Innholdsfortegnelse for July 2024 i Tatler Singapore

TATLER HONG KONG Tatler secured a rare interview with Gerald Li, the co-founder of Leading Nation, which runs award-winning establishments such as The Diplomat and Cristal Room by Anne-Sophie Pic. TATLER MALAYSIA Tatler met Matthew Tang, the 18-year-old who secured places to study chemistry at four Ivy League universities. He shared some of the important lessons he learnt during the process. TATLER PHILIPPINES Gina Consing McAdam and Siobhán Doran, the authors of Houses That Sugar Built, an Intimate Portrait of Philippines Homes, revealed what sparked the idea for their compendium of stunning Philippines architecture. TATLER TAIWAN Abner Chao, a Gen.T honouree, co-founded the AmazingTalker online platform with the goal of making online English learning more accessible. He explained how he transitioned from a career in boxing and how he’s facing…

ETHAN KAN Encompassing a wide range of interests, from gastronomy to fashion and arts criticism, Ethan Kan’s work has appeared in Men’s Folio and Esquire Singapore as well as on the Asian Film Archive blog. This month, they spoke to sustainable materials innovator, textile specialist, artist and designer Anabel Poh on what she is doing to make the textile industry more sustainable. DARREN GABRIEL LEOW A fashion and commercial photographer based in Singapore, Darren Gabriel Leow frequently contributes to Tatler Singapore and other luxury lifestyle and fashion publications, as well as shoots campaigns for various local and international brands. He shot the Quah siblings, the national swimmers who are on the cover this month. NOÉMI OTTILIA SZABO Europe-based Noémi Ottilia Szabo is a fashion photographer with Hungarian roots. Her style…

As a child born in Kyrgyzstan and raised in Kazakhstan, Kaniyet Rayev participated in numerous extracurricular activities in and outside of school. He competed in Latin dance, played the clarinet for six years, learnt to play the drums, was in a rock band, wrote music, and organised parties at school—all before he turned 16. At age 9, he also enrolled in a coding class meant for older students for three years. “I like learning and I like to learn fast,” says Rayev, who in 2019 started Boxo, a platform helping businesses in Southeast Asia, South Africa and the Middle East develop their super apps. “As soon as I stop learning, I get bored.” A BUSINESS MIND His parents were entrepreneurs themselves: his father had a food manufacturing business, while his…

It’s time to talk athleisure—love it or hate it. Although the hybrid of casual and athletic wear has been around for over a decade, it rose to prominence during the pandemic, when consumers favoured comfortable yet stylish clothing that could seamlessly pivot from online work calls to virtual fitness classes. While the days of lockdowns and travel restrictions are (hopefully) long behind us, the trend of activewear as everyday wear is here to stay as a permanent category of the fashion industry. Increased demand in this sector in the post-pandemic period has been attributed to growing interest and mindfulness of one’s personal health and well-being. Evolving lifestyles have also put comfort at the top of consumers’ priorities—think hybrid work arrangements and health-conscious fitness habits. To meet these changing demands, more…

SUNNY DEFENSE There should be no room for excuses when it comes to sun protection—especially if the SPF product is as pocket-sized as Caudalie’s Vinosun Protect SPF 50 Invisible High Protection Stick. The newest member of the cult French beauty brand’s Vinosun Protect collection is a water-resistant, fragrance-free and kid-friendly sunscreen stick. Suitable for children aged three and above, the product is formulated with organic filters to provide effective UVA/ UVB protection, as well as grape seed oil and organic buriti oil to keep the skin hydrated and nourished. Glide the stick over the face and lips before sun exposure and reapply in the same way every two hours. As summer approaches in many parts of the world, the importance of effective sun protection takes centre stage. In Singapore, year-round…

LONGING FOR SUMMER There’s a maxi dress for every taste, whether you opt for flowing bohemian designs or sleek modern cuts. This season’s options are endless, from Johanna Ortiz’s vibrant and colourful prints that pair perfectly with chic sandals to Lanvin’s sophisticated silhouettes that exude timeless elegance. IN THE BAG Nothing says “summertime” like swapping your Birkin or Neverfull for a beach-ready tote. That’s not to suggest you should lower your sartorial standards. Saint Laurent’s tote is the perfect carrier for a good book and your favourite sunglasses, while Prada, Fendi, and Ferragamo have evening-appropriate options in rattan and leather, keeping things simple but always glamorous. RACING FEVER Sure, Formula 1 is all about speed and precision on the track, but we’re equally excited about all the new fashion looks…

GEAR UP Encased in sleek, white Quartz TPT—a proprietary composite material—the RM 17-02 Tourbillon stands out for both its robustness and the elegance of its design. Known for its resistance to wear, the Quartz TPT beautifully frames the complex, skeletonised movement inside, where blue, gold and black PVD finishes play across the surface. But this movement isn’t just about aesthetic appeal: it’s built with a grade 5 titanium baseplate, ensuring both durability and precision. The inclusion of a tourbillon regulator and a unique mechanism to prevent overwinding makes this piece one to bookmark. THE CHRONO-CLE The hottest watch brand on the market, FP Journe has launched its last limited series of 200 pieces, The Chronographe FB. Crafted to commemorate the 20th anniversary of FP Journe’s Tokyo boutique, the watch is…

BROOCH THE SUBJECT A white diamond brooch will never go out of style. Director and Cannes Film Festival jury member Hirokazu Kore-eda offered proof positive of this, sporting the Chaumet Oeillet brooch from the Jardins collection at the 77th edition of the festival in May. Crafted from 18-karat white gold and adorned with 224 brilliant-cut diamonds totalling 3.34 carats, the piece gleamed as Hirokazu ascended the venue’s famed steps. HONEY, I’M GOLD Perlée, a signature motif that dates back to the 1920s, has long been celebrated for its delicate golden beads, and has adorned some of the most iconic pieces in the history of Van Cleef & Arpels. This motif is reimagined in the latest collection, where the beads are not just decorative elements but integral to the structural beauty…

EQUESTRIAN CAROLINE CHEW Olympian Caroline Chew comes from equestrian pedigree. Her mother Melanie did showjumping and dressage, and later helmed the Equestrian Federation of Singapore from 2007 to 2017, and her older sister Catherine, a showjumper, is a Southeast Asian (Sea) Games gold medallist and Asian Games finalist. When Chew and her gelding Tribiani competed in dressage at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, they made history as the first Singaporean duo to participate in an Olympics equestrian event. “To represent a small country [such as Singapore], which is without much of an equestrian heritage, is such a huge privilege,” says Chew. The pair, however, was prematurely eliminated for a technical rule, “which was traumatic and a big shock”, she shares, crushing her Olympic dreams. Three years on, the 31‑year‑old will again…

Sometimes, when I fly, I like to rewatch favourite films. And one of my favourite categories of cinema is underdog sports movies. Two of my favourites are Cool Runnings and The Replacements. The former is (loosely) based on the true story of the Jamaican bobsled team that made it to the Winter Olympics in 1988, and I always get misty‑eyed as the team, after crashing, finish their race, carrying their bobsled on their shoulders. The latter is a Keanu Reeves vehicle about failed athletes given a second chance. At the end of the movie, just as Reeves wins the game—and the girl—David Bowie’s Heroes starts to play. The camera zooms in on the antagonist’s perfect features (surprisingly clean too, considering he had just finished playing 30 minutes of American football)…

Like many who grew up during the Malaysia Cup era—notable for Singapore’s historic Malaysia Premier League and Cup double in 1994—Alan Goh fondly remembers the Kallang Roar emanating from the stands during matches at the old National Stadium. “If you lived in an HDB flat, like I did, even if you [weren’t at the stadium, you’d know from] the reaction of the whole neighbourhood (read: those watching the game on television) whether our Singapore team scored or conceded—and even [when there were] near misses,” reminisces the CEO of national sport agency Sport Singapore (SportSG). The Kallang Roar has been silent for a while now—and Singapore football is unlike what it used to be. “Since the government took back the ownership of the Singapore Sports Hub in 2022, one of our…

She may be all glamour girl in this feature, but actress Lim Shi‑An will have you know that she is not in the least opposed to playing less‑than‑glam characters on both the screen and stage. A prime example: her role in home‑grown director K Rajagopal’s 2023 short film In the Pipeline, released as part of a campaign for a Singapore government‑led initiative. In it, she dexterously plays the protagonist, Vanessa, a plumber who is not afraid to get down and dirty. Her portfolio thus far also includes, in Lim’s own words, “quite a few roles that are complex and emotionally turbulent”, which she shares are her favourite kind of roles. “I think that I struggle to navigate my own emotions sometimes in real life, and exploring the extent of my…

FASHION FEATURE In 1951, a young and ambitious designer named Hubert de Givenchy founded his namesake fashion house in Paris, marking the dawn of a new era in haute couture. Only 24 years old then, he unveiled his first collection, “Séparables”, featuring elegant blouses and airy gabardine skirts designed for mixing and matching, which were a stark contrast to the constricted head-to-toe ensembles that dominated couture at the time. It not only displayed his mastery of design but also set a precedent for freedom in fashion and a desire for personal style expression—hallmarks of his legacy and his maison. Born in 1927 in Beauvais, northern France, Givenchy was destined for the fashion world. At the tender age of 17, he left for Paris to apprentice at a couture house. He…

BEAUTY FEATURE The rose has always been central to the house of Dior. Monsieur Christian Dior had a particular fondness for the flower, which bloomed abundantly on the cliff tops of Normandy, France, near his family’s Villa Les Rhumbs. Despite the harsh climate, the rose thrived, symbolising resilience and beauty. Today, the flower blooms as a new iteration: the Rose de Granville, cultivated from its resilient ancestor. This rose is the result of a selection from 40,000 different flowers, seven different hybrids and two decades of dedicated research by Dior Science. So treasured is the flower that the maison dedicated its sprawling Rose Garden, made up of seven hectares of untreated green meadow, to the cosmetic rose, employing regenerative farming. The Rose de Granville is exceptional with incredible properties such…

The human affection for animals is a strong, sometimes unexplainable one. It is the reason why many of us keep pets like dogs or cats; we enjoy caring for these animals and foster an inimitable bond with them. When it comes to wild animals, however, it has been proven time and again that they are better off in their natural habitats. Primatologist Inza Koné has had to learn this the hard way. When he was just eight years old, his father gave him a young baboon as a pet. They became inseparable, but as the baboon grew, it became difficult to handle and the deep integration with human life made it impossible to release the primate back into the wild. There was no other choice but to make the painful…

Luxury sports watches stand out not only for their robust engineering and sophisticated aesthetics but also for their storied pasts, each intertwined with pivotal moments in human history. From being submerged in the profound depths of the ocean to navigating the vast expanse of space, these watches have not merely kept time but have also been integral to adventures that define the modern era. Let’s explore. Our journey begins in 1953, with the birth of the Rolex Submariner. This wasn’t just any timepiece; it was a revolution in stainless steel, meticulously engineered to conquer the ocean, with its water resistance initially going down to 100 metres, a figure that would later be enhanced to an impressive 300 metres. The Submariner was first introduced as a direct response to the growing…

The French term carte blanche translates to “blank card”, and is used to mean having the complete freedom to do as one wishes. That is exactly what Claire Choisne, Boucheron’s creative director, was empowered to do when she launched the first Carte Blanche high jewellery collection. Choisne set out to create something that would spark joy as well as represent a sense of freedom, and together with her team, has continued to channel this same spirit in the following Carte Blanche collections annually. This year, the visionary creative director has once again transcended the conventional boundaries of high jewellery with her latest Carte Blanche collection, Or Bleu. It is a mesmerising tribute to water, an often taken for granted but vital and precious resource. Choisne was particularly inspired by the…

The best thing about being in Paris is… the energy of the city which continues to inspire me. Paris is where I opened my first restaurant, Restaurant Hélène Darroze, and it will always hold a special place in my heart. I also love that every area you visit is different, as it is composed of little villages: think Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Montmartre, Buttes-Chaumont and Le Marais. The first thing I do when I arrive in Paris is… stop by Café de Flore in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. Whether you are enjoying hot chocolate outdoors at the terrasse during summer or lounging on the red sofas indoors during winter, an experience in this institution is a must in your lifetime. You plunge straight into the real Parisian atmosphere. My favourite hotel to stay in Paris is……

CLOSE-UP Located on the southern tip of the Niigata Prefecture and within easy reach of Tokyo, Myoko Kogen, one of Japan’s oldest ski areas, is on the brink of a dramatic transformation that could see it return to its former vibrancy during Japan’s 1980s ski boom and economic bubble. Ken Chan, founder and CEO of the Singapore‑based Patience Capital Group (PCG), a real estate investment manager, plans to turn the region into an all‑season luxury destination that can rival the likes of Niseko, Aspen and Whistler. The seed for this ambitious project was planted during his tenure as head of the Japanese branch of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund; sparked by a discussion about extending Japan’s Shinkansen (bullet train) to Kanazawa through Nagano. During…

He is Singapore’s first and only Olympic gold medallist, and when we ask Joseph Schooling about the one proudest moment that not many know about, “I’d say it’s the 2011 Southeast Asian (Sea) Games men’s 200‑metre butterfly”, he says. The then 16‑year‑old had clinched the gold medal in the event and it was the ticket that booked his spot at the London 2012 Olympics—his first Olympics. “At the halfway mark, I was thinking and feeling it internally, ‘This hurts so much’. But I shut my brain off and just went for it. No thinking, no hesitation,” he shares with Tatler Singapore via email. “And that’s what everyone saw, the ticket to the Olympics. But they don’t understand or realise the internal battle that I had to fight during that race,…

IN THE STUDIO Anabel Poh wears so many hats—entrepreneur, artist, student, scientist—that it is hard to describe what she does in one sentence. What we can safely say, however, is that she is a self‑professed “textile nerd”, so much so that she has centred her entire career around it, from fibre‑based fabrics to newfangled innovations. Working within the field of sustainable material innovation, Poh is the co‑founder and CEO of Uncolour Studios, where she is developing biodegradable and bio‑based silk printing inks. As a material developer at The New Materialist, she is also working on a biodegradable and bio‑based coating derived from agricultural byproducts. But Poh issues a caveat about her work: “I don’t believe that there is a sustainable material.” This may perhaps be the greatest irony of her…

FIND ME AT THE POOL Sabato De Sarno has unveiled the Gucci Lido collection, a tribute to coastal living. Conceived by the creative director and captured through the lens of French photographer Anthony Seklaoui, the campaign highlights a vibrant collection inspired by the charming beach clubs or lidos along Italy’s storied coastlines. The range includes sophisticated swimwear, signature Jackie and GG Marmont bags reimagined in straw-effect raffia and canvas, colourful GG canvas accessories and neon-detailed small accessories—fun wardrobe additions for sun-kissed days and breezy seaside adventures. RUNNING BAREFOOT The long-awaited collaboration between Issey Miyake and New Balance might have just elevated the marriage of performance and high fashion to new heights. For their first joint project, Issey Miyake’s artistic director Satoshi Kondo drew inspiration from the “concept of sensuous physicality…

As spring transitions into the golden days of summer, this time of year often brings new experiences and adventures. In a season brimming with possibility and excitement, Paragon recently unveiled a captivating calendar of events designed to delight and inspire shoppers. As a premier luxury shopping destination in Singapore, Paragon has long been celebrated for its impeccable selection of high-end brands and exceptional customer experiences. So in the spirit of the season, the mall curated an array of exclusive spring/summer offerings tailored to the discerning tastes of its sophisticated clientele. Experience All Things Japanese, held from 17 to 26 May, paid homage to the rich cultural tapestry of Japan by bringing shoppers on a sensory journey through the Land of the Rising Sun. The highlight event was undoubtedly Planting a…

Love often takes couples to unexpected places in their life. In the case of Daniel Inoue and Hui Yi Phua, their journey brought them back to the very spot their love story began: Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel. In 2016, the two first crossed paths in the hotel’s front office department, where they both worked as young professionals eager to make their mark in the hospitality industry. And it was there, amidst the hustle and bustle of hotel life, that Inoue and Phua’s journey began to unfold—from colleagues to life partners. “The hotel played a pivotal role in bringing us together,” Phua shares. “It was where we shared countless laughs, supported each other through challenging times, and forged a bond that would ultimately lead to something extraordinary.” Fast forward a…

These tourbillons are crafted to make your head spin with excitement…

Louis Cartier produced the maison’s first wristwatch in 1904, for Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont. Today, nearly 120 years later, the maison continues to innovate with every collection it unveils. Its latest offerings at this year’s Watches and Wonders are a clear reflection of this enduring legacy of combining reinvention and tradition. Tatler sits down with Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s image, style, and heritage director, to dig into how the iconic designs of the early 20th century still pulse at the heart of the maison’s modern creations, proving that true style never ages, it only evolves. How are Cartier’s 20th-century designs reflected in this year’s novelties at Watches and Wonders? The choices that were made in terms of type of shapes [in the early 20th century] were linked to what Cartier was…

Grand Seiko had humble beginnings. It was officially birthed in 1960 as a division of the same name in Japanese watch brand Seiko, which was established in 1881 and shares a founder in Kintaro Hattori. Set up with the purpose of creating highly precise and stunningly handcrafted watches, the division was a reflection of Hattori’s great interest in and flair with fine watchmaking. To bolster the unique appeal and broaden the reach of the Grand Seiko luxury watches, Grand Seiko stepped out from Seiko in 2017, becoming a separate manufacturer within the Seiko Group Corporation. Today, Grand Seiko is synonymous with ingenious technologies such as its Spring Drive, which was released in 1999 and enables a quartz battery to drive a mechanical gear train. Another epic milestone of the brand…

Handpicked for those who have a hunger for style…