appreciating these Southeast Asian cities.  Jakarta is chaotic and charming all at the same time — in a way that only a city with 13 million in population and severe income inequality could be.  Coincidentally at coffee this morning I glanced at some article suggesting that Indonesia, which has consistently achieved 4 percent growth, should be included in the BRIC countries.  I finished the coffee before finishing the article, so am not sure whether the suggestion prevailed (against growth-hindering political instability), but I’m leaning towards YES, based on purely anecdotal evidence, bien sur!

Exhibit A. Technological Infrastructure (prevalence of the Blackberry)

Everyone.  *Everyone* uses the Blackberry as their regular mobile phone.  The combination of reasonable RIM service rates for individuals and the Blackberry Messenger program not being blocked on corporate machines make the BBM preferred method of communication.

The result is everyone from teenagers to CEOs alike talk to their friends and even subordinates on the BBM.  For the first time ever, my clients asked me for my pin.  Our conversation ranges from when the car is picking me up to how they are going to make the international wire.  The display picture, by default, is always one of those outstretched arm pictures with one’s significant other. Display names vary from “ * ~ $ Anna $ ~ * “ to  something simpler and thus more professional.  Same goes for status messages.

What’s more, I was not the only who gasped at the prevalence of BBM use.  See here for my friend’s analysis on AsiaWheeling.

Exhibit B. Availability of Capital (as seen at the Grand Hyatt pool)

Although I was exiled in the faraway wealthy ‘burb, I made time to visit my friend who was staying in the more centrally-located, traffically-congested CBD.  While I primped in the locker room afterwards, I saw a woman slouched in the chair behind me smiling at her pink bedazzled Blackberry, looking very much like a teenager.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a true specimen of the Indonesian tai tai.  She was wearing a printed A-line sundress.  The fabric was stiff yet softly draped which conveys that it’s real silk from miles away.  The print was giant royal purple polka dots against a nude background, which matched her nude patent Louboutin slingbacks and purple Hermes Birkin exactly.  It’s crazy, because you know she has a Birkin for possible shade of sundress there is.

Exhibit C. Stylish Human Capital (as observed at Potato Head)

Located in the Pacific Place mall and next to the Ritz Carlton, this was my favorite restaurant/bar from the trip.  The interior designer is a personal friend of my college friend E’s, and I was totally impressed.  It was an interesting combination of industrial elements and kitsch.  The lamps at the bar are made out of airplane noses, and antique vents painted in aqua colors are sprinkled on the ceiling.  On each dining table are funny lamps which look like their belong in a nursery from the seventies.  The result is unexpected and totally hip.

While sipping martinis in tropical flavors like lemongrass, dragonfruit, and cucumber, I had fun people watching.  Interestingly, senior bankers wear batik, and junior bankers wear Prada.   I spotted a bib necklace and braided hair a la Prada FW09, both fashion forward statements.

I have a soft Samsonite rolly that I loooove!  I find soft suitcases to be much more practical because they are easier to over-stuff.  Who knew — Your stuff do not come in those perfectly rectangular shapes like Rimowa!  But alas, the hard suitcases do look cute, especially in lipstick red!  Another advantage?  Easier to spot when you are waiting for your luggage at the belt, but not that I ever check luggage.

Though not normally a huge fan of Balenciaga, those City bags are awesome for travel!  They are soft and squishy so that when they are empty, you can chuck them anywhere, and when necessary, one can pack them to the maximum.  The rectangular shape is conducive to occasionally stuffing a 13 inch Mac and those A4-sized printed materials inside.

A framed clutch is not only good fifties revival style, but also great for travel.  They lay flat and take up no room at all.  Even though they are small, you don’t need to worry about your keys scratching your Blackberry or camera either, because usually you’ll have a hotel keycard.

2) The Footwear

Versatility is key.  A pair of simple peep toes will do.  They go from work to evening.  I find pumps too formal for evening and strappy sandals too inappropriate for work.  (All those toes!  Skanky!)

A pair of flats for exploring, or just in case you are visiting a client in an industrial zone two hours from the city and does not have an elevator even though they are on the sixth floor.  (Known to happen.)

Caveat: *Never* bring your A-shoes to China.  Never bring your A-shoes to China.  I have Louboutins listed but as we all know those are only for non-rainy season and preferably when you know he is coming to pick you up in his chauffeured vehicle.

3) The Apparel (Black)

My coworkers in Shanghai mistakenly think I wear only black.  Little do they know I have quite a colorful, and sometimes even printed wardrobe at home.  Black is simply my super practical line up for travel.

A day to evening dress. Always in jersey material so you don’t need to worry about wrinkles, and more importantly, can stuff it into a little tiny ball when you are packing to leave, but find that you have accidentally bought a bunch of stuff ranging from books to hanging ball lamps for your friends.  (Don’t pretend it doesn’t happen!)  Wear with a blazer for work meetings, and substitute with bling for evening.

A blazer. Can’t sing enough praises for the blazer.  Makes your most work-inappropriate clothes instantly ready for all kinds of work situations.  Lapels and silk lining just speak *business* to me.  But please, none of those interview style blazer things for girls.  I enjoy cropped sleeves and a lean silhouette.

A soft cardigan of some sort. Essential for the plane ride.  I am a really light sleeper and have taken to throwing it over my head to block out the light.  Funny looking it may be, but infinitely practical.  (Say hi to me if you spot me on a plane!)

4) The Kindle

Love love love!  I named my little guy Sylvester and love him lots.  I can read the Atlantic (hard to find in HK!) and download books anywhere anytime!  Makes my time spent in transit *that* much more enjoyable.  ^______^

Hello world!  It will not be long until I scoot off to the land of plenty, *again*!  Much to clear out of the way before I am free, however.  Here I am chilling at my desk in anticipation of my *midnight* phone conference with the US.  (So conveniently scheduled!)  Tomorrow have much to accomplish at work.  Fingers crossed a grande latte will get me through all of it with unparalleled efficiency! 

Have mostly been staying put in HK since I got back from the US at the beginning of the month, except for one particularly traumatic trip to Dongguan!  I thought Guangzhou was bad, that is until I set foot on the cultural wasteland that is Dongguan!!!  Due to fall in exports most of the factories there have shut down or laid off substantial amount of people.  The subsequent high unemployment lead to even higher crime rate than before.  I hear the local economy is recovering, but even then I would not be enthused to visit.

For next year, my January and February schedules are packed!  Will be visiting Shanghai, Beijing, Jakarta, Singapore, and KL!  Hope my ambitious schedule pans out.    HK is curiously humid and freezing in Jan/Feb anyway, so might as well get out of here!  No idea what I’ll be doing for Chinese New Year, however.  Can’t even think that far ahead!  Haha.

One fun thing to look forward to tomorrow night (last night in HK in 2009!  *tear*) is revisiting Cafe Gray – my new favorite place!  The view is pretty amazing and it is decorate by Andre Fu in my favorite neutral palette!  (Haha if you ever read this blog you will know my mild obsession with minimal modernist natural neutral tones for interiors.)  Our friend is the sous chef there and he takes really really good care of us!  The seafood risotto and some kind of cooked beef something is unbelievably delicious!   Can’t wait. 

Cafe Gray

Eeeek!  Here I am preparing to venture to New York for the week.  Please see above, the weather forecast for New York, in contrast with the much more reasonable weather in Hong Kong.  Mon dieu!  For surviving in such treacherous conditions, I have prepared a multi-pronged approach involving sartorial armor, hot beverage consumption, and heartwarming reunions.

1) Sartorial armor

I believe in packing light for *any* occasion.  Not only is over-packing a useless exercise, it is also bad for the environment!  Air travel produces the biggest carbon footprint of any kind of widely-available transportation, and I don’t blame the airlines at all for charging for excess baggage.  Economic incentives should certainly be aligned!  Packing efficiently, much like Homeric Greek, should be taught in schools.

So, for my week-long venture, I have decided on the following essential items.

Black coat - Just got a new one from Ted Baker.  Have never shopped there before but accidentally chilled at the store one day when Korean Honey was shopping.  The store concept is pretty cute.  Think a bridge market version of Paul Smith.  The fitting rooms are very plushy, so much so that I wouldn’t mind hanging out there with a loved one.  ^^  I find them a bit overpriced, however, probably because one is partially paying for the deep purple velvet quilted ottomans in the fitting rooms!

Anyway, onto my new coat!  I love the belt at the natural waist and the skirted bottom.  Instant hourglass figure, which is how girls *should* look!  Was considering this in red (Ted Baker has a very nice shade of red this season… true primary red), but decided against it in case I want to wear the coat with crazy printed dresses.  (Known to happen!)

Over the knee boots - I have gone on and on about how much I adore tall boots so will not bore you again.  Particularly loving the thigh-high versions, which look really great avec une…

Black miniskirt! – Turns out I was just kidding when I said au revoir to them.  This is a wardrobe must-have for any girl!  A life without a black miniskirt, much like a life unexamined, is not worth living.  Really loving the ones with exposed zippers in the back.

These three items, with the appropriate changes in tops, sweaters, tights, and scarves, will easily take one from lundi to vendredi in style!

To maximize the value added to my trip and minimize time spent in transit, there is one simple trick to take any work-appropriate outfit to evening-appropriate: with a quick change of accessories!  Boots, however fashionable, I will always find odd for evening.  A simple pair of black pumps will do.  Big bags remind me of client meetings, or worse, bag ladies, so I will be having a black framed clutch at hand.

And voila!  I am done packing!  For all other occasions, I already had a variety of dresses and items from my favorite stores sent to my hotel.  Oh, the joy of having concierge who will sign for packages for you!  ^^

2) Hot beverage consumption

One of my favorite things about being in NY is breakfast.  Coffee always comes in big mugs (none of those wimpy teacup things), and the New York Times is always readily available.  Coming from Asia, I will be dealing with jet lag and waking up in the wee hours.  Not that I mind.  I really enjoy reading the paper while nursing (one too many) cups of coffee.

3) Heartwarming reunions

What’s the point of keeping physically warm, if my little (black) heart is cold?  My little heart is all aflutter at the thought of whom I will be seeing in NY.  Mom is coming to stay with me for most of the week and I am *so* excited!  We haven’t traveled together in what seems like forever and this will be our chance to explore and have lots of fun!  ^^  I will also be having heart-to-hearts via the phone with my dear friend H, since she cannot make it to NY this time.  Last but not least, cannot express how much I am looking forward to seeing f.  ^^

Mandarin's curious penchant for bladder-shaped pools

Despite heralded as a tropical environment, here I am freeezing in the airport lounge.  What is the deal?

Manila, if I can sum it up in one constant theme, is *high security*.  Don’t know if I should be flattered or offended to have been given so much attention by security guards!  Every single office building checks all my bags and then detains my ID before I can proceed.  And let me tell you about the airport, there are two separate lines for men and women at the luggage check.  Taking a cue from my ultra-leftist single-sex education, I was instantly offended.  I am lucky to live in a world where I don’t experience such odd displays of sexism in the name of security.  Oh well!  I shall recover my dignity elsewhere!

Even my hotel, the Mandarin, is not spared from such mildly dehumanizing searches!  Before entering the hotel my Dior Cannage bag is poked around by a guard with a wooden stick.  In my room instead of the usual “welcome fruits”, I find a welcome letter warning against the apparent perils of Manila.  The letter begins: “Manila, like any other big city, is not spared from chaos.”  Well-put, general manager, well-put.  “Like any other big city” — certainly!  My caring colleague further warns me against taking anything other than hotel-chartered taxis.

So, scared about the world outside which my GM and colleagues alike have warned me about, I spent most of my time exploring within the hotel, and *way* too much time at the Captain’s Bar (same as the old Mandarin in HK!)  By the end of my two-night stay, the waiter instantly recognizes me and shows me to my favorite table.  Hehe.  The upside to secluding oneself to bastion of safety in a hotel?  Achieving instant regular status!!

Thus securely, and freezingly, I conclude my first trip to the Philippines.  Not the most enjoyable ever, I concede.  Between solving work crises from the distance here and worrying about safety, I had few moments of joy reading Sylvester at the Captain’s Bar!

Here I am off to board.  Hoping I will be upgraded again to enjoy lay-flat beds on a two-hour flight.  Hahaha.  Silly, but enjoyable.

In case you didn’t hear, India is totally in fashion right now.

Lakshmi Mittal just bought Escada for his daughter-in-law Megha, outbidding even the the son of the founder Wolfgang Ley. Talk about an early Christmas present.  Credit to her that she *is* a Wharton grad and is looking to revamp Escada, veering away from its couture roots (who buys that stuff anymore?) and adding a more affordable and casual line.

I still remember this very lovely black and white Escada portrait collar jacket I tried on once from the FW06 collection.  It was intricately knitted, perfectly fitted, and badly coveted (by me!).  Escada is German to the core.  All about quality and sometimes a little passé.  But that is also what I love about the line.  A quick look at any of its pieces reveals that yes – it is high fashion!

Coincidentally I have also just finished the White Tiger.  It won Booker Prize in 2008 so I’m a little late to the game.  Gosh, the book lives up to the hype!  Extremely insightful about a changing India.  Funny, too!

Image from Escada.com

It has been a while indeed.  Where was I all this time, you might have wondered.  Ah, I was frolicking in the far far away land of China.  Shuttling between Shanghai, Beijing, Shanghai, then Beijing (again!), and not between the industrial cities, for once.  Phew! Had the most fun with my travel partner (in crime) H, where I discovered spontaneity + party dresses + lazy brunches = good good fun.

Not so fast however, working in the garment-ish industry that I do, could not go on for a month without being summoned to at least one town where trucks outnumber people.  Got this trip over with on Tuesday, and boy it was not easy!  Came home and swiftly downed two Carlsbergs.  Beer, god’s remedy to daytrips to Guangzhou on the KTT train.

Since I made it back alive, and have had quite a good run at work lately (^____^), am thinking of a little reward for myself.  Something red?  Something in leather?  Something in red leather, perhaps!?

Image from Barneys.com