postcards from hong kong

Hello readers, as you may well have noticed, I have been M.I.A for a while. All for good reason really. Well, seeing that in the last month or so, all my other blogger friends have been on some super cool trips like to a ball, or to meet some famous person etc, I thought - ' Why not moi?'. So, to my surprise, I too got an invite to attend the International Horse Auction and Racing event in Hong Kong (the last and very important event in the 'horsing' calendar year). Yes, I know, it has nothing to do with fashion.. but all the same, I thought it would still make very interesting reading fodder. For starters, I love this city. This is only my second visit and I have been so excited in the lead up to it! So here, in my first posting since I arrived back, I would like to share with you some snap shots from my travels and the places I visited - kinda like a collection of postcards.. with love.

More things to do with horses yet to come..... Have a good day y'all!

PS: That all sounds fine and chirpy and all. But what you didn't know is, I caught the flu about a week before I was due to leave. I was totally bunged up and not feeling or looking so glamorous (like a very bad version of Rudolph). Then when I actually touched down in Hong Kong, all was fine... maybe because of the lure of shopping, good food and warm weather... maybe. So anyway, the trip was unscathed by any flu symptoms. But now that I am back home, I am writing to you with 2 blankets piled over me and a bunch of Kleenex tissues scattered all over - bad version of Rudolph all over again. I blame it on shop-a-lot-a dosis (although am not sure who suffers from shopping overkill), food comatose and lack-o-sunshine-itis.

(T-shirt & flats from Top Shop, Boyfriend jeans from Whistles, Necklace by FE, cuff from Marc Jacobs)

leaving on a jet plane

(Check shirt from Stella McCartney for Gap Kids, leggings from American Apparel, long vest top from H&M, shoes from Topshop)

sweet smell of...

Look...... look at this beautiful bottle......
I have to confess that I love the smell of this fragrance. Obviously, when I heard that Frédéric Malle had opened up a concession in Liberty, I more than hopped and skipped to it. I like the romance or should I say the provocativeness of men's fragrance. Vetiver Extraordinaire by Dominique Ropion is just that - my interpretation: sexy, woody, and powdery. My foray into the whole sensation and experience was very memorable and entertaining, as Peggy who happens to be the assistant, is such a lovely girl with lots of joie de vivre. Very funny, pleasant and very French! Added to the fact that you can only smell the fragrance in specially made vacuum vats, where you actually stick your whole head in to experience the fragrance! So good, in fact, that I have now considered switching up my signature eau, which has been with me for the last three years. Change, after all, can be a good thing.

far out kitty

There are some crazy things happening out there in the world today. Did you ever imagine 40 years ago that there would actually be an expo solely devoted to nail art? Nah, thought so. Japanese people are always known to push the envelope a little futher than usual. So, in an ode to that, they're host to the annual Tokyo Nail Expo. I can seriously say that I would totally give up anything in order to be there. Sure, the fashion and art worlds are currently in Miami for Art Basel this week (mwah dahling), but if the option had presented itself, I would’ve chosen Japan over SoFlo without flinching. Check out some of the, umm, handiwork above. Yes, the idea is to get as many 3-D Hello Kitty heads onto the nail surface as possible. Totally radically awesome!

Photo via style.com

and..... the nominees are.....

Drum rrrrooollllllll................
SAVE THE DATE: December 9 in London. The British Fashion Council will reveal the winners of 2009's British Fashion Awards. The ceremony will commemorate a year that celebrated London Fashion Week's 25th anniversary, so expect a big awards production, including the new London 25 Award, decided by public vote to celebrate an individual "who embodies the spirit of London and is an international ambassador for the capital's fashion industry." The nominees are.........

Model of the Year
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Georgia May Jagger
Daisy Lowe

Swarovski Emerging Talent Award for Ready-to-Wear
Mark Fast
Meadham Kirchhoff
Peter Pilotto

Swarovski Emerging Talent Award for Accessories
Holly Fulton
Camilla Skovgaard
Jessica McCormack
Maria Francesca Pepe

Designer Brand Award
Burberry
Mulberry
Pringle of Scotland

Menswear Designer Award
Graeme Fidler for Aquascutum
Kim Jones for Dunhill
Todd Lynn

BFC British Collection of the Year
Christopher Kane
Erdem
Jonathan Saunders

Accessory Designer of the Year
Emma Hill for Mulberry
Katie Hillier
Nicholas Kirkwood

d-low on abmb

Maybe you're at Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB), maybe you're not. But sorry, Boom Boomers--the Standard you know and love simply isn't the place to be this week gone.

The festivities began at The Lido, where Paul Kasmin is hosted a private dinner for Mattia Bonetti. Then on Wednesday, François Nars hosted a cocktail for the 15th anniversary his brand, as well as the 15X15 exhibition/book project. Photos of Marc Jacobs, Naomi Campbell, and more were exhibited during the week at the hotel.

Thursday. The Whitney Museum hosted a cocktail to celebrate 75 years of Whitney Biennials at the hotel's bayside area. Friday, Balazs threw Bruce Weber's book party for the photog's new tome Roberto Bolle--An Athlete in Tights. The Misshapes were on hand late-night at the Lido Lounge for the after-party for the 101 Exhibit and performance, which featured ThreeAsFour, Oliver Zahm and Doug Aitken. Saturday, the Accompanied Literary Society and Alan Yentob, creative director of the BBC, screened and discussed screening Art in Troubled Times. And for those sticklers - Monday, The Standard Miami Mud Lounge will host a closing party for the Scope Art Fair at 3 p.m.

Of course, some of vous will actually be staying at the hotel--so expect lots of extras. Creative Time's Anne Pasternak has curated an in-room video art channel, featuring the work of 10 international artists in every hotel guest room. A Standard shuttle will take artists back and forth between the hotel and the Convention Center; it will be painted by NYC-based graffiti artist Rostarr. And should you dare get in a little pool time, pick up one of the Art Production Fund's WOW Artist Towels, created by Peter Doig and Yoshitomo Nara. Produced with Opening Ceremony, these will be sold at The Standard Miami boutique and online at shopthestandard.com.

Installation-wise, there was a video graffiti performance by Sweatshoppe on December 3 in The Standard's lobby. The trellis garden will became a canvas for the Art Basel Knitta group, which produced an installation using the swings. And the hamam was even more fragrant than usual during Art Basel--the Six-Scents limited edition perfume project with Philip Lim and 6 designers featured in a video installation, 'Subliminal' by Justin Edward John Smith. Special box sets of the fragrances are be available at the hotel and on shopthestandard.com. And... duh ---the festival itself. Also had to fit in a few hours at the Convention Center...

legends in the flesh

A trio of timeless supers manage to hold their own with this Kayt Jones’ cover of i-D. Eva Herzigova, Helena Christensen and Claudia Schiffer all posed buff and proud for the winter edition of the magazine.

night is so alone

night is cold & dark
night is sad for some
night comes and goes like my love for you
night is time for me to sleep and dream of you
night if special one remembers forever
it is the time the subconscious rocks
night is everywhere I roam
night is so alone for me because it reminds me of you
the night was when we had fun
the night is so alone now
the night is what you love
but now the night is what i hate because of you
still night is the only of its kind..

happy thanksgiving

Does this sound mad or lush? 1000 piece puzzle by Editions Ricordi called “Couture Banquet,” features Ruven Afanador’s photo of supe Heidi Klum lounging amidst a cornucopia of fruits and veggies. A must if you are a puzzle aficionado(it comes in a fancy red velvet box). I hope all your Thanksgiving feasts will look just as glamorous.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

bluebuy

As winter progresses, I am once again crazy about colour to help brighten the wardrobe and weather. So my attention has turned to manicures and nail colour. Not too long ago, I chanced on this amazing colour from Nails Inc. I decided to treat myself to a mani which is very rare. I had a tough time trying to decide on the right colour but once I spotted Hanover Square, I knew I had to try it. This was the result. It lasted 2 weeks! Great stuff. I also purchased this turquoise bauble bracelet from Marc Jacobs around the same time and thought I'd photograph it together. Two of my current obsessions and they just so happen to be tonal... well kinda. Next up, am looking forward to acquiring the Cameo Bracelete, again from Marc Jacobs. Mmmmm...... don't you love consumerism.....

took my breath away.......

Tommy, when I saw this photo.... I was speechless! Love!

Photo via Jak & Jil blog

remnants of a party

When asked to retrofit the Parisian apartment of Jacques Carlu (architect of the Palais de Chaillot, built in the thirties), Martin Margiela turned the space into—you guessed it—an art installation. Commissioned by Elle Decoration, the designer's team transformed the apartment into a party pad. The intervention of Maison Martin Margiela in the Suite will exceed the simple idea of setting to experience the place in space and in time. The time stops after a party and leaves scars of its disorder....

20 Dec. 2008 - 01 Feb. 2010
Martin Margiela/ Suite Elle décoration
Cité de l'Architecture et du patrimoine- Palais de Chaillot
1, place du Trocadéro 75016 Paris