Handle with care
In the era of ridiculously-shaped dishes that see your fork diving straight into your vinaigrette, we yearn for dinnerware that is functional yet elegant. Imagine our delight when we discovered Asianera, a bijou local operation keeping the age-old tradition of artisanal porcelain alive, right in its birthplace. From the design to moulding, firing and hand-painting the delicate crockery, it’s all done meticulously in-house. Little wonder it’s been one of our firm faves since the earliest editions of the Shanghai guide.
Capital cottons
Silk pouches, embroidered quilts, brocade throws – what fabulous souvenirs they’d make from your travels through Shanghai and Beijing, if only you could find your way through all the gaudy, mass-manufactured crud being peddled throughout the Middle Kingdom. Well, thank heavens for Shanghai Trio, who set up in their namesake city twelve years ago, and have just opened their first branch in Beijing, dedicated to injecting clean-lined, Franco-Sino sensibility into a range of home linens, apparel and accessories while keeping traditional craft techniques alive.
Purrrr... Hello, gorgeous
Introducing the ultimate luxury travel accessory. To celebrate the Year of The Tiger, Shanghai Tang and LUXE City Guides have launched the stunning limited edition, heirloom White Tiger Chest – the epitome of style for the discerning and sophisticated traveller. Each individually numbered and engraved collector’s box is handmade in maple and ebony veneer marquetry, lined in kumquat silk satin and contains thirty fabulous LUXE City Guides. Go get it, Tiger!
From gallery to table
While the world continues to fall over itself to get into the overheated mainland Chinese art market, little neighbour Hong Kong has its own burgeoning contemporary art scene, boosted by the arrival of Asia’s premier art fair, ARTHK. Our latest divine find however, is art on a plate, literally, courtesy of six of the hottest HK names to watch – Angela Su, Tsang Kin Wah, Wilson Shieh, Konstantin Bessmertny, Fung Ming Chip and Richard Winkworth…
Sil-ooh-ette
The cheongsam (a.k.a. qipao), that curvy, figure hugging embroidered Chinese frock is a beautiful thing, but unless you’re a size zero or Zhang Ziyi, that Peking duck you just had will be showing up in all the wrong places. So what’s a gal to do if she wants to bring home a little sartorial, highly wearable memento from Beijing?
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Click your heels
Hey gals, we know you love your Choos, your Rossis, Louboutins, Blahniks and Zanottis, but it’s time to dip your toes into something lesser known and more exotic, something that will have you standing just as tall and looking just as glamorous, but feeling much more in the know and score you bonus points among the stiletto cognoscenti. OK then, get ready to grab a fast boat to Shanghai.
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