A room with a view – the corner suite at The Peninsula on the Bund looks across at all the iconic buildings of Shanghai. Deliciously comfortable, with superb service, amazing restaurants like Sir Elly’s and Yi Long Court and one of the best spas I know – Tony’s foot massages are sybaritic – I would look no further.
Typhoon Goni slams in to Japan’s south coast and soaks Shanghai. Umbrella in hand, I head off for a quick
shop along the Bund.
Suzhou Cobblers is my first stop at 17 Fuzhou Road, room 101. Pretty and playful, the slippers, ballets and handbags are lined up like candies in a tiny box of a shop. Tip: Make sure to peek deeper in to the building itself, even climbing to the first floor. This old house is typical of a bygone Shanghai, a rickety collection of rental flats, shared kitchens and a terrifying array of electrical cables never envisioned when the structure was built.
Next door to Suzhou Cobblers is Blue Shanghai White, a sweet store owned by a well-known caramicist. The plates, cups and tiled tables were pretty, but my eye was taken with some textured cotton tea towels in various indigo shades and red, white and blue patterns, each with a frogged loop for hanging.
Ruyee Life Gallery, down a nearby alley, sells fine Mongolian cashmere, silk and Tibetan yak khullu (from my favorite, Norlha Textiles). It is said that the big houses in Paris and New York buy from Life Gallery; the sweaters and shawls are beautiful albeit expensive.
Chris Chang, a former GM of Prada Taiwan, took more than five years to find the perfect location for her first store, Poesia, which is located in a sliver ground floor spot at the Jingan Kerry Centre. Her clothes are fun, colorful and a little zany, combining patterns and textures that will add pizzazz to any closet.
Han Feng is the piece de resistance..a world renowned designer, she is smart, fun and brilliantly talented. With ateliers in both Shanghai and New York, she is a truly cross cultural artist whose clothes range from the simplest of white cotton shirts to full on, glam evening dresses.
Berlin Buddha, Zhang Huan, 2007
This piece uses 8 tons of incense ash - collected from temples around Shanghai - packed into the aluminum mould opposite.
Gonzo's commentary: Tweedledee Tweedledum
Lisa's commentary: Reminds me of the shifting sands of Serengeti
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