THE handover, it seems, is as much the rage in spacey California as anywhere else. The super-trendy Chaya restaurant in Venice, LA's haven of Italian-Japanese cuisine, has just started a Hong Kong food promotion which runs through to August. Inside, expect British and Chinese flags suspended above the bar and prints of Chinese paintings on the walls. A blond manager with a goatee proudly informs patrons that Chaya's chefs managed to sneak into the territory 'before the takeover' to steal some culinary secrets 'before everything changes'.
pretty obvious DAVID Bowie's glamorous wife, Iman, and her business team are seeking Asian agents to market the ex-model's colour-sensitive make-up line in the region. A US$35 million (HK$273 million) business in the States, the Iman range is tailored (for a change) for the colour skin tones of largely Latina, Black and Asian-American women. Retailing it out East, say the marketing team, makes pretty obvious sense.
tamagotchi tribe THE Armani-clad PR people at the ultra-chic LA hotel, The Mondrian - an obvious Philippe Starck creation - looked more confused than usual. While waiting for a Gucci press conference to start, a group of Japanese fashion editors and TV producers fished out their Tamagotchi toys for a good play. After the show, the group packed up their cameras, put away their virtual pets and went house-hunting. No, not checking out where the stars lived, but actually looking for properties to buy. One of the Japanese media folk is such a high-roller he flew in for the Gucci show in Santa Monica on his private jet.
show of force EVEN if Tom Ford, design kingpin of Gucci, can't make it to the territory for the handover, he will be there in spirit. Ford was apparently so taken by Wong Kar-hai's movie Fallen Angels he ordered the videotape from Hong Kong. It seems Ford is hoping to use some of the movie's themes - violence and the underworld - in a future catwalk show. Sounds cheerful.
trunk call BACK on home ground, Hong Kong's fashion set have things to look forward to. The first major post-handover show is slated for July 3 and 4 at the Grand Hyatt, when Chanel transports its entire Paris autumn/winter set-up to these shores. As is common for a trunk show (when guests can buy immediately afterwards) sales are expected to be strong.
jaeger meister THE British brand Jaeger is about to undergo a major transformation thanks to fashion distributor Bluebell. The company has bought the Hong Kong rights for the label and aims to relaunch it here in September. Bluebell recently decided to can its Givenchy deal and closed its Pacific Place boutique. A small Givenchy collection, designed by John Galliano, is available through the Swank Shop. Sales, however, are not of Prada-esque dimensions, proving if something doesn't work in a particular market, no amount of hype will help.