Journalist & Consultant
The world’s first ever Hello Kitty Pop-Up supermarket opened recently in Hong Kong and its the cutest supermarket ever! Japanese style supermarket YATA hosts the pop-up in its Sai Wan location, and the store stocks hundreds of Kitty themed products from Hello Kitty wine and pastries, to sushi and even apples. The pop-up is open until May so any Sanrio fans be sure to pop by.
#hellokitty #yata #hellokittysupermarket #hellokittylover #yatahongkong
Gucci recently hosted an immersive art exhibition in partnership with A Magazine Curated By. Following the global release of the magazine in November 2016, the first of a trilogy of photography exhibitions was showcased at PMQ during Art Basel Hong Kong. Each exhibition showcased imagery from a different female photographer in each city, as the inaugural exhibition in Hong Kong showcased Petra Collin’s family portraits taken in Budapest, Hungary. At the Hong Kong show, the exhibition was spread across three large rooms. The mountains of Civita e Bagnoregio Italy – Michele’s favoured holiday spot – formed the backdrop in the first room. The Cabinet of Curiosities, showcased objects and images that appeared in the magazine issue, such as an embroidery of Michele using Gucci textiles and a range of historic textiles, polaroid photos and watercolours. The second room showcased Petra Collin’s series of portraits showcasing a day in the life of her Hungarian family, as her young cousins played dress up in Gucci and enjoyed the summer of their youth. The #BlindforLove Cinema was in the final room and was an immersive audio-visual experience. The wall projections featured a wrap-around video loop of various artists and pieces showcased in the exhibition.
The second stop of the tour saw Coco Capitan’s handwritings and Italian snapshots in Beijing, while the third stage hosted a portrait of Joshua Tree, California by Gia Coppolla. Those looking for a typical fashion exhibition would have been disappointed, but it was further testament to Alessandro Michele’s zeitgeist zeal and a powerful message of support for female photographers too.
Recently legendary shoewear designer Christian Louboutin hosted an exhibition in collaboration with Australian artist CJ Hendry entitled ‘Complementary Colours’. Hendry is known for her hyper-realist monochromatic pen art works; however this exhibition was bursting with colour as dozens of lustrous and glossy art works were dedicated to bright hues from teal to tangerine. The largest artwork came in Louboutin’s classic shade of red, while piles of red-heeled shoes decorated the gallery space and were hung in the window. Hendry’s artworks could also make great make-up palette inspirations, or provide stunning packaging inspiration too. The exhibition took place at the Fringe Club’s Anita Chan Lai-ling Gallery and was only open for a few days.
Famed British footwear brand Rupert Sanderson is hosting a pop-up exhibition to celebrate the launch of the label’s Shadow II Series. Housed in luxury mall The Landmark, the exhibition sees six original Shadows series screen prints by Andy Warhol on show alongside illustrations of the brand’s latest collection. The Shadows series is a marked departure from Warhol’s classic pop-art prints, and the footwear design inspiration is clear to see in colour palette, elegant shapes and eye-catching glitter. The exhibition is on until April 6, is free to view and is located a few feet away from the brand’s second floor store and along one of the busiest pedestrian walkways. For fashion fans looking for a fashion fix during art month, or a fine art break from shopping, pop by and check it out.
#rsanderson #rsandersonshadow #andywarholshadows
Asia Society‘s Hong Kong Center is currently hosting a beautiful and innovative jewellery exhibition entitled L’Arche de Noé (Noah’s Ark). Iconic jewellery brand Van Cleef & Arpels are famed for their exquisite animal themed jewellery, showcased perfectly by their new Fine Jewellery Collection. The exhibition is conceptualised by American artist and set designer Robert Wilson, and recreates the ambiance of the ark through a room lined with jewel cases showing over 50 animal pairs. The room is filled with soothing calm music, until suddenly the room darkens, a crack of thunder rings out, lightning streaks fill the room and then the seas calm and its back to the calming soothing motion of waves. The multi-sensory exhibition is a fresh experience for luxury brands exhibiting their latest collections. Each piece is breathtaking in detail and is a must-see for any jewellery or fashion fan in Hong Kong. The exhibition is free entry and on until March 26th – book an entrance ticket at http://www.vcarchedenoe.hk. Here are a selection of some of my favourite pieces.
#VCAarchedenoé
I was happy to be part of the team involved in launching Landmark Hong Kong’s App – download from the apple store here: https://itunes.apple.com/hk/app/landmark-hongkong/id1172087580?mt=8
Our beautiful winter issue is now out online too. Download a copy and have a read here: https://www.sandsretail.com/media-centre/s-style-magazine.html
Too often with dating we spend our time living in the future. Therefore, when we are single it can be difficult to live again in the present. Questions about our future persist: Will I ever be married? Will I ever have children? What if I’m single forever? This last question can be the most painful and also the most poignant. From an early age, we tend to plan our future and all it’s most significant and live-affirming moments including another person. So when we are alone and realise that maybe there won’t be another person, and maybe we will in fact be alone forever, it can be difficult to see how to be single and happy.
During these times it can be beneficial to analyse what it is that we really want from a relationship. Not just the obvious initial assumptions, but what lies behind each of our wants and needs. For some, it can be simplistic: I like having a man around so he can fix things when they are broken. Ask yourself, is it worth the drama and pain of a wrong partner just so someone can fix the toilet when it breaks or do DIY around the home? Either pay a professional or learn how to do it yourself via YouTube; the satisfaction that comes with being self-reliant is addictive. Or it can be much deeper and more complex, how can I have children without a partner? This can be one of the most painful issues to deal with, especially if you are at the age when you can’t have children. If you are dealing with the guilt of not being able to pass on your family legacy you, let that self-imposed guilt go. Recognise how that revolves around yourself and not others, and how rewarding living selflessly can be. Lore has told us about the spinster who lives alone with her cats should be mocked and pitied, but doesn’t that sound like quite a nice life? If it is about not having a wedding, there is nothing stopping you from going to a bridal store and trying on a white dress once. Or hosting a huge party with all of your loved ones and celebrating a different important life moment. If you are looking for companionship, then make an effort to become more sociable with your friends and expanding your social circle.
Being able to understand that a partner is not essential for a worthwhile life but instead is a benefit will remove a lot of self-imposed stress. Recognise the freedom associated with being single and embrace it; from reading War and Peace all evening without bother, to taking up a new language, furthering your education in your free time, or even wearing what you want without caring for others’ opinions. This is a perfect time to focus on you, and all your life goals that may have been pushed to one side before, or becoming your authentic self and thus more self-assured and confident.
Through removing the stress of desperately seeking for a partner, you will now be in a much happier and stress free mental space, which is the perfect temperament in which to meet someone new if you want to. Nobody wants to be the desperate friend who will settle for anything rather than being alone, and so you can now go forward in a better and healthier mind frame in which to choose and select a partner. Achieving the self-satisfaction associated with being self-reliant will also lead to a better mind frame in which to date again. Knowing that you are perfectly capable of being alone, will mean you put up with less drama and the instant someone starts to treat you badly you can show them the door.
If you reach a stage where you recognise that everything will be fine without a partner, you can be truly happy being single.
After a long absence, I’m back on Instagram @chicstranger
Babette Radclyffe-Thomas 