Are you ready? I am taking you, FIRST, on a private visit to the CHINA CLUB in Beijing.

Together with Jim Chang at the China Club in Beijing where we had an exclusive dinner with the top executive people of NSR (New Silk Road Models). Everything was so luxurious, beautifully decorated and the service meticulous!

This was the Prince bedroom….. Jim’s family actually owns the mega group called EVERGREEN and EVA AIR, the official airline of Taiwan. He is indeed a Prince himself, that’s for sure! And more importantly he is so much fun to travel and work with.

 

OMG Prince Chang is home!!!!!!

With 10,000 square meters of land, there are four main buildings and several courtyards, all surrounded by a series of interconnected Qing Dynasty single-storey pavilions with a more recently constructed three-storey pavilion near the entrance.

The premises once operated as the Beijing Sichuan Restaurant for thirty-seven years. The site is a historical landmark, meaning that no architectural alterations can be made to the original structure.

There are several different private dining rooms and we dined inside the biggest room, featured in the picture below. The food was really spicy, from the Sichuan region… I think they wanted me to be quiet so they spiced me up until my mouth fell totally asleep!

From left: Jo, Jim, Calvin & Spencer

The Club is spectacular….

The Club also offers (to its exclusive members), some bedroom in-suites. Next time I will definitely stay here. NSR thought that I would rather prefer a foreign style hotel and I stayed at the Fairmont Hotel, with Asami, and of course the Fairmont was great as always.

 

With Asami, together with Miss China 2010, in her limousine, going to dinner at the China Club.

During the day, on Monday, I did an interview with Beijing Fashion magazine, the “who’s who in Fashion”, in China.

Why Beijing this time?

I was asked to provide training to the new faces of NSR MODELS. On December 5th in Sanya, China, NSR MODELS (New Silk Road) hosted a major event with thousands of models competing in the NSR MODELS search of the year. It happens each year in Sanya and it is a HUGE event that lasts 3 days. I was invited to be a judge, but could not go as I had a lecture to give at the RISSHO University on the 4th.

Also, I came to China to meet with the 20 girls that were selected and who are now represented by NSR MODELS. Each came to meet with me, with their agent and booker. It reminded me of when I used to work with IMG Models New York and I realized how much I love being in fashion versus what I have been doing for the past 13 years…. Beauty contests and beauty queens will never entirely be “my thing” (…) But it was fun for the past years. And the Miss Universe Organisation was always very kind to let me bring high-fashion into their event, by letting me present Miss Japan with the latest designer’s collection looks. Also to spice up a bit the National Costume competition… and it has been a blast of course.

What is the connection between Miss Universe and NSR?

NSR was asked to send a delegate last year to Miss Universe in Las Vegas and they sent one. She is a beautiful girl but she screams: “MODEL” when you meet her, she will never be a beauty queen… she does not fit the category…. she did not place inside the top 15, no wonder, it is crystal clear to me why! She is only 19 years old but she comes from a good family and she is definitely outgoing and sophisticated for a young girl like her.

She asked me what I think about the whole experience, as she feels confused about what should be her next move…. I told her to move on. I was very honest with her and told her point blank that she did not look like a beauty queen, but like a Vogue magazine model. She was happy with my comment and I could feel that she was starting to find again her own identity.

Girls most of the time lose themselves after they go to Miss Universe and then nothing happens back home afterward because they were stars for 3 weeks, then they miss the attention and the adrenaline that they felt at the time they competed.

After the whole thing is over, they feel somehow a bit depressed, because they expected many more doors to be opened after their return. But the truth is that in our world today only a very few percentage of the worldwide population is interested and appreciate the status of a Miss Winner. Perhaps interest is high in developing countries, but in the developed countries, people care about movies, television, music and modeling stars.

I picked these 2 girls, they are just making their debut. I chose the left one for editorial and runway work, The girl on the right, for lingerie and luxury car campaign. Actually, NSR represents the only Asian model ever working as a Victoria Secret Model. Actually you should see these girls dressedup and made-up on the runway, WOW!

 

I love the TWINS! Yin & Yan. I taught them how to walk together as one. They are amazing when they move, they look like dolls, they are fierce together. They can move as a mirrored one. I told them to never separate when they work, being together is their force.

You see them looking serious because I am talking to them (with a translator the all time of course), but if not, they all laugh, jump around and have a big personality in general which I love. It takes more time for Japanese girls to come out and show who they really are. Also, it is nice and refreshing, but of course they do not have special characteristics that Japanese girls have. From one country to another, women can be totally different, that’s what impassions me.

Below, we took a picture with Asami in front of the MISS UNIVERSE JAPAN 2010 Press Conference board. Funny! In my world, everything seems to be connected always…. Actually, NSR is not sending a girl to Miss Universe next year. And, I will be in charge of THE FACE OF ASIA (with only delegates from Asia) starting from July 2011.

Here looking at composite cards on the wall of the agency. [Btw, I wear a Temperley dress, Marni necklace, Celine high-knee-leather boots, D&G gold earrings and my favorite Gucci bag].

Waiting with Miss China, for the elevator at NSR MODELS headquarters, it was minus 7 degrees in Beijing! We almost froze, SERIOUSLY!

She had an eye infection, also that is why she wears sunglasses. Also wearing my Jimmy Choo shades, to make her feel good.

Oh no! It was dark inside the car and I put concealer on my lips instead of lip gloss…. arrrrrrr!

I just realised that today is exactly one month since I did my nail gels at MARS THE SALON, also I just booked for 5 pm today. Cannot believe how good they are at MARS…. one month and my nails are perfect still!

Tks Debbie

Taking you for a tour of the LAN CLUB in Beijing

The decoration is outstanding, you must go there and they have a live band playing each evening. Awesome!

2 men and a rhino in harmony.

Private room at the Lan Club. With friends, having champagne and chatting, the best in the world……..

Look at this place!!

Website: www.lanbeijing.com

 

Lan Club Beijing 北京兰会所

“Formal, but not intimidating” is how designer Philippe Starck describes his creation. The opulence of this huge luxury venue
is matched by the attention to detail behind the bar, which is stocked with a vast array of European and New World wines.
Guests can choose between a restaurant, a lounge that features live entertainment and DJs most nights, an Oyster Bar, a
cocktail bar, a cigar room and 45 private VIP Rooms. A hit among Beijing’s expats and nouveau riche Chinese people.

 

 

 

 

Morning at the Fairmont Beijing Hotel reading the newspaper….

 

 

Reading a very sad story of a 14 years old Chinese boy that was seriously ill and his parents have no money to take him to intensive care, and are telling their story. A sword into my heart….

Taking you for a tour of the Beijing’s 798 Art District

A decade ago, setting up radical art studios in the workshops of a largely abandoned military electronics complex on the fringe of Beijing was considered to be intriguing and provocative. Today, Factory 798 is a warren of contemporary art galleries, studios and cafes, luring artists and visitors, students and collectors from across China and overseas.

I am happy because I blew Asami’s mind! She had no idea something like it could exist in China! And she almost froze… again it was way below zero degrees! I was so confortable with my warm Loewe coat.

http://www.798space.com/index_en.asp

 

 

 

Lighting hanging everywhere from the roof. I LOVED!

 

I hope you enjoyed traveling with me…. much love, ines