New Looks by Karen Millen

---

 

Photographs by Daniel Kong

---

Visit Karen Millen at Central/Central, Sogo or Elements, or shop online. From left to right – Ombre signature satin dress, Perforated tote bag, Paint printed full skirt, Monochrome cocoon jacket, Pleat lace skirt, Space dye bandage knit dress.

---

Monochrome cocoon jacketMonochrome cocoon jacket

For many, including myself, Karen Millen stands for the feminine clothes and polished looks – its signature satin dresses flattered many and scared away many, perhaps more, by its figure-hugging designs since the brand was established.

This season, a selection of designs that seem unusual to be found in Karen Millen stores – a unlined cocoon jacket with dropped shoulders and doom sleeves, and a structured pleat A-line skirt. These fashion forward pieces make refined urban outfit for day and night, and are intended to transcend seasons. Other pieces, extract the DNA of Karen Millen aesthetics and transform them into causal and relaxed shapes.

Angular cutwork lac

Though pleasantly surprised by the brand’s evolving creative direction, my favorite piece remains one of their signature satin dress. This particular piece stood out for its beautiful digital ombre print. And like all Karen Millen dresses, it sculpts the body and leaves the woman confident and glamorous.

All Karen Millen products courtesy of Karen Millen Hong Kong.

---

Sunshine State of Mind

Photographs by dear mom : )

Vintage biker jacket, Zara top and skirt, Topshop boots.

Everyone in the city, including myself, seems a bit annoyed by the unexpected chilly and long winter in Hong Kong. When having no clue about what to wear, I always go for a pop of colour and a simple pencil skirt. It’s reassuring to know there’s always something that can work the magic. Hopefully the weather will get warmer in no time, and we can all kick start the new season very soon!

Ports 1961 Spring Summer Collection

Powerful display of Ports 1961 Spring Summer collection at ArtisTree.

The mid-thigh length boyfriend shirt is a tribute to the iconic blouse the brand was built on.

Designer Fiona Cibani draws on panoramic photographic vistas of desert, sun and sky to express the free spirit of the collection.

Drop shoulder satin top matched with double lace A-line shirt – Ports 1961’s essential sporty femininity.

Soothing desert color palette of sand, off-white and champagne.

Vivid color palette and again the desert landscape.

Ports 1961 launched their Spring Summer 2014 collection in Hong Kong last week at ArtisTree. The brand created an almost museum exhibition experience for visitors and for a second I believed those are beautiful art works on display.

The Women’s Collection designed by Fiona Cibani was inspired by Michaelangelo Antonion’s 1970 film Zabriskie Point. The designer draws on panoramic photographic vistas of desert, sun and sky to express the free spirit of adventure with her Spring/ Summer2014 Collection. The entire collection seems to be made for someone like me, the sporty cut, the really feminine dresses and skirts and the beautiful heeled sandals – can’t wait to see the new season in store! Check out more about their Spring Summer collection here.

POLYU FASHION SHOW 2013

Back in June I was invited to PolyU Fashion Show where the undergrads present their final year project. The Institute of Textiles and Clothing in Hong Kong Polytechnic University is the most prestigious fashion design school in Hong Kong. With the likes of Vivienne Tam as alumni, the graduation show is definitely much more than a school project for the local fashion scene. The following are a few personal highlights of the show. 

Winner of the Overall Grand Prize, the Outstanding Menswear Award and the Creativity Award. Lee Pak Ho has certainly made his point of being an advocate for sheerness in menswear. The opening piece was a little bit of a shock to me but the rest are simply brilliant. The strongest piece in the collection would be the overall sheer plaid suit and the “cloudy” suit. Having said that, I probably won’t dress my boyfriend that way.

Francesca Chin‘s Time Sculptor collection is my favourite collection in the show. I love the form-fitted jacket with embossing details in cream color paired with knitted pencil skirt, also the turtleneck maxi dress with silver embroidery and the black lacer cut mini dress. The overall image of the collection is almost warrior-like to me. But the designer has carefully executed the collection into highly wearable pieces. 

Zac Tso‘s Tribe Futurist collection looks a slightly over-designed to me, but I do like certain details he experimented with this collection –  the sportswear-inspired side slit maxi skirt and the beaded cape jacket. 

Reichen Man‘s collection Coral definitely captured the imagination of the audience. showcases sophisticated craftsmanship. The bold pieces, though unwearable to most, demonstrated refined craftsmanship and sophistication in the pairing colors. I would love to see an accessory line by him.

Yankee Leung‘s Futurist Classic collection is a close investigation of the many possibilities of the future suit – The oversized sweatshirt which ensembles a suit jacket, the cut up tuxedo cape and the white jacket which comes in two pieces- a cropped top and a girdle, all of the above showcases the designer’s effort to re-define the “classic”. The collection is streetwear-inspired, slightly K-pop-ish at times, but certainly a highlight of the show.

And some really fun moments…

Rhyox Wan – …and we live off of the unsettling soul

Stella Leung – Kyotokyo
Joyce Kun – so long, farewell, my stranger

Lois Li – Steipnir in pastel

And it was really lovely meeting Twee from Ezzentric Topz. She has recently relocated from Australia to Hong Kong, so make sure that you check out her blog and online vintage shop.

Photos by me.

The Dream Outfit

Photographs by the best mom on earth.

Zara top and skirt, Topshop necklace, & Other Stories sandals, Hong Kong boutique jacket and clutch, Edge of Ember cuff.

I titled this The Dream Outfit because I literally dreamt about this outfit before actually finding all the items in the market. It’s a combination of everything I love – mint and gold, flowy chiffon, sportswear elements, wooden sandals, more mint and more gold… Perfection. What’s your dream outfit for summer?

Someone else’s story

Photographs by dear mom : )

REISS Alla Dress, H&M faux leather mesh top and shades, Hong Kong boutique spring jacket, & other Stories heels.

Sometimes it is amazing how different ways of styling can tell completely different stories about a piece. The classic and feminine Alla dress is a perfect outfit on its own, but I find it more fun and urban to layer an edgy mesh top over it. It is one of those outfits that are difficult to deconstruct at the first glance, but who doesn’t love an unexpected combination!?

Tempted by H&M’s new line & other Stories, which is currently available in selected European countries only, I asked my cousin in Amsterdam to “smuggle” a few pieces into Hong Kong. (You know it’s time to call up that one friend you have in the UK and ask for a favor!) I’m very happy with my first purchase, especially these heeled sandals. Will try to post the rest of my purchases in upcoming posts. Speak soon!

Spirit of Summer with Reiss (Giveaway!)

Photographs by hyper-gifted Inga Beckmann

I’m very excited to be part of Reiss Spirit of Summer campaign along side with Gala Gonzalez, Marcus Jaye and Matthew Zorpas from London, Sydney Summer from L.A. and Laura Farrant from Dubai. I picked and styled a few of my favourite items from Reiss SS2013 and completed a Q&A. Read the feature below!

And of course… Some goodies for my readers!

Join my newsletter subscriber only giveaway
to win the adorable LIZA clutch.

JOIN NOW!

Brights

Photos by Inga Beckmann

Topshop faux leather jacket, Zara shirt and shorts, Sleeh.com shoes and Edge of Ember cuff.

  The weather in Hong Kong has been gloomy since forever. So this is my way to brighten up the days! Wearing my trusted Topshop faux leather jacket and Zara porcelain print shirt. Also on my favourite list are the cobalt blue shorts that every girl should own and the bright orange heels from Sleeh.com. Have a nice day!

The New Shape

Photographs by Inga Beckmann

Zara top and shoes, Topshop skirt and printed top and clutch from local boutiques.

If you bump into me on the street these days, I will most likely to be wearing something like this. My go-to outfit has shifted from flowy top and body hugging bottoms to lose-fitting top and structured bottoms and I’ve come to appreciate the simplicity in such combination. Vivid orange has always been my favorite color, it just brightens up everything. (Proof and proof). The black and white printed top and Zara heels put the whole outfit together. Simple and chic. Talk soon!

Covered up.

Photographs by dear mom : )

Topshop lightweight duster coat, A Boy Named Sue sweater, Zara skirt, bag and boots.

Happy 2013!

I hope you’ve spent a great holiday with family and friends! I should have at least smiled on a HNY post.Well, too late now.

I’m wearing my newest purchase from Topshop, a lightweight oversized duster jacket. The jacket is quite useless at keeping you warm but the loose cut allows tons of layering underneath. I am not a fan of fitted outerwear. What’s the point of outerwear if you can’t layer like a onion?

I took away the leather stripe and faux fur should pad on my Zara boxy messenger bag and wore it as a briefcase/men clutch. It makes beautiful contrast with the curves on the skirt. Hope you like this outfit!