Lifestyle, as middle-income Hong Kong people generally see it, inevitably means shopping, entertaining, wining and dining. In all of these personally-gratifying pursuits Hong Kongers have an insatiable appetite for novelty; so life is a kaleidoscope of valuing, replacing, adapting but – most of all – buying.

It's perhaps a cliché to say that shopping for fashion has been top of Hong Kongers' agenda for decades. But while years ago genuine fashion was exclusively for those with deep pockets, many more Hong Kongers now expect the best. They like to buy, but these days, buying is a highly selective process.