I hate taking pictures of myself, I feel like a vain bitch. So these photos were taken at my mom's place, we took about 10 since every photo was missing a head or feet. Taking photos of your entire body shouldn't be so damn difficult! I just want to make a point about what I'm wearing, I bought this dress in Sham Shui Po for $30HKD. It's definitely not the dress of my dreams, it fits a little funny so it needs a belt or a vest.
MNG denim vest / Factory reject dress from Cheung Sha Wan Rd / Lucilite bangles from Mong Kok / Shoes from Mossy in TST
I am an East Island girl through and through, but since befriending a chick who lives in the parts of Sheung Wan not affected by gentrification, I've begun to appreciate the area. If I'm not in central I usually don't head much further West because... well, what's out there? Sai Ying Pun, Kennedy Town, Pokfulam, and then what? No idea. Even when I go to the beach I choose Shek O since it's just a quick bus ride away. The idea of trekking out to Stanley sounds like a huge pain. It's just a really busy beach with a market and some expensive restaurants - I suppose I'll go out there when the weather clears up.
Anyway, I have taken a liking to the Sheung Wan area and the random things I find there. I can never find cheap, ripe avocados, but if I walk through Sheung Wan there's always a vendor or two selling them at $6/piece. Same price as Park N Shop (speaking of which, PnS sells the most rotten, disgusting avocados I have experienced), and cheaper than City Super.
The other day my friend insisted I come for a walk over to the market where she buys her jeans, to meet a tailor, and check out a tie-die store. I never turn down the opportunity to see something new, so off we went wandering down Des Veoux Rd West. I have to say, the only thing I really don't like about Sheung Wan is the abundance of dried seafood. I can get down with a lot of smells, but when it's really hot outside and you get a ripe whiff of dried scallops - that's about enough to make me kneel over and die. Although, some of the stuff we found was totally worth it.
Wah Hung Shoes My friend originally found this store because she was frantically looking for a tailor to help her sew her costume for a performance. Luckily she came across Ms. Chan Siu Hung, who helped her with less than 24 hours until her show and for a reasonable price. While she works in the East Centre Street Market as a tailor, she also sells a line of Chinese slippers she designs and has manufactured herself. Her slippers are the classic Chinese style slide on shoes, with cute details on the tops such as birds, flowers, and butterflies. Now, I will make a point of saying that they don't sound like anything out of the ordinary, but they're not the typical Chinese slippers in a discount bin type of shoe. These slippers are not kitschy, are decently built, and are about $20 cheaper than the slippers you can find in Mong Kok! They run at $49 a pair and come in a large range of sizes. Wah Hung Shoes Co. Tel: 35792834 Stall # 23, G/F East Centre Street Market, 44 Centre Street, Sai Ying Pun
Next we ventured over to third street where I found two delightful little shops. I'm always looking for factory rejects, handmade items, and vintage goods - well I found it on the West Side!
Bargain Shop Bargain Shop is run by one woman and she specializes entirely in tie-die clothing. While I'm sure she's not online reading style.com every day, a lot of the things in her shop are some of the hot new trends for this season and presumably F/W 09. She had loose-fitting crop tops, slouchy pants and shorts. Her shop is not set up to be the most beautiful store in the world, but that's part of why I was so into it. The walls were all bare, and at the back of the store the owner was working on each piece of clothing herself! And on a more personal note, she had two of the biggest, cutest cats in the whole world. She didn't speak any English but I kept saying to my friend, "Woowww these cats are so big I could ride them around!"
Across the street from the tie-die place there are a few random stores, they have no name, no one would give me a card, and apparently have no address. I'm not entirely sure why this is, but apparently it's because the stores come and go pretty randomly. I found a cute silk dress in one of the stores, but I didn't end up buying it. Typical story: the price tag says $75, I hand the guy $100, he tries to tell me the dress is now $125 "special price" for me. Uh huh! $125 is still not a lot for a one of a kind silk dress, but for me it's the principle, I don't like it when people think because I'm blonde I can be taken advantage of! Shopping is my thing, if I let everyone take advantage of me I'd be broke.
There's many things to find past the "trendy" areas of Sheung Wan, once you hit dried seafood street I'd say you were in the right neck of the woods.
Sai Ying Pun Area Map (FYI the section of Third St. I'm talking about is between Centre St and Western St)
I wore this out the other day to go shopping in TST. If you live in Hong Kong you'd know this wasn't taken today due to the extreme lack of sun :P It's been a few days straight of crappy weather. Apparently there is a typhoon coming, I think I hear that every week. Last Typhoon 8 was a real disappointment, so I'm not keeping my hopes up!
Sunglasses from H&M / Dress from Argyle Center @ Mong Kok / Studded Sandals from Mong Kok / Assorted white bracelets from H&M / Studded Bracelets from Maple
What blog wouldn't be complete without me posting an image of a bunch of stuff I want? Well today I was feeling in the accessories mood so I browsed online to find some of the stuff I was really digging. While I like to wear summery dresses & seem to have adopted the attitude of: "if it is frilly, I shall wear it" I also love black and "punk" looks. I would never in a million years call myself punk, and I'm sorry to every real punk out there because I'm ripping off some essential elements of the style and bastardizing it.
1. GoJane.com sunglasses are DOPE. I have a pair that are similar (black with a chain), I think these are a little more feminine. Great subtle cat's eye shape, which I personally think slims and flatters any face.
2. Matryoshka Doll Earrings caught my eye, black, red - I'm sold. Living in Asia I don't get the opportunity to buy nestling dolls, but as a kid I had so many of them. Of course never to store anything, but just because I thought they were cute & I loved how they could fit inside of each other. Having them as earrings? Grown up way to obsess over these damn cute little dolls! Matryoshka Doll Earrings from Melissa Loschy @ Etsy.com
3. Egyptian Cat Mask (Bast) I saw browsing masks on Etsy. Why would I be browsing Etsy for a mask? Because there's nothing more in the world I want than to walk around with a mask on. While there were a whole bunch of cute ones, I love Egyptian mythology and this mask of Bast is very cute. Mix of traditional and cute kitty. Egyptian Cat Mask (Bast) from Merimask @ Etsy.com
4. Steampunk Sunflower Ring comes from the Glamouporium, essentially my place of worship. The Glamourai is a blog I've been reading for over a year, actually her blog was the first blog I stumbled upon and I have been a devout reader ever since! A year ago The Glamourai inspired me to chop off the sleeves of a denim jacket, and I haven't looked back since. Since then she's created her own line of jewelry, funky & fantastic! I love this steampunk ring; I could just eat those petals. Steampunk Sunflower Ring from The Glamourai @ Etsy.com
5. Taxidermy Finch Wing Necklace. Taxidermy is freaky, but I saw this necklace and all I could think of was how much I wanted it. I love animals, don't get me wrong… But I'm sure this little finch bit the dust before he got turned into a necklace. What better way to honor his life than in fashion? Loved to Death has an entire collection of taxidermy items, from brooches to necklaces - I'd buy them all if I could. Taxidermy Finch Wing Necklace from Loved to Death @ Lovedtodeath.net
6. Wing of Steam Tie Clip was another awesome Etsy.com find, it's supposedly for men but I think I could find a few good uses for this baby. I love feathers and wings, but ever since I read Neal Stephenson's A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer I've been in love with steampunk. For those who are not familiar with steampunk, it's a genre of science fiction that uses Victorian elements in a futuristic setting. If I could dress up as a neo-Victorian every day I would! Wing of Steam Tie Clip from Days Long Gone @ Etsy.com
7. Lucky Rabbits Foot - Carborundum Pendant. I love the raw look of the stone here and all of the colors in it. Natural stones are so sexy, and it's on a nice long chain perfect for wearing with everything. Obviously I have a fondness for black, but come on, this would go with anything. It picks up a ton of colors and I can only imagine how many people would comment on it, it's a really unique piece. Lucky Rabbits Foot from The Social Cellar @ Etsy.com
8. Sterling Silver Charmer Round Beads looks like a combination of earthy and punk styles. I've recently been salivating over this leather wristband with little studs all over it that's for sale in Mong Kok, so when I saw this bracelet I had instant cravings. It would look so delicious on its own with a bunch of stacked rings on one hand. I think what's getting me about this bracelet is the variations in the size of the beads. It doesn't take a lot to get me to want it, shame I'm not filthy rich! Sterling Silver Chamer Round Beads from CraeVita @ Etsy.com
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