The Gardens – A St Giles Signature Hotel & Residences at Kuala Lumpur

Location, Location, Location!

Any Aussie would tell you that where you reside is all about the location, so staying at the The Gardens – A St Giles Signature Hotel & Residences did not disappoint. I couldn’t be happier to discover how central the hotel was, especially that a mall was attached to the hotel! It wasn’t just a mall, The Gardens Mall is a Fashionistas’ paradise of high end fashion brands such as Gucci, Hermes, Balenciaga, Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, to name a few; and their local designer brands and food markets. I was also in complete awe by their immaculate presentation of shopfronts, fit outs and of-course their individual marketing campaign images which gave me so much photography inspiration.

Puffy eyed, and dishevelled after an early flight I was delighted to step out of the humidity of the city to the crisp, clean, and very elegant hotel lobby. I was greeted by the enthusiastic Synthia Kek, who kindly gave me a tour of the hotel facilities and my room at the Executive Premier room. All I could ask is that I had more time to enjoy everything the hotel had to offer. Pool, gym, and all the modern comforts you’d expect from a five star hotel.

The hotel’s award-winning, Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar did not disappoint either. Well of-course since it is consistently voted among the Top 5 restaurants in Kuala Lumpur! The elegant dining room and attentive service set the table for Chef Daniel’s creative take on French & Japanese classics. And when you sit at the open kitchen table, the Chef and his team prepare their heavenly delights right before your eyes. I’m still salivating as I’m reliving my foodie experience.

Therefore if you are like me, who is after convenience and being central to all the touristy hotspots like Central Market, Petronas Twin Towers, Train stations and mega malls, then look no further. I definitely recommend staying at the Gardens Hotel & Residences.

Next up I’ll delve into my adventures out and about on the streets of KL so stay tuned xx

 

 

images // KAREN WOO
words and images of me // DEE DARWICHE of AdaptTrend

printed top, pants and playsuit // SHEIKE
rose gold sandals // BARED FOOTWEAR
caftan // CAMILLA

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Our tasting menu as it unfolded throughout the night:

Entre:
Carpaccio of Wagyu Rump with Plum Infused Konbu Sauce
Royale of Maine Lobster with Yuzu Citrus and Fresh Chives

Main:
Smoked Duck Breast with Watermelon and Foie Gras
Grain Fed Beef with Yuzukoshou and Noisette Miso Sauce
Slow Cooked Almond Crusted Lamb Rack with Meaux Mustard Sauce

Dessert:
Fresh Berries with Champange Sabayon and Vanilla Ice Cream
French Chocolate Fondant with Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

 

 

Address: The Gardens Residences, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

MBFWA 2016 Alice McCall Presentation

Alice McCall transformed the lavish award winning restaurant, Porteno in Surry Hills into a live instillation of models lounging around in chantilly lace and cute rompers. Just think 60/70s, 1999 Galliano, or Opium Den styled sets to go with each outfit. Each look had “Alice” written all over it – it was playful, sensual, and feminine. The presentation felt like a live fashion shoot but minus the luxury of time and space. Basically all the shooters were given about 5 minutes to work with the models within a confined area, whilst the stylish onlookers were right behind us catching all the action. Well you know me, I love the challenge to think quickly on my feet and make the most of any situation to produce images that I am proud to publish. ‘

So here they are and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed creating them. Thank you Electric Collective PR for having me xxx.

outfits // ALICE MCCALL
hair // REDKEN AUSTRALIA
makeup // LANCOME AUSTRALIA
venue // PORTENO in SURRY HILLS

All images are copyrighted to Karen Woo. Please email hello@karenwoo.com.au for any images usage enquiries.

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CHARLES & KEITH SUMMER STREET STYLE CAMPAIGN 2016

CHARLES & KEITH SUMMER 2016 draws on a tale of one’s journey to self discovery, a delivery of self expressionism. Pushing forth the idea of self identity, a series of visual narratives portraying the dialogues of one’s inner thoughts.

Supporting their official Summer campaign, I was really humbled when CHARLES & KEITH, an international brand approached me to create a street style campaign which depicts the story of a city slick girl living a carefree life accessorised in CHARLES & KEITH.

I must admit, it was mammoth task shooting 11 different looks in one day, running around like a wild cat in an orange vest (safety comes first ok!), jumping up on bins to take a bird’s eye view whilst making sure every little detail of the product was in clear view and the shot list nailed. However, I had the best time of my life, and I couldn’t have done it without the patience, professionalism and commitment of my dream team.

Ok so here it is! Hope you enjoy the street style campaign now debuting digitally and in store across Asia – Singapore, Korea, Japan, China and Thailand.

 

talent \\ INDIANNA ROEHRICH
stylist \\ DANIEL PACIOCCO
hair & makeup \\ KATE RADFORD
assistants \\ ZOLI DINH, JESSLIN GUVANI, PEPE SIYAVONG, SHAYNE TINO
photography assistant/retoucher \\ STEPHANIE BOLGER

 

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How to Model 101

  • Try to elongate your neck for maximum extension
  • Always pose with tension in your body completely from head to toe
  • Mix it up with innovative poses. Don’t do the same pose over and over again. Make slight changes to the way your hand, body and legs are posed
  • Show up to a photo shoot with clean shaven, clean face, and clean hair.
  • Be aware of where the light source is set up. Always face towards the light source, not away from it
  • Create intensity for the camera through your eyes. As Tyra Banks describes it…. Smize (smile with your eyes)!
  • Give a lot of personality in each shot
  • If it helps, ask to play your favorite music playing when you do a shoot! The beat will kick your poses up 10 notches!
  • Practice practice practice in front of the mirror to work out what angles look best.

 

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Model // CASSIDY WESTON represented by FRM MODELLING AGENCY

Stylist // JESS DEMPSEY

Hair and Makeup // Aimmey Pham

Assistant // ZOLI DINH

Editing // STEPHANIE BOLGER

Shirt and Denim // Super Dry Official