Earlier this month the Editors at LUXE City Guides dropped their
pens, closed their books and embraced the euphoric state of sending 6 of
the latest LUXE lovelies to the printers press. Now, they bring you a
round-up of noteworthy happenings from Stockholm, Milan, Seoul, Dubai,
Amsterdam, and their newest beauty, Kuala Lumpur. From food to fashion
and hotels to hipster hangouts - LUXE has this Summer's hottest trends
all wrapped up.
As we drop our pens, close our books and embrace the euphoric state
of putting an armful of our babies to bed, we've realised it would be
downright rude of us to withhold the most noteworthy happenings in
Stockholm, Milan, Seoul, Dubai, Amsterdam, and our newest beauty, Kuala
Lumpur. From a city-wide revolt against meter-dodging taxis in Kuala
Lumpur to the rise of food-hall dining in Stockholm, there's plenty to
share.
High-end vs Low, and Korean Kuisine Takes the Lead
Food, food, food. Gourmands continue to be spoilt for choice
when travelling, but the polarisation between the established dining
haute-spots of Europe and the hot-on-their heels Asian capitals
continues to grow. While culinary heavyweights Stockholm, Amsterdam and
Milan move towards pared-back, produce-driven menus, home-grown seasonal
ingredients and rustic homestyle dining, Southeast Asia's youngest
capital Kuala Lumpur continues to embrace Gallic Gastronauts and the
elevated experiences they offer. Classic Korean cuisine may have swept
the globe and won legions of loyal fans, but Seoul is looking forward,
with modernised, molecular-tinged local dining rising to the fore – as
evidenced by the first ever Korean restaurant to be named in S.
Pellegrino's Asia's Best 50 Restaurants list 2014, Jung Sikdang (#20).
Heritage Renaissance
Cultural travel is by no means new, but the sad, not-so-distant
tendency of some global cities – especially those in Asia – has been to
race one another to eradicate the old in place of the bigger and better,
often at the expense of historical treasures. Thankfully, a new trend
towards preservation is emerging, with hotels particularly inclined to
refurb and repurpose heritage buildings. Kuala Lumpur embraces the
globally-popular vintage renaissance, merging original colonial
architecture with striking new spaces and shab-chic sensibilities – take
for example the Hotel Majestic, an illustrious 1930s doll now restored
to glitzy 5-star glory. Across the globe, design-led Scandi capital
Stockholm continues to melds old and new with aesthetic ease, with
fission-hot openings like hotel Miss Clara, which debuted with Art
Nouveau architectural heritage intact.
The New Classic
As the fast-paced, rapidly-developing world continues to crave
all things handmade, artisan and decidedly yesteryear, the movement away
from flash and faff and towards a more bohemian philosophy gains ever
more momentum – and nowhere is this more prevalent than in village-vibey
creative hub Amsterdam. While unquestionably a gateway to the finer
European delights – arts, culture, and cuisine – the Dutch capital has
also firmly established itself as an epicentre of the hipster influx,
with the real see-and-be-scene hangouts no longer the most 'glam' in
town, but the more edgy and underground – lively NDSM dock diner PLLEK
being one of the new kool kat mainstays. And although shimmering desert
mirage Dubai thrills with its innovation and luxurious excess, it's not
only glitter and gold that's grabbing headlines: the local contemporary
art scene continues to flourish, making it a must-visit for any art
enthusiast.
Fash Foot Forward
Milan, one of fashion's long-reigning European hotbeds, is
still rich with rewards for label-hunting Mabels, especially now with
everyone from Armani to Dsquared2 to Byblos opening not just boutiques
but hotels and restaurants too. Not to be outdone, Stockholm strongly
represents the ubiquitous Swede-chic food and fashion scene with luxe
one-stop department shops like Mood Stockholm, while Seoul has embraced
its own avant-garde sense of style via local design-heavy 'lifestyle
emporiums'.
Want more? Get the
local lowdown from brand new stays, restaurants, bars and spas, to
bespoke shopping and activities in the latest editions of LUXE Milan,
LUXE Amsterdam, LUXE Stockholm, LUXE Dubai, LUXE Seoul and the brand new
LUXE Kuala Lumpur – all available at www.luxecityguides.com.
Links:
Jung Skidang, Seoul: www.jungsik.kr
Hotel Majestic, Kuala Lumpur: www.majestickl.com,
Miss Clara, Stockholm: www.missclarahotel.com
PLLEK, Amsterdam: www.pllek.nl
Mood Stockholm: www.moodstockholm.se
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