Couture Athletics 高端運動

 Christian Dior || Spring 2014 Couture || Style.com

Chanel || Spring 2014 Couture || Style.com

Sportswear (known as sports-luxe most of the time) has always been around every season, especially in New York. This athleticism somehow extended to couture season, to two of the largest French houses – Christian Dior and Chanel. Airy lightness and futurism swept both runways, Raf Simons had the most glamorous pool shoes bedazzling an architectural space, while Karl Lagerfeld had couture running shoes accompanying every look.

Looks like we have got fashion’s nod of approval to stay grounded in sneakers, with the rise of comfort over vanity. The make of these kicks are not so down to earth though. In tweed, python, pearls, embroideries and lace, which probably takes a million man-hours to hand make. We won’t be seeing much of the Chanel sneakers around, since Susie Bubble mentioned that they are only available if you buy the total look.

I am all for this sportiness, women in this world can live with more fitness, less bunions.

運動風幾乎是一個永恆不滅的時尚趨勢，因為每一季都至少會出現於紐約時裝周。這風竟然吹到一向以華美手工晚裝見稱的巴黎2014春夏高級訂製時裝秀，兩大法國時裝巨頭Christian Dior及Chanel（香奈兒）不約而同地休閒起來。脫離高訂一如以往的華麗枷鎖，來一個未來主義的運動小清新，但依然保留高訂奢華手工及高端範兒。Raf Simons以最華麗的寶石鑲嵌游泳鞋穿梭著充滿建築美感的秀場，而每一位香奈兒模特都以跑步鞋亮相。

看來我們已經得到時尚界的允許，以舒適為大前提穿著時髦運動鞋。可這些高訂運動鞋一點也不平民化，以粗花呢、蛇皮、珍珠、刺繡及蕾絲等手製，必定花上不少人力物力，才能稱得上高訂吧。但我們應該不會有很多機會能親睹香奈兒跑鞋的風采了，著名時尚博主Susie Bubble透露寶石跑鞋只可以跟全套裝束一起購買。

我個人認為運動風鞋履是女生的大喜訊，運動鞋的舒適總比高跟鞋帶來（血流成河）的傷痕來的好。

Vintage in Paris

"Where did you get that lovely gold cuff from?" "It's vintage." And then there would be some ohhhs and ahhhs. No questions asked. Vintage. This word is somewhat mystical, magical and vague, is it overrated? Sometimes I am just a bit skeptical. Does it feel like a go to term when people bought something that looks vintage when in fact it isn't but they didn't want to disclose where it is from so its vintage? 


Vintage pieces are by all means very special, obviously their one off exclusivity makes it impossible for every other person to just go grab one from the nearest Zara. They are the one and only (most of the time) and even more unique depending on what you pair them with. Feels like there is a piece of history attached and that element of fun, nostalgia or glamour is transferred to the outfit too. 


I dragged my friend to quite a lot of vintage stores when we were in Paris, in fact I seem to drag my dear friends out of our way to go to vintage stores and come back empty handed all. the. time. For instance in high school, I dragged a friend to Rellik when we were only allowed out in London for the Saturday afternoon. Vintage stores are always very nice to explore but I never can buy anything for some unknown reason. Could it be that I wasn't looking hard enough? Or am I reluctant to buy pre-owned things? Perhaps growing up in a country where all the fakes come from (fake handbags to fake eggs) made me very doubtful when buying vintage pieces. I am still not sure why but certainly it doesn't put me off exploring. 


There are quite a lot of vintage stores near the Rue de la Verrerie in Paris, I made my friend walk the all the way to Le Marais and I swear she was quite annoyed with me. Along the way you will find Free'P'Star (61 rue de la Verrerie. Paris 4è.), Fripes Star, Mam'zelle Swing (35 bis Rue Roi de Sicile 75004 Paris) and Coiffeur Vintage (Saint Gervais, Le Marais, Paris 75004). I came out empty handed from all of the above. Free'P'Star, Fripes Star and Coiffeur Vintage are all pretty similar, very very low priced, but I guess I was too tired from all that walking to seriously dig for goodies, and they do have some kind of smell. I did find a small selection of fur in Coiffeur Vintage but everything was just way to big for me and it wasn't the fluffy kind of fur. Mam'zelle Swing is a bit different with that 20s vibe, sequins, lace, feathers and all that. Again, most of the stuff did not fit me and my skepticism kicked in because it just didn't look very vintage to me. 


The more upscale vintage stores are Yukiko, La Belle Epoque and La Jolie Garde Robe near Rue Vieille du Temple. I didn't buy anything either but this time my friend actually enjoyed all that walking with me, because Rue Vieille du Temple was a delight. There were quite a lot of interesting stores (big names small names) to look at, especially some local French brands which also carried furs, mostly rabbit and very very fluffy. 


Last vintage stop on our trip was Marché Dauphine, one of the markets of Puces de Saint Ouen. I would say if there would  be a next time for me in Paris, this would be the only vintage stop. Although it is one of the markets among a few, half a day can easily go by walking in this gem packed bazaar. I finally bought this charming purple beady vintage clutch without any skepticism or doubt because I just liked it so much. 

The apparel from Marché Dauphine was awe-inspiring, a lot of sequins (which I am in love with at the moment), lace (a bit too delicate fore my taste) and it was, for a brief moment, the place where I thought I would score something in style of a 20s flapper dress (soon I let go of this thought because I remembered nothing would fit me). 


For some weird reason I kept looking at furs on this trip and I found an amazing vintage Dior cape in one of the stores but again, I was real suspicious because of the price tag. It looked somewhat like this:

Amazing cobalt blue wool cape with fluffy baby blue rabbit fur, god it was so lovely. I also found a white vintage Chanel cashmere cardigan in another shop which was in amazing condition with fine hand painted buttons lined with sparkles, regrettably it was way too big for me as a very oversized boyfriend cardigan. Even the very nice and enthusiastic shop lady who let me try on everything said "Trop grand! Trop grand!". Pas de chance pour moi! 


Generally speaking Paris was quite enjoyable, even though there was no visit to Disneyland and I was on high avoid-getting-mugged alert. My broken French wasn't extremely useful but we got by, I have got to be more familiar with numbers though, I knew how to say "Combien ça coûte?" and "Quel est le prix?" but my blank face just gave me away when they told me how much it costs, Parisians speak way too quickly. Well, at least I knew I should feel good about myself when the nice French couple who helped us take a photo said "Vous êtes très jolie." 

A bit of green and a bit of sadness...

HM. These are the days when I would stare at my phone blankly hoping the message signal would light up, and then showing a face of disappointment after reading it because the sender was not the one I wanted. Yes, it is the 'can't eat can't sleep syndrome' that I am going through, hopefully it will be over soon. 

Black cardie Zara

Green lace tunic Topshop

Denim shorts Levi's 

Suede booties in taupe Jeffrey Campbell

Fringe leather bag Prada

Bracelet Links

Rings Aldo Dior Accessorize

Nails Rose Insolent Chanel

Preppy fall look

PREPPY. The festive season is near and Hong Kong finally got its first taste of fall. The other day I went for a preppy look with an argyle panelled cardigan and chunky over the knee socks. I added a touch of fall with the amazingly realistic Cherry Chau flower which I got from Selfridges London a couple of years ago. 

Argyle cardigan in cream Topman

Light blue striped shirt Jack Wills

Black shorts H&M

Grey chunky over the knee socks H&M

Grey T strap sandal from Zara

Classic flap bag Chanel

Flower accessory Cherry Chau

Rings Aldo (green), Tiffany and Accessorize (silver)

Bracelet Links 

Nails Chanel Jade Rose and Dior Timeless Gold

Some Monday late lunch

REFLECHIR. Finally I had some time to stop and think, finally I gave myself a work free week (and felt terribly guilty afterwards). My friend and I went to a restaurant in LKF on Monday, she does a great F&B blog by the way. Disregarding the fact that we had to climb up a few steps, well maybe more than a few, she wore 4" heels, oh the sacrifices women make for fashion... and food. 

Peachy cream chiffon shirt Monki

Black high waisted denim skirt with zips H&M

Nude Varina ballet flats Salvatore Ferragamo

Brooke bag in brown Mulberry

Rings Salvatore Ferragamo, Dior, Aldo

Nails Dior Vernis in Timeless Gold

Blue sky and the sunset

MEEKER. I have been completely swamped these days, finally I am taking a break (with my new Jeffery Campbell Meeker boots). My friend and I went to the Cocky Bar (funny name I know) in The One, a new shopping mall in Hong Kong. Probably the bar is cocky because their view, it's magnificent and how rare it is to have wind in your hair without dust and smoke in Hong Kong. The weather was beautiful, although the drinks were awful (mine tasted like Listerine and vodka) the breathtaking ambiance just made my day.

(Black and gold cropped jacket Burberry, Light blue deep v tee American Apparel, Black skirt Zara, Rosybrown knit ruffles scarf H&M, Taupe Jeffrey Campbell Meeker boots, Marc Jacobs bag, Rings Dior Tiffany's Aldo, Nail polish Chanel Paradoxal)

Grey and Crinkled

CRINKLED. I still haven't been able to get my hands my special maxi skirt , so I temporarily settled for this grey crinkle maxi skirt. Although it is not what I have in mind, but the crinkle turns out great, most importantly its not a tiny bit see through like most of the maxi skirts I find. 


(Black silk paneled tank T by Alexander Wang, Black lace tank H&M, Grey crinkled maxi skirt Miss Selfridge, Lotus cutout booties from Ash in nauge, Quilted chain bag Moschino, Sparkly bracelet F21, Leather bracelet MIu Miu, Rings Tiffany's Dior Aldo, Nail polish Chanel Rose Insolent) 


P.S. I have been so addicted to Chanel nail polishes these days, a weekly fix is a must! I adore This Rose Insolent, it can be a very diversed lot of shades under different lights, loves it.

Obsession du jour: Lady Dior Handbag Saga

 Images courtesy of Marion Media.

LADY DIOR. Dior has launched a big campaign since last spring of different Lady Dior bags in different cities with various colour themes. Lady Gray, which is the most recent one features Marion Cotillard on the London Eye overlooking the mist veiled city.


The whole saga started from Lady Noir Paris, Lady Rouge New York, Lady Blue Shanghai and last but not least Lady Gray London. I do have a question though why aren't the last two ladies named in French like the previous two? Lady Bleu and Lady Gris are pretty self explanatory if one does not know French. Anyway, this Lady Grey bag (in patent leather maybe?) is pretty mesmerizing with it's unique colour and unconventional leather shoulder strap.

Each one with it's own short film, the Lady Gray one will be released in November. Short films are very widely produced in fashion these days, like Vanessa Bruno's Le Bel Eté, Céline's Perfect, Comme des Garcons' Wonderwood, Prada's Swing Sunglasses, Louis Vuitton's Hide and Seek just to name a few, as well as other in house films from Tod's, Dolce & Gabbana, Victoria Beckham and many more. 

Thanks to the technology and increasing accessibility, mini flims for fashion campaigns are made possible and is a great way to express creative impressions with the lowered cost, since airing these 'mini films' as television commercials would be rather costly and would not even achieve a certain reach. These short films bring the audience flights of fancies into dreamy vistas by just clicking onto the houses' website, Youtube, or even just by viral sharing. 

All the blue hues

BLUE. I am not lying when I say my wardrobe is primarily made up of blues, blacks and greys. 


(Light blue baggy tee Zara, Navy tailored vest Moussy, Black skinny pants Hollister, White brogues Steve Madden, Bronze Bayswater Mulberry, Necklace F21, Rings Tiffany & Co., Dior)

Earthy Ruffles

RUFFLES. I knew I had to have this earth toned rufflely vest when I saw it in the H&M advert. It was layered perfectly with an aviator jacket in the ad, but I guess it should work as well for now. (Please do excuse my all wrinkly tank.)


(Vest with ruffles H&M, Scoop neck tank Topshop, Blue stone belt Vintage, Brown kitten heeled loafers Salvatore Ferragamo, Navy blue Bayswater Mulberry)