N° 50 August 2020 www.lofficielmalaysia.com
MY HERO ATIK AH K ARIM
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1. Sacai: Single-purpose bags are here to stay. Sacai keeps the trend alive with arresting details comprising a curved silhouette, polished metal embellishment as well as an ultra-thin leather strap.
4. Prada: After a season of shorts suits, designers are once again turning workwear on its head with inspired office skirts. Miuccia Prada, for one, puts hers through a leather shredder to jazz up the ensemble with fun fringe.
7. Balmain: The perennial bucket bag has been given a sleeker update at Balmain. Now with a more structured profile, the bag comes crafted in muted canvas and black leather with the brand’s signature logo.
2. Agnona: Bulky belts are back in style but not necessarily in the way that you might expect. The Fusciacca, for instance, eschews the cliché with its calfskin sash, covered buckle and monochromatic hand stitching.
5. Marine Serre: With tension brewing over the coronavirus outbreak back in February, Marine Serre’s vision of fashion in a tumultuous world for Fall/ Winter 2020, evidenced by her staple facecovering numbers, was eerily spot on.
8. Saint Laurent: You know what they say: sex sells. And this time around, a kinky slinky dress is how you do sexy. Anthony Vaccarello’s skin-tight black latex dress in particular is catnip to the Selina Kyles of the world.
3. Maison Margiela: When it comes to the most anticipated fashion collaborations of the season, the Instapump Fury Tabi places high on the list. The footwear features Maison Margiela’s split-toed upper and Reebok’s original Instapump Fury design.
6. Givenchy: G et your self the latest GV3 shades for protected vision. Inspired by the brand’s handbag of the same name, the acetate sunglasses boast a gold hinge with interlocking double-G logo that references the bag’s clasp.
9. Pierre Hardy: Oozing modern a n d s e n s u a l g l a m o u r, t h e n e w h e els by Pier r e H a r dy a r e m ade for a memorable night out in Paris. Drenched in glittering champagne, the pair stuns with its textured skin and cut-out details.
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Celine
Givenchy
Salvatore Ferragamo
Tod’s
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Michael Kors Collection
The Fall/Winter 2020 fashion runway celebrates triumphantly iconic women of all style tribes across the decades in the past, present and future—accompanied by a resounding clarion call for optimism, inclusivity and female empowerment. BY TAN SIOK HOON
SUPER WOMAN
Valentino
Balmain
Heroine Chic
Short of dressing a cinematic superheroine, designers roll out a myriad of capes and ponchos for the courageous and fashionable set this season. Popular as alternatives to structured coats in the early ’70s, capes were layered over long, flared skirts and trousers as outerwear. In the same vein, F/W 2020’s iterations cover both day and evening, and traverse casual and formal wear, with Celine, Tod’s and Michael Kors Collection showcasing practical capes for day, and Salvatore Ferragamo offering a tailored or suiting version that empowers with a sense of warmth and protection. For after hours, Valentino and Givenchy’s gorgeous capes cascading over a full-length dress are compelling statements that elevate their wearers into invincible forces of fashion.
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This season’s ode to volume with an emphasis on strong sleeves, shoulders and silhouettes champions the gigot or leg-of-mutton sleeve of sorts. Regal and historical romance reminiscent of fairy-tale and real-life queens and princesses is evoked at Chanel and Alexander McQueen. Back in the late ’30s, society girls were seen embracing Edward Molyneux’s opulent puffsleeved designs, while the ’80s New Romantic movement and power dressing’s reference to volume was memorably epitomised by the late Princess Diana above all. Overflowing from last season’s collaboration with Christian Lacroix, Dries Van Noten continues with a tribute to the nocturnal party girl of the ’70s and ’80s. Reinterpreting volume for the now generation, JW Anderson and Acne Studio’s semi-structured silhouettes and contemporary construction are sure to crowd please.
Chanel
POWER PUFF GIRL
Acne Studios
Dries Van Noten Christopher John Rogers
JW Anderson
Alexander McQueen
Max Mara
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POSITIVE VIBES ONLY
IT’S ALL IN THE HAT When tracing the history of the hat and how it became a symbol of French haute couture and elegance, Dior always emerges as the ultimate tastemaker. The Dior Hats book published by Rizzoli NY tells this story as it revisits the many unique creations bestowed to us by Monsieur Dior himself as well as John Galliano, Maria Grazia Chiuri and more. The tome also features never-before-published photographs by Sølve Sundsbø and text by Dior’s milliner Stephen Jones.
Amid the global health crisis and ongoing racial tensions, Gucci is stepping in to spread some much-needed positivity with a revolutionary initiative that further affirms its commitment to human rights and environmental advocacy. The Italian luxury label recently launched Gucci Equilibrium that comes with a new Instagram account and a refreshed website—both designed to share the brand’s efforts in impacting change on a broader scale. This includes publishing its Environmental Profit and Loss results, which quantifies its environmental impact, as well as posting articles that detail its campaigns in support of girls’ and women’s empowerment, diversity and inclusion.
HOMECOMING
Virtual Reality
While the current circumstances may have prevented us from enjoying experiences on a physical level, Salvatore Ferragamo is realising dreams through the means of other tools or more specifically, 360° high-resolution images, videos and information panels to pull off a virtual tour of the Sustainable Thinking exhibition at Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. The innovative and interactive experience allows viewers across the globe to explore the exhibition space in detail directly from their personal devices. Accessible round the clock in both Italian and English, one can now uncover and rediscover works by artists and creatives made with sustainable materials on ferragamo.com
Known for creating some of the most covetable accessories throughout his admirable career in designing, Johnny Coca is set to revamp Louis Vuitton’s accessories line as the label’s newly appointed Women’s Fashion Leather Goods Director. “It’s with great pride that I join Nicolas Ghesquière and the Louis Vuitton teams to further develop the women’s handbag collections. For me, the journey now has come full circle, to the place where I was lucky enough to hone my passion first-hand and learn the fundamentals of leather craftsmanship in the ateliers at Asnières. It opens a new chapter in my own creative adventure, in an extraordinary laboratory that blends heritage and modernity,” says Coca.
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Founders Soo Shea Pin & Teh Wenfei
FULL OF FEITH Art Of Stripping
Saint Laurent Rive Droite is exclusively launching photographer Mario Sorrenti and conceptual artist John Baldessari’s photobook titled Noses Elbows and Knees. The acclaimed book was published at the end of 2017 and features the works exhibited at Half Gallery, New York under the curatorship of Neville Wakefield. Within its pages, the duo shows how beauty conventions are deconstructed by stripping off clothes and societal codes through fashion, collage and photography. Now available for pre-order at Saint Laurent stores in Paris and Los Angeles where each copy comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by both Sorrenti and Baldessari.
A NEW DAY
The discourse over Givenchy’s future after Clare Waight Keller’s departure has now come to an end. The French luxury fashion house has named Chicago-born designer Matthew M. Williams as its new creative director. Filling in the post left by his predecessor, Williams will assume all creative responsibilities for the brand’s women’s and men’s collections, and present his first collection in Paris this October.
We spoke to mother-and-daughter fashion entrepreneurs Soo Shea Pin and Soo Wenfei, who recently embarked on a new venture, in the launch of Feith. Situated at Fahrenheit 88, Kuala Lumpur, the store’s welcoming and sparklingly feminine interior showcases an eclectic selection of European artisanal footwear brands, alongside Feith’s debutant house brand. How did the idea and concept for Feith come about? Soo Shea Pin (SP): After leaving my 20-year legal practice and being in fashion retail for 11 years, I realised it was time to start my own brand! In the rediscovery of my “faith” in life with my daughter Wenfei (or Fei), we created the portmanteau Feith. We have registered the Feith brand in London and are now working patiently on various platforms to create more (brand) awareness. It’s going to be a long but magical journey! Tell us about the Feith brand and its product curation. SP: As we grow, we want to work and learn from other great partners so we decided to start as a multi-label boutique. The Feith brand of shoes are produced in Spain by a fourthgeneration shoemaker; France, Jonak is owned by a thirdgeneration family and it is a top performer at Galeries Lafayette; S.Novio is a London-based label but made in Italy. We are looking out for more “hidden gem” European brands to bring freshness and elegance to the shoe industry. Soo Wenfei (WF): We are very focused on curating a beautiful amalgamation of elegant, chic and sensual styles in our store to tell our story of what Feith represents and what women want in shoes. We hope this comes across when you visit our store. And the unique selling point of each of the brands? SP: We believe that women should “look good and feel good” in their shoes ... just looking good doesn’t justify the pain and discomfort. Why should women have to suffer in heels and struggle silently in pain? WF: For Feith, we strive to bring chic and comfort to a luxurious level with beautiful leathers and fabrications; Jonak’s Parisian vibe is stylish yet wearable; S.Novio is all about lovely embellished designs and amazing Italian craftsmanship. All the brands provide a different feel but have the common goal of offering style and comfort for women to feel confident in. Are you looking to retail Feith online soon? SP: Definitely! We see a huge potential for our brand; we are working on creating our website and hope to launch the Feith brand in London next year!
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Crystal teardrop earrings
Queen crystal jewels necklace
Pink matelassé leather handbag
Black matelassé leather handbag
Silver heels with crystal embellishment
Black mules with crystal embellishment
White pumps
Tartan pumps
Patent leather block heel boots
Black platform boots
Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These To pull off a dreamlike visual that brings the internal life into the external world, Miu Miu goes to great lengths to reimagine a world of classical literary heroines for Pre-Fall 2020, decked in a vintageinspired wardrobe of homespun florals, sparkling sequins, arty patchwork and whimsical ruffles. BY JOYCE FAN
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Anatomy
The Bobby Bag By Dior
Maria Grazia Chiuri delivers a new classic as she revives the women’s liberation movement from the Seventies with her Fall 2020 collection. BY NIKITA NAWAWI
With intense sartorial showdown taking place all across the city, all eyes were on Maria Grazia Chiuri to see if she would recalibrate the bearing at Dior—and that she did. Her feminist leaning remained at the forefront but it was expressed in a more discreet fashion this time. It was a quiet protest, if you will, led by a battalion of empowered females in checked get-ups and faded denims, flinging women’s rights manifestos in the season’s chicest bag: the Bobby. The no-nonsense Bobby is as practical as they come. Its curved silhouette is a reimagination of the quintessential hobo style but conjured up in exceptional box calfskin with refined grain
that lends the bag a silky smooth feel. On top of that, the detachable shoulder strap easily transforms the Bobby into a handheld, shoulder or cross-body bag. It is a true testament to the house’s sublime leather craftsmanship that trails back to its leather goods atelier in Florence. The new icon comes in a neutral palette of colours: black, white, camel, as well as blue Dior Oblique canvas. It also boasts that covetable CD hardware on the front with the relief embossed “30 Montaigne” signature—a reference to the brand’s historic address—on the back and the magnetic clasp with Monsieur Dior’s initials under the buckle.
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LV Volt Curb Chain bracelet in yellow gold, LV Volt Mesh bracelet in yellow gold, LV Volt Upside Down bracelet in yellow and white gold with diamonds, LV Volt Upside Down ring in yellow and white gold with diamonds and LV Upside Down ring in yellow gold.
LV Volt Upside Down rings in yellow and white gold with diamonds, LV Volt One stud in yellow gold with diamond, LV Volt Mesh necklace in yellow gold, LV Volt One pendant in yellow gold with diamond and LV Volt Mesh bracelet in yellow gold.
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THE ELSA EFFECT
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Elsa Peretti’s Bone cuff, Tiffany & Co. has released a reissue collection in vibrant red, blue and green. Here, Peretti’s carved stone style is injected with her love of colour and the result is nothing short of spectacular. With this specialedition range, the brand signals a revival of the Bone especially with versions in sterling silver with black jade or turquoise and 18k yellow gold with green jade slated to drop next month.
She’s Back!
Cara Delevingne once again imparts her signature cocktail of English rose charm and millennial spunk to a new Dior Joaillerie campaign. Parading creations by Victoire de Castellane, the actress and model is decked in pieces from the Rose des vents, Rose Céleste and Mimirose collections. The latest Rose des Vents cuff and bib necklace, especially, steal the show with mother-of-pearl and malachite pairing that highlights Monsieur Dior’s cherished star. Swarovski
Pandora
ADD TO CART Good news for gemophiles! You can now shop Roberto Coin pieces in the comfort of your own home as the brand launches its e-commerce website. Featuring exceptional items that are on display at the brand’s Vicenza headquarters showroom, the page boasts a user-friendly interface and guarantees that the products offered are of the highest standard. To demonstrate this, Roberto Coin promises that each purchased jewel shall be taken to the brand’s quality control department for inspection and sanitisation before being shipped out.
Stephen Webster
Silent Seduction
Keep the golden rule of “less is more” in mind while accessorising and opt for either one of these dainty single pendant necklaces.
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Turning Twenty
Thomas Roussel
New Partner In The House
Collaborating with Richard Mille is iconoclastic composer and musician Thomas Roussel, famed in classical music and electronica, and also for composing feature film scores and orchestrating monumental musical events from New York to Beijing. Roussel’s free thinking and creativity aligns him naturally to the Richard Mille brand, founded in 2001 to disrupt the conventional codes of haute horlogerie while promoting craftsmanship and extreme technicity. “The uncompromising standards and inventiveness of Richard Mille watches echo the rigour and imagination required for composing orchestral music. But beyond this, we share the same notion of communicating passion and emotion, and the same desire to carve out new creative pathways,” said Roussel, seen here wearing RM 67-01 Automatic Extra Flat.
Adriana Luna
Stephanie Benedetto
AnnaSophie Hartvigsen
Temie GiwaTubosun
Nadia Gamal El Din
Charlotte Wang
Joanne Howarth
FEMALE GAME CHANGERS Due to an unforeseen year, the results of the 2020 Cartier Women’s Initiative (CWI) were announced virtually on the Cartier and CWI’s websites and social media channels. Seven laureates, selected by an independent international jury committee from 1200 applicants hailing from 162 countries, were honoured for their contributions to promote health and well-being, reduce inequalities, build sustainable cities and communities, and encourage responsible consumption and production. They will receive support in strategic financial thinking, mentoring, media visibility and international networking opportunities, as well an INSEAD executive education programme on scaling social impact together with all 21 CWI fellows. New laureates Adriana Luna Diaz (Mexico), Stephanie Benedetto (USA), Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen (Denmark), Temie Giwa-Tubosun (Nigeria), Nadia Gamal El Din (Egypt) , Chunguang (Charlotte) Wang (China) and Joanne Howarth (Australia) will each receive a grant of US $100,000, while second and third runner-ups will get US $30,000 each. It was also announced that for the 2021 CWI chapter, the annual international entrepreneurship programme will welcome a new Science & Technology Pioneer Award in a new thematic category to support women impact entrepreneurs at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation. Find out more on cartierwomensinitiative.com.
Chanel’s iconic J12 timepiece turns a remarkable 20 this year and to celebrate, an anniversary model has been issued in 33 mm and 38 mm case sizes. Anointed with the emblems of the Maison, the unique J12·20 boasts the signature highly resistant ceramic and steel case with a steel unidirectional rotating bezel, as well as a whitelacquered and diamond-set dial with rhodium-plated motifs. In the trajectory of its two-decade reinvention, the J12’s self-winding mechanical movement or Calibre 12.1 being awarded a prize in the Ladies category at the 2019 Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève is among its many milestones.
TIMELY TIE-UPS
Setting out as a watchmaking project in 2018, Baume’s mission was to refresh traditional watchmaking. Embarking on its second developmental phase, Baume will now be presented as a Baume & Mercier collection in its own right while being committed to its unique design aesthetic, and social and eco-responsible philosophy. Proudly featuring the “Swiss Made” label, Baume timepieces will be produced at Baume & Mercier’s Swiss Jura workshops in Les Brenets. “This development will make it possible to introduce a new dynamic, pairing the recognised expertise of Baume & Mercier with Baume’s totally new approach combining minimalist design, digital innovation, and watchmaking expertise, while integrating the principles of circular economics such as reclaiming and reusing,” explains Baume & Mercier CEO David Chaumet.