Author: Kathleen

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Shanghai Rising

IMG_1744{The Oriental Pearl and Jin Mao Towers}

The various styles of architecture represented within Shanghai give the city an eclectic divergence from the neoclassical to the ultra-mandarin of skyscrapers. The construction craze is prevalent throughout the city and has been since, early in the last century.  A cultured oasis, the city is known as the “Paris of the East”  with remnants of an older city styled in Art Deco or baroque, which can be seen down side streets of the French Concession.

IMG_2196{A view of the Huangpu River from the Shanghai World Financial Center}

The Huangpu River carves the city in two, and on the east bank is the Pudong Financial District where the Jin Mao and the Oriental Pearl Towers (TV Tower) are located. I watched the Bloomberg channel every morning before breakfast. Also, located in the Pudong District is the Shanghai World Financial Center, which was the tallest building before the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, but it is now the tallest building in Mainland China.

IMG_2199{The Jin Mao Tower in the Pudong District, photo taken from the from the Shanghai World Financial Center}

P1010883{A view of the Bund at night}

On the west bank is the waterfront area called the Bund. Located on the southwestern portion of the River in the Xintiandi district and the former French Concession. We were told by one of the locals, in the early days of building up the wharves into modern buildings, there was a lack of qualified architects. So some of the earliest buildings were built in Hong Kong, shipped to Shanghai and then reassembled on site.

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It was fascinating to see how people lived upon the rooftops within Shanghai. Watching the underpinnings of everyday life unfold each day was thrilling. Families were washing clothes, praying or cooking, it felt like being part of Hitchcock’s movie Rear Window.

IMG_1830{A dose of Belle Epoque luxury, the Louis Vuitton store from a taxi ride}

Keep looking up!!!

K

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A Few Bites Out of the Big Apple

IMG_0108{NYC Freedom Tower in Lower Manhattan after thunderstorm}

IMG_0091{A shot of Jersey City & Battery Park from the Conrad in Lower Manhattan}

Last weekend was all about the ultimate getaway with a few days spent in New York City.  There is nothing like exploring new options, checking out a few haunts and partaking in a delicious meal or two. As always, there was a lot going on in Manhattan and our excursion began with dinner Friday evening at Bistro Alexandra in Greenwich Village which is an organic establishment that made the most delicious scallops and an organic martini called the “Death Star”.

IMG_1283{Metropolitan Museum of Art}

Next, we are off to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the Impressionism, Fashion & Modernity exhibit, which is on display until May 27th. Viewing masterpieces by Renoir, Manet, Monet, Baaudelaire and Tissot along with various articles of clothing from particular paintings, one can truly see the major influence fashion had upon these artist and their subjects or muses. Since, Paris had emerged as the style capital during the start of the Impressionistic era around 1860- to mid- 1880’s with the advent of department stores, ready-made wear and the production of fashion magazines, fashion trends were brought to new heights by these artists who gave expression to the modern or contemporary nuances taking shape within society. Some of the artists would accompany the women they painted to the couturiers or milliners to assist with color schemes or accessories for paintings.

IMG_0073{The home and shop of DVF in the Meat Packing District}

After the Impressionists, we viewed the Punk: Chaos to Couture exhibit which just opened at the Metropolitan and will be on display until August 14th.  This is the 2013 spring Costume Institute exhibit to study the influence of punk’s impact on the fashion industry from the early 1970’s to today. There were lot of “do-it-yourself” hardware designs, as well as originals from Vivianne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Zandra Rhodes were displayed along with photographs of the musicians such as Sid Vicious, Patti Smith or John Lydon who wore the various articles of clothing on stage. The parallels of the original punk outfits were illustrated to show how haute couture and ready to wear designers borrow a lot of the punk visual symbols such as the Union Jack, pad-locks and a great many safety pins. The streamed music and videos were quite electrifying and made for a thrilling display.

IMG_1303{Times Square from a Taxi ride during thunderstorm}

After museum hopping, it was time to shop and unfortunately a serious thunderstorm was brewing over the city. As people were clamoring to get off the streets when the skies opened up, our closest destination was Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth. Starting on the top floor, we worked our way down checking out the latest fashions, especially the swim-wear while drying off. Since, we had spent the entire day walking and wanted to completely relax, it was suggested that we go to Taiji for a thorough massage with Madames’ Lily and Su at 153rd W 27st Street near FIT. This was the best deep tissue massage since visiting Shanghai’s Green Massage in the Xintiandi District.

IMG_0125{Flapper dresses from the Great Gatsby movie at the Prada Boutique in SoHo}

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As this trip has focused primarily on fashion, Sunday was the last showing of dresses designed by Miuccia Prada and Catherine Martin for the Great Gatsby movie at the Prada Boutique on Broadway in SoHo. The glittering collection of “Flapper” dresses were a fabulous site to experience since, you could move between the pieces, and each outfit had placards near the mannequins to fully describe which character wore the designs on screen. I had a chance to speak with the security guard on duty who stated the exhibition was being sent to Japan at the end of the day.

To round out the trip, we had dinner at La Promenade located in the heart of Chelsea on 23rd Street and it is the perfect French Bistro in the iconic London Terrace. Their “steak frites” and “roasted chicken” were cooked to perfection along with the sides of asparagus and spinach.

Until the next getaway, bon vive!!

K