Torla International drops more than three
million CC's on silks and tapestry fabrics
Photos by Mela and
Staff and Article
by Tory
and Mela Don't forget to move your mouse over pictures
for a description
Mela and I slept late while Auntie Nymph
got up early and headed out to watch the
sunrise from the roof of the hotel with MysteryMan.
After a yummy breakfast (in bed) of brown
eggs, fresh fruit and pork sausage, we got
ready to head to the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. We were just leaving when I noticed the message
light blinking on
the phone and called down
to the front desk
who informed that Del,
Stacia and Angie
had checked out and had
left an envelope
for us.
The envelope contained a cryptic message
reading, "Must go to rendevous early. HK-Five-O near.
See ya on the choo-choo". I folded the note, put it in my purse
and Mela and I headed to the Convention Centre. The award-winning multi purpose-built Hong
Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre is
larger than any in Asia outside Japan with
five exhibition halls, two ballroom-style
convention halls, two world-class theatres,
52 variously sized meeting rooms and two
large foyers for pre-function gatherings. This was to be an elegant affair, so Mela
decided on Catsuit by Skye Blue, with Lita cuffs and bowtie, while I chose a Mela designed
silk and tapestry original in different shades
of green. We met with our financier, Nestor, who was carrying a suitcase full of CC's
and escorted by two heavily armed Moove body
guards arrived at the Silk Auction a little
after 1:30 PM. The Hong Kong Silk Auction is a cash only
transaction and there were almost as many
body guards as bidders. We sat down for a
pre-auction lunch of Eggplant with Garlic
Sauce, Jumbo Shrimp, Fresh Scallops, White
Meat Chicken & Assorted Chinese Vegetables.
with Special White Sauce - all served in
a delightful Noodle
The History of Silk
According to Chinese legends, silk was discovered
in 3,000 BC by Lady Hsi-Ling-Shi, wife of
Emperor Huang Ti, when a silkworm kookoon accidentally dropped into her hot tea. Fine
threads from the kookoon unraveled in the
hot water and silk was discovered.
When silk was
first discovered,
it was used
exclusively
by the emperor,
his close relations,
and the very
highest of
his dignitaries.
Even Julius
Caesar restricted
the wearing
of silk to
himself and
his favored
officials.
Noble and rich
Roman and Greek
families sought
after this
splendid textile.
The great demand
for silk from
Europe created
The Silk Road,
built entirely
to support
its commerce.
For
centuries,
silk had been
as valuable
as gold
often use as
currency in
international
trade.
For more than
2,000 years,
the Chinese
tightly
guarded the
secrets of
silk. Anyone
revealing
the secrets
or smuggled
the silk worm
eggs
or kookoons
outside of
China was punished
by death.
Basket. Immediately following lunch, Mela and I visited
the testing area - a special area set aside
for potential buyers to check the level of
pure silk in each bolt or shipping container
(depending on the buy lot) . Pure silk can be identified by performing
a "burn test". Burning silk produces
an stinky smell and the fiber turns into
a powdery ash. Silk behaves just like wool,
in that when the source of flame is removed,
the silk ceases to burn. The silks levels
were purrrfect and Mela and I found our seats
and quickly went over what movements signified
a bid. "DON'T PICK YOUR NOSE",
Mela half-joked, "We will end up buying
all of China" While the auctioneer spoke in Cantonese,
our intrepreter translated the description
of each bolt of the most delicious fabrics
imaginable. The first segment focused on
Kumo Kokoon fine silks and Mela and I snapped
up more than 2 million CC's worth of Kumi
Silk for the designers in Moove. We focused our buy on silks in the colors
and tones for the upcoming Autumn Fashion
Season - dark greens, grays and golds. My favorite, which I bought a bunch of, was
the bright and rich Golden Vein silk. Deep
in its color with a sheen that I have not
seen in any fabric before - Golden Vien silk
was the most expensive of the fabrics offered
at the auction (with the exception of the
Hunan Tapestry), and Mela winced a bit when
the bidding ended. "It's only CC's"
I laughed.
Continued Below
While China has a reputation of fine silks,
many do not know that Tapestry has a long
and respected history as well. Throughout
the Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties,
Chinese tapestry reached a level of perfection
and was highly treasured by Chinese nobles
as well as the working class. This was Mela's area of expertise and she
carefully bid on 12 highly prized bolts of
Tapestry. The Lotus Flower Tapestry was by
far the most desired by those in attendance
and it was my turn to wince as Mela bid higher and higher against
a Russian Fashion
Designer. When the bid
reached more than
230,000.00 CC's, the Russian
backed down, tipped
his hat to us and smiled.
He knew he had been
beaten and he later
informed us that
he had heard that Avatars
from Moove were tough
business people, and
now he knew all those
stories were true.
"I wonder where he heard that",
I whispered to Mela, wondering how a Russian
Silk Merchant would ever hear about Avatars. We continued to spend CC's like lottery winners
until the auction
turned to the more basic
fabrics of satins
and fine cottons. We arranged
payment and shipping
(it is very difficult
to ship purchased
good from China to Moove)
and decided to grab
a bite to eat after freshening
up at the Hotel. After a wonderfully romantic dinner od fresh
shimp and turtle soup at a small cafe near
the Hotel, Mela and I decided to call it
an early night and get ready for Yangon and
our eagerly awaited Orient Express Vacation
with the wonderful residents of Moove. I
was ready to get out of the cities and see
the quiet beauty of the countryside, as was
Mela. I feel asleep dreaming of wrapping
myself and rolling around in the fine silks
that Moove now owns.
TorLa International Silk Buys
Move mouse
over fabric
for color description
TorLa International Tapestry Buys
Move mouse over fabric for color description
Mela and I slept late while Auntie Nymph
got up early and headed out to watch the
sunrise from the roof of the hotel with MysteryMan.
After a yummy breakfast (in bed) of brown
eggs, fresh fruit and pork sausage, we got
ready to head to the 
Convention Centre.
accidentally dropped into her hot tea. Fine
threads from the kookoon unraveled in the
hot water and silk was discovered.
wince as Mela bid higher and higher against
a Russian Fashion
Designer. When the bid
reached more than
230,000.00 CC's, the Russian
backed down, tipped
his hat to us and smiled.
He knew he had been
beaten and he later
informed us that
he had heard that Avatars
from Moove were tough
business people, and
now he knew all those
stories were true.
