Hongkong Land Welcomes boutique boulevard: SO CHIC, SO CENTRAL

Hong Kong, 23 March 2009 – Subtle hints of spring and summer are already in the air, signalling that it’s prime time to kick away the winter blues and embrace a high end and stylish celebration of the luxe life. With Hongkong Land’s inaugural event, boutique boulevard: SO CHIC, SO CENTRAL, Hong Kong is invited to come together to experience an occasion that revels in the art de vivre.

From 15-24 May, 2009, aficionados and sophisticates will be invited to stroll through top luxury brands from CENTRAL’s retail portfolio including Alexandra House, Chater House, The Landmark and Prince’s Building, and selected brands from Galleria, Mandarin Oriental and St. George’s Building, in an event that shares in the luxury experience.

In each building, a host of unique festivities will engage the Hong Kong public in illustrious novelties and animations presented within boutiques, in workshops and in visual tableaux representative of the luxury lifestyle that CENTRAL’s brands represent. boutique boulevard will begin on 15 of May with an invitation-only VIP event, and will be followed by two weekends of activities on 16-17 and 23-24 May with a week of celebration in between.

To be held in Hong Kong for the very first time, boutique boulevard will feature a wealth of innovative lifestyle workshops hosted by leading experts that will be open to the public on a first come, first served basis during the 16-17 May and 23-24 May. Inviting guests to take away industry secrets and tips on how to recreate sophisticated style and class, the workshops held by both private boutiques and in common areas will delight in the often overlooked details of craftsmanship that truly define elegant living.

Highlights will include a ‘Scent and Senses Perfume Master Class’ taught by a leading ‘nose’ from the high-fashion fragrance world, while the principal of an etiquette school will host a workshop on etiquette for children. An afternoon of English tea culture followed by a poetry reading will be held by a published writer and poet, as premiere wine sommeliers share insights to the secrets of their high culinary art, to be followed by a tasting. Hong Kong’s foremost authority on all matters beauty, spa and well-being will offer advice on men’s grooming and personal shopping, and the delectably indulgent stylings of a leading pastry chef will lead chocolate lovers in a chocolate creation demonstration and sampling, a delightful soiree certain to be a crowd-pleaser.

In addition, high profile local stylists have been commissioned to design a series of intriguing tableaux – a collection of innovative art installations - to be set up throughout the participating CENTRAL locations. Featured visions will include a professional tango duo performing a sensual dance within the confines of a bathroom scene, a beautiful woman being outfitted in a wardrobe fantasy, a satin boudoir vision reminiscent of Marie Antoinette, a delectable dining display, and a garden scene that does not grow from the ground, but from the sky.