Finding Beijing’s WUHAO, And Loving It

I was supposed to blog about this last year during my trip to Beijing with CNNGo CNN Travel, but with everything happening at the end of the year, and with the sheer density of all the other posts I had to do for CNN, this post about Beijing’s most fantastic fashion exhibition space, WUHAO, just kept being pushed back.

Well, Spring 2013 is here, and I was reminded by an email from WUHAO and its founder, Isabelle Pascal-Pons, that they are now open and ready for business in the year of the Water Snake. 

Actually it was Brew&Post pals, Jason and Denise, who introduced me to the studio. Their friend, Vincent, came along to check it out with us as well. If you already read my Beijing post on the Nanluoguxiang Hutong, you can get a sense that Beijing has full of interesting surprises unique to the city in terms of shopping and cultural destination offerings. Amazing bars, cafes, boutiques, and gift shops line this historic commercial corridor, and are preserved within low single story courtyard structures.

It’s within this context that WUHAO is home. No signage. No visible marking. If you go to WUHAO, you are here because you know what they offer and you know exactly what lies behind the red door.

Read More

Living It and Loving It; A Christmas To Be Thankful For

Christmas 2012 has come and gone, and all I can say is that i’m thankful… thankful that the so-called “End of the World” never really happened and thankful that instead of that, this year closes with friends, family, and most importantly, Peace. Tomorrow I’ll be off to Thailand to celebrate the wedding of dear friends from University and celebrate the incoming year on some beach somewhere. 

That said, if you’re reading my blog, that means you’re plugged in, and you must know that the news of the last few weeks leading up to Christmas has not been a good one for many. There’s been plenty of pain and grief from the families of Children who were killed by a shooter in Connecticut and on the same day… a stabber in China. In addition there’s continuous strife in the Middle East, in the weeks leading to Christmas there’s been terrible fighting in Gaza, flooding in New York City, and a rocket launched in North Korea. I’m writing all this not because I want to be a downer, but more importantly to highlight that a supposed “End of the World” is generally what the masses anticipate because consciously or subconsciously, people are willing to see a different reality, a different world from the one that bombards us everyday in the media. And hopefully when the morning of December 22 came around… turning into the same day as it was the day before, rather than be depressed that Armageddon didn’t arrive, I know a few people, me included, were actually happy that the world still existed the way it had always been… and  more cognizant of the fact that endings and beginnings actually start from heart and mind.

Read More

Back To Black

Brew&Post was recently invited by PUMA to check out the A/W 2012 Collections for The Black Label brand at the W Hotel Hong Kong featuring new looks from longtime collaborators, Alexander McQueen, Miharayasuhiro, and Hussein Chalayan.

This season, the looks by Chalayan (a fashion designer inspired by Architecture and its theoretic frameworks), looks towards Outer Space as a narrative. Everything from the construction, streamlined details, and choice of fabric, aims at increasing functionality for this winter, while nodding to science fiction influences. The Space Jackets are completely water repellent, yet breathable and lightweight so you dont ever feel too sweaty and hot.

Other styles by Chalayan include this quirky shoe called the Urban Swift which was also on display, but I believe belongs to last season. It’s an update on PUMA’s own iconic Clyde shoe.

Meanwhile the McQueen collaborations with PUMA never ever disappoints.

This year, the non-seasonal annual collaborations with the House of McQueen reflect a direction that’s inspired by  the pomp and pageantry of “English medieval warfare”. Via this concept, the shoes are sometimes metallic, sometimes accented, and other times layered with different colors to represent “tattered flags” which reflect team identity in war.

The designs are completely new inventions, but one can’t help but recall iconic paintings of generals in snowy battlefields when we see a shoe like the one above for example.

Overall we had a great time checking out the collection at the W Hotel. We were also there to suss out the WOOBAR venue for the Brew&Post Launch Party.

Im wearing a PUMA by Hussein Chalayan Polo Shirt and shoes by PUMA for Alexander McQueen. The cobalt slacks are by the GAP.

Love these shoes and the electric yellow sole! I had to pair it with my hot pink Jack Wills Socks!

Most of the gang went…

Denise and Jason.

As well as ChristingC. who attended the preview with her brother, Tim.

We met Charlie from Taipei for the first time, she’s W Hotel Hongkong’s newest addition. She’s the Whenever Whatever Wherever concierge who’s on staff to help all W guests with whatever, wherever… whenever.

We also said “hi” to DJ Has Sidik, the Artistic Director of W Hotel Singapore who was in town to play one of the hotel’s pool parties. Next to him is the F&B Director, Simon Cote, without him our launch would not ever have gotten off the ground running.

We also met up Adrian Toy, Head of Marketing for PUMA Asia Pacific, and TVB Celeb, Matthew Ko, very nice guy.

My girl Teresa from PUMA Asia Pacific was there as well to say hi. (Thanks Cecile for introducing us.)

Tim was using his new 500HKD Canon camera… which only uses film. I wonder how the photos turned out.

Everyone was playing with it.

I on the other hand… wanted to run off with this hot PUMA Bike. I couldn’t go very far since both wheels were busted. Oh well. Nice try.

Thanks PUMA for my PUMA Black Label Gear! Thanks to Denise for photos!

WEAR PUMA Black Label / FOLLOW PUMA on Weibo / LIKE PUMA on Facebook / STAY W Hotel Hong Kong / PARTY Woobar

JJ.

A Taipei Story; Brought to you by Brew&Post (Part 2)

fOur Taipei trip with the Brew&Post team was extra meaningful because on top of celebrating the formation and launch of Asia’s first Style Blog Network, we were also having one last gathering before the kids of ZTYLISTAS, Derek and Melinda, were about to depart for London to finish off their last year at Central St. Martins.

Goodbye Melinda! Seen below at Park Hotel with Carmen.

The second day of the trip was marked with a last epic meal with the stylish duo of ZTYLISTAS at Ban Mu Yuan 半畝園 (as per Derek’s request), an amazing and popular Taiwanese Beef Noodles shop and then some a few doors down from the Park Hotel where we were staying. For the rest of the day the crew checked out the exciting new CBD (Central Business District) surrounding Taipei 101 as we went to visit Eslite, Taipei’s epic giant bookstore and gifts mall. Carmen and I then took a short cab ride to Simple Market, Taipei’s own version of the Weekend Market in the vicinity. That night we chilled out at one of Taipei’s most popular Food Markets, the Shida Night Market 師大路夜市, for some fresh bao and street food!

But first we spent the morning exploring the quaint low rise residential neighborhood around the hotel. Taipei’s streets are defined by lush trees, open sitting spaces, parks, and small scale road networks.

I was envious of its quiet urbanism. So many places here I can take my bicycle for a spin, whereas in HK you’ll die riding a bike because everyone will be honking a horn at you, which never happens in Taipei.

It was a great time to take my new light-weight Palladium shoes out for a spin. Also, I was wearing my new comfy shirt from UNIQLO x Jun Takahashi/UNDERCOVER Collection.

Taipei’s buildings make heavy use of red bricks and if not bricks, clay colored ceramics which blend easily with buildings which use traditional bricks to clad their facade. This is also a nice change from the crazy use of “bathroom tile” aesthetics that HK buildings rely so much on. 

My stomach was feeling weird from the previous night’s hotpot… thank goodness for Yakult… the traveller’s best friend. Thanks Denise for the snapshots.

But soldiering on, if you only have to eat at one place in Taipei, it would definitely have to be Ban Mu Yuan 半畝園. The ZTYLISTAS kids are in heaven. We were full on all the appetizers before we even got to the main course! Additionally you can get noodles in soup or dry without soup. It was heaven.

At foodie blogger, Charmaine Mok’s recommendation, Carmen and I went to check out the historical buildings of the Xinyi Assembly Hall House near Taipei 101 for some coffee at Good Cho’s and crafts market shopping at Simple Market. Needless to say, we were impressed by the variety of goods and foods sold at the market, as well as the great live music by local singer-songwriters entertaining the crowd that day.

Here you can enjoy the contrast of old and new since the Taipei 101 tower cant be missed from the market’s grounds.

Good Cho’s sold tons of amazing muffins, cookies, cupcakes, and great coffee to help people relax after a busy day of market shopping. I really appreciate the natural design sensibilities of the Taiwanese. It’s evident in how everything was laid out and presented here.

Be sure to stop by midori homecrafted ice cream before you leave!

The rest of the evening we explored the Shida Night Market 師大路夜市 to get our dinner, food stall by food stall!

We all began with fresh Bao Burgers! I had Ham and Egg. Soooo Delicious!

Mr. TOUGHLOVE had this really awesome grilled corn next!

While I had garlic sauce hot dog on a stick…

This lady made me a freshly baked potato with all the fixins.

Carb fest anyone?

Thank you Taipei!

Check out these great shoes I got from Taiwanese bespoke cobblers, Vanger at Eslite. #ONLYINTAIPEI

Can you tell i’m happy with my purchase?

For more photos of my Taipei Trip, check out my FACEBOOK PAGE, http://www.facebook.com/theWanderlister.

EAT Ban Mu Yuan 半畝園 / DRINK Good Cho’s / SHOP Simple Market / EAT Shida Night Market / WEAR Palladium / WEAR Vanger Shoes / STAY Park Taipei Hotel

JJ.

#JJStyle: Popping Up Menswear To The Next Level, Club Monaco’s The Men’s Shop Does It Right

The key word in Hong Kong at the moment is “Pop Up”. Pop-Up Shops are now generally the normal practice in cities like London and New York for smaller and more obscure brands who want to reach out to a larger audience via creating out-of-the-ordinary shopping experiences.

In Hong Kong, foreign brands are relying more on Pop-Up venues as a way to sell and package their goods to where people are currently hanging out in the city, while at the same taking the opportunity to play around with their brand image in ways flagship stores (if it exists) aren’t able to let them do.

That said, welcome to the best iteration of Pop-Up I have ever seen here. Check out The Men’s Shop by Club Monaco in Hong Kong… the only one of its kind for the brand in the world.

Now that the GAP Hong Kong is moving along, and the Abercrombie “hype” has subsided, Club Monaco wants our region’s consumers to know that they ARE still in the game. And for the next 10 or so months, #TheMensShop, presented as a bespoke menswear shopping experience, will comfortably sit between the iconic Kapok Design Store and Monocle Magazine Hong Kong Bureau on St. Francis Yard. The Pop Up will be selling everything menswear from the brand’s current season offerings, to curated items from labels like Aether Apparel, Ernest Alexander, and Mark McNairy, Vintage Persol, and Vintage Rolex, just to name a few.

You can’t miss this quaint not-so-little green shopfront.

theWanderlister+ and TOUGHLOVE Blogs were on hand at the preview evening to see for ourselves the green shop on St. Francis Yard. The following are my own photos from that preview. 

Unique #TheMensShop only Jackets in Navy Blue and Accessories in Orange.

Vintage Persol and Vintage Rolex with new fine leather straps.

More unique pieces only available at #TheMensShop.

… With umbrellas by London Undercover. 

Made in the USA Jeans by Michael Williams, style blogger of A Continuous Lean.

A great variety of socks by Union Thread.

These Bazooka gums bring me back.

I think my friend DJ Angus Wong would love this one.

Denise picking out from a pile of bandanas for her new french bulldog.

Let a good sense of style “RULE” your life.

This wooden desk is the best part. Gents, do not underestimate the power of having your own desk. Men once really cared strongly about personal style, even down to how they worked and what it is they worked on. I felt like I could do anything while I was standing here with this table.

Sit on that chair. Lets make a deal!

That weekend I had a shoot for MILK X Magazine and Club Monaco. I chose to have my interview and photos taken at the new Amical Cafe a few doors down. Great tasting coffee. Great daylight. Very peaceful working/reading atmosphere, with mural by my buddy, artist Peter Yuill.

This is really the best neighborhood for #TheMensShop to popup in. So chill. I can imagine sitting out in the balcony of Amical my book/iPad.

Ding. They’re now open.

SHOP The Men’s Shop by Club Monaco, Shop 4B, Upper GF, Bo Fung Mansions, No. 1-4 St. Francis Yard, Wanchai / DRINK Amical Cafe 

JJ.

CLUB MONACO is a BRAND PARTNER of theWanderlister+ and BrewandPost

A Taipei Story; Brought to you by Brew&Post (Part 1)

Our not-so-little blog network, Brew&Post, is now in business, and within a week of our celebratory launch party, this band of bloggers jetted of to Taipei, Hong Kong’s cuter and quite charming next door neighbor, for a bit of much needed rest and relaxation.

Taipei, the capital city of the Republic of China (Taiwan), is home to more than 2.6 million individuals, most of whom are quite fashion savvy in their own way, and who love shopping and eating in trendy establishments defined by current styles and interiors which reflect a fusion of the latest in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean design culture… but all uniquely Taiwanese.

Taipei 101 Tower, shot from Simple Market (via theW+ INSTAGRAM)

The energy and the development growth visible in Taipei’s urban and rural fabric represent an economic progress present all over Asia, which is very much evident when you’re on the ground seeing things for yourself around this generally low-rise city.

Road to Taipei from Airport (via theW+ INSTAGRAM)

Taipei’s close proximity to Hong Kong, inexpensive flight and hotel options, and its stature as a regional pop culture and design capital made it an easy choice for a Special Brew&Post group weekender.

We decided to catch a very early flight in order to get started in Taipei as soon as possible. Unfortunately we spent a long time at the airport because we overestimated the departure time as hardly anyone was checking in so early in the morning. Moreover the flight was delayed by about an hour so it was direct to to the Plaza Premium Lounge where we were invited to just chill out and have a warm snack before the flight.

People were NOT happy about the delay. There were a few Youtube worthy customers having end-of-the-world-tantrums spotted… and rightly so… everyone wanted to get to Taipei ASAP including us!

The last time I went to Taipei was about a three years ago. And for sure the airport didnt look like this when I last visited!

(via theW+ INSTAGRAM)

Finally the gang settled in at the Park Hotel, a nicely designed contemporary hotel that is big on service, perfect for location, good enough on design, and overall more than a great value for the price. We were surrounded by strong free wifi in every space and room… it was heaven.

Around the corner from the hotel was a mom and pop beef noodles operation that came strongly recommended by the concierge. A good thing too, the meal was absolutely divine.

Every meal came with unlimited amounts of grass jelly drinks. The noodles were Taiwanese style, very chewy and thick. The beef tendons were superb.

Food is a big deal in Taipei. Everyone who visits the city knows that you cant say “no” to any and every offering available. Derek of ZTYLISTAS was super excited about this pastry shop which served all types of Taiwanese/Japanese Sesame Flaky Shortbread Pastries. They gave out unlimited amounts of free samples to try. It was intense.

The shop, in english called RED SAKURA, is filled with sweets and treats, from Hello Kitty themed buns, to pastries stuffed with anything from almond paste to yams. Plenty of gift boxes to bring back home to friends and loved ones.

I was such a big fan, I bought loads of boxes, and was willing to even hold up the free tastings sign out front.

Trip Advisor and general guidebooks will tell you to go to shop and hang out at Ximending Japanese style shopping district. But if you read this blog and you generally like what I like and hate what I hate, chances are, you’ll hate Ximending. So don’t waste your time there and check out the neighborhoods and side streets that branch out Zhongxiao East Road instead, home to Taipei’s coolest and newest independent clothing boutiques.

Taiwanese people love to dress up and get their photos taken on the streets here in Zhongxiao.

Western shops that want to make a name for themselves yet keep their “it” factor, operate flagships in this neighborhood. Justin Timberlake’s WilliamRast store has a flagship here.

I love this shop. It’s a boutique outlet that sells everything from high concept fashions to homewares. French scented oil candles from Cire Trudon, were dirt cheap this weekend. The store is called WOW Outlet and is located where the old TaipeiUC (Undercover by Jun Takahashi) store and noodle shop used to be.

A few doors down, is a boutique wasteland of cool art and design books, plus knickknacks and goods, cheesy yet sublime, called VVG Something.

The amount of vintage wares in there was completely impressive. In addition the books were mostly of the intellectual coffee table variety with subjects focused on style, art, design, and photography, titles which are generally hard to find and source in Asia.

A copy of Visionaire to the left, as well as a Ryan McGinley book to the right. You may remember the cover of the McGinley volume was used for a Sigur Ros album cover.

ChristingC. was exhausted.

For the rougher gentlemen, we discovered the Red Wing Shoes flagship store around the corner. Jason Lam TOUGHLOVE was ecstatic.

Taiwanese shops and boutiques have a very good sense of aesthetic focus. Most all places we’ve seen don’t rely on faux flash and pizazz to make a statement. Palettes are generally kept neutral and clean with barefaced concrete and timber finishes. All keeping a down to earth yet natural vibe.

This is the Red Wing Shoes store facade. So nice.

After a long walk around, we settled into one of the coffee shops in the district, Coffee Tree, for a re-group and a general team meeting.

The space was clean, nice, domestic, and very much a Taiwanese coffee bar experience.

I had the rose lychee tea.

Jason had a manly mango slushy drink worthy of the moniker “TOUGHLOVE”.

We ended the first day at a famous hotpot joint, Tai Ho Dien, with ChristingC and her cousin, a popstarlet named, Katie of ROOMIE, a girl pop act.

The yin-yang style hotpot was extremely delicious. One side was served with a spicy pig’s blood and the other was a non-spicy house stew.

Delicious. We filled the hotpot with dumplings, tofu, beef tendons, and steaks. It was a perfect way to end our first day, in true Taiwanese fashion.

However a day in Taipei doesn’t end without a nightcap drinking local-style! The hottest place at the moment is apparently Fourplay were the city’s party crowd go for a quieter and more intimate drinking atmosphere.

We were treated to shots of caramelized pineapples, oranges, and strawberries, and cocktail concoctions that at this point, I cant even remember what they were. I was beyond my limit for the night.

A few shots of some B&P’ers on the streets… Denise of SUPERWOWOMG and Jason of TOUGHLOVE.

And a great one I took earlier of my roommate Carmen of HIMYS.

Other images… I love Taipei’s low rise urbanism. It’s a really refreshing change compared to Hong Kong.

And lastly viral KPOP video, Gangnam Style, hits Taipei’s taxis.

What a perfect city.

REFRESH Plaza Premium Lounge @ HKIA / STAY Park Hotel Taipei / GIFT Red Sakura Pastries / SHOP VVG Something / SHOP Red Wing Shoes / DRINK Coffee Tree / EAT Tai Ho Dien / DRINK Fourplay

JJ.

Brew&Post; Style, Multiplied By Six. Get Ready World!

Introducing…Brew&Post! from Brew and Post on Vimeo.

By now most of you have seen me type Brew&Post so many times on this blog without really going into much detail about it. Trust me, it’s been very difficult to keep a lid on this project. But as you can see in the video above… happy to say… after months and months of planning and preparation… this week everyone in the Brew&Post blog network are now FINALLY allowed to make the big REVEAL!

Friends and readers… this is Brew&Post!

Brew&Post is a close network of tastemakers and influencers based in Asia from six different backgrounds around the world, with six stories to tell, six perspectives, and six sharp points of view when it comes to fashion, style, and design.

From left to right, we’ve got Derek Ho and Melinda Wang from ZTYLISTAS.COM!

My girl via London, who just moved to Hong Kong, Christing C. of FASHION HEDONISM!

Then to my right there’s Carmen Chan, style photographer and blogger of How I Met Your Style (HIMYS)... Image below taken at the Converse Launch at Linguini Fini. And the one after shot by Carmen in Brooklyn of Jeanette Lai… sister of our next blogger…

Denise Lai of SUPERWOWOMG! She’s our resident it-girl next door!

Last but definitely not least… our tough guy, Jason Lam, of TOUGHLOVE.HK… He seems tough, but he’s a good solid guy, a great friend, with a natural sense of true “dude” style.

And then there’s me for theWanderlister+ which makes SIX!

The video for the Brew&Post launch above was shot earlier in the summer at Hotel ICON. From all of us at Brew&Post we owe a big thank you to Hotel ICON, Hong Kong’s art based and creatively independent boutique hotel… for hosting us and letting us film the video in your wonderful spaces.

Here are some behind-the-scenes shot from my INSTAGRAM account:

We started the day with coffee and chats at The Market, designed by Terence Conran based on wet markets in Hong Kong…

Then we proceeded on over to GREEN for cupcake and more carbs, with an amazing green feature wall designed by French landscape architect, Patrick Blanc.

If you follow my Instagram, you’ll see plenty of #FOODPORN photos like the one above. NOTICE: My Instagram is NOT for Dieters.

Great times. This one a photo of me with Jason of TOUGHLOVE. I’m wearing my new shirt I got from the LEE Flagship in CWB.

And with Denise. She loathes this photo, but I think we look cute. (We’re known as the Grandpa and Grandma of the group.)

Anyway, Hotel ICON’s Mandy Soh took this shot for her Instagram. We kept using it ever since!

Follow on us Twitter @brewandpost and press “LIKE” on Facebook.

Who knew starting this style blog would enable me to meet great friends like these guys!? Feeling #Blessed about the whole venture. More to come most definitely. 

http://www.brewandpost.com

JJ.

Seen&Scene: Booze, Photography, Rock n’ Roll… Aiming to Hit All the Notes at WOOBAR, W Hong Kong

Gone are the Living Room days at W Hong Kong… and when I say gone I mean the cool chill bar next to the hotel’s main reception on Level 6 has been rebranded as an official WOOBAR; aimed to be the “city’s epicenter of new style, redefining the city’s nightlife scene in its’ inimitable progressive way”, according to the press sheet.

But what’s more exciting is that the WOOBAR Launch ushered in a photography exhibition titled ROCKED, featuring a selection of images by famed music photographer, Mick Rock a.k.a. The Man Who Shot the Seventies… which included the likes of David Bowie as Ziggy Startdust, Debbie Harry, Queen, Andy Warhol, and Madonna. We actually got to meet Mr. Mick at the event.

Mick below right, with David and Sharon.

The exhibition is on now until September 2012, so you have two months to still catch it.

Stephanie w/ her look alike, Debbie Harry.

Despite several snags, (ie. Mick addressing the crowd saying it’s his first time in New York City and loving it… Mick… we’re in Hong Kong… although I guess we’ll take it as a compliment)… the event went far better than I anticipated, actually drawing a crowd that was far beyond the “Tai-Tai/Banker” Scene that this hotel’s parties are generally known for… (Not that there’s anything wrong with that, #JustSaying).

My friend, W Hotel Creative Director, DJ Angus Wong brought in the cool hipster/fashion crowd tonight, which is a nice change for the hotel.

The party also had its share of local gay mafia (you cant have an epic party without the gays) and you know… your finance crowd and some photograph-ready Hong Kong celebs.

It was all a spectacle which included special guest indie punk band from Beijing, Queen Sea Big Shark… which is a great move on W Hong Kong’s part to be able to fly them in and perform. Their session just rocked the house… again different for the hotel… unexpected even. I loved it.

Overall it was a great show/party for W Hong Kong, and a great attempt to make the hotel a Destination hotel. It reached out to the right people that night and it was good to see some of my crowd of friends party there for a change.

Popcorn Network’s, Casey with his pal John Metcalf from Demand Analytics.

Dawn Austin with Wandergirl, Cheryl Rodriguez.

Gierdre giving me the “Face”.

W Hong Kong’s DJ Miss Yellow and Brew&Post Blogger, Carmen Chan.

Harry Potter is angry.

Bromance. Daniel of Hungry Hong Kong and Wanderboy, Andrew.

Brew&Post Blogger, Jason of TOUGHLOVE.HK and my sis, Bernadette.

With Vivian Chen, Scene and Style editor of South China Morning Post.

My friend Jade with her playdate.

DJ Angus Wong vs. DJ Lincoln Medley from New York City, both from the inaugural 2011 W Hotels DJ Lab which began last year in Ibiza and celebrated its second year this year in Bali.

DRESSMEBLOG and ELLE HK Blogger, Jasmine Webster.

Gents of Moustache, Alex and Ellis, who just returned from a fabulously successful pop-up launch of their brand in Tokyo!

Spotted, Mr. Henry Temple.

CIPHER’s Gregg whom I just met that night for the first time.

Natasha Kaye Whiffin with Designer, Johnson Chan.

The party REALLY rocked, I have to admit… and not just because Mick Rock hosted it. (Okay you dont have to laugh.)

And my mates. All Brew&Post Bloggers (without Carmen and Melinda Wang and Derek Ho unfortunately.)

What a night.

Jason with SUPERWOWOMG.

Hello?

Thanks so much to Angus who gifted me with this autographed copy of the exhibition’s booklet from Mick Rock!

This one is my favorite picture of Madonna before she was English and just a mere “Jersey Girl”.

The ROCKED exhibit will be open to the public until the end of September 2012. ROCKED will then travel to W Hotels across Asia. For updated information on the ROCKED tour, please check out www.facebook.com/whotels.

http://www.w-hongkong.com

JJ.