vintage marie-claire magazines

Finally, they have arrived! Early of the month, I have placed an order; two vintage French magazines - Marie Claire on Etsy. These really made my day.... here some photos of the magazines:

photos taken from www.etsy.com

The dresses are so lovely and I have wondered if I could sew these kind of dresses some day. Vintage 1930s patterns are pricey and I am not ready to splurge on these. Hhhmm... perhaps one day...maybe a gift for myself?

new companions; new second hand books

It has been few months since the last time I read a book, now I want to read again. Perhaps a different genre. Remember Flow Books which I shared last year? Well, I went to there to check out any interesting books that  I can purchase.When I reached there, I realised it has moved to another location, here is the addresss: 1A, Wing On Building, 38 Hollywood Road, Central. Just few minutes walk across the street from its old location. 

This time, I have decided to purchase chic lit. and lucky, the main character is someone in fashion industry. What do you think of my choice?

hk walk: shau kei wan

How was your weekend? Good, I hope. I went for another walk; Shau Kei Wan area last Saturday. This was an easy walk and I followed the directions on the map below exactly, without any changes or getting lost. 

Shing Wong Temple

Shau Kei Wan is located on HK island and to get here, hop onto Island line heading towards Chai Wan. Alight at Shau Kei Wan Exit C. Walk along Mong Lung Street and turn left into Kam Wa Street heading towards to tram terminus. Walk straight and pass the tram terminus. Shing Wong Temple is near the tram terminus. This temple was built in 1877 and expanded in 1974.

Walk along Shau Kei Wan main street East to Miu Tung Street. Along the way, I came across a SA family thrift store. This was indeed a pleasant surprise and a thrifting stop for any thriftaholics.

Tin Hau Temple

Tin Hau Temple is dedicated to the Goddess of sea. Recently, it was Tin Hau festival thus the temple has been decorated with colourful flags and sign.

Tsung Tsin Church

After Tin Hau Temple, walk along Shau Kei Wan main street East, then turn right to Basel Road. Walk up hill a little, the church is the left. The church was built in 1862 and rebuilt after the war.

Yuk Wong Temple

Continue walk along Shau Kei Wan main street East to A Kung Ngam Village Road. Look for directional signs for Yuk Wong Temple.

Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence

Follow directional signs for Hong Kong Museum of Coastal Defence, cross Tung Hei road. Turn right and the museum near by. For more photos of the museum, click here.

Tam Kung Temple

After checking out the museum, walk back along the Tam Kung Temple Road and follow the signs to the temple. Tam Kung is one of the deities and patron of fishermen. The temple is over 100 years old and was renovated in 2002.

What do you think of this walk? Interesting and simple? Well, another walk has just completed and I can't wait for another walk.. Hhhmm... which and when is the next walk?

Have a great week ahead and stay stylish!

mixing contemporary and vintage

the look: vintage top, thrifted belt, denim pants, tote bag, sunglasses, canvas sneakers and necklace

The weather was quite OK today thus I took this opportunity to explore a new place;Shau Kei Wan. It turned out to be good adventure. Will share about that later but now, a quick outfit post of mixing contemporary and vintage. This was a casual look but I worn this vintage top before as work attire, click here. I bet I can style this top with another pair of pants or skirt. Hhhhmm...

Hope you are having a great weekend!

shopping in hk: china hong kong city

Hong Kong is indeed a shopping paradise. Besides Citygate in Tung Chung, there is another outlet mall - China Hong Kong City, which is located at Tsim Sha Tsui. To get there, alight at Tsim Sha Tsui station and exit at Exit A1, turn right and walk straight ahead. At the junction, there is a set of traffic lights, cross the road, turn right and walk straight until a pedestrian light. Walk further ahead for few metres and the mall is on your left. Some brands which you can find here are Aldo, Espirit, Hush Puppies, Bossini, Kappa to name a few. 

Have a good weekend and happy shopping!

outfit post: maroon vintage top

the look: vintage top, vintage pants, thrifted belt, pumps

An outfit post, finally... My work attire for today. It has been a while since the last time I wore any vintage attire to work. The weather is getting warmer, a sign that summer is here. I can't wait to wear dresses especially vintage dress and also summer sale! I have my eyes on certain things and hope I am fast enough to grab these when the sale comes. What do you look forward to in summer?

hk walk: central and western district

It was sunny with some interval pf rains but this did not stop me from exploring Central and Western District of HK island last Saturday. I have been waiting for the right day with the right weather to go for recommended HK walks. Autumn changed to Winter, Winter to Spring and now early Summer... "it is time." I said to myself. And then I found myself set off to HK island...

This is the map that I used for the walk as my guide.

Take Island line MTR and alight at Sheung Wan station. Exit at Exit B, turn right and walk about three minutes. This is Western Market which houses some restaurants, fabric stores and stores selling art. The Western Market is open daily from 10 am to midnight.

Then walk along Morrison Street, turn left into Wing Lok Street.At this point, to be honest, I did not really follow the map.This street is lined with specialty shops selling ginseng and bird's nest.

 

As I walked further down this street, I came across with SASA outlet. A great short stop for those who want to grab some bargain of beauty and personal care products.

Somehow I made my way through to Ladder Street and hit Hollywood Street. Few metres ahead of me is the Man Mo Temple. The temple opens daily from 8 am to 6 pm.

As I walked along Hollywood Street until a junction, Aberdeen Street, I wanted to checked out Bang Bang! 70 but it was closed. Maybe next time? But I was lucky as Vintage HK was opened and I had my little walk distraction here. Although I did not get anything, it was a good distraction or stop.

Instead of checking out Mid-levels Escalator, I walked straight ahead and came across former central police station under restoration or upgrading work. Here is a photo of the other buildings in the same compound.

Next, I walked to Lower Albert Road past the Fringe Club. Don't you think it is an unique looking building?

I walked and followed signs to Duddle Street. These are the only gas lamps in Hong Kong and are turned on daily at 6pm.

Final stop is the Old Supreme Court Building which is at Des Voeux Road Central. 

This walk took about one and a half to two hours to complete. For this walk, you can add two vintage stores into your stops. A good mix of walk and window shopping, don't you think? Hope this gives an idea what to explore in HK. Stay tuned for more HK walks. 

fashion project: blouse makeover

Happy Monday and hope no one catches Monday blues. If anyone did, well I hope you feel better soon after a nice cup of coffee, tea or perhaps after reading this fashion project. Why? At times, we feel like we have nothing to wear whilst there are many (many, many) clothes in our wardrobe and since there are many (not going to stress the quantity again) clothes, we try very hard not to shop... but still aching to window shop or shop. Here is a little makeover blouse project to update an old top, giving a fresh new look. Save some bucks for shopping or travel fund.

Ready?...

an old top, ready for a makeover

What you need:

Ruler
A pair of scissors
Measuring tape
Tailoring chalk
Pins
Bias tape 
Seam ripper 
Sewing machine (not in the above photo)

Using a seam ripper, remove shoulder pads.

Turn the top to the wrong side. 

Measure desired sleeve length and mark with tailoring chalk.

Using a tailoring ruler, mark the allowance and length on the sleeves on both sides.

Cut the excess fabric using a pair of scissors.

Now, turn the top over and work on the right side of the top. 

Pin bias tape along the marked sleeve length.

Sew the bias tape onto the sleeve.

Cut the excess fabric and then fold the remaining bias tape inside towards the wrong side. 

Pin and sew accordingly.

Repeat for the other sleeve.

Repeat for the collar.

 

Here is the finished blouse

What do you think of this project? Difficult or easy? Hope this helps to inspire anyone to update their old tops instead of just chucking it straight into recycle bin. Hope you will give it a try and do let me know if you have any questions or feedback on this project. 

Have a good and productive week ahead. Always stay stylish and chic!

photographers of elegance exhibition - at a glance

Happy Monday everyone and hope you had a lovely weekend. Mine was good. Attended a jazz concert on Saturday night and strolled along Avenue of Stars whilst enjoying a nice view of HK island and also exhibition of Photographers of Elegance.This exhibition represents a selection of the most beautiful and iconic photos that helped to shape how "French elegance" is perceived today.

Here are some of my favourite photos from the exhibition. For more photos, click here.

What do you think of the exhibition? Any favourite photos? 

Have a good and productive week ahead!