Heart Evangelista Is Harper's BAZAAR Singapore's December 2023 Cover Star

It’s a joy that even after 20 years at Harper’s BAZAAR, I can still do new things with the title. In this month’s cover story with Heart Evangelista, we had a tête-à-tête about Asian presence on the global fashion stage and the power of solidarity. We spoke about how we felt when we first started out in fashion, how fashion week has changed and how we navigate this fragmented space in this digital age. Heart is someone I’ve observed from afar, a diminutive, incredibly chic woman who darts about fashion week in all her splendour but never misses a moment to stop by to say ‘hi’. She’s always camera-ready, but beneath that perfected exterior, she possesses a warm, almost childlike naivety. For this cover shoot, I wanted to strip her of all excess—remove the eyelash extensions, take off the diamonds and scrape back her hair with the barest of makeup. She is exquisite, and I feel we caught her at her most honest self. Read it for yourself on page 121.

Related article: Heart Evangelista And EIC Kenneth Goh On Navigating The New World Order Of Fashion

There are so many anecdotes that were brought up in our chat and I still feel like an imposter at times even if fashion is my armour. Fashion week is especially daunting because there are so many street style photographers out there to capture every misstep and fashion faux pas. Today’s social media feeds are as much about how well people dress as how bad they look. TikTok is especially savage and many leave no crumbs in the comments section when they dissect a lewk deemed off or ugly. I spend weekends mulling over what I should wear at fashion week. I plan outfits according to the shows that I will attend, and ensure I don’t wear loud logos of rival fashion houses at other defilés. There’s a certain respect that you have to pay the Houses—one that is unspoken but quickly learnt. I remember once when I was in Pepto Bismol pink for an Italian House runway show in the afternoon, but I had to attend another show beforehand. When the PR of the earlier show found out, she quickly arranged a car and a black outfit for me to wear just before the show so that I wouldn’t stick out like a pink lollipop. That’s the extent of coordination and planning that goes into how good a fashion front row should look. Nowadays, I just turn to black whenever the occasion calls for it because it’s just so much easier and less problematic. Which is a shame as I still love loud prints and colour!

Related article: Heart Evangelista's Style Evolution Through The Years

On that note, we just celebrated the 10th anniversary of one of our most meaningful plans for our local fashion community—the BAZAAR NewGen Award. Originally, the award was started as an initiative to spotlight and recognise the best of new design talent in the region. Today, it’s focused on the talent in Singapore. Out of the six designers that competed, winner Lim Su Hui, who created a romantic collection of dresses and separates stood out for its sophisticated palette and fluid shapes. Turn to page 104 to see all the beautiful creations, glitz, glamour and celebrities at the event. I hope that you will feel inspired to go out and support young creative talent on our shores. Tell us if there are opportunities to help any of them because in this season of giving, that would be the most precious gift of all. Merry X’mas and happy holidays, dear readers.

—Kenneth Goh, Editor-in-Chief

Related article: 10 Lesser-Known Facts About Heart Evangelista, Our December 2023 Cover Star

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Photographer: Shawn Paul Tan
Stylist: Windy Aulia
Fashion: Tod's, Louis Vuitton
Hair: Yuhi Kim
Makeup: Memay Francisco 
Lash Technician: Meiko Mizuno
Assistant Stylist: Gracia Phang
Photographer’s Assistants: Xie Feng Mao, Chay Wei Kang 
Additional Assistance: Larissa Wong