On the highway to style
If you’ve been following our Shanghai guides for a few editions, you’ll know we’ve had our eyes on Helen Lee. A graduate of Shanghai’s prestigious DHU-Lasalle International Design College, Helen’s first brand, INSH has been pushing the envelope of the Chinese fashion scene since 2003 with her vibrant, youthful creations. This year, she launched her eponymous line and opened a standalone boutique in Shanghai’s chi-chi Jing’An district. Tai hao le!
Colours so bright you'll need your sunnies
There’s no stopping Shanghai’s serial restaurateur David Laris. Before you could finish saying zaijian to the closing doors of his swank, namesake restaurant, he launched another project at Sinan Mansions – the latest Xintiandi doppelgänger and F&B desti in the French Concession (and fast becoming Laris HQ). Joining siblings The Funky Chicken, The Fat Olive and 12 Chairs in this 4-in-1 colonial edifice is Yucca, a cocktail lounge inspired by the Mexican Yucátan Peninsula.
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.
Say ciao to bella Londra
Calling all belloccios e belloccias!
Fasten your seat belts, LUXE has some molto exciting news for all the Italian-speaking leggy lovelies out there. We’ve teamed up with publishers Guido Tommasi Editore to bring you 20 Italian editions of our super-svelte concertina city guides. From Parigi to Pechino, we’ve got you covered with the best restaurants, shops, bars and spas and none of the faff, all in Italiano.
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.
If you’ve got it, flaunt it [Photo by LingZhi-小智。-Suzuki-/Flickr]
Sure, you’re in Shanghai for the World Expo, and while you could gorge yourself silly on the edible chocolate replicas of Chinese landmarks in the Belgian Pavilion, or imbibe even sillier quantities of rum in the specially crafted cocktails at the Cuban Pavilion, the city itself has always been one of China’s most international, and it shows in its culinary offerings. So after you’ve toured the globe within the Expo’s confines, you can do it again when supping in town.
Slow and spicy wins the race at Bo.lan
With Arctic conditions still sweeping across the northern hemisphere, it’s all we can do to keep our nips from freezing and breaking off. Our first post a few weeks back on our favourite spice dens was a fiery hit, so here then, are five more places close to home or in dream destinations guaranteed to warm up the cockles of your heart.
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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