Last chance for vintage Couture

The Golden Age of Couture - Paris and London 1947-1957


I went to the Hong Kong Heritage Museum for the first time to see this show of vintage couture gowns from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. I love the V&A and I go there every time I visit London. It is an amazing Design Museum, the best I have ever encountered. So I was quite excited to see this traveling show.

The Heritage Museum, for anyone who has not been there, is a massive building. The design of the interior rooms of the museum is quite intricate and I found myself entranced with the building itself.
Before I went into the Couture exhibit, I explored some of the rest of the museum. There was an fantastic exhibit of Chinese ceramics and bronzes upstairs, as well as a colorful part on Tibetan treasures. I enjoyed wandering around looking at all of the beautiful designs almost as much as I enjoyed looking at the dresses.

Downstairs, I went into the couture exhibit backwards, as I often do at galleries and museums. I like to look at things from a different angle. I saw the cocktail and evening gowns in the first room I walked into.



This red ensemble by Christian Dior is even more fantastic in person.

Many of the gowns in the evening-wear room can actually take your breath away. While walking around in the darked room, it is easy to loose yourself in a fantasy of days gone by and a salon full of beautiful women sashaying about in these stunning pieces of wearable art.

The larger room of the collection houses the introduction to the exhibit as well as day-wear, a look at one patron's collection, an explanation of the London vs. Paris scene, and much more. The show also has videos of modeling shoots and fashion shows from the time. They truly demonstrate how the world of modeling has changed drastically since the 1950's. Watching the multimedia shows also lends to the sense of going back in time that I certainly experienced while I was looking at all of the amazing vintage pieces.
After viewing this show, the saying comes back to me, "They (really) don't make things like they used to."

The Golden Age of Couture closes on Monday so this weekend is your last chance to see the show before they pack it back into it's steamer trunks and ship it to the next location.

Style ≠ Fashion

When I meet people and they ask me what I do, my response, "I am an Image Consultant," is generally followed by a plethora of questions. The first is often, "What is that?" (see entry on What is Image Consulting?) After I do my 30 second elevator speech to explain what it is I do, I am usually asked if I am, "really into fashion." I answer truthfully that I am not into "Fashion" and tend not to go for trends. My style is very simple, classic. That does not mean that I do not read fashion mags. I am interested in what colors are in this season, what fabrics will be in stores, and what I might see hoards of youngsters wearing on the weekend. So many people make the mistake of thinking that in order for someone to be stylish, they must be "fashionable" or "in fashion". This is simply not true.

Style is not equal to Fashion for so many reasons. John Fairchild said, " 'Style' is an expression of individualism mixed with charisma. Fashion is something that comes after style." Style can not express one's uniqueness if they only sport fashion trends that were designed by someone else for someone else. Being stylish requires a knowledge of what colors compliment your natural tones and what lines will enhance your figure. It does not necessitate wearing someone's name on your clothing nor does it mean spending trunk loads of cash on clothing, accessories, or shoes. Having the "it" bag does not make someone stylish if they do not know how to wear it. As Gianni Versace eloquently stated, "Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are, what you want to express by the way you dress and the way you live."

Some people are very good at independently creating a style formula which works for them. You might notice them walking down the street as they tend to turn heads. Others of us may need some assistance in figuring it all out. Individual style takes into consideration lifestyle, occupation, hobbies, favored modes of transportation, and a whole lot more. It is something that grows and changes over time. Hiring an image professional can help you build an appropriate style that allows you to be confident, happy, and comfortable. And of course, as Jane Austen so rightly put it, "One man's style must not be the rule of another's."

Heat and Humidity

There exists a rare type of individual who likes, even loves hot weather. These people, like myself, find the Hong Kong summer not nearly as torturous as it is to those who run hot. For us rather it is a welcome change from winter snow and blustering winds. Even for those of us who usually enjoy hot weather, Hong Kong's humidity can be overwhelming and a real challenge to getting dressed in the morning. Business attire probably presents the biggest difficulty. Who wants to show up at the office already drenched? These are a few of my suggestions for trying to keep cool(er).

1. Natural Fabrics

Linen is the preferred fabric of the humid summer as it allows whatever air there is to circulate around you. Traditionally made of flax fibers, linen garments absorb moisture, helping you feel less sticky. There are many modern versions of linen mixed with cotton, silk, and even hemp fibers. Linen does tend to look very wrinkly by the end of the day which is one reason why people might avoid wearing it. Modern linen blends help combat the "wrinkle factor." Retailer Marks and Spencer claim to have invented a fabric with the feel of linen which is less prone to wrinkles.
Yohji Yamamoto linen blazer


Cotton is another good choice as it is also a moisture absorbing fabric. Cotton with some stretch tends to be more flattering but the more the cotton in the mix, the better as far as humid HK days are concerned. Cotton is an easily renewable resource making it eco-friendly and many brands have started selling clothing made out of organic cotton.
photo © Mylene Bressan for openphoto.net CC:Attribution-NonCommercial


There are many different weights of silk, making it an occasional good choice for warm, sticky weather. Heavy silks are insulating and will effectively turn up the heat. Light grade silks are a good summer option however silk does not generally handle moisture well and is better suited for the lower half of the body or for people who do not perspire heavily. Silk blends and washable silk were engineered to combat this as well as the wrinkle issue. Silk linen blends are probably the best summer option.

For men's suits, a light summer wool will keep you office appropriate and hopefully not too overheated. Women are lucky enough to be able to wear a larger variety of styles and fabrics in their office attire and should have no problem finding suits and other office appropriate clothing for summer.

2. Color

We are all aware that dark colors don't show stains as easily (included the dreaded sweat stains). However, they also absorb heat and therefore black is not the best choice for summer attire (not to mention that it just isn't very summery). Some good substitutes for black are dark greens and blues. Navy blue is a color anyone can wear and is less oppressive than black. Lighter colors help us stay cooler while we are out and about. If you aren't worried about sweating through a garment, white or off white will help you turn down the temperature while enjoying outdoor activities. Light grey is another good choice.

3. Undershirts

It may seem like a contradiction but putting on another layer might help you stay dry. For both men and women, a light cotton undershirt will soak up some sweat and hopefully spare your shirt.


4. Skirts

Unfortunately for men, it is not socially acceptable for them to wear skirts in Hong Kong (except the occasional kilt). It really is their loss as a loose skirt can feel like a blessing on a hot day when compared to the heat-generating restrictiveness of trousers. Who knows, maybe the fashion world will have a real retro revival and put men back in skirts a la 1700 (there have been several attempts in the last decade). Until then, men are stuck with trousers if they want to maintain their image and we women get to know the joys of putting on a skirt on a hot sweaty summer day.


Men's Cargo Kilt from http://jdez.com/