https://www.scmp.com/rss/325624/feed Based in Paris, Lily travels the world to cover fashion. From the runways of the fashion capitals to the runaway success of emerging markets, she is always fascinated by the latest beauty trends, great design, and luxuries great and small. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com The writing had been on the wall since Paris Fashion Week in late February. As the coronavirus outbreak became a pandemic and cases in Italy rose, it seemed likely that France would take drastic action in a bid to stem the spread of Covid-19. Still, between the closure of non-essential businesses on the evening of March 14 and French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement of a lockdown starting on March 17 at noon, there wasn’t much time for Paris-based designers to make plans. “Our stores... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3078956/independent-french-fashion-labels-use-coronavirus-lockdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3078956/independent-french-fashion-labels-use-coronavirus-lockdown?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2020 07:00:10 +0000 What is the idea behind the Coca-Cola collaboration? “Coca-Cola is an iconic symbol of pop culture and can be regularly spotted on the streets of Tokyo. After my visit to the Coca-Cola headquarters in Atlanta, in the United States, I was inspired by its extensive archive, especially the workwear pieces. By combining Coca-Cola and Facetasm, we have been able to make something new, creating my own story while also showing their historic vintage workwear.” Who is the Facetasm customer? “I can’t... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/3017968/japanese-brand-facetasm-collaborates-coca-cola?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/3017968/japanese-brand-facetasm-collaborates-coca-cola?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jul 2019 04:45:05 +0000 “Don’t mind my suitcase,” says French stylist Mélanie Huynh, arriving at her sun-filled home in the trendy 8th arrondissement of Paris. It’s a beautiful spring morning and she is looking every part the chic off-duty editor in an Isabel Marant fleeced denim jacket, a pair of ripped jeans and Altuzarra shell sandals. She has just returned from the morning school run with her daughters, Scarlett, nine, and Kate, five.Sticky, the family’s toy poodle, suns herself in the dining room, between an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3016748/toulouse-lautrecs-castle-haute-couture-meet-one-paris-most?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3016748/toulouse-lautrecs-castle-haute-couture-meet-one-paris-most?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jul 2019 05:00:21 +0000 Instead of focusing on precious gems and hefty price tags, today’s rising jewellery designers are championing emotionally charged, meaning-heavy aesthetics. Here are five who are making waves right now. Alan Crocetti, London “Jewellery was a field where I couldn’t find anything that related to my concepts and I felt I could build something from the ground up that didn’t feel tainted somehow,” says London-based designer Alan Crocetti, whose striking ear cuffs and rose stem earrings have been... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3015471/five-trendy-jewellery-brands-choosing-passion-over-price?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3015471/five-trendy-jewellery-brands-choosing-passion-over-price?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2019 07:00:06 +0000 Yu Masui is a regular of the street-style scene at fashion weeks worldwide, cutting a striking figure clad in an eclectic mix of designer brands and street market finds. His Instagram account is a quasi-daily record of the outfits he puts together. Thanks to his knack for mixing it up, it feels like he never repeats an outfit. Rarely does he do a “total look”, only going down that route as a strong show of support to the talents he loves. And in his Instagram stories, published multiple times a... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3008411/japanese-fashion-talent-scout-instagram-stars-dressing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3008411/japanese-fashion-talent-scout-instagram-stars-dressing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 May 2019 10:00:10 +0000 Does the world need another fashion prize for young designers, wondered Imran Amed, founder of The Business of Fashion (BoF), an online fashion publication, hours before the awarding of the inaugural BoF China Prize, created by his company and investment group Yu Holdings. Wendy Yu, of Yu Holdings, supplied the answer: “Imagine if you could support John Galliano at the start of his career.” The prize, presented during Shanghai Fashion Week, is open to Chinese citizens, including those educated... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3004508/shanghai-fashion-week-award-hopes-find-next-chinese-john?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3004508/shanghai-fashion-week-award-hopes-find-next-chinese-john?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Apr 2019 21:00:13 +0000 Frédéric Tcheng always knew he wanted to be in film, having discovered cinema through the works of luminaries such as Jean-Luc Godard, Stanley Kubrick, and Martin Scorsese. But owing to a French education system that, he says, “puts people on [career] tracks very early in their education”, the science student born and raised in Lyons, France’s third largest city, had to graduate in engineering before taking off for Paris, where he took his first steps in the film industry, working odd jobs. It... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3003669/filmmaker-behind-raf-simons-and-halston-documentaries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3003669/filmmaker-behind-raf-simons-and-halston-documentaries?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Mar 2019 15:45:08 +0000 Despite fashion’s obsession with novelty, it can be hard to break away from a favourite label and dip a toe into the stream of fresh young talent. “It’s like trying to buy a new book,” says Rok Hwang, whose London-based label Rokh will show at Paris Fashion Week on Monday. “You want a similar genre but a different author.” Kwaidan Editions, label with roots in pair’s movie dates, a brand to watch Fortunately for those who tend to stick to established names, a number of new designers have adopted... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2187255/paris-fashion-week-next-prada-or-chanel-five-labels-watch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2187255/paris-fashion-week-next-prada-or-chanel-five-labels-watch?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Feb 2019 10:15:30 +0000 This year’s most talked-about Chanel launch is not fresh off the runways, nor is it for women. The Boy de Chanel make-up range, launched on September 1 in Korea last year ahead of a global release this month, offers male customers a small range of beautifying products. ‘Is he a man?’ TV host’s ‘racist’ comments on BTS enrage K-pop fans The products include foundation, concealer, row pencils and a lip balm, all with mattifying properties. The range is named after Coco Chanel’s great love, Captain... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2181463/why-more-men-are-wearing-make-chanel-launches-new-male?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2181463/why-more-men-are-wearing-make-chanel-launches-new-male?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Jan 2019 22:00:15 +0000 What is Parisian style? Despite 96,500,000 Google answers, it boils down to quality over quantity, never letting an outfit do the talking and picking impeccable pieces from the right brands. Parisian style is a perfect storm of messy hair, minimal make-up and a basic uniform somehow magically transformed by a dash of je ne sais quoi and attitude. There’s dozens of books on the topic, one being:How to be Parisian wherever you are: Love, Style, and Bad Habits, written by a cadre of stylish women... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2174617/parisian-style-brands-and-designers-updating-basics-french?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2174617/parisian-style-brands-and-designers-updating-basics-french?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Nov 2018 15:00:00 +0000 Since launching in 2016, London-based fashion label Kwaidan Editions has been pushing boundaries with its stand-out designs. Its razor-sharp tailoring, slinky knitwear, and disturbingly attractive plasticised coats have been scooped up by retailers such as 10 Corso Como, Dover Street Market and Joyce, with little publicity. Kwaidan Editions was among the finalists for this year’s LVMH Prize for young fashion designers, and the label is about to show a capsule collection with online retailer... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2169829/quirky-name-covetable-designs-fashion-going-be-hearing-lot?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2169829/quirky-name-covetable-designs-fashion-going-be-hearing-lot?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Oct 2018 05:04:45 +0000 Why did you launch Maje? “After working for my sister, Evelyne [Chétrite, who founded Sandro, in 1989], I had a very clear idea of what I wanted to do in ready-to-wear: to create a brand and lifestyle, showcased in its own store, offering clothes that could follow a woman through a day made of different moments – working (or not), taking care of the kids, going out for a drink or a date.” Why go for affordable luxury? “I’ve always been fascinated by houses that have both the know-how and means... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/2156629/why-french-fashion-brand-maje-looks-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/fashion/article/2156629/why-french-fashion-brand-maje-looks-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Jul 2018 03:15:45 +0000 Few cities in the world take their fashion shopping as seriously as Paris, fashion’s undisputed capital. So the announcement that cult concept store Colette would close its doors in December 2017 sent shock waves not only through the city but also the industry. “The second-in-command in the newspaper came down to ask us how much space we’d need for [the closure],” recalled journalist Frédéric Martin-Bernard, head of menswear at prominent French newspaper Le Figaro, as he introduced “The future... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2152918/after-colette-seven-buzzy-paris-boutiques-drawing-cool?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2152918/after-colette-seven-buzzy-paris-boutiques-drawing-cool?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Jun 2018 06:15:22 +0000 For many hotels, their boasts of wonderful location or luxurious lodgings are no longer enough. To seal a booking these days, hoteliers have to offer anything from complimentary racing cars and butler services to astronomy lessons. This charm offensive even has a name: “amenity creep”. The trend has even spread to the things you find in your hotel bathroom. Toiletries have come a long way from the days where a no-name soap and a bottle of shampoo were sufficient. That’s partly to do with airline... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151061/why-hotel-bathroom-amenities-paris-hong-kong-are-becoming?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2151061/why-hotel-bathroom-amenities-paris-hong-kong-are-becoming?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 Jun 2018 00:30:00 +0000 The trouble with designing for a historic house is that observers will want to compare your work with your predecessor. But when Frencoh-Chinese designer Yiqing Yin was approached by Poiret’s chief executive Anne Chappelle to head the return of the legendary fashion house, backed by Korean luxury fashion conglomerate Shinsegae, the project was just the right challenge for someone who achieved the distinction of “grand couturier” in 2015 at the age of 30. “In reality, it is a completely blank... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2147554/paris-fashion-house-poiret-enjoys-modern-day-renaissance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2147554/paris-fashion-house-poiret-enjoys-modern-day-renaissance?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 May 2018 05:46:44 +0000 In the social media age, any smartphone-equipped individual can become a photographer, as seen on Apple’s building-tall advertisements. This is never truer than at fashion events, where snap-happy fashion lovers capture every moment from a myriad of angles and share them on digital platforms, while street-style photographers chronicle the sartorial lives of fashion insiders. Seoul Fashion Week highlights: #MeToo, street style and traditional tailored looks star in varied show But as technology... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2139443/meet-fashion-illustrators-capturing-what-runway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2139443/meet-fashion-illustrators-capturing-what-runway?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Mar 2018 11:45:30 +0000 Asia’s creative power has grown steadily in tandem with its economic might, and with that has come rising demand from Asian students for places at the world’s leading fashion design schools. China in particular is moving rapidly beyond being a manufacturing powerhouse and maturing into a fully fledged fashion player with its own creative young stars. Why Shanghai beckons for Hong Kong fashion designer, winner of Woolmark Asia prize Until the early 2000s, study options were few for would-be... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2137195/worlds-leading-fashion-schools-open-asia-meet-rising-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/2137195/worlds-leading-fashion-schools-open-asia-meet-rising-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Mar 2018 14:34:42 +0000 Paris, once a meat-centric and bread-heavy heaven, is turning over a new leaf as a growing crop of wellness, beauty and foodie hotspots promote a greener, fresher you. Change is afoot in the land of foie gras, fabulous cheeses and steak tartare. A mere decade ago, being vegetarian in the City of Light saw you limited to fun-free salads and endless green beans; on the exercise side, the only spinning to be found was on a washing machine. How the best hotels in Paris are combining shopping and art... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2134734/paris-health-and-wellness-best-new-restaurants-cafes-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2134734/paris-health-and-wellness-best-new-restaurants-cafes-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Feb 2018 11:19:50 +0000 For the fashion crowd, female DJs long ago earned top billing in their own right, with the likes of Leigh Lezark, Hannah Bronfman and Harley Viera-Newton mixing for Dior, Versace, Cartier, Bulgari, Chloé, and a host of other top-tier brands. “Last night, a She J saved my life,” boldly proclaimed British celebrity stylist-turned-DJ Nikki Pennie’s T-shirt. After all, the fashion industry has long been attracted to female performers, both as muses and as sources of inspiration. Nowadays no... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2134421/fashions-female-djs-asian-descent-turning-tables?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2134421/fashions-female-djs-asian-descent-turning-tables?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 Feb 2018 11:46:44 +0000 China used to be known, unfairly, as a land of derivative design. No longer: a new generation of designers is shining brightly on the international stage. Having taken London by storm – GQ China supports emerging Chinese talent there – and before hitting New York, all eyes were on Paris Fashion Week, where menswear designers – whether from China, Taiwan or of Chinese descent – blazed a creative trail. They are following a similar trajectory to Japanese and Korean designers in the past, and 2018... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2130188/paris-fashion-week-five-chinese-menswear-designers-prove?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2130188/paris-fashion-week-five-chinese-menswear-designers-prove?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jan 2018 05:02:40 +0000 Paris Haute Couture week kicks off on Sunday, and no longer is it the exclusive preserve of brands reaching for the utmost in refined dressing. For some brands, it’s a move towards a more craft-oriented approach best suited to their creative identities; for others, the January-July dichotomy brings them closer to the reality of their business and their clientele’s desires. Fan Bingbing and Céline Dion’s go-to brand for couture is a hard-to-find label from Turkey As the industry continues its... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2129454/paris-haute-couture-2018-five-guest-designers-watch-they?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2129454/paris-haute-couture-2018-five-guest-designers-watch-they?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jan 2018 11:33:44 +0000 Cristobal Balenciaga, Kenzo Takada, Comme des Garçons’ Rei Kawakubo, Karl Lagerfeld: French fashion may reign supreme but Paris owes a deep debt to the many expatriate designers who left their mark on its colourful history. Even haute couture, its most elevated and most French way of life, was invented by British couturier Charles Frederick Worth. As Paris continues to be fashion’s creative capital and a cosmopolitan crossroads that attracts designers and couturiers, here are five expatriates... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2125447/singaporean-australian-and-indian-fashion-designers-paris?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2125447/singaporean-australian-and-indian-fashion-designers-paris?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Dec 2017 05:17:14 +0000 Karl Lagerfeld put the acoustics of the Elbphilharmonie concert hall to the test for his latest Métiers d’Art collection for Chanel, a homecoming for the Hamburg-born fashion designer. The show started with a rendition of seafaring ballad La Paloma, performed by the resident orchestra directed by British cellist and Radiohead collaborator Olivier Coates, continued with a specially composed score by Coates and ended with a thunderous standing ovation echoing in the striking volumes of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2123263/chanels-hamburg-show-homecoming-karl-lagerfeld-his?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2123263/chanels-hamburg-show-homecoming-karl-lagerfeld-his?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 Dec 2017 04:21:44 +0000 On the Place de la Concorde in Paris, there is only one shop, and it is located at number 10. It is in the Hotel de Crillon, the historic luxury hotel that reopened last July after four years of extensive renovations. Stocked with unusual items, The Cabinet of Curiosities of the Hotel de Crillon is the brainchild of Thomas Erber, and it is the embodiment of a growing breed of hotel stores offering a variety of goods. Book: At the Crillon and at Home Guests might be tempted by a clothes valet... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2121230/how-best-hotels-paris-are-combining-shopping-and-art-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2121230/how-best-hotels-paris-are-combining-shopping-and-art-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Nov 2017 11:15:30 +0000 “Everything started by chance, as a game, a series and succession of fortunate events,” says Alessandro Gallo, creative director of Golden Goose Deluxe Brand, as the company celebrates the 10th anniversary of its smash-hit sneaker line that was launched in 2007. These coveted and often sold-out kicks have come to symbolise the brand’s non-traditional approach – and its vision of everyday, artisanally enabled luxury as imagined by Gallo and his wife, co-founder Francesca Rinaldo, when they set it... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2120337/how-cult-label-golden-goose-took-flight-sneakers-scuffed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-luxury/article/2120337/how-cult-label-golden-goose-took-flight-sneakers-scuffed?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Nov 2017 06:30:17 +0000