In China, women shaved their brows. At least during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). They didn’t go browless, but rather, redrew them in (this link shows some samples, ranging on time period within the dynasty). Pretty crazy to our eyes, right? Imagine the types of looks which circulated had Instagram existed at that time! It […]
Watching Chinese costume dramas and comedies as a little girl, and later, studying Chinese history in university, Shanghai was always portrayed as a glamorous, sort of like Paris or New York in the west. Though China had its problems in the middle of the twentieth century, it has changed a great deal over the past […]
Nestled at street level of a Midtown Toronto condo just west of Yonge is Minling Pan Studio (aka Shining Image), an image consulting business and clothing boutique selling unique items not found elsewhere in the city. Born and raised in southern China, Ms. Pan came to Canada to study Fashion Management and Image Consulting at […]
The Lunar New Year is almost upon us. In fact, the year of the snake starts this coming Sunday. New Year foods can vary from region to region and from household to household. There is jai, of course, eaten on the first day (and of which I discussed in further detail last year). One thing […]
I recently had the chance to speak with Suzy Kellems Dominik, who loaned her couture collection to the latest Elite Model Look competition, a model search hosted by that top agency, which was held in Shanghai. Suzy also acted as the Couture and Culture Correspondent, where she held a “boot camp” for the contestants explaining […]
Over the holidays, one often had to deal with lots of family gatherings. And family gatherings means lots and lots of food. My parents are from Hong Kong, so food plays an even bigger part of events. It’s very much part of Chinese culture in general (yet, there’s a lot of “body shaming” if you’re […]
Known for her gorgeous wedding dresses, Monique Lhuillier has made an addition to her bridal resume. Teaming up with Waterford, she has released a collection of gorgeous china and crystals. Ms. Lhuillier made an apperance at an event held at William Ashley in Toronto’s Manulife Centre, attendees nibbled on mini cupcakes from Cake Opera and […]
If you haven’t seen the growth of interest in tea in Toronto, you must be living under a rock. From shops like David’s Tea to tea sommelier programs at schools like George Brown College and “designer” brands of teas, it’s definitely catching on by the mainstream. Container of Sloane Tea’s Heavenly Cream, one of their […]
BB creams, or blemish balm creams, originally used to protect and smooth out very sensitive skin caused by laser surgery is the latest beauty phenomenon in East Asia. Practically every line, ranging from local names to western drugstore brands like Maybelline to department store lines such as Bobbi Brown and Clinique carry them. Most formulas […]
Cynthia Cheng Mintz Mary Katrantzou presented her very artsy pieces at the last day of London Fashion Week’s Autumn/Winter 2011 Collections (the official last day is actually Wednesday, but only men’s wear is being presented). Resembling pieces of hand-painted antique china, these very colourful pieces are certainly different from what many other designers are presenting for next season. […]
