See Behind the Scenes of Our Summer Photoshoot With Our Hong Kong Travel Diary

by Noreen Flanagan May 7, 2018

When I read that Paul Theroux—a seasoned travel writer—admitted to being flummoxed by Hong Kong, I was relieved. He once remarked that he felt lost in the city. “I don’t know how you’d write about it; it’s impenetrable,” he told a South China Morning Post writer. “There’s so much of it…I don’t mean writing about the restaurants and hotels; I mean about the city itself. You’d have to live here to do that.” I see his point. I spent a little over three days in this city of 7.4 million, and I’m grappling with how to capture that experience in a way that even remotely reflects what it’s like to be instantly absorbed into this mesmerizing, cosmic-like black hole. This is a city with a gravitational pull that lures you in with its neon-animated architecture, its unexpected pockets of natural beauty and its relentless hum. Oh, and its food.

One more day til @TasteofHongKong, we’re up and ready to get your weekend started! Don’t forget to head over to @happyparadisehk for a special AFTER TASTE series on Thursday and Saturday to get some Asian inspired cocktails from guest bartender Cross Yu from Shanghai and @hopeandsesame from GuangZhou! #TasteofHongKong #WhatYouTalkingBao #LittleBao

A post shared by Littlebaohk (@littlebaohk) on Mar 21, 2018 at 2:28am PDT

It’s just shy of noon, and I’m in the lineup to get into Little Bao, a street-food-inspired resto on Staunton Street in SoHo, the entertainment area in Old Town Central. Since its owner—Canadian-born chef May Chow—was named Asia’s Best Female Chef in 2017 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, it has become a comfort-food haven. I’m famished, so the idea of diving into a fluffy white bao bun stuffed with Szechuan fried chicken has me salivating. Earlier this morning I climbed a gazillion steps in this charmingly gritty and hilly neighbourhood, and when I stopped for a cold drink, I was offered sake with a live little fish as a chaser. (#nothanks #maybelater #howaboutnever) Let’s just say that Chow’s bao meets burger, paired with her smoked eggplant salad and sinfully good truffle fries, is more in my meal wheelhouse.

“In Hong Kong, eating is a social experience; it’s how we connect with our friends and family. It’s also how we express our creativity.”

“This is one of my favourite spots,” says Gloria Yu, a Vancouver-born designer/blogger who joins me for lunch. “In Hong Kong, eating is a social experience; it’s how we connect with our friends and family. It’s also how we express our creativity.” Yu, who studied fashion at Parsons The New School in New York and Central Saint Martins in London, is known for her extravagant headpieces and headbands. Her first collection debuted at Lane Crawford, one of the city’s toniest department stores, but last year she switched career tracks: She is now a fashion-sustainability strategist and an advocate for pre-owned clothing.

“It’s an uncomfortable idea for some Chinese to wear second-hand clothes,” she says. “Some people think that bad luck is passed on from the previous wearer. For me, I think ‘What about the good luck?’” Yu points out that she’s wearing a pre-owned/pre-loved DVF wrap dress she bought from the online consignment shop Hula. “It’s this amazing shop that sells luxury clothes at discount prices,” she tells me. “I love beautiful clothes, but by wearing second-hand, I’m helping to reduce waste and energy and water consumption that would have otherwise come from the purchase and production of a new garment.”

Triple flora ring by Belinda Chang – You can find this in @lanecrawford and our studio @obelleryjewellery very soon. #belindachangjewellery #obellery #obelleryjewellery #handmadejewellery #pearls

A post shared by O B E L L E R Y S T U D I O (@obelleryjewellery) on Jan 25, 2016 at 10:03am PST

Yu also tries to support local designers, but in a town that is known more for its luxury shopping, the local talent isn’t widely recognized or celebrated. At the Police Married Quarters (PMQ)—a multi-use space across from Little Bao—you can find independent design studios and small shops and cafés. “We’re trying to nurture our own creative scene in Hong Kong,” explains Yu. “We’ve always been heavily influenced by international labels, but PMQ is a start. One of my favourite shops is Obellery. They create beautiful one-of-a-kind jewellery pieces. I also love the bar Sake Central.” I ask whether they also offer live fish chasers. “Oh I don’t think so!” Yu laughs. “At least, that’s not my cup of sake.”

Find out more about our travels in Hong Kong and enter for a chance to win a trip for two to Hong Kong and Thailand valued at $7,500 CAD here.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $170, and skirt, $500, House of Holland. Bag, $705, Alexander Wang at Shopbop. Earrings, $95, Jenny Bird.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $3,690, Marni. Shorts, $5,700, Hermès. Shoes, $830, Stella McCartney. Socks, $290, Miu Miu.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Jacket, $4,520, Fendi. Dress, $9,330, Bottega Veneta.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $1,010, skirt, price upon request, and hood, $640, No. 21. Shoes, $830, Stella McCartney. Belt bag, $895, Gucci.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $55, Nike. Skirt, $785, Christopher Kane. Shoes, $830, Stella McCartney. Belt bag, price upon request, Public School.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $1,710, and skirt, $1,560, Fendi. Shoes, $830, Stella McCartney. Bag, $3,775, Chanel.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Jacket, $1,015, and dress, $415, Public School. Shoes, $830, Stella McCartney. Earrings, $95, Jenny Bird. Fanny pack, $95, Opening Ceremony at Shopbop.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $1,270, and skirt, $1,270, Akris. Sunglasses, $570, Cutler and Gross. Fanny pack, $350, House of Holland.

Photography by Arkan Zakharov. Creative direction by Brittany Eccles. Styling by Eliza Grossman. Hair and makeup, Susana Hong for P1M.ca/Nars/Amika. Fashion assistant, Nelly Akbari for P1M.ca. Photo assistant, Will Jivcoff. Model, Shaughnessy Brown at Dulcedo Management. Top, $930, and pants, $4,100, Hermès. Fanny pack, $705, Alexander Wang at Shopbop.

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Hong Kong Travel Diary

The Ladies’ Market on Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok. This neighbourhood is full-on frantic but fun. The streets are lined with rivers of people moving in swirling currents in all directions. Above the fray, the ramshackle apartments are festooned with neon signs. As you pass karaoke-wailing wannabes, costumed street performers and food stall vendors, you’ll marvel at the madcap carnival of humanity. “There’s a sense of technological utopia here. It’s like you’re walking in a dream of what the world is going to be like in 100 years but it’s now,” observes Shaughnessy.

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Hong Kong Travel Diary

The Ngong Ping 360 cable car. Take a 25-minute ride in a glass-bottomed cabin that connects the Ngong Ping plateau with the town of Tung Chung. “It was surreal lying on the glass floor. Most people are comfortable in life, but I like to push things to the edge. Sometimes I fall off—but that’s the only way to know what you need to do next.”

3/11

Hong Kong Travel Diary

When you’re on Hong Kong Island, you’re in the Milky Way of neon. To appreciate the vibrant, vibrating intensity of all that light (not to mention OTT branding) take a 45-minute cruise around Victoria Harbour on an Aqua Luna red-sail Chinese junk. It’s the best way to take in this spectacular fluorescent light show.

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Hong Kong Travel Diary

“Travelling has taught me how to cope with hard situations—like when you’re lonely and you have to push yourself through it. It’s exhilarating because you know you can do it on your own.”

5/11

Hong Kong Travel Diary

Tai O is a fishing village on stilts on the western coast of Lantau Island. In the nearby mountains—and only a 15-minute cab ride away—is Big Buddha, or the Tian Tan Buddha statue. To reach the 34-metre-high bronze Buddha, you have to walk up 268 steps. If you start questioning whether you’ll reach the top, remember what Buddha said: “What comes easy won’t last. What lasts won’t come easy.”

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Hong Kong Travel Diary

“If you’re going to run with the pack, why not be number one? Decide what you want; give it all your love and just do it.”

7/11

Hong Kong Travel Diary

Shaughnessy is standing at the foot of Pottinger Street in Central. The area is great for indie shopping.

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Hong Kong Travel Diary

“I think it’s better to be obsessive rather than regular.”

9/11

Hong Kong Travel Diary

“I want to inspire people to be authentic, not just part of a club. I stand for truth.”

10/11

Hong Kong Travel Diary

Old Town Central, which is one of the oldest—and most eclectic—neighbourhoods in Hong Kong, is best explored on foot. Check out the newly opened H Queen’s, a 24-floor tower that houses exhibitions and galleries. Later this year, the Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Art will open in the renovated old Central Police Station. This area—as well as its boho neighbour Sheung Wan—is known for its street murals, some of which were created for the annual HKwalls festival.

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Hong Kong Travel Diary

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