Dimsum and then some

Can I tell you...about Hong Kong. I go several times a year to check on my samples with the various factories that I work with. It's a long flight but in the end it saves me more time and $$$. Even with all the technology around there's nothing like a face to face meeting. I also love going because the food is fantastic (amazing dimsum at restaurants that don't even have English menus),the shopping is incredible (the Granville Road in Tsim Tsa Tsui and Causeway Bay for all the indie local brands) and the nightlife (Dragon I, Drop and Kee Club) is out of control.
There's an event every night. I have lots of friends who are happy to take me out during my stay and and I'm jetlagged anyway, it's a good excuse to dance the night away. One particularly fun party was hosted by fashion editor Blue Carreon of Hong Kong Tatler. Guests were invited to come as their favorite fashion icon. Naturally I came as MOI.
I was also fortunate to stay at my friend's apartment at the posh Park Side Pacific Place residences. I had access to the gym, the pool, the mall, and a daily cleaning service. What more could you ask for?
Hong Kong was particulary cloudy and rainy during this trip.
Several times I went over to mainland China for the day and was caught in torrential downpours. It reminded me of rainy days in the Philippines and roads would be flooded.
Taking the ferry from Shenzen I took photos of the view and the cargo ships that line the bay. The fog gave everything a surreal, eerie kind of atmosphere. It made me imagine I was entering a ghost city at times.
I couldn't wait to go to Beijing for the weekend. A couple of friends were coming along and I was really relieved because I would have been so "lost in translation".

Looking for clues

Can I tell you...about Linea Pelle. Twice a year, I go with my team to Bologna, Italy to attend this trade show. Anybody who is anybody in the accessories business from all over the world ( designers, product development, production, leather tanneries, fabric mills, hardware and ornament suppliers, trend forecasters, last and heel manufacturers, etc.) all converge in Bologna for 3 days looking for clues and tendencies for the next season. The schedule for showing your collections these past few years is so accelerated that I'm usually almost done designing my collection but I go anyway to see if there is that spur of the moment material that might just get added to the collection. I'm a big believer in spontaneity. I also go to see if I'm on track as far as trends go. And yes, I'm on track if you're curious!
The show is huge and if it's your first time, it can be overwhelming.
For both of my girls it was their first time. Imagine going to an area possibly 3 or 4 times the size of the Jacob Javits Convention Center. It's a lot like walking a marathon all day. It's an exhausting show and sometimes we'll catch some people taking power naps or long siestas on benches. In the past I used to stay in Florence and wake up unGodly hours to catch the train to Bologna but these days we stay close to the fair so we can walk to and from our hotel without having to wait forever in a taxi line or hustle to get seats on the train.


Bologna has some really good restaurants that I've come to enjoy coming back to and some cool stores. L'Indie Palais has a really good resident DJ named Roberto. Everytime I go I end up buying several new CDs. He already knows what I like and reserves some for me because he knows I always drop by. Last season he event sent them to me by mail. Another one of my favorites is a men's store called Room. The owner Stefano always gives me a little discount which is almost unheard of in Italy.



It's a nice break for my team to get away from the studio and go on a field trip. We get to do some bonding, shopping, dining and finish the collection while we're at it. It's also fun bumping into friends who work for other accessories labels. It's a reunion of sorts. By the end of the trip I'm usually craving for Asian cuisine. Don't get me wrong, I love pasta but there's nothing like 'pancit' for me.
Next stop....Hong Kong.