Looking for Fashion? Shop The Villa

It was not too long ago that Shanghai was in some respects fashion starved. Options and access to international designers and fashion were limited to couture luxury brands found in Plaza 66. It was pure excitement when I found out The Villa would be opening around the block from where I reside, and would be bringing fashion to the women of Shanghai with labels including Vince, Preen, Derek Lam, Proenza Schouler, Herve Ledger, Alexis Bittar, Tibi, Alice + Olivia. Well it has been well over a year now and The Villa simply never gets old. Instead, the boutique is always on top of their game – bringing in new designers like Rag & Bone, Jason Wu and Yigal Azrouel  (yes!!!) each season and keeping their selection fresh and exclusive by only purchasing one of each size.

Vince + Rag & Bone lounge, Contemporary Women's Wear.. look no further!

Don't miss this selection - Jason Wu, Derek Lam, Yigal Azrouel.. very exciting designers

Summer is in full swing now, so I thought I would bop by The Villa last week to catch up with the girls and check out the new pieces for S/S12.

Cynthia Vincent top is the perfect modern and casual wear piece for hot summer months

Loving the mint green and geometric cutout detail around the neck

Fun and Flirty look for Summer!

Sophisticated Class... there is nothing wrong about this look

The mannequin does not do this dress justice, it is simply divine!

Color blocking perfection, simply stunning for a special evening out

Still looking for swimwear this season? Look no further..

Zimmerman!! One of my favorite Australian designers, I can't stop buying these suits ladies!

Concerned about your styling ability? No need to worry, the girls at The Villa are ready to help get you dressed for any occasion – day to evening, work attire, party dresses, blind dates, dinner at Goga, brunch with the ladies – whatever your fashion needs maybe, look no further.

And because we all love handbags..

The one I dream about..the new Proenza Schouler large Keep All Bag!

Rebecca Minkoff continues to design the perfect bags for any occasion!

To the team at The Villa – I celebrate you and thank you for bringing the thrill and excitement of design, fashion and drool worthy apparel & accessories the market in Shanghai! Rock on!!

Life is a Beach

If your looking for a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city, look no further! Sunny Beach which opened earlier this year, is my favorite getaway spot for sun and fun. Located across from the cool docks, expect Chinese dressed head to toe playing in this oversized sandbox paired with bright white foreigners catching summer rays. BYO drinks, snacks, toys and sunblock! See you there…

2011 Shanghai Auto Show

Going to the annual car show has been apart of my upbringing, each year walking a different show with my dad and brother in tow. There is a special je ne sais quis about being up close and personal with a beautiful car – sleek designs, innovative capabilities, show stopping details and the oh so important vrrrrrrrrooomm factor.

It was without question I would be in attendance at this years 14^th Shanghai Auto Show, which premiered as the largest show in the history of the auto shows according to the Int. Trade Automotive Council. The show opened out to an area of 2.2 million square feet, featuring over 1000 cars, 75 of which were world premiers. With just short of a million people attending the show in the past week, the Shanghai Auto Show has proven to be a very influential show for international carmakers and the growing Chinese market.

Come along and walk the show onthemarketshanghai style…

The booth designs did not fail to impress.. flying high at Citroen

Get your elbows out, plowing through a crowd of Chinese with camera’s is not for the faint hearted!

Quick maneuvers are essential for working your way through the crowds at this auto show

Finally  to the front row at Audi…

Audi was looking good

Audi premiered several new energy efficient models for the Chinese market

Show Stopper! World Premiere of the new Audi A8 - love the fierce rims and bold design of this car

Chinese loved the models at Audi.. but I am not sure they noticed the cars

Let’s head over to Infiniti for a breather…

The Infiniti luxury class compact concept car, Etherea debuted with hawk-eye headlamps and clean design

Loving the open roof - don't you just want to jump in and zoom?

Oh look who else is making a debut…

Kobe Bryant for Smart Car

Speaking of Smart Cars…

My pick for Shanghai Summer Street Cruising.. how cute is this!

Look who is over there… BMW

BMW delivered the future packed into this concept car - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYHfdICgj8Q

Did they forget the doors?

THe BMW 650i Coupe is reminiscent o the Jaguar xk, which I love. Aggressive and straight forward design make the 650i my pick for todays' purchase.

Ready for another world premier? Let’s run over to Mercedes Benz…

Mercedes Concept A-class makes me say YES please! Look at that grill

New SLS AMG - side view

Premier of the fly AMG - what do you think?

Trending Alert!!! Quilted pattern for your leather interior!

Silver lining, reflective bulbs, so fresh - my pick for best head lamps!

Jaguar / Land Rover what’s on the market?

Jaguars premier concept car, would you buy it?

Love the side view, looks like the perfect car for zooming through Tokyo in the night

Cute, compact Rover concept for the Chinese market

Spyker it was good to see you around..

Will Spyker become the new must-have for Chinese market? Spyker debuted two new models, the C8 Ailerom and C8 Laviolette, show above.

I guess back the the future doors are still in style, bright texas orange was shown on variety of luxury speedsters.

So happy to see Spyder making a splash, Dad - I am buying you this car

Ready for some luxury? YES PLEASE!

The one and only Maybach, retailing at a cool $1.37million in China, with a showroom in Shanghai empty due to the hot demand for this luxury maven

Silicon valley  made their debut as Frisker brought out the Karma…

I wonder how long the waiting list is for this solar luxury speedster?

What are the billionaires of Shanghai cruising in?

I can't wait for my first ride in the Phantom!

Buyers were bustling around Rolls-Royce, the soft powder blue and primed model say class.

The Bentley - a perfect choice. All 3 custom made cars for the Shanghai Auto show were sold within the first half of the first day. The most expensive? The Arnage RL selling for $1million.

Walking the show with all these people is an experience in itself, at any time you have hundreds of people around you, pushing to the front of the booths – dedication, timing, and quick maneuvering is required in order to catch a glimpse from the front row, Lamborghini was no exception…

There are SO many people!!!

Crowd control- the Chinese market is loving anything LUXRY!

China is quickly becoming the #1 market for Lamborghini

Worldwide debut of the special edition Lamborghini Gallardo 550-2 Tricolore

Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV - V12 engine reaving out 670HP and 494lb-ft of torque!! Too hot to handle?

Across from Lamborghini was Ferrari who made a big splash ..

Loved the booth layout at Ferrari - highlighting the tradition and spirit of the brand

Ferrari brought six models to the Shanghai Auto Show - all of which sold. This baby is my pick for my speed loving brother

Aston Martin was drool worthy with the following models…

Aston Martin ONE-77 - as the name implies only 77 models were made, this one selling for a cool $7.21 million. Top speed of more than 354kmph

Aston Martins new model, the Virage. I need to learn how to drive a stick shift, so I can take this sweet thing for a spin

Ashton Martin Cygnet is the luxury solution for urban mobility - love love this cutie

Let’s check out the competition at Maserati…

Debut of the GranTurismo MC Stradale, what do you think?

Without a doubt, the show stopper? …Bugatti, does it get any better than this?

The very special edition of the Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, there is only 1 on the planet and it now resides in Shanghai!

Black carbon body offset with rich diamond white interior.. superb! Can't wait to see this baby cruising Julu Lu!

It was so much fun to walk the show with you, how do you rate the Shanghai Auto Show? See any cars that you would take home? If your interested in coming over this way for the annual show, just remember Beijing and Shanghai swap the show each year. Therefore, will see you in 2013 for the 15th annual Shanghai Auto Show!

Male Profile: I am wasting your time

In Missing Relationships we learned the beauty of being present in life and in the moment As we continue to study, discover and classify the male species, our new Male Profile takes us through a brief moment of time..  a month.

In this scenario, we follow Ernie (**names changed to protect the confused) an international salesman, frequent traveler and lover of ladies. He meets his match one night when Sally enters the house party. Her mature conversation, sweet poise and confidence quickly captivate him. He quickly falls for her, spending nights curled up close and days endless texting between meetings. Sally enjoyed the company, time together, and prospect to have someone around.. but was shocked when one early morning when Ernie abruptly demanded not only the Relationship conversation, but into the beyond.. in the land of marriage and kids. Now, don’t get me wrong – there is a time and place for this kind of serious exchange. Perhaps bed, immediately after exchanging bodily fluids, is not the right time.. Agreed?

Back to bed.. Sally looks up at Ernie who is having a quick emotional breakdown, insisting that he needs to know if she could be with him forever. Would she marry someone from another country? They were not the same religion – could she accept him? Was he good enough for her? Would she be ready for kids in the next 3 years? She was not able to know if she could be with him forever, but if it made him confident and eased his nerves to pickup the “Boyfriend” title, then she gave him that replying “I want to be with you now, so let’s see if it works.”

Time Elapsed to date: 3 weeks

The first official week in their Relationship, Ernie was traveling and Sally was busy creating market entry to China for new products and brands. They were functioning, balancing as a couple, and things were good. Sally quickly recovered after the abrupt exchange the other week in bed and was happy to receive her first official “couple invite” to dinner at the Sr. Ellys at the Peninsula Hotel (fabulous!) the following week. She quickly shot Ernie an email:

Hi Ernie,

X and Y wanted to know if we wanted to join them at the Sr. Ellys for dinner March 28th.  It is Shanghai Restaurant week and the Peninsula is being featured that night. Talk Soon – Sally

Reply:

Holla,

Sally, you talking about March 28th is kinda like me talking about 2015. I really have no idea what I’ll be doing, but ill probably be out with my friends. Why don’t you invite one of the girls and have a nice time. Muah.

Let’s take a moment … right, yes, verbatim from the emails – I have them. So, this really begs the question – What was that all about? If they maintained a steady pace (slow and steady wins the race!) then Ernie and Sally may still be touching toes at night. However, Ernie’s odd behavior and push to close the deal.. was it that thing where dogs want to pee to mark their spot? He pushed her into a forced commitment, a commitment which seems pretty shallow in the scheme of things and a total waste of her time.

In Relationship Symptoms:

• You are a goal driven person, once you have a mark you make it happen
• You are charismatic, persuasive and acceptance is important to you
• Your life is more important than any other human being, you only do what you want, when you want, with no consideration for other people… especially that chick you wanted a hot minute ago

Post-break up Symptoms:

Odds are, you turn around one day and didn’t get why she left. this is because you’re clueless. Or perhaps, you simply don’t care, you never think of her again. You are out to conquer, succeed, and rack up a score in life.

Lesson Learned?

Men: Words are strong, powerful and influence the direction we are travelling in life. Perhaps you’re playing the game, like we discussed in The Shanghai Dating Scene or in fact you are looking for that something special. Just remember the talk you talk – better be able to walk the walk. Otherwise, have that lovely little thing we love consideration and stop wasting our time.

Ladies: Sally emailed Ernie back and said “I would never let my closest friends speak to me that way, I don’t think this is going to work out.” Sometimes it just comes down to R.E.S.P.E.C.T and the simple fact if you’re not getting what you need out of a relationship – walk away.

Miu Miu … S/S11 Love

Back in October when all the Spring/Summer 11 collections were walking the runways of Paris, Miu Miu left an impression that we are now seeing translated into what’s hot this S/S ! I am so excited for the bright colors, graphic prints, mixture of strong masculine shapes off-played by lady-like silhouettes. Recently, everytime I walk past Miu Miu on Nanjing Xi Lu – I can’t help but to let myself go in and fawn for a minute. I just can’t get enough of these looks, not to mention these show stopping leather jackets – adoration!

girlish western never looked so good

beautiful silk satin flower print

loving the attitude

making a statement in colors

What do you think?

Would you be rocking these looks?

Dangers of Flying Domestic

As an international jet setter, I have had adventures bouncing in and out of cities worldwide. The flight experience is something to be valued: the way the stewerdess greet me as they hand me todays edition of the WSJ, the soothing in-flight tunes, comfortable seats that allow a full recline and Asian and Western dining options. The Chinese airline industry is booming now, with new airlines sprouting up daily to keep up with massive increase in air travel between domestic destinations. But travelers beware, these new airlines can be unreliable, unaccountable and even unsafe.

Last night after a fun-filled weekend at the Hong Kong Sevens, it was time to get back to life and back to Shanghai. To be expected (typical China airlines), on arrival at the airport I was greeted with an initial delay of an hour.  Not bad considering the couple times I have slept in HK airport due to Chinese based airlines notoriety for being late, behind, lost, and usually confused. We were pleasantly surprised when boarded as promised by 7:45pm. – Finally time to get home, showered, and recover after the 55+ hours consuming alcohol and celebrating pro-athletes and their muscles.

I quickly snuggled up, still small enough to layout across 3 economy size seats and tucker down with my flight blankie and pillow. My dreams of muscles, my bath tub, and being home were quickly interrupted by a loud siren coming from the front cabin. I wake up, look around.. eyes wide open and stomach in my throat. We had just taken off a short 45min ago – was the plane about to crash? Were we losing pressure? The man next to me informed me if the engine blew out we would be dead within minutes. Not comforting. Nor was the loud, fire truck sounding alarm deafening the cabin while the sterwedess retreated to the front of the cabin.

30 minutes go by with no word from the captain or staff. Instead they allowed uncertainty, panic, and fear to set in. With no success of trouble shooting the siren its cause from air, we made an emergency landing in Xiamen at 10pm. The hours start to pass with still no word from the captain or crew, no water or food for the growing unrest in our cabin. Finally there was an announcement, a bottle cap had been wedged into a door – causing the air pressure in the plane to fluctuate and trigger the alarm.

Great – problem identified, issue solved – let’s get to Shanghai! However, another long hour passed by with again no further information, no reassurance, still no word from the captain and an hugely apparent lack of control over the situation. By 2am, a passenger went to the captains door demanding he come out and speak to us… the riots were only just starting. The captain came out to be confronted with several angry passengers, looking for guidance and for this plane to get back in the air. Once again an opportunity to take control, but instead he called the police and ditched the aircraft.

This morning I am still in Xiamen at the airport, once again thirsty and mis-informed. There is no certainty for when we will be home or how we will be getting there. For those of you new to traveling domestic China, these situations are sometimes inevitable. However there are a few ways to ensure that you don’t get stuck in a third-tier city eating dumplings for 12 hours…and if you do, you’ll be prepared:

1. Take airlines you know. Avoid booking small no-names to save a few bucks.

2. When you are stuck on an airplane on the tarmack, do not expect any information to be provided. The airline will not claim an responsibility for delays or take any control for what is going on. Instead, expect to hear “due to air traffic control, we can not take off” – this line will be on repeat for hours.

3. Bring the necessities: whiskey nips, , ipod, xanax, sleeping pills…and a warm, colorful pashmina.

4. Form alliances to get what you want. There is power in numbers.

The jury is still out on whether we will even get home today. On our fourth delay and about to grab some KFC…one thing is for sure. You need a great travel buddy and some high spirits to maintain sanity in these miserable situations.

Male Profile: Missing Relationships

Although I do not date, as I continue to explore the subject matter of dating in Shanghai, it’s great to have such an eclectic mix of friends whose experiences I can learn from. Like all creatures, men and women have their own quirks and characteristics. Traits, qualities and patterns are so interesting to study in human behavior- especially male behavior. It is with this notion, that it’s time start profiling the males pouncing the scene, trolling the streets and climbing the corporate ladders in Shanghai.

In this scenario we follow the blooming, demise and then rebirth of a relationship in Shanghai lapsing over the past year. This is the type of relationship that is fueled by phenomenal sex, chemistry, late night parties and the convenience of a corner. The male, mid-30’s, unsure of his future, 5+ years in the city; female, mid-20’s, fresh graduate with a bright future, new to town. After months of the same hook-up schedule and about 100+ relationship centric talks, our couple takes the plunge and finally puts a title to their affection.

Before long, the seducing moments turn into painful silence. Instead of interest, support, and love blossoming – the coldness of not hearing from him for days on end, self-centered behavior, and the simple fact they were no longer able to be present in one another’s lives.. proved the harsh reality her love was not being returned. Respect unreciprocated, a relationship not cherished, and time that could have been shared.. now wasted.

She woke up months later, heart healed and blessed by a man with that wonderful quality- consideration. He woke up months later, thinking.. wait, what happened to our relationship? Where did you go? I can take a trip this weekend, let’s get away today, dinner, massages, breakfast in bed? .. But alas boy.. it’s too late. You missed it. You missed out on her and your shot to share adventures, share a kiss, share the present, and chance to be in a relationship with her.

Missing Relationships, what does this mean? Could you be affected by this disorder? Sit down, Relax.. Let me give you a quick check-up:

In Relationship Symptoms:

• Unable to make appointments or schedule time
• Emotional withdraw and disconnection
• Excuses, delays, absences in life
• Your life is more important than any other human being, you only do what you want to, when you want with no consideration for other people.. especially that chick you wanted a hot minute ago

Post-breakup Symptoms:

• Calls and text using verbiage like “miss you” “miss us” “miss the good times”
• Sudden surge of communication i.e. Lets go have dinner, Meet for a drink, Can we be friends? I love your blog!
• Asserting his maleness and ensuring should he see you out with another male, the whole bar knows you dated at one point
• Late night calls because you know she is lying next to a guy way better than you

Lesson learned? When you’re in a relationship, be present. Life is busy, but maintaining your schedule and independence is equally important. Be present in the moment – present in your life – present in your emotions.