Happy New Year of the Monkey 2016 !
Kung Hei Fatt Choy to all my lovely readers and supporters!The Year of the Monkey is finally here bringing much anticipation of a great year ahead for all of us. I did not head back to Singapore this year for festivities with the family so to kick off celebrations this year (making the best of it here in Hong Kong) we had a spread of the traditional Hotpot with " Lo Hei"!
My lovely neighbours and I had this wonderful " Lo Hei" which is a traditional toss salad widely popular especially during the Lunar New Year. Although it is not a Chinese tradition per se, but more of that of a Singapore / Malaysia tradition, yet it is catching on. I even saw a pre-packed version now available in our Hong Kong supermarkets. With every ingredient in the salad resembling some auspicious meaning for good luck and wealth in the family, it was a great delight to share with friends and family at this time of the year.
The weather amazingly started to slightly warm up during the day here in Hong Kong and then dropping to a cooler 7 - 9 degrees in the evening, I was so lucky to be able to put on this chinese dress, otherwise known as a " cheongsam" that was sleeveless, even during Hong Kong's Winter. This was in fact one of those outfits from Foster Bay ( my previous online clothing store) which we had sold over Chinese New Year a few years back and it's nice to have it out again for old times sake! Miss running that business though... it was fun!
Wanted to stick to a more traditional route this year so nails were a bright red and gold, and jade jewelry came out of the safe, to bring back the old Shanghai feel.
Even whilst in the midst of this photoshoot, the weather significantly got colder, so I threw on this faux fur peachy pink coat to keep warm and it was the first time ever I had to match a fur coat to my cheongsams! Always celebrated Chinese New Year back in Singapore with hot, humid weather and everyone was going for sleeveless dresses or tops - so to throw on a fur coat over my cheongsam for the first time, it felt weird yet fun!
These really old pair of Burgundy Mary Janes was whipped out of the closet for that perfect heel height match to a busy evening. Love how that tone of red just stands out instead of a bright chilli red.
Here's one for the old " vintage" look for the album!
Here's wishing one and all a Happy, Prosperous and Healthy Year of the Monkey!! For a little fun trivia before I sign off, do have fun checking out your horoscope for the Year of the Monkey based on your Chinese Zodiac sign. You may wish to click on this link to read your horoscope for the Year of the Monkey!
Cheongsam ( Dress) : old, Foster Bay ( similar styles here)
Coat : Maple ( similar here & here)
Shoes : old ( similar here)
Earrings & Jade pendant : (similar here & here)
Bangle : ( similar here)
Simone xoxo Women's Pink Fur Jacket, Burgundy Shift Dress, Burgundy Leather Pumps on Lookastic: Pink Fur Jacket, Burgundy Shift Dress, Burgundy Leather Pumps
You look beautiful! And I love these shoes. I HOPE your New Year is filled with prosperity and happiness! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Wishing you the very best in the Year of the Monkey too! Thanks for visiting and commenting. It's much appreciated.
DeleteThank you for sharing this. You look beautiful. My nephews wife is from Singapore so this gives me some insight.
ReplyDeleteWow... small world. Indeed I hope you will enjoy the many cultures of Singapore through your relative's eyes. Thank you for visiting and commenting xoxo
DeleteI love your dress you look really pretty
ReplyDeleteLove the outfit, and I will look for this Dish the next time I shop at the Market, I usually buy lots of Sweets though so I try to limit my Visits.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the Post, Pictures, and the Info.
I love that dress :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Chinese New Year to you and family! I had so many "yee sang" aka "lou hei" year after year. It's one of my favorite dish when it comes to this festive season. Looks like you've had a great time spent with family during the new year. May this year of Monkey be good to all of us =)
ReplyDeleteHi. Thanks soo much for visiting. Means alot when a fellow blogger spends time to check out my blog amidst their busy schedule. Hope you had a great time too over the New Year and indeed may the Year of the Monkey be good to us all!
DeleteYou look really great!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. The dress looks great on you. Very pretty.
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteThanks Edna, Desnise and Ines for visiting. Glad you like the outfit and wishing you guys success and prosperity in the Year of the Monkey!
ReplyDeleteCute dress and have a happy year of the monkey. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this outfit you are wearing. It is so pretty and very feminine. Thank you so much for sharing this
ReplyDeleteYou sure are looking good in this new year!
ReplyDeleteThanks Richard. You are too kind.
DeleteWow! love the outfit and you look awesome in it! I have never heard of the year of the monkey but loved the monkey decoration hanging! I hope you have a happy year of the monkey!
ReplyDeleteHi. Thanks for visiting and commenting. We have 12 zodiac animals which the chinese horoscope is based on and that's how we determine which animal year we are celebrating for each new year. Do go check out more info with the link included towards the end of my post. It's interesting and fun to always learn something new about someone else's culture. Enjoy!
DeleteThanks for a look into How you celebrate the Year of Monkey from Hong Kong & Singapore.
ReplyDeleteLove to share. Thanks for visiting Dorothy!
DeleteI love that pink jacket!
ReplyDeleteThe table looks fantastic!! It is actually making me hungry! I think it is very important to keep up traditions. They are a part of our makeup. I heard it was the year of the monkey, but I really don't know what that means. Also might I say, you look fantastic in that outfit!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue for taking the time to visit and comment. Yes it is really interesting - the chinese culture and if you have not noticed, we have a zodiac of 12 animal horoscope we rotate the years by. You will find a link towards the end of my post which helps you read your horoscope and let you know which zodiac animal you belong to based on your year of birth. Its really interesting. Have fun exploring!
DeleteThat's a beautiful dress. Happy New Year to you! I was born in the year of the Rat.
ReplyDeleteslehan at juno dot com
ooh... nice... coincidentally, my husband, bro-in-law and my dad all happen to be " Rats" too and my horoscope is most compatible with Rats. Certainly loving all the Rats out there!
DeleteThe food all looks so wonderful. I love the pinata. I hope that it was a truly enjoyable party.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry. Thanks for visiting. Actually it's not a pinata but a little lion puppet which kids play with to mimic a lion dance... looks cute though thats why I got one for my home. Just that little extra to add to the ambience.
Deleteoo this looks lovely!!
ReplyDelete