Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2021 i Tatler Malaysia

TATLER HONG KONG The founder of CL3 Architects, William Lim, and his wife, interior designer Lavina, star on the cover of Tatler Hong Kong. The renowned collectors discuss their decision to donate 90 major works from their private collection to Hong Kong’s upcoming contemporary art museum M+. tatlerhongkong.com TATLER INDONESIA Model and actress Nadine Chandrawinata discusses how her gardening hobby, shared with her husband, actor Dimas Anggara, taught them lessons in life. tatlerindonesia.com TATLER MALAYSIA Tatler Malaysia speaks to Vin Li Yap and Zer Ken Yap, the founders of Plush, a property management company for Airbnb listings, about their latest venture Kapas Living. Disappointed by the quality of high thread count bedsheets in the market, the brother and sister duo decided to launch their own line of quality cotton bedsheets…

After alighting in Hong Kong in 2020 to be reunited with her true love, the upbeat and easygoing Amelia Tan relates her love of cooking, her favourite travel destinations and epiphanies gleaned from moments in isolation. What was life at home like for you when the first MCO started? During our first MCO, the whole family was together, including the pets. Those weeks passed breezily. When we weren’t doing our own thing we planned meals together, played board games, watched TV and played with my new baby niece LiAhn! What brought you to Hong Kong? I came to Hong Kong for love. The pandemic has brought many challenges to everyone in such different ways. It separated me from my partner Tim, who is based in Hong Kong. When we were…

SQUARE OFF Summery straw gives way to winter weaves to form fashion’s favourite latticework styles. WILD THING Unleash your animal instincts and wrap yourself in the animal print of your heart’s desire, be it giraffe, zebra or calf. GET INKED Dipped-and-dyed, these pastel-soaked pieces strike the perfect balance between cool and chic. TRAIL BLAZERS The hiking sandal can be evergreen when worn with a stylish suit (and maybe plush socks) for the resourceful city slicker. BLUE CLUES Few things stand the test of time like indigo, so go ahead and pile it on. LOVE STORY It may not always be wise to wear your heart on your sleeve, but we have no objection to wearing it on your shoulder—especially if it’s Louis Vuitton’s latest monogram bag, in stores just in…

A stone’s throw away from Jardin des Tuileries, Van Cleef & Arpels’s first boutique stands as a timeless emblem of luxury and elegance at this iconic Parisian address—22 Place Vendôme. Born from a love story between Estelle Arpels, the daughter of a dealer in precious stones and Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a lapidary and diamond broker, it could be said that the maison was destined for the journey of exceptional beauty, fine craftsmanship and the wondrous romance that followed. ELEGANCE IN INNOVATION To this day, Van Cleef & Arpels is known for their poetic blend of pioneering designs, time-perfected techniques and understated elegance. However, it was in the 1930s when Van Cleef & Arpels began building its repertoire of elegant innovations under the helm of the founding couple’s…

SURF’S UP The third watch that Breitling has made in collaboration with Outerknown, a sustainable apparel brand co-founded by the watchmaker’s ambassador, surfing legend Kelly Slater, this new Superocean Heritage ’57 comes in either stainless steel or as a limited edition with a red gold bezel. An Outerknown Nato strap made of Econyl yarn, a material sourced from repurposed nylon waste, straps this timepiece comfortably to your wrist. It goes great with the watch’s earthy bronze-coloured dial. LEATHERWORK Hublot has collaborated with men’s fashion house Berluti for the first time, and the resulting Big Bang Unico chronograph is a hyper-masculine wristwatch that makes use of Berluti’s legendary Venezia leather. Kris Van Assche, creative director of Berluti, worked closely with the watchmaker for this memorable release, which comes with a micro-blasted…

WINNER TAKES ALL Measuring in at just 2 mm thick, the Piaget Altiplano Ultimate Concept is a standout wristwatch, so it came as little surprise to industry leaders that the brand took home the prize for the best watch of the year, also known as the “Aiguille d’Or”, at the 2020 edition of the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Congratulations, Piaget! ON THE BLOCK Vacheron Constantin donated a Les Cabinotiers watch to the Christie’s Bid for the Louvre online sale, which took place between December 1 and 15. This one-of-a-kind timepiece, which is yet to be designed, will come with a miniature or “grisaille” enamel dial that will depict a masterpiece chosen by its buyer during a private visit to the Louvre Museum in Paris. The buyer, who spent about…

On the 64th floor of Two IFC tower in Central, with its sweeping views of Victoria Harbour, Alex Jiaravanont sits in an office that is spare but enormous, wearing a tightly tailored suit over a loosely buttoned shirt. The 46-year-old executive and former architect is a third-generation member of the Bangkok-based dynasty behind one of Asia’s largest conglomerates, CP Group, and has played an important role at the company as an advisor to several investment funds from its Hong Kong offices since 2015. But he keeps a lower profile than might be expected for someone whose family has topped lists of Thailand’s richest for decades. “I’m actually a very private person and so getting written up was not, I mean ... I don’t do it very often,” Jiaravanont says. “But…

The story of Taschen reads like an entrepreneurial fairytale: in 1980, 18-year-old Benedikt Taschen opened a store selling comic books in Cologne, Germany. Shortly afterwards, the teenage businessman began publishing his own comics. Then, spotting a gap in the market, he started printing glossy but inexpensive art books. Now, Taschen has stores and offices around the world, employs hundreds of people and collaborates with artists such as Jeff Koons and David Hockney. Taschen still sells budget-friendly titles, but now also produces some of the most expensive tomes in the world. Most famously, it sells “sumo-sized” limited editions, such as Helmut Newton’s Sumo, which was sold in Taschen stores for HK$200,000 (one later sold at auction for more than HK$3 million). The company is now led jointly by Benedikt and Marlene,…

Writing concisely about Chinese wine is much like trying to write about China itself—a task for the foolhardy. This wouldn’t have been the case a mere decade ago, when producers worth mentioning might have been counted on two hands (and perhaps a foot). The 2009 book The Vineyards of Greater China by Houghton Lee featured a mere 14 producers. However, every passing year makes the topic less appropriate for an article than a tome. Today, about 450 wineries span the Chinese landscape in 12 regions, from lush plateau to blazing desert. This is not to say that the story of Chinese wine has been an unbridled success, as profitability has remained elusive for many wineries. Production has actually dropped in China every year since 2015, when it hit a peak…

Clutching his award for best new director after the reveal of his first-ever feature film, The Story of Southern Islet, with both hands, Chong Keat Aun’s voice was tremulous as he began his acceptance speech on the night of the 57th Golden Horse Awards, which took place just last year on November 21st in Taipei, Taiwan. “Movies themselves aren’t extraordinary. In fact, what’s most extraordinary are the people who made them happen,” he begins. THE STORY OF SOUTHERN ISLET Set amidst the backdrop of an idyllic countryside in Alor Setar, Kedah during the 1980s, Chong’s debut film tells the story of Yan, a woman desperately seeking a cure for her husband Cheong, who, after quarrelling with a neighbour, suddenly falls ill and spits a bloodied, rusty nail. According to the…

With a background in mass communications, marketing and public relations, Cheryl Ann Fernando took a leap of faith and left her corporate job when she discovered her true calling—teaching. With her work focused on improving school leadership, she’s determined to fight education inequity for as long as it takes. I used to voluntarily teach underprivileged students when I was working in PR, and it was then that I realised how important it is for students to have access to quality education. I also started understanding how education inequity is a problem in Malaysia where students who come from lower income backgrounds struggled to change their life trajectory because they could not get the educational opportunities they deserve. I realised there and then that I had a role to play in…

CHOO AND I Emerging French designer Marine Serre has been making headlines for a few seasons thanks to her apocalypse-inspired shows featuring spliced-and-diced streetwear splattered with her signature crescent-moon prints. This season, Serre caught the public’s attention with her new collaboration with Jimmy Choo—her first partnership with another brand. The results include sock boots, boxing boots and Mary Jane heels, all wrapped in her famous lunar print. ROCK ON Pierpaolo Piccioli’s iconic Rockstud motif, which he designed for Valentino’s accessories, turns ten this year. The subtle infusion of a punk aesthetic into a brand known for its romantic, feminine creations was an immediate hit and has become one of Valentino’s most recognisable staples. In celebration, Piccioli has launched Valentino Garavani Rockstud X, which will see several designers reimagine the signature…

SEND NUDES Adding signature collection of reds, Kilian Paris has launched four limited-edition lipsticks in varying shades of skin colour, from a barely-there blush tone to a deeper hue that edges on mauve. Housed in the brand’s signature glam-goth engraved black lacquer casing, the lip colours are scented with Kilian’s Love, Don’t Be Shy perfume—because kisses are sweeter when they smell of neroli and vanilla. EVERY ME, EVERY HUE Beauty steady - -up products with Fluide De Beauté Fini Naturel, a lightweight foundation made to suit “everybody regardless of gender or skin type”, according to the house. Available in 40 shades, the collection features babydoll-pink packaging that keeps up with the brand’s kitschy-cool, retro-inspired aesthetic. SMELLS LIKE SPACE Rapper Travis Scott has taken a page from Kylie Jenner’s playbook by…

Kong Hyo Jin made her acting debut in the horror film Memento Mori (1999). She went on to win the best actress award at the Korean Film Festival in 2008 for the rom-com Crush and Blush (2008) and starred in the television series When the Camellia Blooms (2019) and Crazy Romance (2019). More than an actress, she has collaborated with K-pop singers and has even written a buzz-worthy book about protecting the environment called Notebook. More recently, Hyo Jin has been photographed wearing high jewellery pieces by Piaget. The Graceful Flight ring alone is set with 150 brilliant-cut diamonds that weigh a total of 5.90 carats, in addition to one standout diamond that weighs 2.22 carats.…

Why have you chosen to pay tribute to Stephen Hawking? GE: He was one of the world’s greatest physicists and despite his illness he completely defied the odds, not letting anything stop him in proving his pioneering theories. He also seemed to have a playful approach to life—something we should all remember when things get too serious. How did this collaboration come about? NE: We were approached by Stephen’s family to work on a watch that commemorates his life and we were thrilled. After all, he’s a British icon and his scientific research is just mind-blowing. GE: Stephen and our father attended the same school, albeit a couple of years apart. And they both attended Cambridge University, so Nick and I feel a great personal connection to this project. Four…

Hyun Bin, who starred as North Korean captain Lee Jung-hyuk in Netflix’s Crash Landing on You (2019), has announced he’s partnering with Swiss watchmaker Omega. The South Korean actor first gained recognition for his role in My Name is Kim Sam-soon (2005) and has since landed numerous roles in film and television. “Hyun Bin shows a great skill for his character performances, always delivered with confidence and quality,” says Raynald Aeschlimann, president and CEO of Omega. “He is a man of impeccable style and we’re looking forward to bringing him together with our most illustrious timepieces.”…

Gio Ponti worked almost until the day he died in 1979 at the age of 87 at his home in Milan—and it shows in his enormous and varied output. As an architect and designer, Ponti sculpted everything from spoons to skyscrapers, worked with more than 120 brands and constructed buildings in 13 countries. As the founder and editor of Domus design magazine, he produced 560 issues, beginning in 1928, contributing at least one article to each. He also lectured at universities in more than 20 countries and produced paintings and pottery in his slivers of spare time. Ponti has been gone for more than 40 years, but his work continues to fascinate and inspire. In 2019, both the Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris and the Maxxi museum in Rome…

MIKE PICKLES Hong Kong-based photographer Mike Pickles has more than a decade of experiencing working for brands including Cathay Pacific, British Airways and Aman Resorts. This month, he photographed art collectors William and Lavina Lim (p.162) PAULIUS STANIUNAS Hailing from Lithuania, Paulius Staniunas has been photographing the most happening events in Malaysia and beyond, together with his team from All Is Amazing. He’s also ventured into studio portraitures, photographing the likes of Shir Chong and Vanessa Tevi. For Tatler, he photographed this month’s cover shoot (p.136) MANBO KEY Manbo Key is a Taiwanese photographer and filmmaker currently based in Taipei. He shoots for a host of international publications, has completed artist residencies in both Kyoto and Berlin, and has had his work exhibited in Taipei, Singapore and Shanghai. For Tatler,…

At the risk of infuriating traditionalists, we didn’t think it possible to improve on angku kuih until now. If like us, you find the glutinous rice dessert a bit stodgy at times, you’ll be grateful to find a better version in Okay Kuih’s modern menu. Miniature squirt sauce bottles lend some moisture to the kuih’s starchy filling while hints of kaffir lime, lemon and gula melaka make the chewy treat doubly delightful. But there’s more. While savoury santan and truffle oil seem like strange bedfellows, the pair makes for obscenely delicious kuih talam. Furthermore, who knew that pulut panggang could reach new heights when dipped in yuzu shoyu mayo? After successfully turning us on to contemporary kuih, Angeline Lo, Joey Lee and Chan Wai May of Okay Kuih indulged us…

New York-based, China-born designer Caroline Hu launched her eponymous label in 2018 and quickly became famous for her romantic dresses in sophisticated fabrics, which earned her the inaugural Business of Fashion China Prize and an LVMH Prize nomination in just two years. She was also recently selected as one of 10 Asian Designers to Watch by Fashion Asia Hong Kong. Popular demand has led Hu to expand her range for the first time this season—her designs are now stocked by retailers like Moda Operandi. How did you first come to realise you wanted to work in fashion? I studied oil painting and art from an early age. My family has always been very passionate about the arts, so naturally I wanted to find my own creative outlet as I grew…

CHERRY BLOSSOM CHEER Nothing says spring bright canary yellows, cherry reds and the occasional pop of baby blue detailing! Wanting to translate the beautiful, awe-inspiring scene of the Netherlands’ Keukenhof spring garden, Celest Thoi creates a variety of silhouettes that are both comfortable and stylish to wear while taking care to retain the look of the classic qipao, especially for reunion dinners at home. A SHANGHAI REDUX For those who enjoy the timelessness of a cheongsam but want to freshen it up a little, Ong Shunmugam’s latest collection celebrates their 10-year anniversary by taking years’ worth of pages from the designer’s past ten cheongsam collections. While their designs are form-fitting and shapely still, the floral-on-floral as well as their notably experimental take with necklines are a modern interpretation of this…

Tell us about your latest collection. I started work on La Selva at the beginning of 2020. When Los Angeles first shut down, I felt deprived of nature and spent my days daydreaming about the jungle, which is how flora and fauna came to inspire this collection. What’s your favourite flower? The lady’s slipper orchid. I grew up in Massachusetts, where they don’t grow too often, so my mom and I would hunt for them on walks behind our house. When I was little, finding one felt like pure magic. How has Covid-19 impacted you? I throw myself into my work when I’m stressed, so I’ve actually been quite productive. What would you be if you weren’t a jeweller? I’d have an animal rescue farm and still hope to have…

Annie Darling Watches & Jewellery Director of Tatler Asia Suspended from a melodramatic arch that’s designed to resemble the entrance to Harry Winston’s Fifth Avenue flagship boutique in New York, this unique pocket watch has four independent tourbillons crammed into it. A rectangular case made from white gold houses the open-worked movement that’s surrounded by sparkling blue aventurine and baguette-cut diamonds. A push button releases the timepiece from its case, allowing you to wear it as a pocket watch with a white gold chain.…

Melinda Looi comes fluttering in with her two girls in tow, arms laden with cloth bags filled with outfits for the photo shoot. She immediately set about arranging the clothes on the rack while the girls, Maya and Myla, greet their grandmother, Keng Foong, who’s getting her hair and makeup done. The pleating factory where the shoot is taking place is the brainchild of Keng Foong and her husband, Looi Peng Kong, which they set up over 40 years ago—they were the pioneers and now it stands as the only remaining pleating factory in the country. Local designers get their pleats done here, which is now being run by Melinda’s brother, Louie. “I was a factory girl, you know,” Melinda announced. Growing up, she and her siblings used to come…