Fashion's art

 

The Hermès shop window, using Seurat as their backdrop, in shadowbox form.

 

Whilst Louis Vuitton wows with its glass wall sculpture and pink tentacled window displays.

 

Is fashion imitating art?

 

 

You might also notice the cordoned area to the right of this picture, inviting shoppers to queue, to restrict the number in the shop at any one time. In the eighties in Hong Kong this was for Japanese tourists, but today, it is for the huge influx of shoppers and tourists from China, who now form Thailand's largest segment of overseas visitors. There is a strange juxtaposition of very expensive brand stores in these glitzy shopping malls, and not so far away street vendors peddling the knock-offs that still attract visitors.

A tale of two cities, or art not imitating real life.

Suits

 

Whilst we're enjoying a different type of Suits on TV, aficionados might also enjoy these suits, in NYC.

Paying peanuts

 

This is a rather salutary tale from The Guardian, about the perils of restoration. Unless there is a skill, art is best left unadulterated. Ecce Simianus.

History repeating itself

More than two and a half years ago we visited Hong Kong and Japan, for a similar sanity break that we are about to undertake in just over ten days.

As then, I was bidding on two China Trade pictures. As then, so this time too, I have been unsuccessful in achieving a winning bid. This time I was much more agressive, and bid 60% over the starting price, but fell far short of the achieved price of USD48,000.

It's disapppointing of course, but I never believe it's worth chasing the market. A market that still has huge resilience. All the other China Trade pictures made well over their top estimates.

These pictures, (including this Panorama of Hong Kong that I bid on), were sold at auction at Northeast Auctions in NH on 19 August, from where this image comes.

Next to Godliness

Whilst I am by nature a tidy person, and the house is immaculate, the one area where I have a huge failing in this is in my office, and on my desk. Today, as I do from time to time, I filed the many bills and receipts for the day-to-day requirements of running a home, (utilities, telephones, management fees, bank and financial statements etc etc), and there are indeed so many, that had been accumulating in an ever growing pile. I also put a large number of other papers in that other "file", otherwise known as "the bin".

It is only a start. I do seem to hoard cuttings, notes, cards etc in the belief that I will require them at some later date. I usually know exactly where to find such things, so only I can sort through them, and cleaning my desk or the equipment thereon or its wiring is something I do myself, lest well-intentioned people move things.

I recently cleared and cleaned the main area of my desk, by removing the old desktop, and replacing it with a new laptop, (which I love). But the desktop still works after a brief visit to the doctor, and is useful for downloading movies and music from the ether. So when I've cleared a bit more space, I will have to utilise some of it to re-install the old faithful, (which was being far from, and prompted the buying of the new laptop).

There is a certain satisfaction in decluttering, but I hope I can keep up the momentum, and make a more discernable difference in the visual appearance of the office. Luckily the area can be completely screened off by sliding sandblasted glass doors when we have visitors, but like other things, good on the inside is a rewarding experience.

Good to go

Yesterday we were making tentative plans for a sanity break at the end of the month in Hong Kong staying at our usual eyrie on The Peak, interspersed with a spot of retail therapy in Ginza, Tokyo.

This morning I was beginning to have fears of complications, because as I mentioned in a recent post, I am in the process of obtaining a new passport. We went for our Sunday constitutional in the park, and upon our return the concierge handed me a package from DHL, which contained the new passport, returned within two weeks. The British passport office does warn that the process can take up to four weeks, so it was a relief when it only took half that time.

I now have the joy of a visit to the Thai Immigration department to transfer my visas to the new passport. But after that I'm good to go. I much prefer expectations being managed this way round. 

Palms outdoors

Well, "Palme d'Or" seemed a bit fanciful. However, the slightly uncooperative bougainvilleas seemed as though they needed a supplementary production piece, so recently we removed them to another balcony and put these palms in their place.

They do rather like it up "here", and at night the uplights on the balcony provide a rather pretty distraction on the balcony ceilings, and indeed inside, in the living room. Copious photographs were taken trying to prove that point, but none that could be as compelling as my words on the subject. Believe me! 

En papillotte

I should rather like to claim that this was an overwhelming success, rather like Mitt Romney with his first overseas trip, or Britain with its perfect organisation of the London 2012 Olympics. But there is an element of truth in all these matters.

In my particular case, I'm only discussing the making of salmon in filo pastry, not earth shattering like the endeavours of Mr Romney, or the rebukes of Boris or Dave. Anyhoo, as in all cases, at least we're having a go. In my case without your money, but that's a small point, (and hence the unimportant subject of my long (and perhaps tedious) post.

The recipe comes from Delia Smith's Summer Collection and glories under the name of Thai Salmon Filo Parcels.

A case of coals to Newcastle if ever there was one. In theory it should have worked rather well, but perhaps the shop-bought filo, (I'm sure not making it myself), or the need for a white sauce perhaps, made the experience slightly underwhelming. It was literally en papillotte. I am one for perseverance, but I think these pastry experiences need a rest for a while.

I do have some leftover shrimp curry from dinner the previous day, so this may provide the oomph to rescue and adapt the dish with the remaining parcels tonight. I am a great believer in waste not want not, especially regarding food, and it is quite surprising how much better food tastes the next day, and in some cases when it's cold. Like revenge.