Feathered skull knuckle rings from Lane Crawford. Alexander McQueen, of course. Snapped this in the IFC outpost while waiting for Chris and Iona for 7 or 8 minutes. We went to see Anna Dello Russo, and then chickened out of talking to her even though there weren't really that many people around. I didn't want to be another Laura, asking "does your neck hurt?" on account of the giant (I mean GIANT) cherries she wore on her head. That girl stole my my opening line! So instead we sat on one of two couches and refused to get up, then watched Sarah Rutson sit opposite us and change from heels into flats. Was having a major fashion ga-ga moment... like when celebrity followers read Us magazine and see Keanu Reeves picking his nose, or Kate Hudson's son's friend's cousin's best friend buying a slurpee. Like, whoa.

Style icon Anna Dello Russo will be coming to town tomorrow and Thursday to meet with Lane Crawford’s VIPs and share styling tips. Fashion Director at Large and Creative Consultant for Vogue Nippon, Anna has an eclectic fashion sense that transforms the most ordinary into the whimsical. Anna is rumoured to have over 4,000 pairs of shoes and us Geeks would die to take a peek into her closet. For those coveting Anna’s style, runway samples pre-selected by her will be available for Lane Crawford customers to pre-order. We ask Anna to tell us her three go-to outfits for the following occasions, and weigh in on her choices.


1. At the supermarket or the gym:
Abercrombie and Fitch.


Since neither of us has really shopped at good ol' A&F since our high school/college days, we were behooved to check out the brand of American classics. And yet... we couldn't imagine the gorgeous, always put-together fashion editor rocking items such as "Perfect Butt Sweatpants" and pseudo sports team tees. Then again, if Kate Lanphear can wear a Princeton sweatshirt to New York Fashion Week and have it be the coolest thing ever... then why not Anna in Abercrombie? Of course, when we mortals wear Abercrombie to the gym, we look like crap. But that's because we're mortals. And anyway, we don't go to the gym.

2. At a wedding or a gala dinner
Head-to-toe runway piece from the current season. For this season, I like Balmain, Dolce&Gabbana, and Emilio Pucci.


What surprised us here was the head-to-toe bit. With her love of statement pieces, outlandish accessories and let's face it, the spotlight, we would've thought she was more of a mix 'n match girl. A little bit 'o googling proved us right. In fact, the only head-to-toe look found was this Balmain... But anyway, like FashionGeek and ShoeGeek, that dress and those shoes really shouldn't be broken up anyway, they're like two peas in a pod.

3. At the beach
Marc Jacobs Bathing Suit


Now for the money question -- does Anna wear a one-piece or two? Or, God forbid, one of those things that can't decide if it's a one piece or a bikini or something the swimsuit pattern-maker dreamed up one night when he had leftover scraps of fabric and a leftover doobie. Since Marc Jacobs doesn't make such asinine garments, and Anna normally doesn't wear very revealing things (well, save for a see-through lace skirt here and there), we're going to go with one-piece, especially since Marc by Marc Jacobs has such wonderfully psychedlically chic pieces. A ruffle here, a polka dot there... the perfect example of restrained, cheeky glamour. We picked these photos because the model has similar hair, so we don't have to replicate that poor photoshop job up there. Your eyeballs are saved, and so is our precious time.

You’ve got to hand it to fashion kingdom Lane Crawford. About a decade ago, I still associated this brand with aunties and middle-aged women’s fashion and now it’s pretty much porn to ShoeGeek and I. (And yes, the thought of us having aged ten years being a factor did occur to me but I still think it’s more the brand transforming its appeal to a much younger demographic.) Much of the revitalization of the brand has to be attributed to Jennifer Woo and what I love about this brand is that it’s willing to get creative. From asking Tommy Ton, blogger of Jak and Jil , to shoot their Spring 2009 campaign to this latest approach to get the attention of journalists.

But let’s rewind to give you a bit of background. Back in the day when I was an editor for the magazine, I was inundated with press kits. Folders and folders of paper, CDs and the occasional USB would make its way to my desk on a daily basis. And I’m not afraid to say that I rarely opened any of them. Sure I would take the USB and use it but I wouldn’t even bother opening the files. (Now that I’m on the other side of the spectrum, being in PR, the thought of sending media these kits drive me to despair as I wonder who would actually read them.) So when I received the mini projector pictured above from Lane Crawford, I was intrigued. What it contained was their look book and a video presentation saved on an SD card. All I needed to do was set up the projector and et voila I was looking at the press kit. Not only did I eagerly set it up (I am a Geek after all) but now here I am writing several hundred words praising the brand.

Well played Lane Crawford. Very well played.

Shamelessly poached from my work inbox... Hongkongers will no longer have to trek all the way over to Shenzhen to get their dose of American Apparel! Unfortunately, the retailer isn't officially coming to our town with a flashy flagship store (why not? I don't know) but at least on April 9, we can all head down to Lane Crawford at IFC for the American Apparel pop-up store, open until May 11, featuring threads for women, men, children and yep, pets too. My first question was whether the markup was going to be insane, but the PR at Lane Crawford assures me that they are going for volume over margins this time. Check out American Apparel here to see what you want. And one good thing about LC is that their buyers actually have taste, so you don't end up with crappy watered-down selections like you do at H&M...

I'm in love with this AA petticoat skirt worn on ChicMuse... but I'm pretty sure it's a lost cause. So instead... Foxy Brown, you're getting a new outfit!



ETA: Word on the street (or the tweet) is that the Shenzhen shop closed down... did they use the rest of their stock to make this installation for the Shenzhen Biennale?

There's admittedly a lack of vintage stores in Hong Kong although for those who do covet, I hear there are a few shops in Soho that are absolute gems. If you are going designer vintage, however, choices are limited. That's slowly changing though with the launch of Era (which ShoeGeek will go further in depth about in a later post) and Lane Crawford. The shopping destination also known as fashion porn to us Geeks is jumping onto the vintage bandwagon and will be bringing celebrity stylist Juliana Cairone to their IFC location to showcase their latest collaboration. Juliana is owner and founder of Rare Vintage in New York and has styled stars like Angelina Jolie, Rachel Weisz and America Ferrera.

Rare Vintage only opened a couple years ago but is already making waves in the celebrity circuit with its offering of exclusive and glamorous couture from the twentieth century’s most significant design houses all selected by Juliana herself.
Lane Crawford has collaborated with Juliana to introduce a unique edit of vintage gowns and evening dresses, including designs by Chanel, John Galliano, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Balenciaga, and Emmanuel Ungaro. As part of The New Vintage showcase, unique vintage accessory pieces from the following brands will also be available: Erickson & Beamon, Fenton, Fallon, Fiona Paxton, Giles & Brother, Iosselliani, Janis Savitt, Kenneth Jay Lane, Mawi, Miriam Haskell, Shourouk, Vera Wang and Christopher DeNave.

Juliana will take a limited number of private appointments and offer styling advice to customers on February 6, 2010. Please contact Lane Crawford for further details.

PS the image is just a generic image from their Personal Styling page as oddly enough the press release didn't include any images of Juliana nor the clothes, only the vintage accessories.

I’m of the opinion that you can never pay enough attention to your skin regime and that the most expensive skincare doesn’t necessarily warrant the best. In the case of La Mer however, it’s worth every penny. But do note that you shouldn’t start using La Mer too early on as it’s really more suited for mature skin and if you start on such premium skincare early on, what will you do in later years? Tangent aside, for the Christmas season, treat your mom to the La Mer Connoisseur Collection and I guarantee you won’t get a lump of coal in your stocking. The Connoisseur Collection brings together three essential skincare treatments perfect for any time of year: Crème de la Mer (60ml), The Lifting Face Serum (9 ml) and The Eye Concentrate (15 ml). Presented in a festive keepsake box together with a silver spatula, this offering is a beautiful way both as gift and to experience La Mer. Price: $3,600 (Available now at Lane Crawford.)

There’s such a plethora of eye makeup out there that it can be a bit daunting as to what you put on first and how to create that perfect smoky eye. (There’s a reason why Tyra makes all the models to be on ANTM learn how to properly apply makeup. Smoky eyes are just sooo sexy.) I stopped by Lane Crawford’s cosmetic concierge to get some tips the other day. For regular walk ins or basic Lane Crawford card members, they provide a free consultation as to how to make up your eyes and for higher tier members a range of services such as makeovers and image styling, trends of the season, personalised skincare advice amongst others. The best thing about the cosmetic concierge is that they don’t hard sell you into buying products.

Another nice thing about this service is that you can bring in your own makeup and the consultant will teach you how to use products you already own. My beauty consultant Kirsty was very pleasant and knowledgeable as well as patient about offering tips on how to apply eye shadow base, three shades of eye shadows, eyeliner, liquid eye liner, mascara base, mascara and brow highlighters. Some tips learnt:

1. Liquid eyeliner is applied below the lashes
2. When applying eyeliner, use one hand to gently lift your eyelid and slowly put on the eyeliner in little strokes rather than one long stroke in order to avoid wrinkles
3. If you don’t want to purchase an eye shadow base, you can try using liquid foundation but make sure it doesn’t have moisturising properties as that tends to lead to greasiness
4. Base mascara tends to be white or nearly white (a little bit transparent). The purpose of a base layer is to enhance the colour of your mascara.
5. Get an adjustable mirror. If you are applying eye makeup with a regular mirror, you inadvertently wrinkle your forehead giving you unseemly lines later on.

Lane Crawford Cosmetic Concierges are available at IFC, Times Square and Pacific Place stores. Request an appointment online at www.lanecrawford.com or email cosmeticconcierge@lanecrawford.com

You’ve undoubtedly seen all the Hello Kitty celebrations around town as the ubiquitous cat without a mouth celebrates its 35th birthday. Come November, the Kitty will launch the Hello Kitty Diamond Eau de Toilette. Not sure what separates it from some of the other Hello Kitty fragrances available but it’s pitched as a masterpieces that blends “refreshing top notes of freesia, bergamot, grapefruit and daisy; with floral middle notes of jasmine, muguet, rose and violet with base notes of musk, amber, sandalwood and vanilla.” The fragrance comes in a sculpted 3D crystal decanter with a sparkling dress.

Each bottle comes with its own manufacturing number and a charity auction will be held for the first bottle on November 17 at the Times Square Lane Crawford. All proceeds go to the Make A Wish Foundation.

The Hello Kitty Diamond Collection is available at all Lane Crawford HK from 17 Nov 2009
1 Matheson Street, Causeway Bay, HK
Level One, Pacific Place 88 Queensway, Admiralty, HK
Podium 3, ifc mall, 8 Finance Street, Central , HK
3 Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon
Enquiry Hotline: 2992 0806

Since warehouse-sale mania is dying down at last, it's time to take a look at some stops you can make during the rest of the year for bargain designer goodies. Horizon Plaza is basically Hong Kong's only outlet mall (though trust, our city has many other great things to do to make up for this fact), which started out as a furniture warehouse because of its expansive layout and relatively affordable Ap Lei Chau rental prices. In the bad economy, though, many of the furniture shops have begun to take down their signs and close up shop. While this might be bad for anyone who's moving, it's good news for recessionistas. Word on the street is that Horizon Plaza likes its fashionable tenants more than its interior-item ones, and is seeking to change its image and rebrand as an outlet shopping mall.

Lane Crawford, without a doubt, is Horizon's most well-known tenant, carving out its spot on the 25th floor of the building, with a whole floor filled with womenswear, menswear, accessories and home furnishing. The items are from previous seasons, and are marked down substantially.

But any savvy shopper knows that the deals are to be found down a few floors at the Joyce warehouse, where markdowns increase as time passes, so every three months, any merchandise still on the racks is subject to further discounts. The shop might be smaller than Lane Crawford's, but the goods are often of better quality, and cheaper. Case in point: a Marni necklace at LC might still go for HK$1,800, but a similar style at Joyce Warehouse was only $780.

Other current tenants are:

Fairton Group (MaxMara, SportMax, Gaultier, Kookai, etc) - small but decent selection of each brand's wares, in a smallish space. Deals are not too bad.
Bluebell (Paul Smith, Blumarine, Moschino) - mostly old lady stuff, nothing too worthy of note.
Armani (Giorgio, Emporio, Collezioni and Jeans) - don't think I've ever been to this one, is it new?
Moiselle - frilly office lady stuff. Steer clear if you still want my respect.
Juicy Couture/Club Monaco - this one just opened July 1, so I haven't been yet, but in general the Juicy/Monaco sales that they hold at Times Square Bazaar are not huge markdowns, given that the wares are fairly affordable to begin with. Discounts should be on par with the Lane Crawford markdowns, since they are owned by the same group, if I'm correct.
Sift Patisserie and Babycakes - shopping will work up an appetite, and since there isn't too much in the way of F&B (there's a pretty nifty Italian supermarket though), then sugary pastries are the way to go, including Sift of Graham Street's desserts and the original Babycakes cupcakes in a child-friendly cafe, complete with a mini play area (their newest shop is in Delay No Mall).

If you have money to spare at the end of the day, you can even visit the Ferrari showroom and pick yourself up a racer =).

Visit Horizon Plaza at 2 Lee Wing Street, Ap Lei Chau.

Image: HongKongExtras.com

Beverly Feldman, who to me kind of falls into the "Betsey Johnson/Tarina Tarantino of footwear" category, but with more leopard print, will be at Lane Crawford this Saturday to hobnob with you all. 

Swooning for Lane Crawford's new website and campaign, shot by Jak & Jil's Tommy Ton. How awesome is it that this fashion-week street-style photographer has now been bumped up to be a major player in the fashion-photography circuit? His blog photos are always killer, and now so is the LC campaign. We loved their last "Innovators" campaign, shot by Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin showcasing the various sides of China Chow, Emma Pei, Terence Koh, Victoria Tang et al, but this campaign is even more on the money, paying homage to the growing cult appeal of fashion  blogging (don't believe me? Why else would 12-year-old styleblogger Tavi get a pair of tights expressly knitted for her by the Rodarte girls?)