This is the second installment in reporting on my recent trip to Asia. The first stop was in Seoul, South Korea, and from there I went to Shanghai, China. It was my second visit to this vast city of more than 14 million people. The view from my 25th floor hotel room revealed many tall buildings,

view-of-tall-building

but interestingly on this visit I noticed that “pocket parks” were popping up—a good thing for adding some oxygen to an environment where the smog reminded me of my early days in Los Angeles (now largely contained.)

Everyone told me that, with my interest in design, the Peace Hotel was a worthy place to visit, and it really was. It is filled with art deco references from the 20s–on the ceilings,

peace-hotel-ceiling

in the bas-reliefs on the walls,

bas-relief-lobby

and in every place the eye landed. There was a reminder of the time period when ladies always dressed glamorously, often changing three times in one day!

The hotel remains a perfect place for shooting films of that period and the lobby contains some of the original posters, including for Empire of the Sun and Shanghai Triad.

It was also a nightspot for dancing, dinner, and an evening of jazz.

jazz-instruments

As I looked around, I did recognize some of the architectural features I have seen of those period films. There was a more recent picture taken on the hotel stairway for Elle Magazine of a very svelte Amanda Seyfried in a gorgeous red gown, very appropriate to the setting.

amanda-seyfried-in-elle

I did have the opportunity to go to a street market that was filled with tiny boutique-like shops. It is always great fun to shop for treasures in these far-way places. But I have to say what I enjoyed most was seeing the displays of clothes for kids as they were fashionable, grown-up, and colorful. Special occasion clothing for kids is very important in Asia.

kids-paris-raincoat

boys-suit

I did another trend presentation in Shanghai and it was another enjoyable experience. It is always fun for me to meet so many “creatives” from other parts of the world and representing a vast variety of color-related industries. The press is always well-represented, and in this audience, among many other press people, there was a team from the Chinese edition of Elle Décor. They were an enthusiastic group and very interested in the use of color.

 

Food is an ongoing feast in Asia and for me, a “pescatarian,” always something to look forward to as there are lots of delectable and healthy choices. More about that in my next installment….