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.

6 mins read

Female Singapore

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'." -

2 mins read

Female Singapore

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.

4 mins read

Female Singapore

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.

9 mins read

Female Singapore

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.

7 mins read

Female Singapore

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.

8 mins read

Female Singapore

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.

1 min read

Female Singapore

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.

4 mins read

Female Singapore

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".

5 mins read

Female Singapore

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.

3 mins read

Female Singapore