Every time I travel, I curse myself for having such nondescript luggage in plain black so when I saw that Tumi has launched a set of pink luggage, my heart gave a little flutter. In recognition of national breast cancer awareness month, Tumi partnered with Susan G Komen for the Cure to create pink travel accessories. 20% of proceeds are donated to Susan G Komen for the Cure and the collection showcases a pink carry on hard case, pink packing cubes and a foldable tote. And if you are unwilling to let go of your black boring luggage, why not get a pink leather luggage tag to add a spruce of colour?

This collection is available during the month of October for purchase on www.Tumi.com and ranges from US$25 – US$395.

By the time you're reading this, I'm gallivanting across the Mediterranean in a sick little cruise ship, stuffing my face and breaking the shopping embargo secretly since no one is there to monitor me. The Euro is useful in that you don't have to use a billion different currencies out here anymore... but in case you wanted to keep track of the rest of the world's major dollar signs, Design Glut has got a currency necklace that's kind of fun. There's also, for the less financially inclined, a world map. I don't think I'd wear these, personally, but they do look kind of cool, and I have great respect for laser-cut acrylic, for whatever reason (maybe because it reminds me of Alex and Chloe)... and besides, I'm scraping the barrel, I need to write and schedule nine posts to go up for when I'm in net-free land. AND, I still need to pack.

If you grew up in Hong Kong, odds are that even if you do crave a vintage shopping scene, you'd have no idea where to start in the first place. See Exhibit A: (imagine my face in place of this text.) I've been thrifting before, which is an entirely different thing, and involves sorting through bins of crap, crap and more Salvation Army crap to find something that sort of, might maybe, possibly work in your wardrobe, but only after a good tailor has shared your vision and completely reworked the garment. Note, also, that the cost of tailoring will far outweigh the price of the secondhand garment, but at the very least you do walk away knowing that you, like the legions of personal-style bloggers labeling their thrifted outfit photos, are marginally cooler for having gone through this process.

Vintage shopping is somewhat less agonizing. You won't necessarily find $3 shoes or $2 oversized men's shirts, but you generally will find off-season, branded merchandise that's of relatively good quality. I didn't get a chance to attack any stores in New York (being stranded uptown didn't help) but on my home turf of Boston, we got to hit up a few shops on Newbury Street, including two branches of Massachusetts' most prolific secondhand chain, Second Time Around. Salvation Army this is not, but nor is it the kind of flashy New York pit stop you see in episodes of The Rachel Zoe Project. What you'll find is loads and loads of BCBG, Tahari and discarded prom dresses, and a small smattering of some really good stuff -- depending on how hard you're willing to look. You'll need to pull tags out all over the place in order to ascertain what you're looking at, so don't be shy about it.


I assume that because BCBG is so popular with the Newbury set (Boston college kids with cash to burn and countless Asian student smart-casual functions to attend), those dresses are priced pretty close to rack rate, in the US$100-200 range. A flirty electric blue Zac Posen was US$250... but then a Gianni Versace crop top and pencil skirt set came to US$150 together. I guess if you haven't had a Target or H&M collection, you're nothing on Newbury Street.

Imagine my surprise, after I'd perused the "designer" rack and returned to the regular Joe's browsing area, to find a pristine strapless Alessandro Dell'Acqua with tags for US$45? And then, venturing optimistically into the size 4 zone, a freaking Vera Wang gown (okay, bridesmaid's gown, but who can tell the diff) for US$89? Even though my arms frothing with mint tulle by then, I took a last pass at the designer rack and found the sweetest Anne Valerie Hash blouse for US$39. Done, done and DONE. At this point, my fellow press-trip compatriots were on the verge of desertion, so I scurried to pay. Material-girl guilt and a dearth of luggage space prevented me from similarly indulging at Rescue and The Closet, but those too are worth a rummage if you're out there. I'll try posting pics of my finds when I get my act together and take photos.

Second Time Around, for anyone visiting the US, has multiple locations across New England and further. Check them here.

Images: Famespy

It only takes a little bit o' long-distance travel to remind you that a little bit of preparation goes a long way. Before I boarded my recent 16-hour flight to JFK, I scoffed at the people wearing neck pillows like scarves, but once I'd boarded, it was a one-way trip to jealousy city. I hate you, rough pillow. Tiny blanket, you suck. If only I'd had a Ralph Lauren cashmere travel set...

Just arrived in New York after the world's longest flight. Okay, it was 16 hours, but you try spending 16 hours in an airline seat with not one, but TWO babies in the same row on either side. It was like a pissing contest to see who could cry louder; with me, the baby-hater (yes, I hate babies, so sue me) in between. I know I'm a Libra, but the scales were tipping every which way as to which child was more annoying. I know, now I sound like a big baby.

Anyway, the pain was worth it to journey to The Plaza hotel here, where magical things happen. The property is ridiculous, all fabulous celebrity history and gilded elegance and quintessential New York charm. And one of the more famous of The Plaza's residents is Eloise, the fictional girl who made it her job to cause mischief in the hotel. There's an Eloise in-house shop here, and one of the first toys we spotted was Eloise in full fur regalia -- with her loyal pup similarly kitted out in fluffy outerwear. As our vegetarian PR Jocelyn pointed out... "that's kind of wrong." Because it's a faux pas for an animal to wear the fur of another? Maybe in the mind of PETA, but this Geek can't say anything but "awwww" and plot to dress my own pup in such flashy fashion. Then again, I wouldn't trust my taste. I'm the girl who hates babies.

Get the Eloise in Moscow doll at Amazon.

So I was wandering around Causeway Bay when I decided to venture into AO2 to see what sort of random oddities they have in the shop. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the brand, it’s mostly a clothing store but with the added benefit of selling any interesting gadgets they find. Think of it as Citysuper’s Log On meets b+ab if you will. Anyway, I stumble across these little knick knacks which are obviously geared towards travelers although it might make for a good contribution to any survival kit. Choose from paper shampoo or paper laundry detergent(in case your hotel doesn’t give you any or that you’re out hiking in the middle of nowhere and water is in abundance).

HK$99 at AO2

Even though I'm a Geek -- I get addicted to meaningless sim games from Restaurant City on Facebook to Fish Tycoon on iPhone -- I do draw the line at ponying up real cash to support my geekiness. No judgement to those who do, just that once I open the wallet, its a slippery slope to emptying my bank account on decorative limited-edition casino items to make my restaurant more stylish...

So I definitely, definitely won't be using this Toy Traveling service that Michelle sent me, through which you can send your beloved plushie around the world to Prague, where it will be photographed extensively so that you can partake in its post-holiday tales. This seems particularly apt today as I just caught Vin Diesel as XXX, who saves the city of Prague from destruction by gas-bomb-wielding anarchists (and you thought I was going to make an Amelie reference). Anyway, so your toy can see the sights that Mr Diesel did, all for the very low price of... 90 euros, which includes the photos, a certificate, daily communications and a "surprise." Upgrade to the 150-euro package and you also get a photo album, aromatherapy and massage. No word if these services are for you, or your beloved soft toy, but either way, I'll be saving my cash for shoe shopping.




Images: Toy Traveling

I was in the sort-of college town of Savannah, Georgia, to visit an art and design college that has pretty much taken over the downtown community, and it was great to see retailers getting into the spirit of things and employing visual displays designed by students for their shop windows. I stupidly didn't take any photos, but Marc by Marc Jacobs, Urban Outfitters and others all had fabulously creative window displays (because I was there during Halloween, everything was just a little more out there too).

I had thought that Christmas displays didn't go up until after Thanksgiving, but I guess the shops couldn't wait, because when I headed up to Massachusetts a few days later in early November, they were chock full of ornaments and snowy set-ups. At Anthropologie out in Dedham, I snapped these random shots of various things they had in the shop, including a giant turkey-like thing made completely out of burnt newspapers. As much as I love Lane Crawford window porn, I do wish we got this ilk of creativity in our shops in Hong Kong...

PS I can't wait till Xmas!