Instant Goddess: New & Affordable Fashion Forward Brands in HK

So, as you know I’m always on the look-out for affordable fashion options in HK and I’ve come across not one, but three new different labels for you to peruse this week, Goddesses!

Cameo

Fellow style blogger Sabrina from Sassy introduced me the other week to a new fashion label in town called Cameo – set up by two lovely Scandinavians called Pernille Holmboe and Tale Ovstebo. This creative duo know all about what’s missing on the local fashion scene. Cameo was born from a shared passion for fashion and a desire to provide “affordable on-trend, design with great fit and high quality… something that is highly missed on the fashion market” and with their strong fashion credentials these ladies have a fashion trick or two up their sleeves to share with the rest of us.

Pernille is a Norwegian model and models the collection while also providing vital creative input from her years of experience in the fashion industry and Tale is a talented fashion designer – together they make the perfect design duo. Pernille is one busy lady as she is also the mother to a baby and a toddler… but while we all know how demanding motherhood is she also enjoys the creative outlet that Cameo provides her with and often ensures all the clothes are mama friendly. After her first child was born at around 6 months, she felt that she needed to “do something” and Cameo came about after a lunch with Tale when she got chatting animatedly about fashion. After the lunch they agreed to meet again and the rest is history as they say.

I dropped in at their pop up event the other week at the Cat Street Gallery and was impressed with what I saw and thought it would be rude not to share my top picks from the A/W collection with you.

Wool chain dress | Beaded silk top with aubergine fitted pants | Black satin zipper pants |Black fringed pocket jacket with navy fitted pants 

Black sequin dress | Flare Wool Jacket | Leather Studded Dress | Cream silk blouse with fringe pocket pants

Photos shot by Sabrina Sikora Photography

Cameo designs are available here. Shipping and returns are free to HK.

Marco Visconti

Another new HK fashion contender is Marco Visconti – which showcased its FW 2012 collection at Lilly & Bloom the other week. One of the overriding factors that Team Sassy felt on seeing the catwalk show is that these clothes really come to life once worn rather than on the peg. The other overriding factor was the price; Marco Visconti promises “Affordable Luxury for Now and Forever” and the prices are good, Goddesses! Marco Visconti as originally a German label founded in 1986, but has recently been reinvented and is now headquartered in Hong Kong.  Its clothes are inspired by its customers: “classic, sophisticated and feminine yet each with a distinct personality” – sounds like us, right?? Here are my picks from the catwalk:

Catwalk photos courtesy of Sabrina Sikora Photography

The most admired piece from the Sassy crew was the Anicia jacquard patching coat in no.5 above – see below for a close up. It almost looks like a black cape with a fabulous jewelled clasp draped over a rich jacquard coat but is in fact one piece.

Other pieces that caught my eye:

 

Anicia patching jacquard coat | Lady Magdalene tied blouse | Anna Dentelle Lace Dress | Anna Lace Framed Jacket 

Ponte stripe knit skinny dress | Cairo triangle in two pieces dress | Lily diamond blouse | Dogtooth shifted column blouse

Marco Visconti Soho: G/F, 63 Staunton Street, Central, Tel: (852) 2803 2307, opening hours Monday to Sunday 12pm – 8.30pm and in Cyberport: Shop 306, L3, The Arcade, Cyberport, 100 Cyberport Road, Pokfulam, Tel: (852) 2148 6166, opening hours Monday – Sunday 12pm – 8pm. Shop online here.

Caty on Caine Road

I couldn’t believe my eyes or luck when I stumbled across this new gem of a shop on Caine Road. Packed with fabulous costume jewellery at affordable prices. The owner, Chienie Tsai, has been inspired by her travels, in particular living in France, and often carries J Crew, Banana Republic, and Anthropologie inspired pieces to name a few. You’ll have to excuse the photography on this one… armed only with my iphone I did the best I could. The pieces are normally one-offs and Chienie takes delivery of new pieces every week – which is great since the jewellery is literally flying out the shop. I missed the chance of bagging a gorgeous necklace as I had my little girl with me (who by the way nearly demolished the shop) and by the time I went back, it had been snapped up by some other shopper!

Caty on Caine Road, Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 6018 7108. Opening Hours: Mon – Sun 10am – 9pm.

Hair

This week Andrea Clark, Creative Director, of The Mandarin Salon at Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong deals with the case of: Itchy Scratchy

We all know that when we get an itch we want to scratch it, right? Lately many women who have visited me in the salon, have had itchy scalps. Sometimes there is no sign of redness, just flakiness, but often there will be both, with either mild or severe redness. Generally, when wanting to scratch your scalp, particularly at the back of the head, it can be a sign of stress, which can be internalised and then shows in our skin or hair.

We can’t go around scratching our heads, almost ripping our scalps off… this is not an attractive look! For these issues we use a Philip Kingsley pre-shampoo treatment with a scalp mask containing Aloe Vera, to soothe the scalp and remove dead skin cells whilst reducing flakiness. We then add an Elastisizer hair treatment to repair and strengthen the hair and when followed by a relaxing shampoo with the aptly named Flaky Itchy Scalp Shampoo, the only other thing you need is the scalp toner of the same name. It is an absolutely brilliant product and stops itching almost immediately. These products contain a magic ingredient ‘Piroctone Olamine’ that has taken me two years to pronounce, but it has saved me and many of my clients. Flaky and itchy scalps are extremely common, but something that can be kept at bay. None of us want snowflakes on our shoulders and a scalp that feels like it is on fire!

Midweek meal inspiration

It’s been a while since we had a beef recipe so this week I give you Vietnamese Beef Lettuce Wraps. Quick, easy and tasty – Instant Goddess stylee! Full recipe here.

Yogi tea saying of the week: “Joy can never be taken from anyone. You have to give it away”.

Instant Goddess saying of the week: “Oh joy, joy, joy there are more affordable shopping options coming to Hong Kong!”

Until next week Goddesses and remember you are always, always worth it! XX