A Dip into the Fashion Scene

Ingrid tweeted to tell me that she'd be popping into London briefly for the day, would I have time for a catch up. "Sure!", I replied. She was bubbly and a bundle of energy despite having had to survive on 2 hours of sleep. I don't know how she does it but I would've keeled over and probably resembled a zombie before midday.




We popped over to Walter Steiger boutique just off Sloane St to pick up Giulio Steiger. I had a few minutes to admire the awe-inspiring designs. There were too many delectable delights and far far too tempting for me. Check out the rest of his collection here.




What purse addict wouldn't attempt to take photos of these two beauties here. My heart skipped a beat when I first sighted Ingrid's friend's crocodile embossed Givenchy Antigona bag. Ingrid's Jay Ahr clutch is a work of art. The intricately braided leather was inspired by the hair braids worn by an African tribe. The workmanship and finishing are exquisite.

Jonathan Riss, designer of Jay Ahr with Ingrid

Having read about Jonathan Riss' collaboration with a village in China which has a 400 year old embroidery tradition, I was intrigued to find out more. It turned out that the village was in Fujian province, China where my grandparents originally came from. The sparkle in his eyes as he talked so exuberantly about the ongoing artistic projects in China which involved specialists in their field was infectious. This man is a talented visionary who has a child like inquisitive nature and is utterly fearless in his pursuit to realize his ideas. I couldn't help but walked away feeling inspired and perhaps do the same - feel the fear and do it anyway.

Giulio Steiger with Ingrid

For someone who is used to the world of celebrities and fashion heavyweights, one would assume that Giulio Steiger would be rather blase about it all. Yet, this man, despite his young age is a gentleman who is unassuming, quietly spoken and down to earth. The fashion industry can be rather cutthroat but it was wonderful to meet individuals such as Jonathan Riss and Giulio Steiger who are not only talented but also genuinely nice.

 

This season's collection from Jay Ahr is available here. A huge thank you to Ingrid and her lovely friends, Claudette and Lisa for the enjoyable day.