I always had a thing for East Asian beauties. When I was a kid I wished I had slanted eyes.
I think that white skin, slanted eyes and small, well defined lips are perfect synonyms of elegance.
What do you think?
Ho sempre apprezzato la bellezza orientale. Da piccola desideravo tanto avere gli occhi a mandorla.
Penso che i tratti somatici tipici della bellezza orientale, quali pella candida, occhi a mandorla e labbra piccole e delineate, siano sinonimi perfetti di eleganza.
Sono arrivata oggi nel tardo pomeriggio ad Hong Kong. Ho messo giù la valigia, ho fatto la doccia e sono uscita subito a fare due passi e immergermi nei colori, nell'atmosfera e nei suoni di questa città che non mi annoia mai e che mi fa dimenticare ogni volta del jet leg.
Domani si lavora però. Pazienza, non mi lamento di certo.
Just arrived in Hong Kong this late afternoon. I dropped the suitcase in the hotel room, took a quick shower and I immediately take a walk around to experience the colours, the atmosphere and the sounds of this city that never make me feel bored and everytime makes me forget about the jet leg.
Tomorrow I'll be working anyway. Well, I can't complain at all.
As I have a one hour drive to get there, I have a lot of time to think and listen to the radio.
Today I was wondering... what a big pity it was that when I was in Dalian (China) the temperature were already to high and I couldn't make it to go to the annual Haerbin International Ice and Snow Sculputure Festival? I would have loved to visit it.
The annual Haerbin International Ice and Snow Sculputure Festival has been held since 1985. Although the official start date is January 5 each year, in practice, many of the sculptures can be seen before. While there are ice sculptures throughout the city, there are two main exhibition areas: Enormous snow sculptures at Sun Island (a recreational area on the opposite side of the Songhua River from the city) and the separate "Ice and Snow World" that operates each night. Ice and Snow World features illuminated full size buildings made from blocks of ice.
So now I still have this desire that needs to be ticked in my "Things I want to do in my life" list.
I don't know when I'll be able to go to Haerbin, but I want it soooo much.
Haerbin is originally a Manchu word meaning "a place for drying fishing nets". As it has very cold winters, is often called "Ice City" and is well-known for its beautiful ice sculptures in winter. In the 1920s, Harbin was considered China's fashion capital as new designs from Paris and Moscow reached there first before arriving in Shanghai. The city was a major refugee center for the East European Jewish, so the architecture style of Harbin shows a unique combination of oriental and European architecture styles.
Now Haerbin is also a potential candidate for the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Even if in the winter time Hearbin's weather is freezing, I can face it to enjoy the enchanted view offered by the Festival.
Now that Givenchy's couture presentations are intimate, Riccardo Tisci has decreased the number of dresses per collection produced: this time there were only ten, but still really dramatic.
Once more Tisci left behind usual black-based colour palette.
Inspired by Japanese robot toys and Kazuo Ohno (the legendary Japanese Butoh dancer), the collection appear delicately romantic when seen from the front, but are grounded by a technological, robotic charge in fluorescent yellow or fuchsia when viewed from the back.
The lightweight dresses featured clear Asian style elements such as structural shapes, warrior-inspired headgear by Philip Treacy, and folding techniques.
Declared “works of art” by the likes of fashion journalist Suzy Menkes, the dresses took an accumulated 6,000 hours to create.
The Haute Couture show took place in Paris and shown the collection exlusevely on Asian models, demonstrating once more that Asia has moved to fashion’s forefront. For sure the career of each model will be boosted by this important feauturing.
As alredy mentioned in the blog as well, Asia, and especially China, is fashion’s current main focus, with luxury labels staging their fashion shows there and US Vogue’s Anna Wintour reportedly working on establishing a Vogue Fashion Fund designer scheme in the country.
I have already talked on how much European fashion and luxury brands are interested in China.
Now also Prada payed its respect to the growing wealthy Chinese class and signalled her focus on China's huge market.
Yesterday January 22nd, the Milanese brand throw a special show at the Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum in Beijing and this was Prada's first catwalk show outside Europe.
Miuccia Prada, who has already won plaudits for her spring/summer 2011 collection (simply-cut dresses and suits in a quirky mix of stripes and solids, with bold splashes of orange, violet and electric blue), for the special occasion added a few looks from her spring menswear line.
Now, choosing Beijing as the location of the first show outside of Europe, can be seen as a way to thank Chinese customers for the total sales increased by 51 percent throughout 2010 in China. Not only that, rumors circulating in the fashion world also mentioned the steps taken by the Italian fashion house Prada on any plan to register the company in the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (if you want to read some more about it please go to AFP or to Beijing Stylites)
Many local celebrities participated at the show: among them the actresses Gong Li (first pic) and Maggie Cheung (second pic).
The event also hosted the English group "The Pet Shop Boys" which intrateined Prada's many guest.
As many of you knows, Men's Fashion Week just started in Milan. Unfortunately I don't have the chance to be there.
As I'm in love with China and Chinese Culture my attention was captured by Ermenegildo Zegna FW 12 Show, entitled "In the mood for China", clearly and evocative title that reminds of Wang Kar Way's movie "In the mood for love". The outfits are inspired by an Asian mood and taste, to me, like a mixture of the Asian feeling for fashion and Shanghai of the 20's way of living (please see the movie "Lust, Caution" by Ang Lee to see what I mean).
The show also used a particular technology called live-D which allow to film the model just before they stepped out. They were filmed in the backstage and then immediately shown to the public, as part of the Great Wall and The Forbidden City scenary, while they were walking through the catwalk at the same time.
The mixed songs, like Yumeji's Theme, are taken from "In the mood for love" soudtrack as well.
What about Zegna's choice to perform such a "Chinese taste" show? For sure China is now one of the most important and powerful country and rich people always aim to buy designers cloths. But Zegna's story in China started long time ago, between the 80's and the 90's, when the early moover brands clearly see the unspoilted potential in that growing, but still silent and unknown country. Ermenegildo Zegna is now one of the most appreciated Italian male suits brand among the Chines wealthy and I see this show as a clear winking to China from Zegna.
Bye for now!
Benedetta
Ps: Good luck to Moncler Gamme Bleu fashion show ongoing now!
