BFC behind the scenes

Today and tomorrow, Electric sekki will be working around the clock at The British Fashion Council's London Showrooms presentation; this is the first time they've come to Asia, and this year we're lucky enough to be involved with a group of fiercely talented designers who've been brought to Hong Kong by Li & Fung to present their S/S '12 collections to an exclusively invited set of Asian retailers and press.  This group of strong young talent includes Patrick Grant of menswear label E. Tautz; Mary Katranzou, queen of prints; Marios Schwab, king of sexy details; the effortlessly elegant Roksanda Ilincic; Peter Pilotto, champion of draping the female form; master of androgyny, Todd Lynn, and footwear designer extraordinnaire Nicholas Kirkwood.  We've spent all weekend setting up, and we're opening our doors at The Space in T-minus 30 minutes.  See you there!

Patrick Grant of E. Tautz ironing his collection to perfection!

Electric sekki General Manager, Vivienne, takes a break from all her hard work to admire a gorgeous sexy rack of Marios Schwab pieces.

Disclaimer: this event is INVITE ONLY!

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let loose!

It's Friday, it's the weekend!  Let loose!

Vogue Italia 1993.

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carrie in hk

Ladies & gentleman, Carrie Cooper is officially in town.  Here to present her forthcoming S/S '12 Beau Coops collection and her S/S '12 Beau Coops for Karen Walker collaboration to press and buyers, Carrie Cooper spent all day with us yesterday at Electric sekki.  I know, lucky us, right?  And if that's not enough to make you jealous, we've got her all to ourselves again today (insert evil laugh here)!  Two of our favorite fashion bloggers, Denise from SuperWowOMG and Valerie Soh, also stopped by for a quick chat with Carrie and the chance to check out (and try on) her newest styles.  Scroll through to see their favourite picks, as well as gorgeous Denise modeling some stand-out styles!

Carrie with Denise of SuperWowOMG (left) and Valerie Soh (right).

Beau Coops has collaborated with RTW label, Karen Walker, for a couple seasons now.  For S/S '12, Carrie gave Walker's neutral colour palette a pop of brightness with fuchsia trimmings on her shoes.

This is Carrie Cooper's personal pick for her favourite out of her S/S '12 collection.  Coincidentally, blogger Valerie Soh also picked it for her favourite.  Well, perhaps not so coincidentally: it is a fantastic style.

Denise of SuperWowOMG's favourite style, the Beau 5, released each season in five new materials.  We are loving this classic black suede cap toe style for off-duty summer days.

Denise in a gold-dipped cap-toe style with a vertiginous stacked heel!

Denise in a chunky platform heel with cut-out sides.

Denise in her favourite Beau 5 style!

Carrie unveiling a new style with mock stingray texture, featuring her new line of shoe jewelry, which can also be worn as an earring or as a pendant.  Genius!


Beau Coops is currently available in Hong Kong at Bauhaus, D-Mop, Initial, I.T, i.t, Little Black Dress, Magenta, Seibu and Ztampz.

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som(e) girl

Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf character on Gossip Girl has become somewhat of a modern style-icon; a sophisticated Upper East Side answer to Carrie Bradshaw's downtown sexy undone look. The character of Serena Van Der Woodsen may have been the obvious choice for a style icon, but it's Blair's elegant and refined look that has cultivated a legion of die-hard fans around the world. Her style has swayed millions of teen and 20-something girls to go preppy-chic, and Peter Som delivers the epitome of this genre of style. On recent episodes of Gossip Girl, Blair wore a stunning nude embroidered georgette dress, as well as a fun ruffled top in a pop of lemon-yellow colour: two looks fit for a real Upper East Side princess.

Peter Som is available at Nicole Boutique in Macau, Spring Fashion in Shanghai, Lotte & Null in Korea.

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walk with beau

Let's be honest here, there's nothing much that I love more than opening up a new box of beautiful shoes; tearing the tissue paper away, removing the stuffing, and modeling them in front of the mirror.  A lot can be said about a woman's love for shoes, but the curious story behind how they got to you is often left untold.  So I was really excited when I heard that one of my favourite footwear labels, Beau Coops, released a short video entitled: Merci Beau Coops - A Shoe Making Adventure, chronicling the journey of Beau Coops' enigmatic designer, Carrie Cooper, on her mission to create her S/S '11-'12 collection.  The journey goes from Carrie's initial brainstorming sessions, to sketching, to visiting the factories in Italy, to the excitement of receiving her samples, to attending the trade shows at Premier Classe and Tranoi ... to finally seeing her designs in the boutiques of fashion capitals around the world.  It's a long journey, but when you come out with designs as lovely as those offered by Beau Coops, it's well-worth the effort in the end.

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love for lana

When our team first came across Lana Del Rey, we were immediately hooked: the sultry internet-sensation with a hauntingly beautiful voice instantly became our office pick-me-up.  It's rare that you come across new talent that literally gives you goosebumps, but Lana Del Rey's first music video, Video Games, definitely did just that.  Lana's retro Bridget Bardot-inspired style and deep husky voice has us longing for a lost time where 35mm film was still popular and celebrities still had a certain degree of mystery about them: a time before internet gossip sites, paparazzi and video games.  It's reminded us to live in the present and turn off all the electronics every once in a while: just sit back and enjoy each other's company.  We've got mad love for Lana, so check out Video Games below and thank us later.

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to dye for

You must have noticed by now that coloured hair has become the new it trend; walk the trendy streets of Causeway Bay or attend any fashion event and you're bound to see a handful of people with enough fashion-kudos (and confidence) to pull off a colourfully dyed mane of purple, pink, green or blue.  Way back in the Naughties, however, there was one particular style maven who started sporting this haute macabre long look before it was 'cool': UK-based stylist Katie Shillingford.  She was the first subject captured with drip-dyed blue hair by Tommy Ton of JakandJil; since then she's sprouted a huge crop of copycat admirers.  We think she looks best with her current candy floss pink 'do.  Seeing Katie with her candy-coloured mane on her wedding day done up with 20's inspired waves and dressed in a custom Gareth Pugh gown... well, let's just say it literally took our breath away.

Image: Street Peeper

Image: Hanneli

Katie on her wedding day in a custom Gareth Pugh gown: absolutely breathtaking.

Image: The Telegraph

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they ♥ theyskens

On Thursday, the town's young fashion set gathered at Lane Crawford's newly refurbished gorgeous Canton Road store for the chance to meet fashion god, Oliver Theyskens.  We had a quick chat to him at the after party, and learnt that Theyskens knows Hong Kong like the back of his hand, having been here multiple times on holiday before; once for 15 days!  Apparently, Hong Kong is one of his top holiday destinations.  Oh, and did we mention that one of his favourite things to do while he's here is to go for dimsum on Saturday mornings with all the old Chinese families.  Love him!  And just in case you're curious: yes, his hair is even more amazing in real life.

For those of you who don't recognise the name, Theyskens made a name for himself reinventing the labels Rochas and Nina Ricci, creating dreamy, critically acclaimed (albeit seriously expensive) designs that revived the historic French houses.  However genius his designs, Theyskens' collections for both Rochas and Ricci were not sellable, and the industry was skeptical if the designer's clothes would ever be worn by 'real women'.  Fast-forward to last year, and fashion financier, Andrew Rosen, decided he saw great potential in Theyskens to design a special capsule collection for Japan-based affordable luxury label Theory, under the moniker of Theyskens' Theory.  The collection was both a huge critical and commercial success, and Theyskens has since also been appointed creative director of Theory.  If that's not a fashion fairytale, then I don't know what is!  And who doesn't love a good fairytale?

Theyskens sketching away; even his illustrations have a dreamlike quality to them. 

Loving these metallic green/blue foiled pants.  They remind me of an urban mermaid. 

The texture on this jacket was incredible, not to mention the workmanship; each sequin/bead was individually hand-stiched to a chiffon jacket shell.  Couture techniques for the masses.

Theyskens is all about maintaining a certain level of quality and workmanship; bringing great tailoring techniques to customers at more affordable prices. 

The VM at Lane Crawford is always amazing.  The refurbished Canton Road store is no different!

Oliver Theyskens with some of our favourite Hong Kong fashion bloggers (left to right): Cindiddy, Sam is Home, Oliver Theyskens, T Like Bubble Tea, Carmen Chan, SuperWowOMG and Fashion Hedonism.  Photo courtesy of JJ Acuna of The Wanderlister.

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ocular plus 上目

Over the years, the Ksubi boys have really fostered a fierce cult of followers who would do anything to get their hands on a certain pair of shades that they've fallen in love with; in Hong Kong, undoubtedly the best place to stake out that pair you can't get out of my mind is at Ocular Plus 上目. George stopped by Ocular Plus 上目 while he was in town; the whole space was converted into a Ksubi eyewear pop-up shop of sorts, with incredible images from Ksubi's F/W '11 collection that we recently wrote about here. Got a pair that you can't stop thinking about? Hurry on down there, people! Now!

George at Ocular Plus in a style exclusively available at Ocular Plus.

Pieces from the F/W '11 Ksubi eyewear collection, currently avaialble at Ocular Plus.

Ocular Plus has two locations:

Kowloon: Shop C, G/F, 17-19 Nga Tsin Wai Road, Kowloon City, Hong Kong

Causeway Bay: Shop 105, 1/F Style House, The Park Lane, 310 Gloucester Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

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party, harvey!

Last night, we celebrated Harvey Nichols' new Pacific Place store opening with cocktails and lots of ooh-ing and ahh-ing over pretty things. Missed out? Don't fret, you know we've got you covered. We caught all the prettiest things on camera just for you! But you've got to make sure to have a wander around the store soon, because it really is a phenomenal space; Harvey Nichols have definitely stepped their game up with this one!

They've got to have just about one of the coolest escalators in town. Check it out!

Amazingly cute, unique furry clutches from Jamin Puech!

Love the colour of this Jamin Puech purse.

Here's our Marketing Manager, Sam, in a full sass & bide look. How amazing does she look, people!?

A colourful rack of quintessential sass & bide pieces.

Loving the textures on this Insight 51 menswear rack!

It's the Electric sekki Collective Crew! Andy from Insight, Carlos from Konzepp, Electric sekki's very own marketing guru Sam, Boris from HKHQ.tv and, finally, yours truly!

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swank: the show

Last week, we posted the invite to The Swank Harbour City's unveiling party; today, we'll give you a rundown of the events.  Guests were treated to delicious cocktails and canapes at Spasso before a runway collection, debuting their hottest FW11 collections.  The raining weather did not deter the crowd from showing up in full force to get a first-look at The Swank's swanky new store and all the gorgeous clothes it housed within it.  One of our favourite labels in the store had to be (nude), who specialise in cozy but cool knitwear in an array of colours ranging from bright red to metallic gold.  Next time you're in Harbour City, make sure to head on down to the Ocean Terminal basement, where you'll find The Swank and all of their goodies.  You can thank us later.

Entrance to the new Swank store at Harbour City. 

A rack of gorgeous knitwear pieces from (nude).

Loving that big furry hat! Photo courtesy of SuperWowOMG.

A great fuzzy knit vest, perfect for winter! Photo courtesy of SuperWowOMG.

Finale clap; congratulations, The Swank! Photo courtesy of SuperWowOMG

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harvey nichols at pacific place

Tonight, we're celebrating with some of our favourites at Harvey Nichols' new store opening party in Pacific Place.  We've already had a look around their new space and, trust, it's fantastic!  They've really stepped their game up with this new location, which they've heralded as their first Asian Flagship Store.  The new space, which spreads over two floors in Pacific Place, is warm, gilded and luxurious, offering up everything from men's and women's fashion to some of the cutest baby clothes we ever seen, and even an entire emporium chockfull of all kinds of make-up.  Also, we've got to love the dress code printed on the invite: No rules.  Just you.  Just how we like it.

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som x swarovski for elle

Swarovski has long been an avid supporter of young talent in the fashion industry, each year providing a myriad of prizes in thousands of Swarovski crystals to up-and-coming designers, allowing them utilise the baubles at their own discretion for their next collections.  This year, Swarovski teamed up with ELLE China to hand-select several designers of Asian heritage to custom-make a look using Swarovski crystals; accomplished designers such as Joseph Altuzurra and Peter Som designed looks alongside newcomers such as Uma Wang and Xander Zhou.  Hands down, our favourite look of the bunch has to be this stunning column gown from Peter Som, featuring a Swarovski-bejewelled neckline and a kaleidoscopic floral print.  The sparkling crystals complement the gown's bright, feminine print perfectly, and the gown stays true to Som's quintessential aesthetic: effortless elegance with a sophisticated sexiness.

Peter Som is available in Asia at Nicole Boutique in Macau, Spring Fashion in Shanghai & Lotte Department Store and Null in Korea.

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les artistes

Back in July, Electric sekki proudly partnered up with 10 of Hong Kong's most inspirational creatives for our Les Artistes initiative. We worked with the extremely talented New York-based photographer, Daniel Garriga, and local photographic production agency, Elite Photography, to shoot 10 hand-selected bright young things in industries ranging from blogging to architecture to media production to music. The result? A gorgeous summer's day jam-packed with tons of fun, lots of beautiful FW '11 clothing, and even a brief painting session!

It was such an honor to work with and be surrounded by so many talented, cool people for a whole afternoon, and it's safe to say that we've all become such great friends as a result of this fabulous collaboration. Hong Kong can often feel suffocating and full of people who work pretty standard 9-to-6 desk jobs, but if you look closely, you'll find a wonderfully gifted and unique set of individuals striving to make their own stylish mark on the world. See HKHQ.tv capture an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the Les Artistes initiative below.

Les Artistes features: Janice Lee of Popbee, Cindy Ko of Cindiddy, Christing Chang of Fashion Hedonism, Denise Lai of SuperWowOMG, Eve Smith aka DJ Eve Speciall, Alan See of The Armoury, Omar Khan of The Omar Khan Collective, Boris Burgess of HKHQ.tv, JJ Acuna of The Wanderlister+ and Jack Leung of The Yours.

Les Artistes features clothing from Electric sekki's Luxury and Contemporary Division, including: No. 21 by Alessandro Dell'Acqua, Peter Som, (nude), Horace, Twenty8Twelve, Lucy Hutchings, ksubi, Disaya and sass & bide accessories. Les Artistes also featured a selection from Pal Zileri and The Armoury. All talent styled by Priscilla I'Anson.

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insight: live @ 3 o-clock

Pesky weather issues have delayed the start of Gorrow painting the mural at Siam Square, so until the skies clear up, our man is at Pronto Denim's Central Lad Prao store finishing off his mural from yesterday. Check it, Lana Del Rey has never looked so good!

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insight: live!

Live from Bangkok, it's INSIGHT's Steve Gorrow: Gorrow's in town today to work on a live art installation billboard at Bangkok's Pronto Denim store in Siam Square. INSIGHT's adored around the world for their art-driven printed fashion tees, and the people of Bangkok will be the first to see some of the new artwork that will be featured in INSIGHT's coming collection. Lucky bastards! For all of you non-Bangkokers out there, we've got a hint from Gorrow regarding the theme of his mural: we're told it's all about a femme fatale. Now, if that doesn't get you excited, well, we don't know what would. Check back here throughout the day for updates on how the mural's coming a long; we'll be chronically the day's progress with a timeline of sorts. Let the painting begin!

The handsome, the one and only: Steve Gorrow!

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