Back to Hong Kong! Toro Mandycat cute clothes at K11 art mall, Doraemon fashion by Chocoolate.
Yes, I travel non-stop. Days after Montreal, I’m hopping on a plane for Hong Kong — excited to do a fantastical magazine shoot here!
(Above, I’m wearing Hong Kong clothing brands: a bunny scarf from the Miffy clothing store, and shoes from Izzue.)
I was in Hong Kong last September, and already miss the shopping. The fashion turns over quickly, and cute cats are a popular design motif.
While strolling in K11 Art Mall last autumn, I discovered a new brand Toro x Mandycat.
These kawaii kitties are the star of this pop-up shop.
Glasses cat + eyebrows cat = an amazing “classroom” design collection.
The bright display extended into the floor, with decals of raised cat paws and classroom materials.
I bought this silver wrap-around kitty ring. I had to. (Here’s a similar cat-faced ring.)
It’s hard to pass up shopping in Hong Kong when prices are low, there’s no tax, and you can’t get these items anywhere else. To convert prices to US dollars, divide by eight.
The stationery is cute without being too kiddy-ish. If you like the items above, check out this Kutusita Nyanko cat pencil case.
The cartoonist’s cats took over several locations of Ginger, the t-shirt and accessories stores.
I bought the striped t-shirt dress on the far left. You can see me wearing it in my Hong Kong travel video.
The pop-up shop was in K-11, the art-themed shopping mall in Tsim Tsa Tsui. It’s relatively new, and has a Mona Lisa made of toast in the entrance.
K11 houses many design shops and random installations, such as these dreidel-chairs…
Superhero penguins…
Sneakers made of paper…
,,, and neon teddy bears!
Since we’re on the subject of cats… Doraemon had a limited edition fashion collaboration with Hong Kong clothing brand Chocoolate.
Last simmer, Doraemon (or Ding Dong, as he’s known in Chinese) celebrated his “100th birthday” with a hundred cat-statues in Hong Kong Harbour. Remember John Skeleton’s photos of the Doraemon anniversary exhibit?
Unfortunately, by the time I arrived, almost all the items had sold out. Only the pancake pillows were left.
On the bright side, Chocoolate is always doing enticing collaborations with cute characters. In 2011, they worked with Snoopy. Last fall’s line featured Wallace and Gromit.
Thoughts on Hong Kong’s fashion, compared to Japan’s? Are you intrigued by Chinese street style? Discover HK’s Facebook page has more shopping tips and trends.
For more from K-11 mall, read my post about making candy at Sticky, a custom confectionery shop.
PS: Thanks Posse for interviewing me about my favorite Tokyo shops and cafes! I’m loving their city guides to “the best places on Earth.”
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Robinson Crusoe villas at Gili Lankanfushi: Maldives luxury resort! Romantic honeymoon getaway.
I look angry, but it’s only because of the sun in my eyes. In fact, I couldn’t be happier to spend five days in The Maldives with Gili Lankanfushi.
The eco-luxury resort invited my filmmakers and me to capture the magic — and there was plenty of that here. Take my hand, and I’ll give you a tour of our villa.
The resort is inspired by Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe. The villas have an over-water design, connected by wooden ramp to a jetty off the island. We had two patios: a sun deck on the roof…
… and a “water garden” below, with steps leading into the ocean. The tide was low enough for us to walk around, and glimpse Nemo-like fish darting through the coral.
The mosquito net is only for decorative effect: there are no little blood-suckers here. The Maldives is wonderfully hot year-round, without humidity. We came in May, and there were clear skies except for 10-minute rainfalls, once or twice a day.
From my desk, I can see my neighbors across the water.
My team and I lead crazy lives, and it was a relief to slow down and breathe. I haven’t felt so relaxed in ages.
I’ve been in decadent bathrooms, but never one like this. An open-air walkway links the bathroom to an outdoor shower with two spouts.
We were enthralled by the marine life around us. There are thousands of species that live in the Indian Ocean, including several types of turtles (this stuffed one was in my bathroom).
Dress: h.NAOTO, from Closet Child Tokyo
Eyelashes: Shibuya 109 in Japan (see photos of the department store)
The open-air dressing room looks like a drawing out of a Tintin adventure comic. To the left of the walkway, stairs lead down to the ocean: an enclosed, private “pool”.
Every attention is paid to detail, such as the driftwood hangars, and ceramic bottles of aloe vera.
A pirate-like rope handrail leads to the rooftop deck. Gili Lankanfushi uses environmentally friendly materials and building techniques, to leave the smallest carbon footprint possible.
The living room floor has a window into the ocean!
Eagle-eyed readers may notice that the salmon caviar tartar is missing from the welcome plate. I couldn’t resist eating it before taking this photo…
V-fingers for my filmmaker Melissa Rundle, who shot the images of me in this post. Can’t wait to show you our video about Maldives travel.
Wouldn’t you like to live the Pirate life? You can learn more about this magical getaway (and plan your own) on Gili Lankanfushi’s site.
Peek at more of the island — including a photo of me failing at tennis — in this post. Next up: wine and chocolate tasting, boating and snorkeling.
What’s your impression of The Maldives? Do you like my Goth in Hot Weather look? I got a bit tanned here…
LA CARMINA
