Royal Blue
Kate Middleton got engaged! Average pretty face, average height, no distinctions or scandals to speak of — other than dating a prince of some sort. In fact, the more I look at her the more I think she is the perfect princess! I believe the two main prerequisites for princess-dom are a) shiny hair and b) smiley face no matter how bored one is. Today I am loooving her engagement party dress — a royal blue Issa London dress.
The shape is simple, flattering, and in true royal manner, ultra-conservative and covered up. The color is a beautiful jewel tone, which complements her coloring and engagement ring perfectly. Kate has bored me in the past but I will be watching her clothing choices in the future!
Rumored to be one of her favorite designers, Issa London is probably having a small office party of their own right now. By the same token, the very same blue Issa dress is sold out on Net-a-Porter. Coincidence? I think not!
Anna dello Russo’s Definitively Chic Guide to Christmas
“Now begins the critical period forPARTIES to celebrate CHRISTMAS.
They involving not only the family andfriends, as well as formal events.
I’m going to remember you my10 RULES to be always on TOP!1. Don’t wear RED or GREEN outfits.
You will look alike a Christmas tree.2. Forget any COATS(also if outside it’s only 5 degrees).
You should make a big impactjust with your dress.3. Choose a GOLD.
You will emphasize the ideato be a Christmas GIFT to unwrap.4. Go to the hairdresser, facial,manicure and pedicure.
Don’t be worry to be OVER-DONE!5. Choose between HAT and MAKEUP,
if you wear a hat keep fresh faceotherwise you will looks like a transvestite.6. Wearing lots of JEWELLERY.
the sound of JEWELLERY banishbad thoughts and bad ghosts.7. Focus on the SHOES.
Generally at Christmas party you spenda lot of time seated on the sofa.8. Shoes have to carry all the magicalatmosphere of Christmas:
Choose sparkling, shiny, eccentric, metallic, decorative, precious, brocade, extravagant, color-full, magnificent, enchanting, … PAIR OF SHOES.9. Don’t be worry about your BAG,
you immediately will forget it on some chairs.10. Don’t throw yourself on the drinksand on the food.
It’s not POLITE!
Reporting live from Gare du Nord
Bonjour la monde! Have been in Paris for a month now, and have had a series of transportation misadventures. Today we are headed to the Netherlands, and apparently someone either fell or jumped on to the train tracks, literally stopping us in our tracks. Now, during this trip I have only taken one other trip on the Grand Ligne to Francfort, and the exactly some thing happened! A French SNCF officer informed me without expression (and without fear and without favor!) What better time than sitting in the middle of the tracks five minutes outside of Gare du Nord to sum up my Europeans adventures (and misadventures)?!
The French – they love to strike!
La greve, c’est tout les jour! I’m not sure if it’s because I arrived in the middle of the retirement age law change, or if c’est normal, but there is a strike going on every other day! Like the weather, scandals, and how the kids are, it’s what people talk about.
The French – they love lingerie!
C’est vrai! Just on my brief five minute walk to work I pass by no less than four boutiques with nothing but lacey lingerie. When I try on any item at all in the shop, the vendeuse automatically bring me a whole set, as if it’s unthinkable to wear mismatched undies.
Speaking of vendeuse enthusiasm, my Chinese face has really become a liability when it comes to faire du shopping. Please note that scores of buses filled with eager Chinese tourists are dropped off at Printemps and Galeries Lafayette everyday. They are set free for two hours and tear through the place on a mission! Mistaking me for one of these mega shoppers, the vendeuse are really disappointed when I don’t buy — like — four Louis Vuitton bags within ten minutes. Eeek.
The French – they love food and wine!
I have never had a bad meal here, and have made it my goal to try as many steak tartares as possible (the best so far is at A Pied au Cochon!) The patisseries are like mini art galleries (see La Patisserie des Reves, they are even housed in little glass cases!) What’s more, I love love love that every single Tabac, Traiteur, Bistro, and Cafe serves little carafes of wine. It’s for when one glass is not enough and a whole bottle is too much — which dare I say is all the time!
Crisp White Shirt
I haven’t updated in a while and all for good reason. See, so much have happened in the last month that I’m not even going to *try* to recount in its entirety. With New York Fashion Week in full force, I was in fashion heaven! Brushed arms with Andre Leon Talley, and saw Anna Dello Russo and Carine Roitfeld — in the same room. Swoon! The other big announcement is that I’m taking off for Paris. It’s a one-way ticket. We’ll see.
In any event, my personal apparel discovery of moment is the “crisp white shirt.” Somehow as I recall in fashion journalism, anything white shirt-related is always prefaced with “crisp.” Now I finally understand why.
So I started my venture into these woven shirt things with a chambray shirtdress. I bought it in an unassuming boutique called “Teddy”, which other than its outpost on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, it is more of a Park Slope/Williamsburg kind of establishment. Even though the dress is quite covered up, it was perfect to wear in warm weather because the woven cotton is light as air. I love how it has a column of snaps down the front and a slight A-line shape. A very snazzy thing to throw on for brunch (or when you are late for work.) Not premeditated and so comfortable, it quickly became my favorite summer dress!
Then, braving more wovens, I went for the crisp-white-shirt. Oh god. It goes with everything and is always so chic. New found love! Here are my favorites:
Love the rolled sleeves on this one. I always end up rolling my sleeves up anyway!
Silk twill is one of my favorite fabrics. Feels so casual yet luxurious! Be forewarned however, that it wrinkles easily. But I have never been a stickler for perfectly-ironed shirts. I am not German and I am not in banking, other than that, I don’t think anyone else cares.
Lastly, I have always detested woven shirts do to its impact on the environment. By my estimate, a male working in a stiff job will dryclean about 10,000 shirts in his lifetime. Eeeek! That’s a lot of hazardous air contaminant. So my advice is hand wash or machine wash on delicate cycle, hangdry, then iron. Much like a crisp-white-shirt, caring for the environment is always chic!
Hello New York, Goodbye Manolos
Indeed, Sex and the City is grossly misleading, not only in terms of expected apartment sizes of newspaper column writers (not even syndicated!), but also that all New York women all prance around in 4-inch Manolos.
During my years in Hong Kong I have amassed an astonishing amount of 3-inch heels. (I’m 5′ 7″ and do not have a Napoleon complex.) See, Hong Kong is very heels-friendly. First, the city is very compactly constructed. Just take a look at the hundred-story high-rises — space is a precious commodity. Second, we were not known to explore much. The best places to live, work, eat, and drink, were all within a 5-mile radius of Central. Third, the culture of Hong Kong itself favored heels. A notorious one-industry town, most people toiled away in über-conservative investment banks. Exposed toes are not a good look on that chick who’s about to take your company public! In conclusion, due to the small distance traveled and general expensive footwear-oriented culture, stilettos were my weapon of choice.
By contrast, New York is just as pedestrian-friendly as it is heels-unfriendly. Have you seen those cross-town blocks? They are so freakin’ long! Combined with the perils of those metal subway covers waiting for your poor stilettos to sink in, heels are not a practical choice. Though fashionistas may interject with the “heels, always” motto, hobbling down Fifth Avenue is never fashionable. I love walking and gawking in New York. Why bereave yourself of such a simple pleasure? Save the Manolos for the days of being chauffeured.
As much as flip flops suffice for most occasions, it is just a tad inappropriate for any situation involving anything marble. In particular, I cringe when the rubber goes pitter patter against marble stairs. What to do? Here are my choices for chic flat sandals.
Giuseppe Zanotti flat sandal from Endless
Giuseppe Zanotti is *the* brand I think of as soon as I see “flat” and “sandals”. They create what I consider to be one of their signature items, the jeweled thong, every season. These are casual but oh-so gorgeous! Combine with a beautiful pedicure for maximum effect.
K Jacques St Tropez Valerie sandals from NAP
In case you didn’t get the memo, t-strap sandals are all the rage here in New York. I love the K Jacques version. The tan leather sole nicely sets off the metallic straps, making it glam but not over the top for day. And what is this “K. Jacques”, you may ask. Fashionista has some interesting insights.
Gucci Nolita sandals from Bergdorf
If you did seek something more over the top, however, this Gucci version is to-die-for. Stupid interlocking G’s symbol aside, this sandal is simplicity at its best. I love mirrored metallics for the summer. Add a little sparkle to your step while traversing Central Park!
Greetings
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.
Diane von Furstenberg
She wore a black sheath dress, black and white leopard print cardigan, black slingbacks, and a gold bangle. So chic. In a panel of five, she was the only one who seemed to be completely at ease: putting on a cardigan when it was cold, fidgeting with the hem of her dress, zoning out when it was appropriate, and making naughty quips with raised eyebrows. (And her eyebrows are really striking to begin with!)
I love the way she talked, with very long drawn out words and elaborate hand gestures. English is not her first language, which gave her even more of a flair. While recounting the cultural richness of Vienna, she asked: “What is it, when people take too much drugs? Yes — Overdose! I felt like on Overdose!”
English is not my first language either, so I had thought “doyenne” meant an old lady who wears gaudy jewelry and orders people around. Not true. The one word that kept appearing in my mind while watching Ms. DVF interact with Prabal Gurung and Norma Kamali is “doyenne”. Clearly, she commands so much respect that everyone hung on her every naughty quip.
One of my favorite quotes of the night is when she spoke on her design for the New York Sidewalk Catwalk, which is an allover leopard print. ”It’s nice for women to feel feline, which is why I guess the leopards wear it.”
End of a dynasty; return to modesty
I woke up the other day to two jokey messages from my besties back in Hong Kong. They questioned their ability to wear crazy ruffled dresses in my regrettable absence. Jokesters.
Fashion is less about beauty than it is about capturing a certain zeitgeist. The dresses signified a personal roaring-early-twenties: it was Hong Kong pre-financial-crisis; all my banker friends were fresh out of business school; and everyone stayed out until 3am without question. Two and something years later comes the end of a fabled time, and thus an end to strapless ruffled dresses in bright colors.
Out of responsibility of reaching the “mid-twenties”, and out of necessity of finally moving to a place with real winters, I am beginning to see viable ways of incorporating turtlenecks into a stylish wardrobe.
More to come.
Adventures in Copyright ©
I have been following this column for a while and it recently took an interesting turn. From the Miu Miu and Just Cavalli post you see that copying is not just happening among the low-end shops anymore. Even more interestingly, take a look at the Bottega v. Ten Over Six post, it’s actually happening in the reverse mode. Low-end inspiring something high-end. (Psst – Remember those LV red and blue bags?)
To add some insider perspective, Prada subscribed to my trend forecasting service right about the time when I left. My trend director and I had some fun with the situation. Just what trend information is Miuccia going to take from a forecaster? Here you have the pinnacle of fashion herself, asking us to inform her of the trends.
Just like the world economy, fashion and designers are more and more interlinked. No label is going to be an island or independently creative (like China in the 1750s?) How do people find inspiration? It’s not sitting in a room with no windows and fiddling, but walking out and exploring the world. We more or less live in the same world with the same major events happening. Sometimes it is hard to not be inspired by the same things, just because it’s the most defining thing happening during our lifetime.
Lastly, the meaning of fashion is simply different today. The likes of Chanel, Dior, and YSL shocked everyone with their respective departures from tradition. But now, everything that’s new and shocking has already been done. Women have worn everything from petticoat-less dresses to pants to bikinis and back. Now it’s about recycling while seeking to impart a new perspective. Are Zara’s designs original? Nope. But is Zara so freaking amazing for revolutionizing fashion and bringing runway to the masses like nobody has ever done? YES.
Days of being not-so-wild
Hello loves! As you all know I am now in the US of A and taking some pretty sweet time off. To sum up, I have been living like a golf-club-swinging-Lilly-Pulitzer-wearing-55-plus WASP! It’s like what’s next? Wearing beige and gold? Together!?! Unthinkable.
To kick off my recent conversion, I decided to take an impromptu beach vacation to Palm Beach, out of all places. Truly a “wintering” place of all New York society types, as I opened the complementary magazine found in my hotel beach bag, I found that it was actually a society gossip rag. You know, a bunch of white people with coiffures standing around with cocktails and smiling. On a more positive note, because it is also generally a retirement community, happy hour starts at 3pm.
Since being home, I have taken to chilling by the country club pool. I love reading one of those recently popular Stieg Larsson books and order a hot dog and beer(s). Nothing more American than reading books from the New York Times Bestsellers list.
After visiting New York last week, I am completely certain that I prefer Sutton Place as opposed to anywhere below 20th street. To quote my friend: “uptown is for the old and boring”, but roughing it in downtown and rubbing elbows with the under-30 set just don’t appeal to me anymore!
Lastly, my material desires are moving away from the all-black and architectural into the pastel and WASP-y. Rick Owens? It’s like who cares!! Currently coveting a Goyard tote (in light blue) and an Hermes bracelet (in white.) But don’t fret yet, still resenting anything cableknit.
