Ah, the elixir of youth is ever so addictive: Who wouldn’t want to bottle up a decade or two of tight, glowing skin, limber limbs and shiny, bouncy hair? Not to mention the magical ability to wolf down burgers and throw back tequilas, and emerge from a three-hour nap the next day with sparkling eyes and nary an inch added to your waist. I remember my happy days of youth, before I started saying “when I was your age…”. And while l’ve never let a number define me, I was still delighted when I realised that I’m able to relive my halcyon days vicariously through the trends of today. Everything I wore then is in now: High-waisted jeans, loud Versace shirts, sneakers with the socks showing, and bum bags with everything. The hair, the attitude and the brands may be different now, but the whole appeal of dressing with this quasi-smart, quasi-athletic lewk is still very much the vibe today. Read Associate Fashion Director Jeffrey Yan’s “Welcome to the Funhouse” on page 79, where he talks about whimsical, light-hearted and almost naïve fashion (cue brands such as JW Anderson, Marni and ERL, which are injecting a casualness into their fashion by keeping it playful, not precious).
We also have a cast of young stars this month. There’s our cover star, the new Gossip Girl’s Whitney Peak, who is charting her own meteoric rise in acting and fashion. Waving the flag for greater inclusivity and diversity in film and television, the 19-year-old is walking the walk beyond her role as Zoya Lott in the popular teen drama series. Read all about her journey so far on page 102. Then there’s Jacob Mahler, the Captain of Singapore’s Under-23 football team, who fronts our BAZAAR Man. With his chiselled jawline, strapping frame (he stands at 1.87m) and perfectly ripped body, this handsome 22-year-old athlete of Danish and Singaporean Chinese parentage will soon be fashion’s It boy—just mark my words.
And who can forget wunderkind Olivier Rousteing of Balmain? He was made Creative Director of the venerable French House at 25—a feat not achieved by anyone since Yves Saint Laurent—and was the first Black designer to head a luxury fashion house. Eleven years on, Rousteing talks candidly about his journey with Balmain and how he turned the brand into a global juggernaut on page 50.
In that vein, we also take things à la mode seriously with a beautiful showcase of Fendi couture, which was flown to our sunny shores just last month. Turn to page 112 to see how the collection takes on a whole other-worldly feel under the talented hands of Creative Director Windy Aulia.
Dear readers, the numbers on my passport may well point to a different decade, but my mind always stays au courant—and that’s all that really matters.
—Kenneth Goh, Editor-in-Chief
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Photographed by Andrew Arthur
Creative direction by Windy Aulia
Styled by Tara Nichols
Makeup: Christyna Kay
Hair: Erol Karadağ
Manicure: Mo Qin
Production: JD Martin
Set design: Tim Ferro