My inordinate interest in the Robert Kissel murder case continues anew after finishing Never Enough last night. Since the Hong Kong media has been banned from reporting on the new trial's proceedings, I shall have to get my milkshake murder fix elsewhere. And of all the random Kissel-associated media I found... John Stamos produced a Lifetime movie about the case? It's called The Two Mr Kissels. Yay for crappy movie titles that don't really mean anything. Stamos stars as Robert's brother Andrew, also murdered not long after Robert in a sensational manner, while Robin Tunney does the honours as Nancy Kissel. Who would've thought, Uncle Jesse and that girl from Empire Records. Anyway, I'm buying it now off Amazon since I have no hope of finding it in my dodgy DVD store. If you want to borrow it, let me know.

Also on the list of Kissel-related items with bad titles -- A Family Cursed: The Kissel Dynasty, a Gilded Fortune, and Two Brutal Murders. I want to get it too but there isn't a Kindle version and I'm not sure I should spend any more money chasing the truth behind this scandalous killing.

What’s the best vodka to have in your cosmo? Sex and the City would like you to know that it’s Skyy Vodka. The latest brand to buy into the SATC 2 hype, Skyy Vodka is releasing a limited edition bottle designed by Sex and the City costume designer Patricia Field. Patricia has also been cast in the role of spokesperson. Expect to see Skyy Vodka mentioned in the movie and strategically placed in scenes when it opens end of May.

So what to do before the movie opens? Among the tie-ins are drinks made with Skyy to be served at Houlihan’s restaurants and named after characters like Carrie, Samantha and Mr. Big. I've taken the liberty of finding the recipe of the Carrie drink for you to try out at home. Details after the cut.

The Carrie Drink

* 2 ounces Skyy vodka
* 1 ounce X-Rated Fusion Liqueur
* 2 ounces cranberry juice
* 3/4 ounce sparkling apple cider

Shake Skyy, X-Rated and cranberry with ice and strain into chilled martini glass. Top with cider and garnish with a thin apple slice.

In honour of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland opening today, I thought I’ll showcase some Alice in Wonderland paraphernalia that’s been floating around the web from makeup, bracelets, pendants to nail polish.

Tom Binns Smashing Time bracelet


OPI Alice in Wonderland colours which are called Off With Her Red! Absolutley Alice Mad As A Hatter and Thanks So Muchness!


Stella McCartney charm bracelet


Swarovski's Red Queen, Mad Hatter and Cheshire Cat pendants



Urban Decay’s Alice in Wonderland Book of Shadows

When I was a kid and I watched My Neighbour Totoro, it was always my greatest fantasy to go for a ride in the furry cat bus, or snuggle up in the cuddly embrace of the giant Totoro. God, don't I wish I could do that today. But in the spirit of Japanese anime, if I can't have a Totoro, maybe I can BE a Totoro, except instead of going plushie...



I'd go 3.1 Phillip Lim. Grey Mongolian lamb fur. Political correctness be damned, just keep me warm already.

Sucks to be back at work, huh? Even though I got a late start today, I'm still feeling the pangs of withdrawal from the holiday season. But if we can't partake in the fabulousness that's holiday parties and the frocks that accompany said events, at least we can live vicariously through the lives of those who experience fabulousness every day of their lives. No one better embodies this than the great Valentino, who became the star of the documentary Valentino: The Last Emperor and truly shows how the dolce vita is led with his expansive yachts and castle residences and impeccable luxury dinner parties. I saw this one at the film festival I mentioned going to late last year, so at the end of the flick, the director, Matt Tymauer, came out for a Q&A and was joined by, of all people, Andre Leon Talley of Vogue. What I discovered: The director is an ass of epic proportions, who spent the lion's share of his session coming up with witticisms to deride Valentino et al, focussing primarily on the "orangeness" of V's skin. And Andre Leon Talley is not quite the diva you expect, he's much funnier than that, almost a mix of Uncle Phil from Fresh Prince and Miss J from America's Next Top Model. Of all the "fashion films" that have hit the screens in recent years, this is probably the most interesting and entertaining one. Valentino and his lifelong partner Giammetti make great unintentional comedy, and their relationship is probably the most epic love story you've seen onscreen in a long time, made all the more moving because it's real.

Get it on Amazon.

It would be superfluous to write about Audrey Hepburn as a style icon; everything there is to say has already been said, and you don't come to HKFG to read that Audrey is stylish, or that Mozart wrote good music, or that Shakespeare had a way with words, or that Pamela Anderson has big boobs. These are things you already know. But I've been in a movie mood lately and I can't seem to locate my copy of Charade, one of my all-time favourite movies (next I'll post on the other of my must-see films, Hedwig and the Angry Inch... completely different thing altogether). So in frustration, I'm posting images from the movie so you can all be reminded to watch it if you haven't already. Then we, together, can ooh and aah over the classic elegance she exudes...

And also over the fact that her wardrobe would be oh-so-chic and relevant even today. Those cocktail dresses rival any Bottega Veneta sheath or Roland Mouret column you'd find on the runway today. And the colourful coats paired with distinctive head gear makes me wonder why anyone would bother with bunny ears when a simple headscarf or bowl silhouette are so painfully practical and glamorous.





Images: Mark my words, dcist.com, movie mail online, slsvgg fashion.

I really wanted to do a post on film-inspired fashion, and the movie I had in mind was not quite The Devil Wears Prada or SATC -- it was Hackers, which I watched in high school numerous times on VHS. It's probably the only Angelina Jolie movie worth watching, in my book (there may be more but I certainly can't remember them) because of its cheesy goodness and stylized vision of the underground world of hacking. It's near impossible to find good screen grabs from the film, but FashionGeek found me this site, on which you can see the actual costumes that Ms Jolie rocked onscreen. The items I loooved back then were the red and white leather jacket she wears in most of the scenes, and the amazing kimono dress she wears for something like 5 seconds on her date with Dade aka Jonny Lee Miller in the final scene before ruining it by jumping in the pool. Eek! Anyway, you can see both items at yourprops.com.

The first of our Friday linkfests!