Fashion World : Cities of Fashion 2010

Lots of changing in fashion world, including the top 40 cities of fashion.
Here is the new top 40, and amazing Bali being a part of them.
hopefully not only Bali will increasing chart in this topic, but others city like Jakarta, Jogja, and Jember can join in this top 40 next year.
Lets help this country to survive in this world. Because we all know, Indonesia is more than just WONDERFUL and UNIQUE, but also AMAZING and CREATIVE. Agree with me?


The Top Fashion Capitals of 2010, change from the 2009 rankings, and commentary follow.
1. New York (+1) – Reclaims the top spot which it sees as its rightful place.
2. Hong Kong (+5) – The highest ranking ever for an Asian city.
3. London (+2) – The first time, the No. 2 ranking goes to anyone other than the Classic Four (New York, Paris, London and Milan).
4. Paris (-1) – No. 1 in our hearts by No. 4 in the eyes of the media.
5. Los Angeles (+1) – Film is playing an ever more important place in the world of fashion.
6. Milano (-5) – Milan Fashion Week was widely considered a disappointment.
7. Sydney (+2) – Sydney and Melbourne are both energizing the fashion world from Oz.
8. Miami (+5) – strength in swimwear propels Miami into the Top Ten.
9. Barcelona (+5) – Once again, take the top spot in Iberia.
10. Madrid (+11) – Impressive leap into the Top Ten.
11. Melbourne (+14) – Sydney strides ahead; Melbourne even moreso.
12. Shanghai (+2) — Hong Kong and Shanghai both outpace Tokyo.
13. Sao Paulo (-5) – No. 1 in Latin America, again.
14. Tokyo (-2) – Maintaining a relatively strong message while slipping a bit.
15. Singapore (+5) – Strong fashion infrastructure helps it keep pace.
16. Las Vegas (-6) – Hard economic times make a dent in Vegas’ standing.
17. Amsterdam (NL) – Move on to the list for the first time.
18. Berlin (+1) – Hard work helps it main spot in the Top Twenty.
19. Rio de Janeiro (-1) – Strong Latin presence yet slips further behind Sao Paulo.
20. Moscow (+2) – Back in the Top Twenty where it belongs.
21. Dubai (-10) – Transformation of Burg Dubai into Burj Khalifa mirrors the local fashion industry’s trajectory for the year.
22. Rome (-18) – Steepest decline for the survey, ever.
23. Cape Town (NL) – Nice debut for a city known for its multicultural beauty
24. Buenos Aires (0) – Remains No. 3 in Latin America reflecting its glorious past.
25. Johannesburg (NL) – A big year for South Africa with two debuts in the Top Twenty-five.
26. Prague (+3) – Proud city further strengthens its fashion credentials.
27. Vienna (NL) – Strong debut for the capital of the old Hapsburg Empire.
28. Mumbai (-12) – Mumbai falls out of the Top Twenty, but Delhi falls further.
29. Mexico City (+1) – Tops in Central America, again.
30. New Delhi (-13) – Though strengthening its fashion infrastructure, falls further behind Mumbai
31. Santiago (-8) – Making fashion strides while slipping a bit.
32. Bali (NL) – Solid debut for the Indonesian Archipelago.
33. Stockholm (-7) – Once more, tops in Scandinavia.
34. Copenhagen (NL) – Debuts right behind Stockholm.
35. Bangkok (-8) – Falling further behind in the fashion race.
36. Warsaw (NL) – Moves into the top tier in 2010.
37. Chicago (NL) – The Second City makes the list for the first time.
38. Toronto (NL) – Toronto edges Montreal for the top Canadian entry.
39. Krakow (-11) – Maintains a rather unique and creative niche in the industry.
40. (Tie) Dallas (NL) – There are more than cowboys in this emerging regional capital.
40. (Tie) Atlanta (NL) – More than CNN is making an international impact from Hot ‘Lanta.

Nominated: Antwerpen, Caracas, Frankfurt, Medellin, Seoul

Footnote : NL = New List

Open House - Living Areas

It's time to continue the Open House tour, this week is Living Areas! Be sure to link up with the 4 moms if you want to participate, Kimberly, Kim C, Connie, and Headmistress.

I don't have too many pictures this time, our living room is pretty compact, and we don't have a family room. We do have the basement, but it is not refinished and is basically storage right now until we have time/money to refinish it.

Welcome to our living room. This is the view from the front door. You can see through to the dining room from here as well.

This is the view from between the steps to upstairs and to the kitchen. I was watching my favorite cooking show, Giada at Home when I took this one. :)

 And lastly, the view from the dining room. The room hasn't changed much since we bought it. Eventually we would like to refinish the wood floors underneath the carpet. I also painted last summer. From this view you can see my brother's picture hanging by the front door. Got to support my little Marine brother! :)

That is it for this week!

Heather

Fried Spicy Tomatoes Egg Noodles

500 grams fresh egg noodles
4 tablespoons cooking oil
2 (100 grams) stalks chinese greens, cut into 5 cm length
2 (20o grams) tomatoes, quartered
1 cup (50 grams) Thai bird’s eye chilies
1 stalk spring onion, cut into 2 cm lengthwise
2 stalks chinese celery, chopped finely
1/2 cup beansprouts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup hot water

Heat oil in a wok over high heat, cook chilies and tomatoes for one minute.
Toss in greens and quickly cook for 10 seconds. Add the noodles and beansprouts.
Season with salt, white pepper and soy sauce.

Add spring onion and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add hot water. Mix well and cover for one minute.
Remove from heat, garnish with sliced tomatoes and serve warm.

Fried Spicy Tomatoes Egg Noodles

500 grams fresh egg noodles
4 tablespoons cooking oil
2 (100 grams) stalks chinese greens, cut into 5 cm length
2 (20o grams) tomatoes, quartered
1 cup (50 grams) Thai bird’s eye chilies
1 stalk spring onion, cut into 2 cm lengthwise
2 stalks chinese celery, chopped finely
1/2 cup beansprouts
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
1/4 cup hot water

Heat oil in a wok over high heat, cook chilies and tomatoes for one minute.
Toss in greens and quickly cook for 10 seconds. Add the noodles and beansprouts.
Season with salt, white pepper and soy sauce.

Add spring onion and celery. Cook for 3-4 minutes.
Add hot water. Mix well and cover for one minute.
Remove from heat, garnish with sliced tomatoes and serve warm.

Final Farewell

I'm not referring to anything serious here.  Lucy is still okay as are all my dogs and all the people in my life.  Believe me, I count my blessings every day ....

No, this is about Durham.  One more time.  You may remember my post about the place and about Watts Grocery a few months ago.

http://nevertrustaskinnycook1.blogspot.com/2010/05/bye-bye-durham.html

I still love Watts Grocery.  But we had a memorable "last supper" at Vin Rouge and I would be remiss if I didn't tell you about it.

A French bistro in Durham?  Yup, and a damn good one.  This was not our first meal there; indeed it was usually on our list of favorite places everytime we visited, but this meal was particularly wonderful. 

http://www.ghgrestaurants.com/vinrouge/vinrouge.html

It started with our server, Jason.  He is what every server (even the ones at the French Laundry and Per Se) should aspire to.  Professional yet personable.  REALLY knowledgeable about the menu and the wine.  When it came time for dessert, we were too satiated, but Henry lamented the fact that chocolate mousse was on the menu.  Several minutes later, Jason quietly slipped a mini-serving in front of him and we never saw it on our check at the end of the evening.  Now that's what I call exemplary service.

When it came time to order a bottle of wine (de rigueur at every meal for us, duh, no wonder we aren't skinny), General Manager Michael Maller showed up to help.  He and Henry had a spirited discussion about French reds at which point Michael said, "Wait, I'll be right back.  You have to try this."  THIS turned out to be a taste of - you won't believe it - wine FROM A BOX!  Surprisingly enough, it was really good!

It came from St. Joseph in the northern Rhone valley of France.  It is made by Eric Texier who is Michael's favorite producer.  Apparently he only made two barrels of it in the 2008 vintage and all of it came to Durham.  Vin Rouge is the only restaurant in the world to have it in the boxes.  What fun!

I was smart enough to order the Dijon mussels, which were fabulous.  Even more fabulous though, was the bowl they came in.  It was cast iron, slightly tilted and had a grate along the side which allowed for the Dijon butter sauce to flow out unimpeded so you could dip both mussels and bread into it.  Brilliant!  Check it out:

http://www.chefsresource.com/11025.html

The chef at Vin Rouge is Matt Kelly.  I don't know him personally, but I can attest to the fact that he knows his way around a kitchen.

My favorite salad at Vin Rouge involves Bibb lettuce, haricot vert, radishes and Dijon vinaigrette.  Here's my take on it.

BIBB LETTUCE SALAD  (in the style of Vin Rouge)

Bibb lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Haricot vert (French green beans), trimmed and blanched
Radishes, thinly sliced

Dijon Vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Pinch of granulated sugar
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive (I like Olio Santo)

Place Dijon mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar in a bowl and whisk together.  Add olive oil in a think stream and whisk to emulsify.  Taste to adjust seasonings.

*the above is the classic way to make a vinaigrette.  If you want my down and dirty way, just put everything in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake well to blend.  I'm just sayin'.

Place lettuce leaves in a bowl with blanched haricot verts and radishes.  Add a minimal amount of dressing (less is more) and toss gently.  Plate and serve immediately.


Note:  in the interest of full disclosure, I couldn't find haricot vert at Whole Paycheck Foods, so I had to settle for locally grown green beans.  Fair enough.