Personal Style: Bora from Vienna

Bora at the Palmenhaus in Vienna

I have a super gorgeous friend called Anita. Long before I properly met her, I would often run into her at the Roger Vivier shop in the Landmark, when it was still on the ground floor where Tod's is now. I have a farfetched brilliant theory about the social compatibility of all girls who like block heels, so of course I liked Anita instantly. The truth is that Anita is super model tall, so block heels on her are perfect, while on my shorter frame and goody two-shoes face, they should probably be avoided. But I digress.

She emailed me this lovely photo from Vienna yesterday - Bora was seated near her at the Palmenhaus and Anita asked her about the pretty head scarf she was wearing. It turns out Bora is not just a very beautiful and stylish girl, she is also undergoing chemotherapy, so her scarf was as much a practical choice as a fashion accessory.

I love fashion, but if there is anything even slightly wrong in my life, fashion always takes a back seat and I walk around like a slob, which probably doesn't help whatever was wrong in the first place. Bora is therefore such an inspiration to me - because when you look better, you feel better. And making an effort with your appearance is as much therapeutic as it is fun. It's young women like Bora who make the world a little bit more pleasant to live in, one colourful headscarf at the time.

I am not religious, but I believe in the power of prayer nonetheless. I would very much appreciate it if you could join me in wishing Bora the very best of courage and a speedy recovery.

Red Pants, Denim Shirt

Gap shirt

Chanel bag

J.Crew shoes

Extē Jeans pants

Valentino VIP Sale

Valentino spring bags

I have heard from a reliable source that Valentino is starting their VIP sale imminently. DVF is also having such a clearout starting today. And very soon, probably even before we all go off on our expatriate exeats there will be winter coats in our Hong Kong stores.

To say that the frenzied corporate fashion schedule is ridiculous is a lame understatement. It is too stupid for words. Pierpaolo and Maria Grazia designed yet another stellar collection for Valentino this spring. But now, before anyone has a proper chance to look at it (we have been too busy in Hong Kong being shocked by the long cold season), it's on the sale racks, waiting to soon be replaced by a winter woollen variation.

But I'll stop my rant of the day right there, because after all ladies, you've got some sale shopping to do!

OOTD: Isabel Marant Étoile Spring Jacket

Topshop T-shirt

COS dressy shorts

Isabel Marant Étoile jacket

Looks like the future is red

And there are few things I love more than the color red and military jackets with lots of embellishment. Seems like Fall Winter 2016-2017 is going to my season.

Fiona Kotur

Fiona Kotur's word should be generous. She is generous with her smile when you meet her, generous with her time when you talk to her, and she is also a generous sponsor of many charities in town. She is quick witted and has the kind of decisive intelligence that makes her super easy to work with.

I had the pleasure of helping out on a charity project Fiona is preparing for, the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation's upcoming Women of Hope celebration, and while spending time at her office I became a major fan of her bags and shoes. Fiona's designs are incredibly pretty but I have the sense that simply making pretty bags would not make her happy. This is a designer who knows her arts as well as her crafts, and is just as intrigued by ancient decorative techniques like cloisonné as she is by modern light installations by the late American artist Dan Flavin. It is that deeper interest in art that makes Kotur's bags uniquely beautiful.

After we finished the project, she gave me two pairs of sample shoes. I made a half-hearted attempt to say I couldn't possibly accept but by then I had already fallen madly in love with my newly dressed feet. I have always wanted to have a job where I'd get paid in shoes!

Click HERE to visit Kotur's official site - and while you're there do have a look at Fiona's mother's fashion illustrations - the love of art runs in the family.

From top to bottom

the Kaleidoscope Fitzgerald, find it HERE, and the Kaleidoscope Levin, find it HERE

The Guzel shoe in yellow (also comes in grey), find it HERE

The Babylon Evening Espey in Brocade Green, find it HERE

The Flavin clutch, getting ready for the Women of Hope lunch (for tickets and more information, click HERE).

The shoe boxes are works of art - I absolutely love how the illustration spills over onto the side of the box.

Happy Mother's Day From J.Crew

Sorry for the long absence from I LOVE FASHION - I blame it all on being a mum. In the past three weeks I have been busy with school fairs, school musicals, and class mum duties, to the point where it feels like I live to serve my children. Being a mum is a never ending procession of to-do-lists, rides to school to deliver forgotten violins, and struggles with primary school math problems.

And then there is this: yeah whatever mum, talk to the hand mum, you're so annoying mum... But in spite of all of that there is nothing better than being a mum. There is nothing better than knowing you made them happy after they were sad, or gave them confidence after they were scared. There is nothing better than seeing these little creatures after they're born, there's nothing better than seeing them grow, and for sure there will be nothing more painful than seeing them leave.

This is my own mum, years ago, and I am next to her in my favorite bikini. Hers was coral and white, and mine was white with navy and yellow. She can't have anticipated then, on that holiday in Playa de Aro in Spain, that one day I would move to the other end of the world and I would stay there for more than twenty years. Our mums do everything for us, so that after all that guidance we get to leave, discover, and grow into the people we are. Our mums are super heroes - Happy Mother's Day, dear mums.

P.S.  J.Crew is the best company ever - and I mean ever, ever, ever. At the IFC store the gorgeous team were giving Mother's Day bouquets to customers with every purchase. I just absolutely love J.Crew's spirit xxx