Milanoo Web site

So I finally caved in and bought the thigh-high boots. I'll be getting them in a couple of weeks (or maybe even less), so I'll let you all know if the quality is any good, and if they even fit properly since my legs are so damn short. I figured that I would probably wear the hell out of the boots, anyway, since they go with most of my wardrobe. Plus, they're leather so they'll be relatively sturdy, at least better than my current boots. Looks like I won't be getting a pair of Fleuvog boots for a while, then.

The Other Dude told me that the site also features "Anti-radiation Clothing" -- which is obviously bullshit. Tsk on them! But it made me look through the site again for more interesting stuff, and this is what I found.

Okay, I'm no stranger to fetish stuff. I actually have a couple of funny stories about dungeons and S&M clubs, but this just puzzles me. I mean, I understand that it's part of spandex fetishism but what the hell is up with the hood and skirt?? It's like having a fetish for lavender, anonymous fly fishermen or something.

And this one bothers me because THE SHOES DO NOT FUCKING MATCH! Why is she wearing librarian shoes?? Of all times, fetish play is not the time be wearing sensible shoes! It's like Miss Grundy's secret life as a zentai Rick James dressing up as Neo in The Matrix. Boner killer!

"No eating in the library, kids."

"I'm Rick James, bitch."

And this poor dude. I imagine the conversation at work went down like this:

Manager: We're over budget! We can't afford to hire any more models!
Assistant Manager: What about the new junior sales guy? He should fit in the costume okay.
Manager: BRILLIANT. Hey you, put on this costume! Don't worry, you'll be wearing a mask, no one will recognize you.
Junior Sales Representative: FUCK MY LIFE.

This is where 3rd-rate Western models who can't find work outside of Asia end up.

I won't lie, though, I kind of want this. Spidey has always been my favourite Marvel superhero.

Anyway, I finally ventured beyond the fetish and cosplay sections of Milanoo and checked out more of their shoe offerings. If you can only afford knockoffs, they actually have a pretty decent selection.

Jeffrey Campbell knockoffs over here.

Not sure which these knockoffs these are -- I'm getting a Miu Miu vibe, but that could just be because of the colours -- but aren't they JUST lovely?

I guess YSL for these. I gotta be honest, I've been turned off YSL since Pierre Berge made those racist comments, even though he's not really directly involved, anymore. I just can't stomach the idea that any of my money will be keeping him fed and housed. Same issue with Galliano, too.

And Christian Louboutin knockoffs here.

My advice is to contact one of their online service representatives and ask if you can get any discounts. I managed to wrangle free shipping!

Filler Outfit #9

When I got dressed today, I was thinking, "What would I wear if I were Dee Snider testifying before the US Senate?"

This is basically just a remix of stuff I've worn before, but put together slightly differently. My leopard print trousers, Moussy boots -- this time pulled up -- and my mother's Byblos jacket. I'm wearing a white wifebeater that I love so much that I hardly wear it.

Do you ever do that? I have some articles of clothing that I like so much that I'm afraid of wearing them out because I don't know how to replace them.

The funny thing is, I usually wear girly stuff, but I feel most comfortable in these kinds of outfits. I mean, when I dress girly, I enjoy it, but it feels like a costume. I feel like I got more swagger when I wear trousers and wifebeaters.

My daily makeup routine is mascara and some kind of lipgloss or lipstick. Depending on the weather, my cheeks get red, just like those healthy ruddy-cheeked farm girls in the 1960s Communist posters. However, mine are kind of red in patches (and weirdly, my left cheek is redder than my right cheek), so I sometimes also rub in some rouge to even out the redness. (I use Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Powder Pink because I'm lazy and don't want to use a brush. I highly recommend it. It's buildable and stays on your face all day, even through humidity. You also don't need a lot, so the rouge lasts for months.)

Anyway, I don't usually put on eyeshadow or anything during winter because my skin feels too dry. But when summer comes, I like to slap on the eye makeup. I felt like doing smeared black eyeliner today to go with the whole hair metal-ish look.

One of the cosmetic brands I would recommend is the drugstore brand, Bourjois, which you can find at Watson's. It's cheap but really good. This is their Volume Clubbing Waterproof Eye Pencil, and it's perfect for humid weather. It doesn't run as much as other eyeliners, the colours are really intense and it feels nice. My eyelids are quite oily, and the eyeliner creases on me, but otherwise, it stays on for hours.

This is what it looks like after 5 hours. Not bad, eh?

I found out about Bourjois from Pixiwoo, and although I haven't tried anything other than the eyeliner, those girls really like the eyeshadows and mascara. I might try getting the mascara when I'm done with my current.

Filler Outfit #6

Another outfit with pink, leopard print and distressed elements. I'm really predictable, dudes, but it was Saturday, and the news from Japan was not making me feel like wasting too much time thinking of clothes.

I'm wearing a bunch of stuff that I've had for ages. A black Giordano tank top underneath my cobwebby Hysteric Glamour sweater and a Betsey Johnson lace skirt. Funnily enough, it's the first time I've actually combined this sweater with this skirt. See? Even after 8 or so years, you can still find new ways to wear clothes.

A rather weird angle, I know, but this is what the right side of the sweater looks like.

Filler Outfit

It was 21 degrees Celcius when I wore this outfit on Monday, and I was really tired. I just wanted to be as comfortable as possible. My shoes are Beverly Feldman and super comfortable despite being so tall. I wore them to set off the gold shimmer in the fabric. It's not clear in the sunlight, but in artificial light, the dress looks amazing.

This dress was possibly one of the first outfits I ever bought when I first moved to Hong Kong all these years ago. I found it at the late, lamented Beverly Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, a rundown building that housed dozens of little shops run by independent designers and kids who just wanted to sell cool things. It was the original inspiration for Island Beverly in Causeway Bay.

But the more Beverly Centre became popular, the higher the rents got and most people moved out to Mong Kok or Rise Commercial Building. I wonder if there will be a renaissance.

This dress has an early 70s vibe to it, so I usually wear it with lots of blue eyeliner and hair parted low on the side. Now that I have Bettie Page hair, it's a little bit tougher to get an appropriate hairstyle. I really was too tired to do anything beyond an easy updo, but I think in the future, I'd do a kind of 1970s pageboy look to my fringe like so:

Taken from here

I'll put up a picture next time. The whole process involves using a hair rat and a combover.

Anyway, to return to Beverly Centre, I also got this faux-leather bag there. Both the dress and the bag were really cheap, under HKD200 each. My awkward pose is to show you the leopard print on my shoes. And for those who are wondering, the tattoo is based on a Tang Dynasty design. During that time, soldiers would have animals engraved or hammered onto their shields, hoping that they would be able to express the qualities of that animal during battle.

I liked that soldiers used the image of a tiger to represent not ferocity but honour in battle, so I took it as inspiration for a pair of tattoos.

Hidden Agenda: Newbie Agenda #1, Part 2

Sorry for the late entry! Some of you might suspect that a lot of these entries are actually scheduled, which is why they're so consistent in terms of publishing time, and you're right. However, rather than a schedule entry, I wanted to post this review of last night's show at Hidden Agenda up today, but I got home really late, and I have to do my part-time work on Saturday mornings.

Before I begin, I dropped by a friend's house after work (and before Hidden Agenda) and saw this doggie in the lobby with its owner. It was really mean and kept yapping at everyone. Here it is taking a rest. So cute!

Then I asked if I could take a picture, and the owner said to the dog, "It's picture time!"

As soon as it saw the camera, the dog did this! What a camera whore! I like how he's posing but pretending the camera isn't there. A true tabloid star!

Since I had to work before going to Hidden Agenda, I wore this. It's my homage to Snoopy. Vintage garrison hat, vintage suede jacket, my striped skirt and Marc Jacobs canvas boots. Oops, I'm revealing a bit more of my face than I should, but I think with my hair and all, I'm sort of recognizable on the street, anyway. By the way, yes, my legs are that pale. Crazy, huh? If I stepped out into the light, my whole body would be that zombie colour.

I was wearing this H&M blouse and a leopard-print belt from some random shop (I think it cost HKD30) underneath.

Anyway, this is the street where Hidden Agenda  is.

You have to enter through the back. This lift is so old, it's one of those ones that you have to shut the two doors properly or else it won't move. If someone is a jackass and doesn't do it, the people in the building will be trapped there (and have to take the stairs).

Inside Hidden Agenda before the show.

Stuff by Graffiti Airlines.

Also saw this in a parking lot by Start from Zero.

More Reverb were so great! They only played a couple of songs, though, so sad about that. Afterwards, I was asking them for their contact information so that I could pass it on to my friends in the music industry, and they were like, "Are you sure??"

My friend said, "Oh no, they don't  think they're any good!"

But they are! I tried to film a song, but my arm got tired too fast. Anyway, I hope you guys listened to the YouTube video. They are obviously inspired by Mono even during their performance, and I can't think of a better band to follow.

The drummer was so cute. After their performance, a couple of thrash bands played, and he was headbanging. I just thought it was so sweet because he plays such ambient music and then gets all wild.

I didn't think much of the other bands. The last one was particularly meh. They had a great drummer and a good bassist, but the singer was terrible, and he was really into himself and boring. Hate that combination.

Hidden Agenda has also opened up a shop selling band merchandise, vintage items and stuff Kimi made using recycled materials.

Here's Mui Mui, the resident doggie.

The lift from the inside.

I got this bag from Kimi. It was HKD120, not bad, huh? I think maybe people have noticed that I don't care for bags very much. I loathe carrying them around, so I don't have as many bags as I might shoes or other accessories. This is a good bag for work, though, carrying files and even my laptop.

ps. Oh my God! Do you ever have a moment where you see a picture and think, "That looks just like me!" I was going through the animal pictures on the Telegraph and saw these:

It's Ambam the gorilla, and he looks just like me! We have the same round head, the same short Bettie Page bangs/fringe, and the same posture. If I wore my Gucci coat, we'd be twins!

photos from the Telegraph

Sheung Wan Herbs and Dried Food Street

It seems like the tourists who make the most out of their trip to Hong Kong are either Korean or Japanese. Unlike whites, they aren't afraid to try out the amazing food, and unlike other Asians, they don't just stick to malls. Seriously, I know people who have been visiting Hong Kong for more than ten years, and they don't know anything beyond Pacific Place, Landmark, Harbour City and Times Square malls. It's truly so sad. And it's also annoying because you wouldn't visit Tokyo and just go to Ginza or Paris just to go to Printemps, right? (If you disagree, I'm sorry for you.)

Anyway, I usually see a lot of Japanese and Korean tourists along this stretch of road in Sheung Wan/Sai Ying Pun area. It's Connaught Road West, accessible by streetcar or a nice half-hour walk from Man Mo temple passing by antiques shops and art galleries.

You'll see a lot of dried food and herbs on this street. It's super crowded right now because of Chinese New Year, with people buying bags and bags of stuff to give to relatives. I read that instead of Hong Kong people going over to China to buy cheap dried food, now Chinese people come to Hong Kong to buy cheap stuff because our currency (pegged to the US dollar) is in the shits. I'm a bit scared now.

Mostly dried seafood.

Abalone and scallops.

This street was still uncongested.

Then it got super nuts here. I think it's the cheaper area.

Mushrooms.

So many old people crowding around! This is when Hong Kong is at its most dangerous because old people don't give a shit, and they push you around and stuff. And most of them are superhumanly strong because they've spanked their kids and grandkids for decades.

I wanted to get some sausages for my parents, but I didn't feel like fighting through the people. If you need to bring back some kind of gift or want to take home some delicacies, why not buy cured meat? These sausages are lovely when chopped up and put into your rice cooker (or pot) while you're making rice. It makes the rice so fragrant and delicious.

There's also cured chicken and other fowl.

Anyway, you could really spend one whole afternoon just walking around from Man Mo Temple to Sai Ying Pun and then pop into a restaurant for dinner, then take a streetcar back to wherever.

ps. I know there are enough pictures in this entry, but I wanted to decry the gradual warming of the weather. Last night, despite the warm temperature, I forced myself to wear my vintage lumberjacket, even though I started sweating and had to remove it eventually. I love mixing leopard print with plaid. Dammit, Hong Kong. Stay cold, Ponyboy!