bee sting SCANDALS are great for business. A recent tiff between two famous Hong Kong women has resulted in a run on designer T-shirts. The saga started with a flattering top, made by LA designer James Perse and worn by socialite radio presenter Teresa Bee. When her co-presenter, Dodo Cheng, admired it, Bee promised to get her some on her next trip to the US: but she popped along to Lane Crawford instead, picked up three of the tops at $650 each and forwarded them to Cheng with a bill for $3,800 - a mark-up of $1,200. Cheng, naturally, was furious.
But once the Chinese press got hold of the story, James Perse became the hottest name at the store. One Lane Crawford buyer said Perse has had to cancel existing orders at various US stores to fulfil re-orders for Hong Kong, where there are 200 women on a waiting-list. So while Bee may not quite have upheld the spirit of friendship, the retail industry salutes her.
chinese culture clashes IT IS not true that Vivienne Tam has turned her back on her Chinese roots. Last week in New York, Tam co-hosted a party with Columbia University Press for a new book, In the Red, by her friend and author, the sinophile Geremie R. Barme. This 'leading observer of Chinese literature, society and politics' takes a serious look at culture clashes on the mainland before and after the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre. Most interesting to those outside China, Barme examines the influences of the West on Chinese lifestyle.
And cultural purists can rejoice: despite Tam's endorsement, there are no pretty fashion pictures - the only illustrations, according to the blurb, are 'fascinating cartoons and photographs'. Pass me Vogue.
bliss out SKIP tourist traps like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building when next in New York, and instead head downtown to the utterly fab Bliss Spa where?. Okay, you need to book a couple of weeks in advance and, yes, treatments at the two-floor, 11,000-square-foot beauty haven are a bit on the pricey side. But here are two good reasons to go. First, the ever-cheerful receptionist Jordan has been named by New York Press magazine as the best gatekeeper in the city for delivering such lines as: 'Honey, your 9.30 am called to cancel - death in the family. So problematic.' And second, it serves homemade brownies and wine instead of ghastly organic snacks as you're waiting for your massage. And, of course, there's the celeb-watching: Uma, Julia and Oprah are always popping in and out.
Mega-empire LVMH recently acquired a 70 per cent stake in the spa and will be taking it global: next stop is the new LVMH building in Madison Avenue, followed by South Beach, Los Angeles, and Europe - there are even whispers about a few spots in Asia.
