The past two weeks have been hectic for fashion in Hong Kong. Last Thursday, Berluti held a dinner with its new ready-to-wear designer, Alessandro Sartori, formerly of Z Zegna. Sartori is the first creative director of the luxury Italian shoemaker's clothing line.
It's not surprising that Hong Kong and the mainland, where men sometimes outspend women on luxury fashion, are major markets for the label. Because of my focus on Sartori at the dinner, it took me a while to notice model Natalia Vodianova sitting next to me. The Russian beauty was there with her boyfriend, Antoine Arnault (heir to the LVMH empire), and talked about the Naked Heart Foundation, a charity she founded to care for underprivileged children in Russia.
Yesterday, Shanghai Tang threw a star-studded bash at its new flagship on Duddell Street. The three-floor store has a modern interior with an art deco twist. There's more space for collections, stylish changing rooms and a top-floor restaurant and cafe to open soon.
Cultural festival Liberatum, which starts today at Lane Crawford's One Island South headquarters, is bringing to the city the likes of music and style guru Pharrell Williams and Nobel Prize winning author V.S. Naipaul. Local actor Daniel Wu and photographer Wing Shya will also be there.
But perhaps the most anticipated visitor of the week was Victoria Beckham. The former pop star has worked hard to establish herself in the fashion world. Since the launch of her label and accessories range, Beckham has surprised everyone with her sophisticated designs. Local distributor Lane Crawford Joyce Group marked the arrival of her collection here with a cocktail event in the IFC store and a private dinner.