Taking inspiration in haute couture and fashion trends,luxe hotels are now pairing with designer houses because what better way toshowcase a fashion line than to lovers of fanfare and fashion chic. More 21stcentury but retaining the fuss and fancy. It’s less scones and clotted creamand in its place is chocolate foam and salted caramel. Both high tea lovers andfashion followers alike will lap up the tea trend to follow already dubbed, the‘fashion tea’!
The crème de la crème of fashion teas is the Prêt-à -PorteaTea at The Berkeley London. Cakes and bakes at this superb afternoon tea are inspiredby the catwalk and have variously featured designers such as Alexander McQueen,Jean Paul Gaultier, Elie Saab, Valentino, Chanel and the flavor of this season,Christian Dior. The menu sees a change during the fashion seasons ofSpring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. They have created fashion teas for a decadenow, so definitely give one a try. Think Burberry Trench chocolate biscuits,the Bar Suit from Dior’s debut collection, an Oscar de la Renta princess gownsponge, a Manolo Blahnik ginger biscuit, a vanilla biscuit and royal icingmasquerading as a J’Adior slingback. This afternoon tea serves a choice ofloose leaf from an extensive tea menu.
In Paris, home of fashion, you can enjoy a fashion tea atLe Lobby restaurant at The Peninsula. It offers a Mediterranean-themedafternoon tea in collaboration with FRED, the LVMH-owned jewelry brand.
If there’s a city that’s welcomed and embraced thefashion tea, it’s got to be Hong Kong. One of the biggest society-dos this yearwas the fashion tea at The Ritz Carlton Hong Kong,in partnership with Italian fashion house, Giuseppe Zanotti. Highfashion making up the setting, it featured the latest collection of Zanotti’sheels at hand with an uber fancy menu featuring rich eats like foie grasmacarons and moscato tarts.
The Winston Garden in the Peninsulais the fashion tea by jewelry brand Harry Winston with thePeninsula Hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. A summer event, it’sinspired by the Harry Winston floral collection of forget-me-nots, lotus cluster,sunflower and lily cluster. Think beetroot bagels with smoked salmon rose andcream cheese, or raspberry macarons and dill-marinated cucumber and tomatobread. Harry Winston teaspoons are part of the doggy bag.
The HK Tatler also reports another fashiontea for the season, by Kerry Hotelfora sweet and savory menu inspired by French jeweler Les Néréides’ Spring/Summer collection.
French luxury brandBy Terry collaborates with The Langham, also in Hong Kong for a tea that’s morethan salmon and peaches as it celebrates the pink rose!
In Bangkok, the St.Regis hotel and Italian jewelry brand MISIS have created Gems of the Sea, anafternoon tea of seabeds and corals, offering edible trinkets of salmon pearls,avocado creme oyster shells and more! This one’s a limited-edition tea partyonly, expecting to end by September this year. The St Regis Abu Dhabi toooffers a fashion tea.
Elsewhere, eventsinclude the SHINE Fashion tea, an afternoon tea event that took place inFairmont, British Columbia in February that included a fashion show, celebhosts and silent auction!
Fashion tea may be trending but alreadyin the works is Art Tea, drawing from contemporary artists. Intrigued? Checkinto the afternoon tea in London’s Rosewood offering art-themed cakes inspiredby Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama, Banksy, Alexander Calder and Mark Rothko!
Source: Forbes, The Berkeley, Haute Living