We all love beautiful underwear so please tell me where to find that Playboy brand.
Playgirl, Clear Water Bay
The Dictator rules: Wow, you sound like one classy broad. You know this isn't really what the Playboy bunnies wear, don't you? Plus, the whole point of those models is they aren't wearing anything. We've seen the brand in various locations. For a quick fix, visit LST, aka Life Style Today, in Tsim Sha Tsui (shop G15, Miramar Shopping Centre, 1 Kimberley Road, tel: 2314 3083) or Causeway Bay (shop A1, G/F, Hamilton Mansion, 1 Cleveland Street, tel: 2808 0252 and shop 2, G/F, Redana Centre, 25 Yiu Wa Street, tel: 2834 1773). It sells the bras in cute prints and styles for about HK$270 each, with matching briefs and thongs for about HK$89 each. If you want to know what really beautiful underwear looks and feels like, head to La Perla (shop 360, Pacific Place, Admiralty, tel: 2118 3977). Lane Crawford in IFC Mall, Central, and Seibu in Pacific Place are also good places to browse.
I read about the Armani Employees' warehouse on Via Valtellina, Milan. I love Armani and want to know whether non-employees can shop there. Maybe you can get the full address from Armani, please?
Desperate Armani, Mid-Levels
The Dictator: Yes, I could get you the address but it would be useless, since the outlet closed a few years ago. Besides, they didn't throw 'employee' into the title for fun. It means it's closed to the public, genius. If you're looking for Armani outlets that common people such as you (OK, us) can enter, there's only one in China and it's in Shanghai. Japan has them in Nagano, Okinawa and Shizuoka. In Europe, head to Italy (Vertemate, Leccio, Settimo Torinese, Matelica, Trissino), France (Ponte-Sainte Marie or Serris), Switzerland (Mendrisio) or Germany (Wertheim). Travelling to the US? Try New York (Woodbury Commons, of course). Or head to Nevada, Florida, California, Texas or Hawaii. All this information is in plain view at
www.armani.com. The website also lists the Armani stores in Hong Kong, including the various offshoots in Chater House, Central, such as Boutique Giorgio Armani, 11 Chater Road, Central, tel: 2532 7777.
Is there an outlet for an Italian brand of women's shirts called Nara Camicie in Hong Kong? A friend discovered it on a recent trip to Milan and wondered if there were any shops over here.
Shirting the Issue, Kowloon
The Dictator: The official website (
www.naracamicie.com) describes its customers as 'people looking for something new, nice and less expensive'. Doesn't that make you want to snap up the entire collection? Actually, the concept, launched in Italy in 1984, is sound: a store that specialises in well-priced shirts for men and women. The site tells you quite a bit about the brand, except where to buy it in Hong Kong. No, we have not found any Nara Camicie boutiques here (although they are spread across Italy, Japan, South Korea, Britain and the Middle East). Need I remind you, though, you're not exactly in a shirt desert? From high-end outfitters such as Ascot Chang (shop 129, Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2523 3663) and Alain Figaret (shop 1100, IFC Mall, Central, tel: 2805 0888), to mass brands such as G2000 (
www.g2000.com.hk), there is no shortage of shirts in this city.
