Sabyasachi's Western cuts

A while ago Sabya was in Hong Kong briefly as a capsule collection was sold in Lane Crawford - not sure if it still is. His eastern ethos in Western silhouette is.. interesting. Would work well for the Indian diaspora but would your average fashionista from the city sport it?! The millenials from Bollywood sure do it gloriously well...

Behind the scenes, outtake... final shot

The final shot that went to print - the lol-tastic outtake and the behind the scenes cast and crew. Was so much fun chatting with and doing a portrait of Julien-Loic Garin, head of Le French May in Hong Kong for Prestige Hong Kong's 40 under 40.

All portraits by Dino Busch, styled by Nina Ricardo. See the entire list and all the features at PrestigeOnline.com

Portrait of a Lady:

Prestige mini feature by me for a wonderful cause. 

This ran in Jan issue - more at PrestigeOnline.com

Eternal Elegance: Giorgio Armani Retrospective: Prestige exclusive

With subtle fabrics and understated colours, Giorgio Armani’s fashion creations are a testament to enduring design

Take any chapter in the rich history of Giorgio Armani and behold the timeless, seemingly effortless elegance that transcends the epoch his outfits were born into. In the ’70s he brought power dressing to leading ladies on screen (reflect on how he dressed Diane Keaton); in the ’80s he relaxed that silhouette with softer fabrics (sure, he worked the shoulder pads, but he made the jackets in velvet for Jodie Foster); in the ’90s, he singlehandedly transformed Oscar red-carpet dressing by eschewing Vegas-style-sequins, feathers and costume jewellery for aesthetically impeccable ensembles and diamonds. As he famously said of dressing leading ladies for the red carpet, “She will not regret what she is wearing when she looks at pictures of herself in the press the next day. Or even next year.”


Or even next decade, as hindsight now reveals. Armani refrained from being trendy, opting for classic. Fads meant nothing to him as he focused on the eternal, putting the pow into power dressing with his signature style. This season however, he’s gone for a gentler, ethereal silhouette.

Enhanced by the use of “liquid” fabrics and aquatic colours, the latest collection is based on an abstract inspiration: a game of refractions created by a ray of light on a body of water. To that end, Armani uses fine lines and materials for clothing that envelops the body and flows with the silhouette, resulting in an impression of soft and gentle elegance.

The liquid effect is reproduced in organza and translucent materials, blended together and overlapping, with ruffles and layers in subtle, delicate hues: metallic greys, silky pastels, pale blues, with touches of pinks and bright greens. The overall effect is one of iridescent and poetic elegance: fragility full of strength.


“Collection after collection, I hone the idea of soft elegance,” Armani says from his studio. “This season the challenge has been to transpose the mutability of the shape and colour of water into garments and accessories. I achieved this effect with subtle but firm fabrics, using linear constructions and a masterly play on lightweight overlays and glossy embroidery.”

On this journey, the Giorgio Armani woman finds strength in gossamer grace and apparent fragility. Armani was about power dressing. Now, he dresses the empowered.

armani.com


P.Ramakrishnan

How Now Brown Cow: Premium Beef in Hong Kong: Mayura Wagyu

Every few months, we get a newsbyte on premium beef, with the terms ‘artisanal’, ‘curated’, ‘exclusive’ thrown into the mix to try and wet our palate – none have worked as well as the invitation from The Steak House winebar + grill (at the InterContinental Hong Kong) to try the Mayura Wagyu from Australia, also known as Chocolate-Fed Wagyu. 

Mayura Wagyu is acclaimed for its signature sweet, rich flavour, resulting from the unique chocolate diet 100% of the Wagyu cattle are fed in their final stage of maturation. Introduced to Hong Kong by Scott de Bruin, Mayura Station's managing director, under the magical hands of Executive Chef Maxime Luvara and Steak House Chef Chiu Ming Chan, their perennial quest for the ”best of the best” beef from artisanal (there's that word again!) farms around the world has resulted in aces. Such tender lovin’ steak we haven’t sampled in years as it was pure love at first bite. 

From now until 30 April 2019, you can get a taste of this unique and exceptional Wagyu prepared expertly by Chef Chiu Ming Chan over the restaurant’s charcoal grill.

The 'it' Gals of Hong Kong, 2019

YSL Beauté unveiled a leather version of its Le Cushion Encre de Peau at ifc mall, where we found a gaggle of celebrities and socialites – all dressed in black – at the YSL Beauté counter, sampling the compact, gorgeously packaged in black crocodile-patterned leather.

Who was invited, just the current crop of Hong Kong's 'it' gals. Have interviewed just about all these gals at some point or another... check 'em out at PrestigeOnline.com

Laurinda Ho

Elly Lam

Antonia Li

Feiping Chang

Alison Chan El Azar

Ashley Lam

Jude Tsang

Stephnie Shek

Esther Sham

Pearl Shek

Natalie Kwan

Print matters: What influences luxury purchases in Hong Kong; magazine ads and editorial!

Click to enlarge

Preach.