https://www.scmp.com/rss/502867/feed Annie Brown is a Sydney-based fashion and lifestyle journalist. Her work has appeared in the Australian Financial Review, The Sydney Morning Herald, Vogue, Elle and more. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Annie Brown Annie Brown In an oral history in Variety to celebrate the 10th anniversary of The Devil Wears Prada, Emily Blunt – who plays the arch and dedicated first assistant Emily Charlton to inimitable editor-in-chief of fictional magazine Runway, Miranda Priestly (played by Meryl Streep) – said she never expected her lines to be quoted back to her for the rest of her life. Ten years on and “I’m just one stomach flu away from my goal weight,” and “I’m sorry, do you have some prior commitment? Some hideous skirt... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3351536/devil-wears-prada-first-films-legacy-ahead-sequels-release-20-years-later?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/leisure/article/3351536/devil-wears-prada-first-films-legacy-ahead-sequels-release-20-years-later?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:00:11 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown The truism that good things come in small packages was never more readily apparent than at this year’s Watches and Wonders. The trend towards smaller-size watches continues, but this year’s fair took this to a new level with a slew of releases from the likes of Chanel, Bulgari and Piaget that played with proportion and preciousness. The cocktail watch, by the way, has never been more alluring. Call it the year of the “going-out watch” – we can expect to see timepieces become even more the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3351310/8-stand-out-womens-timepieces-took-over-watches-and-wonders-rolex-and-cartier-piaget?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3351310/8-stand-out-womens-timepieces-took-over-watches-and-wonders-rolex-and-cartier-piaget?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 22:00:16 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Granny would surely be delighted by one of the most pervasive handbag trends of now – the “kisslock” clasp bag. Originating in the early 20th century, the top-handle frame bag has a metal “twist and lock” closure of two beads that slip around each other in a sort of “kiss”. Often carried on a chain, though it can also be a coin purse, the bag has had many iterations through history. It has also served as a potent source of inspiration for designers from Phoebe Philo at Celine to Jil... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3350724/timelessness-kisslock-bags-seen-jackie-kennedy-and-now-billie-eilish?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3350724/timelessness-kisslock-bags-seen-jackie-kennedy-and-now-billie-eilish?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:11 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Whether you’re channelling “country club chic” or prefer Mrs Prada’s subversive take on a sporting kind of preppiness, the past few seasons it’s been impossible to miss the return of the polo shirt. There were cropped versions at Rabanne, buttoned-up ones at Miu Miu, luxe grey ones at Tommy Hilfiger, and quarter-zip versions at Matthieu Blazy’s Chanel Métiers d’Art show, staged in a New York subway station. Simone Rocha is another designer to put a unique twist on the polo, adding her signature... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3348380/polos-rebooted-how-ralph-lauren-chanel-and-taylor-swift-are-redefining-preppy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3348380/polos-rebooted-how-ralph-lauren-chanel-and-taylor-swift-are-redefining-preppy?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Apr 2026 22:00:10 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown If there is one look that encapsulates Jonathan Anderson’s vision for Dior it could well be Greta Lee on the cover of American Vogue wearing not one but two of Anderson’s deeply opulent military jackets. In this, Anderson contextualises the Napoleonic hussar jacket – highly decorative with frogging, gold buttons and embroidery and once worn by members of the cavalry during the era of the French emperor – into a desirable way of wearing clothes now. You could see this too in his first look for... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3347532/jonathan-andersons-military-jacket-reigns-dior-greta-lee-and-zendaya-salute-trend-too?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3347532/jonathan-andersons-military-jacket-reigns-dior-greta-lee-and-zendaya-salute-trend-too?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown It’s a Friday afternoon and I’m suspended in a warm tank of water. What’s slightly discombobulating is that I am completely dry. The dry float – you lie in a sort of inflatable cocoon – is just one of the “touchless” therapies on offer at the Mondrian Gold Coast’s Ciel Spa. I think I might be crying. The experience, with meditative music piping through headphones combined with the sensation of floating in warm water, is surprisingly emotional. The sense of peace captured in this moment is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3348172/inside-mondrian-gold-coast-new-luxury-hotel-australia-stylish-pool-club-and-ocean-views?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3348172/inside-mondrian-gold-coast-new-luxury-hotel-australia-stylish-pool-club-and-ocean-views?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 04:00:17 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Recently the sight of an editor friend’s vintage Tom Ford for Gucci Horsebit Clutch – in burgundy and looking like it had been swung about many a dance floor, cigarette burns and all – caused a bolt of unadulterated covetousness. It looked both chic and unbearably cool. Like Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with their bashed-in Birkins in the mid-aughts, cool. Or Jane Birkin’s insouciance with her namesake bag, cool. Or really like any woman who slung a Chloé Paddington circa 2005 across the back of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3347701/why-worn-out-handbags-are-ultimate-status-symbols-vintage-gucci-dior-and-hermes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3347701/why-worn-out-handbags-are-ultimate-status-symbols-vintage-gucci-dior-and-hermes?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown If you’ve ever wanted to look both booked and busy, effortlessly insouciant and a touch preppy – and definitely like a fashion person – then you really need to think about your jumpers. More specifically, how to wear them. The most recent fashion season, brimming as ever with new ideas, has breathed new life into an old one: the art of tying a jumper around your shoulders. Not only does it fit with the current trend for preppiness with a wink – from the peppy V-neck sweaters tied loosely around... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3341837/effortless-style-how-master-sweater-drape-gracie-adams-and-kendall-jenner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3341837/effortless-style-how-master-sweater-drape-gracie-adams-and-kendall-jenner?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Feb 2026 22:00:08 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel might have suggested looking in the mirror and taking one item off, but right now, especially when it comes to jewellery, the adage seems to be that more is more. Michael Rider’s debut for Celine in July truly set the mood with layers of chunky gold talismanic charm necklaces and bracelets, and rings on every finger. The shift towards jewellery maximalism could also be found in the statement pendants at the likes of Ralph Lauren and Tory Burch; the stacks of sculptural... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3336483/5-jewellery-maximalists-stacking-bling-leandra-medine-cohen-lori-hirshleifer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3336483/5-jewellery-maximalists-stacking-bling-leandra-medine-cohen-lori-hirshleifer?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:00:10 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Of all the beauty to be found in Matthieu Blazy’s axis-tilting debut for Chanel during Paris Fashion Week in October, the collaboration with the Place Vendôme shirtmakers Charvet was quite possibly the most resonant. For what better way to breathe new life into Chanel while staying true to its essential house codes and eternal origin story, than by looking to the wardrobe of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel herself? Chanel was a regular customer of Charvet, which opened its doors in 1838. So too was her... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3336002/crisp-white-shirt-eveningwear-chanel-paris-fashion-week-anne-hathaway?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3336002/crisp-white-shirt-eveningwear-chanel-paris-fashion-week-anne-hathaway?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 12 Dec 2025 22:00:10 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Princess Charlotte may in due time wear the Crown Jewels – not to mention serious tiaras from the vault – but the only daughter of the Prince and Princess of Wales is already no stranger to bijoux. Spotted courtside at Wimbledon in July, the 10-year-old royal paired her bespoke dress by Sarah Burton with a Pandora Snake Chain Slider Bracelet with several charms, including a May birthstone (marking her May 2 birthday) and a Disney’s The Lion King Nala charm. The princess’ bracelet speaks to... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3335614/childrens-jewellery-next-big-thing-princess-charlotte-and-gen-alphas-taste-charms-and-birthstones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3335614/childrens-jewellery-next-big-thing-princess-charlotte-and-gen-alphas-taste-charms-and-birthstones?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Dec 2025 11:00:15 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Loafers, worn by everyone from timeless style icon Cary Grant to “It” girls like Hailey Bieber and Kendall Jenner, have an interesting and somewhat disputed origin story. Depending on who you ask, they are attributed to Norwegian peasant fishers and farmers, or the moccasins worn by Native Americans. Brands such as Maine’s GH Bass, meanwhile, are credited with creating a new kind of loafer, the Weejun, in the 1930s and making it the must-have piece for Ivy League students. The “whale tail”... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3332343/why-loafers-chic-style-remains-favourite-gucci-prada-and-miu-miu-presenting-their-takes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3332343/why-loafers-chic-style-remains-favourite-gucci-prada-and-miu-miu-presenting-their-takes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 22:00:12 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown From Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in her signature “ropes and ropes” of faux pearls to Dua Lipa performing at London’s Wembley Stadium in custom Swarovski sparkles, costume jewellery has always made maximum impact. Kenneth Jay Lane, hailed as the “king of costume jewellery” in his day, is a case in point. His bold pieces certainly transformed modes of glamour and aspiration, with his creations worn by the likes of Elizabeth Taylor and Audrey Hepburn as well as Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3330913/coco-chanel-dua-lipa-how-costume-jewellery-became-symbol-empowerment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3330913/coco-chanel-dua-lipa-how-costume-jewellery-became-symbol-empowerment?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Nov 2025 14:00:09 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown When it comes to iconic fashion moments, the coat has had more than its fair share of time in the spotlight. How else to explain the enduring appeal of the Burberry trench coat, which traces its roots back to 1879, the year gentleman’s outfitter Thomas Burberry created the breathable, waterproof fabric gabardine? Or any of the Michael Kors for Celine coats in The Thomas Crown Affair (1999), or Kate Hudson’s shearling coat in Almost Famous (2000)? The look remains eternal inspiration for wannabe... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3327376/memorable-coats-and-people-who-made-them-famous-rihanna-queen-elizabeth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3327376/memorable-coats-and-people-who-made-them-famous-rihanna-queen-elizabeth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:10 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Perhaps it’s due to a collective nostalgia for glory years we did or didn’t experience, a necessary source of escapism in rather grim times, or because we really do want to find out if celebrities are just like us, but recent years have witnessed a boom in celebrity memoirs. Not just celebrities either, but high-profile editors, tycoons and assorted influential people have been putting pen to paper (or their memoirists and ghostwriters have) to capture not only their life and work, but also the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3319987/naomi-watts-graydon-carter-5-celebrity-memoirs-worth-your-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3319987/naomi-watts-graydon-carter-5-celebrity-memoirs-worth-your-time?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Jul 2025 20:00:08 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown High jewellery season is, to be sure, the most exhilarating romp through the world’s most glamorous and exotic locations as the top maisons set out to woo their top clients. With good reason too. In a luxury slump, jewellery – and especially high jewellery – remains a bright (and glittering) spot. According to research released by global consultancy Bain as well as the Altagamma Foundation, an association of Italian luxury brands, luxury spending as a whole declined by 1 to 3 per cent in 2024.... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3319294/biggest-high-jewellery-drops-2025-louis-vuittons-virtuosity-and-chanels-reach-stars-cartiers-en?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3319294/biggest-high-jewellery-drops-2025-louis-vuittons-virtuosity-and-chanels-reach-stars-cartiers-en?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown In 1937, the rather sharp-tongued British politician Sir Henry “Chips” Channon wrote in his diary of Lady Granard, one of the so-called “dollar princesses” – American heiresses who married into the British aristocracy – that she “could scarcely walk for jewels”. One such jewel, a frankly enormous emerald set into a diamond-studded collar necklace, is a highlight of the Cartier exhibition currently showing at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Because yes, huge gemstones have never lost... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3318670/big-showstopping-jewels-anchor-new-high-jewellery-collections-louis-vuitton-cartier-and-bulgari?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3318670/big-showstopping-jewels-anchor-new-high-jewellery-collections-louis-vuitton-cartier-and-bulgari?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 03:00:10 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Here comes the bride, all dressed in white. Or at least, almost always dressed in white – so deeply steeped in tradition is the hue for this one important day. And yet, until Britain’s Queen Victoria created a new trend with a white satin gown for her wedding to Prince Albert in 1840, brides mostly wore a variety of colours on their special day. According to a 2018 survey in Brides magazine, around 83 per cent of brides choose to wear white – yet things may be shifting. Pinterest searches for... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3313294/and-bride-wore-anything-white-celebs-emrata-and-chloe-sevigny-bucked-wedding-trends-bring-little?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/fashion-news/article/3313294/and-bride-wore-anything-white-celebs-emrata-and-chloe-sevigny-bucked-wedding-trends-bring-little?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 07 Jun 2025 22:00:09 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Taylor Swift is no stranger to meaningful jewellery – from the beaded friendship bracelets that become an ultimate symbol of girlhood and fandom at her concerts, to the famous Lorraine Schwartz watch choker, with the time set to midnight, that many fans interpreted as a nod to her Midnights album. Lately Swift has got into coin jewellery, having been seen wearing pieces from the likes of Steven Battelle, Ben-Amun and For Future Reference. That was particularly so ahead of February’s Super Bowl,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3310091/taylor-swift-fan-coin-jewellery-ancient-style-favoured-bulgari-and-foundrae-and-worn-likes-michelle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3310091/taylor-swift-fan-coin-jewellery-ancient-style-favoured-bulgari-and-foundrae-and-worn-likes-michelle?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:13 +0000 It started with a single Sophie Bille Brahe earring. The Danish designer is known for her supercool clusters and orbs of freshwater pearls in striking shapes and blooms of diamonds. Mostly, they’re sold as singular pieces. The acquisition of one such piece completely changed not only how I thought about pearls, but also made me realise that you really don’t need to wear a pair of earrings. In fact, it’s rather more fun when you don’t. Sophie Bille Brahe always intended it to be like this. And... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3305087/why-more-women-are-buying-single-earring-trend-style-driven-george-michael-and-michael-jordan-80s?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3305087/why-more-women-are-buying-single-earring-trend-style-driven-george-michael-and-michael-jordan-80s?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Apr 2025 22:00:09 +0000 You could think of rubber-strap watches as the kind of accessory you can wear to the school run and then later at cocktail hour. After all, these days, most of us are doing it all. A rubber-strapped watch, especially one in a precious metal and with added gem setting, is therefore the ideal accessory for taking the wearer from day to play – a combination so incongruous as to make perfect sense in our complicated times. The first luxury Swiss watchmaker to use rubber – a most utilitarian... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3304909/luxury-meets-practicality-rubber-watch-straps-hublot-started-trend-now-hermes-iwc-richard-mille?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3304909/luxury-meets-practicality-rubber-watch-straps-hublot-started-trend-now-hermes-iwc-richard-mille?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Apr 2025 06:00:09 +0000 Blame the mob wife trend, or perhaps the shift from minimalism towards ‘‘boom boom‘’ fashion – coined earlier this year by trend forecaster Sean Monahan to refer to the bold and bougie fashion we’re seeing make a comeback. Either way, gold watches are back. Not that a gold watch – a perennial symbol of those who’ve truly made it – has ever completely lost its appeal. It’s just that at this year’s Watches and Wonders – the annual gathering of the horology industry in Geneva, held this year in the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3306460/gold-watches-van-cleef-arpels-cartier-chanel-bulgari-piaget-and-others-stole-spotlight-watches-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3306460/gold-watches-van-cleef-arpels-cartier-chanel-bulgari-piaget-and-others-stole-spotlight-watches-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Apr 2025 09:00:14 +0000 The Grammy Awards are not particularly known for good taste. Quite the opposite – the event is arguably celebrated for its outlandish and controversial moments. Then Gracie Abrams arrived. The singer – who has been linked to Irish actor and “internet boyfriend” Paul Mescal since the summer of 2024 – was a vision in Chanel on the red carpet this February. Most striking about her off-the-shoulder ethereal cloud of cream silk tulle with contrasting black belt was not the rosette detail, but its... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3304854/why-mysterious-hooded-dress-coming-back-dunes-zendaya-gracie-abrams-and-complete-unknowns-monica?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3304854/why-mysterious-hooded-dress-coming-back-dunes-zendaya-gracie-abrams-and-complete-unknowns-monica?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Apr 2025 22:00:08 +0000 From surrealist artist Man Ray’s Lampshade earrings, worn in the 60s by French actress Catherine Deneuve, to his collaborations in the 70s with Italian jeweller Gem Montebello – and from sculptor Alexander Calder’s masterfully absurd jewellery creations, worn by the likes of Simone de Beauvoir, Georgia O’Keeffe and Peggy Guggenheim, to feminist artist Niki de Saint Phalle’s ruminations on the body with her colourful brooches – artists have long turned to jewellery as a medium for creativity and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3303930/architectural-jewellery-artists-are-transforming-aspects-sculpture-and-ancient-artefacts-innovative?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3303930/architectural-jewellery-artists-are-transforming-aspects-sculpture-and-ancient-artefacts-innovative?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Mar 2025 09:00:08 +0000 Walking through the Palexpo in Geneva during the annual Watches and Wonders event is a veritable sensory overload. There are just so many booths, and so many watches. A visit to the Van Cleef & Arpels booth is something of a reprieve. As though you’ve wandered into a magical forest. As the then chief executive of the French maison Nicolas Bos (now chief executive of Richemont) once told me, at Watches and Wonders you’re surrounded by boys and their toys – cars, boats – and “here we are with our... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3302847/jewellers-watchmakers-chanel-hermes-bulgari-and-van-cleef-arpels-are-venturing-further-hallowed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3302847/jewellers-watchmakers-chanel-hermes-bulgari-and-van-cleef-arpels-are-venturing-further-hallowed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Mar 2025 22:00:17 +0000 What makes something Melbourne? Stereotypes abound, of course. A propensity for wearing black and being pernickety about coffee. Moody cocktail bars and understated sophistication, compared to Sydney’s flash. Melbourne is a city you need to uncover slowly – there’s more beneath its gorgeous surface. And this is the case for its newest hotel, Melbourne Place, which opened last November. Even at first glance, the hotel – situated on Russell Street in the central business district, close to the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3300980/sleek-new-melbourne-place-hotel-pays-tribute-australian-citys-vibrant-design-and-cultural-scenes-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3300980/sleek-new-melbourne-place-hotel-pays-tribute-australian-citys-vibrant-design-and-cultural-scenes-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Mar 2025 04:00:08 +0000 A glimpse at reasonably close range of Paul Mescal – wearer of impossibly small shorts and a man of Old Hollywood-era appeal – in a tiny gold Cartier Baignoire watch at the Sydney premiere of Gladiator II was all the proof required that the small watch trend isn’t going anywhere. Mescal, a Cartier ambassador, has certainly been doing the Lord’s work himself to immortalise the idea that small watches are indeed for everybody. He’s not short of options. At Watches and Wonders in April, one of the... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3300144/discover-why-stars-tyler-creator-and-kendall-jenner-are-championing-mini-watch-revival-styles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3300144/discover-why-stars-tyler-creator-and-kendall-jenner-are-championing-mini-watch-revival-styles?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2025 04:00:18 +0000 A comprehensive retrospective of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama – still working aged 96 – showing at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne until April 21, indisputably confirms Kusama’s conviction that polka dots are fabulous. Or to be on point, as it were, polka dots are fabulous once more. They’ve been worn by everyone from Marilyn Monroe in the 50s and 60s, to Princess Diana in the 80s and 90s. Indeed the inherent tension of the polka dot – both retro and timeless, flirty and prim – is... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3299388/japanese-artist-yayoi-kusama-champions-polka-dots-have-princesses-diana-and-kate-marilyn-monroe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3299388/japanese-artist-yayoi-kusama-champions-polka-dots-have-princesses-diana-and-kate-marilyn-monroe?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Feb 2025 02:00:09 +0000 Laurent, my ski instructor – a supremely jovial man with a complexion befitting someone who has worked in the mountains of France’s Les Trois Vallées for some 25 years – wants me to relax. “Allez! Let’s go! Relax, Annie, too much energy in holding on!” he enthuses as I try – mightily – to stop being quite so tense. The thing about skiing, as with life, is that it’s much easier if you allow yourself to go with the flow. The problem in both cases is that this is difficult to do when you are stood... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3297265/why-luxe-french-ski-resort-courchevel-should-be-your-bucket-list-hotels-such-aman-le-melezin-and-13?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3297265/why-luxe-french-ski-resort-courchevel-should-be-your-bucket-list-hotels-such-aman-le-melezin-and-13?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Feb 2025 14:00:07 +0000 If the many things to take from the spring/summer 2025 shows – including a palpable feeling that personal style is making a comeback – it’s that leather is an essential in our wardrobes. By that we mean well beyond your trusty leather jacket. Though judging by how many iterations of this “It” girl favourite were spied on the runway – from aviator styles at Saint Laurent and chic bombers at Hermès, to mustard-coloured overcoats at Prada – these are not going anywhere, either. Beyond leather... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3297184/why-leather-back-and-not-just-jackets-designers-are-creating-everything-aviator-jackets-elegant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3297184/why-leather-back-and-not-just-jackets-designers-are-creating-everything-aviator-jackets-elegant?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Feb 2025 06:00:14 +0000 When you think of it, could there be an item of clothing that says “star power” any more unequivocally than a camel coat? It’s the kind of luxurious swaddling that celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to Jackie Kennedy in the 70s, Hailey Bieber to Iman, and most recently Angelina Jolie – in Brunello Cucinelli at the Torino Film Festival – have worn. In what has become one of the most defining moments when it comes to chicness on-screen, Sienna Miller’s Max Mara Manuela coat in the TV series Anatomy... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3295780/why-celebrities-have-embraced-camel-coat-marilyn-monroe-and-jackie-kennedy-angelina-jolie-while?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3295780/why-celebrities-have-embraced-camel-coat-marilyn-monroe-and-jackie-kennedy-angelina-jolie-while?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Jan 2025 03:00:07 +0000 Even without all the prepublication buzz, Lili Anolik’s new book, Didion & Babitz, was always going to have immediate resonance. How could it not, when Joan Didion has long been the ultimate for both aspiring serious writers and the set you might call the literary “It” girls? Not that you can’t be both serious and an “It” girl. Or an “It” girl who’s finally taken seriously. Both things are true of Didion and Eve Babitz. As the book details, the two women were linked in ways not especially known... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3295747/legacies-joan-didion-and-eve-babitz-lili-anoliks-new-book-2-authors-who-left-lasting-impact-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3295747/legacies-joan-didion-and-eve-babitz-lili-anoliks-new-book-2-authors-who-left-lasting-impact-fashion?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Jan 2025 08:00:09 +0000 For Marie-Laure Cérède, creative director of watches and jewellery at Cartier, it was no mean feat to tinker with a design as recognisable as the Cartier Trinity. Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the deceptively simple design: three intertwined bands of white, rose and yellow gold, worn by everyone from Jean Cocteau to Grace Kelly. As Cérède told journalists at celebrations in Paris, it is “hard to reinvent an icon, something that’s already perfect”. “When we thought about redesigning... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3295743/why-mixing-metals-making-comeback-watches-and-jewellery-cartier-refreshes-its-trinity-design-bulgari?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3295743/why-mixing-metals-making-comeback-watches-and-jewellery-cartier-refreshes-its-trinity-design-bulgari?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Jan 2025 04:00:09 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown The internet loves nothing more than an intergenerational debate. One of the most divisive of 2024? Socks. Or, more precisely, the length of your socks. According to Gen Z, it is blatantly, unbearably millennial to wear ankle socks (or, shudder, no-show socks). Instead, as evidenced by the queens of today, models Kendall Jenner and Hailey Bieber, socks should be crew length – minimum. A quick scan of the street-style set outside fashion runways over the past few seasons shows the sock wars are... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3295036/ankle-socks-or-no-show-socks-gen-z-vs-millennials-debate-rages-stars-kendall-jenner-hailey-bieber?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3295036/ankle-socks-or-no-show-socks-gen-z-vs-millennials-debate-rages-stars-kendall-jenner-hailey-bieber?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Jan 2025 07:00:09 +0000 There’s a certain, quite delicious irony inherent in a candy pink suit. A subversion of power. The capacity for surprise. For Erdem Moralıoğlu, exploring these contrasts was essential for his spring/summer 2025 show during London Fashion Week last year. The designer took inspiration from the 1928 novel The Well of Loneliness – the seminal work by Radclyffe Hall that was banned for a time in Britain for its treatment of lesbianism. “The collection explored masculine tailoring and feminine... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3294999/why-celebrities-love-colourful-suit-harry-styles-ryan-gosling-kate-middleton-and-meryl-streep-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3294999/why-celebrities-love-colourful-suit-harry-styles-ryan-gosling-kate-middleton-and-meryl-streep-are?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Jan 2025 22:00:08 +0000 Annie Brown Annie Brown Think Joan Collins as the vengeful Alexis Carrington Colby in Dynasty or Princess Diana’s enormous button earrings or Ines de la Fressange on any Chanel runway in the 80s. The era of excess has influenced recent runways, including Saint Laurent, Versace and Schiaparelli, where creative director Daniel Roseberry’s jaw-dropping earrings are wearable works of art. The original material girl, Madonna, sat front row at Dolce & Gabbana’s ode to glamorous blondes at Milan Fashion Week in September,... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3288521/bold-gold-earrings-are-back-inspired-dynasty-style-80s-excess-and-madonna-bella-hadid-and-hailey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3288521/bold-gold-earrings-are-back-inspired-dynasty-style-80s-excess-and-madonna-bella-hadid-and-hailey?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Nov 2024 23:00:10 +0000 By any measure it’s been a big year for Christopher Esber. The Sydney-based designer, who launched his eponymous brand in 2010, was the first Australian designer to win the prestigious Andam prize, awarded in Paris in June. He was chosen by a panel that included Kering CEO François-Henri Pinault, stylist Emmanuelle Alt, and jury president and Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello. Part of the prize includes mentoring with Vaccarello. It was, says Esber, a surreal experience. “It was... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3287181/christopher-esber-debuted-paris-fashion-week-september-2023-and-his-designs-have-been-worn-dua-lipa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/icons-influencers/article/3287181/christopher-esber-debuted-paris-fashion-week-september-2023-and-his-designs-have-been-worn-dua-lipa?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 22:00:09 +0000 In fashion, what goes around, comes around, and arguably there’s nothing that applies to more than the animal attraction of leopard print. Leopard print has been worn by A-listers from Audrey Hepburn to Rihanna, from socialite Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy out walking her dog to screen personas Carmela Soprano and Fran Fine in The Nanny. It was worn by seemingly every girl in that Réalisation Par slip skirt in close proximity to an Aperol Spritz circa 2018, and was central to both indie sleaze and... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3286588/animal-print-makes-lively-bold-look-charm-quiet-luxury-fades-rihanna-and-blake-lively-are-fans-were?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3286588/animal-print-makes-lively-bold-look-charm-quiet-luxury-fades-rihanna-and-blake-lively-are-fans-were?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Nov 2024 21:00:13 +0000 Sydney-based New Zealand designer Maggie Hewitt, founder of Maggie Marilyn, believes in fashion that makes a better world. The new mother has a passion for working with sustainably sourced materials, which she uses to create beautiful pieces intended to be worn over and over again. In 2022, the brand opened its first international boutique, in Sydney’s Paddington, and earlier this year launched its Fine Tailoring collection. What podcast I’m obsessed with I love Lauren Sherman’s podcast Fashion... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3286230/maggie-hewitts-style-picks-founder-maggie-marilyn-loves-her-cartier-tank-ordinary-skincare-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/celebrity-style/article/3286230/maggie-hewitts-style-picks-founder-maggie-marilyn-loves-her-cartier-tank-ordinary-skincare-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:00:15 +0000 If there’s one piece of jewellery to truly signify a woman’s independence, and overall fabulousness, it’s the cocktail ring. The return of Emily in Paris for its fourth season in August, where the undeniable best-dressed character – slinky, chic Parisienne Sylvie – wears several bold cocktail rings, proves just how much of a statement they can make. The idea of the cocktail ring is said to have been established in the 1920s with the flapper – that glittering, liberated woman with her drop-waist... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3284331/why-cocktail-rings-are-making-comeback-carey-mulligan-flapper-daisy-buchanan-great-gatsby-ever-chic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3284331/why-cocktail-rings-are-making-comeback-carey-mulligan-flapper-daisy-buchanan-great-gatsby-ever-chic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Oct 2024 10:00:21 +0000 Jewellers have long been fascinated by the idea of turning ordinary objects into something precious. Think of Cartier’s nail in its Juste un Clou collection, or contemporary designers such as Nadine Ghosn with her viral Crayola collab bracelets. The same could be said for the trend of wearing watches – once simply a functional accessory – as pieces of jewellery. Taylor Swift and Rihanna this year helped usher in a new dawn for watches worn as glittering choker timepieces at major red carpet... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3283904/what-makes-multifunctional-jewellery-piece-how-chanel-cartier-boucheron-and-van-cleef-arpels-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3283904/what-makes-multifunctional-jewellery-piece-how-chanel-cartier-boucheron-and-van-cleef-arpels-are?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 26 Oct 2024 22:00:16 +0000 Iris van Herpen has always resisted being categorised. Since opening her Amsterdam-based atelier in 2007, the Dutch haute couturier has worked across the worlds of science, technology, art and architecture. She has created and 3D printed her own materials and collaborated with physicists, marine biologists and architects, so you can be sure that van Herpen believes art and fashion exist in the same plane. Now it seems the world is catching up. In 2023, an expansive survey of her work, “Iris van... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/article/3283902/how-iris-van-herpen-designer-likes-bjork-beyonce-and-tilda-swinton-likes-play-intersection-art-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/article/3283902/how-iris-van-herpen-designer-likes-bjork-beyonce-and-tilda-swinton-likes-play-intersection-art-and?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Oct 2024 21:00:11 +0000 Fashion’s current veer towards sheer has yet again stoked an inordinate – and familiar – level of ire. Recent years have seen the phenomenon of the “naked dress” on the red carpet, worn by a roll-call of chic provocateurs – from Rihanna, patron saint of see-through dresses, to Kendall Jenner, Florence Pugh and Bella Hadid. Then there has been season upon season of diaphanous, barely there runway collections, from Nensi Dojaka to Saint Laurent, Prada and, of course, her naughty little sister, Miu... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3277411/sheer-fashion-listers-nailing-nearly-naked-looks-class-kim-kardashian-and-kendall-jenner-jennifer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/article/3277411/sheer-fashion-listers-nailing-nearly-naked-looks-class-kim-kardashian-and-kendall-jenner-jennifer?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2024 04:00:09 +0000 Serena Williams, the GOAT, rocking two teeny, tiny Audemars Piguet Royal Oak watches to host the Espy Awards in July is really all the proof the world needs that stacking watches is a thing. It’s also conclusive evidence that timepieces have become an ultimate red carpet accessory – and definitely not to tell the actual time (who knows if Williams’ watches were even set? Who cares?) As Brynn Wallner, founder of the influential Instagram account dedicated to women’s watches, Dimepiece, noted of... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3275941/stacking-watches-officially-celeb-approved-kylie-jenners-duelling-cartier-panthere-and-baignoire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/watches/article/3275941/stacking-watches-officially-celeb-approved-kylie-jenners-duelling-cartier-panthere-and-baignoire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:00:12 +0000 High jewellery season came and went in sumptuous style, as ever. From a Viennese fling with Cartier and pure American luxury with Tiffany & Co. at the Beverley Estate in Los Angeles, to sojourns in some of the world’s most romantic cities – Venice with Chaumet and Rome, of course, with Bulgari – jewellers were out to impress. Not only with dazzling feats of savoir faire and exceptional gemstones, but in the presentation of their new collections. After all, wooing a high jewellery client takes... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3273348/5-biggest-trends-we-spotted-high-jewellery-season-louis-vuitton-chanel-cartier-bulgari-and-dior-all?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3273348/5-biggest-trends-we-spotted-high-jewellery-season-louis-vuitton-chanel-cartier-bulgari-and-dior-all?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Aug 2024 06:00:16 +0000 The slogan T-shirt occupies a unique place in the fashion history. Perhaps no other fashion item has crossed over so perfectly with pop culture. Consider Britney Spears’ “Dump Him” shirt in 2002, or Julia Roberts’ handmade “A Low Vera” shirt that same year. The former came after the pop star and Justin Timberlake broke up, and the latter was interpreted as an act of shade throwing at her now-husband’s then-wife, Vera (it was a messier time!). Fast-forward two decades and the slogan T-shirt has... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3272660/how-slogan-t-shirts-are-making-celebrity-fuelled-comeback-hailey-biebers-tongue-cheek-nepo-baby?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3272660/how-slogan-t-shirts-are-making-celebrity-fuelled-comeback-hailey-biebers-tongue-cheek-nepo-baby?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Aug 2024 04:00:14 +0000 Turquoise has had a diverse array of fans over the centuries – from the ancient Egyptians to Aidan Shaw in Sex and the City. Add to that list Nicolas Bos, the incoming chief executive of luxury group Richemont, who recently vacated the same role at storied French jewellers Van Cleef & Arpels. “It’s the colour of summer skies. So there’s something that you look for when you’re creating jewellery and you want to create a kind of happy and joyful feeling. It’s a fantastic stone,” he says. Turquoise... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3271810/how-turquoise-celebrated-van-cleef-arpels-cartier-and-bulgari-stones-modern-fans-include-emily-blunt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/luxury/jewellery/article/3271810/how-turquoise-celebrated-van-cleef-arpels-cartier-and-bulgari-stones-modern-fans-include-emily-blunt?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jul 2024 21:00:12 +0000 In case you missed the chunky-wedge-sandal memo: boho is back. And riding high (waisted) alongside the trend is the return of bell-bottomed trousers and jeans. Wide-legged flares became big in the late 1960s, going more mainstream in the 70s – synonymous with vibes of peace and love, and worn by such icons as Sonny and Cher, and the late David Bowie. But they actually originated in the early 19th century as rather practical trousers for sailors in the US and later in Britain. One reason given... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3271549/bell-bottoms-are-back-margot-robbie-and-gigi-hadid-rock-70s-styles-while-chanel-and-chloe-are?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3271549/bell-bottoms-are-back-margot-robbie-and-gigi-hadid-rock-70s-styles-while-chanel-and-chloe-are?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 23 Jul 2024 10:00:26 +0000 It’s said that Winston Churchill, the former two-time British Prime Minister, always rubbed the nose of one of the lions on the grand marble staircase in the London War Office for good luck. Flash forward to the present and the War Office, completed in 1906, has been transformed into one of, if not absolutely, London’s most exceptional hotels. Eight years after the Hinduja Group spent some US$2 billion on its restoration, it is me rubbing the lion on the staircase at the now Raffles OWO (Old... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3268479/raffles-owo-london-steeped-history-james-bond-and-winston-churchill-connections-and-grand-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/lifestyle/travel-hotels/article/3268479/raffles-owo-london-steeped-history-james-bond-and-winston-churchill-connections-and-grand-hotel?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Jun 2024 08:00:13 +0000 When it comes to fashion inspo and saved Instagram posts, there are few moments as memorable as the celebrity airport photo. It’s not just that it’s a kick to see incredibly famous people doing very ordinary things (they’re just like us!) It’s that so many of them, especially back in the golden era of travel, made shuffling through passport control look so glamorous. They looked like film stars. Even at immigration. Think Jackie Kennedy in a little cream skirt suit, Elizabeth Taylor standing on... https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3267791/list-airport-style-how-angelina-jolie-anne-hathaway-and-julia-roberts-keep-travel-classy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3267791/list-airport-style-how-angelina-jolie-anne-hathaway-and-julia-roberts-keep-travel-classy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Jun 2024 04:00:10 +0000