A Remarkable Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration With The Shops at Crystals

I was so thrilled to be invited to the The Shops at Crystals, the one and only shopping center in the U.S. to house exclusively luxury brands for their Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration. In case you haven’t heard, the Shops at Crystals are anchored by more than 15 flagship stores, including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford, Prada, Celine, Fendi and Tiffany & Co. The Shops at Crystals are an amazing collection of 50 of the finest luxury brands in the world, all under one roof. The gorgeous architecture, convenient location on the Las Vegas Boulevard, and exclusive luxury retailer lineup make The Shops at Crystals a must-see for any visitor.

After immigrating to Chicago in the late 20s, I spent every single Chinese Lunar New Year here in the States. I missed the traditional Chinese New Year celebration so much. On a second note, I had never thought I would be flown out to experience a Chinese New Year Celebration when I first started blogging. There are only 3 influencers picked for this celebration and I am one of the oldest. The funny thing is my age equals exactly the other two beautiful influencers’ ages added together. Do I feel old though? Somewhat but I have also never felt so amazing and how much I have achieved. This is to all the women out there that think they are too old to start pursuing their dream: don’t let the little voice in your head hinder you from your dream! It’s never too later to start anything as long as you have a determined mind and keep on going. Blogging is an outlet for me to exercise my creative muscles. I thoroughly enjoy the process of creating beautiful content and connecting with you, my lovely friends.

I was arranged to stay at the beautiful Waldorf Astoria hotel upon arrival. After taking a rest, we met up at Valentino for a fitting. It’s every girl’s dream to wear Valentino pieces since they are so beautifully made ,both feminine and elegant. Red represents vitality, celebration, and fertility in traditional Chinese color symbolism. Wearing red during Chinese Lunar New Year is supposed to bring you luck. I picked a red-laced midi Valentino skirt paired with a blue cashmere pea coat. They are beautiful hand sewn embroidery butterflies on the collar, pockets and sleeve tops of the coat. I usually don’t put so many bright colors together in my outfit but hey, it’s Chinese New Year and we are suppose to dress in bright colors.

After the fitting, we had a tour at the West Coast’s largest Hermès boutique with their store Manager Todd Leavitt. The Tom Ford Store Manger Philippe Neraud also showed us around their amazing spring collection and then we were then treated with a beauty experience at Tom Ford.

Wed Feb 06 was the official celebration day. The Shops at Crystals arranged a long display table right in front of the longest golden dragon which was custom made for them. During Chinese New Year, tossing Yusheng noodles are supposed to bring prosperity. Yusheng literally means "raw fish" but since "fish" is commonly conflated with its homophone "abundance", Yúshēng is interpreted as meaning an increase in abundance. Therefore, Yusheng is considered a symbol of abundance, prosperity and vigor. The higher you toss, the happier you are. We had such a fun time tossing yushen noodles as well as watching a traditional lion dance afterwards. In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. People perform lion dances at Chinese Lunar New Year to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits. The lion dance is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness. Lion dances are Performed in a lion costume, accompanied by the music of beating drums, clashing cymbals, and resounding gongs. Lion dances imitate a lion's various movements and demonstrate martial arts agility. This is one of the best lion dances I have seen in the States. I was so lucky to also meet Bhante Monk for his blessing.

We were then treated with a lavish afternoon tea at Waldorf Astoria. The décor of the tea lounge and these China Tea sets were so gorgeous. Needless to say, these mini sandwiches, scones and sweets were so savory as well. We then had a unique mixology experience presented by Cucina Wolfgan Puck’s Manager Brad Street and senior beverage Manager Doug Chippewa. It was so interesting to learn how to mix a tasty and yummy cocktail drink. Fendi’s store Manager Ingrid Cervantes gave us a presentation on Fendi’s latest Peekaboo bag and their new spring collections. The last dinner we had at Las Vegus was at one of my favorite restaurants, Cucina by Wolfang Puck. The Manager arranged an array of different appetizers and each one was just as mouthwatering as the next. The handmade Ravioli was beautifully plated and tasted even better.

I had such an amazing experience at The Shops at Crystals for their luxurious and authentic Chinese Lunar New Year celebration. I am so grateful for having the opportunity to fulfill my dream of having an authentic Chinese New Year Celebration in America. My sincere thanks to Curator PR and The Shops at Crystals that made my dream come true.