Kaitlyn Lai, Features and Lifestyle Editor
Most-Worn Item Of The Year:
Chanel 25 Small Handbag
I fell in love with the Chanel 25 the moment it debuted. Finally picked it up in Tokyo this September, and it’s been my ride-or-die ever since. It literally carries my whole life—soft yetet durable grawed leas that that leas er ddurable a leather-woven chain for easy access (because, let’s be honest, I’m always digging for something), and magnetic pockets perfectly sized for my phone. This is the bag that makes me feel like me phone.
Beauty Empty Of The Year:
Pixi Beauty On-The-Glow Blush pH Tinted Moisture Stick
This blush knows me better than I know myself. This Pixi pH-reactive blush stick adapts to my skin, giving me a just-pinched flush that’s uniquely mine . Formulated with ginseng, aloem, and frurux swipe, and voilà—I look like I’m glowing from the inside out without dirtying my hands. No one can tell I put on my makeup on the MTR.
Favourite Trend Of The Year:
Funnel Neck
Have you seen a funnel-neck leather jacket? Trés effortless, trés chic, trés necessary .
Most Binged Series Of The Year:
Emily In Paris …
Emily In Paris. Lily Collins as Emily in Emily In Paris. Cr. Caroline Dubois/Netflix © 2025
Okay, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure, but I devoured the last two seasons in one sitting over Christmas. Watching Emily navigate her career in Paris and Rome is my delulu girlypop fantasy in action.o.
Most Listened-To Song Of The Year:
FAMOUS , AllDay Project
Admittedly, I was not a fan at first, but somehow this song became my fashion week hype track. (And probably AllDay Project’s too, given they attended literally every show in Paris…)
Favourite Meal Of The Year:
Dragon River Yunnan Rice Noodle, Wan Chai
Don’t judge a restaurant by its 2.8-star rating on Google until you’ve had a bite of its tom yum soup rice noodles with grilled pork neck.
Karrie Lam, English Writer
Most Worn Fashion Item Of The Year:
Camille Ballet Flats
I’ve had the Repetto Cendrillon (ballet flat) for a while and always loved how the soft leather checks off on comfort without compromising on support. But because the ones I got were in turquoise, they didn’t fit with my daily wardrobe. A trip to Paris gave me the perfect opportunity to splurge on a new pair, and I pulled the trigger with the Camille (ballet flat with 3cm heel) in Deep Wine Red. I knew I made the right choice when THE MET’s Communications person told me she bought the same pair on the same day. The Camille does take breaking in, but they’re so comfortable once you’ve given them time.
Beauty Empty Of The Year:
De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray
My friends have been singing its praises for years, but it’s only this year that I converted to the Urban Decay setting spray. It’s truly the best setting spray I’ve tried, surpassing Benefit and Shu Uemura, and lasting throughout my dance performances. I’m talking about negligible makeup transfers during lengthy dance performances, despite wearing a masquerade mask and aggressive dancing. Urban Decay means business.
Favourite Trend Of The Year:
Snail Mail
Photo: (L to R) @alessiaeart, @danaxnajib, @alistrations_ via Instagram
I adore snail mail! It’s the simple way of mailing through postal systems as opposed to instant messaging like email or text. More and more people have been creating snail mail subscriptions—for some, as a way to share stories, and for others, as ways to share their art like prints or stickers. Seeing people put together each letter, filled with intention and creativity, brings me so much joy.
Most Binged Show Of The Year:
Mobland
So many binge-worthy shows came out this year, it’s hard to pick one. The Studio was hilariously on the nose, while I Love LA hit the nail on zillenial satire. But the show I couldn’t stop watching was Mobland. The trifecta effect of Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, and Tom Hardy creates a tantalising TV drama you can’t peel yourself away from. The scenes are gruesome, and the plot dripping with drama, revenge, loyalty and ulterior motives. Anson Boon’s Eddie Harrigan reminded me of Joffrey Baratheon in Game of Thrones.
Most Listened-To Song Of The Year:
Nice To Each Other, Olivia Dean
According to my 2025 Spotify Wrapped, my top song is Nice To Each Other by Olivia Dean. If you’ve read our 2024 Wrapped article, this would come as no surprise!
Favourite Meal Of The Year:
Yong Fu
(L to R) Longevity noodles, marinated crab, and Ningbo sesame glutinous rice dumplings
Photo: Karrie Lam
Yong Fu topped the list because of the pure joy the meal brought! It’s like what Maya Angelou said about humans, “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel”. I can’t describe to you how exactly the dishes from that 10-course lunch tasted, but I can say unequivocally that sucking out the juicy, salty flesh of marinated crabs with my grandmother will forever be etched in my mind as a core memory. And the sheer surprise when they wheeled out not one bowl, which was nice enough, but a whole pot’s worth of longevity noodles (長壽麵) to share the joy of the birthday girl. Yong Fu, I think of you often.
Alyanna Raissa J. Payos, Senior Culture & Lifestyle Writer
Most Worn Fashion Item Of The Year:
Asics x Cecilie Bahnsen Gel-Cumulus 16 SSCB
Cecilie Bahnsen’s longstanding partnership with Asics is a masterclass in design collaboration, so it’s no surprise that every sneaker they release sells out like hot cakes. I’ve never had thick enough skin to fully participate in the brutal games of “drop” culture, so I was—very begrudgingly—coming to terms with the fact that they were simply shoes to be admired from afar. But good things often happen when you least expect it, and this summer the fashion gods changed my fate during a lunch break stroll past an Asics store. Cecilie Bahnsen’s beautiful reimagining of the Asics Gel-Cumulus 16 SSCB has brought me so much joy; flowers, glittery mesh, and a comfortable midsole can really put a pep in your step.
Beauty Empty Of The Year:
Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray
You don’t realise what you’ve had until they’re gone. For me, that was Tower 28’s viral SOS spray. This is one of those miracle products that you don’t realise works until the moment you stop using it. It did wonders for smoothing out my skin and helped me maintain a nice baseline.
Favourite Trend Of The Year:
Fun Colour Combos
I’ll never be caught in a fully beige outfit. Firstly because it’s just not what flatters me and secondly, because it sparks no joy! The Spring 2025 runways reenvisioned dopamine dressing with a satisfying clash of colour combinations, and I’ve loved observing people take a more colour-forward approach to dressing. Pink and green always brings me back to one of my favourite childhood shows called The Fimbles, and the combo of bark brown and turquoise leather on my cherished Palengke Kwantro Kantos shoes have forever altered my brain chemistry.
Most Binged Show Of The Year:
Dish Podcast
Who doesn’t love good food and good conversation? Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett always bring both to the Dish table. Learning about celebrities through their food preferences is also such a delicious format and allows for more genuine points of connection. An unfailingly feel-good watch.
Most Listened-To Song Of The Year:
“Vacay”, Aminé
Nothing like a holiday hype song to get you through a 9-5. Last November I bought a presale ticket to Aminé’s Tour de Dance concert in Melbourne this January, and have since made it through each working day singing “Somewhere sunny / Sweatin’ with two spritz in my tummy / I’m eatin’ ravioli and the pizza with the honey”. Due to unforeseen circumstances (I don’t want to talk about it) I can no longer make the concert, and so “Vacay” will just have to carry me through this mourning period.
Favourite Meal Of The Year:
Hansik Goo x Yong Fu Dinner
(L to R) Brown Croaker Fish Lion Head stuffed with Pickled Vegetables, Fish, and White Kimchi Broth; Beef Tripe, Pork Intestine, Bamboo Shoot, Red Garlic Oil; Fried Chicken Stuffed with Glutinous Rice, Shaved Ginseng, Ginseng Chicken Soup, Plum Gochujang Sauce
Photo: Alyanna Raissa J. Payos
More often than not, a four-hands dinner menu looks like a game of hot potato between two chefs. A signature dish from me, then a signature dish from you. But not this one. Besides dessert, every course from the first-ever Hansik Goo x Yong Fu dinner felt like a true collaborative effort from chef Park Seung-hun and chef Liu Zhen. Artful creations like a delicately stuffed brown croaker lion fish head in white kimchi broth opened up my palate into a fascinating realm of fermented flavours shared by Ningbo and Korean cuisine.
Editor
VOGUE HONG KONG
