Bucket bags are barrel shaped with a top drawstring closure and shoulder strap. They have been a fringe trend for four years, but have battled to gain momentum. That changed this year, with the style once again going mainstream like it did back in the ’90s. 

The bucket bag has its casual and boho chic appeal. Its lack of structure successfully dresses down an outfit much like a slouchy hobo style. The drawstring closure is in itself an interesting, textural and eye-catching detail. But it’s not that easy finding your stuff in this style of bag. You end up digging around a lot, especially when you tend to carry many items in your bag. That said, bag organizers are one way to solve the problem, and some bucket bags are more structured than others. 

My first expensive and “grown-up” handbag was a brown and black suede version that I bought in my second year as a fashion buyer back in 1995. I thought it was a good way to dress down my neutral power suit during the week, and dress up my Levis 501’s over the weekend. Polished, yet not overly structured and formal. The suede was bald by the time I stopped wearing it, I loved it so much. Now though, I find the drawstring detailing too maximal for my taste, and prefer a much simpler looking bag. I’m also not fond of carrying bags on my shoulder. But I do like bucket bags on others, and some of my clients have been sporting them for a while.  

Over to you. Would you wear a bucket bag?

Decorations are everywhere as Hong Kong prepares for the lunar new year, and this includes shopping malls and window displays. Although most references are to the year of the “goat”, the sheep and the ram also represent this animal in the Chinese zodiac. It is fun to see how different brands interpret the symbols in ways that are aligned with their aesthetic. Some displays are literal, others are more abstract, and many are works of art. From huge plush toys and realistic statues, to wooden sculptures, origami and animals made of glass and cardboard. Some displays are colourful, while others are neutral and monotone. 

Pantone announces its top colours for Fall 2015, Old Navy teams up with Current/Elliott, Inditex stops selling angora wool products, and more news from the style trenches this week.

• This week, Lucky launched its new website, Lucky Shops, which combines editorial content with e-commerce.
• Old Navy teams up with the founders of demin line Current/Elliott, who will serve as the brand’s “Style Ambassadors”. 
• Inditex, the parent company of Zara and Massimo Dutti, will stop selling products made with angora wool.
• Pantone’s top colours for Fall 2015 are a nod back to the seventies.
• Karl Lagerfeld is branching out into childrenswear. 
• A new exhibition in Paris examines the history of the button.
• Barneys turns its blog The Window into a printed magazine that will be mailed to the store’s “best customers”. 

Fun Fashion Fact

Did you know that Prada has put its entire fashion archive online. The Future Archive contains runway images, advertising campaigns and catwalk videos going back all the way to 1987. 

Angie introduced me to dim sum on our very first trip to Hong Kong together in 1998. There are many different varieties of dim sum, but most are some sort of steamed bun or dumpling. Our Chinese friends talk about going for “yum cha”, which can be loosely translated as having morning or afternoon tea. Except here the tea is accompanied by delicious dim sum. 

This particular restaurant is One Dim Sum in the Prince Edward neighbourhood of Kowloon. The modest exterior would never have you guessing that the place has a Michelin star, but indeed it does, having first made it into the Michelin guide in 2011. To avoid the rush associated with its popularity, we arrived just before the quietest time of the day and our wait on the chairs outside wasn’t more than 20 minutes.

Dim sum itself is quite unique, but so is the restaurant experience. Traditionally, ready-made dim sum is wheeled around the restaurant on carts and restaurant goers take what they want from the cart as it comes past. This was the case at the famous Luk Yu Tea House, where I had my first dim sum experience. But here at One Dim Sum we noted our choices on a list and they arrived when ready.

We were eager to see whether One Dim Sum lived up to the star and to the rave reviews it received from several of our foodie friends. In short, it did. I can’t remember enjoying dim sum this much. Top to bottom, left to right, we had Siu Mai (pork dumpling), Choy Miu Gau (vegetable shrimp dumpling), Cha Siu Bao (barbecued pork bun), Har Gao (shrimp dumpling), Law Mai Gai (chicken and sticky rice wrapped in a lotus leaf). Angie doesn’t eat pork, so those were all me, but she had an extra order of the Har Gao, her favourite.

For dessert, it was all we could do to squeeze in some Lui Sha Jin Dui (fried mini sesame balls).

Unbelievably, our total bill for this one star Michelin feast was $20.