Hong Kong Fashion Geek

SHOErotica: Casadei Blade Pumps, Redux

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Thu, 16 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Every girl's got her what-if guy. Well this is my what-if shoe. Like, what if they sold Casadei somewhere in Hong Kong (Lane Crawford doesn't seem to anymore) so I could freaking try these on and then order them cheaper online? This is the shoe I need to wear with the aforementioned white-on-white outfits dude! Get them here...

White on White

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Wed, 15 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Between the Rumi Neely white-everything-with-black-shoes to this Lachlan Bailey for Vogue China series, it is so absolutely imperative that I pull some white on white this summer...

Geek Spy: Vintage Watch Cufflinks

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Wed, 15 May 2013 01:30:00 +0000

I need to get me some shirts that accomodate cufflinks just so I can wear these awesome pieces. Created from vintage watches, these cufflinks are handmade in France and are available from Boticca for US$196.50

Beauty Notes: Shiseido Perfect Whip

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Tue, 14 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Seriously can't believe that I paid 328 yen for a giant tube of this amazing face wash, basically like HK$30, and I got one of those "25% extra!" ones too. This is the cheapo drugstore face wash find of the century, a legend apparently in the Japanese market and one of the top picks in those beauty-blogger travel-haul posts. This is a super-foamy wash that surprisingly doesn't dry out the skin but leaves it really squeaky clean. And I think thanks to this wonderful and wide-reaching arms of Sasa you can actually score it here too.

Spark Studios

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Tue, 14 May 2013 01:00:00 +0000

Apologies for the lack of posts dear readers. As Christina mentioned, I'm involved in a new venture called Spark Studios, a cooking studio located in Quarry Bay. So what is this space? Well during the day, I call it Spark Kids, a cooking studio teaching kids aged 5 and up to learn various cooking techniques and dining etiquette to equip children with skills applicable for the real world. And in the evening or when classes are not held, it's Spark Kitchen, a venue available for private rental for those who wish to have a centrally located space to socialise and utilise the 2400 square feet living room space with a fully equipped kitchen, TV lounge area, dining area and a 600 square feet outdoor terrace.

Expect more posts on this from me soon. I will be sharing Spark recipes (mostly baking as that's what I like to do) on a regular basis but in the meantime, if you have kids or have friends with kids, come on by this Friday on the public holiday. We are doing free trial classes!

Pandas Are Handsome

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Mon, 13 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

We Are Handsome... so are pandas. Creepy to think that there's probably many times more panda merchandise in the world than real pandas. Aww...

A Bite of Peru

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Mon, 13 May 2013 01:30:00 +0000

Guest blogger hkLifestyleGeek tries out MAYTA

Hong Kong had its first Peruvian restaurant last year with Chicha and now there's a new one in Lan Kwai Fong. Replacing Blue Smoke, MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen & Pisco Bar creates a warm atmosphere with lots of wood and a casual laid-back atmosphere.

Start off with some piscos ($68), a colourless grape brandy. Here the restaurant infuses it with 18 different flavours and combinations, such as purple corn, coffee, coconut, green tea, thyme, ginger and chamomile.

The purple corn flavoured one is dark purple in colour, but just all sweet, whereas the ginger one has more complexity and deceptively easy to drink...

So perhaps it's time to order some food. For the uninitiated, Peruvian cuisine is an interesting combination of various immigrants in the country, including the Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Italian and German along with the indigenous Incas.

Each culture brought some of their own cooking styles and the adapted with the existing ingredients and it has since evolved (and continues to evolve) into a hearty cuisine that has layers of flavours that make it simultaneously rustic but also sophisticated.

One of the best known dishes is ceviche, and the classic one here (HK$148) is a delicious blend of sea bass mixed with lime and fish stock that creates a whitish liquid called leche de tigre, or tiger's milk, and the other ingredients include red onion, choclo, cancha and glazed sweet potato. It's a refreshing dish perfect for summer months.

An interesting take on ceviche is the Andean tiradito (HK$138) that uses salmon, chilli chimichurri, leche de tigre and topped with crispy black quinoa.

Peru is also known for its potatoes or causa, with thousands of varieties grown in the Latin American country. Here a trio (HK$158) of mashed potatoes is presented in various colours and flavours: a purple one topped with salmon ceviche tartar; yellow with octopus and rocoto chilli aoli; and then orange with shrimp escabeche. All are too scrumptious to pass up.

The skewers or anticucho are very Peruvian. MAYTA's menu offers skewers of beef (HK$118), chicken (HK$98) and octopus (HK$118). No explanations required -- just enjoy.

For mains, there are some amazing rice platters to choose from. The arroz con pato (HK$178) is divine, with 12-hour cooked duck leg confit sitting on a bed of flavourful rice, while the arroz con mariscos (HK$188) is a seafood yellow curry rice with shrimp, octopus, fried squid, red peppers and some chilli for a spicy kick.

To finish the meal try the suspiro de Limena (HK$68), a dulce de leche, a kind of custard that's not too sweet with a quinoa cookie, intriguingly a scoop of olive oil ice cream, almond oil and grilled pineapple.

MAYTA Peruvian Kitchen & Piscos Bar
3/F, Grand Progress Building
15 Lan Kwai Fong
Central
2790 0928
www.diningconcepts.com.hk

Diamond in the Rough

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:55:00 +0000

It's rare to find a thing more beautiful than a diamond, and I'm not really suggesting that this concrete replica, dipped in gold, would be in any way comparable to the real thing, but it's a nifty idea, and a much more subversive look. I mean, for those days you don't want to pull out the genuine seven carats on a chain.

SHOErotica: Nike Studio Wrap Pack

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Thu, 09 May 2013 04:04:00 +0000

I like what Nike's been doing in its efforts to make sporting footwear both more modular and more fashionable. I don't really know why I might need a pair of supportive ballet/yoga foot wraps but I like where they're going with this. Learn more here.

Images: Feeldesain.com

Best Photobomb Ever!

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:23:00 +0000

Their Eyes Met...

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Wed, 08 May 2013 03:13:00 +0000

Just a friendly reminder, better to ignore the dress code/theme rather than leave the house looking like this. Luckily celebs don't have to stand on the street waiting for taxis in their ridiculous makeup and get-ups...

Images: Lainey Gossip

Revving Up and Slowing Down

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Mon, 06 May 2013 15:07:00 +0000

You're going to see two things happen on the site this week. One, you might see a very absent Virginia, as she's working on soft-opening her new business venture, Spark Studios which I'll let her talk about later. Two, you may see an erratic me, as tomorrow I embark on a little journey I'm going to call Food Writer Drinks Juice For Three Days 2013. So as she gears up for a big launch, I'll be slowing down with a little food ban and hopefully, a turn for the better, health-wise. It's the perfect end to a five-day extravaganza of pigging out in Sapporo. And since I found out there's a real dearth of quality English blogging on Sapporo eats, I'll pen a little guide to the place, probably not while I'm not allowed to consume real food, but soon after that.

Nars x Pierre Hardy

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Fri, 03 May 2013 09:32:00 +0000

Since I switched to soft gel I haven't really had the patience to sit around and wait for regular nail polish to dry, even with the miracle discovery of Seche Vite quick-dry topcoat. But I'm giving my Shellacked little digits a wee rest and relaxation now, so the arrival of Nars' Pierre Hardy nail-polish collab seems apt. Since I've always shopped at Cher2 I haven't really had much experience with Nars polishes, but they have a great creamy opacity even with more sheer colours, so straight out of the bottle they're a dream to apply -- not sure how they'll fare once exposed to oxygen, and I'm hardly a stickler for cleaning my bottle screws properly.

The colours are pretty awesome -- punchy pastels and vivid deep hues in the strange but beautiful colour-blocking that's sort of Hardy's signature (Nars plays homage to his geometric side in a blush as well, that's a peachy pink with signature gold cubic patterns inlaid to add shimmer). Even cuter, the duos come in little "shoeboxes" complete with shoe bags. Not that anyone's ever bought a beauty product due simply to smart packaging *cough cough*. Anyway, these hit shelves next month, I believe. So far I've tried the baby yellow (cute but a bit difficult to handle without careful application and good lighting) and the lilac, which is a dream colour and better than all the other light purples I've seen on the market so far. Excuse the fact that these colours may be a bit off in the picture; I blame my affinity for the Valencia filter on Instagram. Kind of washes things out a bit, oops.

SHOErotica: Andreia Chaves Invisible Shoe

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:00:00 +0000

If I'm going to be anal (and I am) I'll say these are not exactly "invisible" shoes. I mean, maybe they're invisible because this isn't really a shoe so you can't see it, but that doesn't even make sense actually. The logic in that sentence is invisible.

Really, these are MIRROR shoes, released by Andreia Chaves in 2011 and available by order directly from the designer here.

Bag Lady: Saint Laurent Betty

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Thu, 02 May 2013 01:30:00 +0000

Minimalistic tends to be Heidi Slimane's style and am definitely seeing it with the Betty. I quite like the upturned corners just giving the bag that structured looked yet something about the bag reminds me of Alexander Wang. Not quite sure why. Any clues? Is it just me?

Caught My Eye: Carmen Chan Jewellery

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Thu, 02 May 2013 01:30:00 +0000

Was recently introduced to Carmen Chan Jewellery, a new jewellery brand that was launched earlier this year. While there isn't much variety in terms of designs as of yet, I do think the pieces have promise and I quite like the Messenger Collection (the ring above for example which is sterling silver plated with rose gold.) Carmen's debut collection, A Sweep Escape, is very tribalesque and what I like about the necklaces is that if you look at the clasp, she's incorporated messages into the necklaces. Her pieces retails for about HK$1180 for rings to HK$2380 for the necklaces. Looking forward to see what she comes up with next.

Labour and Redemption

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.

Happy Labour Day, everyone.

Nail Files: Minty Fresh

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:30:00 +0000

I often talk about new nail polishes and as most of you know, my collection is vast and big. I recently rediscovered my OPI Gargantuan Green Grape after I had been hunting around for a pale green colour and finding nothing to my satisfaction. Yes, I actually went colour hunting, was dissatisfied and then came home to rummage through my colours to find that I had purchased this about two years ago and had completely forgotten about it. Kudos however to OPI for having a polish that can sit in a drawer for two years and still not thicken up. Of course, this might be due to the fact that this polish is really thin compared to other OPI colours so I have to pile on the polish to get a nice even colour. Not sure if this is still available for sale but if you are looking for a green that isn't too pastel not too wasabi looking, be check out this colour.

Lane Crawford Vintage Voyage

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 06:51:00 +0000

How could you not be obsessed with this teensy little Chanel bag-on-a-belt that's part of Lane Crawford's Vintage Voyage Blitz exhibition occurring at IFC and Canton Road? I've only been to check out the IFC selection, but it's filled with all sorts of goodies, worth a look whether you're a buyer or just a browser. The shelves are dominated by Hermes and Chanel, from mini 20cm Kelly bags to giant 50cm Birkins you could easily fit your baby AND puppy in, and from classic vintage 2.55s to gold chain necklace replicas of the iconic bag to hang around your neck. Most of it is astronomically expensive, but there's a bunch of stuff that figures under HK$20K. And for watch aficionados, there's a lot of vintage Rolex watches updated with exquisite (and new) croc bands. Check out more deets here; the exhibition runs till June 30th.

Geek Spy: Tuna Model from Tsukiji Fish Market Vendor

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 01:30:00 +0000

Ok so this may be a bit more expensive than a normal toy model but it’s just too awesome for words. Check out this tuna fish model where you can slice and dice it up to get the toro parts, maguro, otoro, chutoro, etc. Perfect for budding sashimi chefs or Geeks like me who just want to play with it. Developed by a Tsukiji Fish Market vendor Kazuyoshi Watanabe and produced by Hobby Stock, the model doesn’t come cheap and is priced at US$300. I love that the fish is packaged in a fish box similar to the ones you see at the wet market and even comes with a special knife and cutting board

Beach Riot Swim

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Perfect California girl beach hair and grungey-wungey styling. Just what we need to see with another rainy weekend due upon us. Keep dreaming Beach Riot. Its day will come.

Bag Lady: Alexander Wang Tri-fold bag with Rhodium

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 01:30:00 +0000

As a kid, I had glow in the dark wallpaper on my ceiling where at night, there will be stars on the ceiling when I turn off the lights. Now that I'm a grown-up, I still think glow in the dark stuff rocks like this Alexander Wang Tri-fold bag with Rhodium that Christina had to email to me once she saw it. What else is there to say? It's Awang. It glows in the dark. It's pretty. That's all. Seen at the Awang website for US$895

Shopper's Delight: The Fashion Headlines + Promo Code

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:00:00 +0000

Big news, kids. Have been meaning to blog this for ages but got caught up in that thing called life. But my awesome friends in Singapore, Evon and Fia, have recently launched a great multi-brand retail site called The Fashion Headlines, selling a whole giant range of styles and brands. I know, I know. You already have Net-a-porter and Shopbop and Asos to cover all your online shopping needs. But what's different about The Fashion Headlines is that, for the girl who isn't coveting a look that's like everyone else's, from designers that everyone else is wearing, it's a site that brings together really unique brands with interesting stories and different looks.

Evon is a designer and former ballerina whose math background helped her create Armoire, a line of "engineered" dresses that are tailor-made to bring out the best of your body. In short, these dresses make you look hot. Fia is a beauty guru who ran her own beauty brand in Thailand before getting married to her college sweetheart and moving to Singapore. They're also both serious babes, and fun-loving girls with great personal style. So when they first told me that they would be launching a retail site, I was all over it. What I like most about the site is that it's not cookie-cutter -- so it's not like you're getting all these work-appropriate looks, or all these hipster looks. It's a little bit of everything, a mix-and-match approach that helps all of us discover different styles.

The brands run the gamut from Armoire (of course) to drapey designs by Hong Kong's Hei Lau, to geometric jewellery by Mandy Wu, resortwear by Phyllis Boho, Marni-ish shoes by Chiyo, exotic clutches by Elektra, chic party dresses by Rainbow People, Helmut Lang-style urban dresses by Mimosa, body-con cocktail frocks by Arc and one of my favourites, awesome separates by Patrick Owen. There's also more familiar names like Lanvin (they sell the pocket scarves for gents) and sunglasses label LeSpecs.

Best news, the gals have hooked us up with a promo code for 10% off! Just enter "HKFGXTFH" at checkout to use this special offer, and click in to see more TFH fashion porn...

SHOErotica: Kei Kagami

noreply@blogger.com (hkShoeGeek) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 06:00:00 +0000

Kei Kagami, you must be a strange person. A strange, but cool person. But I still don't want to know what you dream about at night. See why I say that after the cut.

Images: Designboom

IWC's Portuguese Collection

noreply@blogger.com (hkFashionGeek) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 01:30:00 +0000

I don't know why I bother drooling over nice watches. I splurged on an Hermes Arceau years ago and worn it regularly for like a few months before finding out that nice watches and I don't belong together. I bang them up so badly and now I feel guilty everytime I see my watch. I should have just spent the money buying another pretty bag instead but unfortunately, the lure of watches still appeal to me. Nothing dainty for me, I prefer large watches in general and perhaps that's why the new Portuguese Chronograph Classic and Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound from IWC managed to catch my eye. Since I actually don't know too much about watches and it's inner workings besides the superficial value, I'm just going to copy and paste the features below:

Portuguese Chronograph Classic
Mechanical chronograph movement – Self-winding – 68-hour power reserve when fully wound – Date display – Stopwatch function with hours, minutes and seconds – Hour and minute counters combined at 12 o’clock – Flyback function – Small hacking seconds – See-through sapphire-glass back

Portuguese Tourbillon Hand-Wound
IWC-manufactured, hand-wound mechanical pocket watch movement – Flying minute tourbillon consisting of 64 individual parts at 9 o’clock – Small seconds at 6 o’clock – Plate and three-quarter bridge made of nickel silver

Any of you readers watch connoiseurs? What actually determines a good watch besides looking great?