CATEGORIES
Creative Romance That Keeps On Giving
This month, one of the most iconic collaborations between a fashion house and a living artist is back for a sequel in boutiques here: the Louis Vuitton X Yayoi Kusama capsule collection. Together with the French maison, Female looks at how this is a creative romance that keeps on giving.
LOREN
With a sound and look reminiscent of some of the most celebrated indie musicians from the 2000s, LØREN is the musical genius fueling an emo rock and roll revolution in the land of happy, shiny K-pop. Here is an up close and personal session with this post-punk prince from South Korea in his first cover story and fashion editorial with a Singapore magazine.
Natalie Portman On How The Expectations Towards Makeup Have Changed!
Having been in front of the cameras since she was a pre-teen and an ambassador for Dior Beauty since 2010, Natalie Portman surely knows more than a thing or two about putting one's best face forward - and maintaining it effortlessly. Recently, the 41-year-old was revealed as the campaign star of the French maison's latest lippie innovation: Rouge Dior Forever, which promises comfort, a clean formula and a cool 16 hours of no-transfer wear, all in a bullet. In an exclusive interview, the Thor star shares with Khong Yawen about how the expectations towards makeup have changed, and her beauty axioms that will never.
Chanel J12 The Model Gen Z Timepiece
Consider the Chanel J12 the model Gen Z timepiece. Born in the year 2000 with a gender-neutral design so ahead of its time, it's stuck coolly by its original look and identity, no matter how wild its makeovers get in the name of creative expression. This month, Chanel will hold an interactive exhibition on it right here in Singapore (stay glued to our digital platforms for details). As a teaser, Female and the maison offer a primer on this Y2K icon.
How You Should Dress And Consume Fashion Now
She was the breakout name from the graduating class of 2020 at Central Saint Martins - the London-based South Korean designer's eponymous label has since been coveted by celebrities ranging from Ariana Grande to Cardi B, with its handmade, more-or-more take on ultra-glamorous old-world couture. Now, Sohee Park is moving onto the next stage of her burgeoning fashion empire: a ready-to-wear line under Net-A-Porter's The Vanguard initiative that supports and mentors emerging talents, marking the first time that her ornate confections are commercially sold. Ahead of its launch on the e-tailer next month, the 26-year-old tells Keng Yang Shuen about her vision of how we should dress and consume fashion now.
World Of Its Own
There's a new fashion player in town: a zippy women-focused label from Sweden named & Other Stories that prides itself on being trendy and accessible - but don't call it a high street brand. Having opened a 6,000 sq ft boutique at lon Orchard - its first physical store in Southeast Asia - last month, it boasts not one, but three design ateliers; has artistic leanings (an in-store artist residency programme), and aims to be circular. Is that enough to excite a new gen of customers here though? Khong Yawen gets the lowdown from its Paris-based concept designer Olivia Bavencoffe.
Where The Wild Roses Grow
The most heart-warming stories are often the ones told by family. Here, a conversation between two key members of the Chanel N°5 household - Chanel nose Olivier Polge and the perfume's celebrity face, Marion Cotillard - that took place during a tour of the flower farm in Grasse where the iconic scent is birthed, and which tells the story of this fabled land.
The Eye Has To Travel
For his first-ever fashion editorial, the Singapore-based architectural photographer and artist Finbarr Fallon takes the Fall/Winter 2022 collections on an off-the-beaten track tour of our island-city to explore the notions of home. "The locations I chose represent different moments in the home-building process: the materiality of homes-in-progress; the infrastructure keeping our homes running; the need for constant urban renewal as the prevailing narrative of what makes a good city and possibly a liveable home," he says. "I'm very interested in the in-between spaces to be found within cities, especially one that is as well-curated and planned as Singapore. Even if these spaces don't come to mind first when we think about home, they're integral to the continual and often unruly - process of making and maintaining the city as a 'home'." -
Living In A Material World
For its upcoming home collection revealed at Milan Design Week in June, Hermes puts the universe of textiles centre stage for the first time, making it the anchor and inspiration for the entire line that ranges from blankets and stools to wall-mounted organisers. Imran Jalal finds out from Florence Lafarge – the maison’s creative director for home textiles, furnishing fabrics, wallpapers and all things kids – about how cloth is an important part of design and the social fabric in one’s abode.
my space
Reports have shown that an increasing number of young people in Singapore are seeking their own place to live in. For those who can't or don't, having a space at home to call and make their own can have a deep cultural and emotional significance. Pang Jiawei and Annalisa Espino Lim get four Gen Z creatives to share how their rooms have become a zone for self-expression and how that has in turn shaped them.
centres for the arts
Whether it's an open-to-all studio redefining how fashion should be exhibited or a bunch of arty boys democratising a stuffy, old recreational sport, the spaces and people featured here share one thing in common: They offer inspiration, support and refuge in short, a spiritual home to the local creative community. Keng Yang Shuen reports.
being
There are two sides to the Singapore-based architectural lensman and artist Finbarr Fallon. To clients, he's the go-to for slick yet poetic imagery of their latest star properties. To anyone who's discovered his personal Instagram account @fin.barr, he's the curious and romantic documenter of our island-city's urban landscape, capturing its hotchpotch of rawness, kitsch and polish with cinematic poignancy. Last month, he launched UNIT. a glimpse into Singapore's 1970s-'80s private apartments, his first book in which he photographs and interviews the residents of 10 of such dwellings – the latter are often-forgotten emblems of the nation's post-independence evolution with the pandemic as a backdrop. With it, he reveals a third facet: that of a chronicler of the inner lives of those navigating the shifting function, value and meaning of home. Keng Yang Shuen gets his POV.
Campbell O'shea On The Shifting Face Of Fashion Influencers
This month, Coach rolls out the second edition of its Key Opinion Leader (KOL) programme, an exclusive-to-Singapore initiative that sees six of its store associates turned into influencers who will star in a series of seasonal campaign photos to be showcased in the brand's local boutiques. O'Shea - the South-east Asian and Oceanian general manager for Coach's parent company Tapestry tells Gordon Ng about redefining who gets to be a fashion tastemaker today.
La Vie En Rose
The Les Eaux de Chanel fragrance line from the house of double "C"s was considered fresh in more ways than one when it debuted in 2018. Besides evoking lightness and effervescence in its own way, each scent was a tribute to a different destination dear to Coco Chanel and meant to be unisex. Last month, it ushered in its sixth and latest addition that might also come across as its most feminine: the pink-hued Paris-Paris that's inspired by the city's chic women and boasts a heart of Damascena rose. Yet - as Chanel's in-house perfumer Olivier Polge puts it - the emotions that a fragrance stirs up matter more than a gender label.
Bringing New Meaning To The Term "Soul Food"
Welcome to three of the most creative new players in experiential dining here. Their settings can hardly be called that of a restaurant, and their focus is as much on supporting the arts and the environment as it is on the menu, bringing new meaning to the term "soul food".
NEO Urban Males
In the '60s, it was referred to as the peacock revolution - when rock stars such as The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and David Bowie redefined the look of virility with their gender-blurring wardrobes (paisley shirts, slim-fit pants, silk kimonos!). Fast-forward to the present day and a whole new generation of men is bringing back that same enthusiasm and adventurousness towards dressing up. They love to shop (a lot of them from vintage or vintage-style stores). They tend to mix and match garments, accessories, and influences - including those traditionally considered to be from the women's wardrobe - to create their personal look. And they're unafraid to show it off because, if they're anything like the 22 men here, why not? Welcome to the new era of sartorial liberation when (to paraphrase Damon Albarn) regardless of gender, one should always be wearing something they really love.
Intimate Close-Up Look At The Star Accessories
She's the daughter of a Cubism great, but it's her bodacious taste and style, and boldness in building her name as a jeweller that has made Paloma Picasso a muse to designers, including most famously Yves Saint Laurent. Now it's his present-day successor Anthony Vaccarello's turn, channelling her sexy, high-meets-low brand of glamour into Saint Laurent's Summer collection. Together with the maison, Female offers ancintimate close-up look at the star accessories.
Do Clothes Maketh The Man?
A resounding yes, going by how fashion has helped to shape, reinforce and increasingly in recent years — disrupt the masculine identity, as an ongoing exhibition at London's Victoria and Albert Museum explores.
Call Him By His Name
Our ode to Timothee Chalamet.
Welcome To The Magic Shop
Every December since 2002, Chanel has presented a Metiers d'Art collection. (Yes, this means that the latest - revealed six months ago - marks the 20th edition.) It's the annual showcase/bonanza/tribute to the all-important esoteric craft ateliers that orbit the French luxury maison (Karl Lagerfeld even used to refer to them as satellites). The 2021/2022 collection, which launches in boutiques towards the end of June, marks a new chapter: It's inspired by and was shown in the new Le19M hub that Chanel had purpose-built as a centralized home for 11 of its most crucial suppliers.
What Being A Man Means And Looks Like
A new generation of young artists in Singapore is exploring and dissecting masculinity with inclusivity and tenderness. Keng Yang Shuen spotlights five who are redefining what being a man means and looks like.
10 People Who Help Fuel And Influence The Fashion Industry
Meet 10 people who help fuel and influence the industry though not necessarily in ways you know.
That Tick-Tock Aesthetic
Going by their size and serious looks, the watches here would traditionally be considered more of a guy thing. Going by their versatility when it comes to expressing personal style, do such conventions really matter?
Have You Met The Rock?
Here's a story about a man who got the art of the wedding proposal more than right.
Boys Just Wanna Have Fun
It's safe to say that for most of the past three decades, mainstream men's fashion has been boring in comparison to that for women. It's not just because that department has generally had fewer and leaner product categories. The rundown of any red carpet would tell of the classicism that's dominated the scene. Even the Pitti peacocks - the term used to refer to the preening male street style stars of the biannual menswear trade show in Florence - who emerged in the early 2010s were largely defined by prep (yawn). In recent years, though, something's changed. Menswear designers have started to experiment more and the industry welcomed radicals such as the late Virgil Abloh and Ludovic de Saint Sernin. And, with revenge dressing going into overdrive now, brands have stepped up on the joie de vivre and playfulness to rival the women's collections. Let's hear it for the guys, with our favourite trends and highlights from the Men's Fall/Winter 2022 season.
What Makes A Great Fashion Magazine Today
He’s the second-generation owner of Basheer Graphic Books that has become a haven for the local creative community for its exhaustive range of niche, rare and exclusive design-related publications, fashion periodicals included. Entering the business in his 20s (the store on the fourth floor of Bras Basah Complex has been around since 1991), he’s witnessed not just the evolution of the print trade, but also trends and tastes. So what’s in now? Keng Yang Shuen finds out.
People Who Are Broadening How We See And Understand Fashion
There's been a growing voice within local creative circles - one that talks about fashion not so much in terms of runway trends, aesthetics or GDP, but as a part of art, culture, and the social fabric. Keng Yang Shuen spotlights the people who are broadening how we see and understand fashion and, in turn, are helping to shape Singapore into the truest and most sophisticated kind of fashion city.
The Next Magnificent - Gregoris Pyrpylis
He’s the new guy at Hermes, tasked to lead its beauty studio – the youngest of the brand’s metiers that also has the potential to be its widest-reaching. So what does Gregoris Pyrpylis plan to bring to the table at this revered house of good taste? Gordon Ng finds out when the Greek makeup artist visited Singapore last month – his maiden trip since his appointment as creative director of Hermes Beauty.
Iris Apfel On How Being Happy Is More Important Than Being Fashionable
The American textile specialist-turned-model is a true fashion icon so original is her singular, baroque-inspired style that it has even earned her an exhibition at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art. Now in conjunction with her centennial birthday, H&M has collaborated with her on a 38-piece-strong, limited-edition line of ready-to-wear and accessories emulating her vivacious taste. Ahead of its recent launch in stores and online, this original peacock offered a few wise (and exclusive) words on the state of dressing today.
Starters Of The Day
They're created by names associated foremost with the world of conceptual art, but these objects can also be worn, sat on, used as a container or even as part of one's bath time ritual. Keng Yang Shuen reports on the blurring of lines between art and design, and the Singapore artists reshaping the principle of form follows function.