Feel that tiny drop in temperature in Hong Kong over the past few weeks? Well that, my friend, is what us shopaholics know as a trigger… a trigger to buy new things because it’s a whole new season! Right?! RIGHT. It’s called Becky Bloomwood logic, y’all.
THE BASICS: GRANA
I first heard of new clothing start-up Grana when my friend The Wanderlister mentioned that they sold Peruvian cotton tees for only $94. “We’re talking HKD, right?!” I squealed at him over Instagram. Indeed, he was – which is amazing given that you can’t even get good quality cotton tees from H&M or Uniqlo for that kind of price these days.
I dunno what the guys at Grana are smoking in order to give us such beautiful clothes for such ridonkulously cheap prices… but I fully intend on filling up shopping carts full of tees in every colour before they realise their madness. In addition to the Peruvian cotton tees, they also have some lovely looking Chinese silk long-sleeved shirts for $349 – exactly the kind of “go with everything” basics your wardrobe never has enough of (the kind of logic your bank manager will totally understand).
More Grana cleverness: how many of us have received giant boxes from Net-a-Porter “filled” with just one tiny eyeliner? Uh-huh. Well, Grana’s website tells you exactly how many of their items you can fit into their uber-cute cardboard shipping boxes, so you can maximise space and pay the lowest possible shipping costs. I LOVE YOU GRANA, WILL YOU MARRY ME?
SPECIAL OFFER: By the way, if you sign up with my Grana referral link, you’ll get HK$78 off your first order (and I’ll get HK$78 credit too). That’s nearly a whole shirt!
THE CASUALS: JACK WILLS
Jack Wills has a bad rap for being Britain’s Abercrombie – which means lots of fully-grown adults miss out on the fact they actually have some lovely, well-made clothes that are begging to be worn by those of us buying them with our own hard-earned cash as opposed to Daddy’s credit card.
The Kelton Crew Jumper is exactly the kind of easy-to-wear casual they excel at – classic colours and a quirky but not OTT design. The black panels are actually super flattering, while the whole thing is “press me to your cheek and never let me go” baby bunny soft (note: no baby bunnies harmed in the making of this sweater).
Every winter, I long for a pair of casual but attractive flat boots. Every winter, I end up in a dusty ratty pair from the back of the shoe cupboard because I left it too late to buy them. Hellooooo Ancombe Chelsea Boots – come save me from my winter boot circle of despair.
God loves a good print. The Kendall Dress is exactly that.
See Jack Wills locations in Hong Kong here
THE SMARTS: CLUB MONACO
These days, it takes a lot to convince me out of my Uniqlo Moomin print lounge pants. But if there’s a shop to do it, it’s Club Monaco. Their elegant, classic and feminine designs in quality fabrics are exactly my cuppa char.
This Nicolette Skirt is the bomb – look at that laser-cut detail! Striking enough to make a statement, versatile enough to work with most things. Soon to be spotted at a Christmas party near you.
The picture doesn’t do the Witney Embellished Jacket justice; in real-life, the pearl beading is exceptionally pretty and delicate, making this exactly the kind of thing you could throw on to glam up any outfit. Similarly, the Amya Skirt is glitzy but neutral enough to look the business with a simple black top – good job I own about a dozen of them in my wardrobe then…
Every season I find a new Club Monaco dress to lust after, and this season it’s the Colby Dress. Simple but with just a dash of style to keep it looking anything but run-of-the-mill.
Ooooh shiny… Mmm slouchy… the Lilah Sweater is ticking all my festive cheer boxes.
See Club Monaco locations in Hong Kong here
THE ACCESSORIES: going local down in acapulco
Remember how I realllllly needed a new bag in summer because my old one had been declared a public health hazard? Well, I still haven’t found my handbag soulmate yet, so will be trying these on for size…
Japanese handbag brand Ril Creed are new in town – and I’m really liking the look of their polished leather classics. My favourite so far is the Daphne in these gorgeous muted dove grey and lavender tones… or perhaps the camel and beige… ooooh, decisions decisions. Available from SOGO.
I’m a big fan of local label Louella Odie – this mother-daughter team have created a unique line of accessories that just bursts with love, care and quirky detail. All of the prints are hand-created by mum Karen and their second collection is full of positively swoon-some creations. I have been lusting after the leather Bumble Bee Pouch ever since daughter Lauren gave me a sneak peek on her phone many moons ago. You could say, it’s the bees knees (boom boom).
I never use clutches – which is basically the only reason I haven’t snapped up either of these beauties yet. Carmen Chan is another local designer I have been following and her foray into handbags is every bit as lovely as her jewellery (I featured one of her rings in my summer lust list here); her collaboration with Hong Kong artist Ryan San has resulted in unique abstract clutches that are half works of art, half your very own transportable Magic Eye picture. The vibrant and colourful cross-body clutches from another local brand MASE are similarly beguiling – I’m really taken with their tropical colours and exotic prints. Since I never actually go anywhere exotic, these could just be the next best thing!
Local designers are really killing it in the accessories front this year – check out these cool kicks from Blksheep Empire. I need at least one pair in my life… but two or three would be even better.
Friends and family, I hope you’ve been reading carefully in light of the upcoming season of GIVING… if not, don’t worry, I might do a purely make-up one you can take notes from next!
Check out my Beauty Winter Want List here
Through The Looking Glass 