Alexander Stuart

Photograph Copyright  ©  2013 Alexander Chow-Stuart. An astonishingly beautiful and thoughtful gift from my friend David Tait of a jade Buddha that comes from the land he loves so much, surrounding Mount Everest. David just summited Everest for the fifth time, to raise money for the NSPCC and for a vitally needed educational programme in schools to raise children's awareness of the risks of child abuse, of which David sadly was a victim as a child. The Buddha sits on my desk by my keyboard, where it shall remain for as long as I am in this body (and perhaps after) - which I hope will be a very long time. A million thanks, David. Namaste.

All photographs courtesy of fearless-in-beijing. This post is mostly an excuse to show some beautiful clothes and beautiful women, but it's also to promote Gabrielle Bonheur's wonderful blog and Facebook page fearless-in-beijing   北京街头风格   - which captures the spirit and energy of the New China perfectly. These pictures are from the opening of Stella McCartney's new boutique in Beijing , and display a truly elegant collection in white. As Gabrielle notes on her blog, the prices of Stella's clothes for the Beijing boutique are accessible only to China's rising middle class - a $300 bag, for example, represents a full month's salary for many in China. But China is changing fast, and there is a rapidly growing sector of the population who both aspire to and can afford these prices - and who represent a major culture shift in China's recent history. China is at a great turning point, and the growth of boutiques like Stella ...

FoundersCard - a new mark of success. CNNMoney has called it, "The elite 'Black Card' for entrepreneurs." TechCrunch said it "gives entrepreneurs elite programs and networking traditionally reserved for execs of Fortune 500 companies." Developed in 2009 and launched in January 2010 by entrepreneur Eric Kuhn , FoundersCard is an elite members' card that offers a truly valuable range of global benefits to its cardholders, including upgrades and discounts with select airlines, such as Virgin Atlantic, Cathay Pacific and Jet Blue; international networking events in cities such as Los Angeles, New York and London, with high-achieving entrepreneurs and accomplished individuals in technology and media; a discount on  AT&T iPhone bills (based on minimum criteria for the data plan, etc); and even a special arrangement when you open a new account with First Republic Bank. Welcome Pack - Photo courtesy:  Michael Gross Photo. Members speak v...

Zhao Wei's So Young is a phenomenal success already in China. Leading Chinese actress Zhao Wei's feature film debut So Young has proven a huge box office success in China, taking 350 million yuan ($56 million) in its first week. Its nostalgic theme - a love story set in the 1980s and 1990s - has connected in a big way with Chinese audiences. Hopefully the movie - based on  the  best selling  Chinese novel,  To Our Eventual Lost Youth , by  Xin Yi Wu  - can expand its success internationally. Zhao Wei is a megastar in her native China. Also known as Vicki (or Vicky) Zhao , she has built a formidable reputation as an actress, pop singer and now director. She is one of the  "Four  Dan  actresses" in China (四大花旦), along with  Xu Jinglei ,  Zhang Ziyi  (best know internationally for Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ) and  Zhou Xun . ( Dan originally referred to female roles in Chinese opera - but,...

Above: The Green Light trailer, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. I cannot WAIT to see Baz Luhrmann's film of F Scott Fitzgerald's unforgettably heartbreaking novel, The Great Gatsby (originally published on April 10, 1925) - and the mixed reviews it is so far receiving mean nothing to me at all. I love the trailers , I love the music, I love the artists involved (not least the wondrous Lana Del Rey , who seems perfectly suited to this), I love the cast ( Tobey Maguire's reflective angst suggests the perfect Nick; Leo DiCaprio's beauty and impenetrability are equally well-suited to Gatsby), I love the idea of capturing what it feels like to "be" in the 1920s, rather than watch a movie about the decade - and I love Baz Luhrmann's work. Personally, I think Gatsby is probably unfilmable, whatever that means. The book is so iconic, so much "The Great American Novel" - but more importantly so subtle and complex and wistful and rom...