A dose of red

And how the accent colour makes better outfits

I realised this dispatch was a few days too late for Happy Lunar New Year but is just in time for Happy Valentine’s Day. Celebrations do but blessings, fortunately, know no temporal boundaries. May I wish you all a year brimmed with love, joy, prosperity and the spirit of the dragon! (aka loong, I know you know).

Speaking of Lunar New Year, the long list of traditions have never quite been my thing since my earliest memories: No hair washing (synonymous as wealth being washed away); no cleaning and sweeping (good luck being swept away); no black or white clothes (colours worn when paying last respect); filling in rice barrels (rice indicates wealth) and so many more to go on. When any ritual was attempted to be broken in my family, it was always my Grandma who cosplays as the custodian of LNY customs when there were only a couple of days to adhere to. Thanks to my years of practice, I am now tradition-minded enough to reconstruct the bits of ‘to-do’ in a foreign land, such as making my own turnip cake (Lo Bak Go in Cantonese) for the very first time that I am not ashamed at all to be sharing:

from Left (Toppings: ginger, dried shrimps, dried scallops and Chinese lap cheong) to Right (a very put together Lo Bak Go)

My meal(s) for the week. Now back to our regular business.

February. It’s fashion month. It’s consecutive weeks with promising high spirited colours in New York, London, Milan and Paris to cut off the winter kind of melancholy that made us struggle between fleeced sweatpants and heattech leggings under nice jeans. Gleefully taking the repeated hints from Copenhagen Fashion Week AW24, different shades of red proves to remain as the secret sauce at the street topped on with neutrals:

Photo courtesy of Refinery29

Crimson, burgundy, tomato red, cherry red, mahogany red… You can probably tell the frenzy of red isn’t fading anytime soon. Hence with my full neutral wardrobe, the challenge of this week is to add a red accent into 1) styles that are inspired and 2) items that are gifted or passed on from my Grandma, which have stayed in my wardrobe for some time and would very much like to be given life to, without losing my own touch and character. It’s a mini scaled project owing to a hectic and rainy week, but proved fun to work on as it’s Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day after all! 

LOOK 1: To meet friends & relatives

Wear a combo of fierce red with a whimsical hat and elegant pearl necklaces may increase your chance of getting extra red packets (or give out less)

Items from Grandma
- Red wool turtleneck
- Red cashmere zipped cardigan
- Brown woven belt

Gerry Jones Vintage lambskin beanie (a steal from last month); red turtleneck, cardigan and belt from Grandma; & Other Stories and Zara pearl necklace (double the layer, double the fun); Old white denim; Vans slip on

Subtle variations:

Adding a fuzzy sweater cannot go wrong

Sweater as skirt over trousers. C’est beau

Sweater-scarf: Practically and fashionably wrapped around your neck to create that contrasting look, not to mention the different shade of red here

Twin necklaces into one:

Left: How Grandma would totally wear her reds and pearls, Right: A little twist without losing my own character

LOOK 2: To the LNY markets

Broken the ritual of wearing black and white yet being mindful by including warm colours of red, orange and yellow

Item from Grandma
- Valentino scarf

Monki fleece hat, Uniqlo corduroy shirt and socks, Vintage Valentino scarf from Grandma, teddy brooches gifted by Aunt, Marni earring leather bag, Old white denim, Old fuzzy Mary Jane

Warm pop of colours:

Use oversized ring as scarf ring (holds better than a ring of your own size)

Marni earring leather bag (options from Vestiaire and eBay)

Vintage bead and signet rings scored in Good Old Days Vintage Market

Teddy bear brooches (not my usual take) on a Monki beanie

A sure pop of red

LOOK 3: Normal day out amidst LNY holiday

As titled

Items from Grandma
- Muji scarf

Muji scarf (very warm & on sale!), Muji tee, Stella Mccartney cashmere cardigan, Tammy & Benjamin shoulder bag, Uniqlo x Ines de La Fressange woven suit pants, Onitsuka Tiger trainers (more colours here)

Accessories matter:

Under the scarf is this vintage tassel necklace passed on by Mum, a recurrent piece for most of my summer outfits

An old bag from a French brand Tammy & Benjamin. Mine is discontinued but you can find more designs here

Ring choice very much inspired by Gerda Goosen

Personal note:

What makes the ending of this red dispatch awkwardly emotional was founding out the first day of LNY in fact denoted my half-year stay in Manchester. A luxury and a blessing to have two incredible cities to call home, I could not possibly complain over the cold hands and feet that have me opted for cashmere gloves and a nice pair of UGG for the next winter. My first Christmas, New Year and Lunar New Year without physically spending moments with familiar faces did provoke some mixed emotions, but seeing new faces with shared identities trying to set the reminiscent mood of Hong Kong in different parts of the city, it is work to appreciate and words beyond gratitude, not to mention how solace is found with FaceTimes and packages from friends sending over cards, fai chun (Chinese calligraphy) and childhood refreshments to remind you of their presence. Life is sweet.

Signing off now to continue my Lo Bak Go lunch I have left behind. Have a great week!

Yours truly,

Chris