Pick A Character

There’s a pragmatic quality to the trans-seasonal pre-fall 2021 collections, but inspiring some of them are figures – real or imagined – whose lives are the stuff of fantasy. Who do you want to play?

- Gordon NG

CHANEL

THE BLACK QUEEN OF FRANCE

One could say that the connection between chanel and Catherine De Medici – the most famous resident of chateau de chenonceau in France’s loire valley, where the luxury house had presented its metiers d’art collection last december – is uncanny.

Like coco chanel, the queen consort of King Henry II had a personal emblem made up of interlocking “c”s. Following her husband’s death in 1559, she wore only black (explains her nickname, the black queen) – a colour intrinsic to the house of chanel. And just like how there were rumours of de medici dabbling in the occult, there’s a mysterious allure to the pieces in the collection, all handcrafted by chanel’s specialised ateliers.

Think latticework dresses beaded by lemarie and ornately embroidered sweaters by lesage worn with ball gown skirts – a renaissance revival for the woman who dares to rule.

DIOR

THE MUSE IN LEOPARD FURS

The central character behind dior’s pre-fall collection was mizza bricard, one of the most important women in christian dior’s life. Her official role was head of millinery for the house, but her sense of chic (she reportedly declared cartier as her florist of choice) made her a vital muse.