Marni for H&M in Hong Kong

The much-anticipated Marni for H&M collection launched globally today, and Hong Kong was a proud participant in this fashion frenzy.

Once the doors opened, only the first 280 in line were allowed to shop the collection. Not only that, the 280 had only 10 minutes each to shop. Like a glorified Supermarket Sweep - you have 10 minutes to shop! - how anyone can manage any kind of rational choice (or dignity for that matter) in the face of such fashion turmoil, I do not know.

I wasn't there when the doors opened and can't attest to the mayhem then, but I passed by the flagship H&M store in Central around noon today and it didn't look like the frenzy had abated. Security barricades and the police were managing crowd control.

I must say the storefront looked suitably Marni-esque, with the Sofia Coppola-directed commercial playing amidst signature pieces from the collection. 

I stood across the street so I could get a good look at the Fashion Collective of Hong Kong. Such a determined lot, stoic in their purpose, futility be damned. 

I, with baby girl strapped into the Ergo, was tempted to step into the store but she had barely dusted the tears off her vaccinations and was not a happy camper, and I still had one last shred of sanity left, so we decided we simply must not attempt any feat of such kind.

I did however, check out the lookbook and here're the pieces that I really like.

The Real Housewives of Disney

Lindsay Lohan hosted Saturday Night Live over the weekend and with all the tabloid coverage leading up to it, I almost believed it myself that she could, perhaps, no longer be such a hot mess.

Suffice to say that her performance was very mediocre, barely funny, and fraught with plenty of cue card reading, which was disconcerting because her eyes kept looking off to the side. Like if someone was talking to you but they kept looking at your ear the entire time. Askew, something's definitely askew.

It's been a while since I last saw LiLo and she looks different. Her face looks decidedly puffy, like she got herself all plumped up but didn't quite know when to stop. Her eyes look different too, I can't quite figure out if it's the make-up or those ridiculously unwieldy bangs which left me wanting desperately to sweep the hair out of her eyes.

The highlight of the night was The Real Housewives of Disney, which was a real hoot, complete with incessant eye-rolling interspersed with exasperated exhaling.

LiLo was forgettable as Rapunzel, but hair-wrenching jokes aside, Kristen Wiig was downright hilarious as housewife du jour Cinderella - deliciously brash, drunk and a total train wreck. Saved in no part by her campy Prince Charming, who descended on the housewives with delectable cattiness.

Belle, adorned in Smugness and dripping with old money, shamelessly flaunted her wealth whilst embarking on a hip-hop rapping career.

Midriff-baring Jasmin sans Aladdin brought the drama with an ill-fated extramarital affair, and Type A Snow White (reminding me very much of Reese Witherspoon) fake-commiserated with the distraught Jasmine, whilst sharpening her claws and plotting the downfall of Cinderella.

If there was a Real Housewives of Disney show, I would totally tune in to see these trash talking princesses, every single week.

What You See Is What You Get

I was shopping at the Marks & Spencer foodhall today, piling up on biscuits and chocolates I do not need. I love the M&S foodhall, and just about everything that they sell.

My husband, coming from the land of Starbursts and Skittles, finds it amusing to shop at M&S. He enjoys the way the English name their food, which is well...pragmatic.

These are my favorite biscuits - they're extremely chocolatey and shaped like circles:

I hasten to add that these are more chocolate than biscuit.

Another self-explanatory biscuit favorite of mine:

And this pragmatism lends itself to just about everything else:

And should you want some potatoes to go with that cod, why not have not one, but two baked potatoes.

 

East meets West

There's been some European chic sprouting up in our neighbourhood lately. 

agnès b cafe has opened up on Gough Street and at an easy 5-minute stroll from our place, has quickly become one of my favorite places to hang out.

It's also become some kind of a routine with my son where we come here every Saturday after Socatots, and he'll have a hot chocolate. 

agnès b cafe is a lovely little place, famed for their dainty little cakes and confectionery.

Not content to just be a cafe, it's also a beautiful florist, making this place all the more charming.

There's an alfresco area outside, where you can sip a cuppa and watch the world go by. How's that for a touch of French flair in Hong Kong, complete with dog on the sidewalk. 

The Great American Store

For a bustling, metropolitan city like Hong Kong, it's actually hard to find American products. Grocery stores like Oliver's, ThreeSixty and Great carry a decent range, but for the real deal, the place to go is Gateway. 

Touted as The Great American Store (with attractive poster from the 80's to boot),

you'll first need to go down some retro stairs,

while keeping an eye out for the latest offers,

and you'll be greeted by a very welcoming entrance, flanked by mesmeric flourescent lighting:

This is the mecca of American food in Hong Kong, where everything is supersized:

A whooping 1.3kg (2lb 14oz) box of Lucky Charms! Almost half the size of my baby girl when she was born!

Unable to stomach that, I bought 1.3kg's worth of Chex Mix instead:

And some bones, which my son just had to have:

And of course, some of the chunky microwaveable soup that was so enticingly advertised at the stairwell:

Moving past the aisles,

you can sleep easy knowing you'll never be stranded without Q-tips,

or odor eliminators for your carpet:

Even Ghirardelli brownies:

And look what we found! This, I am certain is sold no where else in Hong Kong, and it was the last bottle left standing, so of course we grabbed it even though we had absolutely no need for it.

Although we just might after having the Chex.