Happy Chinese New Year…the year of the pig.  I did a post featuring the incredible creativity of GUO PEI and her Haute Couture Collection for Fall 2018. Here are some looks from her Spring 2019 collection. Dramatic, stunningly beautiful, totally innovative and incredibly inspiring. Amazingly creative!!!  Let’s look at a few more pieces from the collection.

I have always been fascinated with Chinese culture.  One of my Father and Mother’s dear friends was a gentleman by the name of Charlie Lum who owned a Chinese restaurant on Rush Street in Chicago, The Cantonese Cafe.  I adored it from birth until it closed.  Daddy severely cut his hand during the Depression (I wasn’t around as yet), that would be an issue for anyone but, as I have told you, he was an artist so it was a double whammy.  Charlie made sure that my parents had food either at the restaurant or he personally brought dinner to their apartment on Astor Street on a daily basis.  In addition, when Mom was pregnant with me she was quite ill for the entire 9 months and basically the only food she could tolerate was Chinese…Charlie to the rescue yet again.

As a little girl I was totally fascinated with the color and glamour of the restaurant, the food, of course, and adored being allowed to visit the kitchen and visit my friend the cook…he looked like a Genie, was huge (think Sumo wrestler huge!) toothless, didn’t speak English but every time he saw me he would break into a huge grin and carry me around on his immense shoulders. I adored him, I don’t think I ever knew his name. Once in awhile, on special occasions, we would be invited to Charlie’s apartment, upstairs of the restaurant, for an evening of an extravagant dinner.  And on special Chinese Holidays, such as today’s, we would go to Chinatown with Charlie to celebrate where he was honored as a major celebrity, which he was.  They are very, very fond memories.

Happy Chinese New Year…perhaps something Chinese for dinner…sounds perfect to me!!!!

All photos found on Pinterest credits unknown