Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2019 i Tatler Singapore

Interiors guru Joyce Wang graces the cover and tells how she’s bringing to life Louis Vuitton’s latest showcase of Objets Nomades. Elsewhere, nine trailblazing young professionals share their success stories as they spend an afternoon at the AIA carnival. On the cover is entrepreneur Livienne Russellia. She tells how, after several ill-fated attempts to launch her own beauty line, she finally discovered the recipe for success with Cakra Daya Makmur, a bodycare and cosmetics brand produced in Indonesia. Decades after she found her calling, the passion lives on in veteran songstress Syafinaz Selamat. Also, meet three of the scientists who won the 2018 L’Oreal-Unesco for Women in Science Awards: Chai Lay Ching, Lam Sze Mun and Norhayati Abdullah. Singer M80, tech entrepreneur Sophie Lu, writer and photographer Gong Linxuan and…

ALL EYES WERE ON KIM JONES AT Dior Men’s spring/summer 2019 show last June. What got everyone talking was the touch of delicate pink, a Dior signature, in his debut collection as artistic director, but what eventually stole the show was the monumental Kaws BFF statue, standing at 10m tall, that towered over the circular runway in the courtyard of the Republican Guard in Paris. Covered in 70,000 roses and peonies, which took a team of 100 people over four days to complete, the iconic doll by American artist Kaws, aka Brian Donnelly, was a tribute to the maison’s founder Christian Dior. The large-than-life avatar of Monsieur Dior himself, clutching a perfume bottle inspired by his dog Bobby, references his love for nature. Backstage, celebrity guests such as supermodels Naomi…

WE MEET PARAG KHANNA right after we watch him deftly field questions during an event organised by the Forum Club and the Essec & Mannheim Executive MBA programme at 1880 members club. So it comes as a bit of a surprise when this eloquent geopolitical strategist tells us he was once almost held back in school as a child because he did not speak English very well. Here’s why: when he was six years old, his parents moved the family from India to the United Arab Emirates, and then to the US, in pursuit of better economic opportunities. They settled down in New York, where Parag soon learned to master his new home’s national language. More adventures arrived in 1989, the year he turned 12. “The Berlin Wall fell, and…

STEP INTO JESSICACINDY HARTONO’S wedding atelier and you’ll feel as if you’ve been transported into a bridal fantasy. Tulle confections greet you at the door, alongside vases of dried flowers and a huge, ornate wooden mirror. Three pairs of designer heels lay in front of a pedestal used for brides-to-be to try on their gowns while surrounded by racks and racks of ethereal dresses—it’s like a wedding Pinterest board come to life. The go-to gown designer for local celebrities and influencers alike, Jessicacindy’s designs have been worn by media personalities such as Joanne Peh and Liv Lo on various occasions. She is also a familiar name among the society set, with Tjin Lee, founder and managing director of Mercury Marketing & Communications, choosing to wear her gown to the Singapore…

Luxury maison Hermès only dived into the watch business four decades ago, vertically integrated its watchmaking arm 16 years ago, and invested in movement maker Vaucher 13 years ago. But it is smartly capitalising on its strengths to push ahead of the pack. Its latest Arceau Awooooo! (exclamation point included), for instance, combines the maison’s dedication to design and impeccable craftsmanship to excellent effect. The main feature of the watch is its dial, which pictures a lone white wolf howling at the moon. The subject of countless legends, the wolf has its eyes closed and mouth agape, as if caught in the moment by a clever photographer. The design was created last year by multidisciplinary artist Alice Shirley, who has worked alongside Hermès since 2012. Shirley’s design, with all of…

Piaget’s latest introduction to its Altiplano collection is literally out of this world. The new Altiplano watches are fronted by dials made from an exceedingly rare mineral—meteorite. To be more specific, the brand uses a type of iron meteorite theorised to have been formed in the early years of the solar system, millions of years before the earth itself came into existence. Eventually, certain specimens crash-landed on earth. The particular specimen that Piaget uses in this case landed in Namibia. The distinctive lattice-like markings on each meteorite dial is known as the Widmanstätten pattern, named after an Austrian count who first described the markings in the early 19th century. The pattern is characteristic of crystallised nickel-iron structures found in iron meteorites, and is only visible once the meteorites are cut…

Ulysse Nardin’s new Freak X collection was a talking point at this year’s SIHH, with many discussing the range’s greater accessibility. What we find interesting is that Ulysse Nardin has debuted the Freak X in a new carbon composite material called Carbonium, an industry first. Carbonium is a trademarked material from French start-up Lavoisier Composites, which created the material primarily for use in the aerospace industry. Carbonium is created using high pressures and temperatures, which composite thin carbon fibres into a super tough but light material that also happens to be quite lovely to the eye. Because the fibres are not woven or aligned before being composited, the pattern that emerges is organic and unique to each piece of Carbonium. To be fair, compositing carbon fibres in this manner is…

MODERN MEN Until recently, style-savvy gents had limited choice when it came to jewellery. Solid rings in block or two-tone colours elevate your look and require minimal effort. Sometimes simple does it, but don’t be afraid to stack for greater impact. JUNGLE FEVER Get rebellious with animal motifs, or stick to slick variations for understated elegance. BROTHERS IN ARMS Dog tags and military pendants combine big personality with timeless design. Unapologetically masculine, they are a must-have for trendsetters. VINTAGE ARMOUR Not for the faint-hearted, rings inspired by bygone eras often feature earthy tones and glossy gold.…

MOST STYLISH WOMAN NANCY ONG From a mono-brand lover to a master of classic dressing, we trace socialite Nancy Ong’s fashion evolution with her daughter Sonia Ong “I feel somewhat responsible for cultivating my mum’s love for fashion. When she first started using the internet years back, I introduced her to luxury fashion news portal, Style.com. Even when I stopped visiting the website, she stayed on to keep herself updated on the latest trends and the hottest designers, and she would change her look accordingly. She used to shop exclusively at Max Mara some 10 years ago because the Singapore boutique offered an excellent selection. But when the distributorship was taken back by the brand principal, she no longer fancied the selection available locally. So she ‘broke free’ to discover…

Limited-edition cars seem to be the rage among collectors, and this was certainly the case with the Aston Martin Vulcan. When the British marque announced in 2015 that it will be producing just 24 units of the model, the order books closed almost the moment they opened, even though each car was priced at a cool US$2.3m—and understandably so. The Vulcan was a wild-looking supercar built purely for the track, hence it was not developed with the mandatory road-safety features such as airbags. Instead, it flaunts a massive 7.0L, 820bhp, naturally-aspirated V12 engine, an outrageously sized rear wing, swan doors, and a downforce of between 315kg to 400kg. Aston Martin also claimed that it recorded a faster lap time—9sec quicker to be exact—than a McLaren P1 road car on Italy’s…

BAROLO AND BARBARESCO ROAGNA BARBARESCO PAJÉ DOCG 2007 White-hot Roagna’s prices are skyrocketing, but the wines remain classically understated. Luca Roagna, whose vineyards resemble abandoned heaths more than birthplaces of greatness, is a die-hard traditionalist. The wines take a little while to blossom, staying tight and forbidding for their first decade, but precocious 2007 is starting to reveal gemlike strawberry fruit under its burly leather exoskeleton. AZELIA SAN ROCCO BAROLO DOCG 2012 Burgundy lovers will adore the new generation of silky, “Burgundian” barolo styles that don’t need 10 years of ageing. With eye-watering burgundy prices, under-the-radar barolos such as Azelia from Luigi and Lorenzo Scavino are the perfect way to establish insider cred with wine geeks. Single-vineyard San Rocco introduces itself with a diaphanous, perfumed red berry smile but follows…

HOSTING, RADIO DJ-ING AND ACTING IN theatre productions—Tabitha Nauser explored these creative fields, after finishing third in Singapore Idol Season 3 and landing a part in the official theme song of the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics, in order to find her own footing as an artiste. But the year 2017 saw the Generation T 2018 honouree returning to her first love—music—with a renewed sense of purpose and confidence, all fuelled by the success of her debut single, Bulletproof, which topped Spotify’s SG Viral Chart in its first week of release. On stage, the 27-year-old R&B singer is strong, youthful and unmistakably honest, which is no different from her private self. Cases in point: the empowering anthems—inspired by her own experiences—she has since released such as Body Language (featuring Malaysian rapper…

1 PRIVATE PRACTICE Taking notes from the private dining rooms of Hong Kong and China, the owners of Subrosa—or Latin for “under the rose”, a symbol that alludes to confidentiality—wanted to replicate the same experience in Singapore. Executive chef Steven Snowdon (pictured above left) works closely with his team to offer diners a produce-driven menu and personable service within a private yet welcoming space, akin to dining at a close friend’s house. He explains, “We hope Subrosa will fill a niche in the market and create a demand from those looking for bespoke experiences.” 2 IT TAKES TWO Two heads are better than one. In this case, it is a team-up between Snowdon and Singaporean consulting chef Francis Lee (pictured above right). Snowdon takes charge of the day-to-day operations as…

BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, Ion Orchard would have kicked off its 10th-anniversary celebrations with a literal splash—a custom-made aquarium at the mall’s outdoor space housing a lithe “mermaid”. That is just one of the many Instagrammable moments that shoppers can look forward to during the mall’s anniversary festivities this year, promises Yeo Mui Hong, chief executive of Orchard Turn Developments, which manages the luxury mall. Creating a mermaid moment is the latest instance of how Ion Orchard has stayed ahead of the curve. To counter the growing dominance of online shopping, bricks-and-mortar merchants have turned to experiential retail, whereby stores draw customers with unique in-real-life concepts. Long before this became trendy, though, Ion Orchard was already hosting aerial performances, a walk-in butterfly dome, and immersive exhibitions. “These activations…

Once the uniform of the working class, denim has found its way into our everyday style vernacular—and with good reason. Whether black, blue, ripped or acid-washed, the faithful fabric can be worn with just about anything. Luxury brands are now shining the spotlight on the democratic dungaree. Take, for example, the house of Fendi’s reimagining of its iconic Baguette bag in the material, and Maria Grazia Chiuri giving it the tie-dye treatment at Dior. So you had better be ready to start singing the blues.…

When it comes to grabbing someone’s attention, there’s nothing like neon to do the trick. Fashion labels are turning the hyperbolic hues up a few notches this season, with lime green hoodies under pop floral jackets at Dsquared2, and head-to-toe hot-pink looks spotted at Alexander McQueen. Perhaps the most coveted iteration was the traffic cone-coloured chains around the Louis Vuitton bags and leather goods on Virgil Abloh’s rainbow runway. See to it that your accessories collection gets a high-octane overhaul, be it with fluorescent sneakers by Giuseppe Zanotti or cyborg sunglasses by Balenciaga.…

ENGLISH POLO PLAYER Arthur Edward “Boy” Capel was known as Gabrielle Chanel’s lover and muse. He was the one who told Coco, “You are unlike anyone else”—words which still inspire people to enjoy the freedom of being nobody else but themselves, and live by their own rules. Just like how Gabrielle Chanel took to the men’s wardrobe to find inspiration to dress women, Chanel now draws inspiration from elements in the realm of women to craft its first-ever make-up line for men, Boy de Chanel. Despite getting inspiration from the traditionally feminine industry, Boy de Chanel is anything but—with its midnight blue packaging and understated design, the products are carefully thought out to only meet essential needs. The line consists of a foundation, lip balm and eyebrow pencil—just enough to…

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN Sarah Burton’s collection celebrated women through portrayals of different rites of passage, from birth and sisterhood, to marriage and mourning. There were white wedding dresses and christening gowns, delicately embroidered lace poplin ensembles and leather lace corseted dresses. Tough, layered jewellery, designed like heirlooms and keepsakes, added to the nostalgia. BALENCIAGA To get to the runway, guests walked through a tunnel of moving-image LED screens created by digital artist Jon Rafman, who Demna Gvasalia discovered at Art Basel. The show itself was a graduation from streetwear, through which Gvasalia rose to fame at Vetements, presenting sophisticated power dressing, including structured shoulders, oversized tailoring and even blanket dresses covered with plenty of logos in various fonts. Vintage silhouettes were given a futuristic spin with the use of bold colours…

IF THE WATCHES WE SAW AT THE SALON INTERNATIONAL de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH) 2019 were any indication, the watchmaking world is finally coming out of its creative slump. In previous years, brands at both the SIHH and Baselworld watch fairs played it too safe, and innovation stagnated. This year, however, we finally saw signs of renewed life, buoyed by the uptick in global watch sales towards the end of last year. Several brands introduced novel materials, including ones that were sustainably sourced. Ulysse Nardin, for instance, introduced a new material called Carbonium that is made from recycled carbon fibre; fresh carbon fibre actually has an extremely high ecological footprint. Even more brands created groundbreaking new movements. Vacheron Constantin’s Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar, for example, allows the wearer to…

At first glance, the Vacheron Constantin Traditionnelle Twin Beat Perpetual Calendar appears no different from the rest of the watchmaker’s perpetual calendar creations. But under its hood is a different story. Its calibre 3610 QP is an automatic movement fitted with one large mainspring and two gear trains, each with its own oscillator ticking at a different frequency. What benefits does this movement design offer, you may ask? For one, it allows the wearer to operate the watch in two modes: active mode comes with four days of power reserve, while standby mode runs for 65 days. The concept is simple: the mainspring barrel stores enough energy for up to 65 days of autonomy and the regulator in the two gear trains has a balance that vibrates at two frequencies…

BY NOW, YOU ARE PROBABLY ALREADY DUSTING the Karl Lagerfeld superlatives off your shoulder pads, and shaking the posthumous hagiography pouring in from every fashion and news website off your designer laps. You can probably recite all of his achievements by the chapters and a biopic must surely already be in the works. (Glenn Close in a powdered ponytail as Kaiser Karl, anyone?). But here are some points you might have missed in the fog of dry shampoo. PUBLIC FACE No one actually knew a whole lot about the real Karl Lagerfeld. Even his age was a matter of some dispute—the German fashion designer, who died in Paris on February 19, was said to be 85 years old, but his chronological age was never confirmed. Even the conditions of his…

“There is no doubt that electric cars is part of the long-term future for dense cities such as Singapore. However, there is still some way to go before we can transition from petrol to fully electric. In the meantime, hybrids, which combine both petrol and electric power trains, provide a good bridge, as they offer economical and performance benefits, while still allowing owners a regular driving experience as they do not need to be recharged at charging stations. The Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid, which is the first car by the marque to be built on a dedicated electrified vehicle platform, is a great choice for car owners who want to make this transition. In order to drive further widespread acceptance of electric mobility, charging infrastructure will also need to keep up…

among our Singapore Tatler friends as well as Cortina Watch clients, Piaget lovers in particular, gathered for a private dinner in February at Forlino restaurant in One Fullerton. Cocktail hour was spent appreciating and discussing the finer points of the Swiss luxury brand’s horological creations such as the Limelight Gala and Altiplano Double Jeu on display. Many of those who attended also came wearing their own Piaget timepieces: City Developments Limited group general manager Chia Ngiang Hong sported a Piaget Polo S chronograph on his wrist, while society friend Tan Khar Nai had the vintage Piaget Miss Protocole with a grey mink strap on hers. GET SCHOOLED The Cortina Watch sales staff were on hand to take guests through the history behind the collection of Piaget watches on display…

Automotive garage director Alex Low threw a Chinese New Year dinner in February for his close friends and business associates at the Grand Ballroom of Capella Singapore. Guests turned up in their festive fineries: the men wore contemporary versions of the traditional Chinese changshan attire, while the ladies turned heads in modern, well-fitted qipaos. Being the generous host that he is, Alex indulged guests in an array of mouth-watering delicacies such as double-boiled sea whelk soup with conpoy, bamboo pith and chicken, and steamed garoupa. Besides the traditional lion and dragon dance, the evening’s programme also included a Chinese opera face-changing act, and a fashion show featuring Alex and his friends walking down the runway with the latest Roger Dubuis timepieces. WELCOME PARTY A lion and dragon dance troupe put…

CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF, fashion is not superficial. Many view the industry as this glamorous and aspirational world, as an exclusive club you need to be a part of, but that simply isn’t true. Fashion is what you make it out to be. This ethos rings true for the recipients of this year’s Tatler Fashion Awards. While they are known—and lauded—by their peers for their innate sense of style, all of them were genuinely and pleasantly surprised to receive the news of the recognition. To them, fashion is just a passion to showcase their creativity and personalities, not as a means of achievement. Fashion also serves as a way to inspire not just ourselves, but the people around us. Hence, we had the closest confidantes of our awardees share intimate…

BITTER BETTY Furious about not being invited to one of the biggest social events of the year, one self-important ma’am took to social media to shame the host and her guests, taking a cheap shot at the “questionable wardrobe choices” she saw from her friends’ party updates on Facebook. SLUG IT OUT At a work dinner with government officials, one businesswoman had too much to drink and in her stupor, started getting over-friendly with some of the diplomats and even called one racist to his face. IT’S HIGH (STREET) FASHION, DARLING! One haughty society style influencer, who has frequently boasted about being a fashion-week regular, left his frenemies in stitches when he ignorantly referred to a famous “high fashion” brand as a “high street” label on his Instagram story.…

It has only been six seasons but Sies Marjan, the casual-glam label of Sander Lak, has already become a fixture on the New York Fashion Week calendar and counts such celebrities as Beyoncé and Zoe Saldana as loyal fans. The Dutch designer graduated from Central Saint Martins and spent time under the tutelage of Dries Van Noten and Balmain before creating his label, which is named after his father Sies and mother Marjan. Lak’s line of unexpected silhouettes coupled with punchy colours and a touch of glamour won Anna Wintour’s stamp of approval with its nomination in the 2017 CFDA Fashion Awards. The brand is inclusive—its runway often features models of every age and the clothes are made to be equally flattering on a twenty-something or a more mature woman.…

If you haven’t heard of the luxury Parisian label by Charaf Tajer, you certainly will in coming seasons. Tajer, who co-founded cult streetwear label Pigalle with Stéphane Ashpool and opened hip Paris club Le Pompon (where Louis Vuitton and Balmain held their Fashion Week fetes), debuted Casablanca’s “après-sport” menswear last October, showing a line of silk robes, luxe tracksuits and watercolour T-shirts in comforting pastel hues. The label was inspired by and named after the Moroccan city where his parents met while working at an atelier. He credits his family of artists, tailors and musicians with providing the impetus that pushed him to begin his career in architecture, and he draws inspiration from the films of Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese he saw as a child. The fashion world is…

JUST A YEAR AGO, MATTE LIPS WERE the dominant trend of the day—of the decade, even. Brands were releasing matte-finish lip products, including everything from super drying liquid lipsticks to pigment powders specially created for the lips. Today, however, the pendulum has swung strongly back in the other direction, and soft, glossy lips are finally making their much-awaited comeback. With this trend turnaround comes a myriad of new products to keep your puckers looking pretty. The Dior Addict Stellar Shine comes to mind. A spin-off of the hugely popular Dior Addict Lipstick, the Dior Addict Stellar Shine is a sophisticated semi-glossy lipstick that sits between a regular lipstick and a liquid gloss. It has a super balmy texture that feels comfortable and nourishing on the lips. This is thanks to…

Watch aficionados know that Jaeger-LeCoultre has always delivered with its Gyrotourbillons, which are ultra-complex horological creations fitted with its signature multi-axis tourbillon. The Master Grande Tradition Gyrotourbillon Westminster Perpétuel, its fifth member of the family, features a tourbillon smaller in size than those in the Gyrotourbillons of the past. Reducing its size brings benefits including a lower error tolerance and better wearability. Miniaturisation of the mechanism, an extremely arduous task, also underlines Jaeger-LeCoultre’s supreme watchmaking and engineering capabilities. For better precision, the Gyrotourbillon is fitted with a one-minute constant-force mechanism that supplies consistent energy to the tourbillon, thus keeping its high level of chronometric ability. The constant-force mechanism comes with a spring known as the remontoir d’égalité, which acts as a secondary power source to protect the regulating organ of…

Carbon went from an obscure material for the watch industry to one that is now frequently used, with various watchmakers touting the different ways in which it can be woven, forged, or otherwise composited. Girard-Perregaux is the latest to introduce a new version of carbon in watchmaking, which it calls carbon glass. As the name suggests, carbon glass is a mixture of carbon and glass, with the two materials forged together using high temperature injection under extreme pressure, resulting in a unique material that is lightweight, scratch-resistant, and particularly impermeable (meaning it is very airtight). According to Girard-Perregaux, the compression of the material during production leads to a very homogenous structure that gives it a perfect seal. Plus, carbon glass is also some 100 times more rigid than steel. Given…

ADISTINCTIVE SOPHISTICATION emanates from a timepiece made by a jewellery brand. Every aspect of its design is carefully considered—from the contour of the bezel and shape of the crown right down to the integration of the bracelet—and presented with such finesse that it feels as if the timepiece is part timekeeping device, part meticulously polished jewel. Boléro, Chaumet’s latest model, embodies this aesthetic. Its name was taken from French composer Maurice Ravel’s celebrated piece of music of the same name, which he wrote for the Russian dancer Ida Rubinstein. “[The late choreographer] Maurice Béjart also created an exceptional piece of dance for this composition—20min of very dramatic, powerful and intense dancing,” says Jean-Marc Mansvelt, CEO of Chaumet. “The crescendo of the Boléro, the choreography, the round table on which the…

WELCOME to my first column for Asia Tatler. In the coming months I’ll be taking you on a journey through unexplored wine regions, discussing emerging trends and highlighting classics worth revisiting. We’ll dig into the ways wine, like my first love, art, is more than your everyday luxury good; how it’s a vessel for culture, profuse sensation and deep meaning like few of life’s other pleasures. So buckle up; it’s going to be a heady ride. But first, let me tell you how my love affair with wine began. I was born and raised in Hong Kong and, like most children of ambitious, successful working parents, I grew up knowing they expected me to get a top-shelf education and then a stable career. As my parents proudly packed me off…

Held at Caroline’s Mansion, the new ballroom at The St Regis Singapore, this year’s Tatler Design Awards dinner took inspiration from the Jazz Age. A total of nine accolades were awarded that February evening, within the resplendent venue inspired by Caroline Astor, the illustrious American high society doyenne and mother of The St Regis founder John Jacob Astor IV. The table settings combined sleek design with art deco influences and a splash of colour for a contemporary take on the iconic era, with bended marble tables from MM Galleri Singapore, decorative accessories from Strange & Deranged and floral arrangements by Beato. STARS OF THE NIGHT This year’s winners included Jeremy Tay (pictured far left) and Michael Ong (pictured far right) of Prestige Global Designs, Andrea Savage and Nikki Hunt of…