The Instant Goddess is feeling a shopping hangover!

After all the excitement of Black Friday and Cyber Monday the Instant Goddess must confess that she has a wee bit of a shopping hangover! But have no fear the show will go on… despite reaching saturation point, Instant Goddess still has some shopping suggestions up her sleeve for you. As for her, the credit card will stay firmly anchored in the purse… promise!

Kaftan Cool

If you’re going away somewhere hot for Christmas then surely it has to be a Christmas kaftan?! Instant Goddess is pleased to report that there’s a new, affordable kaftan label on the HK fashion scene: KAFTAN by Wendy Yu. A year or so ago, Wendy gave up her day job in tax, threw caution to the wind and went off travelling around Asia discovering many fashion treasures on her way that she’s now ready, willing and able to share with us Hongkongers.

Each kaftan is lovingly handpicked by Wendy (above bottom right) and the focus of the current collection (top left) is to take you effortlessly from day-to-night with gorgeous kaftans sourced from India. Kaftans from the day-to-night collection are priced at $950. Kaftans from the summer collection (bottom left) are available on request and are priced at $550; email [email protected] for more details.

KAFTAN will be at the following Christmas fairs:

PMQ night market @ PMQ Central on 12 December (6pm – 11pm) and 13 December (4pm – 11pm)

Conrad Christmas Fair on 15 December (10am – 8pm)

These Seafolly kaftans may also be of interest and are available on ASOS:

Left: Utopia kaftan in red (also available in blue) $727, top right: Plantation kaftan (also available in white) $1,001 and bottom right: Sound wave drummer kaftan $818 (love the name!) all from Seafolly on ASOS.

LUVMYDRESS

And if all this talk about scant kaftans is sending a shiver down your spine and you’re looking for some winter wardrobe options, then another local label LUVMYDRESS may have the answer. I popped into their annual Christmas Pop-Up party last week and loved the winter jackets plus the sparkle here and there with sequin and embellished dresses. Oh, and the faux leather jeggings were so affordable at $250 a pop it would have been shopping stupidity not to have snagged a pair.

Top left: Geometric sequin dress $815, top right: Navy blue sequin jacket $1335, bottom left: White jacket $890 and
One shoulder off blue dress $660

Tucked away down Po Tuck street (yes, pun intended) in Sai Ying Pun, this studio shop is well worth a visit to find affordable fashion gems. Together with designer inspired pieces, the owner Pui Pui also has some very good fashion connections enabling her to source designer samples and pass them on to us at massively reduced prices. Alas, sample means that usually the sizes are on the small side but Pui Pui does have other pieces up to a size L.

Left: Orange leather jacket; Right: Blue leather jacket both $1,395

LUVMYDRESS is open from Mon-Sun, 10:30am-9:30pm at Ground Floor, 23 Po Tuck Street, Sai Ying Pun.

You can also buy online at LUVMYDRESS.

ZALORA

I first looked at ZALORA in the early days of its launch back in 2012 and I wasn’t that impressed as it seemed to be a bit scant on clothes that would pass the Instant Goddess test. However, I got invited to Zalora’s first fashion show in Hong Kong the other week to celebrate the launch of Zalora Marketplace. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Zalora it’s a bit like the Asian version of ASOS but on a smaller scale.

With the emergence of some heavy hitters like Miss Selfridge, River Island, New Look and Dorothy Perkins on the main part of ZALORA, the site is now definitely worth a second look. As well as recognisable brands, Zalora also has its own line with designs that would pass the Instant Goddess test this time around! In particular, the prices are so keen that it would be rude not to peruse further but alas the sizing is not so keen and remains limited to smaller sizes rarely going above a UK size 14.

Left: Luxe midi pencil skirt $369 with MDS Collections jewelled box top $179, top right Dorothy Perkins embroidered jacket $849 now $679 and bottom right: CPS long sleeve embellished blouse $499

ZALORA’s fashion show that I went to was to celebrate the launch of the marketplace on Zalora, which is similar to ASOS’s marketplace where individuals get to showcase their designs and also a great opportunity for us to discover untapped local talent for unique finds that not every Tom, Dick and Harry will be wearing on the HK party scene.

On marketplace Instant Goddess is liking the look of this party dress by ANNE F… see what you think:

Elegant beaded jersey dress $1,599 by Anne F on Zalora Marketplace

And of course, Instant Goddess never misses a showstopper of a party dress on ASOS…

ASOS RED CARPET Premium All Over Sequin Kimono Maxi Dress $2,272

Midweek Meal Inspiration

With all the decadence and indulgence that the holiday season holds and what with the shop-a-thon of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this week we are after a little low key comforting in the form of this Creamy Chicken and Corn Soup:

Ingredients:
20g (3/4 oz) butter
1 tbsp olive oil
500g (1lb 2oz) chicken thigh fillets, trimmed and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 leek, chopped
1 large celery stalk chopped
1 bay leaf
½ tsp thyme
1 litre (35 fl oz/4 cups) chicken stock
3 tbsp sherry (Soho Wines stock Sherry)
550g (1lb 4oz) corn kernels (fresh, canned or frozen)
1 large potato cut into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes
185 ml (6 fl oz/3/4 cup) pouring (whipping) cream
Chives to garnish

Method:

1. Melt the butter and oil in a large saucepan over a high heat. Cook the chicken in batches for 3 minutes, or until lightly golden and just cooked through. Remove from pan and place to one side until needed.

2. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic, leek, celery, bay leaf and thyme. Cook for 2 minutes, or until the leek softens. Add the stock, sherry and 500ml (17fl oz/2 cups) of water and stir to combine. Add the corn and potato and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, skimming and scum off the surface. Cool slightly.

3. Remove the bay leaf and puree the soup in a blender. Return to the pan and add the cream and chicken. Stir over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until heated through. Season. Serve with extra cream and garnish with chives.

Serves 4-6.

Yogi tea saying of the week: “A relaxed mind is a creative mind”.

Instant Goddess saying of the week: “Chop, chop lollipop”.

Until next time Goddesses and remember you are ALWAYS, ALWAYS worth it XX