Throwback Thursday - with Valentino in the winter of 1984

I love these exuberant layers of tartan and bouclé - and also love the pink nails and frosty lips in combination with all the red.

Someone somewhere may have found this under the tree that year... What is on your list for Christmas?

(photos taken from my own copy of Vogue Paris August 1984)

Gucci leopard print loafers

This was a much better photo before I noticed my feet were hairy and had to crop the shot drastically. That said, it now better illustrates my point about the leopard pattern. Never buy leopard print shoes online - the pattern is almost always placed differently on the shoe, and often they don't match at all. Sometimes that is cool and gives them character, but sometimes it is really distracting and you end up not wearing them cos something feels wrong.

When you buy them in the store, you can pick the patterns you like best, or like I have done before, ask for another pair, make a mess on the floor by throwing lefts and rights around with abandon, then pick the best pair and put them back in the box together.

Something has to be done about these. The pair on the right is my favorite one, it has more of the camel color and the black lines are longer and continuous. The lines of the left are too dotty and overall this shoe seems a lot lighter in color. I've had a rummage through my art drawer and after a bit of experimenting on the heel of the shoe I think I have found the right markers to fix it. A 15-year obsession with finding the perfect set of skin color markers for fashion drawing has finally paid off. To be continued.

The Woman I Wanted To Be - Diane von Furstenberg

My DVF dress in gorgeous morning sun light - of course one busy print is never enough for me, so I have added a print bag and shoes as well.

The other day after I finished my swim at the Hong Kong Cricket Club I saw my beautiful friend Sally from afar in a grey and white DVF dress. I made a mental note to go into DVF as I hadn't been there in a while. When I got home half an hour later there was a birthday card in the mail, from DVF, with a little discount card as a present. Even later that day my daughter excitedly announced that the reality show, House of DVF, was now available on itunes. Funny how some days you keep getting the same message over and over again - I figured I should take it as a sign, a sign that I should buy a dress!

I have watched a few episodes of House of DVF - unfortunately it doesn't show as much of the inner workings of the company as I was hoping for but Diane herself is fabulous in it, always offering wonderful wisdoms to everyone around her. Yesterday I used my little gift card and bought a very pretty dress. I picked up a signed copy of her autobiography as well and have not been able to put it down - it is absolutely riveting.

There is an infectious optimism in Diane's attitude to life which is totally reflected in her clothes. Among the annoyingly self-conscious fashion people I have worked with in the past DVF was never considered the coolest brand, because being cool is about pretending to be jaded and sullen and always showing a hint of disdain your face. You simply can't do all those things in a DVF dress. DVF dresses make you smile, they make you say hello to strangers, and they make you feel unapologetically happy to be a woman.

Diane has lived an exciting life for sure, and it's super fun to read about all the people she's met and the places she has visited - but it's the life lessons that make this book so intriguing. It is honestly such a good read - I so very highly recommend you get this book - and why not buy a dress while you're at it?

Isabel Marant jeans at sports day

J.Crew shirt

Isabel Marant boots

Isabel Marant Étoile jeans

RayBan sunglasses

I am the grinch of sports day. To me sports day is the reason one decides not to have children, or at least homeschool them until university. And this year as usual, a perfectly fresh fall morning turned into a sweaty boiling hot day on the Stanley Ho running track. But I love my new-ish Isabel jeans. They are so fab, I don't want to ever take them off.

A magical hour at Maison Valentino

Fi tries on high heels and kitten heels

I love - but the girls call them bridesmaids shoes

mushy pea green is a divine contrast to orange in these cashmere jumpers

where are the shop girls? look, I am touching...

detail of a wool cape - imagine having to sew all those scalloped details - masterpiece

my favorite thing in the store

camo sneakers

tone on tone rockstuds in grainy leather

hello little friend

if only I were tall, I would choose the flats over all the other Rockstuds

love that orange so much

I am squinting and pretending this is my closet

I made friends with random customers (some champagne was consumed before this magical hour)

still no shop girls, why are they not stopping me

already a classic

I spent a magical hour walking around Valentino yesterday, picking up everything, touching the clothes, rearranging displays, and taking loads of pictures. I had come in after a long afternoon at Isola to exchange shoes I had bought on Monday after someone described them as bridesmaids shoes. I loved them but couldn't put my finger on what it was that gave me a hint of hesitation that morning as I tried to find an outfit for them. But after my friend said it I could see them right there next to the altar, peeping out from under a sugary sweet pink heap of tulle. I made my decision quickly and chose a pink pair of Rockstuds with matching pink straps. While Fi and Den kept the shop girls busy trying on every variety of shoe in the shop I wandered around in absolute heaven.

A nostalgic winter outfit

I have been totally inspired by www.stylebriefhongkong.com this week and have decided to only use my own photos on this blog going forward. As I am gathering new material, I am re-posting one of my all time favorites. Twenty-two degrees today in Hong Kong! Jumpers are coming out to play.

J.Crew jumper

Mother jeans

Common Projects sneakers

Marc Jacobs bag

Friday 7 November 2014 - What shall we do with the drunken sailor

I wore a short sleeved silk JDCamicetta top to lunch with a cotton Sophie d'Hoore shirt underneath. Chloe shoes and black wide leg Club Monaco trousers. Although I loved my outfit I found myself humming the Drunken Sailor song at one point, and couldn't get it out of my mind all day. I think of my beautiful friend Christina every time I wear that Sophie d'Hoore shirt with the ties because I bought it with her on a trip to Paris, at Bon Marché. So much more memorable than my many flash trips into Zara, I should remember that next time I get the urge.

Lunch at China Tang, 4th floor, Landmark Building, Central Hong Kong. First time I went but I will be going back often. I love a place where you can be as dressed up as a Christmas tree - there is nothing like a beautiful decor full of sparkle to lift one's spirits.

Joyce on Queens Road Central has a stunning Peter Pilotto display. They have finally covered that horrible tile floor and the white wall which always let down their otherwise beautiful windows.

The lights are on in Oxford Street and the trees are out in Lane Crawford. It's Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!

First Day of Fall Rain in Hong Kong

And suddenly all those exciting possible fall outfits are useless. I mean, it gets crazy slippery on the hilly streets of Hong Kong so when it rains breaking your neck becomes a very distinct possibility. This morning I have already reached for my sensible shoes, a pair of cheap and cheerful plastic patent flats with rubber soles. Only a few weeks ago I figured in fall I would be wearing slouchy drawstring pants with khaki suede pointy boots and an oversized jumper. Well my silky pants looked like seersucker after five minutes in the rain, and my loosely knit jumper got stuck in the zipper of my daughter's backpack. The ensuing scene at the Stanley Ho running track at 7.30 AM was not pretty. My daughter's muffled threats (get off of me mummy) made me rip a hole in my jumper and I drove back home feeling rather foolish. And never mind the suede boots, they never made it out of the box. Every end of summer I get crazy excited for fall, and every fall I very quickly give in to practicality and comfort.

A gorgeous new friend from www.stylebriefhongkong.com, reminded me, however, that this fall we can all look like we mean fashion by getting a pair of great sneakers. Apparently Chanel actually sells lots of their runway kicks in the shops... I expected those to be a fashion show affair only but now I think I may check them out later in Princes Building, after a few glasses of lunchtime birthday juice. Nothing like a tipsy shopping excursion to assuage the guilt of spending stupid money on bouclé and plastic runners.

Why don't you...

... decorate an old jumper with some ribbon?

(old Zara lurex jumper with an even older camelia pin from the Gap and ribbon from Sham Shui Po)

Melbourne Cup Fashions in King's Court

I have recently only been telling you about all the things I do not like about Hong Kong... pollution, lack of art museums, too many bankers and lawyers (so disingenuous of me when my own husband is one of them), you name it. But one of the great things about Hong Kong is that you can make a brand new friend from just a chance meeting, because expats are an open minded fun bunch, who are always keen to make a connection since for many of us our families and friends were left behind in the old country.

Fashion-wise there is nothing I love more than seeing real women dressing up for a party. It's fascinating how creative every day (non-model) people can be with an old dress, a new necklace, old shoes and new hairstyle. I think deep down what I have always wanted to be is a stylist of normal people with a regular budget. I love that moment when you see a friend whose brand new red lips have have made her smile more infectious than ever, or when her shiny new shoes make you notice her lovely shapely legs for the first time.

This girl got her stunning Valentino shoes as an anniversary present from her husband.  He overheard her talking excitedly with a friend, and with a little help of said friend went to Valentino and bought her these breathtaking Rockstuds, which got every girl in the room distracted from the horses.

This beautiful classic girl wore an old but treasured DVF print, and it looked so right on her, I felt I knew exactly who she was from seeing her across the room. She said she doesn't love really loud prints, but liked the taupe and blue in this dress.

One of the best girls in the world wore a JDCamicetta lace Fiona dress (JDC is a little dress company owned by me and my friend Jane). She had bright red lips, slicked back hair and a lovely flower in her bun.

And how pretty is this girl's Megan Park dress? 

Denise wore two gorgeous necklaces from www.duchessajewels.com, which everyone asked her about today. They are from my friend Nerida's company, who has gone to great lengths to study and replicate Georgian antique necklaces like the ones Anna Wintour wears.

French champagne in Swedish glasses - the perfect Hi-Lo combo.

Jeremy Scott loves Barbie and Barbie loves Moschino

I love a good gimmick in fashion and was excited to see a really cool Chinese girl with the black and white Moschino bag above come to our stand at the Conrad Fair yesterday. She wore all heather grey with black ballet flats, and had just the cheeky bag to cheer up her outfit. I love these faux Chanel bags and the Moschino Barbie show for Spring Summer 2015 made me smile so much my cheeks hurt. Designer Jeremy Scott got rave reviews in the Telegraph (read it HERE) for his joyous human Barbies, but in real life it looks more like this.

Barbie's lumpy pink sweatshirts are already in store now

The Moschino shop in the Landmark, Hong Kong.

The current fall collection is rather more yellow than is good for anyone. My 9-year old thought the 

t-shirts were "baby-ish". But they do have those adorable Chanel bags.

JDCamicetta and Nuan Cashmere at the Conrad Fair tomorrow

Come and see us at the Conrad Fair tomorrow -

Monday 3 November 2014

from 10 AM - 8 PM

JDCamicetta and Nuan Cashmere