Playing With Fire

Subjective, revered and mocked in equal measure: the arena of luxury fashion often proves to be too hot to handle. In tandem with Vogue Singapore's Feel The Heat' issue, we explore the industry's propensity for all things scorching from the history behind fashion's 'devil may care' attitude to the season's hottest trends.

- MAYA MENON

There are certain scenarios that come to mind when one thinks of all things calm, cool and collected. Perhaps it is the soft patter of rainfall on a lazy Sunday morning, the resounding echo of a sound bowl at the end of a meditation or even a contemplative sigh as the sun sets. Even with all of life's languished luxuries, however, the undercurrent and excitement of fashion never falls far behind. Whether it comes in the form of a search for that perfect outfit to grace an occasion with, the size and fit of a long-awaited purchase or the painstaking orchestration of a good first impression, under the umbrella of this US$1.7 trillion business, no proclamation of separation or off-the-grid sensibility can truly help one escape it. But then again, what exactly is there to escape'? The list, it seems, is endless. And in the world of apparel, escapism looks a lot like a loud and unforgettable statement.