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.

How Food Makes Merry

Like in the iconic sitcom Friends, our go-to eating spots are also often our favourite social spaces - something that the pandemic has reinforced, what with the regulations on where and how we've been able to gather during the past two years. Following March 29 – the day the cap on the number of vaccinated people allowed to dine in as a group was raised to 10 - we got four creative posses together at their F&B hangouts of choice to chow and chat about how food makes merry.

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.

states of dress

There’s been a growing voice within local creative circles – one that talks about fashion not so much in terms of runway trends, aesthetic 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.

they're in fashion

Meet 10 people who help fuel and influence the industry –though not necessarily in ways you know.

shawna wu on making it as a young designer now

Recently the Singapore-born Taiwanese artisan has seen her hand-crafted creations – gauzy, gothic-charged knits so sensual they blur the boundaries between clothes and lingerie – turn up on digital-age celebrities. The virtual influencer Lil Miquela; the 1.3 million-follower-strong models/reality TV stars, the Clermont Twins; even Charli XCX who wore a custom number to the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. It’s still early days though for her namesake label, which she officially registered as a business in New York (where she’s been based since 2013) only this year. And she refuses to let all that fame get to her. Here, her advice to other young fashion talents as told to Keng Yang Shuen.

honest to goodness

A fashion-slash-beauty buffon what’s supposed to be a radical new base product from a luxury fashion house that’s two years into the beauty game.

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.

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.

abdul nasser on 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.