Celebrity Life

Swiss luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet’s latest women’s timepieces will complement Ralph & Russo’s Spring/Summer 2021 Prêt-à-Porter collection this fall.

The collaboration brings together two family-owned companies driven by a strong spirit of independence, as well as a dedication to age-old craftsmanship, creativity and refinement.

In a powerful play of contrasting materials and textures, the latest inspirational looks by Ralph & Russo breathe life into the new Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Selfwinding models in 34mm. Specially created for smaller wrists, the collection includes four variants in stainless steel and/or 18k pink gold.

The 18k pink gold model is adorned with a diamond-set bezel and a silver-toned guilloché Grande Tapisserie dial. One of the Royal Oak’s hallmarks, the design is achieved through a complex manufacturing process based on a rare in-house know-how that is no longer taught in horology school, but passed down across generations at Audemars Piguet.

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In a process requiring extreme dexterity and precision, little squares are carved out on the dial’s thin metal plate by an engraving machine dating back to the ’70s that reproduces the motif of a stencil. Small lozenges are then simultaneously cut out in the thin grooves, separating the squares in a seamless weave that creates the iconic tapestry-like appearance.

The two steel models are enhanced by a silver-toned or blue-grey Grande Tapisserie dial, with the latter embellished with a diamond-set bezel. The manufacture also presents an elegant dual-tone model with a silver-toned Grande Tapisserie dial, which combines a stainless steel case and bracelet with an 18k pink gold bezel and bracelet links.

All four references are powered by a new selfwinding movement, calibre 5800, which features a dedicated oscillating weight specifically developed for this new 34 mm model.

This story first appeared on Prestige Singapore

(All images: Audemars Piguet/ Ralph Russo)

The post Audemars Piguet Teams Up with Ralph & Russo on its Spring/Summer 2021 Collection appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Paris Haute Couture week went digital for the first time in history in 2020.

This year has been tough for fashion, with cancelled shows, big events and international travel at a standstill. Whilst designers, studios and ateliers have returned to work, it's impossible to ignore the great big reset, both needed and wanted, in the world of style.

Since couture represents the highest echelons of luxury, and the most expensive sector of the industry, which is accessible to only a handful of the 1%, this season can be sort of confronting in another way. Haute couture however corners the notion of ultimate fantasy, extreme beauty, painstaking craft and the great escape -- the latter being something we could all delve into at the moment. And designers are indeed inviting us to dream, inspiring our imaginations to run wild. Instead of traditional shows and celebrity front rows, we have films and arguably the change in format can reveal another dimension from brands depending on how creative they choose to be. Ahead is our pick of the Paris Autumn Winter 20/21 couture collections.

Christian Dior

A 14 minute cinematic undertaking directed by Matteo Garrone at Christian Dior is one of the season’s most ambitious. A pair of uniformed bellboys carry a trunk of miniature designs through an enchanted forest inhabited by a host of ethereal characters straight out of Greek Mythologies. Mermaids, marble statues, narcissus, gods and goddesses donning Maria Grazia Chiuri’s couture is just the fantastical breath of fresh air we need.

Chanel

The short film shot in high contrast showing Chanel’s key couture looks was followed by mini docs focusing inside the ateliers by Loic Prigent. Here, rebellious opulence came in ruched taffeta satins, adorned belts and details that sparkled like jewellery: “a punk princess coming out of ‘Le Palace’ at dawn,” as Virginie Viard says. Floral appliques made for sculptural pieces and those wide collars created a sense of vintage regal drama. There’s a big focus on showing off the embroidery capabilities of the atelier here, but for us it was those slimline silhouettes and sparkling tweeds that really stole the show. A very contemporary take on couture at Chanel this season.

Schiaparelli

A lovely narrative of design with Creative Director Daniel Roseberry as the camera follows the designer, donning a mask and heading to the Place Vendome headquarters in Paris -- a nod to the current times. He sketches wonderful creations of the season on the green streets of the city, the capital of haute couture. The references to Elsa Schiaparelli’s signature surrealism were evident in his stylised drawings, and Roseberry’s interpretation were wonderful. Overall, the film gave a quirky, intimate insight into his process.

Ralph & Russo

2020 marks 10 years of this London-based couture house. Creative director Tamara Ralph coloured the collection with vibrant tones reflecting nature’s palette: sunshine yellows and golds, hot floral pinks, sky blues and lavender. The video released by the brand is a behind the scenes view of the atelier and craft, showing Ralph’s development of watercolour and modern digital prints. Ultra feminine silhouettes come with intricate flourishes such as 3D organza blooms, embellishments and swathes of floral taffeta. Again nodding to digital tech futurism, the label introduced an avatar for the season: the strong and sexy Hauli.

Valentino

The brand is set to broadcast a special show and live performance from Rome’s Cinecetta for Haute Couture Fall Winter 2020-21 by Pier Paolo Piccioli with Nick Knight. A exploration of human and digital interaction “ transcended through grace and lightness” and an expression of the inner values of Couture: creativity, imagination and emotion. The event will be live on digital channels and presented in person to a small selection of Italy-based fashion editors. An abstract teaser by Nick Knight might set the mood first.

The post How Couture Houses Went Digital in Paris appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

It's hard to say who's the better turned out -- our sumptuously attired couture model or her impeccable coiffed canines.

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Photography Mike Ruiz at mikeruiz.com

Styling Kristine Kilty

Hair Stephane Delahaye

Make-up Walter Denechere

Production Pauline Gouablin 

Fashion Assistants Daniela Elizarraras and Alyx Kleinsteiber 

Model Sofia Resing at New Version Models

The post Photo Shoot: Off the Leash appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Haute couture reaches dizzying heights of whimsy, fantasy and craftsmanship in the latest Paris collections.

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Join us as we look at some of the trends that made its way down the French Riviera during the film festival earlier this month.

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Playing host to the Spring 2016 Haute Couture shows last week, the French capital saw bold structures, exaggerated silhouettes and asymmetric hemlines gracing the runways.

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