Full metal jackets
AN Italian label about to be launched in Hong Kong is giving a whole new meaning to the term 'futuristic fashion'. Exte, based in Milan and only a season old, has something of a cult following in Europe because of its cyberspace-sensibilities, and the Hong Kong reps are optimistic it will have a similar impact here.
Mind you, these are not clothes for the timorous; just in case you are shot at close-range or in a nuclear blast, jackets come bullet and radiation proof. And forget about all that hand-embroidery: at Exte, opening in October at Pacific Place, Admiralty, linings are not stitched but 'electronically-soldered', with inflatable jackets that heat up and cool down in tune with the weather and the wearer's body temperature.
The people behind Exte are helping customers plan for any eventuality with fabrics like rubbered gauze, kevlar, polyurethane, carbon and high-density nylon are supposedly 'only able to be cut by laser' and are apparently used in space missions.
There's no posh atelier, either - Exte designs its clothes in a laboratory at the Exte Research Centre, the idea being to form 'a new and cozy relationship with technology'.
tapping talent ultra-cool menswear label Hugo Boss plans to show off its autumn/winter collection in a stage show to rival the best cultural offerings Hong Kong has had lately.
Slated for the evening of September 5 at the Academy for Performing Arts in Wan Chai, the event is being distinctively organised by Joyce. Foregoing a conventional catwalk show, Joyce is bringing in Australian trendy tap-dance troupe, Tap Dogs, who performed in the recent Oscars award ceremony. The group, who use unusual props like steel bars in their routines, will be clad in the hip young Boss line as they go through their moves. Mini-microphones at ground level will enable the clickety-clack of their hot shoe shuffles to be heard by the entire audience.
Show and tell THE word is that 'interesting models', apart from Tap Dogs, will also be involved in the Boss show. 'It's all going to be really funky, really groovy,' promised one of the organisers.
Another show for the main Hugo Boss line is being organised for later in the year. No details are available, but reports are we should expect another catwalk extravaganza.
behind the times? AS IF another watch company could rival Omega in landing supermodel Cindy Crawford for its ad campaigns - but you can't blame them for trying. Bertolucci, the people who make pricey jewellery watches, have secured the face and wrist of current Miss Universe, Venezuelan Alicia Machado, to be their cover girl. Bertolucci figures the choice makes sense as it 'seeks beauty with a universal appeal . . . Bertolucci should pay homage to this concept of universal beauty by association with an international tribute to the ideal - the Miss Universe contest.' Machado should enjoy the fame and, while it lasts, her contract - which is about as long as her title.
lip service WHEN Christian Dior promised the world a long-lasting lipstick, they weren't lying. The leaflet that comes with the new 'Rouge Incorruptible', a stick of colour in a pen, pledges it stays on while 'drinking . . . kissing . . . it will never betray you'. That's not just a sales pitch. Through a three-course lunch and even a facial afterwards, the colour had to be finally taken off with lashings of cleanser. The product is so stay-fast that you need a special remover pencil - from Dior of course - to get rid of it.