Transplanted from the younger, more modern, and hipper Siam Square, It’s Happened to be a Closet brings its kitschy style and cozy cafe environment to the luxury malls of Bangkok. Can something so artsy, design oriented, and in your face work in a mall littered with high-end shops like Prada, Hermes, Gucci, etc?

I’d say yes.

When rounding the corner on the second floor of Emporium Shopping Center, IHTBAC immediately stands out amongst the international clothing stores normally found on the floor. The black exterior cafe front juts out into the pathway of the mall… combined with the accent colors and mismatched chairs, the store / cafe stands as a complete 180 of the normal clean, glass fronted shops found in the mall.

The store portion features varied designs from simple and basic to truly out there with prices ranging similarly. IHTBAC manages to keep the same slightly claustrophobic / mad-collector feel of the larger Siam Square space (down to the TV’s blasting musicals). Neither Joanna or myself have done too much rooting through the clothing… however cool it might be, the sizes are all Asian.

Since we couldn’t shop we plopped down out front on our last return trip to Bangkok and tried the food. The menu was varied and featured different ingredients and preparation styles. There’s a section with meats for grilling which looks promising, but we went for the more refined dishes. An example of some of the dishes on offer was the snow fish. It was not as amazing as the snow fish at Giusto, but I didn’t have a hard time cleaning the plate

IHTBAC is a welcome addition to Emporium to me. The food is good and it gives a different vibe to the otherwise slightly stuffy shopping center. Best of all is the opportunities for people watching. If you can snag a tabble outside in the mall you can sip a coffee and watch as clueless tourists rub elbows with high society Thais.

It’s Happend to be a Closet
Emporium Department Store 2nd Floor
Bangkok, Thailand

A gem of a boutique hotel overlooking Lake Koggala

A few miles from Galle City Center lies a truly special retreat, Kahanda Kanda. Amid a lush tea plantation, Kahanda Kanda sits on 9.9 acres of tropical tranquility. 5 villas are elegantly and tastefully decorates in that distinctive style of Sri Lanka. Yet somehow George Cooper, the owner and also an interior designer, has done Sri Lankan style one better with the integration of modern classics like Barcelona chairs and distinctive architectural features like the magnetic saffron wall dividing the property.

We visited George and Kahanda Kanda on a recent trip to Galle, Sri Lanka and were mighty impressed with the villas and the property. Featured in Architectural Digest in 2006 at the time of its opening as a boutique hotel, Kahanda Kanda is an exercise is restrained luxury. The tropical ambience combined with the simple layout of private villas and airy pavilions invite you to relax, but its proximity to Galle also allows countless options for taking advantage of everything the area has to offer.

Each of the 5 villas presents a distinctive view on luxury and comfort. Repleat with private balconies and terraces, one can easily picture napping in privacy, enjoying a glass of champagne, lounging with a book…truly the definition of “getting away from it all.”

Also, don’t miss the fantastic foods at Kahanda Kanda. We simply couldn’t get enough of the Sri Lankan curries when we were in Galle, and the ones at Kanhanda Kanda were no exception. In the dining pavilion overlooking the pool, we enjoyed the curry dinner – chicken curry, prawn curry, dahl curry, aubergine curry, beetroot curry, tomato salad, gotukola sambal and pappadums.

Plus something we are really excited about is Kahanda Kanda’s plan to expand their offering of themed holidays – from artist’s workshop weekends, to yoga retreats to cooking classes…we cannot imagine a more spectacular setting for personal development. Also, Kahanda Kanda will do custom holidays, e.g. bringing aestheticians, spa therapists and yoga instructors to deliver a spa weekend.

We will be keeping our eye on George and Kahanda Kanda, especially the themed holidays. It’s been a while since we have felt such a supreme sense of relaxation and are longing to return.

Kahanda Kanda
Galle, Sri Lanka
Telephone: +94 91 228 6717

I want to live a Muji life

Actually I first encountered Muji in New York. A creative director at the ad agency I worked at was hoarding Muji notebooks that he bought in London. Being a fan of a minimalist aesthetic, Muji suited me perfectly. But while I love spare design, I am not one of those minimalists that would choose design over functionality. And this is what impressed me most about Muji products…they are smart, really smart. Not only clean and spare in design, but designed for use…for real life…for me and you. Products are stripped bare of unnecessary bells and gratuitous whistles to focus on the pure design and in use experience of each individual element. When we had the opportunity to visit the flagship store in Tokyo in Shinjuku featuring its 7,000+ products…we were in Muji heaven.

If you are not familiar with Muji you may be wondering what I am talking about.  Muji is something like Ikea meets Container Store meets Dean & Deluca meets Crate & Barrel. Now that I think about it, it is actually kind of hard to describe. Muji sells everything from minimalist street clothing to yoga clothing to kitchen wares to home storage to ready-to-eat meals to stationery to sheets / towels to children’s clothing / toys to furniture to bicycles. The unifying element between all of the items being their trademark design philosophy of practical minimalism. In fact those obsessed with this design aesthetic have referred to Muji as “minimalist-porn.”

Muji’s original product range, launched in 1980, used the tagline “lower priced for a reason” and was designed to offer inexpensive, but good quality products. Items were wrapped simply in clear cellophane and plain brown paper labels with red writing. Lower prices were facilitated by letting no item go to waste – for example,  Muji sold U-shaped pasta, which was the left-over part that is cut off in the manufacturing process to make spaghetti. Muji’s “no-brand” strategy means they do no advertising, sell no name-brand (only their own items) and rely on word of mouth.

In the Muji meccas of Tokyo we must have spent a good 4-5 hours over the course of our 2 week visit - shopping and visiting our favourite items at Muji…coveting things we wanted, but couldn’t possibly bring home. I had a devastating crush on the 50’s roadster style electric bicycle.

While Paul’s dreams were a little larger…he wanted the Muji house. Yes, if you own a plot of land, Muji will build and outfit a home in complete Muji style.

Instead, we left with a bag of the aforementioned notebooks, some cool sneakers, a great tote bag for travelling (and carrying all of our Muji home) and an assortment of office and bath accessories.

Today there are 3 locations in NYC with one mini Muji at JFK airport. They are littered throughout Europe with my first love and original favorite being in London – but you can also find in Paris, Rome and Istanbul. If you are coming through Asia, they abound in cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Shanghai and Beijing and of course throughout Japan. If you are a Muji-o-phile, or just want to see what all the fuss is about, then the Shinjuku flagship store is a must visit when in Tokyo. Also really nice is an impressively large 6-floor Muji in Kichijoji – in fact this is really my favorite location because it is much less overrun than the high-traffic Shinjuku location.

Global Muji

USA Muji – with online store (bring Muji to your doorstep!)

Pictures, except where otherwise linked are from Muji webpage

Voila! My new custom made wardrobe

As some of you may remember, I went to Cayen in search of clothes that would fit my 5’10” Western frame (Part 1, Part 2). Having been thoroughly discouraged in each and every shopping mall from Bangkok to Singapore to Hong Kong, I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and have something made. Having had disappointing experiences in Bangkok with tailors, I was encouraged by my initial consultations with Carol Randall at Cayen. Her style was modern and fashion forward and she carried all manner of fabrics, not just wool gabardine suiting materials like so many other tailors in Asia. So I took the plunge and ordered 5 pieces of clothing to be made. The process had been quite heady up to this point…with Carol’s expert guidance I had picked styles, fabrics and trimming details and was about to see it all become reality.

For my first fitting, I tried on first drafts of my clothing – these were items that had been cut and loosely stitched together, also known as a “skeleton baste” for those in the know. A basting stitch is a loose stitch that holds items together temporarily to give a sense of their shape but can also be easily removed allowing for easy adjustments. It is later replaced with the final seams.

Cayen’s expert seamstresses then fit the skeleton baste right on my body – arm holes were cut to fit, hems raised and lowered and waistlines tightened and fitted. It was fantastic to see the clothes taking their final form right on my body. You’d be surprised, but it is actually quite tiring to stand dead still, occasionally raising or lowering an arm – a word of advice, eat before you go or you could easily get lightheaded. Ah, what luxurious problems to have! After the first fitting I was told that my new clothes would be ready in a few days time and scheduled a final fitting later that week. It may be corny, but all week it felt like Christmas…waiting for the final fitting, the promise of new goodies to enjoy.

At the final fitting, all the minor adjustments we had discussed had been completed. I tried everything on again – standing and sitting to check for any puckers or tightness in any posture. There were a few small tweaks to be made on a couple of the tops – and just as soon as they were off my body, they were whisked away upstairs to be adjusted…on the spot, while I waited.

While I love all the clothes, I think my favourites are the dresses. In general, I love dresses…feminine and elegant…and nothing to decide, e.g. what top is best paired with these trousers?…plus dresses are perfectly polished for any occasion. Carol says the stretch cotton dress, like the black-and-white one I ordered, is one of her best sellers and I can see why. Dressed up or dressed down it is one of the most flexible items in my closet these days.

And now with my measurements on file and my color / fabric / style preferences known, I can easily visit Carol at Cayen anytime to fill out my wardrobe. Plus if upon multiple wearings I decide something would be better if it were slightly adjusted, Carol insisted that I should return to have it adjusted to my liking.

Is this what it is like to be a celebrity? Well, maybe not entirely…I mean Dolce & Gabbana is not sending me evening gowns…but still this feels pretty special.

Cayen
carol@cayen.com.sg
54A Club Street
Singapore, 069431
Telephone: + 65 6227 6187

Consultation for bespoke clothing

After meeting Carol at Cayen and discovering I could have custom-made clothing that would actual fit my 5’ 10” (177cm) Western frame, I scheduled a consultation. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect after being rushed through tailor stores in Bangkok and asked to pick from magazine photos (which by the way seemed to be from a 1993 issue of Vogue). But I had a feeling from my initial conversation with Carol that things would be different at Cayen – and they were.

I intentionally wore one of my favourite casual outfits which turned out to be a smart thing to do as we took inspiration from the shapes and colours. We discussed different styles and looked at samples in the store. Then we went through reams and reams of fabric…basically just going through all the various types and textures to see what attracted me. We discussed how I’ve never really liked floral prints and tend to go for more abstract and graphic prints. Carol deftly by-passed the pastels after gauging my lukewarm reaction and then I admitted that in spite of my more reserved and elegant style, I still enjoy a bit of metallic shimmer from time to time. Not a bit phased by my contradictory and idiosyncratic likes and dislikes, Carol assured me she “got it” and that I should cone back in a week’s time to see the results of their design for me.

A week later I turned up again on Cayen’s doorstep and sat on Carol’s sofa to review what they had in mind for me. It all felt rather luxurious really…awaiting a team of designers suggested portfolio that I had commissioned. I was impressed by how carefully they had listened – there were the classic shapes and cuts that I always select for myself but with new twists. And some of the fabrics that I remembered eyeing had now come to life on the page – an exotic black and white print turned up in a sexy day-to-evening dress, a stunning turquoise crushed silk on one of their signature zip-front top designs, and more. It was a little overwhelming – first imagining all the items and how they might be in their final form and then finally selecting a few pieces to commission. In the end I chose 5 pieces…I was thinking about 4, but there was a discount for a quantity of 5

I left heady with the rush of new clothes, bespoke luxury and the promise of unique items that would not only be exactly to my specifications but also fit my figure exactly. I could get used to this!

Click here for Part 3 – the fittings and end result of the process.

Cayen
carol@cayen.com.sg
54A Club Street
Singapore, 069431
Telephone: + 65 6227 6187

Interior Design Trends: Blue & Brown

Paul