Prestige Hong Kong _ July 2019 by Prestige Hong Kong

HONG KONG JULY 2019 HK$50

HONG KONG

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ANTHONY & CRISEL ROLES OF A LIFETIME LIVING: LUXURY PROPERTY & DESIGN | 5 SPLENDID NEW YACHTS THE ALL-NEW FIVELEMENTS HABITAT | MARVELLOUS MEXICO CITY PLUS DOONA BAE | JULIEN ROYER | JAAP VAN ZWEDEN

CMY

UNDERCOVER

At its core, Still Human is a celebration of Hong Kong: its people, its problems and its potential. So talented stylist Anson Lau could think of no better place for this month’s cover shoot than Kwun Tong’s Mei Lok Studio, a cosy space brimming with cherished artefacts from our city’s history – think rotary telephones, a worn-out mahjong table, plastic crates full of glass Coca-Cola bottles, and the real booths, tables and walls

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from the cha chaan teng you see on the cover. Anthony Wong and Crisel Consunji yucked it up every chance they could, whether hanging out in a ’70s-style living room or recreating one of the most touching scenes from their film in the vintage barbershop. Photographer Ricky Lo even found himself in the unusual situation, at times, of having to tell his subjects to stop smiling. Good thing those of us behind the camera didn’t have to.

RICKY LO

GOOD OLD DAYS

CONTENTS 6 UNDERCOVER 14

EDITOR’S LETTER

15 CONTRIBUTORS 16 DIARY

144 BACKSTORY

AGENDA

STYLE Rock your wardrobe

JEWELLERY A cornucopia of stone and metal

WATCHES Fine art for the wrist

BEAUTY Shades, salves and scents

TRAVEL Goss for globetrotters

DINING Tickling the taste buds

ART Masters old and new

AUCTIONS Going, going…

DISCOVERY Ones to watch

TOYS Cool kit to covet

VIP

EVENTS The month’s top parties

FASHION

WOMENSWEAR Heat of the Moment

WOMENSWEAR American Pastoral

45R Indigo Summer

RENZO ROSSO Brave, Bold and Breaking Through

BEAUTY 68

PRODUCTS Mane Event

CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN Fresh Paint

28 Verdura golf resort, Sicily

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Reconnect.

Montblanc StarWalker montblanc.com

CONTENTS WELLNESS

FIVELEMENTS Good Vibrations

ANTHONY WONG & CRISEL CONSUNJI Back in the Limelight

JULIEN ROYER Recipe for Success

DOONA BAE State of Play

COVER

PEOPLE

CULTURE

MUSIC Jaap van Zweden

ART Leonardo da Vinci

102

CAR Porsche’s Cayenne Coupé

TOYS

108 YACHTS Five craft to covet

SPORT

112

TENNIS Roland-Garros 2019

116

EVENTS On the town

122

TRAVEL Champagne, Hawaiian-style

126

TRAVEL Mexico City

130

WINE Chile’s blazing 2017 vintage

134

RESORT Chiva-Som, Thailand

138

RESORT Hokkaido’s Kiroro Resort

RSVP

INDULGENCE

ON ANTHONY OUTFIT ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA ON CRISEL OUTFIT DIOR

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RICKY LO

74 Anthony Wong & Crisel Consunji

HONG KONG

Tama Miyake Lung EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Gigi Lee

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Jon Wall

Zaneta Cheng

SENIOR EDITOR

FASHION & FEATURES EDITOR

Stephen Reels

P.Ramakrishnan

COPY EDITOR

Michael Alan Connelly

Sepfry Ng

SOCIETY EDITOR AT LARGE

Fontaine Cheng

DIGITAL EDITOR

ART DIRECTOR

Jeremy Wong

SOCIETY EDITOR

Dara Chau

HEAD OF DIGITAL CONTENT

Jing Zhang

EDITOR AT LARGE

Aydee Tie

DIGITAL WRITER

Philip Chan

SENIOR PRODUCTION MANAGER

HEAD OF MARKETING

Janet Ho

CONTRIBUTING DESIGNER

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

Kavita Daswani, Andrew Dembina, Alvin Goh, Nick Goodyer, Mark Graham, Divia Harilela, Theresa Harold, Gary Jones, Elle Kwan, Gerrie Lim, Tasha Ling, Stephen McCarty, Joanne Ooi, Mathew Scott, Stephen Short, Payal Uttam, Joe Yogerst CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Dino Busch, Until Chan, Lionel Deluy, Christiaan Hart, Chun Ho, Joe Kwong, Ruby Law, Ricky Lo, Gordon Lund, Marco Ponti, Mike Ruiz, Laurent Segretier, Samantha Sin, Calvin Sit, Giovanni Squatriti, Olivier Yoan

PRESTIGE ASIA

Grace Tay

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SINGAPORE

Chris Hanrahan

MANAGING EDITOR, INDONESIA

Steve Chen

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, TAIWAN

Julie Yim

ACTING EDITOR, MALAYSIA

François Oosthuizen

MANAGING EDITOR, THAILAND

The Hong Kong edition of Prestige is published under licence from Burda Singapore Pte Ltd. Copyright © 2019 Hubert Burda Media Hong Kong Ltd. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the written permission of Hubert Burda Media Hong Kong Ltd. All opinions expressed in Prestige Hong Kong are those of the writers and are not necessarily endorsed by Hubert Burda Media Hong Kong Ltd. Rights reserved. Prestige is a trademark of Burda Singapore Pte Ltd. Hubert Burda Media Hong Kong Ltd accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts, transparencies or other materials lost or damaged in the mail. Address all editorial and business correspondence to: Prestige Hong Kong, Unit 1401-04, 14/F, Universal Trade Centre, 3 Arbuthnot Road, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 3192 7010. Advertising and Marketing: salesandmarketing@burda.hk | Editorial: editor@burda.hk Prestige Hong Kong is printed by C. A. Printing Co. Ltd, 9/F, Cheung Wei Industrial Building, 42 Lee Chung Street, Chai Wan, Hong Kong. Tel: (852) 2866 8733. Prestige Hong Kong is published monthly. Single copy price is HK$50. For local and overseas subscription information, please email: subscription@burda.hk. Tel: (852) 3192 7020.

RED CARPET NECKLACE IN WHITE ETHICAL GOLD WITH MARQUISE-CUT, BRILLIANT-CUT AND PEAR-SHAPED DIAMONDS CHOPARD

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HONG KONG

Sven Friedrichs

INTERIM MANAGING DIRECTOR & PUBLISHER

Tony Cheong HEAD OF SALES

Janet Wong

Wendy Cheung

ASSOCIATE SALES DIRECTOR

Astor Chan

CREATIVE SERVICES MANAGER

Talia Jackson

HEAD OF CREATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

Brian Bailey

PARTNERSHIPS DIRECTOR

Linda Mak

CLIENT SERVICES MANAGER

Prudence Ng

Georgia Parungao CONTENT LEAD

Annie Yung

OFFICE MANAGER

Daisy Wan

ACCOUNTANT

ACCOUNT OFFICER

PRESTIGE ASIA

Lena Kwek

Ronald Liem

MANAGING DIRECTOR, SINGAPORE

PUBLISHER, INDONESIA

Steve Chen

PUBLISHER, TAIWAN

Steven Chan

PUBLISHER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, MALAYSIA

Waraporn Siriboonma PUBLISHER AND MANAGING DIRECTOR, THAILAND

INTERNATIONAL ADVERTISING SALES REPRESENTATIVES BURDA COMMUNITY NETWORK Germany Vanessa Noetzel Tel: (49 89) 9250 3532 Email: vanessa.noetzel@burda.com Michael Neuwirth Tel: (49 89) 9250 3629 Email: michael.neuwirth@burda.com Austria / Switzerland Goran Vukota Tel: (41 44) 810 2146 Email: goran.vukota@burda.com France / Luxembourg Marion Badolle-Feick Tel: (33 1) 72 71 25 24 Email: marion.badolle-feick@burda.com UK / Ireland Jeannine Soeldner Tel: (44 20) 3440 5832 Email: jeannine.soeldner@burda.com USA / Canada / Mexico Salvatore Zammuto Tel: (1 212) 884 4824 Email: salvatore.zammuto@burda.com BURDA INTERNATIONAL Italy Mariolina Siclari Tel: (39 02) 9132 3466 Email: mariolina.siclari@burda.com

Martin Weiss

EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBER

Sven Friedrichs

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ASIA

Chua Siew Gek

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

ICONA COLLECTION Ã&#x2030;TERNELLE ROMBI RING IN WHITE AND YELLOW GOLD WITH DIAMONDS BUCCELLATI

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EDITOR’S LETTER

LOCAL HEROES Hong Kong has produced a lot of great movies over the years. Kung fu capers, crime dramas, unlikely love stories, the list goes on. As it so happens, Anthony Wong has appeared in more than 200 of them. But when I first heard about the new drama Still Human, starring Wong and newcomer Crisel Consunji, something felt different. Not only was it Wong’s first major movie gig in many years, despite at the time having won two Best Actor Hong Kong Film awards, but it also featured local Philippine educator Crisel Consunji playing a domestic helper in her first-ever cinematic outing. The fact that Wong had effectively been sidelined by the film industry after speaking out in favour of the 2014 Occupy Central protests – he’s also weighed in on the recent protests surrounding the extradition bill – makes him all the more compelling. And Consunji’s journey from Disneyland entertainer to early-childhood educator to this year’s Best New Performer is the stuff dreams are made of. I hope you’ll turn to Mathew Scott’s profile of the actors and friends, “Back in the Limelight”, on page 74. But that’s not all that’s been happening in Hong Kong. This month, fashion and features editor Zaneta Cheng sits down with Jaap van Zweden, the acclaimed maestro and music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. Van Zweden and the ensemble have worked tirelessly to raise the level of their performances, and just last month were nominated for Gramophone magazine’s prestigious Orchestra of the Year award. This makes the HK Phil the first orchestra in Asia to be nominated, with results decided by a public ballot. I hope you’ll join me in casting your vote at gramophone. co.uk/awards/2019 (the campaign ends September 8 at 6.59am, Hong Kong time). It’s obvious Hongkongers are working harder than ever, which also makes the news about this month’s Fivelements Habitat opening at Times Square particularly exciting. I was honoured to get a sneak peek at the space (see “Good Vibrations”, page 72) and can imagine it will help a lot of people relax, get healthy or at least feel a bit centred in the big city. Finally, we have plenty more for you in this issue, whether it be hot new yachts, local fine dining or far-flung locales. Enjoy!

Tama Miyake Lung | EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

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PHOTOGRAPHY RICKY LO CREATIVE DIRECTION AND STYLING ANSON LAU ON ANTHONY JACKET CERRUTI 1881 SHIRT AND TROUSERS ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA SHOES, ANTHONY’S OWN ON CRISEL OUTFIT ALEXANDER MCQUEEN facebook.com/prestigehongkong @prestigehk

@Prestige_HK

CONTRIBUTORS ricky lo is an internationally awarded photographer whose passion and talent lies in taking visually stunning, high-impact photographs focused on fashion and advertising. Besides working with international brands and magazines, he has exhibited his work from London to New York, Berlin to Italy and all across Asia. Known for his razor-sharp attention to detail, Lo takes inspiration from moments in life, architectural structures and classical paintings to create a vividly captivating world. For this issue of Prestige he trains his lens on award-winning actors Anthony Wong and Crisel Consunji (“Back in the Limelight”, page 74).

London based stylist hannah beck has a diverse creative background in art direction and styling. She started in Milan collaborating with photographers for major Italian publications before returning to London to work on editorial shoots for titles such as W, Vogue, Stylist and ID. Combining her love of travel and fashion, Beck shoots all over the world, styling with a romantic, rich and detailed aesthetic consistently rooted in creating powerful visual narratives, an example of which can be seen in this issue with our fashion shoot “Heat of the Moment” (page 40).

mathew scott has been writing for more than a quarter of a century, focusing mostly on his twin loves of cinema and sport. In the course of his work he’s met a lot of fascinating people, none more so than our cover story personalities for this issue, Hong Kong actors and stars of the film Still Human, Anthony Wong and Crisel Consunji (“Back in the Limelight”, page 74).

sonia kolesnikov-jessop has written on art and luxury lifestyle in Asia since 2002 for numerous publications, including The New York Times and International Herald Tribune, Newsweek, South China Morning Post and CNN Style. She has interviewed numerous Asian contemporary artists — from Ai Weiwei and Zeng Fanzhi to I Nyoman Masriadi and Ronald Ventura — and visited them in their studios (most memorably Yayoi Kusama). She was editor-inchief for Europe and Asia at BlouinArtinfo.com between 2012 and 2016. In this issue of Prestige she contributes an article on the flurry of retrospectives marking 500 years since the death of Leonardo da Vinci (“Master Strokes”, page 98).

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DIARY HONG KONG

Until September 1 MURAKAMI VS MURAKAMI

More than 60 of Takashi Murakami’s paintings and sculptures are on display at Tai Kwun for this review of the Japanese artist and cultural phenomenon’s work, from tranquil, Zen-like Enso paintings to hectoring, large-scale post-apocalyptic depictions. A selection of Murakami’s bizarre costume designs is also on display, as well as video works and floor art.

ASIA-PACIFIC

Until August 10

FUZZ Bask in the light of Japanese artist Tsuyoshi Hisakado’s large-scale installation made out of standing lamps stacked in the shape of a mountain at his solo exhibition at Ota Fine Arts, Shanghai. Fuzz was first conceived as a site‑specific installation at Mount Rokkō in Kobe, Japan.

July 19-28

BORYEONG MUD FESTIVAL Reap the benefits of the mineral-rich mud from Boryeong, a small town some 200km south of Seoul, as you frolic in mud pools and on mud slides. The annual festival also includes other attractions, including live music, competitions and markets, and ends with a fireworks display.

July 5-August 18

INTERNATIONAL ARTS CARNIVAL If you don’t know what to do with the sprogs over the summer break, take them along to this comprehensive programme of stage productions, film screenings, and museum and library activities aimed at kids of all ages. Highlights include an Icelandic interpretation of Robin Hood and a sensational Vietnamese circus troupe.

THE 29TH AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC Enjoy chamber music by more than 30 of the world’s best chamber musicians at this 10-day festival held in Townsville, North Queensland. Highlights include the festival’s first pipa performance, and special concerts on the picturesque Orpheus Island and Magnetic Island.

EUROPE & THE AMERICAS

Until September 1

DIOR: FROM PARIS TO THE WORLD Celebrating more than 70 years of haute couture, the Dior retrospective at the Dallas Museum of Art showcases over 200 exceptional pieces from the French fashion house. The exhibition was originally created for the Denver Art Museum and has been specially adapted with new scenography.

July 20-21

BEER WE GO Go two ways cool at the city’s first craft beer and indie music festival, held at Yau Tong’s This Town Needs. More than a dozen breweries offer free-flow beer over the two-day event’s four sessions, to the accompaniment of 10 indie bands from Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong. Arm yourself with the complimentary Beer We Go glass and bask in four hours of Dionysian indulgence.

July 3-October 27

TAKIS Showcasing more than 70 works by the Greek artist Takis, this exhibition at London’s Tate Modern is his largest yet in the UK. One of the most original artistic voices in Europe during the 1960s, Takis pioneered new forms of sculpture, painting and musical structures in kinetic art.

July 4-21

MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL This biennial festival features internationally acclaimed artists across art forms, from more than 20 countries. Yoko Ono opens the festival with Bells for Peace, an event inviting the people of Manchester to gather at Cathedral Gardens to sing and ring bells as a message to the world.

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JAMES FLORIO (DIOR: FROM PARIS TO THE WORLD); ANDREW RANKIN (THE 29TH AUSTRALIAN FESTIVAL OF CHAMBER MUSIC)

July 26-August 4

AGENDA style

INTO THE MYSTIC Taking cues from the elegant, sculptural shapes of Claire Waight Keller’s couture collections for Givenchy, the Mystic bag is crafted from ﬁne calf leather with hand-sewn top stitching and hand-painted edging, and features the house’s new double-G clasp in a silky gold ﬁnish. The French label’s new launch for pre-autumn 2019, the Mystic comes in eight colours — black, natural, desert, storm grey, aubergine, pale pink, yellow and lichen. givenchy.com

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AGENDA style OLD SPORT

Nostalgia is still going strong. Ralph Lauren heard the call and is bringing back its Polo Sport Collection with two exclusive limited-edition capsules: Polo Sport Denim and Polo Sport Silver. Originally introduced in 1992, Polo Sport was the first comprehensive range of sportswear by a luxury fashion brand, and it quickly achieved cult status. Polo Sport Denim offers interpretations and exact reissues for both men and women, while Polo Sport Silver pieces are for men only. Both collections are available at Ocean Terminal. ralphlauren.asia

TRACK AND FIELD

The next generation of Balenciaga’s Track and Field trainer is here. The Track.2 (HK$7,300) remains a sneaker suited for both men and women, but with an upper made from 176 pieces it’s more complex than its predecessor. Faux-worn layers, mesh and a lightweight sole give the shoe just enough style without too much to weigh it down. balenciaga.com

Not So Creepy Crawlies

Alexander McQueen has released three new versions of its Spider Small Jewelled Satchel to mark a series of new Asia Pacific store openings. As with the brand’s clutches, these mini shoulder bags have been adorned with four embellished rings of cushion-cut glass jewels, each finished with an imposing jewelled spider. Available in emerald green, black and bone, the bags (HK$18,400) will be available in Hong Kong at K11 Musea from late August. alexandermcqueen.com

THIS YEAR, LOEWE FOUNDATION SPOTLIGHTS THE WORK OF HERVÉ GUIBERT AT MADRID’S ANNUAL PHOTOGRAPHY FESTIVAL PHOTOESPAÑA. THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE WAY ARTISTS ADDRESS ISSUES OF IDENTITY, GENDER AND SEXUALITY. LOEWE.COM 18 PRESTIGE

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FIRST RODEO

Fashion enthusiasts have been itching to get their hands on Daniel Lee’s first full collection for Bottega Veneta, and they haven’t been disappointed. The Celine alumnus’s preautumn 2019 collection shows a pared-back interpretation of the Italian leather house’s legacy. A discreet manifestation of contemporary luxury, the collection uses signature shapes, techniques and silhouettes to create a sensuous offering. bottegaveneta.com

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AGENDA style TWO BIRDS ONE PRINT

VERSACE

Sometimes we can have our cake and eat it. Pre-autumn is a notoriously tricky season when summer isn’t quite over and everyone’s trying to ignore the imminent arrival of cooler weather. A solution combining the best of both is to merge the colours and whimsy of summer into the more sober shapes of autumn. Keep it all one pattern and it’ll look sleek, not messy.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO

GIORGIO ARMANI

MAX & CO

FRAME

How to Be an It Girl ORSEUND IRIS HAS BEEN EVERY IT-GIRL’S DREAM BRAND FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS, THANKS TO FOUNDER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR LANA JOHNSON’S INSTAGRAM SAVVY When Lana Johnson founded Orseund Iris three years ago, she expected someone, somewhere would take notice. “When I launched the seasonal collection, no one gave a damn and no one cared,” she says. “It was really hard. Like, ‘Oh my God! What is this reaction?’” At the time, Instagram was coming to its zenith so the designer began harnessing the platform to “create content and get people to care”. Subsequently the brand took off and became the go-to label for It-girls everywhere. Soon, Kourtney Kardashian was spotted on the streets of LA in Johnson’s now ubiquitous boiler suit, and the Hadids and the Jenners made it their mission to be photographed as many times as possible in what is arguably Orseund Iris’s most famous piece — a reinterpretation of a corset with boning semi-circling the bottom of the bust and the rest made of ribbed cotton. Emily Ratajkowski has worn basically the entire catalogue. Now available on Net-A-Porter, the brand has come a long way from its beginnings, but Johnson’s path to success provides an example of how young designers can make it big without following prescribed routes. Thanks to a degree from New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, a host of jobs working

retail, and design internships at Rosie Assoulin and Assembly New York, Johnson was able to navigate the world of production, from scouting companies in Manhattan’s Garment District to dropping pieces outside the seasonal calendar, and make it work to her benefit. “The non-seasonal drop has been natural. In the beginning, I was bootstrapping it and funding the brand myself, so I wanted to focus and make the best thing I could and edit and curate my designs based on the reactions from Instagram. I’d wear the samples and see if anyone made a comment. If you’re wearing something you design and no one says anything then you know it isn’t right. So there was a lot of testing.” Originally inspired by Johnson’s twin sister Amber, the pieces are a juxtaposition of New York edge and Victorian gentility. “My sister and I have different styles. She’s a female director and fierce and confident. She’s badass and loves a little more leather. We have different styles, though. I’m a bit softer, more feminine – like the pieces. “Because they’re quite in your face, and I love that, but there’s a duality of masculine and feminine which I find very strong.” While the brand has broadened its colourways, offering classic hues for the Net-A-Porter woman, it has not deviated from its core customer. “The Orseund Iris girl is confident, bold. She is fierce. She loves rare things. She likes feeling special and strong. The Orseund Iris girl is you.”

GOT MY EYE ON

IT’S TRUE, FASHION EDITORS LOVE TO SHOP. IN THE SPIRIT OF GENEROSITY, WE’RE GIVING YOU A GLIMPSE OF THE NEWEST PICKS TO MAKE IT ON TO OUR WISH LIST

Tory Burch

Dior

Weekend Max Mara Sergio Rossi

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AGENDA jewellery

OFF THE CHAIN

“A tale of boldness and innovation of form”, the Enchaînements Libres fine-jewellery collection by Hermès centres on the chain motif and the maison’s long tradition of chainmaking know-how. Creative director Pierre Hardy utilised different shapes and sizes, designing each piece with the female form in mind. Pictured is the Grand Jeté necklace in rose gold with pink opals and black jade. hermes.com

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PANDORA’S NEW HIGH SUMMER COLLECTION IS ALL ABOUT TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND EXOTIC LOCALES WITH ITS HOT-AIRBALLOON CHARMS, CHIC RINGS AND GRAPHIC BRACELETS (FROM HK$399) HK.PANDORA.NET GIVING TREE Japanese jewellery house Mikimoto extends its popular Kofuku no Ki (“tree of happiness”) collection with this delicate brooch made from pink gold and Akoya cultured pearls. Available in small (HK$9,250) and large (HK$15,600) sizes.

Romancing the Stone

As one of the world’s leading diamond specialists, De Beers Jewellers has a long history of selecting, grading and setting the precious stone. That expertise was on full display at a recent Diamond Masterclass at W Hong Kong, where the brand also presented its new bridal collection. debeers.hk

CROSS YOUR HEART

Founded in 1924 by Enrico Grassi Damiani in Valenza, Damiani is renowned for its Italian flair, design and craftsmanship. To celebrate its 95th anniversary, the brand has released a limited-edition rainbow version of its Belle Époque necklace with a separable cross. damiani.com

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AGENDA watches In the Zone

If the HK$387,000 pricetag of the A. Lange & Söhne 25th-anniversary Lange 1 Timezone in white gold doesn’t set your head spinning, here’s the view your wrist hairs get of its L031.1 calibre. But from whichever angle you look at it, it’s a masterpiece.

BRIT BRAND BREMONT’S LATEST LIMITED-EDITION CHRONOGRAPH (HK$53,750) PAYS HOMAGE TO JAGUAR’S LE MANS-WINNING D-TYPE

REBIRTH OF A LEGEND If you love classic timepieces and motorsport — and there can’t be many collectors who don’t feel the frisson generated by that combination — then we guess you’ll be feeling an itch in your wallet following TAG Heuer’s unveiling of a 50th-anniversary limited edition of its Monaco (HK$52,700) at the principality’s recent grand prix. Even better, you won’t find “TAG” incscribed anywhere on the dial of this eye-catching racing chrono.

BRONZE AGE

The introduction at Baselword 2019 of a 43mm, slate-grey version of Tudor’s Black Bay Bronze (HK$28,500) diver is further proof (if, indeed, any were needed) that Rolex’s entry brand just can’t put a foot wrong. Strap it on — if you can get one, that is — with either black nubuck or grey fabric.

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NEED FOR SPEED Marking the French-Swiss watch brand’s ongoing collaboration with the Renault F1 team, Bell & Ross’s new BR 03-94 R.S. 19 chronograph is designed to resemble the colour-coded steering wheel of this year’s racing car. With carbonfibre dial and bi-directional rotating bezel, the watch features Renault’s signature yellow and black colours and, at HK$49,900 a pop, is limited to 999 pieces.

RHAPSODY IN BLUE

Inspired by the colours of the Mediterranean and Chopard’s lengthy partnership with the Cannes International Film Festival, the L.U.C XPS Azur, limited to just 10 pieces at HK$295,000 each, features a 40mm case in ethical white gold, a COSC-certified calibre and a hand-guilloché dial in vivid blue.

CLASSICALLY COMPLICATED

Among the 2019 additions to Breguet’s Grand Complications line is the Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Squelette 5395, an exquisitely complex men’s timepiece that emphasises craftsmanship as much as its bold technical attributes, and features a skeletonised rose-gold 581SQ calibre with a platinum oscillating weight. You won’t, however, get much change from HK$1.8 million.

Posh Pilot

In a 42.5mm steel case with bi-directional bezel and ceramic insert, Blancpain’s reissued Air Command flyback chronograph — in a limited edition of 500 (at HK$153,500) — would be your classic pilot’s watch, were it not an automatic calibre that beats at 36,000vph, and the red-gold, propeller-shape rotor that’s visible through the case back.

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AGENDA beauty LET THE SUNSHINE IN WITH CLARINS’ UPGRADED HIGHPERFORMANCE SUNCARE RANGE FOR FACE AND BODY (HK$260 EACH). CLARINS.COM.HK

BUILT TO LAST

Gone are the days of melting mascara and smudged shadow. Tom Ford’s new Emotionproof collection of primer, liner, mascara, concealer and eye colour is designed to last all day and all night with true colour payoff (from HK$300). tomford.com and lanecrawford.com

Meaningful Beauty

Support a good cause and look good at the same time with ghd’s Ink on Pink collection of hair stylers. Each purchase of a limited-edition Gold styler (pictured, HK$2,080) or Platinum+ styler (HK$2,680) supports the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry. ghdhair.com/hk

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ENDANGER ZONE The “colour that can’t be ignored” is the star of YSL Beauté’s newest Hot Trend: Endanger Me Red. The collection includes nine limited crimson lip shades in four must-have ﬁnishes (from HK$295). yslbeauty.com.hk

TO THE EXTREME

The latest addition to Giorgio Armani Beauty’s premium antiageing skincare line, Crema Nera Extrema Moisturizing UV Filter (HK$950/30ml) provides SPF 50+ protection from UVA and UVB rays, as well as shielding the skin from the harmful effects of pollution. Besides the Crema Nera Extrema’s proprietary Reviscentalis complex, active ingredients include antiinﬂammatory Mediterranean caper extract and free-radical scavenging agent Detoxyl. giorgioarmanibeauty.com.hk

Inspired by places loved by Coco Chanel, Les Eaux de Chanel are like holidays in a bottle. New release ParisRiviera (HK$1,155) will take you to 1920s Côte d’Azur. chanel.com

HOT TOPIC

Power Play

The ﬁrst cosmetics brand to harness the power of native vegetal cells, Helena Rubinstein is back with a new Powercell Skinmunity The Emulsion (HK$1,200/50ml) to complement the iconic Powercell Skinmunity The Serum (HK$930/30ml). helenarubinstein.com.hk

“A lipstick can change a life because if you can change how a woman feels, you can change a community, and you change the world,” says Charlotte Tilbury. The make-up mogul is proving just that by launching a Hot Lips 2 collection and pledging £1 million from its sales between 2019 and 2022 to the charity Women for Women International. charlottetilbury.com

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AGENDA travel

FORTE-ISSIMO!

Run by the Anglo-Italian hospitality dynasty Forte, the Rocco Forte Hotels collection is ramping up its global profile with new luxury properties in Rome, Palermo, Puglia and, closer to our own home, Shanghai. For its all-enveloping Mediterranean warmth and surprisingly modernist ethos, however, we love Rocco Forteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Verdura golf resort (detail shown here), which basks on the sunny southern coast of Sicily. roccofortehotels.com

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TRÈS TROP

Marked indelibly on the global travel map in the mid-’50s, when the small French Riviera port served as the backdrop for Brigitte Bardot’s “scandalous” cinematic outing Et Dieu... Créa la Femme, Saint-Tropez remains as achingly fashionable now as ever. So where better for LVMH’s ultra-chic Cheval Blanc brand to open its first Mediterranean outpost than here? chevalblanc.com

TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

What, an item about a Maldives resort that doesn’t show a photo of an atoll? Just to prove it can be done, here’s a shot of the stunning Lighthouse restaurant at the fab new InterContinental Maldives Maamunagau Resort. But just so that you’re not completely disoriented, however, and were wondering whether perhaps you’d strayed into some faux-beach house in the heart of Central, the photographer has obligingly included an obligatory stretch of aquamarine ocean in this picture. ihg.com/intercontinental

ISLAND FLING

Slow down and step back in time by sailing from the Indonesian port of Ambon and through the Banda Sea to the Spice Islands with Aqua Expeditions. On a seven-night cruise aboard the 15-suite Aqua Blu, a former Royal Navy exploration vessel that’s fully equipped for adventure, you’ll visit a part of the world that was eagerly searched for by the likes of Columbus and Magellan, and where old colonial forts still stand on far-flung shores in the shade of forested volcanoes. aquaexpeditions.com

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AGENDA dining FRENCH COAST

Rech by Alain Ducasse continues its “Coastal Tour de France” this month by showcasing the best seafood and regional produce of the French Riviera. Executive chef Guillaume Katola has created a five-course menu (HK$1,288) kicking off with “Riviera-style” sardines, then continuing with warm artichokes barigoule before finishing with the iconic dessert Tropézienne. hongkongic.intercontinental.com

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COME FLY AWAY

Specialist in modern European and Scandinavian cuisine The Flying Elk by Björn Frantzén has launched a new summer menu. Offerings include white asparagus with saffron beurre blanc and herb salad; and whole roasted sea bream (pictured). A six-dish tasting menu is HK$595, with optional wine pairing for HK$500. theflyingelk.com/hk

FEEDING AN ARMY

Described as an Anglo-Indian mess hall, Black Sheep’s latest launch is its first foray on the Peak. Rajasthan Rifles, with its brick and timber interiors and simple but delicious food, pays tribute to relations between British and Indian army officers in the 1920s, who came together in the colonial military’s mess halls. rajasthanrifles.com

KOHEI TOMITA, FORMER CHEF OF FUKUOKA’S ONEMICHELIN-STAR SHIRANATA, JOINS THE REOPENED SAGA-CUISINE IZAKAYA SARA AS EXECUTIVE CHEF. SARA-HK.COM

WILD ABOUT HARRY

Two luxury legends come together for a limited-edition culinary experience. Winston Garden at The Peninsula takes inspiration from Harry Winston’s floral-oriented jewellery collections to offer diners a new and inventive afternoon tea. Available daily until July 31 from 2pm to 6pm, and priced at HK$398 for one person or HK$718 for two. peninsula.com

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AGENDA art INFLUENTIAL AUSTRALIAN DESIGNER MARC NEWSON BRINGS HIS CLOISONNÉ FURNITURE AND CAST GLASS CHAIRS TO GAGOSIAN. UNTIL JULY 27

GENDER STUDY

West Kowloon’s M+ museum presents works by May Fung, Lee Bul (pictured), Ana Mendieta, Charlotte Posenenske and Lara Almarcegui in Five Artists: Sites Encountered, showing the various understandings of “site” from the female perspective. Until October 20

ALL IN ALL

In the ﬁrst exhibition of its kind in Asia, Hauser & Wirth presents the Sylvio Perlstein Collection, which traces the course of 20th-century art. Some of the 112 artists represented in A Luta Continua include Diane Arbus, Marcel Duchamp (pictured), Donald Judd, Max Ernst, Man Ray and Andy Warhol. Until July 27

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© MARC NEWSON, PHOTO: ROB MCKEEVER, COURTESY GAGOSIAN; © HARLAND MILLER, COURTESY WHITE CUBE; © ASSOCIATION MARCEL DUCHAMP / ADAGP, PARIS / ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK 2019, COURTESY HAUSER & WIRTH; © LEE BUL, COURTESY OF STUDIO LEE BUL, LEHMANN MAUPIN, GALERIE THADDAEUS ROPAC AND PKM GALLERY, SEOUL

COVER TO COVER For his ﬁrst exhibition in Asia, writer and artist Harland Miller presents two new series of paintings continuing his “investigations into the relationship between viewer, text and image”. The large-scale works, at White Cube, take the form of ﬁctional book covers. Until August 24

AGENDA auctions

THIS EX-WORKS 1954 MASERATI A6GCS RACER, WHICH PLACED THIRD OVERALL IN THE SAME YEAR’S MILLE MIGLIA, IS AN EARLY HIGHLIGHT OF RM SOTHEBY’S AUGUST 15-16 AUCTION AT MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA

FINE AND RARE WINES

July 4 The French regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy dominate at Bonhams’ London July auction of Fine and Rare Wines, where the top lots include six magnums of VosneRomanée, Cros-Parantoux 1996 Henri Jayer (estimated at £85,000-£100,000) and, shown here, 12 bottles of Château Latour 1989 (estimated at £3,500-£4,200).

VINTAGE POSTERS

August 7 One of at least four annual auctions organised by the Vintage Poster department at Swann Auction Galleries in New York, this August sale encompasses a range of historic posters devoted to travel, the automobile, sport and military propaganda. Among them is a quartet of images painted by Sergio Trujillo Magnenat to promote the first Bolivarian Games of 1938, each estimated at US$2,000-$3,000.

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AGENDA discovery

IT’S A WRAP SHANGHAI COUTURIER FANG YANG DRAWS INSPIRATION FROM ORIGAMI AND ANCIENT, TIME-HONOURED PRACTICES

She’s just fulfilled a lifelong dream: a runway show during Couture Week at Pavillon Vendôme in Paris, an iconic spot for luxury in the City of Lights. With this move, Shanghai-based designer Fang Yang has achieved what very few couturiers around the world could even hope for. “It’s a major project for me this year,” she says. “To be honest, it’s a dream come true for any designer to show couture in Paris and at Place Vendôme, such an important venue. It’s really exciting. We’re showing a collection that combines our signature origami inspirations with new pieces that express this milestone in my career. “I wanted this collection to be modern and fresh, because sometimes couture can be a bit kitschy. It’s important for me to keep it arty and contemporary to today. We’re working on the show with creatives from the Paris scene as well as an origami artist.” Fang’s connection with France runs deep. She speaks French, studied fashion at the esteemed Esmod school and founded her ready-towear line in Paris while mixing with the contemporary art crowd in the city. She went on to marry a Frenchman, who now runs the business side of her growing brand.

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Together they helm By Fang, a ready-to-wear line sold in boutiques all around the world, as well as the couture line. In the last few years, the label has found fans in the US, China and the Middle East. If the glamour of the couture line speaks more to highly crafted, evening fashion (albeit with quite a modern twist), Fang’s off-therack style is effortlessly chic, showing off bold print dresses, desirable separates with well-tailored jackets and pantsuits. The autumn/winter 2019 RTW line takes inspiration from the African continent. Labelled Origins, it’s full of hues found in earthy desert scenes and vivid African sunsets: we love the deep mulberries, mustard yellows and sandy pinks. “We’ve got hand-woven elements here, and the raw edges and fine finishing create contrast.” Floral and animal prints developed in-house bring to life a sense of the natural world; then, in a subtle twist, Fang employs wrapping in the outfits, a practice found in both African and Asian traditional clothing. Her couture gowns, which have found their way into multiple ads and draping the likes of actress Gong Li, take inspiration from the ancient art of origami; the graphic lines and contemporary shapes have provided a signature for her style and highly desirable RTW collections too. With the recent flurry of high-profile international events (a Middle Eastern couture show preceded the Paris one), the future is most certainly bright for this multidimensional talent. Jing Zhang

AGENDA toys MODERN CLASSIC

We live in hope that the Alpine A110 will ﬁnd its way to these shores, but until it does we can at least feast our eyes on the new “S” version of the most desirable small mid-engine coupe around — and dream. (Alternatively, if you’re determined to own one of the coolest cars on the planet, you could always ﬂap a thousand big ones in the face of your friendly local parallel importer... )

WE HAVE LIFT-OFF Inspiration for Montblanc’s new StarWalker Fountain Pen (HK$6,300), with its stunning retro-futuristic design that recalls rockets and astronauts, and a transparent cap bubble that reveals a rising Earth beneath the corporate star emblem, comes not surprisingly from space exploration.

Blue-sky thinking

Now that Gulfstream’s new G600 jet is about to receive FAA certiﬁcation, the notion of your very own aircraft that can ﬂy up to 6,500 nautical miles (in other words, comfortably from Hong Kong to London or LA) in a single hop and at altitudes in excess of 50,000 feet has come tantalisingly close to reality. Indeed, as it bristles with the latest technology and avionics, and carries up to eight passengers in space and comfort, you could say that the US$54-million Gulfstream is the ultimate big-boy’s toy.

IF YOU’D LIKE A LEICA THAT’S DISTINCTIVE, THIS NEW CL (HK$33,800) THAT’S WRAPPED “URBAN JUNGLE”-STYLE BY SOCIALITE-SNAPPER JEAN PIGOZZI COULD BE JUST THE TICKET #prestigehk | PRESTIGE

VIP

BOTTEGA VENETA

COME TOGETHER What? Bottega Veneta hosted an invitationonly gathering titled “Together” in Pedder Building, taking over the entire fifth floor to present its pre-autumn 2019 collection. Fans and followers turned up en masse for the preview of leather goods and accessories, menswear and womenswear presented in this, the first collection designed in its entirety by creative director Daniel Lee. Sets appeal: The evening was designed to evoke the relaxed ambience of a party in a private apartment, with traditional trattoriastyle cuisine and a screening area for classic Italian cinema. A long table set up at the farthest corner of the venue provided the opportunity for guests to sample delicious Italian food (the truffle risotto was divine) and wine for a warm, familiar and familial vibe. Music of the night: American musician and DJ Boom Bip performed a live set; among the well-heeled attendees, we spotted Michelle Cheng, Wesley Wong, Christine Fok, Caroline Fok, Marcia Lee and Pearl Shek.

DEAN LUK, CARL NG, ANGELA GOH AND ANGUS WONG

MARCIA LEE, RAY LOK AND JEREMY CHEUNG

TASHA LAM

WESLEY WONG

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CHRISTINE FOK AND CAROLINE FOK

EMILY YU, JOYCE WONG, ALISON TSAI AND CASSANDRA WONG

OLIVIA TSANG MICHELLE CHENG FLORENCE TSAI AND ALIX FOWNES

CHRISTOPHER JACKSON AND IVAN SIM

VERA RODRIGUES, TRACY YIP AND JANICE LEUNG

PEARL SHEK

VIP

JAMES NORTON IN GIORGIO ARMANI AND CHOPARD

BELLA HADID IN DIOR HAUTE COUTURE

ISABELLE HUPPERT IN GIORGIO ARMANI PRIVÃ&#x2030; AND BOUCHERON

ANDREW COOPER IN CHOPARD ANDIE MACDOWELL IN MATICESVSKI

JULIANNE MOORE IN DIOR HAUTE COUTURE

HAILEY CLAUSON IN RALPH & RUSSO AND BVLGARI LEONARDO DICAPRIO IN GIORGIO ARMANI KIKO MIZUHARA IN DIOR HAUTE COUTURE

CAMILA MORRONE IN MIU MIU

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NATASHA POLY IN ATELIER VERSACE

NICK JONAS IN BERLUTI

72ND FESTIVAL DE CANNES

IN THE CANNES

What? Cannes International Film Festival, an annual 11-day extravaganza that sees celebrities, fashion types, and movers and shakers from around the globe flock to the resort town in the best gowns designers can dream up and the sharpest suits tailors can cut – all to celebrate movies from around the world. Glam squad: This year’s sartorial choices saw one theme and one theme only – that all bets were off and anything would fly. Why? Possibly because in the wake of #TimesUp and #MeToo, women finally felt they were able to embrace whoever they wanted to be and dress however they liked. That means the Bella Hadids and Natasha Polys among us bared (almost) all, while others such as Elle Fanning and Isabelle Huppert opted for higher necklines and longer hemlines. Sound the Gong: This year, Kering awarded its annual Women in Motion Award to Chinese actress Gong Li, marking the first time the prize celebrating the careers of leading women in cinema has been presented to a woman of Asian descent.

ROBERT PATTINSON IN DIOR MEN PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS IN GEORGES HOBEIKA AND CHOPARD

STACY MARTIN IN LOUIS VUITTON

ELLE FANNING IN DIOR HAUTE COUTURE AND CHOPARD

ZHANG ZIYI IN GIVENCHY HAUTE COUTURE AND CHOPARD

GONG LI IN BOUCHERON

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FASH I ON

HEAT OF THE MOMENT THE HEIGHT OF SUMMER IS ABOUT SATURATED HUES AND DARING PRINTS — BUT KEEP YOUR SILHOUETTES LONG AND LOOSE OR SHORT AND TAILORED TO DIAL UP THE HEAT AND STILL STAY COOL PHOTOGRAPHY CARLA GULER STYLING HANNAH BECK | HAIR AND MAKE-UP STEFAN JEMEEL PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT NICCOLÒ CORRADINI MODEL CHARLIE NEWMAN AT MODELS 1

OUTFIT CHLOÉ SHOES ANTOLINA AT KOIBIRD

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FASH I ON

TOP 3.1 PHILLIP LIM

OUTFIT VALENTINO

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FASH I ON

OUTFIT MISSONI

JACKET AND SHORTS DIOR BIKINI AGUA DE COCO AT KOIBIRD SANDALS ANNA SUI BRACELET AND CHOKER TOHUM

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FASH I ON

OUTFIT ANNA SUI SHELL BRACELET TOHUM WOVEN BRACELET DIOR

TROUSERS AND TOP RALPH LAUREN BRACELET AND CHOKER TOHUM

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FASH I ON

TOP VALENTINO RING AND CHOKER TOHUM HAT, STYLISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN

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OUTFIT MICHAEL KORS RING AND CHOKER TOHUM

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AMERICAN PASTORAL THE CHARM OF THE SIMPLE LIFE EASES ITS WAY THROUGH FOLKSY MATERIALS, ARTISANAL EMBELLISHMENT AND PILGRIM-PRIM RUFFLES

PHOTOGRAPHY JOEL LOW | FASHION DIRECTION JOHNNY KHOO STYLING JACQUIE ANG | HAIR EDWARD CHONG AT EVOLVE USING KEVIN.MURPHY MAKE-UP KEITH BRYANT LEE USING DIOR | PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ALFIE PAN FASHION ASSISTANT BERNADETHA WOENARDI | MODEL SAVANNA BLADE AT MANNEQUIN

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SHIRT DRESS AND TROUSERS JIL SANDER MULES LONGCHAMP BIB, STYLISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN

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DRESS LONGCHAMP TOP SANDRO HAT EUGENIA KIM AT NET-A-PORTER.COM

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CAPE, DRESS AND SCARF ERDEM BOOTS COACH 1941

FASH I ON

TUNIC AND DRESS TORY BURCH SCARF HERMÃ&#x2C6;S MULES LONGCHAMP

TOP DOLCE & GABBANA BONNETS, STYLISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN

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FASH I ON

DRESS CHANEL BOOTS HERMÈS BONNET AND BIB, STYLIST’S OWN

DRESS FENDI NECKLACE HERMÈS BIB, STYLIST’S OWN

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FASH I ON

SHIRT AND BLOUSE CELINE BY HEDI SLIMANE SKIRT AND BAG HERMÃ&#x2C6;S

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JACKET, TUNIC AND TROUSERS GUCCI HAT LORO PIANA BOOTS ROGER VIVIER BIB, STYLISTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN

SEL ECT

SEEING THE LIGHT Hennessy introduces a bold new decanter design for its Paradis ImpĂŠrial rare cognac at an exclusive launch event in Macau

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CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE PAGE: THE NEW ARIK LEVY-DESIGNED DECANTER; THE EVENT AT GALAXY MACAU; ROCH HENNESSY

HENNESSY PARADIS IMPÉRIAL is a testimony to the art of Hennessy’s master blender and a tribute to his selection skills. Only 10 out of 10,000 eaux-de-vie from any harvest have the potential to be included in this most rare of cognacs. After its inaugural release, created by the maison’s seventh-generation master blender Yann Fillioux, acclaimed artist Arik Levy was tasked with creating a new crystal-cut decanter and gift box. The results of this unique collaboration were revealed recently at the Hennessy Paradis Impérial Made of Precision Dinner at Galaxy Macau. At the event, Roch Hennessy, business development manager for China, offered guests two styles of eaux-de-vie paired with dishes such as foie gras, hazelnut and pumpkin mash to bring out the rich aroma and flavours of Paradis Impérial. Cognac, Hennessy points out, is all about sharing. And the brand itself is keen to share its story and that of cognac to entice a new generation of consumers. “A key element in China, and Asia in general, is education,” he says. “Cognac is a very complex drink. Even though I’m from the Cognac region I don’t consider myself an expert. One of the key development strategies is to educate the consumer about the fact that cognac is made from grapes as well as the ageing process, the oak barrels and distillation process. It takes a lot of dedication

and hard work to guarantee the quality of cognac. “The China region is the biggest market for Paradis Impérial,” Hennessy continues. “For the second release we’re launching now, we really want to focus on the modernity of the 100 percent crystal carafe and the beautifully designed gift box that features elements of wood and copper. Wood, as you know, is essential to the ageing process of the cognac and copper, which covers the seal, is reflected in the colour.” With its eye-catching design that captures changes in the light, the new Paradis Impérial decanter is an attempt to encapsulate the 250year-old cognac maker’s past, present and future. “The first thing the designer had to understand was the cognac and its history,” Hennessy says. “He had to see the process of making the cognac, the taste, the smell, the colour, the play of light and the precision. All of this is very important. When Arik Levy went to Cognac, he immersed himself in all of these components to produce a unique and contemporary design.” Hennessy, who is based in Paris but travels once every few months to China, has marketing teams stationed in different parts of the country and looks forward to further educating Chinese consumers. “There’s a perception that cognac must only be enjoyed after food with a cigar, in

an old-school way, but the way to drink it is important and we intend to develop that.” No doubt these efforts will bring Hennessy and the brand back to Galaxy Macau, which hosted the Hennessy Paradis Impérial Made of Precision Dinner. “Galaxy is an amazing venue,” Hennessy says, “and they’re really a good partner to us.” hennessy.com

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FASH I ON

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INDIGO SUMMER

Merging Japonica and Americana, slowfashion brand 45R makes clothes that pay tribute to American classics while embracing Japanese attention to detail. Co-founder YASUMI INOUE talks to zaneta cheng

ne reaction to the fast-fashion phenomenon that’s made runway looks available to the mass market quickly and cheaply is the return to artisanship. Luxury brands are working harder than ever to hammer home the inimitable skill, time and care it takes to craft each piece in order to maintain desirability and exclusivity. In the unending whirlwind of the fashion cycle, however, Japanese “slow fashion” brand 45R has never deviated from its concept of creating clothes that stand the test of time, anchoring itself in its “Made in Japan” philosophy with its respect for craftsmanship, while at the same time taking inspiration from workwear, vintage style and the ’70s American collegiate aesthetic. The mix is effortless and clearly shows in the brand’s newly refurbished flagship on Star Street in Wanchai. Workwear-inspired utility jackets hang alongside light cotton pieces in white and blue. The label’s line of jeans mixes traditional denim shapes with Japanese indigo dyeing techniques, with hand-sewn embroidery also worked in.

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T-shirt shapes are dyed in classic bandana colours, the bottom cut with a handkerchief hem. Loose, floaty kimonos with American-inspired paisley prints are rendered in cotton and silk and styled on top of light-washed denim and a hemp tee. When looking through the catalogue, the deep saturated blue of Japanese indigo jumps out. Once the colour of the populace and then of fishermen and samurai, it’s been culturally significant in Japan since the Edo period. Reworking it into T-shirts, blouses, pants, dresses and workwear styles, 45R translated this traditional hue into the modern wardrobe. “It’s a very special colour – a Japanese blue, if you will,” says Yasumi Inoue, one of the three friends who founded the clothing label they called 45RPM (named after the playing speed of 7-inch vinyl records of the 1960s and ’70s). “Because when different people wear indigo, it changes and adapts according to how that person wears it and brings out their own distinct qualities. The colour stands the test of time because it will change with wear but will never really fade or lose its pigment.” 45R has maintained its dedication to creating luxury casual wear, attracting the likes of Steven Spielberg and Giorgio Armani into its New York stores. The timeless quality lies in what Inoue calls “standard” clothing. “The way 45R works is that we don’t change very much and we maintain our own style. We have our loyal following because we don’t make great changes,” Inoue explains. “Nothing in our collections will really jump out, so when the clothes are worn on different women, it brings out a different quality in each according to her personality.” “For example, when we have new collections, some people might find that we have brought back styles from 10 years back, sometimes with modifications, sometimes without but it’s how they style it that makes it relevant for today.” For Inoue, who creates styling books for the brand, it’s a matter of mixing “standard” items like the T-shirt, shirt, denim, chino tousers and turtleneck in a way that’s lively and thoughtful with one-pieces in the summer and jackets and coats in the winter. “The 45R philosophy is about a piece that can be kept for a long time so it’s sort of like a kimono, which is handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter with only

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ARCHITECT: NEW MATERIAL RESEARCH LABORATORY

FASH I ON

the need to maybe slightly patch parts up,” she says. For her, the kimono lies at the heart of the brand, a symbol of expert craftsmanship and Japanese heritage and something the brand continues to mine for inspiration. “The kimono is the base of Japanese traditional dressing. There are many parts that inspire us, like the obi belt, the collar and more. In Hong Kong, we don’t have our kimono creations but there are belts in the store that are based on the obi, which is a very special element of the kimono,” Inoue says. “My family ran a kimono shop and because of this I was exposed to all the combinations of kimono colours growing up and this made a great impression on me.” When 45RPM opened its first store in New York’s Soho district, Inoue decided that while America was one of the sources of the brand’s inspiration, it was crucial that the brand carry Made in Japan with pride. “When I decided to do something ‘Made in Japan’ in New York, my parents were dubious because at the time Americana was all the rage, but even so I wanted to bring the colours and elements of the kimono into the clothing, even though this wasn’t quite what people were wearing at the time. But it was very well received by native New Yorkers, which affirmed my beliefs and proved what I believed to be the best of Japan was correct,” Inoue recalls. But what are the strengths of Made in Japan? The question is prescient at a time when designers are renegotiating their relationships with heritage and tradition. “Japan is a very detail-oriented culture,” Inoue explains. “Take a look at the cuisine, for example, and everything from the plate to the sauce has been painstakingly made. And even if that effort isn’t visible on the plate, an incredible amount of effort has been made behind the scenes to make the item the best it can be. This obsessive attention to detail is something I truly prioritise and I think it’s one of our country’s best qualities.”

“We have our loyal following because we don’t make great changes”

FASH I ON

BRAVE, BOLD AND BREAKING THROUGH RENZO ROSSO TALKS TO JING ZHANG ABOUT BUILDING A BILLION-DOLLAR EMPIRE WHILE GOING AGAINST THE GRAIN

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ll my life, I’ve done things differently. I don’t think I’m a genius, but people think I’m crazy and that I do incredible things. In the end I just do things in my way,” says Renzo Rosso, pale blue eyes twinkling under a mop of salt and pepper curls, and clad in all black. “I put a touch of modernity into the existing. Normally people just see things as they are and not how they could be so I think that’s how I was different.” The day of our interview the Italian fashion mogul had been speaking to a crowd of about 200 local cool kids gathered at Shanghai Fashion Week’s Labelhood platform. Waxing lyrical about how he bucked conventions to become the world’s greatest living denim king, Rosso, at 63, clearly still has that rebel spirit. Rosso was born in 1955, in a post-war Italy obsessed with Americana: classic Hollywood films, Coca-Cola, James Dean, Marlon Brando – moody iconic heroes in jeans. “I didn’t like to study, of course,” he laughs. He came from a family involved in farming and agriculture, but went into textiles education because he thought it would be easy. He made his first pair of jeans at the age of 15 – a pair of outrageous flares for himself – and later started creating items for friends who loved his style. Rosso, obsessed with all things vintage, argues that “in vintage you can find a life, a history. If something is destroyed or worn, it seems to have more of a life.” Rosso would go on to work in a denim company, rapidly increasing its sales and then partnering with it to start the Diesel brand; he acquired full control in 1985. “Trying the distressed effect, making jeans look like they are already worn and broken … I was just trying something and my friends loved it so much, you know? I started to produce a few pairs for my friends and this was the beginning of my story,” he recalls. “When we were in the beginning of the ’80s I was selling these kind of things to the stores – it was really difficult, I have to say. Just a few accepted: just one in LA, one in London and one in New York. One – it was very particular. A lot of the times people sent the stock back, because they thought the jeans were damaged: ‘What was this shit!?’ they’d say.” Now it’s clear who’s had the last laugh. Not only has Rosso made a fashion empire from denim – the oncehumble staple of working-class workwear – but “now all the brands in the world, and all the luxury brands, are in this direction”, he says, not without some relish.

After helping to expand Diesel globally, he went from being “the jeans guy”, largely underestimated by the snobbier designer fashion circles, to a master businessman, fashion retailer and branding guru who, with the establishment of his empire, was warmly embraced by the high-fashion industry. Today, Rosso presides over some 7,000 employees worldwide, with his parent company Only the Brave (OTB) generating €1.4 billion in annual revenue. As president of the group – which owns Diesel as well as Maison Martin Margiela, Paula Cademartori, Marni and Viktor & Rolf, all brands that he acquired – he frequently finds himself “in love with something special, something very beautiful”. “I started discovering more and more crazy designers … all these brands I invested in are different but you can see a new silhouette and new way to think.” The dedication is real. Rosso has the famous four Margiela stitches tattooed on his back, his motto “Only the Brave” inked on his ankle and the OTB mohawked head on his upper arm for good measure. Not only did he offer these brands investment and financial security, but the designers were also often vocal about Rosso’s respect for creative freedom and integrity. “I never designed anything in my life,” he says. “I’m not a designer. I’m an entrepreneur and creative, but I know very well what I want. I’m good at communicating with designers on what I want and trusting that they can interpret it in their own way.” Then there’s his ownership of Staff International, which manufactures and distributes for the likes of Vivienne Westwood and DSquared². Other projects, such as Diesel Farm, a source of beautiful Italian fresh produce, as well as the non-profit OTB Foundation, keep Rosso a busy man. That’s when he’s not travelling around Africa with Bono or mingling at parties with Kim Kardashian. Rosso’s plate is most definitely full, but the path he’s taken has hardly been predictable or conventional. Only the Brave isn’t just a company name, but a personal motto. It’s that boundary-breaking attitude that set off campaigns such as the infamous “Be stupid” ad. Soon, not only were his products known for being radical, but the racy Diesel advertising campaigns of the ’90s also pioneered the focus on “a philosophy and a lifestyle” of individualism and

rebellion, rather than “most of the ads at that time, [which] were just about product, product, product. “Starting in 1991, we had a campaign that changed the world of advertising. It was something that hadn’t existed before. My advertising was about interaction, how I can communicate with my consumer to build the connection, the emotion,” Rosso explains. “And I thought if they liked my idea they would go to the store and buy my product.” Diesel was never just about selling jeans; its success rode on selling a lifestyle and a dream. That hasn’t changed – and Rosso’s early mastery of marketing magic is now legendary. It’s also made him, by Forbes’ estimations, the 10th richest man in Italy. But Rosso is quick to point out that he doesn’t define success economically. “I never did anything just for the money,” he explains. It was always a project of “passion”. That attitude resonates with the youthful street cultures that Rosso both sells to and lionises. Having a finger on the pulse of the subculture zeitgeist has always been key to Diesel’s global takeover. And now the down-to-earth entrepreneur is mixing with the Shanghai crowd at the Diesel DIY denim workshop and the likes of local designer Xander Zhou. After taking selfies with fans and having a go at jumping into a branded plastic ball pit, he makes his way to a dinner with the Chinese press and the artists featured in the latest local Diesel campaign. It’s also an opportunity for him to connect and engage with a young Chinese generation, and a massive and growing market pushing forward its own expressions of individualism. And he has some advice for those hoping to make it as the next big fashion talent. “Don’t think that being a designer is anything easy,” he says when I ask him what it takes. “In order to be a serious designer you have to suffer a lot, you work a lot and you have to work hard. “You’ll make mistakes. I always make mistakes in my life. Through your mistakes you can grow. If you never make mistakes, you never grow,” Rosso adds, eyes momentarily wandering into the distance. “In any case it’s not important how big you become, the most important thing is to find where you are strong, find your unique direction, and spend your energy just in that direction. It’s important how happy you are in the end.”

“YOU’LL MAKE MISTAKES. IF YOU NEVER MAKE MISTAKES, YOU NEVER GROW”

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BEAU T Y

MANE EVENT

Make every day a good hair day with the latest and greatest in shampoo, serums, treatments and more. tama lung shares her top-shelf picks

ust in time for hair’s most unforgiving season, some of our favourite beauty brands have released new products to restore, repair and rejunvenate our strands. While there will always be a place for shampoo – especially when it smells and feels as good as Rahua’s oilinfused version – more and more offerings are coming in the form of leave-in treatments and even emotion-evoking fragrances. The newest launch from the always-popular Kérastase is a vitamin-enriched overnight serum, designed for use on wet or dry hair, with a scent said to help you sleep. And you don’t even have to rinse it out in the morning. Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum joins other nourishing products of varying intensities, whether the spray-on Regenerating Hair Finish Lotion from colourist-to-the-stars Christophe Robin or the jasmine- and sandalwood-enriched Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil from Oribe. For tackling frizz and other seasonal hair woes, turn to Acca Kappa’s Anti-Pollution Hair Smoothing Cream for Frizzy Hair or one of Shhh’s innovative treatments or lotions. And finally, to top it all off, why not let your hair smell as good as it looks? This year has seen a number of new fragrances designed especially for the hair – to pamper and protect at the same time. Our favourites are the irresistibly fresh Gucci Bloom Hair Mist, garden-worthy Ouai Rose Hair & Body Oil and the aptly named Show Beauty Decadence Hair Fragrance.

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SHOW BEAUTY Created by Givaudan, the Decadence Hair Fragrance (HK$570/30ml) envelops strands in a warm scent while adding shine and protecting against free radicals. joyce.com

ACCA KAPPA Part of the Mandarin & Green Tea collection, the Anti-Pollution Hair Smoothing Cream (HK$280/200ml) keeps you looking sleek and smelling good. accakappa.com

RAHUA Made with sustainable natural rahua oil, Classic Shampoo (HK$290/275ml) helps to soften the hair and balance the scalp. joyce.com

GUCCI Smelling good shouldn’t stop at the hairline, so the beauty brand created the refreshing Gucci Bloom Hair Mist ($345/30ml) to keep the perfume party going. gucci.com

ORIBE Just as the name implies, Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil (HK$450/100ml) imparts incredible shine while providing intense nourishment. joyce.com

KÉRASTASE An innovative overnight hair treatment, Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum (HK$600/90ml) aims to repair, restore and pleasantly scent damaged strands. kerastase.com.hk

OUAI The best-selling Rose Hair & Body Oil (HK$270/100ml) works for all hair types and is perfect for multitasking on the go. sephora.hk

SHHH OMG Airy Treatment (HK$430/230g) is best for ﬁne, ﬂat hair but still has the brand’s signature stem cell, collagen and hyaluronic acid blend. couchpotato.store

CHRISTOPHE ROBIN Designed for use on wet or dry hair, the Regenerating Hair Finish Lotion (HK$270/200ml) can also be sprayed all over the body. net-a-porter.com

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BEAUT Y

FRESH PAINT As Christian Louboutinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new global make-up artist, ISAMAYA FFRENCH brings her unique skills and talent to the high-fashion brand. tama lung enjoys an exclusive chat during her recent Hong Kong visit

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samaya Ffrench knows her way around an airbrush gun. The internationally renowned make-up artist has just used packaging tape, a fishnet stocking and said gun to create a precise graphic pattern extending from the corner of a model’s eye to her hairline. The unique effect is just one of several looks Ffrench demonstrated at a Christian Louboutin Beauty event held last month at the St. Regis Hong Kong, others of which included Swarovski crystal-studded lips and bold red mascara piled on eyelashes and painted across eyelids. The Hong Kong event marked Ffrench’s official debut as the fashion and beauty brand’s first-ever global make-up artist. The London-based artist – who started out face painting at children’s parties while in university and has since worked with everyone from Rihanna to Junya Watanabe and now has her own Instagram following of more than 240,000 – was personally chosen by Louboutin to bring his brand’s beauty offerings to life. That includes developing colours and collections as well as creating and executing campaigns. “I met him early on and honestly, I’ve worked with all these big brands but it’s so much more gratifying working closely with a small brand that has a really lovely team, that gives you a lot of permission to do what you want,” Ffrench says. “I really like him and I love the vibe.” Ffrench came on board earlier this year, when five new shades of Velvet Matte Lip Colour (being launched in Hong Kong as part of the event) were in development. She created storyboards for the campaign and launch events, working with a VJ to design original video and effects to accompany her make-up demonstrations. “Everything from this point on, I’ve pretty much had my hands on,” Ffrench says. “For the collections that will follow, I personally worked on the colours and in the labs.” While she’s coy when it comes to revealing new product lines and collections, it’s safe to say Ffrench is “exploring a number of new innovations” for the brand. The self-described “beauty exec” will continue to work on fashion shows, music videos, editorial shoots and her own projects. But she seems genuinely excited about bringing Christian Louboutin’s vision to life. “It’s a really luxurious brand but the man behind it is the most humble, funny, well-travelled and well-educated guy,” Ffrench says. “For me that says so much. I just need to think about what he would do, then it’s easy.”

“I’ve worked with all these big brands, but it’s so much more gratifying working closely with a small brand”

W E L L N E SS

an you hear that? Can you hear the music?” Chicco Tatriele is showing me around Fivelements Habitat’s soon-to-open space at Times Square, construction workers still sawing, sanding and installing the finishing touches, and he’s particularly excited that the sound system is finally up and running. “Sound is definitely a big part of the experience,” he says, “and will be a big part of the offerings here.” The original instrumental music, piped through the ceiling at a specific volume and frequency throughout the entire 15,000-square-foot space, is just one indication that Fivelements Habitat is not your typical spa, fitness or wellness studio. An offshoot of Chicco and his wife Lahra’s popular Balinese retreat, the urban concept is the first of many that the couple hopes will stretch from Hong Kong (there are already two more in the works) to London, New York and other major global cities. “It’s a home for the growing urban wellness community,” Lahra says. Indeed, everything at Fivelements Habitat is designed for people to feel welcome, to stay a while and to connect with themselves as well as others.

GOOD VIBRATIONS BRUNA ROTUNNO

HONG KONG’S WELLNESS OFFERINGS GET A MUCH-NEEDED BOOST WITH THIS MONTH’S OPENING OF FIVELEMENTS HABITAT AT TIMES SQUARE. TAMA LUNG GETS AN EXCLUSIVE SNEAK PEEK

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FIVELEMENTS HABITAT BRINGS HEALING ARTS, SUCH AS SOUND THERAPY, TEA CEREMONY AND YOGA, TO HONG KONG

“We’re more than a provider of yoga or fitness,” Chicco says. “For us it’s more about guest services.” In keeping with this philosophy, the staff has been sourced from hotels, members are referred to as “friends of Fivelements”, and service is designed on a hospitality model. Classes, meanwhile, aim to provide Hong Kong residents with strategies to manage their often-stressful daily lives. These range from yoga and mindfulness sessions to martial arts, Barre training, AntiGravity aerial fitness classes and much, much more. Studios include an innovative soundscape space where guests can meditate to sound and images projected on all four walls, a tatami room for practising tea ceremonies, and smaller spaces for individual or teacher training, another big part of the Fivelements Habitat approach. “Our rooms are large but not too large,” Lahra says. “Because impact is the most important thing. Fivelements is

dedicated to high-impact strategies and services, and not about a mass-mass approach. It’s about community building.” In addition to the individual and group sacred-arts sessions, Fivelements Habitat will also offer holistic wellness rituals and programmes such as facials and bodywork as well as detoxification and weight management. Its Sakti Elixir Bar and Sakti Lounge will serve nourishing plantbased cuisine made with local, seasonal ingredients and provide a space for guests and the community to gather. “Our real objective is wellness for humanity,” Chicco says. “It’s a big vision but that’s where it’s going, where it’s shifting. If we want to shift society, we have to do it one at a time, together. We don’t have any other choice.” Fivelements Habitat opens July 12 at Level 13A, Times Square, Causeway Bay. For more information, see habitat.fivelements.com

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ON CRISEL COAT ALEXANDER MCQUEEN ON ANTHONY JACKET CERRUTI 1881 SHIRT ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

BACK IN THE LIMELIGHT A SIDELINED VETERAN AND A REJUVENATED ROOKIE STORMED THIS YEARâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FILM AWARDS AS STILL HUMAN SAW ACTORS ANTHONY WONG AND CRISEL CONSUNJI MAKE A TRIUMPHANT RETURN TO CENTRE STAGE. MATHEW SCOTT MEETS THE UNLIKELY DUO PHOTOGRAPHY RICKY LO | CREATIVE DIRECTION AND STYLING ANSON LAU | HAIR JEAN TONG FOR CRISEL, AND TAKY CHUNG FOR ANTHONY | MAKE-UP ANGEL MOK FOR CRISEL | GROOMING JOLINN NG FOR ANTHONY

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ON CRISEL TOP CELINE DRESS BOTTEGA VENETA ON ANTHONY COAT CERRUTI 1881 SHIRT AND TROUSERS ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

nthony Wong Chau-sang cuts a curious figure. The Hong Kong star has arrived for his Prestige cover shoot looking relaxed and ready for action but his attention has been taken by the full-to-overflowing assortment of collectibles that surround us. They are distinctly “Hong Kong”, ranging from an aluminium-sided drinks fridge of the kind still used in crusty village corner stores to posters of film stars whose names have long faded into history. They’re used for such purposes as the backdrops for vintage-style wedding photos, or for fashion shoots (like ours), and Wong has for the moment been taken by a set of drinks glasses that seem to have transported him elsewhere. “I can remember seeing these sorts of things many times but I’m not sure they were actually in my own home,” says the 57-year-old, smiling. “You know this is a bit like looking at my own history.” Such reflections have been common for Wong over the past few months. He reveals he has spent a lot of time lately – “Really, a lot!” – thinking back over his life. Word started to spread about his most recent film – the drama Still Human from first-time local director Oliver Chan Siu-kuen – at this year’s Hong Kong Filmart industry gathering in March and about how Wong’s role in it would provide a timely reminder to Hong Kong of his talent. Arguably, Hong Kong has never really had an actor so able to master the range of roles Wong has taken on, and been acclaimed for, across more than 200 films. Three times a Best Actor winner at the Hong Kong Film Awards, Wong has tried his hand at everything from an utterly psychotic serial killer (Ebola Syndrome, 1996) to a social activist (Ordinary

Heroes, 1999), to a simmering triad thug (Vengeance, 2009). His oeuvre makes for a line-up best described as enigmatic, a phrase quite often used when people are trying to pigeon-hole the man himself. We’re here today as a direct result of that latest star turn from Wong, as the curmudgeonly, wheelchair-bound man who forms a bond with the caregiver played – to equal acclaim – by first-timer Crisel Consunji. Both actors are being shot, separately and together, and their ease at interplay reflects an obvious closeness the past year has brought, as the journey has taken them from pre-production, to the filming, to the release and on to the reaction to Still Human as it swept the 2019 Hong Kong Film Awards, garnering the Best Actor Award for Wong, Best New Performer for Consunji, and Best New Director for Chan. “I never really expected it, to be honest,” Wong says, as he waits for his turn in front of today’s cameras to begin. “I didn’t have much on with work. It’s been that way for a while. But I read the script and I just liked it. I didn’t really ask for any money. I thought it would be a small film, nothing more. Now look.” Still Human has exceeded all expectations since its April release. It was

“THIS HAS REALLY BEEN OUT OF ALL MY IMAGINATION AND ALL MY EXPECTATION” — ANTHONY WONG

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made on a next-to-nothing budget but has returned a few million dollars for investors, giving a beleaguered local film industry a welcome boost of confidence as small Hong Kong filmmakers increasingly find their work buried under a flood of foreign blockbusters. Back at the start of May, Wong and Consunji, along with director Chan, arrived in Udine, Italy, for the Far East Film Festival unsure of how their film might be accepted by an international audience. They walked away with the festival’s top prize. Wong also picked up the festival’s Golden Mulberry Award for outstanding achievement, later posting on social media that the Udine experience had been the greatest of his life. “This has really been out of all my imagination and all my expectation,” Wong says. “I’ve really been able to feel a truth in the applause, a respect, and that has been really touching.” Local media have claimed 2019 to be the year that marks Wong’s triumphant return but if he was hiding anywhere it was in plain sight. There’s been a procession of supporting roles, as well as parts on TV and in theatre, the medium that gave Wong his start. What has made Wong relatively anonymous, at least in media terms, has been the lack of fanfare surrounding his recent work, ever since an apparent ban was placed on him by Chinese authorities for his support of the 2014 Occupy Central protests.

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“I’VE FOUND A NEW FAMILY THAT I DIDN’T KNOW I HAD. IT’S LIKE A NEW CHAPTER FOR ME NOW, LIKE I’VE TURNED A PAGE” — ANTHONY WONG

“I don’t really know,” is Wong’s explanation. “You know I’ve never officially been told anything. Nothing. So I’ve just been carrying on, you know, living my life.” Little wonder Wong came out in support of the local community, as it’s one that has always returned the love, ever since he first appeared on the big screen in the Angie Chan-directed My Name Ain’t Suzy back in 1985. Wong grew up in Wan Chai with his mum, his English father having left when he was a small boy. He worked his way through classes at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts before training at the TVB Studios – as has been the case for so many Hong Kong actors – turned him into a ready-made star. Roles in such seminal local hits as John Woo’s Hard Boiled (1992) and the multiple award-winning Infernal Affairs (2002) saw the city take him to heart. Those hearts were touched with the story of Wong reuniting with his father’s side of his family last year, brought together via social media. His father had passed away but Wong found he had brothers, and a new sense of his own identity. “So much has happened to me lately,” he says. “I’ve found a new family that I didn’t know I had. It’s like a new chapter for me now, like I’ve turned a page.”

JACKET CERRUTI 1881 SHIRT ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA

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JACKET MIU MIU TOP AND TROUSERS DIOR

Crisel Consunji’s story is almost as old as cinema itself. “It’s sometimes hard to believe it has happened, and all so quickly,” she says. But Tinseltown was built on the belief that dreams can come true, that people can be plucked from obscurity and turned into stars. Just look to the classic 1937 drama A Star is Born, with a young Janet Gaynor playing the actress who appears out of nowhere to become an overnight sensation. There have been three repeat performances, starring Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand and, most recently, Lady Gaga as the unknown hopeful who rises to the top. Those films, it must be noted, were all about pure fantasy. What lifts the story of — CRISEL CONSUNJI Consunji out of mere fiction and into modern reality – and what gives it a distinctly Hong Kong flavour – is how she landed her first film role and how the 34-year-old Philippine actress has reacted to the commotion that’s swirled around her debut. In Still Human, Consunji plays a domestic helper coming to terms with an often difficult relationship with the man she’s employed to care for. But before she won the role – and before she was named Best New Performer at the Hong Kong Film Awards and was nominated for Best Actress – Consunji had given the entertainment industry away. Her life

“PART OF THE PUSH FACTOR WAS THINKING: WHAT IF SOMEONE TOOK ON THE ROLE AND DIDN’T HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING?” for years had become focused instead on the early learning centres she’d opened in Hong Kong with her husband. But then Consunji was discovered, famously now, via Facebook. “A callout was being sent around the Philippine community in Hong Kong and one particular friend said, ‘I think this has your name on it,’” says Consunji. “It was the nth time that I had received it so I thought, ‘Whatever, let’s go and see what happens.’” Consunji’s talent won her the part but it sounds as though fierce determination was among the deciding factors. Once she’d read for the role, Consunji realised it was one that would help build on the conversation – both in Hong Kong and across the world – about the role domestic helpers and caregivers play in modern society. Then, there was no saying no.

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“I really felt, after speaking to [director Oliver Chan] Siu-kuen, that here was a director who wanted to produce a narrative that was fair, that was empowering,” she says. “It wasn’t going to portray my people as people who didn’t have the opportunity to take hold of their lives on their own. Part of the push factor was thinking: what if someone took on the role and didn’t have an understanding? How would the story be portrayed? When the discourse began, who would be responsible to actually give a bit more of an accurate description of the topic? After reading the script I felt like I wanted to be involved, even if I didn’t get the part.” Consunji’s own narrative begins with a stage career during childhood that took root with Manila’s Repertory Philippines theatre group. Film, back then, was never a factor. “Those days, there wasn’t a lot of mobility from one medium to another,” she says. “Now, across the world, it’s more fluid. Before, if you worked in the theatre you were labelled, and there weren’t many independent films. My family always told me to remember that this might not be my life or my livelihood. There just weren’t the opportunities.” At 23, Consunji moved to Hong Kong to take up a role at Disneyland and she would perform there for around three years in such productions as High School Musical.

“AS AN ARTIST YOU LIVE AND BREATHE WANTING TO BRING A LITTLE MORE EMPATHY INTO THE WORLD” — CRISEL CONSUNJI

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It’s the type of all-round grounding – acting, singing, lead roles and support – that directors cherish. Someone able to fill any vacancy, and with a passion for their craft. It was that emotion – passion – that drove Consunji towards the next chapter in her life when she decided her life was ready for a new challenge, and when she talks about working with children it’s impossible not to be swept up in the thrill she finds in helping shape young lives. “As an artist you live and breathe wanting to bring a little more empathy into the world – and that’s why I got into teaching,” she says. “That’s how we can make a difference. At our centres every day is a new day and every day is special. Entrepreneurship in Hong Kong is really tough. It really is sleepless nights. Hopefully now I can find a happy medium as I want to do both – work at our centres and be an actress again. This whole new world has opened up so it’s made me wonder if there’s something here that will allow me to stay true to my values. Now that I’m here I want to learn more.” Sit with Consunji for any length of time and you’ll walk away convinced that’s how, despite all the acclaim that has followed her debut film role, she seems to have remained so grounded. Over a break during our cover shoot, she recounts how, on returning home to Hong Kong after travelling to Italy for the Far East Film Festival, the mother of one of her students rushed up to her, super excited. “She said to me, ‘You must be so proud!’,” recounts Consunji. “And I’d been so swept up in the film that I thought she must have been talking about that. But she was talking about the opening of our new school. She didn’t know about Italy or the awards, she was more concerned with real life. So, you know, in terms of getting carried away, I think I’ll be fine. The other side of my life keeps my feet on the ground.”

ON ANTHONY JACKET CERRUTI 1881 SHIRT AND TROUSERS ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA SHOES, ANTHONYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OWN ON CRISEL OUTFIT FENDI

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SPAGHETTI EASTERN

The Far East Film Festival in Udine has for 21 years now been one of the more quirky gatherings the cinema world hosts each year. It’s tucked away in the far north of Italy, a good hour’s drive from Venice, and yet for 10 days it showcases the very latest creations from Asia’s distinctly commercial film industry. So you get gangsters and monsters and romance and music. And audiences inside the Teatro Nuovo Giovanni can’t get enough. This year Wong and Consunji arrived with a very small film from faraway Hong Kong. From the other side of the planet, they touched people’s hearts. “It’s been overwhelming, but in a good way,” says Consunji. “When it came to acting I was petrified of having to try something new at this age. A lot of people start a career in film when they’re 18. I’m double that. My primary motivation was to share the message [of the film]. I felt compelled. It was just me trying to do something new. “I’m afraid of things that I’m not comfortable with and I was afraid of the things that I might lose, having established a career elsewhere. I started in theatre when I was 10 but it was a life I’d chosen to leave behind. “I didn’t think the film would be this well accepted. I

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hoped it would be. But people are ready, they’re hungry to hear more, and I’m hungry to do more of this work.” In accepting his Golden Mulberry Award at the festival, Wong produced a piece of paper, joked that he must be too young to receive an award for outstanding achievement because he still didn’t need reading glasses, and then talked from the heart about his life in film, and where it continues to lead him. “I’ve never felt like I have much in my career,” he said. “The world of film is like the deepest abyss of the ocean. It’s mysterious and unpredictable. It’s easy to get lost, and to lose sense of time.” Weeks later we’re back in Hong Kong and that mood of reflection still lingers. “I feel this has all been a round-up of my story,” Wong says. “In Italy I saw my first time on screen [in My Name Ain’t Suzy] and my latest film. I saw myself as a young man, so handsome. Now, these days, every time I wake up I don’t want to look in the mirror. But all this is maybe a sign that I should start something new. I don’t know what’s coming next. But that’s what’s interesting to me about being in the film industry, and I suppose it’s what’s interesting about life.”

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PE OP L E

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

As JULIEN ROYER, whose Odette in Singapore heads the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2019 list, opens his first venture in Hong Kong, he tells chung yi why his crew is kin and how they let him be the “good guy” PHOTOGRAPHY JOEL LOW

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F JULIEN ROYER AT HIS SINGAPORE RESTAURANT, ODETTE

rom farm to city, and from boyish talent to confident, fully fledged businessman and restaurateur, Julien Royer had to sacrifice a lot to get to where he is today. The Frenchman always wanted Michelin star. Now, Odette, his four-year-old restaurant at the National Gallery Singapore, has two of them. If someone had told him 10 years ago that his restaurant was going to be number one in Asia, he wouldn’t have believed it. “We’re happy, but it’s the beginning of our journey,” he says. “We still have a long way to go. It won’t last forever. I’m very realistic when it comes to my profession. “This job is demanding. It’s crazy,” he adds. “The days are very long. You sacrifice your sleep, your personal life, your social life. You see your friends go out every night, but you can’t. You’re constantly questioning whether you’re good enough. You always try to think of what you can do better every day. If you don’t have this passion, it’s pointless. If you don’t love this job, you won’t succeed.” Royer notes that things are getting better, though, now that he has a well-trained team and solid support system. “But I’m never satisfied with what I do. I’m always thinking that there’s something to improve. Not necessarily just the cuisine, but the atmosphere, the lighting, the music, the tableware. Every little detail counts.”

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“We’re like a football team. During service, you have to be on top of your game” Odette was named for the 36-year-old chef ’s maternal grandmother, from whom he learned to cook as a child in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France. Louise, which has taken over the site of the now‑shuttered Aberdeen Street Social at PMQ , on the border of Central and Sheung Wan, is named for his paternal grandmother (it’s her middle name). Royer’s first Hong Kong outing has a “bistronomy” concept – gastronomy in a bistro setting. “It’s a traditional French restaurant, reimagined,” he says. “The menu focuses on good sourcing and techniques, and straightforward plating. Plus, there’s a large selection of wines by the glass.” One of the rustic dishes that diners can experience is truffade – sautéed potatoes with garlic and melted tomme fraîche cheese from Royer’s hometown of Cantal. He says this a good exercise for him to explore casual, affordable cuisine and hopes to replicate the concept elsewhere if it takes off. Royer didn’t speak a word of English when he arrived in Asia with his wife Marie Agnes Fontana, also 36, whom he met in hospitality school (she’d just arrived from Paris to study hotel management, and he fell in love with the fashionable girl from the big city). The couple did a stint in French Polynesia before moving to Singapore in 2008.

JACKET AND SHIRT GIORGIO ARMANI SHOES DIOR MEN BELT AND TROUSERS, ROYER’S OWN

“We’ve been together for 18 years. She’s someone who’s really supportive, understanding and loving,” he says with a twinkle in his eye. “I like that she’s like a chameleon – she adapts very well anywhere, with any kind of people, and in any circumstance and environment. So she adapted to my life very well. I come from the countryside, but when she came to my hometown she loved it.” Royer grew up on a farm in central France. His calm and friendly demeanour undoubtedly stems from his upbringing and values. “Growing up, we didn’t have much money, but we always ate very well. My parents taught me that throwing things away is bad. It’s a value that I strongly believe in, and one I try to apply in the kitchen. I hate waste. I hate buffets as a consumer and as a chef. I’m still a bit frustrated because we throw away too many things. But our leftover breads are given to a charity – they’re collected every day.”

Of his “very humble background”, he says: “My dad is very quiet. He’s a consultant who advises other farms how to run their businesses better. My mum is a farmer, very warm and friendly – she can talk to anyone. They’re very simple people. They grow their own vegetables and eat healthily. They know all about agriculture, ecology and soil. “The other day, my mum called to tell me that it’s been raining a lot in Cantal, so the vegetables will not be as sweet this time. That’s just how they live!” The familial spirit is strong at Odette. Instead of hot-headed swagger, Royer believes in a collaborative kitchen culture, and counts renowned French chefs Michel Bras and Bernard Andrieux as his mentors. As a teenager, he worked at Bras’s restaurant in Laguiole, France, where one of the many important lessons he learned was that someone can be the best chef in the world, but he or she will achieve nothing alone. So, unlike many other top chefs, Royer neither shouts nor loses his cool in the kitchen. While acknowledging that many chefs have thrown plates at walls in rage, he “very rarely” swears at people. “I try to respect people and be fair to them. At Odette, to my memory, I’ve never thrown anything. Maybe a spoon when I was pissed off.” While he’s generous in imparting knowledge and skills, he also gives his staff room to innovate, experiment and challenge themselves. Thanks to his hands-on style, the team feels that he’s a mentor who works alongside them. His advice to them is that they need to be patient and persistent to become a good chef. “I always bring a positive energy and attitude to the kitchen, because they can get very tired,” he explains. “So I try to make them smile. I have to push them in a good way.” The camaraderie is obvious, with the chef and his team bantering from the moment they step into the restaurant in the morning until after the last petit four is served late at night. If music is playing, there may even be singalongs. But things change once the first lunchtime guest steps in. “We’re like a football team. During service, you have to be on top of your game. Concentration has to be very high. We need to be strict, disciplined and organised to deliver quality and consistency.” To unwind after work, the team goes for late suppers together. If Royer and one of his sous chefs are travelling for work, they make it a point to check out the best restaurants or new places together. With a solid team behind him, Royer is now able to travel a lot more for “four hands” collaborations with other world-renowned chefs.

SUIT GUCCI SHIRT BOTTEGA VENETA SHOES DIOR MEN

Recently, he flew to the south of France to cook alongside Mauro Colagreco of the three-Michelin-star Mirazur, which is ranked third on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. In return, he’s invited many respected chefs to Odette to collaborate, including Dominique Crenn of the three‑star Atelier Crenn. He was also a guest chef at last year’s Margaret River Gourmet Escape, a popular gastronomic event in Western Australia that has brought in celebrity chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Nigella Lawson. Royer says his latest appointment – by Air France to design a menu for first- and business-class passengers travelling between Singapore and Paris – is quite an honour for him, as he’s the first Singapore-based chef to work with the airline. This latest feather in his cap is yet another sign that Royer’s career has taken off to new heights. See prestigeonline.com for more from Royer on his Hong Kong venture, Louise (35 Aberdeen Street, Central, louise.hk)

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PE OP L E

STATE OF PLAY

CELEBRATED KOREAN ACTRESS DOONA BAE TELLS ZANETA CHENG HOW SHE CONQUERS THE CAMERA FROM EACH AND EVERY ANGLE

here’s nothing quite like seeing Doona Bae work a camera in person to really understand how comfortable she is around a lens. The 39-yearold Korean actress, known for her performances in edgy art-house pieces – as an outspoken political activist and girlfriend to the protagonist in Park Chan Wook’s Sympathy for Mr Vengeance, or a monster-slaying archer in Park Nam Joo’s The Host – is at the top of her game, having branched into Hollywood in Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending and Sense8, all directed by Lana and Andy Wachowski for both Netflix and the big screen. Bae is in Hong Kong for the opening of Louis Vuitton’s travelling design exhibition, Objets Nomades, held at the former Central Magistracy in Tai Kwun cultural complex. A muse of the luxury brand since 2016, she walks through the rooms of exquisite furniture – designed in collaboration with the likes of Raw Edges, Atelier Oï and Atelier Biagetti – with photographers in hot pursuit, shutters snapping.

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That Bae first worked as a model is evident. There’s an instinctive quality to the way she adjusts herself according to the light, the direction of the lens and her command of her own angles. Sofas and games tables have never looked cooler, yet once the camera shutters stop clicking, she’s arguably the most approachable of all the celebrities who’ve been invited to attend. Bae’s mastery of her own métier is indisputable, but if her pleasantness and charm is an act she must be even more gifted than I thought. Bae’s ease starts to become apparent even during the initial back-and-forth communications discussing the possibility of an interview. I’m fully prepared for the bureaucratic battle that’s part of the well-trod territory of dealing with A-list superstars and their “people”, but Bae’s team requires no list of questions for three rounds of vetting and nor do they issue lists of dos and don’ts for interview day. There’s basically no red tape. Pleasantly thrown by such a friendly and relaxed team, I’m intrigued to meet Bae. When she steps out, calm, friendly and dressed in a patterned minidress, it’s evident straight away that her people are the way they are because they’re confident in her talent and natural ability. “I’m sort of like running water in a river and my life has really always been this way,” she says. As many now know, Bae, the child of a businessman and stage actress, was regularly taken backstage to wait for her mother during rehearsals and performances. Although she showed little interest in the stage, due to a deep fear of the spotlight, Bae’s interest in acting was nonetheless piqued and she studied film at university as an alternative subject, which began her long love affair with the camera. What about the hordes of cameramen and crew milling around on set while she works? “Oh, I’m used to them. Once I’m in front of the camera, I only perform for the camera,” Bae says. “Of course, if I’m acting with someone, they exist. But I don’t think about anybody else around me. I’m already in the universe I’m supposed to be in. “The other guys, the props people, hair, make-up, costume, they’re all looking at their part. Nobody really cares about me. Their responsibility is to make sure their part is perfect and that puts me at ease.” But film buffs and fans who’ve followed Bae’s career will know that she’s not an actress who shies away from, well, anything. Even while filming the horror series Kingdom (Netflix’s first original Korean series), a sageuk (period drama) that smashes courtly political intrigue into the zombie universe and isn’t for the faint of heart, Bae found her role as Seo Bi – a compassionate doctor at a

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public clinic and mentee of a royal physician who was charged with treating the dead king – somewhat problematic. “It was my first time acting in a sageuk. I didn’t feel as if I needed to especially prepare or do anything for it, because I act based on my feelings about that character,” says Bae. “But that role was a really uncomfortable one for me because I realised that the traditions and customs of ancient Seoul were dictated by Confucian values and very restrictive for women. The world of the story is a very conservative one and imagining my character living in this environment was suffocating. So as I was acting, I’d feel so sorry for the women of this period who had to suffer life under such conditions. “This was also such a contrast for me, because prior to this role, my characters have always been quite strong, vocal, breakthrough-type women. For example, in Sense8, my character [Sun Bak – businesswoman by day, underground kickboxing star by night, who seeks revenge] would not hesitate to beat people up. She’s fearless and goes after what she wants, but Seo Bi is pretty repressed. I didn’t have a single fight scene and when threatened or attacked the script basically told me to scream in fear and run off, but I actually asked if they could add in some retaliation for me so I could do a bit more than just run away.” Although Bae chooses roles based on script, director and other standard metrics, she also looks out for

“ACTING GIVES ME THE FREEDOM TO BE SOMETHING I DON’T GET TO BE IN MY OWN LIFE” characters that allow her to address social and cultural issues that are near to her heart. “These roles give me the freedom to be something I don’t otherwise get to be in my own life,” Bae says. “I can step into the shoes of, say, someone whose life I wouldn’t experience, like my character Tohi in the movie Tohia, who’s a lesbian. She’s not the lead, but she has an interesting side story that really helped me better understand a different kind of life. These roles let me channel my views about issues through the movie, which I love, because I’m not very vocal about these things in my own life.” Bae indeed keeps a low profile, even in terms of judging movies as part of a panel – “Sometimes I’m a bit embarrassed I’m on these panels because I find it so difficult to decide what makes one movie better than the other.” She’s been invited to Cannes, having been nominated for Asian acting awards – and is now a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – but prefers to spend her downtime on photography and learning new skills. “There’s so much to learn about a camera, the techniques and lenses and how moving the camera can create a different image, but knowing how it works helps me know how to best move and be in front of a lens when I act,” Bae explains. While the camera consumes both her public and private life, Bae seems to have struck an enviable balance between the two. “Being an actor is a very passive job. Once you’re done with a project, you don’t know when the next one will come along,” she says. “Or, I’ll really want to work on a particular project but I don’t know if they’ll have me. Sometimes I’m told to strategically lie low for a while, so in my free time I need to find something to focus on and obsess about, and photography does that for me. But at the same time, preparing for a project teaches me so many new skills. “To be honest, I don’t have any concrete aims or ambitions. I never set out to do anything particular and it all fell into place and happened – so I just go with the flow, and I really enjoy this state.”

CULT U R E

PERFECT PITCH

dare say that there’s no country around Hong Kong that has a better orchestra – not Japan, not Korea, not China, not anywhere. The Hong Kong Philharmonic is number one and it’s not because of me. It’s because of how they produce week in, week out – what they’re giving,” says Jaap van Zweden, the music director of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra (HK Phil). The Dutch maestro, who has just started the first year of a tenure as the 26th music director of the New York Philharmonic alongside his now seven-year tenure at the HK Phil, is being humble. Much of the acclaim that the ensemble enjoys today is thanks to van Zweden’s challenging and internationally reverberating repertoire, as well as his exacting and unyielding quest for perfection. That the maestro is rigorous, driven and something of a benevolent taskmaster is immediately obvious even in life outside music. We’re seated in his room backstage prior to him rehearsing a work by American composer John Corigliano that evening. Van Zweden is precise and clear and doesn’t suffer fools lightly – and I find that my own questions become quicker, shorter and more precise as the conversation continues. “For me personally, it doesn’t matter what music I tackle, because what I always look for is perfection. Even if what we’re playing is lighter music, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t need

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perfection,” he says. “It still needs the same intensity, it needs the same care. Everything must be done at 110 percent. You can’t just do certain things at 100 percent. I don’t like that. You have to treat every piece you encounter with the same intensity. It’s very important.” When van Zweden took over the HK Phil in 2012, he found a young and hungry orchestra eager to push themselves to reach an international standard. “They were willing to go on the journey to become the best orchestra in the East,” he says. “I told them that we can’t reach that overnight and that even once we think we’ve reached that goal, to treat it like a horizon and start talking about next steps.” Van Zweden is keen to drive home the notion that the orchestra’s success didn’t happen overnight but is rather the result of a series of improvements, setbacks, plateaus and improvements that came about through daily hard work. Grit and determination without direction could easily be wasted, however, so van Zweden harnessed the orchestra’s enthusiasm and rigour to introduce a more demanding repertoire that would force the international community to sit up and pay attention. Among these was the Ring Cycle by German composer Wagner, a significant body of epic works that van Zweden says was difficult to pull off. “Nobody was actually expecting this of us,” he explains. “But we did it and made a record of it and it was, I would say, a big success, not nationally but very much internationally.”

SOPHIE ZHAI

Conductor and music director JAAP VAN ZWEDEN talks to zaneta cheng about his seven years at the helm of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra and his unending quest for perfection

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The success of the Ring recordings is illustrated by the orchestra’s nomination for Gramophone magazine’s 2019 Orchestra of the Year Award, the first orchestra in Asia to receive the nomination. The award is decided by public ballot on Gramophone’s website, with voting closing on September 8. Although the accolades have indeed mounted over the past seven years, van Zweden maintains that there’s still room for improvement. “With success, expectations go up and I always say that you’re not as good as your last concert but as your next one. So something could have been very good last week but it doesn’t mean that we’re as good this week. We need to work for it again and we must conquer the music.” It’s a mantra that’s especially relevant for a relatively young orchestra – in its 45th professional season – such as the HK Phil, which van Zweden says is still behind such venerable Western ensembles as the 177-year-old Berlin Philharmonic and the 175-year-old New York Philharmonic. What van

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Zweden offers to compensate for the orchestral age gap is his own wealth of experience and insight. “When I’m doing a symphony with the New York Philharmonic, something they’ve done for 175 years already, they have a history with music and their history meets my history and we meet in the middle. Here, the history is shorter so sometimes I tell them a bit more about the piece, like the story behind it. “For instance, we did Mahler’s Ninth Symphony two weeks ago and I gave them some information about it that they didn’t know. How did I know? Because Mahler himself had written letters about this piece and I was, for 17 years, in an orchestra in Amsterdam that’s almost 200 years old, where they had a library and I could see those letters for myself and read them.” Although classical music is undeniably a major part of the HK Phil’s repertoire, the orchestra is no one-trick pony. The upcoming season will see a diverse line-up of guest musicians

ERIC HONG (LEFT); CHEUNG WAI LOK (RIGHT)

CULT U R E

“I always say that you’re not as good as your last concert, but as your next one”

performing pieces from pop culture, including Ben Palmer guest-conducting the Paddington Bear Concert and Benjamin Northey taking the baton for Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Marc Taddei will lead Jurassic Park in Concert and Gerard Salonga is on board for Lea Salonga: The Voice of Broadway. Following in the footsteps of other orchestras, the HK Phil is also making efforts to reach wider audiences by hosting screenings of movies to the accompaniment of a live orchestra. For van Zweden, such diversity is a necessity. “I love pop music. I was brought up with pop music together with the classical,” he says. “The thing we need to understand is that music is food for our souls and you cannot just have one type of food. So any food for the soul is great, be it pop, jazz, classical, opera, even electronic music. I love diversity in our programming. Not everyone likes Beethoven and if we want to be a part of the community and to serve it, we have to think beyond what we think is right and think what’s right in terms of service to the Hong Kong people.” Starting with the 2019/20 season, the group is also staging a two-season celebration of Beethoven’s 250th birthday, during which pianists such as Lang Lang and Nobuyuki Tsujii have been invited to perform the German composer’s works with van Zweden. In addition, Yu Long, the orchestra’s principal guest conductor, will be leading concertos by acclaimed Chinese composers such as Chen Qigang. Meanwhile, the HK Phil continues to enjoy the patronage of long-term partner Swire, notably the conglomerate’s title

sponsorship of the always-popular Symphony Under the Stars at Central Harbourfront in November. The effort put into the programme is evident and this is important for van Zweden. “This is the way we build up a repertoire for audiences and gently introduce other music,” he says. “Say this concerto hasn’t been played so much and we invite Lang Lang to play it, so that there’s a familiar face that audiences want to hear from, but at the same time we introduce them to a piece they may not have heard so much. It’s very important that we, as an organisation, bridge these things together and have it at the back of our minds to make programmes attractive for audiences, especially if we know they might be less interested.” But is the age of the audience important in a world where orchestras and institutions everywhere are chasing younger consumers? “I’m more focused on people who really care about the music and not so much the age,” says the maestro. “When I heard my first record, which was a violin concerto by Beethoven, I was five years old and I knew that was what I would choose. It was very obvious to me that I would be a musician. I wanted to create and I wanted to be a musician so that people could hear something that touches their hearts. There was nothing else for me other than doing this. Everything else comes second, third, fourth or fifth.” The HK Phil’s 2019/20 season begins on September 6. For ticketing and other information, see hkphil.org

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CULT U R E

MASTER STROKES

AS MUSEUMS IN EUROPE UNVEIL MAJOR RETROSPECTIVES MARKING 500 YEARS SINCE LEONARDO DA VINCI’S DEATH, SONIA KOLESNIKOV-JESSOP ASKS IF THERE’S STILL ANYTHING NEW TO LEARN ABOUT THE LEGENDARY POLYMATH

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OPPOSITE: ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST / © HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 2019

ABOVE: CHÂTEAU DU CLOS LUCÉ, WHICH WAS LEONARDO DA VINCI’S LAST HOME IN FRANCE. THE CHATEAU AND ITS GROUNDS HAVE BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO A MUSEUM, WITH MANY REPRODUCTIONS OF HIS INVENTIONS OPPOSITE: LEONARDO DA VINCI: A LIFE IN DRAWING AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE

alf a millennium after his death, the world still marvels at the genius of Leonardo da Vinci, the Renaissance master recognised as not just an exceptional artist but also as a brilliant scientist. Besides art – the most famous of which is, surely, the Mona Lisa – he left behind roughly 7,200 pages of notes that documented his life’s work, often in scribbles and sketches. Even more remarkable is the fast that those pages contain a wealth of scientific studies and mechanical inventions – among other things, his notes detail the workings of the aortic valve in the heart, and show how to create an underwater diving apparatus, a glider and the precursor to the helicopter – that are still being perused today. “Even after 500 years, da Vinci remains the greatest artistscientist. He was not just a great artist who dabbled in the sciences; had he not painted a single work, his scientific researches would still mark him as one of the great figures of the Renaissance. To combine both achievements in a single individual is quite remarkable,” says Martin Clayton, head of prints and drawings at the Royal Collection Trust and curator of Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing, an exhibition of more than 200 drawings at The Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace in London (until October 13). Eighty of these pieces will then travel to The Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of

Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, where they will be on show from November 22 until mid-March, 2020. Among the works on display for the first time are two “blank” sheets, circa 1481, which, under ultraviolet light, reveal beautiful studies of hands. “We can always learn more about the way in which da Vinci put his drawings and paintings together – not big new discoveries, but a steady process of increased understanding. What I think we see more and more is that da Vinci was an intensely practical artist, who adapted his limited range of materials with great ingenuity to obtain the effects he desired,” says Clayton, who believes drawing is the key to understanding da Vinci, as it was the primary activity around which all his other work revolved. Vincent Delieuvin, a curator in charge of 16th-century Italian paintings at the department of paintings at the Louvre and one of the curators of the museum’s Leonardo da Vinci exhibition (October 24 until February 24, 2020), points out that da Vinci set up a new working method based on scientific investigation and experimentation. “He wanted his paintings to be more than just the mirror of the external forms of nature: he was looking for the life inside it, in order to paint it. Nobody had done that before, nor after, him. The sfumato technique gives to his paintings this vibrancy of life, which is so special.”

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things we couldn’t see before. Conservation treatments have brought a lot of important information about his pictorial technique. The execution of a painting was very special for him, because he had a very high idea of what a painting was. We can see that in the way he painted.” On October 24, the Louvre will mount an unprecedented retrospective of da Vinci’s painting career, with the museum hoping to bring to one place many of the 15 paintings now attributed to the master – five are already in the French museum’s collection. “The exhibition is to illustrate how he placed utmost importance on painting, and how his investigation of the world, which he referred to as ‘the science of painting’, was

FROM FAR LEFT: LÉONARD DE SERRES; ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST / © HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II 2019; LÉONARD DE SERRES; GETTY IMAGES

To mark the quincentennial of da Vinci’s death, other museums in Europe are also hosting exhibitions dedicated to his life and work as well as some of his influences. In Florence, for instance, where da Vinci trained as an apprentice to artist Andrea del Verrocchio, Palazzo Strozzi is celebrating the teacher with a major retrospective (running until July 14) that also includes works from da Vinci and other pupils, such as Sandro Botticelli and Pietro Perugino. Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice, meanwhile, is exhibiting 25 of da Vinci’s drawings, including the rarely displayed Vitruvian Man. In Milan, where he lived from 1482 to 1499 – and where The Last Supper fresco can be seen in the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie – Castello Sforzesco is reopening the newly restored Sala delle Asse, where he decorated the walls and ceiling with intertwining plants and fruits. In France, the Château du Clos Lucé museum in Amboise – where, at the invitation of the young French king François I, the artist spent the last three years of his life – is hosting Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper for Francis I, A Masterpiece in Silk and Silver (until September 8). Among the works showcased is a monumental and newly restored tapestry of The Last Supper, which was made for François I and is on loan from the Vatican Museums. Then there is the new exhibition by Domaine de Chantilly in the north of Paris, which centres on the Monna Vanna. Dubbed the Nude Mona Lisa, the charcoal drawing had long been believed to be done by da Vinci’s studio, but is now, after extensive testing and research by the Louvre, believed to be by his own hand, as part of his prep work for the Mona Lisa. Constant technological progress such as scientific imaging is helping us better understand how da Vinci worked, says Delieuvin. “Both the genesis of his ideas of compositions and the way he painted are clearer nowadays. We can see

THE PRICE OF GENIUS the instrument of his art, seeking nothing less than to bring life to his paintings. Painting is the synthesis of all his life and work,” says Delieuvin. The international retrospective will also present the latest research findings, critical editions of key documents and the results of the latest analyses carried out in laboratories or during recent conservation treatments. “The most important thing is to remind people that Leonardo da Vinci was not a ‘scattered’ man. It’s often said that his attention always wandered, and while it’s true that he was interested in almost every field of knowledge, his work is very coherent and that’s because painting gives unity to all his interests and researches,” Delieuvin explains, adding that “every research he made had one goal: to be the best painter”.

FROM OPPOSITE, FAR LEFT: MODEL OF A DA VINCI FLYING MACHINE AT CHÂTEAU DU CLOS LUCÉ; A STUDY OF A WOMAN’S HANDS DISPLAYED AT THE ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST; REPRODUCTION OF THE MONA LISA AT CHÂTEAU DU CLOS LUCÉ; SALVATOR MUNDI AT THE LOUVRE

In November 2017, Christie’s sold Salvator Mundi (above), a newly discovered painting by Leonardo da Vinci, for US$450.3 million (including commission), making it the most expensive work of art ever sold at auction. In the fourth quarter of this year, Parisian auction house Tajan will offer another rediscovered work of his: The Martyred Saint Sebastian, discovered by a retired French doctor in a portfolio of drawings he had inherited from his father. The drawing carries two smaller scientific diagrams and notes on the back, and is believed to be one of eight mentioned by the artist in his Codex Atlanticus. Its authentication is said to be “incontestable” by Carmen Bambach, an expert on da Vinci and a curator at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tajan is reluctant to give an estimate, though its CEO did say the auction house hopes the drawing will fetch €30-€60 million.

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A CUT ABOVE

After three days with the new Cayenne Coupé, jon wall wonders why Porsche didn’t take the scalpel to its full-size SUV a good deal sooner

f you’d been kidding yourself that the SUV is a passing phase and that very soon we’ll all see sense and start driving “normal” cars again, well, time for a reality check. Because the days when a motor manufacturer’s 4x4 output was limited to a single “two boxes on wheels” design can now be regarded as ancient history. Just as family saloons morphed into three-doors, fivedoors, estates, shooting-brakes, semi-off-road wagons, coupes and convertibles, so has the SUV spawned similarly endless variations on its own inflated theme. Thus, among the scores of alternatives now available, we can choose from lifestyle- and activity-oriented “crossovers”, EVs and PHEVs, go-anywhere limos (Rolls-Royce and Bentley), hyper-SUVs (Lamborghini), posh pick-ups (Mercedes X-Class), and even rag-tops (thank you, Range Rover) and fastbacks. The facts that SUVs are now produced in every size and niche both imaginable and otherwise, as well as by almost every car brand in the world, mean that we’ve taken the urban tractor to our hearts. Like it or not, that’s something we’d better get used to. Fortunately – and as if to ameliorate the fact that SUVs are invariably too large, tall and heavy for a daily routine that normally entails little more than being driven from

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home to school or shops and back again – that very ubiquity and diversity mean that among the multitude of blandly unremarkable offerings, there can also be found some highly desirable, dynamically capable and ridiculously rapid machines. As a prime example, I’m thinking of Porsche’s Cayenne, which when I drove it earlier this year provided an object lesson in how an oversize automobile can be made to perform and handle in a way that not only defies its own weight and mass but even the laws of physics themselves. It’s just a handful of months since I handed back the keys to that third-generation Cayenne S loaner, yet here I am again, back at the wheel of yet another of these behemoths from Baden-Württemberg (though to be strictly accurate, the Cayenne is assembled in the German state of Saxony). This time, however, I’m in the hilly, verdant and impossibly bucolic winelands that border southern Austria and Slovenia, which the German company has chosen as the launch venue for the latest version of its full-size SUV, the Cayenne Coupé. A niche too far, you ask? Not if you reference the likes of Audi, BMW and Mercedes, which would seem to have defied all common sense by taking a chopper to the rear ends of their supposedly ultra-utilitarian SUVs and making them less practical – and yet, one also assumes,

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at the same time more attractive. So much for the rationality of car buyers… In the case of the Cayenne, however, a car that I suspect no one ever bought for its load-carrying abilities, I rather doubt such space curtailment matters one bit. On the contrary, you could argue that slicing a chunk off the rear roof brings it more into line with its Carrera, Cayman and Panamera siblings, while also emphasising its more emotional intent and even enhancing its credentials – which I’d venture are considerable – as a continent-gobbling grand tourer. In fact, I’d go as far as saying that, though it’s still no beauty, the Cayenne Coupé looks more convincing than both the standard car and every one of its rivals. That’s partly because it’s marginally longer – and lower (by 20mm) and wider at the rear – than the regular SUV, with entirely new sheet metal employed everywhere except the front end, and partly because Porsche has liberally sprinkled the Coupé with exclusive design features. These include broader rear shoulders, a fixed roof-edge spoiler atop the tailgate (the latter can be opened remotely by waggling a foot beneath the apron), an active spoiler above the rear light bar that increases downforce at the tail, and a vast sheet of panoramic glass overhead. And then there’s a list of

lightweight sports options, which range from black 22-inch forged-alloy wheels to a contoured carbon-fibre roof and add an air of badass cool by making the car look lower and sleeker than it actually is. Think of it as an oversize Macan and you’ve more or less nailed the appearance. Although hybrid powertrains are on the way, Porsche has brought along all three versions of the Coupé available at launch, which are all petrol-powered: a baseline model whose turbocharged 3-litre V6 produces 335bhp and 450Nm at 1,340-5,300rpm; the 2.9-litre S with 434bhp and 550Nm from 1,800rpm; and the Cayenne Turbo Coupé with 542bhp and 770Nm at 2,000-4,500rpm from its twinturbo, 4-litre V8. All feature an eight-speed Tiptronic autobox, with the two top gears as overdrive ratios for

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The 2.9-litre six is a peach – flexible and tuneful, it offers all the grunt you’ll ever seriously need

relaxed and efficient motorway cruising. The Sport Chrono Package, with its wheel-mounted mode selector and dashtop analogue stopwatch, is standard kit on all models; it’s another feature that differentiates the Coupé from the regular SUV, though we’re told that mechanically they’re pretty much identical. With a top whack in excess of 285km/h and 0-100 acceleration in a fraction less than 4 seconds, the Turbo is absurdly fast; as an everyday steer, however, I’d opt for the somewhat milder S, which can still hit the ton from a standstill in around 5 seconds and maxes out at 263. In other words, it’s properly quick without being brutally so, and thus won’t feel quite so restricted in urban situations. Where the Coupé does feel restricted, however, is in its girth: taking door mirrors into account, it measures almost 2.2 metres from one side to the other, so when flinging it around – which you can do surprisingly easily – you must

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never forget it’s as wide as a bus. Confession: that fact slipped my mind momentarily, so when cornering fast on a country road I clouted the inside wheel rims on a kerb, an error the Porsche people were surprisingly forgiving about (or at least to my face). Nonetheless, for such a big car its handling verges on the staggering, and even without the Turbo’s rear-wheel steering the S is incredibly wieldy, turning exactly where you point it and heroically resisting any inclination to plough straight on. Considering it’s an SUV the steering is revelatory, too, being both precise and unusually communicative. As for what’s under the bonnet, the S’s 2.9-litre six is a peach – flexible and pleasantly tuneful, it offers all the grunt you’ll seriously ever need, while serving it up without unnecessary histrionics. As is my habit, I tend to leave the mode switch in Comfort and rely on the paddles to snatch a lower gear whenever the need arises; driven thus, the Coupé is rapid, rewarding, responsive and yet also extremely relaxing. Even the brakes, which on the S are cast iron, are brilliant – reliable, progressive and conveying heaps of information via the pedal.

PORSCHE CAYENNE S COUPÉ engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6 transmission: eight-speed automatic max power: 434bhp max torque: 550Nm @ 1,800-5,500rpm max speed: 263km/h acceleration: 0-100km/h in 5 seconds kerb weight: 2,050kg price: to be announced

If I haven’t yet mentioned the interior, that’s mainly because the only real difference between the standard Cayenne and the Coupé begins in the back, where the lower rear roofline has inevitably restricted headroom. In response, Porsche has marginally dropped the bucket-style rear seats (a bench for three is available, though not with the carbon roof), which offer more than adequate room for my 1.77 metres; if you’re above 1.82, however, your hairdo will likely brush the rear headlining. The panoramic glass certainly shines plenty of light over the entire cabin (which, if you’ve specified all-black trim, you might say it needs to do), but as with the regular SUV the ergonomics and front chairs are superb, while the integration of digital displays with the dominant analogue tachometer is as good as it gets. And “as good as it gets” pretty much sums up my feelings about the Cayenne Coupé in its entirety. It’s an SUV with the audacity to present itself as a large and phenomenally talented GT, yet just about gets away with convincing you that’s exactly what it is. So that in spite of my railings about the absurdity of the Coupé’s size, concept and pretensions, I’m so in awe of its abilities that I wonder why Porsche didn’t put its uber-SUV to the knife years ago.

HEAVY-DUTY HOT RODS IF YOU LIKE YOUR SUV CON BRIO, ALSO CHECK OUT THIS TRIO OF THROTTLE-HAPPY HOODLUMS

JAGUAR F-PACE SVR Massively fast as well as brilliantly sorted, this explosive Jag is what happens when you chuck 5 litres and a supercharger to the SUV mix.

BMW X6 M With 567bhp beneath the bonnet, the M version of the original SUV coupe is almost as fast as an M5, but if space is a consideration an X5 M’s the better bet.

MERCEDES-AMG G 63 Totally new and yet still a dead-ringer for the perpendicular G-wagen of old, the G 63 is as charismatic as it’s brutally quick — and has all the appeal of a full-size Tonka Toy.

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MAKING WAVES FROM THE MORE THAN 100 BRANDS, 90 VESSELS AND 25 OCEAN-GOING PALACES EXHIBITED AT THE RECENT SINGAPORE YACHT SHOW, JAFRI M SELECTS THE FIVE THAT FLOAT HIS BOAT

Whether you’re planning to sail the seven seas or simply to float lazily through the more than 250 islands that dot the waters around Hong Kong, you’ll naturally be looking for the ideal ocean-going palace in which to conduct your peregrinations. After visiting the 2019 staging of Singapore’s annual yachting jamboree, our correspondent came up with the following five vessels – from an ultra-green (or should that be blue?) catamaran to a contemporary take on a ’30s ocean liner – that he reckons should serve your purposes perfectly.

SANLORENZO SD126

Built in an Italian shipyard with more than 60 years’ experience in the fine art of motor-yacht construction, Sanlorenzo vessels invariably deliver superior style and performance. They’re typified by the impressive, 36-metre-long Sanlorenzo SD126 (it also has an expansive 8-metre beam), which fuses modern lines with an evocative shape that recalls ocean liners of the 1930s. The flagship of the brand’s semi-displacement hull SD fleet, it attains a 17-knot maximum speed. Luxuriously outfitted, some of the SD126’s most notable design features include a main saloon terrace that opens up the interior to the sea below and a dining area that harmonises seamlessly with the after deck. This four-deck yacht can accommodate up to 10 guests and a crew of six.

PRESTIGE 630

Founded in 1989, Prestige (no relation to this magazine, unfortunately for us) creates exceptional flybridge and sport yachts. These are exemplified by the Prestige 630, a 19-metre-long showcase of sleek French engineering that’s powered by a pair of Volvo Penta IPS950 diesels, which help it attain a maximum speed of 28 knots. The deck area features a generous foredeck sun pad and ample seating. The wrap-around galley with a cockpit bar is outfitted with a Corian worktop with a three‑zone induction cooktop. Accessed via a private stairway, the master stateroom has a spacious closet and an en-suite bathroom. There’s also a luxurious stateroom with skylight, and a small guest stateroom for two.

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FERRETTI 920

SILENT 55

The Silent 55 is built by Austrian company Silent Yachts, which is claimed to be the world’s first and only producer of ocean‑going, solar-powered catamarans. With 30 high-efficiency solar panels rated for approximately 10kW peak, this 16.7-metre-long vessel can cruise efficiently and silently for up to 160km each day – and for weeks on end. Large port lights and flush deck hatches admit natural light into the spacious interior, which is centred on a shared on-board space. The 40-square-metre saloon, helm and galley area encompasses a spacious cockpit sheltered by a large hardtop overhang, and offers enormous open foredeck space.

The state-of-the-art flybridge Ferretti 920 can cruise at speeds of up to 26 knots and attain a 30knot maximum. This 28.5-metre-long yacht offers exterior spaces with appointments by the renowned Italian company Roda, which specialises in outdoor furniture. The 920 accommodates up to 20 guests, and the bow is larger than on any other Ferretti vessel of this size. Look within and you’ll find a lounge resplendent in exquisite walnut and chocolate tones, with furnishings by Minotti. Below, enamelled accents and fine leather prevail. A range of layouts are available for the lower deck, including a configuration of three large en-suite cabins.

AZIMUT 55

The 16.9-metre-long Azimut 55 is the personification of sleek elegance. Its luxurious interior accents include grey zebrawood, dark oak, glossy black lacquer, and inserts in bronze and steel. The forward area of the galley can be outfitted as a storage or bar space, while the sleeping areas comprise three double cabins, with a variety of premium wood finishes providing a cosy, classy ambience. With its hull, deck and prevalent structure built from sandwich panels with PVC cores, for maximum rigidity and impact resistance, and a pair of 800mhp MAN diesels, the 55 can achieve a maximum speed of 31 knots.

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ROLEX TESTIMONEE DOMINIC THIEM IN ACTION AT ROLAND-GARROS 2019

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FOURTH TIME’S A CHARM

ROLEX CEMENTS ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH INTERNATIONAL TENNIS, BECOMING A PREMIUM PARTNER OF ROLAND-GARROS AND THUS, OFFICIAL TIMEKEEPER OF ALL FOUR GRAND SLAMS. TAMA LUNG HEADS TO PARIS FOR THIS YEAR’S TOURNAMENT

t’s a cold and blustery afternoon in Paris when two giants of tennis, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, walk on to Court Philippe-Chatrier and prepare to battle for a place in the final of Roland-Garros. The spectators roar, the linesmen take their places, gusts of wind toss clay around the court and up into the stands, and two hours, 25 minutes later Nadal emerges victorious with a score of 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. World No 2 Nadal would go on to defeat World No 4 Dominic Thiem in four sets to win a record-breaking 12th French Open championship, making the 33-year-old the first player to win a dozen singles titles at one grand slam tournament. Few would argue that Roland-Garros belongs to Rafael Nadal. And this year, for the first time, its timekeeping system belongs to Rolex. The 2019 edition, held from May 20 to June 9, marked the Swiss watch manufacture’s inaugural year as Roland-Garros’s premium partner, official timekeeper and official watch.

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THE SLOW-PACED SURFACE CAN RESULT IN LONG, TOUGH RALLIES Rolex, it seemed, felt right at home. From the classic Rolex clock displayed atop Court Suzanne Lenglen to the match timers alongside every clay court, the brand was indeed front and centre. Its ambassadors, or testimonees as they’re known, were also well represented at this year’s tournament as they have been in years past. Besides Federer and Thiem, sixth-ranked Stefano Tsitsipas advanced to the fourth round in men’s singles while seventh-ranked, and 2018 French Open finalist, Sloane Stephens advanced to the quarter-finals in women’s singles. Other Rolex testimonees who have excelled at Roland-Garros include 2016 women’s champion Garbine Muguruza and 2017 women’s champion Jelena Ostapenko as well as tennis greats and former champs Björn Borg, Jim Courier, Chris Evert and Justine Henin. Rolex has long been associated with tennis, thanks in large part to its founder Hans Wilsdorf ’s passion for excellence in everything from sports to the performing arts. The brand’s partnership with professional tennis, however, started in 1978 when it became the official timekeeper of The Championships at Wimbledon (taking place this year from July 1 to 14). Over the decades it would sponsor other prestigious events, including the Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters and Rolex Shanghai Masters, until this year when it scored its own grand slam by becoming official timekeeper of all four major tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open. The French Open, officially known as Roland-Garros, holds particular significance as the only grand slam played on clay. The slow-paced surface can result in long, tough rallies that require both physical and mental strength. The tournament’s longest match, and third-longest in grand slam history, was a six-hour, 33-minute duel between Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément that took place at Court Suzanne Lenglen in 2004. The match had to be played over two days and resulted in Santoro winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 3-6, 16-14.

While this year saw a few two-day matches, due to darkness and rain delays, the tournament was historic for other reasons. Besides the partnership with Rolex, 2019 also saw the debut of a brand-new centre court. Court PhilippeChatrier was knocked down and reconstructed in the year since the previous finals, with a more modern look, more comfortable seats and new spaces for players beneath the stands. A retractable roof is set to be completed in time for Roland-Garros 2020. Other parts of the grounds, meanwhile, were given a garden-inspired makeover with newly constructed greenhouses featuring plants from South America, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia that surround the semi-sunken Simonne-Mathieu show court on all sides. The unique 5,000-seat court unites Roland-Garros and the centuriesold botanical garden Jardin des Serres d’Auteuil next door in a fresh new way. Indeed, this year’s tournament was a testament to the new – new partner, new centre court, new growth – with one big exception: enduring champion Rafael Nadal. Rolex, and tennis fans worldwide, will be counting the minutes until he returns to try for a record 13th title.

OPPOSITE: ROGER FEDERER SERVES TO LORENZO SONEGO AT COURT PHILIPPE-CHATRIER BELOW: QUARTER-FINALIST SLOANE STEPHENS

A MATCH MADE IN PARIS THE PENINSULA HOTEL PROVIDES EASY ACCESS TO ROLAND-GARROS AND LUXURIOUS ACCOMMODATIONS TO BOOT

A stone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe and just 10 minutes by car from Roland-Garros, The Peninsula Paris is the perfect jumping-off point for tennis fans, keen tourists and even professional players — we spotted the legendary Serena Williams and family enjoying breakfast in the ornate dining room of Le Lobby a few times during our stay. The grand building in the elegant 16th arrondisement debuted as the aptly named Hotel Majestic in 1908 and was the first in the city to offer guests private bathrooms. Over the years, it has been the site of such historic events as the founding of the League of Nations and the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. Besides Williams, famous guests have included James Joyce, Marcel Proust, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky and George Gershwin, who composed An American in Paris during his nearly one-month stay. Before opening as The Peninsula Paris in 2014, the hotel underwent a four-year renovation that required the work of 20 stonemasons, the placement of more than 100,000 handcrafted slate roof tiles and the creation of 800 hand-blown crystal leaves for the bespoke lobby chandelier. The 200 guestrooms include 86 suites, while the six onsite restaurants provide fine French, Cantonese and casual bistro fare. Also not to be missed is The Peninsula Spa with its 20-metre indoor pool and aromatherapy steam rooms. 19 Avenue Kléber, Paris, France peninsula.com

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RICHARD MADDEN

DITA VON TEESE

CHOPARD

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

SUI HE AND MARIA BORGES

CAROLINE SCHEUFELE AND PETRA NEMCOVA ADRIEN BRODY, KELSEY EVENSON AND DJ CASSIDY

What? Proud partner of the Cannes International Film Festival since 1998, Chopard assembled a dazzling array of actors, entertainers and all-around party people for its annual extraganza hosted by co-president Caroline Scheufele. Star struck: With the universal theme of “Love”, which also happens to be the theme of the maison’s latest Red Carpet Collection, the soirée drew some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Julianne Moore, Cannes jury member Elle Fanning, and Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas.

ANNE WANG LIU AND JOSEPHINE CHIU

CHRISTIE’S

ALL THE RAJ What? Christie’s hosted a private dinner at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong’s Pool House following its Maharajas & Mughal Magniﬁcence exhibition, when the auction house presented almost 400 objects, gemstones and items of jewellery, showcasing ﬁne Indian craftmanship from the age of the Maharajas to the present day. Arabian nights: It was only natural that Hong Kong royalty show up and, sure enough, we spotted Pansy Ho, Ming Ho-Tang, Emily Lam and mother Lynn Hsieh at the event. KENIX KWOK LAM

PANSY HO

LYNN XIONG KWOK

JENNY LAM AND KAREN LI LAU

CHELSEA CHAU AND CANDICE CHAN CHAO LYNN HSIEH AND EMILY LAM HO

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RS VP DEREK BLASBERG AND DASHA ZHUKOVA

MARIA GRAZIA CHIURI KARLIE KLOSS

DIOR

SHALL WE DANCE?

SIENNA MILLER

What? Dior’s lavish Tiepolo Ball was held amid ancient frescoes in the ballroom of the Palazzo Labia in Venice. Masked celebrities and socialites came dressed in their costumed ﬁnest, arriving by gondola along the city’s famed canals. Held to celebrate the opening of the Venice Biennale, all agreed the party was one for the ages. Suited and booted: At the charity event – co-hosted with the Venetian Heritage Foundation – Dior dressed its usual retinue of stars, including standouts Tilda Swinton, Karlie Kloss and Sienna Miller. TILDA SWINTON AND TOTO BERGAMO ROSSI

MICKEY RIAD VALENTINA MARINI, PETER MARINO, CLARELLI AND AMYN AGA KHAN

YUYU ZHANGZOU AND QIAOXIN

RIISA NAKA AND AKIYOSHI NAKAO

DAVIKA HOORNE

FENDI

WHEN IN ROME What? Fendi held its Roma in Shanghai party at the Powerlong Museum, where it also showed its autumn/winter 2019 collection. For the occasion, the Italian brand recreated Roman sights, such as the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana and the Trinita dei Monti – all custom-built for one night only. And if you were wondering whether it was groovy enough for millennials, there was a digital graffiti wall to up the party’s cool factor. Red flag flying: China’s most glamorous – from Gong Li to Timmy Xu – showed up to sip cocktails and ride on the interactive Vespas. YANGYANG, TEN AND N LUCAS

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RS VP CASTRO SMITH

NATALYA XAVIER, AMANDA STRANG AND TRINO VERKADE

JOYCE

IVAN LUI AND FAYE TSUI

BANDE TOGETHER What? Joyce partnered with the Sarabande Foundation, a legacy of Lee Alexander McQueen, to showcase a select group of the foundation’s most promising artists, designers and jewellers. The artists were asked to make site-speciﬁc creations and the city’s artistically inclined were able to take in live painting demonstrations and choose custom engraved jewellery. The cool crowd: Several of the city’s culture vultures showed up in their Sunday best and mingled with the artists, while nodding appreciatively at the art and the fashions.

KAYLA WONG JOSHUA BEATY

SAELIE APARICIO

NANCY FUNG AND LAUREN KHOO

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DICKSON YU

NANA OU-YANG AND MIN-HYUN HWANG ANGIE NG

MONCLER

PUFFED UP What? The eighth project in the Moncler Genius line-up, the Moncler Palm Angels collection was launched with a celebration at the brand’s Canton Road store. True to artistic director Francesco Ragazzi’s aesthetic, street cool was taken indoors at the party with an art wall showcasing the Palm Angels’ collaboration with artist Will Dorner as well as the brand’s own photo shoot. Feel the beats: Kevin Poon was at the spinning table throughout the night DJ-ing for the crowd, which counted among its number fashion cool kids Nana Ou-Yang and Min-Hyun Hwang.

IVAN LUI

DOROTHY HUI, JESSIE LI AND UTAH LEE

AMBER TSUI AND CHRIS CHO

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DRINKING STARS

When jon wall travels to the Big Island of Hawaii for a first taste of Dom Pérignon’s magnificent Vintage 2002 Plénitude 2, he discovers that his journey is equally about experiencing a special moment in time

s my toes sink into the soft sand and the clear water of the Pacific laps at my ankles, a warm wind gusts off the ocean, snatching at my clothes and hair. Overhead, and stretching off towards eternity in every direction, the night sky is brighter and more densely packed with stars than I can recall ever seeing – so many tiny pinpoints of light, in fact, that they and what we imagine to be the dark emptiness of space have merged into a vast and glittering gauze. And just in case we’ve found this display of celestial magnificence insufficiently breathtaking, nature obligingly steps in with yet another spectacular diversion as a thunderstorm sparks a sustained barrage of lightning flashes within a billowing tower of cumulonimbus far away to the south. And that’s precisely the moment when I raise my glass, inhale the enticing bouquet and then take my first sip of Vintage 2002 Plénitude 2. If I’d been wondering exactly why the great French house of Moët & Chandon had decided to travel halfway round the world to release the second, Plénitude 2 (P2) incarnation of its 2002-vintage, prestige-cuvée Dom Pérignon champagne, it all becomes as sparklingly clear as the delicate bubbles in the foaming liquid I’m now savouring. Cellared for more than 16 years, which is roughly twice as long as for the first release of what’s already acknowledged as being one of the most exceptional Dom Pérignon vintages of modern times, the 2002 P2 is a wine of such

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astonishing opulence, depth and maturity (yet incredibly balanced by a floral lightness and freshness) that – just as the Benedictine monk for whom it’s named is said to have exclaimed way back in the 17th century – it’s like “tasting the stars”. So where better to savour that extra-terrestrial experience than here, under that self-same sky, while standing on a beach on the Big Island of Hawaii, a great lump of land formed by the restless energy of at least five separate volcanoes? In a state of ceaseless transformation, from eruptions, earthquakes and tsunami, this is a place where the very act of creation can be witnessed on an almost daily basis. At the island’s heart is the dormant Mauna Kea, whose 4,200-metre height above sea level belies the fact that, when measured from its base on the ocean floor, it’s easily the tallest mountain on Earth. Its neighbouring peak, the still-active and only marginally shorter Mauna Loa, can claim its own superlative, being by any standard of measurement the world’s biggest subaerial volcano. Stranded far out in the Pacific more than 3,600 kilometres from the nearest landmass, close to the Equator and with negligible light pollution, Hawaii is also considered such an ideal location for astronomical study that 14 major observatories have been established there. One of them, the WM Keck on Mauna Kea, houses the largest infrared and optical telescopes in the world.

IND U L GE N CE

As I’ve said, we’re almost as far from the Champagne region’s fabled vineyards and cellars as it’s possible to get, but Dom Pérignon’s engagingly passionate chef de cave, Vincent Chaperon, is in his element. Earlier in the day, a mid-April storm and heavy snowfall on Mauna Kea may have forced us to cancel our visit to the mountain’s summit, but no matter. Instead we’d driven in a convoy of black Cadillac SUVs to a lava field beside the ocean where, utterly unfazed, Chaperon presided over a masterfully improvised tasting of the 2008 vintage and luncheon, sitting on a field of glistening black rock against a vivid blue ocean as if this had been planned all along. Alongside an impressively corpulent Hawaiian matron, who regaled us with island birth myths, he welcomed us. “A few years ago,” he declared, “we had the idea that Hawaii was the perfect place of correspondence with Dom Pérignon. Why? Because this is a place of permanent creation. It resonates with energy – the energy of life and the energy of the universe. So this encounter between Dom Pérignon and Hawaii is really about building bridges between Earth and sky, between past and present, and between intimacy and universality. What we’re going to experience in the next two days is what happened when Dom Pierre Pérignon first opened the wine and said he was drinking stars. “At Dom Pérignon, we strive to create the perfect harmony through the blend [which is always of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes] and through the maturation. It’s a vintage only, so we feel as if we’re working with – or fighting against – nature every year. You’ve seen that nature is so strong here – we’ve had to change our programme because the wind is blowing or because there’s snow at Mauna Kea. And that’s exactly what we’re living every year during the vintage.” During the ensuing 36 hours, our quest for multiple reenactments of Dom Pierre’s magical moment takes us hither and thither on the Big Island. After our solo tasting of Vintage 2002 Plénitude P2 on the sand at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, we adjourn for a contemporary interpretation of a Hawaiian luau feast, one that’s nonetheless replete with the obligatory raw-fish poke, exquisitely tender kalua pig – cooked for hours in an underground oven – and creamy poi sauce, though with Dom Pérignon as a rather more sophisticated substitute for traditional jugs of beer. Next morning, and notwithstanding the umpteen bottles of champagne we’d consumed the night before, we depart – and feeling unaccountably clear headed at that – for Kona-Kailua airport and a fleet of helicopters parked waiting for us on the apron. After the usual weigh-in and safety briefing, we’re safely strapped in and off and up we go, tracking straight along the arid northwest coast, the sea sparkling turquoise beneath us and the cloud-covered mass of Mauna Kea looming over to our right. Our destination is Hilo, on the island’s opposite side, but first there’s an aerial exploration of the spectacular canyons of the northeast. So we

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“We’re not just winemakers – what we want is to share moments with people” – Dom Pérignon chef de cave Vincent Chaperon

turn inland and fly over high green pastures before dropping down into a world of dense tropical greenery; in less than 10 minutes we’ve crossed from one climatic zone into another that could almost be its opposite. Against the canyons’ steep rain-forested walls, over which waterfalls spill hundreds of metres down into the surf that crashes on to black rocks far below, our weaving, hovering helicopters appear as fragile and insubstantial as dragonflies. We’re buffeted by wind and squally rain showers, and though from this altitude the views from the cabin are thrillingly dramatic we can’t help but feel vulnerable and tiny as we’re tossed about above such inhospitable terrain. Back on the ground we board our convoy of SUVs yet again, just as dark rain clouds unload their watery cargo in torrents – no wonder it’s so lush and green on this side of the island. We’re heading for another tasting of six Dom Pérignon vintages, including three P2s – 1998, 2000 and 2002 – which Chaperon, with his characteristic flair for the unusual, has decided to conduct beneath the ground in a lava tube. And that’s where we find ourselves, holding an umbrella in one hand (the rainwater seeps straight through the porous rock and on to our heads) and a champagne glass in the other, as we sip our way through a flight of six wines, each in its own way as remarkable and delightful as the next. It’s hard to identify a favourite – indeed, there’s no right answer – but if I were forced to make a choice it would probably be the ’98 P2, a wine that’s as beguiling, fulsome and majestic as I’ve ever tasted. Dressed for dinner, we drive out to our final stop on this journey of discovery, a lone villa on the Kona shoreline where we sit in a great circle beneath searchlights that probe the heavens. We’ve had moments of wonder and pleasure, and this is a time for friendship – though the chef de cave still has one more trick up his sleeve. Our meal over, we’re led out on to rocks, which are lit in the gentle glow of more than 2,000 red orbs scattered around the shore. Here we recline on divans and, to a dreamy discourse from an astronomer who’s joined us, are invited to join him in a lengthy contemplation of the cosmos – with an unobtrusive army of waiters on hand to ensure our champagne glasses are never empty. And if you’re still wondering what, exactly, all this has to do with the second release of Dom Pérignon’s 2002 vintage, which in its Plénitude 2 manifestation is even more luxurious than the first, I’ll leave the final word to the man behind it. “It’s the vision of Dom Pérignon to reach emotion through harmony,” says Chaperon. “At the end of the day, we’re not just winemakers – what we want very deeply is to share moments with people. “So this is a way to create moments, to create experiences, just as we’re doing together here. These moments of intensity don’t just build milestones in our lives, but they’re also going to carry us into the future.” And I’ll raise my glass to that.

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RISEN FROM THE ASHES WITH ITS SPLENDID MUSEUMS, HISTORIC PALACES, LEAFY AVENUES, VAST PLAZAS AND GOURMET RESTAURANTS, ALL BUILT ON THE SITE OF AN ANCIENT AZTEC CAPITAL, MEXICO CITY HAS THE VERVE AND CULTURAL PANACHE TO BE MENTIONED IN THE SAME BREATH AS THE WORLD’S GREAT CITIES. CHARUKESI RAMADURAI TAKES A TOUR

hen I mention my plan to spend a few days exploring Mexico City on my own, the general reaction is one of concern. What about safety? What about the warring drug cartels, ask friends and family. So by the time I check into my hipster hotel in the central historic neighbourhood of Zocalo, all my senses are on high alert. My first reassurance comes from the hotel clerk who laughs at my questions. “On some days, we have more cops than tourists on the streets,” he says. Sure enough, in Mexico City, I find not just oodles of colour and culture (as expected), but also warmth and friendliness from the most unexpected sources. From the lady at the street market who leaves her stall unattended to take me all the way to the nearest train station. From the ticket seller at the Palacio de Bellas Artes who lets me in five minutes after closing time, simply because I’m leaving town the next day and can’t bear to miss this stunning museum. And from the young man at the taco stand who offers me generous tastings when I hesitate over unfamiliar ingredients such as huitlacoche (fungal growth on ears of corn) and nopales (the flesh of the prickly pear cactus). Even at first sight, Zocalo reminds me of Europe. The open plaza at the heart of the city was built by the Spanish conquerors over what was once the Aztec city of Tenochtitlán. The square is now lined with magnificent palaces that serve as the seat of local and national political administration, ruins from several centuries ago that once housed both religious temples and sacrificial sites, and a huge cathedral that eclectically marries architectural styles from different periods. In turn, these rub shoulders with bars and cafes that are buzzing

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BEAUTIFUL TILEWORK ON THE FACADE OF THE 18TH-CENTURY CASA DE LOS AZULEJOS

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: THE PALACIO DE BELLAS ARTES; A FRESCO BY DIEGO RIVERA IN THE PALACIO NACIONAL; GET THE BEST CHURROS AT EL MORO; A PEGASUS SCULPTURE BY AGUSTÍ QUEROL SUBIRATS AT THE PALACIO DE BELLAS ARTES

with boisterous tourists, high on mezcal or life – or quite possibly both. At my first stop, the Palacio Nacional, there are more than a dozen security guards in ceremonial uniform strutting about the premises. I imagine they are there to protect the important politicians who work in these offices. But the tourists who throng this 16th-century palace are not here for a glimpse of the Mexican president, but for a look at artist Diego Rivera’s vibrant murals that spread across the winding staircase and corridor walls of the Grand Courtyard building. Painted between 1929 and 1935, they showcase the ancient and modern history of Mexico. Gawping at the brilliance of these stories expressed through art, I’m once again struck by the fact that all this is available for free. In fact, that defines my Mexico City experience in a nutshell: a wealth of artistic and cultural riches strewn right across the city. Some of them are hidden inside imposing, even intimidating, façades such as the white‑marble, high-domed Palacio de Bellas Artes, where murals coexist with a concert hall, an arts centre and an architecture museum. And

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others, such as the Museo Frida Kahlo, halfway across town, are small and charming, drawing eager devotees and curious visitors alike. Popularly known as Casa Azul, this museum is an ode to the private life as well as the evocative art of the gifted but troubled artist who was married to Diego Rivera while pursuing a liaison with Leon Trotsky. In this city, the air seems to be perpetually filled with the sounds of jazz and peppy salsa in equal measure. A walk along the pedestrian-only shopping street of Avenida Francisco I. Madero, or simply Madero, is a great way to get a sense of how locals eat, shop and shoot the breeze. Strolling along lazily one evening, I take quick detours into the lanes branching off the main avenue to admire the blue-and-white tiles on the outer walls of the Casa de los Azulejos mansion, and the grand staircases, gleaming marble floors and gilded dome ceiling at the 112-year-old Palacio de Correos de México – even the main post office occupies a former palace in this city with a surprise at every corner. All these apart, Mexico City’s greatest cultural offering is perhaps the

A WALK ALONG THE PEDESTRIAN-ONLY MADERO IS A GREAT WAY TO GET A SENSE OF HOW LOCALS EAT, SHOP AND SHOOT THE BREEZE Museo Nacional de Antropologia, a sprawling complex where an entire day is simply not enough to check out the priceless collections of Mexican and Latin American art and artefacts from across the centuries. The highlights here include the impressive Aztec sun stone, Piedra del Sol, which weighs nearly 25 tonnes, and a replica of the resplendent feathered crown of Aztec ruler Moctezuma II. The exhibits spill outside into the museum gardens, where ancient temples and piazzas have been recreated with great care. In my short time in Mexico City, I also discover that food is as much a part of its cultural fabric as the art museums and the baroque cathedrals. Creative chefs who are giving traditional Mexican cuisine a global twist are considered artists in their own right, and are as revered as politicians

and poets. And as many people queue up in front of restaurants such as Enrique Olveraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pujol and Jorge Vallejoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Quintonil, as along roadside taquerias and churrerias. Mexico City is a place to explore at your own pace. For the young and the restless, there are the mezcal dive bars and the sports stadiums, the hipster boutiques and the vegan cafes; for travellers who wish to savour the city slowly, there are the 150-plus museums, the public parks and gardens, and the gondolas in the Xochimilco borough. People have been squabbling for a while over whether Mexico City is the next Paris or the next New York. Meanwhile, it marches on, heedless of these speculations, carving a stylish niche of its own in Latin America.

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THE BARREL ROOM AT ALMAVIVA IN PUENTE ALTO, MAIPO. THE 2017 IS A SENSATION, SCORING 100 POINTS

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CALIENTE Y FRÍO After tasting 1,200 wines from Chile’s blazing 2017, jack and james suckling report on the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of this increasingly important wine country

he sun is beginning to caress the reddish horizon and, as the light flickers and fades, the sheer Andean rock face that rises almost immediately behind the small winery turns from gold to cream. Further down, a creek cuts this horseshoe of hills in two, revealing an amphitheatre of vineyards looking out across the Central Valley of Chile. This is Cachapoal, not nearly as fashionable or wellknown as some of Chile’s other wine regions such as Colchagua or Maipo, but about as close as it gets to pure mountain territory, with fascinating wines too. Inside the winery, winemaker Gabriel Mustakis draws some wine from Gamba & Stockinger botte – large oak casks traditionally used in Italian wine. “I’ve been trying to cut back on new barrels to better express the fruit,” he explains. Each micro-parcel we sample shows marked differences, a result of the multitude of exposures and soils the terroir here offers, ranging from steep, granite slopes to flatter, gravelly piedmonts. Yet this is no boutique winery. It’s the fine winemaking arm of Viña San Pedro, Chile’s second largest producer and a behemoth in the South American wine industry. Its bustling main production facility in Molina, Curicó, is more akin to an Amazon warehouse, with giant trucks servicing the sprawling aluminium complex day in, day out. Some even say its holdings there occupy the largest continuous expanse of vineyards on Planet Wine.

It’s impressive that the likes of San Pedro are able to diversify their businesses and increasingly give free rein to their premium divisions. But it does illustrate the huge divide between quality and purely price-focused wines. “The top end of the Chilean wine market, the ultrapremium sector, is growing well at around 15 percent a year,” says Eduardo Chadwick, president of Viña Errázuriz and the maker of some of Chile’s most famous premium wines, such as Seña and Viña Chadwick. “But the entrylevel wines are falling in revenue by about the same amount. This is pushing down grape prices in some cases to 50 US cents a kilo or even lower. We’re having to uproot thousands of hectares of vineyards. We’re so export-driven and have often focused on the wrong markets. Chile still has a huge image problem.” With many wineries having to accept a pittance for their wines, it’s hardly surprising that many are flailing. In our tastings of more than 1,200 wines mostly from the 2016 and 2017 vintages, we felt that quality was a mixed bag. The exciting aspect is how many are trying new things to express the terroir better. Take Felipe Tosso, the enthusiastic head winemaker of Ventisquero, who’s begun to make wines in the Atacama Desert: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot and Syrah. These seem to be, at first glance, the wrong varieties for an arid, hostile environment, even if you accept that wine can be made in an area that’s closer to the Equator than Cairo and is lucky to see any rainfall at all during the year. Yet, amazingly, the wines are fresh and vivid, displaying a subtle, earthy texture unlike anything else we experience during our three-week trip through Chile. “The vineyard is very close to the coast, which provides a moderating influence,” Tosso says. “I do admit that the extreme salinity and lack of water means winemaking is extremely challenging. But the calcium-rich soils are unparalleled in Chile, and that’s why we’re determined to make it work.” The Humboldt Current, the cool ocean influence that makes its way thousands of miles up the coast of Chile, is what makes viticulture possible in the country’s northern agricultural extremities. Its effect is particularly pronounced

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as the coastal range doesn’t extend that far up the country, at times giving way to tame rolling hills and plateaus. Even the country’s biggest player, Concha y Toro, has been exploiting these windswept territories for some time. Around 300 kilometres south of Atacama (a stone’s throw by Chilean standards), the company is making superb Chardonnay from a vineyard called Quebrada Seca in Limarí. The whites from these clayey soils, above a bedrock of limestone, always come with an unexpected minerality and vibrancy to counterbalance the riper notes induced by the high levels of sunlight here. Of course, innovation doesn’t need to be extreme. The best wines in Chile are still those being made in the traditional appellations – Maipo and Colchagua. As for the vintage of 2017, it will be remembered by most as the year in which forest fires brought widespread devastation to the wine industry and the nation at large. More than 500,000 hectares of land burned. Even now, as you pass up and down the country, charred stumps and burnt-out habitations are a sober reminder of the power wielded by Mother Nature. A small number of samples submitted did also show evidence of smoke taint. This said, much of the wine made that year is exciting, particularly in the Maipo Valley. The best 2017s are ripe and powerful but incredibly structured with firm tannin backbones. Indeed, we gave 100-point scores to both

RED-HOT CHILEANS THE SUCKLINGS’ TOP CHILEAN TIPPLES

ALMAVIVA PUENTE ALTO 2017 SCORE: 100

The aromas of blackberry leaves and iodine are wild and exotic here, with mussel shells and earth underneath. Full-bodied, tight and chewy with powerful tannins that show muscle. It’s structured and powerful. Dense and very, very deep. Don’t touch this until 2025.

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ON LEFT: CAPTION AVENIR NEXT REGULAR ALL CAPS 6PT XXXXXXXXXX

VIÑEDO CHADWICK CABERNET SAUVIGNON VALLE DE MAIPO 2017 SCORE: 100

The pure fruit and juicy tannins are so succulent and enticing. Full body and soft, silky tannins. Complete. Everything is where it should be. Ripe fruit and tangy acidity provide energy and balance. Love the ﬁnish. Precise and ﬁne-grained texture. Cabernet Sauvignon with a touch of Petit Verdot. Try after 2023. 800 cases made.

SEÑA VALLE DE ACONCAGUA 2017 SCORE: 99

The aromas of blackberries, cedar, sandalwood and black tea are compelling. Black olives. Rosemary and sage undertones. Full-bodied, rich and powerful Seña with impressive and powerful tannins, yet harmony and balance. Fruitforward. Lightly chewy. Fresh and energetic wine in a hot year. Broadshouldered. Drink after 2022.

coming close behind with 99 points. These three properties, which are adjacent to each other and were once under the same ownership, clearly benefited in this hotter year from the cooling influence of the Maipo Canyon, not to mention their gravelly and rocky soils near the Maipo River. There’s a concerted movement to differentiate and highlight all the various microclimates, varieties and soils that exist up and down the country. This renaissance to prove that Chile is more than just Cabernet and Carmenere began more than a decade ago among the country’s larger producers and included ventures such as Undurraga’s Terroir Hunter and Lapostolle’s Collection series. Emily Faulconer, technical director at Santa Rita’s Carmen winery in Maipo, is just one of many taking their cues from these pioneers. She’s a woman on a mission to bring the forgotten grape types of Chile to a wider audience. One of the wines in her experimental range is a fantastic, floral blend of Carignan, Garnacha and País (Chile’s historic red grape, brought by Spanish missionaries) from a grower in Maule. The other is a delicate and expressive oldvine Semillon from Colchagua that – can you believe it? – used to go into bulk wine. She even makes a “natural wine” version with no sulphites, Florillón, that sits under flor for six months. “I think these wines are highly relevant and important to our culture,” Faulconer says. “They represent what happened historically to us. We can’t all be doing the same

VIÑA DON MELCHOR CABERNET SAUVIGNON PUENTE ALTO 2017 SCORE: 99

Fantastic aromas of blackcurrants and other dark fruit with crushed stone, iron and oysters, following through to a full body that shows incredible energy and depth, offering ripe yet fresh fruit, together with bright herbs and earth. Precision and balance of the intensity of the vintage. Layered. Perhaps the greatest Don Melchor ever made. Try after 2022.

NEYEN MALBEC VALLE DE COLCHAGUA ESPÍRITU DE APALTA LIMITED EDITION 2017 SCORE: 98

Another crazy rendition of this wine with ethereal pressed violets, lavender, hyacinth, tea leaves, bay leaf, acacia, bark, granite, iodine and who knows what else. Unbelievably fragrant on the medium- to fullbodied palate. Tannins are pure silk and caress the palate endlessly. Incredibly long on the ﬁnish. A stunning wine. Drink in 2024. Only 800 bottles made.

ABOVE: JACK SUCKLING TASTING AT MONTES WINERY IN APALTA, COLCHAGUA. LEFT: APALTA IS IN THE VERY CENTRE OF THE COLCHAGUA VALLEY, AND THIS VINEYARD IS WHERE MANY OF THE MONTES WINES ARE PRODUCED

thing. I understand how diﬃcult it is for these small vineyards and growers to exist. So that’s where wineries such as Carmen come in.” While numbers and strong ﬁnancial backing are vital to the operation of these small-lot projects, it’s the independents who remain the backbone of these initiatives. To see Chile beginning to push the boundaries of what’s possible is heart-warming. Quality needs to be paramount but that will only get better with time. See JamesSuckling.com for more reviews and tasting notes

POLKURA SYRAH MARCHIGUE VALLE DE COLCHAGUA SECANO (DRY FARMED) 2017 SCORE: 98

This imind-boggling Syrah has a nose more reminiscent of a white than a red and shows ethereal aromas of peaches, persimmon, milk chocolate, barley and Chinese plums. Polished and effortless, ﬂoating between layer upon layer of violets and lavender and then on to juicy but muscular tannins that keep the fruit long and nearly endless. Drink now or hold for a long time.

CONCHA Y TORO CABERNET SAUVIGNON VALLE DE MAIPO GRAVAS DEL MAIPO 2017 SCORE: 97

A very focused and stylish nose that shows newly picked blackcurrants, oyster shell, crushed stones and pressed violets. Full-bodied with very polished tannins, a tightly woven wall of tannins and a long, velvety ﬁnish. 85 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 percent Cabernet Franc, 3 percent Petit Verdot and 2 percent Merlot. Drink in 2024.

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PROMISED LAND THAILANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S CHIVA-SOM IS WIDELY CONSIDERED THE LEADING HEALTH AND WELLNESS RETREAT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND, AS TAMA LUNG DISCOVERS, FOR GOOD REASON

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C A THAI PAVILION SUITE OPPOSITE PAGE: LOUNGE SEATING NEXT TO THE TRANQUILITY POND

hiva-Som, in the seaside town of Hua Hin along the Gulf of Thailand, is the kind of place that’s talked about in hushed tones, a closely guarded secret shared only among the most trusted of friends and confidantes. Because it’s not a hotel. It’s not even a resort. No, Chiva-Som is – and literally translates as – a “haven of life”. The first I heard of this unique health and wellness retreat was from a Chinese entrepreneur and TV host who described escaping to “the little paradise” a few weeks each year for more than a decade. She said it was the only thing that kept her grounded amid her hard-charging career and fast-paced itinerant lifestyle. Ever since, I’ve been intrigued by this magical-sounding land of healing. At long last – and just a few weeks before it closed for the fourth and final stage of its sweeping renovation – I made it to Chiva-Som and learned what all the fuss is about.

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CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: ENJOYING A CHIVA-SOM THAI MASSAGE; THE JUICE BAR; FRESH AND FLAVOURFUL WELLNESS CUISINE; INSIDE A THAI PAVILION SUITE

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After the three-hour drive south from Bangkok, we approach the entrance to the resort on one of Hua Hin’s main thoroughfares. It isn’t quite the secret passageway I was expecting, but once inside it all starts to make sense. Chiva-Som occupies what was once the weekend retreat of founder Boonchu Rojanastien, who demolished his private home to create a place for family and friends to relax, recharge and “enjoy life”. Over the years, Rojanastien and his family added to the resort’s offerings and began to welcome people from the world over looking to find their way on the path to wellness. Last year, the resort closed for six months to allow for the renovation of the guest rooms, gym and restaurant The Emerald Room. After closing again in May, it will reopen October 15 with a refreshed health and wellness area, indoor bathing pavilion, Niranlada Medi-Spa and Taste of Siam restaurant. The first person to greet me, and presumably all guests at Chiva-Som, is general manager Vaipanya Kongkwanyuen. VP, as most people call him, was the director of food and beverage back in the 1994 pre-opening phase and went to work at several Aman properties before returning home last year. The much-loved fixture of the resort can often be seen greeting guests as if they’re old friends, which in most cases they actually are. “More than half of our guests are repeat customers,” VP tells me proudly. While I can certainly appreciate the beauty of the surroundings and the comfort of my one-bedroom villa – one of 54 units that range from newly renovated Ocean Rooms and Suites to traditional Thai Pavilions – I can’t help but wonder what keeps guests coming back year after year. Apart from a handful of families with teenagers (the minimum age here is 16), most of the guests appear to be older couples from countries such as Germany, Russia, Australia and the UK. Soon after I’m settled in, however, I begin to understand. First up, a health and wellness consultation with my appointed advisor. Ann patiently explains the dozens of programmes based on Chiva-Som’s six modalities: Spa, Fitness, Nutrition, Physiotherapy, Holistic Health and Aesthetic Beauty. Options vary from a minimum of three nights to 14 nights, each inclusive of daily wellness meals, fitness and leisure activities, and choice of massage or body polish. I settle on the Taste of Chiva-Som package, and select three spa treatments, two physio sessions and one fitness session to complement what looks to be an already full schedule.

Ann consults a colour-coded spreadsheet and sets out to book my stay almost down to the minute. It’s an impressive feat of juggling and scheduling, the results of which will be delivered to my room each morning so that all I have to do is show up at the designated place at the appointed time. The part I’m most excited about is the daily massages, a choice of Thai, foot, scalp, invigorating and Chiva-Som Signature, and they don’t disappoint. But the most eye-opening experiences lean more to the medical. Dr Jason Culp, an American naturopathic physician who’s been with Chiva-Som for five years, begins our mindfulness-based stressrelease session by placing a sensor on my finger and asking me to breathe normally for three minutes. Then he turns the computer monitor to reveal my heart-rate variability (HRV), which unfortunately signals that I’m a prime candidate for cardiovascular burnout and accelerated age-related diseases like dementia. But after Culp shows me a simple technique to slow down my breathing, my HRV improves dramatically and all of a sudden I feel like I’ve been granted a new lease on life. Equally enlightening is my session with a physiotherapist, who analyses my posture and stride before offering easy exercises that I can do each day to feel and look a thousand times better.

I’VE FULLY CONVERTED TO THIS HEALTHFUL WAY OF EATING

But my pursuit of wellness doesn’t end there. Chiva-Som has a strict digital detox policy, which forbids the use of devices in all public areas. Thankfully I became aware of the policy just before I was due to travel and bought a book at the airport, but the resort does provide a small library with reading material in various languages. The food, meanwhile, is designed to not only taste good but also provide a highly nutritious foundation for life-long health. Two restaurants and a lounge area serve a range of Thai and international cuisine, and various juices, tonics and herbal teas. What they don’t serve is caffeine after 12pm and alcohol before 6pm, and the latter at prices that are no doubt designed to deter all but the most die-hard of drinkers. The biggest surprise about the food is not how fresh and flavourful it is, but just how tiny the portions are. The first night I can’t help thinking I’ve been served a toddler meal by mistake when I see the miniscule mound of jasmine rice served alongside my baby bowl of red curry. But somehow I manage to get by without ordering seconds, and by the end of my three-day stay I’ve fully converted to this new and healthful way of eating. The drinking, of lack thereof, is a somewhat different story. Between the meals, massages, fitness classes, aesthetic treatments, water-therapy offerings and even a visit to the resort’s community mangrove project and one of its organic gardens, the days are so packed that I don’t even make it to the beach until the morning of my departure. I manage a short stroll from the gate next to the pool and encounter a few horseback riders when a rainstorm sweeps through and drenches us all within seconds. A bit of lazing on the beach would have been nice but I didn’t come to Chiva-Som to sunbathe or play in the surf. I came here to heal and to feel grounded, and I can always schedule in some beach therapy on my next visit, or the one after that, or the one after that...

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COMING IN FROM THE COLD Unsurpassed powder, exclusive accommodations and some of the tastiest Japanese delicacies around. tama lung makes tracks for Kiroro Resort, Hokkaido’s best-kept secret – for now

t’s the final night of our three-night stay at Kiroro Resort, on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido, and a soothing stillness descends along with the big, fluffy flakes of snow that have been falling almost non-stop since our arrival. With only two hotels tucked in the bowl of a small valley, Kiroro is a far cry from its bigger and busier neighbour Niseko. But not long after the sun sets and the entire valley becomes shrouded in darkness, cheers ring out as the sky lights up in a dazzling display of fireworks. Kiroro, it seems, has a lot to celebrate. The one-time corporate retreat for Japanese conglomerate Yamaha (whose chairman tasked his staff 25 years ago with locating the best snow in all of Japan) is attracting more and more visitors for its world-class skiing and snowboarding, Japanese-style hospitality and wide range of activities to keep the entire family entertained. And, as locals are quick to point out, the best powder in the entire world. It’s January when we visit and check in at The Kiroro, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, which served as Yamaha’s employee retreat before it was purchased by Thai developer Property Perfect and converted into a 282-room hotel. Property Perfect also owns the 140-room Sheraton a few minutes’ drive away, at the base of Kiroro’s twin mountains, and the Yu Kiroro condominium complex that’s due for completion

by the end of 2019. Just a 90-minute drive from New Chitose Airport, Kiroro also happens to be the closest ski resort to Otaru and Sapporo. After dropping our bags in the spacious double rooms situated around the hotel’s central atrium, it’s time for a tour of the facilities. As with most, if not all, Japanese hotels, there are various public bathing options including a smaller single bath inside the hotel and a larger complex that requires a brief walk outside but is rewarded with indoor and outdoor baths and – my favourite after a long day of skiing – massage chairs in the relaxation area.

OPPOSITE: KIRORO RESORT’S FAMOUS NIISA BELL RIGHT: FRESH POWDER ON THE HILLS SURROUNDING THE RESORT

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The Kiroro also has an arcade, small fitness room, outdoor-activities centre, arts and crafts room, piratethemed play area and makeshift town with bars and restaurants as well as a gear and souvenir shop. In winter, there’s a skating rink, snow park for kids and the Ice Star Resort bar/restaurant built entirely of ice. After learning about the weather systems that bring cold air from Siberia and across the Sea of Japan to deliver about 21 metres of snow annually in Kiroro (only after which they move on to Niseko), we can hardly wait to hit the slopes. With snow falling steadily for about 150 days a year – which means Kiroro has the added advantage of Japan’s longest ski season, from November to May and sometimes even stretching into June – there’s no need for artificial snow and no risk of avalanche. Once we’re geared up at the Mountain Center and equipped with a handy smart card that stores our sizes and lift passes, all that’s left to do is choose our first run. Kiroro comprises 22 groomed runs on Nagamine and Asari peaks, served by nine lifts (all covered except one) and a gondola. And the best part? Because this is Kiroro, and not Niseko or Nagano, we never have to wait in line. So we jump on the gondola that takes us to the summit of Asari Peak and kick things off with a photo op at the resort’s famous Niisa Bell, a local landmark that appeared in the Thai film One Day and is said to result in marriage for couples who ring the bell twice.

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The bell tower is also a fun way to see just how deep the snow is, which on the day we visited reached at least halfway up the 5.8-metre-high structure. But we came here to ski and for the rest of the day, that’s what we do. This being my first time skiing in Hokkaido – and first visit to the island since a three-month exchange programme in college – I had high hopes for its legendary powder. And, as it turns out, it’s legendary for a reason. At times I feel like I’m floating down a run, at others both relieved and surprised when what would normally be a patch of ice carved by previous skiers or boarders is nothing but smooth, packed powder.

With snow falling steadily for 150 days a year, there’s no need for artificial snow

FROM OPPOSITE, FAR LEFT: THE ROW OF RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS OUTSIDE THE KIRORO; THE COSY LOBBY AND ITS SOARING ATRIUM; TAKING IN THE SCENERY

Kiroro has a good mix of beginner and expert runs, plus extra snow features and banks for practice and tricks. For the more adventurous, it also has extensive off-piste offerings. Skiers must register with a Mountain Club, where they’re provided with safety equipment and tracking devices. Thanks to these measures and various checkpoints, it’s possible to find anyone lost or injured in the backcountry within 20 minutes. Off-piste skiing is certainly something to aspire to on our next visit, but after talking to the hotel staff and local residents we could be back even before the next ski season. Hokkaido is one of those rare places that can truly claim to be a year-round destination. From the lush beauty of spring (despite the lack of a rainy season) and the perfect hiking and golfing weather of summer, to the beautiful display of autumn colours (not to mention Japan’s biggest and best beer festival), and of course that powder in winter, the island satisfies all comers. And perhaps the best news I’ve heard: no mosquitoes.

Finally, and one of the main reasons people visit Japan, is the food. Hokkaido, I’m told by our Kiroro hosts, supplies most of the country’s foodstuff. It’s most famous for its seafood and dairy products but the island also produces some of the finest fruits, vegetables and speciality dishes such as ramen and jingisukan (the latter being the iconic grilled meat-and-veggie dish otherwise known as Genghis Khan). The restaurants at Kiroro, like the rest on the island, focus on serving the best of the season. For our winter visit, that means big, meaty king crab legs, colourful assortments of fresh-caught sashimi, thinly sliced pork belly for hot pot, and some incredible sake. As I’m lying back in my massage chair after a full day of feasting, snow-cat touring and snowshoeing, flakes continuing to fall silently outside, I wonder how I’m going to describe the Kiroro experience. And then I recall the words of the resort’s COO, Lothar Pehl: “You have to see it to believe it. It’s as simple as that.”

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BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME YU KIRORO, A SKI-IN SKI-OUT LUXURY CONDOMINIUM, IS THE FIRST OF MANY EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS AT KIRORO RESORT

Since acquiring the two hotels and ski resort at Kiroro in 2012, Property Perfect has set its sights on creating nothing less than “the premier alpine destination in Asia”. The next step in its master plan is Yu Kiroro, a 108-unit luxury condominium due for completion in December of this year. The six-storey building sits in between the Sheraton and Tribute hotels and will be connected to the slopes by a new combi lift/gondola serving all three buildings. It will also offer ski valet services, a family-friendly snow sports area, and natural indoor and outdoor hot-springs baths as well as standard amenities such as all-day dining and a fitness centre. Inside, the units range from one-bedroom (667 square feet), twobedroom (904-1,367 square feet) and-three bedroom (1,313-1,507 square feet), to a four-bedroom penthouse (2,874 square feet). Even the smallest units are suitable for long stays with full kitchens, washers and dryers, and all furniture and accessories provided. The design, meanwhile, is described as 70 percent alpine and 30 percent Japanese with muted colours, and wood and stone finishes. The penthouse

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also features a private outdoor bath and spacious entertaining areas. Yu Kiroro is just one part of Property’s Perfect long-term vision for the valley. The Thai company plans to develop an entire village with villas, townhouses and apartments centred around dining and shopping areas, a premium ski club for the winter and various outdoor activities year-round. With more and more visitors hailing from Thailand, China, Indonesia and the rest of the region, Hokkaido could well be on the cusp of an Asian ski boom. And if the 2020 Olympics raise the level of international tourism even further, Kiroro could well be perfectly positioned for its developers and investors alike. For more information on Yu Kiroro, including floor plans, property news and investment opportunities, see yukiroro.com. For information on Kiroro Resort, see kiroro.co.jp. Both properties are accessible from Sapporo’s New Chitose Airport, with non-stop flights from Hong Kong (roughly five hours) available from Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines.

CLOCKWISE FROM OPPOSITE: YU KIRORO — NAMED FOR THE AREA’S TWO MAJOR ATTRACTIONS, YUKI OR “SNOW” AND YU OR “ONSEN WATER” — WAS DESIGNED TO SIT IN HARMONY WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS; APARTMENTS COME FULLY FURNISHED; THE BUILDING SITS CLOSEST TO THE TRIBUTE HOTEL; ALL UNITS ARE FAMILY-FRIENDLY

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A FINE WEAVE Hand-sewn gowns by Chinese couturière Guo Pei are on display until mid-September in Singapore at the Guo Pei: Chinese Art and Couture exhibition, as part of the Asian Civilisations Museum’s Season of Chinese Art. Twentynine of her gowns, including the pearlembellished Dajin dress with gold-thread embroidery (pictured) that took more than 50,000 man‑hours to make, and the famous yellow gown worn by Rihanna to the 2015 Met Gala, are displayed alongside 20 Chinese art masterpieces from the museum’s collection, spurring visitors to explore the threads of tradition running through contemporary Chinese fashion. acm.org.sg

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