Thursday, December 16, 2010

TODAY I'M WEARING..

Today I'm wearing a vintage military jacket paired with my trusted brogues.


You may be wondering why I'm wearing so little instead of being completely wrapped up in millions of layers. That is because I am in Hong Kong, the city that never sleeps. I, on the other hand, am so effing jetlagged that I am sleeping as much as I possibly can. The weather here on the island has been much warmer than London's, but still relatively chilly, making adjusting to this weather really difficult, and ultimately deciding what to wear even more challenging.

The past couple of days have been fairly relaxing but nonetheless I have still been keeping an eye out for hidden gems and other fascinating stuff. Yesterday I discovered a cute little shop on Grenville Road, situated in Tsim Sha Tsui. I was initially drawn to it because of its name, "A Sad Movie". Cute , no? Anyway they had everything from menswear to womenswear but what really caught my attention was their accesorries that included necklaces and bracelets. I didn't have my camera on me then but I did write down the jewelleries' website (www.houseofchapel.com). Prices ranged from about $60 - $150 (£5 - 14) so very affordable, perfect for a cheeky spot of Christmas shopping! For yourself.

And then today I ventured out to Shen Zhen. For those who are not familiar with Shen Zhen, it is a little city that is situated North of Hong Kong. It is very easy to get to, usually by train or by car. The last time I went was when I was about 14, and I had completely forgotten how chaotic it was. As soon as I got off the train, all I could hear was cars, trains, planes, people screaming and shouting...and then more screaming. It was painful and instantly made me feel claustrophobic. Adults and children were squatting in the middle of the streets, beggers were chasing after me asking for money, people were pushing you out of their way without even saying excuse me and I had to hold on to my bag as tightly as I could as I had been previously warned about thieves by my mother.

For a minute there I had lost the will to live.

But then I remembered why I was there. I had gone there and risked my life, all for the sake of the two beautiful dresses which I had wanted to be made. The Lo Wu shopping centre itself that is almosted connected to the train station (thank god I didn't have to go anywhere else) was famous for kitsch. Each of the five floors consisted of shops which sold everything from hand bags (with brands such as KUCCI and LOUBIE VITTON, obviously), watches, electronics, shoes, clothing, accessories, massage parlors and places for manicures and pedicures...you name it, they've got it. After an hour of wandering around, I finally found stall number 52 (recommended by family friend), hidden within the "Colourful Cloth City" on the 4th floor. I showed the couple who worked at the stall the illustrations of the designs and they showed me a variety of fabrics that could be used for the dresses. An hour and a half later, I had finally chosen the colours and materials. The two dresses came up to about $700 (roughly £63).




I didn't manage to get any photos of the shopping centre itself and its surrounds as I was genuinely too scared of being screamed at. Or even worse, mugged. I have to go back to Shen Zhen however next monday for a fitting for the dresses, so if you don't ever hear from me again, call the police please.

1 comment:

  1. wow... are a lot of things in these photos!! how did you managed them?

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