Hong Kong Rugby 7's

Debauchery of all debauchery.

Litre beers and (yes!) bloody maries. No rules really. Hilarious.

Some chants included:
"Stand up if you hate the French."
"Who's the wanker on the phone?!" (Haha, Alicia, you are!)
Something else on the subway about why Jesus can't play rugby that I'm not going to write in the fear that I might offend one of you.

Beyond that, I will let the pictures (what little I have :( )speak for themselves.

I Didn't Give Up or Forget

I swear! I will give ya good one tonight:)

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Today is the last day of Chinese New Year. Sad its over. I had no idea what a big deal it is.

I ate dim sum with VERO people in Wanchai on Wednesday afternoon(yum yum) and visited the flower bazaar that night. Talk about a crowd. Once there you have no option but to be moved with the sea of people around you. I felt a bit like a herded cattle being bombarded with shouts from groups of chinese students selling silly things to raise money for their schools and various charities.

Ihad Thurday day off from work. Justin and I celebrated with beers (him) and Bloody Maries (me) by the sea in Stanley, our first time there. The weather was perfect, even a bit hot in the sun! That night we hit the parade in Tsim Sha Tsui. It was crowded but still fun and I even managed to get up front at the end.

Last night I helped VERO throw a CNY celebration. Our lounge faces Kowloon and looks over the water, so we have a perfect place for watching the fireworks. AMAZING fireworks show! They had little bunny face fireworks (it is now the Year of the Rabbit) and these really cool sparkly fireworks that I enjoyed enormously. The party was a great success and quite manageable. I even had time to go out afterwards!

While out at Hong Kong's "only African bar" I spoke with a Mexican man (so many different nationalities, haha) who told me he left home to travel the world due to the fact that Mexico is too dangerous to live in. He told me of his  kidnapping (from which he escaped) and explained that the Mexican drug cartels control so much of the country that no matter where you go, what you do or who you talk to there is always a threat of being robbed, beaten, killed or kidnapped...I'm sorry for the digression, I just felt the need to retell the story.

Anyways! Happy new year. Hung Hei Fat Choi. I was born in the year of the Rabbit so I look forward to the coming year. Hell, I even got a red packet with $50 in it. Starting off alright;)

Will post pictures as soon I upload them.

Now, he wasn't saying all this to give a bad face to his home country or even give an opinion. He was just speaking plainly of what Mexico is and has become over the last decade.

Doubtful

The other day I had a conversation with a friend here about Hong Kong's fashion scene and culture. We had just finished our first day at Hong Kong Fashion Week and were feeling a bit disappointed by what we saw. Our conversation let me feeling even more blue.

Basically, my friend, a native Hong Konger, said that Hong Kong people have very little fashion sense of their own. She explained that everyone in Hong Kong is a slave to big trends and exercise very little free will when it comes to dressing. I disagreed and pointed out that people here dress in extreme ways that people in the U.S., for example, would never dare to try. She came back with the point that when everyone dresses like this it looses its impact and appeal. I understood her point but still, I disagree.

I recently saw a straight guy wearing a long skirt and I swear it looked good on him. It suited him in a way that I never thought these male skirts and kilts that Marc Jacobs brought to the fashion world would. He made it seem natural.

A great number of men here sport purses. They, like the skirted man, look cool and stylish toting these  "feminine" looks.

Women here rock short, edgy haircuts like nobody's business and walk with ease through the streets in footwear that most couldn't dream of actually wearing.

I have caught on to a certain self-deprecating attitude in many locals here that I sensed in my friend when she spoke of Hong Kong and its fashion scene. She pitted fashion from the West against that of the East and explained that the West's is much more sophisticated and unique. Perhaps this is true, but whatever the case may be I think people here have much more courage when it comes to wearing the outrageous stuff than those back home. If this isn't indicative of a strong fashion culture, I'm not sure what is.

Skins

Me: "Excuse me, is that coat made of real leopard skin?"

Lady: "Um...yes. Please don't throw tomato juice on me."
 

I've Got a Golden Ticket

I didn't realize how cool it is to be a member of the press until yesterday. At first I was a bit timid about flashing my press badge to security guards and show coordinators for reasons I can't really explain. Perhaps it was because all the photographers and journalist happen to be very serious-looking older chinese men who look down on silly little "reporters" such as myself. Whatever the case, I put my fears aside yesterday and discovered the wonders of the Press Badge. Oh yes, and how splendid they are.

One show was particularly full and reserved for VIPs so I walked over to the photographers at the end of the runway, looked around for any suspicious people, found none and parked myself right in front.I prepared my camera (obviously trying to look as professional as possible)and got ready for the close up action. Needless to say, my seat at the show was unbeatable.

Soon after I was showing off my badge and semi-pro camera like nobody's business. "Press?" one girl asked. "Yeah," I replied, all to proud of myself. "Right this way," she replied. I got to the line!! She then told me about the press release cocktail party.

I was thinking of my beloved Hunter S. the entire time. Its no wonder he got himself into such trouble. Not that I got into any or that I even come close to his legendary status, but still.

Anyways, special shout out to Runway Passport and Liz. Thanks!

First Day

From Ika Butoni Show

Well, my first encounter with fashion shows was interesting to say the least. Many of yesterday's events and showing were buyer driven. This seems to be the case for Hong Kong as whole--it is a very business focused, consumer driven place. After spending several hours at Hong Kong's exhibition center yesterday and chatting with my friend there about  the general fashion and consumer culture here it became very, very clear. Hong Kong Fashion Week is also a Garmernt Trade fair (the second largest in the world), and it appears that the fair is the main focus point for most people who attend.

This isn't to say that I didn't enjoy myself yesterday because I did. The last show of the day was really wonderful. Hong Kong Fashion Extravaganza (how silly is that title?) featured a four designer line up, a very large crowd and a TON of media. The crowd was fun to watch--lots of "celebs" and well-dressed people.

Alex Wang

Of course, the show was much more fun to watch. Alex Wang and Doii were my favorites. Wang's stuff was minimalist with a hard edge and Doii's was feminine, colorful and flowery. Barney Cheung and Kieta Maruyama showed as well. Maruyama's show opened the Extravaganza. It was very Geisha inspired. White confetti spewed from the ceiling as the models walked down the catwalk and I felt like I was sitting under a cherry blossom tree or something.

One major downer: I am now officially sick and also have to miss a young designer contest tonight because of work. Grumble. Grumble.

Ika Butoni

Also, taking pictures at these shows is not easy! I walked away with only a small handful of good shots.