N° 53 November 2020 www.lofficielmalaysia.com
INNO VATOR SHEENA LIAM
A Tale Of Art & Craft
At the illuminated Luminarie in Italy’s Lecce region, the Dior Cruise 2021 spectacular was showcased accompanied by the rhythmic, carthatic dance of the Notte della Taranta Foundation and erudite music by Paolo Buonvino. A tribute to ancestral savoir faire, the ensembles bear the weaving craftsmanship of the Constantine Foundation’s Amando e Cantando atelier, reimagined by artist Pietro Rufoo into a summery constellation of flowers, butterflies and wheat sheaves. Crowning this fashion narrative of untamed nature is the precious traditional Tombolo embroidery, perpetuated by Marilena Sparasci and emblematic of Puglia’s richly inspiring heritage. PHOTOGRAPHY LEAN LUI
Happy Unboxing Fétiche. For a century, this magazine has predicted runway trends, heralded eras of restrained and extravagant fashion, and above all else, has recommended the chicest items to invest in each season. This year, it’s your turn to choose. As we usher in the next 100 years of L’Officiel, we decided it was time to ask you to take the reins as fashion editors and select the most desirable of the accessories making their way down the Fall 2020 runways. And you graciously obliged! Our Instagram Stories polls were flooded with responses—totalling more than 600,000 votes from around the world. Of course, each country’s style devotees have their own distinct take on fall fashion. But the following items are universally the most coveted accessories of the season, and combine the desire of the new with the hertiage of the brand. Though you voted overwhelmingly for practical boots à la Dior, and new classics, like Gucci’s reissued Jackie bag, you also voted for the manifesto of each of these labels, knowing that something special lies just on the other side of that tissue paper. The ceremony of unwrapping a new accessory fresh from the store is one of the things we look forward to most each Fall.
PHOTOGRAPHY JENNIFER LIVINGSTON
Jackie 1961 small hobo bag, Gucci.
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Bijoux
A Starlet Letter
Did you get the memo? These leading ladies have taken over the jewellery sphere with some of the year’s best creative crossovers.
Photography Eliott Bliss
BY NIKITA NAWAWI
CHOPARD X MARION COTILLARD Following her most promising entry to jewellery making with that black opal bracelet for Chopard’s Green Carpet range a few years back, Marion Cotillard returns to the Swiss jewellery house for an exclusive capsule collection. The La Vie en Rose and Two Days One Night actress whose relationship with the brand harks back to the 2004 Cannes Film Festival, where she was honoured with the Trophée Chopard, has been given carte blanche over the artistic direction of the project and is taking the opportunity to flaunt her unique style and environmentalist leanings. Inspired by the graphic silhouette and rock’n’roll spirit of the existing Ice Cube pieces, Cotillard flexes her creative muscle and puts a new spin on the original design. Her wave of asymmetry gives the seven haute joaillerie creations an
ultra-contemporary outlook that thoroughly defines Ice Cube Capsule by Marion Cotillard. The French leading lady, conversely, opts to reprise the collection’s alignment of small faceted cubes and its no-nonsense attitude that enable the wearer to stack the pieces at their convenience. Flexibility plays a key role in the collection as these Ice Cube pieces are made to be worn as part of a mix-and-match game. The earrings are especially versatile. From the series of connected gold rings to the square solitaire diamond stud and the cascading diamond composition, all crafted in Fairminedcertified ethical 18k gold, the set of jewellery caters to women of diverse personalities and traits. Interestingly, all these ear jewels have been designed as clips as Cotillard intends them for non-pierced ears such as her own.
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ATELIER SWAROVSKI X PENÉLOPE CRUZ Penélope Cruz has been moonlighting as designer at Atelier Swarovski for quite some time now. A brief encounter with the brand’s founder and creative director Nadja Swarovski— glamorous, champagne-drenched 2017 Venice Film Festival in the background—introduced her to the world of responsibly created jewellery and it pulled her right in. Before long, the star of Pedro Almodovar’s arthouse picture Volver and Woody Allen’s tragicomedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona debuted her celestial MoonSun jewellery line. This year alone, Cruz has churned out two different collections that manifested her love for nature and the world of cinema, respectively. The Botanical Jewels, for starters, features floral motifs crafted with precision-cut crystals, cubic zirconia as well as pavé stones that bring the intricate petal designs to
life. Created for every woman under the sun, the 18-piece range brings forth a wide selection of necklaces, bracelets, cuffs, cocktail rings and multifunctional drop earrings that can also be worn as studs. More recently, the Spanish actress unveiled her Icons of Film collection that channels the pomp and grandeur of Hollywood’s Golden Age. The catalogue boasts a plethora of red-carpet-ready bijouterie that reminisce the iconic jeweller y moments captured on film such as Audrey Hepburn’s ultra-chic parure in Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Marilyn Monroe’s costume jewels in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Cruz’s elegantly feminine creations here are highlighted by sparkling cubic zirconia set on gold-plated brass and rose gold-plated rhodium.
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Benjamin Millepied
tradition with modernity in sync with the creations of Richard Mille—presents WITHIN, as they envisioned the perfect timing and harmonious movement of the new RM 72-01 from the perspective of technicity and artistry, and science and emotion. At the Joshua Tree, the backdrop of sand and stone is one that has been forged by time and space, as much as it is the perfect foil for the noble and beautiful materials employed in the watches of Richard Mille. The scene was thus set for the dancers to unleash a choreography of pas-de-deux moves that were fluid yet spontaneous and unstructured, nuanced yet intense and full of raw vitality. “My role as a producer—the choice of locations, their photographic quality, the camera’s ability to take everything in—all this comes from the landscapes themselves... Everything is thought out in response to the chosen environment,” said Millepied, creator of the ballets for the film Black Swan, and former head of the Paris Opera, as well as founder of the L.A. Dance Project. “I work, at all times and piece after piece, to perfect the art of choreography. It is this relationship to precision that unites us with the art of haute horlogerie. Dancers and musicians are like watchmakers, craftsmen all, because we all perfect our art with discipline,” he added.
Thomas Roussel
Roussel was inspired by the mysterious setting, and together with the watch’s chronometer function, he constructed a musical masterpiece that matched the movements of the dancers, recorded in the studio at St. Luke’s church in London and performed by the fifty musicians of the distinguished London Symphony Orchestra. Sampling from the watch’s stopwatch function, the composer injected a musical tempo echoing the energy of the dancers. He then weaved in repetitive and mysterious primordial music around a tourbillon of vitality while keeping the beat as though counting seconds. “I started composing from Benjamin’s shots to find the right rhythm and tempo for the choreography. I wanted to give him the widest possible field of expression. It’s the role of a composer for film to enhance and serve the film,” said Roussel. “Watches, immutable as objects and through their precision, are also creations that convey emotions. Like orchestral music, haute horlogerie feeds on its own traditions, respecting very strict and precise rules. Based on this guidance, it is up to us to break down the codes and offer works that are singular. “Any watch is by definition linked to the rhythm of time, but thanks to its improvements and complications, this chronograph is even more so than others. And time is one of the phenomena that inspires me most,” Roussel concluded.
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Beauty
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Retreat From Home
Travel ban? No problem. Recalibrate and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of everyday life at these exotic sanctuaries. Their immersive interiors and imported treatments will inspire a sense of freedom by momentarily carrying your mind and soul to a distant country.
HAMMAM SPA There is no need to travel back in time or halfway round the world to immerse in the ancient Turkish bathing ritual when you can engage in the same practice here at Hammam Spa. Much like the traditional Hammam which typically h o us e s a c o m m un a l b at hh o us e under its large domed roof, this spa is intricately designed with similar Moroccan architectural structures complete with mosaic tiles, carved woodwork and a water fountain. For a full immersive experience, the Sultana Hammam session covers everything from the signature bath and scrub, a soothing sweet almond milk wash, a relaxing aromatic massage to a revitalising facial. All you have to do is lie down, close your eyes and surrender to the sweet sensation of having your system cleansed and refreshed.
BALIAYU SPA SANCTUARY First established in 2006 with its first outlet in Bangsar, Baliayu Spa Sanctuary remains the only spa of its kind in the city that specialises in Balinese-style massages as well as detox and lymphatic treatments. On top of its calming and tranquil interior, their highly skilled masseuses in c o r p o r ate f ir s t- r ate a r o m at i c essences and a top-quality olive oil base into every treatment to ensure a truly holistic experience to soothe the body and mind. The Heavenly Relax Spa Experience package is a favourite among their customers as it is designed to induce pure relaxation and release knots and tension in the body. The twohour session includes their relaxing foot bath ceremony, invigorating body scrub, aromatic full body oil massage and detoxifying Far Infrared Sauna.
3rd Floor, Bangsar Village 2, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
57-2, Jalan Bangkung, Bangsar, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
+603-2282 2189
+603-2094 4557 / +603-2201 5393
hammamspas.com
spamalaysia.com.my
URBAN RETREAT ONSEN SPA Nestled within the quaint Mont Kiara district comes Malaysia’s very first Japanese bath spa. A trip to the Land of the Rising Sun may not be necessary as the cosy space along with its wooden furnishings, bamboo accents and warm lighting exude the same zen feeling of stepping into an actual natural hot spring bath in Japan. Evoking an authentic onsen session, the space offers personal bathhouses—each fitted with a singleperson wooden tub that allows guest to indulge in a hot soak without the concern of stripping down in front of strangers. Pick from three of its onsen salts and preferred temperature of 40 or 42 degree Celsius according to your preference. You can then choose to follow up with a rice-based scrub, cocooning body wrap, aromatherapy massage or all three. Lot 2F-02, 163 Retail Park, Jalan Kiara, Mont Kiara, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. +6017-881 4486 urbanretreatspa.my/ urban-retreat-onsen-spa
Photo Aman Spa Japan
BY JOYCE FAN
L’Officiel
Anatomy
The Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Âge La Cure by Sisley
One unique formula in four bottles under four weeks to unlock new levels of visibly vibrant, more youthful-looking skin. BY JOYCE FAN
It is known that the skin’s renewal takes place every month and so, Sisley took it upon themselves to roll out a revolutionary product. One that lasts the exact same time to restimulate the mechanism responsible for the cell’s vital energy thus ensuring a real upsurge in astonishing end result. Nearly 15 years in the making, the Sisleÿa L’Intégral Anti-Âge La Cure is an intensive fourweek skincare system that draws on the 2016 Nobel Prize-winning scientific discovery on the cell’s exceptional biological ability. Its powerful concentration of 19 botanical active ingredients like gingko biloba and peony extracts complement the three key mechanisms—protection, reconnection and elimination—central to the mitochondria, lying at the heart of skin cells which convert what we ingest from our diets into energy for the body.
The bespoke Sisley anti-ageing care program comprises of four bottles to be used across the span of four weeks. Each bottle contains energy-saturated treatment that works week after week to gradually restore the skin’s quintessential youth potential. Complexion already appears more radiant within the first week of La Cure, reactivating the cell’s energy and awakening the skin. The renovation stage of week two launches the optimal regeneration phase dedicated to eliminate dead parts of the skin cell. Week three aims to reinforce the skin’s natural defences. By the fourth and final week, all vital mechanisms at the heart of the cell are coordinated which wraps up the long-term benefits from the previous three steps. The skin is finally reborn.
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