MenuBack

Hotel Sav Hong Kong: Floor of Love art exhibition for charity! Pop-up design shop, Goth holiday gift guide.

hotel sav pop up store

Hello from my colorful home in Hong Kong — Hotel sáv!

As you might recall from this story, I have a “La Carmina room” at this award-winning boutique hotel. Artist Naomi Rubin and I took part in their “Floor of Love” project, which dedicates the entire 22nd floor to art and charity. 

I’m excited to share that the Floor of Love is officially launching in December — and hope you will stay in our room at Hotel Sav!

hong kong indie fashion design shop

In this post, I’ll show you the new, original art that Naomi created for the opening exhibit.

I’ll also take you inside Sav’s new Pop-Up store, rainbow afternoon tea set… and end with a Gothic gift guide, highlighting holiday presents under $20.

travel blogger opens hotel, la carmina room

Let’s begin in my “La Carmina hotel room” at Hotel Sav. (My address: Room 2219, 83 Wuhu St, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong)

Last February, my team and I went to support the hotel opening, and created this travel video about decorating this space to represent “Love the Dream.”

devil horns hair clips

Now, Sav Hospitality is celebrating the launch with a big Floor of Love event. The Sonic Garden space will feature new works by the artists — including Naomi! — and the 19 decorated rooms will be open for viewing.

Our art will be paired with wines that match the themes (Love the Planet, Community, Dream, Memory). There will also be food tastings, a graffiti car display, and music. Best of all, you can buy the works, and proceeds will go to the Disabled Association and Make a Wish Hong Kong.

hong kong travel sketches

You can peek inside the various Floor of Love artist rooms in this photo diary, as well as see more of the La Carmina works (such as these sketches featuring scenes from Hong Kong).

Keep scrolling to see the three new pieces that Naomi made… they feature my Scottish Fold cat Basil, and mouth-sewing!

sailor moon fashion clothing line

I always feel at home when I stay in my Hotel Sav room, and wind up with the most vivd, lucid dreams.

(I’m wearing a Sailor Moon jacket that I got in The One – Tsim Sha Tshi mall. This fashion collection features clothes with Sailor Moon symbols and patterns. My black Very Metal dress is Gladnews, and the Unknown Pleasures tights have a Joy Division print.)

chinese young modern artists exhibit

On the first floor lobby, anyone can shop the “Pop Up At SAV” — a collection of local designs that celebrate art and lifestyle.

This space has an eye-catching selection of jewelry, purses, watches and more. There’s a rainbow rack of sáv Beach Wear, and all types of stationery branded by the hotel.

pop up at sav, hotel hong kong

I’m wearing a Korean bracelet and squeezing a “towel bear,” which I’ll give to my baby niece as a present.

rainbow purse, iphone case

The wall of paintings is by local artist Mark Lui. You can shop for his Design Works cell phone cases, which come in carved wood and rainbow prints. I’m carrying one of Mark Lui’s Botkier tote bags, which are among the most popular items.

I hope you’ll stop by the Pop Up at Sav, to check out these artistic goods!

naomiyaki art, naomi rubin artist

And now, let me share with you the three pieces Naomi Rubin made for the Floor of Love opening party. Below are her titles and “a short bit of story that takes the viewer a little closer to the memories she drew from when painting.” Let’s start with two inspired by Basil Farrow the Scottish Fold cat! 

Family
2015
Pencil and acrylic on paper

“It’s a rare joy when you get to meet the family of someone close and feel the realization that you already know them. Then, you can draw them some more.”

godzilla cat, scottish fold painting

Back-Alley Photography
2015
Pencil and acrylic on paper

“The first time we shot photos on that trip, it was on the way to meet some unlikely co-workers. We stopped in a back-alley that made for unusual lighting but fantastic poses and composition. Most of this city is real, but the parts have been taken from all over — kind of like a real city indeed.”

hong kong floor of love opening

Last Minute
2015
Acrylic on paper

“The posters were made on the train ride up, and pasted guerrilla-style around town as we filmed. We checked out the venue space only the evening before, and even that changed around on us. We were ready though, because we had been practicing.” (Hint: if you’ve followed our TV-fixing work over the years, you may recognize this scene from the Joko vs Klaas lip-sewing episode!)

It’s wonderful to see how Naomi’s art continues to evolve. She is currently working on a mystery project; you can watch her Naomiyaki site for changes.

rainbow afternoon tea, cakes

While staying with Hotel Sav, I also got to try the new “Floral with Colors” Afternoon Tea Set. It’s a rainbow delight of sweet and savory treats, decorated to look like a blossoming garden — complete with chocolate soil and a twirling butterfly.

hotel sav colorful afternoon tea

The bite-sized delights sit next to flowers by Hahahflorist. I had fun eating the mousse with a miniature garden shovel, and skewers of mozzarella with tomato and caviar.

Anyone who orders the Floral Tea Set receives a packet of flower seeds and a Casetify screen protector for free. And if you wear a floral dress or accessories to high tea, you might get a special tote bag too.

hong kong hotel afternoon tea menu

The hotel also has a new “Patisserie by sáv” on the ground floor, serving fresh cakes and pastries every day.

hotel sav bar, restaurants

I think you can see why I love staying at Hotel Sav! It’s less than a year old, and has already racked up awards for best design, branding, marketing and more.

amplitude bar hong kong sav

My friends and I enjoyed hanging out at Amplitude bar, which has a music theme. We snacked on fresh fruit cocktails (there’s a whole rainbow of them) and  snacks such as oven baked pizza.

chocolate rain cute bear statue

I hope you’ll stop by Hotel Sav to see the Pop Up shop, and try their Floral Afternoon Tea. And don’t forget — you can request to stay in the La Carmina room, when you travel to Hong Kong!

Above, we hope you enjoy the Hong Kong travel video we made about the hotel opening, and Chinese celebrations. (Filmed and produced by Borderless Media )

rainbow perfume bottles

And now… my Gothic Alternative gift guide! It’s “Nightmare before Christmas” time, and I’m sure you’re scrambling to pick up holiday presents. It’s always a challenge to find something unique and useful, especially for someone of a Gothic disposition.

To help you out, I’ve rounded up my favorite Goth gifts, most of which are under $20 US. I hope you find these shopping tips helpful! kawaii cute iphone phone cases valfre

A mobile phone case is a thoughtful present, since these tend to have high turnover (people use smartphones constantly, and eventually break the covers). These iPhone and Android cases are fun and stylish, and not too heavy. Of course, make sure you know what type of phone your friend uses so that you purchase the right model.

From left to right, my favorites (in $20 range!) are a 3D pastel goth phone case –– a must have for those into sweet kawaii. Anime fans will smile when they unwrap the Pikachu Pokemon iPhone case.

Valfre makes the niftiest soft mobile cases, including a carton of 100% boys tears, a mermaid seashell phone case, a black cat with big eyes (my favorite), and a funny giant pencil.

goth beanie, skullcap, gothic tuque

During the winter months, your friends will need a knit cap to keep warm — or tuque, as we Canadians call these things. Instead of a boring basic beanie, why not give them something fun?

Killstar has the most eye-catching Gothic accessories on the market. I had a hard time deciding between (from left) the aliens with upside down cross beanie, pentacle and moon winter cap with a pom pom, “So Goth I’m Dead” hat, and pyramid Killstar tuque. (These links lead to where you can directly get them.)

gothic lipgloss, jeffree star lipsticks

I’m fond of giving and receiving high-quality makeup, especially if it’s by brands that are not usually found in stores. All of these picks are under $20 too. 

Anastasia is the queen of eyebrows, and makes a brow powder palette that looks very natural. The self-sharpening Anastasia eyebrow pencil is beloved by makeup addicts worldwide. (All of these come in different shades.)

Matte, long-lasting lip glosses are currently all the rage.  Jeffree Star has a fabulous collection that includes shades like dark blue and purple gloss. Recently, I’ve been wearing this exact shade of Urban Decay lip gloss, and can vouch that it stays on.

skull home decor, skull vases

If someone has recently moved to a new apartment or dorm, a home decor gift is a nice gesture. Try to avoid “Halloween party” products, and look for items made with better materials.

On the top left, I’d welcome this a set of Mercury colored glass skull bottles. They’d look great on a shelf or mantle, and can hold a fresh flower. Below these are are two versions of a cardboard 3D skull, which also comes in black and other colors. This unique skull can serve many purposes, from a paperweight to a scratching station for your cat!

A skull-shaped planter adds character to the home. In addition to plants, the vase can hold various objects such as candy or pens. Finally, this purple Day of the Dead glitter skull can hang on a door, wall, or Christmas tree.

gothic eyelashes, dolly false lashes

False eyelashes are an excellent stocking stuffer, especially if you find Japanese ones with cute packaging. I love the Wicked Hippie eyelashes with rainbow accents and colors.

Dolly Wink is a favorite brand among Tokyo gyaru and Harajuku girls. The bottom right Velour Lashes are made of high quality silk fibers, and I wear them on my photoshoots.

haute couture goth fashion purses

Finally, since you never know what Santa might bring you… I’ll share my dark dream wishlist! These are the height of Gothic haute couture — designs to die for.

I’m lusting over this circular spider purse made from black velvet, with matching cobweb stiletto heels. These Majesty Black leather gloves are evil queen fabulous, with gold spiky nails.

On the right, Alexander McQueen is the king of darkness. I have my eye on McQueen’s Goth clutch purse with a knuckle grip and Swarovski crystals, and studded leather platform Oxford shoes.

awake anime pink faux fur coat

And above is my Technicolor dreamcoat.  This anime pink faux fur coat by A.W.A.K.E is kawaii done right! It’s available here, in case one of you feels the urge to pick it up for me… anyone? Anyone?

I hope you found my Goth / alt gift suggestions to be helpful, as you shop for friends and family this Christmas season. Have fun, and let me know if you have other suggestions for presents.

lavender hair color

How do you like my art / charity collaborations with Hong Kong’s Hotel Sav? You can find out more, and book my La Carmina room, on their website and Facebook.

SHARE & COMMENT

24 Comments

  1. Amui
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:43 am | Permalink

    love it >.< very beautiful

  2. Bananarama
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:44 am | Permalink

    Glorious :D

  3. Rali
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:44 am | Permalink

    Have a great weekend :)

  4. Musume
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:44 am | Permalink

    Those goth gifts to die for. Decisions decisions… /( •̪● )

  5. aadvark
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:54 am | Permalink

    <3 <3 <3

  6. DBA
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:54 am | Permalink

    i love the illustrations i love your devil horns
    i love it all

    • lacarmina
      Posted November 30, 2015 at 5:57 am | Permalink

      Naomi’s artwork rocks my socks!

      • naomiyaki
        Posted November 30, 2015 at 6:44 am | Permalink

        Waah thank you both so much! So glad you like the illustrations.

  7. lacarmina
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 11:58 pm | Permalink

    hail Basil! hehe

  8. Cathy
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 11:58 pm | Permalink

    Love it

  9. Wing
    Posted November 30, 2015 at 11:58 pm | Permalink

    Sooooooooooo cute your hair!!!

  10. Kitty
    Posted December 1, 2015 at 12:00 am | Permalink

    Can’t wait to see it in person!

  11. Aaron
    Posted December 1, 2015 at 12:05 am | Permalink

    great art pieces!

  12. Sau
    Posted December 1, 2015 at 5:55 am | Permalink

    lurve it

  13. Bananarama
    Posted December 2, 2015 at 8:09 pm | Permalink

    Cutiepie.
    xD

  14. Jackie
    Posted December 3, 2015 at 1:24 am | Permalink

    still love that dress!

  15. Kathleen
    Posted December 3, 2015 at 1:24 am | Permalink

    Aloha La Carmina! Great outfit…………I have the same red horns!! Happy Holidays dear smile emoticon

  16. Trevor
    Posted December 3, 2015 at 1:25 am | Permalink

    I need this

Post a Comment

Your email is never published nor shared. Required fields are marked with *

*
*