Couture Counsel: A Difficult Neutral
So last summer’s sale was about the creepy crawlies, Prada style, and I was all over it like a cheap suit: And a few weeks ago I completed my trifecta with this recent online find, a swirly beige watersnake platform peeptoe slingback (I dare you to say that...
Japan In Belgium
I’ve probably seen more of the country of Belgium than many Belgians, and it’s starting to become a challenge to find new surprises there. But on this particular trip I stumbled across Japan in Belgium at Hasselt’s Japanese Garden, designed and...
A Tale Of Three Dim Sums
If you know me, you’d agree that I’m better at making reservations than dinner itself, but I’m always up for an adventure in the kitchen. So while visiting my friends–who happen to love dim sum–in Europe last month, I tested our...
Cold Connections
A few years ago I took an intensive silversmithing workshop in NYC with my sister and cousin, who both share the same Vietnamese first name, Kieu. But to be precise, my cousin’s name is actually Kieu-Diem, and Diem is my Vietnamese first name. As if that...
FIMTSO: The Mini Flap
While I’m still sorting through some technical difficulties with my travel photos, I’ll revive my old FIMTSO series with a recent “discovery” of mine. Not that I’m Christopher Columbus seeing the new world for the first time or anything...
Going Overboard With Calypso
It’s not the jet lag, double/triple security checkpoints at the airports, or even unpacking dirty laundry that bring you back to reality pronto after a long trip to Lalaland. It’s more about remembering where you put your car key or what your PIN number is...
Borough Market
Just next to the Southwark Cathedral and south of London Bridge is the present-day Borough Market, whose first location supposedly existed since Roman times. Today it is one of London’s largest food markets with wholesale and retail hours. It took me a couple of...
Human Phenomenon
So I woke up early this morning to a news broadcast about Osama Bin Laden and the ensuing mob celebrations that took place in DC and NYC. My first thought, of course, was has it really been a decade since the 9/11 attack? My immediate second thought was whether there...
Royal Wedding Fever
Though my last blog entry left you in Paris, I’ve since moved on to London in the last few days. Royal wedding fever is everywhere in the city (and all the round the world I suppose)… but I’m battling an even more royal case of hay fever (the daily...
Another Kind Of Pilgrimage
Paris in the Spring brings lots of warm weather. Paris during Easter season also brings pilgrims from around the world to visit its iconic churches, the Sacré-CÅ“ur… and Notre Dame… And then there’s another kind of pilgrimage that’s taken by...