What do you do with treasured heirlooms passed down to you by your loved ones? Do you lock them up in a special place? Does the weight of their significance become a burden?   Intricate batiks are beauties to behold, but the preciousness of these fabrics can also become huge...

During our break after Chinese New Year, we went to the Indian desert state of Rajasthan. I recall our travel agent’s advice: “We recommend going there only from October to January, and February at the latest.” Walking around Rajasthan in midday, in early March, I learned the hard way... It’s unbearably...

What do these flat, two dimensional, t-shirt looking designs have to do with Chinese fashion and qipao (cheongsams)? They reflect the way that Chinese clothes and the earliest qipaos were actually tailored! Their ingenious cut ensures that they will still fit you even if you grow or shrink a size or two over the years. Plus, they...