Dandy & Dapper

I'm going to a school reunion soon, which got me thinking about my favourite old pair of Levi's cords. I went to one of its stores in Hong Kong but it took me ages to explain what corduroy is. Then they told me they don't sell them here. Really?

Mr Dandy: Corduroy in the Hong Kong summertime? Are you nuts? Having taken up the baton for you, I got the same response from sales staff at Levi's. The English word for corduroy is obviously not used very much, but learning Cantonese won't help right now since they're not in the spring-summer stock. If you look on the Levi's website, www.levi.com, you'll find 511 Slim Fit Cords, 513 Straight Bedford Cords and 508 Regular Taper Cords. That's just for window shopping, though: for delivery to Hong Kong you'll have to order from other sites. Amazon has the classic low-waisted, slim-fit 514 cords that aren't listed on the official Levi's site. You can order some through the unofficial www.501usa.com. Expect to pay HK$300 and up wherever you get them, excluding shipping. Alternatives are: Gucci, for HK$4,500 (only grey; Lee Gardens Two, Causeway Bay, tel: 2576 6918); and Hare, for HK$819 (only navy; WTC More, Causeway Bay, tel: 2972 7885).
Mr Dapper: For once, we agree. The tufted velvety texture of corduroy is inappropriate for our hot, humid summers. One assumes you have not left the air-conditioned comfort of your home, car and office, otherwise you'd know this. Wear chinos for now and resend your question in the autumn.

I've been wearing the same sunglasses for as long as I can remember, but I thought it might be time for a change. The brand that keeps catching my eye is called Super, but it's unclear online whether it's sold in Hong Kong. I'd like to try them on before I buy them.

Mr Dapper: I don't understand. You've found sunglasses that suit you and they've possibly even become part of your signature look. Why put yourself through the trouble? I am not familiar with the brand you mention, but I'm sure Mr Dandy will confirm that "fashion" sunglasses cost more than perfectly stylish classics, such as the many Ray-Ban designs widely available in Hong Kong (HK$1,200 and up; LensCrafters, Prince's Building, Central, tel: 2523 8385; for more locations see www.lenscrafters.com.hk.
Mr Dandy: Yeah, Dapper, it's called F-A-S-H-I-O-N. I under-stand why our reader had trouble finding this brand anywhere but on the faces of celebs like the guys in The Kills and Simian Mobile Disco and Kanye West, Sienna Miller and Jessica Alba. Here's the deal: it's called Super by Retrosuperfuture, and the official site is store.retrosuperfuture.com. What's amazing is the variety of styles and colours. The prices really aren't bad, and you can justify the spend because they're handmade in Italy with lenses by Zeiss from Germany. I found them at Visual Culture (21 Lan Fong Road, Causeway Bay, tel: 3481 0258). Expect to pay from HK$1,650 to HK$2,350 a pair, or up to HK$3,180 for the really special ones.

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