FOREVER YOUNG

NATALIE PORTMAN HAS BEEN THE FACE OF MISS DIOR FOR 13 YEARS AND COUNTING AN UNUSUAL FEAT CONSIDERING THE INCREASINGLY BREAKNECK SPEED AT WHICH POP CULTURE MOVES, BUT MISS DIOR IS NOT YOUR AVERAGE FRAGRANCE.

THE ART OF HEALING

FRIDA KAHLO CAN BE SAID TO BE AS MUCH AN ICON IN THE REALM OF BEAUTY AS SHE IS IN THAT OF ART. OFFERING A LESSER-DISCUSSED PERSPECTIVE TO THE LATE MEXICAN PAINTER’S STORY IS LAID BARE: FRIDA’S INNER WORLD, AN EXHIBITION CURATED AND PRODUCED BY THE ARTSCIENCE MUSEUM THAT OPENS THIS MONTH AND WHICH HIGHLIGHTS HER MEDICAL HISTORY THAT FOR ALL ITS STRUGGLES BECAME ONE OF HER GREATEST SOURCES OF INSPIRATION. CRISTINA KAHLO ALCALA HER GREAT-NIECE WHO LOANED TO THIS FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND SHOWCASE IN SINGAPORE SOME OF ITS CLOSE TO 40 EXHIBITS, INCLUDING PHOTOGRAPHS, ARTWORKS, MEDICAL RECORDS AND PAGES FROM THE ARTIST’S DIARY SPEAKS WITH EMMA ASHLEE GOH ABOUT KAHLO’S INTERPRETATION OF BEAUTY THAT’S GOT NOTHING TO DO WITH THOSE BROWS.

THE EYES HAVE IT

This month, Chanel launches Ombre Essentielle, a collection spotlighting 14 single eyeshadows in rich yet wearable hues inspired by the maison's heritage.

DESTINY AWAITS

WITH ITS CLEAN AND MODERN CURVES, THE B.ZERO1 COLLECTION BY BVLGARI HAS LED TO COUNTLESS REINTERPRETATIONS. NOW, A NEW CULTURAL INITIATIVE BY THE ITALIAN LUXURY HOUSE HAS PUT THE SPOTLIGHT BACK ON ITS VERSATILITY AND INNATELY YOUTHFUL SPIRIT. IMRAN JALAL REDISCOVERS THIS GEN Z JEWELLERY ICON IN SEOUL.

YOU'RE ALWAYS INVITED HERE

CREATIVITY AND COMMUNITY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE DRIVING FORCES BEHIND THE HYPERCOOL JAPANESE SALON GROUP LESS IS MORE, OR MORE AFFECTIONATELY KNOWN AS LIM. THIS YEAR, IT CELEBRATES ITS 15TH YEAR IN BUSINESS IN SINGAPORE. KENG YANG SHUEN A SELF-PROFESSED FAN AND LONG-TIME CUSTOMER LOOKS AT HOW IT HAS SHAPED CULTURE AS MUCH AS THE HAIR BUSINESS HERE, AND DISCUSSES ITS FUTURE IN THE AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA.

MARY, MARY, QUITE EXTRAORDINARY

AT 17 AND HAVING COMPLETED HER GCE O LEVELS ONLY LAST YEAR (SHE SIGNED WITH LOCAL MODELLING AGENCY BASIC MODELS MANAGEMENT IN LATE 2022), THE SINGAPORE-RAISED, INDIAN-ARAB MODEL MARY ROSE JACOB IS JUST GETTING HER CAREER STARTED. ALREADY, THOUGH, SHE HAS BECOME ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE SUBJECTS WHO HAS APPEARED ON THE COVER OF FEMALE FOUR TIMES (TWICE SOLO, TWICE AS PART OF A GROUP), WINNING US OVER WITH HER COMBINATION OF NATURAL GRACE AND PLAYFULNESS; A PERCEPTIVENESS THAT'S BEYOND HER YEARS; AND A DRIVE TO SUCCEED NOT JUST AS A MODEL, BUT ALSO A ROLE MODEL. IN HER FIRST IN-DEPTH INTERVIEW WITH A MAGAZINE, SHE REVEALS TO KENG YANG SHUEN HER OBSERVATIONS ABOUT AN INDUSTRY THAT'S CONSTANTLY NAVIGATING THE TOPICS OF RACE, DIVERSITY AND BEAUTY, AND HER ASPIRATIONS AS A YOUTH.

THEY'RE JUST LIVING THAT LIFE

BETWEEN THE 1970S AND '90S, THE LIKES OF THE NEW ROMANTIC MOVEMENT IN THE UK AND THE CLUB KID PERSONALITIES OF NEW YORK CITY STOLE THE LIMELIGHT IN MUSIC AND CLUBBING CULTURE FOR THEIR BRAZENLY OUTRAGEOUS USE OF MAKEUP TO CHALLENGE SOCIAL NORMS AND CREATE SAFE SPACES FOR THE MARGINALISED ALL WHILE HAVING ONE HELLUVA GOOD TIME. FAST FORWARD TO TODAY AND EXPRESSIVE GEN ZERS ARE DOING THE SAME BEYOND THE DANCE FLOOR. KENG YANG SHUEN MEETS FIVE INDIVIDUALS REDEFINING THE POWER OF MAKEUP AND IN TURN BEAUTY, BE IT FOR A NIGHT OUT, ART OR SIMPLY IN THEIR OWN PERSONAL TIME.

WHAT SHE IS MADE FOR

THIS MONTH, SINGAPORE FASHION MODEL CHLOE LAU IS PACKING HER BAGS FOR EUROPE, WHERE SHE WILL TRY TO EXPAND HER BUDDING CAREER ON THE RUNWAYS AND IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS. IF YOU ASK US, THOUGH, SHE ALREADY DESERVES A COVER STORY, SO HERE'S HER FIRST.

Don't Stop Believing

All eyes have been on the man behind the most anticipated debut in fashion this season, but Sabato De Sarno-Gucci's new creative director isn't letting the spotlight get to him. Keng Yang Shuen expounds on why he is the antithesis of this era's celebrity designer - and exactly the kind of figure the industry needs in these times.

IT'S BEEN A LONG BELIEVING

THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT TAYLOR SWIFT IS ONE OF THE TOP CELEBRITIES IF NOT THE TOP CELEBRITY ― OF HER GENERATION. SHE WAS TIME'S 2023 PERSON OF THE YEAR AND HER ONGOING THE ERAS TOUR HAS BECOME THE HIGHEST-GROSSING OF ALL TIME. HER TRAJECTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY ARE THE SUBJECTS OF A COURSE AT HARVARD AND IN A WORLD FIRST NEWSPAPERS HAVE TURNED HER INTO A BEAT WITH DEDICATED REPORTERS. THERE'S ALSO LITTLE DOUBT THAT MUCH OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH HER FANS. AS HER CONCERT ROLLS INTO TOWN THIS MONTH, FOUR CREATIVE SWIFTIES TELL US HOW THE AMERICAN IDOL HAS INSPIRED THEM, AND SHAPED THEIR STYLE AND CRAFT.

PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN

AMONG THE FIVE LAUREATES OF THE 2023 ROLEX AWARDS FOR ENTERPRISE IS INDONESIAN ENTREPRENEUR DENICA RIADINI-FLESCH, WHOSE SOCIAL ENTERPRISE SUKKHACITTA EMPOWERS LOCAL RURAL CRAFTSWOMEN WHILE BRINGING BALANCE BACK TO THE LOCAL FOREST ECOSYSTEM. HERE’S MORE ON THIS NEW STAR ON THE ROLEX LAUREATES NETWORK AND WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR HER.

THE CRAFT

IN ALL HER YEARS AS THE CREATIVE DIRECTOR OF DIOR, MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI HAS USED HER INFLUENCE AND DESIGNS TO ADVOCATE FOR THE SUPPORT AND REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN.

DREAM GIRL

IN RECENT YEARS, THE CELEBRITIES WHO’VE DOMINATED MUCH OF WESTERN POP CULTURE SEEM TO FALL INTO THREE MAIN CATEGORIES: THE OTT, THE SCANDAL-PLAGUED AND THE UNTOUCHABLE GODDESS TYPES HAIL QUEEN BEY). THE FAST-RISING GEN Z JAZZ-POP CHANTEUSE LAUFEY PRONOUNCED LAY-VAY”) 1S A NEW AND DIFFERENT KIND OF STAR ALTOGETHER: ONE WHO UNABASHEDLY WEARS HER HEART ON HER SLEEVE, ESPOUSES WHOLESOME VALUES AND READS BOOKS WITH HER FANS. KENG YANG SHUEN DELVES INTO HER SPECIAL KIND OF MAGIC.

Mind Your Own Business

Yang Shuen Meets The Founders Of Art Again, An Online Platform That Puts Not Only A Chic, Consumer-to-consumer Spin On The Secondary Art Market, But Also Power Back Into The Hands Of Art Collectors.

NEW WORLD PLAZA

ITS SHUTTERS COME DOWN FOR GOOD ON JAN 27, BUT PEACE CENTRE HAS LIVED OUT SOME OF ITS BEST DAYS IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS AS A HAVEN FOR INDEPENDENT CREATIVES AND EVERYDAY ART-GOERS, THANKS TO THE UNCONVENTIONAL COMMUNITY PROJECT KNOWN AS PLAYPAN. IMRAN JALAL MEETS SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO HAVE FOUND A HOME, HOPE AND INSPIRATION IN A DOOMED MALL.

A CLASS OF THEIR OWN

IT SURE SEEMS LIKE AN EMPOWERING TIME TO BE STUDYING THE ARTS. THIS AUGUST, THE FIRST GOVERNMENT-BACKED PRIVATE ARTS UNIVERSITY HERE, THE UNIVERSITY OF THE ARTS SINGAPORE, WILL WELCOME ITS INAUGURAL COHORT. ACCORDING TO THE STRAITS TIMES IN A SEPTEMBER 2023 REPORT, OUR COUNTRY WILL CONTINUE TO INVEST IN ARTS EDUCATION, WHILE THE NATIONAL ARTS COUNCIL’S LATEST POPULATION SURVEY ON THE ARTS SHOWED CONSISTENT GROWTH IN INTEREST IN THE SECTOR AND AT LEAST TWO-THIRDS OF SINGAPOREANS RECOGNISING THE BENEFITS OF ARTS AND CULTURE ON THE COMMUNITY. ULTIMATELY THOUGH, PURSUING THE ARTS AS AN ACADEMIC DISCIPLINE REMAINS NICHE THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND YOUTH’S SINGAPORE CULTURAL STATISTICS STUDY IN 2022 SHOWED YEAR-ON-YEAR DIPS IN FULL-TIME ENROLMENT IN TERTIARY ARTS COURSES BETWEEN 2016 AND 2021). HERE, SEVEN YOUTHS SHARE THEIR INTENTIONS, ASPIRATIONS AND LESSONS LEARNT IN HAVING EMBARKED ON THIS PATH LESS CHOSEN.

OPEN HOUSE

FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FELT LIKE THEY LACK THE SPACE AND FREEDOM TO BRING TO LIFE THEIR CREATIVE AMBITIONS, THERE NOW COULD BE A PLACE FOR YOU: LOCATED IN SCENIC JAPAN, RUN BY A SINGAPOREAN COUPLE WHO HAVE ARTISTIC SKILLS YOU COULD TAP, AND THAT COMES AT NO COST AND WITH NO EXPECTATIONS. KENG YANG SHUEN FINDS OUT MORE FROM THE FOLKS BEHIND THIS UTOPIA.

BTS REMIX

FOR ITS LATEST ENTRY AT DESIGN MIAMI, THE HOUSE OF FENDI TEAMS UP WITH A WITTY DESIGN STUDIO OFTEN DESCRIBED AS \"ANTI-FASHION\" TO REVEAL A DIFFERENT SIDE TO IT AND LUXURY ALTOGETHER. NOELLE LOH REPORTS.

THE RAINBOW CONNECTION

INCLUSIVITY HAS BECOME AN INCREASINGLY HOT TOPIC IN THE ART WORLD, BUT FOR ACCLAIMED BROOKLYN-BASED ARTIST JEFFREY GIBSON, IT HAS DEFINED HIS WHOLE REPERTOIRE. AS A MEMBER OF THE MISSISSIPPI BAND OF CHOCTAW INDIANS AND OF CHEROKEE DESCENT, HE INTEGRATES ELEMENTS OF NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURE (ALONGSIDE INFLUENCES FROM MUSIC, FASHION, AND CLUB AND QUEER CULTURES) INTO HIS KALEIDOSCOPIC, CRAFT-INTENSIVE POP ART-INFLECTED WORKS THAT SPAN PAINTINGS TO SCULPTURES. COUPLED WITH A PROCLIVITY FOR COLLABORATIONS (BE IT WITH CRAFTSMEN, OTHER ARTISTS OR EVEN THE PUBLIC), HE AIMS NOT JUST FOR MINORITY EMPOWERMENT, BUT ALSO FOR ART TO HELP BUILD A SENSE OF COMMUNITY FOR ALL IDENTITIES. ON JAN 4, HIS LATEST PARTNERSHIP HITS TOWN: TWO RENDITIONS OF THE LADY DIOR BAG THAT ARE PART OF THE ANNUAL DIOR LADY ART INITIATIVE BY DIOR AND CARRIED AT THE BRAND'S ION ORCHARD BOUTIQUE. HERE, HE GIVES US AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW ON HOW HIS WORK AND BAGS - BRING TOGETHER MANY.

Now Entering The City Of Angles

Home to Hollywood. The land of the fit and the fab. Sun‑kissed party central. No matter its facet or the era, Los Angeles invokes at once glamour, a playful charm and inspiration quite like no other city in the world.

ballroom is getting bigger

And if KikiHQ has its way, everyone is welcome to be a part of it. Keng Yang Shuen speaks to the barely-year-old Singapore collective that aims to spread the legacy, spirit and moves of ballroom culture where marginalised individuals find space to express their authentic identities through dance, elaborate costumes and performative battles - about how it's breaking even more boundaries.

dining here is an art form

One of the most refreshing and sophisticated dining concepts to have emerged in Singapore this year is Senang Supperclub, a regionally focused dining series that involves two outliers of the F&B scene. The main architect is botanical design studio This Humid House while its first guest chef has been the baker, cookbook author and Southeast Asian food researcher Bryan Koh. Just what do these cultural mavericks think would give this glorious food city of ours even more bite? Noelle Loh gets Koh and This Humid House founder John Lim to chew on this.

a new cinema paradiso is here

On November 28, one of the most unprecedented ventures in the local entertainment landscape opened in Cineleisure: Golden Village X The Projector, or GV X TP for short. Besides being mammoth in size (specifically, 41,000 sq ft covering six cinema halls and more), it's monumental in how it's a tie-up between essentially the David and Goliath of cinema. After all, compared to Golden Village - Singapore's largest cinema chain founded in the early 1990s - The Projector remains best known as the independently run, indie film-focused picture house that has captured the heart of the creative community here with not just its programming, but also its resilience and support for the arts. Keng Yang Shuen speaks with its co-founder Karen Tan and general manager Prashant Somosundram on what this new space means for The Projector, cinema-going and possibly Orchard Road.

we could be the next big creative capital

And an anonymous three-month-old collective that goes by the name of Creative Citizens of Singapore is on a mission to make everybody realise that the main thing standing in our way is ourselves. Noelle Loh digs deeper.

it's a bit of a second hand fashion haven

First, the youths here started to dress \"New York\" - their personality-fuelled, sometimes chaotic style referential of eras past because much of what they wear are from another time and had previously been owned by another.

assurance packages

What Cartier wants to next make big business? Bags - something the French jeweller has been doing since the beginning of the 20th century. Don't be mistaken though: It's not trying to become a fashion house. Imran Jalal speaks with Marlin Yuson, the maison's creative director of leather goods, about its latest bags - the monogrammed C de Cartier chain bag and utilitarian-cool C de Cartier East-West - and how it's raising the stakes as a luxury accessories maker.

how we spend it

Singaporeans have a reputation for being savvy shoppers and consumers in general are demanding more bang for their buck. Here, a roundup of pieces from the world of fashion and luxury that offer just that with their design, make and novelty factor ‑‑ just in time for the festive season.

winter is here

With more options to ski and snowboard right here in Singapore (shout-out to Trifecta, the hip sports and lifestyle complex that opened on Orchard Road recently), the skiwear collections from the luxury houses have never felt more relevant.

Let's Make The World Better Together

Record-high Temperatures, Mega Floods, Increasingly Freaky Weather And Heat-related Deaths And We're Not Just Talking About Humans. The Dire Effects That Climate Change Has Had On Earth Keep Mounting. At The Same Time, There Are Glimmers Of Hope. See The Recent Landmark Case Of 16 Youths Suing The State Of Montana In The Us For Permitting Fossil Fuel Development And In Turn Violating Their Constitutional Right To A Healthful Environment And Winning. Doomers, You've Been Warned. Keng Yang Shuen Finds Out From Four Female Activists Here - Aged Between 23 And 29, And Each Saving The Planet In Her Own Way How And Why All Is Not Yet Lost.

Come On Feel The Noise

High-shine, Hardware-heavy, Made-for-asmr New Launches From The World Of Fashion That Are Getting Us All Excited