Friday, February 26, 2010

Who to Trust


Here’s some fun trivia for your Friday morning. Reader’s Digest recently conducted a survey in October on the city’s most trusted people and professions and the results are in. Josephine Siao Fong-fong is considered Hong Kong’s most trusted person while our leader Donald Tsang is ranked 77 out of 80. My question is, if you flip the list around, do you get Hong Kong’s list of most least-trusted people? And if so, does that mean Donald Tsang is third on the list? And who is number one on the least-trusted list then? Jacky Chan.

Other people who made it into the top 10 trusted list includes Joseph Sung, Rebecca Lee, Andrew Li, Lee Lai-shan, Chow yun-fat, Wong Kam-po, Yip Wing-sie, Sydney Chung and Sir Run Run Shaw.

So which professions do people trust the most? The number one spot belong to firefighters followed by medical technicians, doctors, physiotherapists, pharmacists and dentists. I guess it’s not too surprising given that if you can’t trust your doctor, who can you trust?

The least trusted profession ironically is fortune-teller. Every CNY, fortune telling books fly off the shelves. And in a city like Hong Kong where almost every office has been blessed by a fortune teller (or a pastor), I wonder how much of the loss of trust is related to the recent Tony Chan scandal?

Source: SCMP

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SHOErotica: Sasquatch! Pet Bed


Not quite the shoe porn you're used to, but for a footwear fiend like myself, there's nothing cuter than a dog bed inspired by the croc. Who's a cozy little corgi?

Get it at Sasquatch! Pet Beds

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Thursday, February 25, 2010

Skin Deep



Fans of British skincare and spa brand Elemis should go check out their new Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser at Pacific Place this week. Developed in response to the trend towards richer and creamier cleansers, Pro-Radiance Cream Cleanser contains deep-cleansing waxes that remove make-up while providing anti-oxidants to nourish the skin. So why head over to Pacific Place? Elemis is holding an exclusive preview this week where you receive free samples of the cleanser when you undergo the free 15 min Elemis Skin Lab consultation and a free home skincare kit worth HK$500 when you purchase the full size cleanser (HK$580). If you go for the skincare consultation and then purchase the cleanser, then in addition to the free skincare kit, you also get a 30 minutes free facial at the Elemis Spa Pod in Lane Crawford.
This promotion is valid until Feb 28, 2010

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NYFW Redux: Top 10 LBDs


There are a few things that we all have in common -- we all eat, sleep, poop, etc. When it comes to the category of us ladies, I'm pretty sure that amid all the differences, one thing we probably have in common is that we each own at least one incarnation of the Little Black Dress. In my case, it's more like 30 different versions. But I thought it'd be interesting to trawl through all of New York Fashion Week and find the 10 best LBDs around (I haven't gotten through LFW yet). Starting with the above... a grid-like pattern at Herve Leger by Max Azria which seems much more forgiving than the previous bandage dresses.


For a posh night on the town for a girly girl, this Marchesa lace dress is sophisticated and flattering.


No surprises here, the queen of the LBD, Victoria Beckham, gives us a sleek and classic pencil silhouette, updated with a little draping at the neckline.


Threeasfour has been more and more impressive each season. If you remove the alien-princess-from-Star-Trek styling, this is actually a beautiful sleeveless round-necked assymmetrical dress in a flashy fabric.


Oh Proenza Schouler. The designer duo seemed to have been moving away from the corseting that made them famous in the beginning, but I see a hint of that coming back in this little dress, though the bodice isn't as severe. And I'm such a sucker for leather.


Jen Kao is a relatively new label, but it's been making quite a bit of noise in a short time, especially in the blogger circle. This rock 'n roll furry vest and minidress would be perfect for a leggy model. Which sadly, I am not.


Paris 68 is in its first season, its designer Marcella Lindeberg's husband works on William Rast, but I like her collection more than the Justin Timberlake-helmed rugged denim-loving brand. This black dress with a built-in cape is so simply yet so different from anything you see out there.


I'm not personally big on embellishments, the whole pailette-covered bejewelled thing. But if you have to weigh down your look with built-in accoutrements, then Malandrino does hardware right: chunky, dark, daring.


If the doyenne of wedding-day wear were to do a wedding dress in black and cut it to cocktail length, I think this is what it would look like. But what I think is so genius is that it is romantic while maintaining a bit of contemporary flair.


Last but certainly not least, Coach's Reed Krakoff's inaugural womenswear collection under his own name has this utilitarian feel that I'm very much liking. This leather dress comes off as a little bit dungaree-ish, which I like, I like a lot.

Images: Style.com

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Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Sausage Party


After a KFC smorgasbord last night which I chased with blueberries, shrimp chips and swedish fish, I should by all rights be curled up in bed with a tummy ache, but instead I'm ogling hearty food photos as I slurp my morning yogurt. And what's getting me particularly hot and bothered this AM is the Good Wife Sausage, available at the Belgian pub-restaurant, Frites. This new addition to their already lethal menu includes a half-metre-long sausage slathered in onions and gravy, coupled with mashed potatoes in case 50 centimetres of tubular meat isn't quite enough to satiate. I'm not sure what Freud would have to say about my current food fetish, but I'd be willing to trade years of therapy for a bite of this right now. And anyway, Freud was Austrian, so he probably had his fair share of sausage anyway. No pun or Freudian slip intended.

One of my seminal partners in gluttony blacklisted this place when we went last year during Chinese New Year, because he ordered the five-beer sampler, and in place of the esoteric home-brewed concoctions he expected, he got instead the likes of Stella Artois... how very exotic. But if memory serves, they do have pretty darn good mussels... so it may be time for a visit, before the cold weather subsides and the diet begins.

Frites is at Shop 1&2 1/F Queen’s Place, 79 Queens Road Central. Tel: 852 2179 5179.

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White and Plump


I always think beauty press releases are the hardest to write as you need to balance the fine line between the technical scientific terms and breakthroughs which can lead to a snooze fest or the flowery meaningless copy that is meant to intrigue but doesn’t give any solid information. I just received one from MTM Custom-blended Skincare where they are promoting their first whitening product; the Custom-blended Whitening Moisturizer. What drew me attention to the release is firstly their image and how after using the product your skin will be whitish and plumped like wagashi, a traditional Japanese confectionary. While I get that they want to convey the image of translucence, I’m not too sure how well they passed on the message. When I first saw the visual I was thinking that the sweet might have been a silicon pad and it doesn’t sag or leak through even if you poke it with a toothpick. Which then of course led me to think that it’s a breast cream. Of course, now I’m writing about the product so it may have been a savvy move on their part!

Anyway, for those who are interested in the product itself, the MTM Custom-blended Whitening Moisturizer is designed to combat dullness, yellow pigmentation, dark spots and uneven skin tones using natural ingredients such as the Japanese Pueraria Lobata Root Extract, High Potency Vitamin C Glucoside and, Japanese Rice Bran Extract.

Custom-blended Whitening Moisturizer(35ml)is available at all MTM Custom-blended Skincare Centre and SPA by MTM, Hong Kong at HK$750 starting March 1.

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Tuesday, February 23, 2010

iPhone Show & Tell: Plants vs Zombies


If you’re looking for a strangely addictive, fun casual game for your iPhone or iTouch, PopCap’s Plants vs Zombies will do just the trick. Taking the traditional tower defense game model (and admittedly one of the easiest tower defense games I’ve ever played), Plants vs Zombies’ appeal is in the cute graphics, giggle inducing descriptions and innovative concept. The premise is that a mob of zombies are about to invade your house to eat your brains and your only defense are these plants that zap these zombies.

Choose from a selection of 49 plants including the Cherry Bombs (“I wanna explode,” says Cherry #1. “No, let’s detonate instead!” says his brother, Cherry #2. After intense consultation they agree to explodonate) or the Wall-nut (“People wonder how I feel about getting constantly chewed on by zombies,” says Wall-nut. “What they don‘t realize is that with my limited senses all I can feel is a kind of tingling, like a relaxing back rub.”)

The zombies have their own quirks too. From the Michael Jackson-equse Dancing Zombie (where they claim any resemblance between Dancing Zombie and persons living or dead is purely coincidental), to the Football Zombie that is a team player who delivers both offensively and defensively and gives 110 percent while not knowing what a football is. Simply reading all the descriptions gave me quite a chuckle. And if that’s not reason enough, check out the Plants vs Zombies music video. Anything this cute and catchy can’t be bad!


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Diversionary Tactics


Some say fashion is a type of armour against the world, but I don't think that those people had this in mind. The lovely Nicola sent us this crazy concept ensemble by artist Tetsuya Noguchi paying homage to the classic brand Chanel. For some reason, I have this image in my head of that scene from Glee, when the football team does the routine from the Single Ladies music video to distract the opposition. How many samurais would stop in their tracks at the sight of this haute-couture outfit? Bear in mind that lots of samurai were apparently of the homosexual persuasion, and so it's more than likely they would worship at the altar of Chanel. Those bitchin' Maison Michel-esque bunny ears are pretty darn attention-grabbing as well -- paired with a runway strut a la Miss J Alexander, and the enemy doesn't have a chance.




Images: Pink Tentacle

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Monday, February 22, 2010

Glass Act


Geeks gotta know how to do good nerd, and nothing says nerd like a pair of thick-rimmed glasses (or, failing that, a pair of perfectly round Harry Potter glasses). My eyesight is poor as hell; I've been wearing glasses since the tender age of seven, and finding good frames has always been a pain. But these frames from Prism London are the perfect balance of geek and chic to make me reconsider my contact lenses. I've also seen these wooden frames at shops around town that have quite an earthy, cool vibe as well. Of course, knowing me, I'll be wearing my rectangular brown glasses until they are completely squished and crooked beyond belief... a state which they are slowly approaching.





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Geek Spy: Jill Stuart Limited Edition PSP


Tired of your boring black or white PSP? Come March, you'll have a chance to get your hands on a pink one. Designed in collaboration with American fashion brand Jill Stuart, this PSP will be rolled out early March in Japan. Buyers will get a Blossom Pink PSP, a 4GB Memory Stick Pro Duo (Mark2), an AC adapter and a pouch and cloth designed by Jill Stuart. (Sidenote: I wonder how much designers earn for these collaborations. It seems to be minimal design and only a matter of slapping a logo onto some accessories.) The Jill Stuart Sweet Limited Package is scheduled to hit stores on March 4 for US$230.

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Friday, February 19, 2010

Bag Lady: Emilio Pucci Bean-shaped Clutch


Since our intrepid FashionGeek is putting her Geekness to good use by creating tabs for us on the page, I'm helping out with Bag Lady duties and boy are there a lot of hot handbags out there... I'm so used to looking for shoes that I've neglected this entire category of accessories on which I can squander more of my meager salary. Which, of course, would promptly go to waste as I'm the world's laziest person when it comes to switching purses, I've been carrying my Downtown every day for the past five weeks, no joke. I'm lazy to the point that I carry my dog-walking necessities (water, newspaper, dog snacks) in a paper bag like a hobo (ooh, a bag pun!) Anyway, back on topic... I love hard clutches for dressy events, and unusual shapes float my boat because they carry that look-at-me factor. As for this Emilio Pucci bean-shaped clutch, all I can say is... cool beans.

Get it at net-a-porter.

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NYFW Redux: Shear Genius


Since the weather decided to have a temper tantrum and give us the cold, cold shoulder, I've been living in my puff jacket (even indoors) and dreaming about getting myself a shearling jacket to wear on the three days a year Hong Kong gets ridiculously cold. New York Fashion Week is a great place to window shop for such an item, as the city's cold climate and commitment to utilitarianism makes a perfect backdrop for such an item. My favourite one is this black-and-white Helmut Lang... what an underrated label.

But also below, worthy of mention...


A lengthy black-on-black take on Shipley & Halmos; almost a cross between shearling aviator and your trusty motorcycle jacket (but much warmer).


Reed Krakoff's boxy, slouchy take for more casual days.


Phillip Lim's fluffy cropped number looks fab with wide-legged pants. Are those coming back? I'm excited; skinny jeans are starting to cut off circulation in my calves.


This not-exactly-a-shearling-jacket jacket is a Michael Kors number, I think it's fur and silk but it accomplishes the same effect and moreover, I love it. It's like a blanket and a jacket all rolled into one.


And finally, check out this ADAM shearling and leather bomber-parka, the wide collar is fab; if I can't have the Helmut Lang then this would be a close second choice.


Images: Style.com

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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Show Off Them Legs


With the horrendous change in weather in Hong Kong, leggings have become a regular staple of my daily outfit. Lately though, I've been eying my leggings with disdain. With the exception of my fabulous black leggings with yellow slashes that I mentioned in our interview with the Sassy girls, all of them are boring black pieces. With that in mind, I set out to find more unique leggings that could spice up an all black ensemble and turn them into a focal point. After some scouring, my mission was accomplished with the help of Les Queues de Sardines. This quirky brand offers an original range of stockings and tights notable for their unconventional and unique graphic style with a pinch of humour. Each pair is screen-printed by hand in limited quantities and I immediately fell in love with a number of pairs. Find some of my favourites after the cut.

Available at Kniq, 55 Paterson Street, Hong Kong.









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SHOErotica: Raphael Young 90203-02


At Raphael Young

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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Geeking Out


So a few weeks ago, we talked about Mattel asking us to cast a vote as to what career Barbie should embarked on in 2010 and one of the choices was Computer Engineer Barbie. Well, the geeks have spoken and she is now about to launch a career in the technology world. So now our question is, what kind of outfit would she wear? According to the press release, Barbie will be wearing a binary code patterned tee and equipped with all the latest gadgets including a smart phone, Bluetooth headset, and laptop travel bag. Where did they come up with this look? Apparently, in collaboration with the Society of Women Engineers and the National Academy of Engineering.

Us Geeks however, think that she shouldn’t sacrifice fashion for geekdom and fall into the clichéd zeros and ones. After all, this is the girl who has all the top designers creating outfits for her. Put her in some of those Louboutins, make her wear a casual yet sexy Alexander Wang T and pair it with Threeasfour pants. And finally, give her an iPhone so she can tweet, foursquare and facebook all in one go! Computer Engineer Barbie is currently available for pre-order exclusively at www.MattelShop.com.

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Travelling Coach


When the people from Coach came to Hong Kong and met up with a bunch of local bloggers for lunch, I told their digital director David that I'm not his target audience, because Coach is entry-level luxury, and in my job, it's important to hang onto that more elusive brand of unattainability. I have carried Coach in the past so it's not disdain for the brand, just that it doesn't catch my current fancy. Well that might just have changed. Michelle Tractenberg has designed a capsule collection for Coach Poppy and I'm quite liking the whole Tom Binns-lite vibe, especially since I get the sense that Tom Binns is a) out of my range and b) really heavy.


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Friday, February 12, 2010

Happy Chinese New Year!


As the Year of the Tiger approaches, the team at Hong Kong Fashion Geek would like to wish you a roaring start to the year (or a peaceful start full of enjoyable naps!) Kung Hey Fat Choy everyone. We'll be back with new posts after the holidays.

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Bag Lady: Louis Vuitton Raindrop Besace Trash Bag Purses


Everyone's been talking about the Louis Vuitton Trash Bag purses raving how about innovative and cutting edge their designs are going. Certainly, they are moving in a new direction but I can't quite decide how I feel about this bag. It almost feels like a satirical Anya Hindmarch I'm not a Plastic Bag bag. What do you think? Do you like it? Hate it?

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McQueen


Is hitting me harder than MJ's passing. Some of his greatest hits, below the cut. He is the undisputed master of cut, colour and clarity of vision. Don't any one of you other magical maestros go leaving us now.


















Images: Style.com

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