Last September, I went to my first lunch in months when Laetitia Yu and I took our friend Yuda Chan out for her birthday. Yu organised a wonderful set lunch at Petrus of crab, veal cheek with asparagus and a cheese board to finish. With the Island Shangri-La’s spectacular views, it made for a relaxing environment for a four-hour meal and catch-up.
Night at the museum
As the only black-tie dinner that was able to go ahead in 2020, the First Initiative Foundation’s fundraising gala at the Hong Kong Museum of Art was a huge highlight. My friend Michelle Ong worked tirelessly to host a truly incredible night, which was themed “everlasting wonder”.
Michelle Yue (Photo: Ken Sharp)
Despite graduating from London’s Inchbald School of Design, Michelle Yue is not a professional designer. However, she has the ultimate taste and instinct for her own homes’ design. “Over the past 25 years, I have built or renovated more than 10 properties in Hong Kong, Canada and London,” says the vice chairwoman of trustees for Women for Women International. “I have lived in my current, Grade-II-listed South Kensington home since 2008. It was previously offices for a glassware company so it needed gutting.” My friend’s advice on collecting is: “I only buy things I love, not just to fit a space. Objects should have meaning and the most interesting homes have a collection that reveals different facets of the owner’s life.”