You can live in Hong Kong for twenty years, walk past a building every other day, and never be curious as to what's inside. That was the case for me with Annette, a jewellery boutique located on the third floor of Pedder Building in Central. It's been open since 2006, and the press release for the shop has been sitting on my desk since maybe May, but neither shop nor release received much attention from me till today. But methinks next time I walk down Pedder, instead of just furiously inhaling the sent of ginger flower wafting from Shanghai Tang, I might just head into the building and into Annette.

Annette brings together a number of costume jewellery brands from around the world, as well as a small selection of vintage costume pieces from brands like Dior and Chanel. Being a sad little toad who lives in a small little pond and never ventures out, I know only a handful of jewellery brands (other than the big 'uns), so forgive me if you are already know these labels (my understanding of beauty products is even more woefully bad). You can tell from the selection that owner Cince Lee has a passion for the ornate, Victorian, vintage-inspired baubles, and you can expect to find chunky gold lockets, big rhinestones and crystals, metal-plated floral explosions and lots of pretty pretty turquoise. This being costume, the prices aren't astronomical, so you can pick up a piece for somewhere between HK600 (for pendants and charm necklaces) to around HK$3000 for the beautifully bombastic Tataborello necklace below. I'm loving the French boudoir-inspired interior, too. Brand list and more images after the cut.

Tataborello necklace (Italy), HK$3290.



Tataborello bracelet (Italy) HK$2390


Rachel Leigh snakeskin bangle (USA) HK$790 (reminds me of the Vita bangles that were a hit a couple years back)


La Vie Parisienne gold-plated locket necklace (France) HK$1190


Vintage 1960s Kenneth Jay Lane turquoise/rhinestone bracelet and earrings HK$6390


Vintage 1950s Christian Dior rhinestone earrings and brooch set HK$3,900



Brands carried include:
Tataborello, Italy
Azaara, USA
Diane Yang, USA
Dakini, Spain
Sophia & Chloe, USA
Rachel Leigh, USA
La Vie Parisenne, France
Abbie, Japan
Flying Lizard, USA
Metalfor, Spain
Be-Je Design, USA
By Boe, USA
Sheila Fajl, USA
Tomshot, Germany
Parure, Italy

So following up on the post about the Incase Convertible Book Jacket, I’m here to introduce you to a series of designer iPad (and in one instance, Kindle) cases. Louis Vuitton was the first to jump onto the bandwagon by announcing their design (which consists of stamping the ubiquitous LV logo all over a case) and then teasing us by saying it won’t be released for some time. Then Gucci leapt on board by giving us the finished product in a rather similar design. During the 2011 Resort presentation, one of the models in the Oscar de la Renta show whipped out her iPad, also encased. And Diane von Furstenberg is obviously more of a book geek as she just released a Kindle case. Who else would we like to see show their techy side? Vivienne Tam would be an obvious choice but given her affiliation with HP, I’m not sure how feasible that would be. And is it worrisome that I am pondering over which case I should invest in considering I’ve yet to buy the iPad?



Oscar de la Renta iPad case, image courtesy of The Bag Snob


Gucci


DVF Kindle Case

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I'm not normally a fan of clutches... I'm one of those girls that lug around a suitcase on her shoulder (And yes, it's all stuff I need, I don't get how that happens.) But, doesn't this look pretty? And soft? And maybe I could put it inside my bag to use as some sort of pouch? Get it at Shopbop.

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I told FashionGeek I was planning a post on orange looks in the Resort collections, and she seemed perplexed, so naturally I assured her this was no genuine fashion trend, merely an excuse for me to use the phrase "orange you glad to see me?"

Even over MSN, I could sense her furrowed eyebrows and friendly exasperation. But hopefully, even though she's on holiday in the land where fashion geeks are banned, when she returns to read this, she'll understand there's more to the colour orange than bad puns. In fact, as Mr Oscar de la Renta proves, once it's all ruffled and layered into a ballgown confection, it's positively... juicy, like a big jolt of Vitamin C. Now, that said, orange does pick up sallow yellow undertones, and thus isn't often the best hue for pairing with Asian skin, but I sense that with enough of a summer tan, it could work.

Of course, for those of us who have nary a black tie social function to attend, the Oscar dress and this Rachel Roy one below will be of little use. Still, there are ways to work in a little tangerine to your everyday ensembles.



Including a surprisingly palatable wide-leg citrus pant, topped with earthy neutrals and a chic and chill Panama hat...


Orange on top, admittedly, is a safer and easier-to-pull-off alternative, as Phoebe Philo proves with her ever effortless simple lines. Like everyone who claims to be in the know about fashion, I too am a Philo/Celine devotee, but only in concept and to fit in with the cool kids. In reality, I think Celine is still a little mature for a lady of my age -- I, like, totally don't think, ya know, that I can pull it off, right sisters? That I could conjure that sentence with minimal effort probably disqualifies me from entering Celine premises. That, and the fact that we were stealing Ruinart from their shop to drink out in the foyer during the Boutique Boulevard extravaganza.


Anyway, only the truly brave could attempt this orange and fuschia Herve Leger. Orange you sad, now this post is over.



Images: Style.com

Every four years, Hong Kong is set ablaze with World Cup Fever that is pretty much an extended disco remix of the Rugby 7s except everyone has to party throughout the entire month and stay up late watching all the matches. I've decided to be good this year and only watch the matches where the teams I am rooting for win. (Which teams does a Geek root for? The ones who have the hottest players of course.) Anyway, here's a little known fact for you. Did you know that the World Cup trophy is encased in a Louis Vuitton trunk? It opens on two sides for ease of access to the 14-inch-high, 18-carat-gold trophy and is fitted with a pocket on its long side to hold white gloves. The case will be shown to the public for the first time when the trophy is ready to be given to the Cup's winning team on July 11th. What does it say about me that I care more about the case holding the trophy than the trophy itself?