The poppy dress

I was roaming around Le Bon Marché a few Paris visits ago having no luck finding anything I wanted in my size. I had just about given up but stopped by the Stella McCartney section to have a look. You know me and how I am mostly allergic to print and color, but something came over me and I found myself attracted to this dress and the idea of wanting to dress more my age (whatever that means). I had immediate buyer's remorse but couldn't bring myself to walk back to the counter to return it. So I kept the darn thing even though it's nowhere near seasonally appropriate at the moment in NY. I took the opportunity to wear it in Hong Kong and the lush greens there made a nice backdrop for it.

Stella McCartney Dress (cheapest online here) // Common Projects Sneakers

Shot at The Upper House.

Light and shadow

When you get a super last-minute, rare chance to borrow a Cartier diamond bracelet from the Étourdissant collection to photograph, you call up your favorite hand model and try your best to capture the magic and allure of it. Of course, nothing beats seeing and touching the beauty in person. I think I'm still a bit mesmerized by that piece.

70 Degrees in December

Hello from Hong Kong, where the weather is fiiii-ine. I've been running around today in this outfit and snapping photos on my new-to-me Leica M6 (!!). More to come, but in the meantime, follow along on Snapchat (@alice_gao) for more snippets of my trip.

Schott x The Line Leather Jacket // Everlane Striped Tee (love the cropped cut of this one) // Acne Jeans // Everlane Flats (these have become such good walking shoes!) // Sunglasses // Lipstick

Ferragamo Signature

Timing is everything, isn’t it? I was browsing the Liberty store in London when I got a ping from Shini asking if I would happen to be available to cover for a shoot that very day because she was sick as a dog. Sure I only had my Sony and one not-quite-fully-charged battery with me, but I was up for the challenge and grateful for the chance to do some work while traveling on vacation. The plan was to show up at a film set for Salvatore Ferragamo and capture some behind the scenes. Cool, great, let’s do it.



That short film was just released yesterday at an event that represented the culmination of Ferragamo’s 100 Years 100 Days digital cycle, which highlighted the anniversary of Salvatore Ferragamo’s arrival in Hollywood and the beginning of his love affair with cinema. The inspiration behind the film was to showcase all that has changed and all that has remained constant in the world of cinema, Hollywood, and Salvatore Ferragamo, while also highlighting the House's debut Signature eyewear and timepiece collections with the Gancio (the iconic signature House emblem). The two stars, Elettra Wiedemann and Ethan Peck, are respectively the grandchildren of Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck (I mean, wow). The film shows that what has changed is that we’ve all become the directors and stars of our own movies in the world of social media, but what has remained constant are the beauty, attraction, and relationship tensions that fill these stories.

I always love seeing how things (particularly photos and movies) are made, especially to geek out over the technical aspects. Some may think it takes the magic out of the experience of the final product, but to me, it actually enhances it. In this particular scene/angle, we follow a frozen moment in time during the climax of the film.



(P.S. I also took a little video of the action if you're interested!)

Lace-up

Well, I finally caved into the lace-up flat trend. I had been resisting forever and though I'm usually all about buying the "original" starter of a trend (which I think in this case were the Aquazzura Christy flats), I didn't love the how high the back part of that particular flat went. Also, the price point made me shy away. I was, however, fond of the price point and lower back heel of The Brezza flat by M. Gemi. I remember seeing the style pop up a while back and sell out like hotcakes. When I saw recently that the style had come back, I didn't hesitate this time around. When I unboxed them, the first thing I noticed was the quality – which made it feel like a more expensive shoe; and the shape of the toe (another thing I'm terribly picky about) – which was just the right amount of pointy. Plus they fit true to size.



Another fun option if black is too boring for you.

Wrist candy and a cheerful planner

The purchase of this 2016 planner was probably the most effortless way to add some color in my life recently. The cheery yellow really does make me a little happier, as silly as it sounds. But I love all of Smythson's products and it's hard to choose just one color for a planner. (If you're looking for a 2016 planner still, this slightly bigger desk version is on sale in the always amazing cobalt blue.) Yes, they're a bit splurge-y but if you actually use it for the full year, your cost per use is, like, less than $1 a day. ;) But in addition to its practical use, it's just a really beautiful desk object, and I'm a sucker who's always willing to pay a premium for that.



I rarely wear anything with my Love bracelet since it's elegant on its own (oh, and I'm lazy), but I've been having fun with this little trio recently. I get a lot of questions about where this clover bracelet is from, and for the longest time I couldn't find it online anymore. It looks like it's back though! I think of it like a little good luck charm. The Celine knot bracelet isn't usually purchasable online, but you can find a pretty killer deal on one here (I mean, damn I wish I had seen that). For a similar alternative, Kate Spade makes a great one for under $100. Also on my paws is the classic "Scarlet" by RGB.

On an unrelated note, I'm heading to Seoul in the upcoming weeks and would love to hear any recommendations if you have any. Shops, eats, coffee, museums – all of that would be great!

Last bits of London

I don't know how I'm still editing and posting photos from London (I mean I was only there for five real days), but I think this is the last of it! I had always wanted to stay at the EDITION in London and was so happy to get a small taste of it – I would have loved to stay for more than a night, but I planned too last minute and they were fully booked. It's a beautifully designed hotel with an impressive lobby and perfect moody lighting in the rooms (and all those textures!). We had snacks and drinks in the lobby around one of the fireplaces on a chilly night – it doesn't get much cozier than that.

And for a happy belly, don't miss these three restaurants below!