Celebrity Life

Gabrielle Chanel discovered adventure and joy in Venice, which quickly became her favourite destination. The latest Chanel high-jewellery collection, Escale à Venise, documents the mesmerising city through her eyes.

Chanel’s high-jewellery collections always come with beautiful narratives, inspired by founder Gabrielle Chanel’s lifestyle, travels and inspirations. We’ve seen breathtaking collections inspired by the Coromandel screens that so lavishly decorate her apartment at 31 Rue Cambon, by her favourite flower (the camellia), as well as by her star sign (Leo). This time, it’s Venice that plays a role in the Chanel Escale à Venise high-jewellery collection, which features 70 one-of-a-kind creations that capture the spirit of the floating city. Chanel first paid a visit to Venice in 1920, shortly after the death of the love of her life, Boy Capel. It was a trip organised by her dearest friends in a bid to pull her out of her grief, distracting the young woman with the best things the city had to offer: the charming canals, winding alleys, museums, restaurants and rich architecture. It’s said that Venice soon became her favourite destination.

There she discovered a new attraction to gold and found lifelong inspiration in its symbols and history – the patron saint of the city, the Lion of St Mark, no doubt resonated with her love for the Leo sign, too. Under the creative direction of Patrice Leguéreau, the Escale à Venise collection is divided into four distinct chapters that paint a contemporary look at Venice as if through Mademoiselle Chanel’s eyes. The director of jewellery creation was careful to weave all the codes of the maison into the collection, from camellias, lions and stars, to sautoir pearl necklaces and chains, creating pieces that are precious and whimsical, yet truly and distinctly Chanel.

The first theme, Sérénissime, celebrates the architectural wealth of Venice. The Eblouissante set, composed of white and pink geometrical designs, recalls the facades of the palaces and the polychromatic marble floors of the churches in delicate pink spinels, white diamonds and pearls. The Sérénissime set, on the other hand, captures the Byzantine spirit of the mosaics of the “golden basilica” in a contemporary light, using onyx, diamond squares, pink, yellow and orange sapphire tesserae, as well as spessartine garnets with a 27.09-carat oval mandarin sapphire centre stone. The Gran Canale is another major inspiration, featuring pieces that interpret the city quite literally.

Elements of the lagoon are featured in lapis lazuli and diamonds, from the blue-and-white-striped mooring poles used by the gondolas to the canotier straw hats edged with red ribbons worn by the gondoliers. When you visit Venice, you don’t just visit the city. The surrounding lagoon islands are home to some of the most beautiful Italian crafts, from Torcello’s ancient mosaics, to Murano’s stunning glasswork. The Isole della Laguna consists of three sets dedicated to these métiers d’art. The Camélia Byzantin necklace and ring set celebrates Chanel’s favourite flower in a mosaic-like design in carnelians and fire opals, and is a beautiful tribute to Torcello.

The island of Murano is represented in the Camélia Vénitien set, showcasing the camellia flower in twisting ornamental garlands of yellow gold and rock crystal.And lastly, most majestically, is Spirito di Venezia – the spirit of Venice – expressed through the patron of the city, the Lion of St Mark, which sits high above every piazza and adorns every historical building in the city. The lion motif, so dear to Chanel herself, now appears in this collection in five distinguished sets. The monochromatic Lion Secret necklace, inspired by bas-relief, displays the profile of two white gold lions set with pear and shuttle-cut diamonds, with a centre pear-shaped diamond of 15.55 carats. The Lion Céleste set features the winged lion itself, while the Constellation Astrale set is inspired by the background of the winged lion as seen on the facade of Saint Mark’s Basilica, in a striking necklace carved from lapis lazuli mosaic with yellow sapphire stars.

Find out more here

The post Escale à Venise: Chanel Celebrates Venice with New High-Jewellery Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

With seven decades of expertise in high jewellery, there’s no doubting King Fook when it comes to sourcing the most desirable jewellers to introduce to Hong Kong. Feiping Chang, a jewellery connoisseur herself, takes on a few exclusive collections to show us how it’s done.

Chang has always been a woman of style, poise and good taste, with a penchant for jewellery that's cause for envy worldwide. King Fook, established in 1949, has long understood the tastes of Hong Kong and our hunger for quality and fine craftsmanship. It was only pertinent then, that we sought to photograph Chang, a socialite and a local legend in her own right, adorned in jewellery that matched her sophistication and spoke to her heart.

Since its early days, King Fook specialised in the trade of jade, silver and gold ingot pieces, an area they still claim unparalleled expertise to this day. As their business expanded, King Fook set about discovering and curating unique jewellers around Europe to bring their unique creations to Hong Kong, satisfying its customers' increasing desire for one-of-a-kind jewellery.

Hence, a dedicated brand called "masterpiece by king fook" was born, becoming the exclusive retail partner for several of Europe's most prestigious brands. Available exclusively at masterpiece by king fook, the European brands include Annamaria Cammilli, Mattia Cielo and Palmiero from Italy, and Stenzhorn from Germany.

To time with the opening of the latest masterpiece by king fook boutique store on Pedder Street this month, we set out to discover more about the four exclusive brands, as well as its own bespoke service, which offers discerning clients – such as Chang herself – unique tailor-made designs, gemstone combinations and motifs that suit their needs.

masterpiece by king fook’s Bespoke Jewellery Design Service

Bespoke jewellery is inherently special – there’s only one existing piece in the whole world, encapsulating in every detail and gemstone, an origin story that resonates with the owner of the creation. Having amassed over seven decades of professionalism and experience in high jewellery – from stringent gemstone selection to a passionate pursuit in excellence for gem-setting and craftsmanship – masterpiece by king fook was naturally a trusted partner for many in the city searching to create their own bespoke jewellery pieces.

For masterpiece by king fook, luxury is in the details. Clients will begin the process with the company’s band of experienced designers who will propose unique tailor-made designs, gemstones combinations, settings and engraving motifs based on their story, preference and needs. Any jewellery piece can be created: rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets, even modular designs can be achieved to give the client unlimited possibilities to wear their jewellery in different styles.

The gemstones used in the pieces are of the utmost highest quality. the brand sets itself an exceedingly high far when it comes to the gemstones used in its products – the diamonds, coloured diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, jades and pearls are all sourced and directly hand-picked by its own jewellers to ensure that the gemstones are on par with the company’s own standards. Diamonds, for example, have to be at least VS to VVS in clarity and G in colour.

At the request of the client, masterpiece by king fook will also look for gemstones of a particular grade, source, shape and colour – if it is a pigeon blood ruby from Burma that you’re looking for, the company will do their utmost to find the suitable stone. On our cover, Chang wears an all-diamond ensemble from the masterpiece by king fook Diamond Collection. The spectacular necklace is beautifully set with layers of brilliant-cut diamonds for a three-dimensional effect, using over 442 diamonds totalling 57.09 carats. The earrings feature 48 diamonds totalling 7.31 carats while the ring features 19 diamonds totalling 4.03 carats.

Stenzhorn

In his youth, Klaus Stenzhorn was an avid traveller and animal lover – it was on one of his many adventures that he found himself visiting an emerald mine in Colombia, thus throwing him into the fascinating world of jewellery and propelling him to found the Stenzhorn House of Jewellery in 1979. Stenzhorn was utterly smitten with the art of invisible setting, which became an important signature in many of the brand’s quintessential creations.

The art of invisible setting is mastered by very few jewellery houses today and ensures that the metal setting is completely hidden so the pave-set gemstones can shine unencumbered. Today, the Stenzhorn brand is still family-owned, and the vision of Klaus Stenzhorn still stands firm: to make the world’s finest jewellery that stands on part with the world’s finest works of art.

Mattia Cielo

Jewellery making is in Mattia Cielo's blood – he grew up in Italy playing with diamonds that his father left on the kitchen table after work. His jewellery creations today have won him numerous international awards and there's no doubt why: Cielo has a way of with jewellery that allows them to be at once pure and simple, and yet non-conforming and technically complex.

His most signature piece is a flexible spiral bracelet – the Rugiada Diamanti – a design that can be easily twisted and manipulated to be worn as a bangle around the wrist, or extended to become an accessory that adorns the entire arm. Mattia Cielo's creations have always been admired for its simplistic styles – the circle is a constant motif that appears in all his works – and yet, the engineering process and the innovative use of materials render his designs some of the most futuristic jewellery pieces we've seen.

Palmiero

Valenza, a small town of Piedmont in the northern part of Italy, has traditionally been famous for its goldsmith tradition, while Carlo Palmiero himself has always been intrigued with gemstones and the way these stones can be used to bring different depths of colours to his pieces. At his atelier-laboratory, founded in 1979, Palmiero has adamantly shied away from trends and a traditional way of designing jewellery around an important centre stone, instead, turning his attention to the object as a whole. His jewellery creations are like sculptures, with details even on the underside of a brooch or on the ring shank, allowing the entire creation to become the protagonist.

Annamaria Cammilli

There's something truly artistic and sculptural about Annamaria Cammilli's jewellery creations, which doesn't come as much of a surprise considering the Florentine jeweller's background as a sculptor and painter. Her jewellery creations are known for its meticulous designs, inspired by organic shapes found in nature, as well as the brand's signature shades of gold, a remarkable palette of 18K gold colours that range from natural beige, ice white, black lava, lemon bamboo yellow, orange apricot, champagne pink, yellow sunrise, to this year's newest addition – a rich shade of chocolate brown. There's no other jeweller quite like Annamaria Cammilli in the world who has mastered the technique of creating different shades of gold in a consistent manner, allowing her to colour her gold jewellery pieces with the same flourish a painter would with a brush and ink.

(HERO IMAGE: RINGS, NECKLACE AND EARRINGS IN GOLD WITH DIAMONDS PALMIERO AVAILABLE AT MASTERPIECE BY KING FOOK, DRESS KALITA AVAILABLE AT LANE CRAWFORD)

Feiping Chang Adore Cover Story

PHOTOGRAPHY KAUZRAMBLER
STYLING GENNADY ORESHKIN
HAIR AND MAKEUP REGHAN WONG
ASSISTANTS KOKO POON AND LEONA CHAN
FLOWERS MOHLIA

The post Jewellery Connoisseur Feiping Chang Walks Us Through “masterpiece by king fook” appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Alessandro Michele takes maximalism to the next level with his second high jewellery collection for Gucci.

The post Gucci Hortus Deliciarum, Celebrating the Best of Mother Nature appeared first on LUXUO.

The latest from Bulgari, Chopard, Graff, and more.

The post 10 new jewellery collections to check out appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The latest from Bulgari, Chopard, Graff, and more.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

The luxury house's creative director for shoes and jewellery on why the Lignes Sensibles collection is not just for show.

The post Pierre Hardy’s sixth high-jewellery collection for Hermes shines a light on your innermost self appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The luxury house's creative director for shoes and jewellery on why the Lignes Sensibles collection is not just meant for show.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

There’s no doubt Alex Lam inherited his musical talent from his parents, his father being Cantopop legend George Lam Chi-Cheung, and his mother, Sally Yeh. Still, the singer-songwriter and actor hasn’t let privilege get to his head — he’s not afraid to explore other paths, from a stint in Los Angeles to discover yoga and becoming a yoga teacher, to dipping his toes in fashion.

Lam met Hiro Yoshikawa, founder and designer of Washi Jeans, a Japanese denim brand, a couple years back and was intrigued by the designer’s backstory. Now based in Hong Kong, Yoshikawa is the 18^th generation of a revered sake maker in Okayama, Japan, and the first to leave the family business to pursue his own passion in denim-making. By chance, Yoshikawa had found an old document that charted out his family’s history, written on washi paper. Inspired by this, he developed and patented the Washi No. 6 paper yarn, which he utilizes in his first solo collection launching this month.

Lam, who has always had an eye for detail, quickly became an ambassador and muse for Yoshikawa, and took it upon himself to bring the recognition Yoshikawa deserves by helping him stage his upcoming solo debut.

We sit down with Alex Lam and Hiro Yoshikawa at Washi Jean's studio to talk about style and the upcoming debut of Yoshikawa's solo collection Life on Earth.

Can you describe your style? What are your wardrobe essentials?

AL: My style has always been inspired by musicians. I grew up watching some of my favourite bands like The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, and today, I'm inspired by singers like Drake. For me, my summer essentials include a sleeveless vest, a good multi-functional blazer and a pair of high-quality designer jeans.

Have you always been passionate about fashion and did you want to work in fashion?

AL: I have always cared about how I look and my outfits since I was a kid. I remember there was one time when the collar of my t-shirt wasn't right and I wouldn’t wear it out until my parents fixed it for me. Having friends who are in the fashion industry allows me to execute and experiment my ideas during workshops, like the ‘marshmallow’ colourway of the t-shirt I’m wearing right now. 

How did the both of you meet?

AL: I met Hiro-san thought some of our mutual friends.

HY: have been making jeans for other brands for the past 30 years and it has always been my dream to have my own denim brand. I have always hung out with people from the fashion industry, and meeting Alex from the music and acting world has made my life more fun and exciting.

Can you tell us a bit about your project with Hiro-san?

AL: I was hanging out with a group of producers and we often talk about fashion shows, designer brands’ videos, installation art and music. Once we found out Hiro-san wanted to launch his own denim brand this year, we decided to catch this opportunity and put our ideas together. We are organising a VIP launch event with a fashion show on June 11, 2021.

What was the biggest challenge you had to overcome with this project?

AL: I think the rules of the game changed after Covid started last year. We looked at online fashion shows last year, without the tradition styles, and we knew our team needed to do it in a cleverer way. The restriction for event gathering is 30 persons at the moment, so we were not able to invite too many friends and make the event as big as before. Plus the campaign and fashion show video shoot all in one day, that’s the biggest challenge in this project.

HY:  We have been staying in our studio almost every day is the past few months, meeting different parties like our PR team, models, videographers and producers.

What else are you up to this year that you can share with us?

AL: I have released a new song and I just finished a music video for another song. I have also been working on my YouTube channel and created a few series, but it’s been slightly slowed down because I was focusing in this project.

Has the pandemic affected the way you work or changed your priorities?

AL: Before Covid, I was busy working with clients, who often prepared everything. With changes and restrictions during this period, I am able to organise and create more content by myself.

What are you currently inspired by?

AL: There are many indie musicians and young kids out there who are doing their music in their unique styles. I admire them a lot as they can release songs as long as they think it sounds good. I used think good music requires the best studio and recording equipment, but turned out a lot of indie musicians are producing high quality songs just by working at home.

You have a YouTube channel, you're into fashion, music as well as classic cars. How did you get into each of those passions and how do you balance it all?

AL: Project by project. I’m now focusing more on quantity over quality and I'll keep learning from the progress and mistakes.

Do you have a motto you live by?

Stay healthy. As I was a yoga teacher, I still practice yoga for two to three hours each day. It’s a good way to reflect on myself and find peace.

The post Jewellery Trends: Bold, Geometric Designs appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The Carlyle hotel-inspired bolthole -- slated to open on the uppermost floors of Rosewood Hong Kong later this year -- will offer a blueprint for the eponymous group's vision of "a new kind of international members' club". We venture north of the harbour to discover just what that entails...

Hitherto, the Hong Kong ecosystem of private members' clubs has been split broadly between two camps: at one end, you have venerable institutions catered to the needs of the city's professionals (the FCC) and those who surround them (the KCC); at the other, a burgeoning array of social haunts meant to profit from the growing number of Silicon Valley types -- hawkers of crypto, CBD cafes, and other speculative investment opportunities -- who reside here.

Call me Debbie Downer, but neither feels like an especially glam place to visit. After all, such clubs justify their patronage by way of mostly pragmatic considerations: a convenient location; access to business networking opportunities; affordable gym membership; and so forth. This, as Rosewood Hotels CEO Sonia Cheng well knows is where Carlyle & Co. can break the mould -- by conjuring a little glamour into Hong Kong's mostly comatose members' club scene.

Best thought of as a kind of pied-à-terre to the Rosewood Hong Kong (spanning the 54th-56th floor of the hotel) Carlyle & Co. is, in effect, Cheng's answer to the boutique members' clubs that have dominated pop culture these last 20 years. In Hong Kong -- where bureaucratic red tape is frequent; and decent-sized real estate scant -- her hotel group's latest venture feels especially impressive -- if for no other reason than the sheer audacity of it all.

In recent weeks, the first details of the club's leviathan 25,000 sq. ft. premises have begun to emerge, inspired in broad strokes by the "intriguing, inimitable and ultimately indefinable" style of The Carlyle in New York (incidentally also a brand owned by Rosewood Hotels). To orchestrate this vision of Hong Kong-via-Manhattan, Rosewood turned to British designer Ilse Crawford, whose approach has imbued the club's many rooms with a light, playful sensibility -- affording each a healthy dose of individual personality.

For fusty decadents like yours truly, the gentlemen's spaces -- including a barber, shoeshine, and capsule store by an award-winning haberdasher -- hold immense charm -- even though they espouse just one of many eclectic visual styles members will enjoy each time they navigate the club. The aforementioned differ significantly from spaces like the Cabaret Bar and Sitting Room, both of which employ the medium of painting (by artists Jean-Philippe Delhomme and Christina Zimpel respectively) to celebrate The Carlyle hotel's legendary Bemelmans murals.

Supper & Supping

In the spirit of its progenitor, the various dining venues at Carlyle & Co. seem to be accompanied by an august sense of occasion. The crux of the action happens at the brasserie, which (like any decent club restaurant in Hong Kong) serves a medley of Western, Chinese, and all-day delicacies. Here, the focus is on simply cooking the freshest produce the club can source -- various of the small plates are smoked, cured, or otherwise preserved in-house -- yet it's hardly the most theatrical outlet. That honour belongs to Café Carlyle, an intimate supper club intended as the local chapter of the eponymous tippling destination in New York. Members can expect this to be the repository of the club's live musical programming, which (consistent with the historic acts that have taken to the stage at the Carlyle hotel) will include an assortment of uniquely American artforms like jazz, funk, and blues.

Members craving a dose of sunshine can also take a selection of food and drink on the club's 55th-floor terrace, which (much like the Rosewood property at large) enjoys the sort of view that's conducive to sonnet writing or spontaneous tears of joy. Flanking one end of that terrace, you'll find the local chapter of Bemelmans Bar. Like its namesake, the menu here is split roughly equally between fine wines, punchbowls and classic cocktails; though, at the weekend, you can expect a certain frenetic atmosphere to take hold, as the space merges with the terrace for live DJ performances against the backdrop of Victoria Harbour.

Cosy quarters, brimming with personality

Though Carlyle & Co. members can easily book themselves into one of the 400-plus rooms at the surrounding Rosewood property, the entire 54th floor of the club is given over to eight themed suites -- all of which celebrate the history of The Carlyle hotel. More or less equal in size, each offers an inviting and distinctive interior personality. If you're retiring following an evening spent drinking (one too many) Martinis for instance, the 'Tommy' seems an apt choice -- named for and inspired by the legendary Bemelmans bartender Mr. Tommy Rowles. Other known personalities include Dorothy Draper, the original 'modern Baroque' decorator of The Carlyle's interiors; and Eartha Kitt, the renowned actress and Broadway musician. For dedicated students of café society, a stay in every single suite would seem like money well-spent.

A variety of membership packages are available at Carlyle & Co., with or without health club membership. To learn more about rates (or inquire about eligibility) visit Carlyle & Co. online.

The post When Stars Align: Graff’s Tribal Collection Arrives in Hong Kong appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

The home-grown heritage jeweller debuts its first-ever ready to wear collection, Lovedrops.

The post B.P. de Silva Jewellers launches a ready-to-wear collection appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

The home-grown heritage jeweller debuts its first-ever ready to wear collection, Lovedrops.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

The home-grown heritage jeweller debuts its first-ever ready to wear collection, Lovedrops.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.