turn·STYLE - noun1. Justina's snapshot profiles of cool people in Shanghai who are creating and defining China style.
Sometimes when the stars and fate align, the right person appears when you need them. Such was the case with Sarah Kung, marketing director for Shokay, the world's only purveyor of an exclusive line of yak-down goods. You'll see why I need to learn all about yaks and weaving in an upcoming novel. Stay tuned!
Still, I hear the skepticism in your reading mind: yak down...uh-huh. Let me assure you that these knitted and felted goods were beautiful. Sumptuously soft. And gorgeously designed.
Started by two Harvard postdocs, Shokay is a fine example of social entrepreneurship. These women, along with Sarah, are helping thousands of Tibetan yak herders earn a new living by harvesting yak down and creating high-end luxury products.
And some of them are just plain cute, like these...
knitted goods like these replicas of a dish my mom used to make: batsang! Rice stuffed with meat, peanuts, salty eggs--all wrapped in bamboo leaves and shaped into a pyramid.
Sarah herself is an interesting story. She's a former editor for Elle in Asia who happened to hear about the two founders of Shokay. So impressed with their mission to help these Tibetan herders, Sarah talked herself into a job. She still freelances as a magazine writer. Her latest article featuring one of the sophisticated women who danced in halls during Shanghai's heyday in the 1930s. After scouring the Old Town to find a woman who lived in that era and was still alive in this one, Sarah found a perfect person to profile. It took her several weeks to gain the woman's trust and ease out the story. But she did. That's enough for me to want to learn how to read Chinese characters so I can study her article. (Or maybe I'll just find a translater.)
An hour later, I got the information I needed to write about yaks. And weaving. Curious?! Me, too! I can't wait to use this good stuff in my novel.
both indoors and out. This was one of my favorites, a fu lion like the two protecting our home in Seattle. Its paw lies atop a roll of newspaper, protecting the words. Or at least, that's how I'm interpreting this piece of art.
Of course, where do I find myself in the midst of all this wonderful art? Lured into the tiny bookshop inside the sculpture center, that's where. I could have spent hours perusing the gorgeous coffee table books on art and design. Words--they are my eye candy.
Pedestrian alleys filled with boutiques and cafes and galleries. I arrived early before the shops opened. Imagine this place hopping with the older generation, chatting, strolling, eating, selling vegetables. I'm not sure where they disappeared to at ten, but I missed them.
the world's only store that sells goods made out of surprisingly soft...yak down. 
Sarah Kong, the publicist for Shokay, 
and I spent half of our hour together laughing. About yaks. I nearly capsized the cup of crysanthemum tea she prepared for me. The details she was able to provide me about harvesting yak down has already helped me immensely. (More on Sarah and Shokay soon!)
a fabulous jeweler from Seattle, who had blown into town on business. Her designs, such as this:
are sold throughout Nordstrom and eclectic boutiques. Oprah, the oracle of all that is good, herself has worn Maile's designs on her show. As beautiful as Maile's work is, her grand masterpiece is her daughter. Let's just say Baby Roundtree was a rockstar today. I swear, every single Chinese grandmother within a two-kilometer radius of us emerged mystically from their homes at first coo. And that doesn't count all the young, hip waitresses, edging each other out for the chance to hold the baby. 
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