It’s All About Thought-Provoking Fashion In Our September 2020 Issue

When I stepped out of the Louis Vuitton extravaganza of a fashion show this March, little did I know that it would be my very last fashion show as we know it. Year after year, season after season, Vuitton closed Paris Fashion Week, and was for many the culmination of the arduous two-month journey across New York, London, Milan and Paris to cover all the fashion shows. Despite being tired and under the weather, we were all intent on keeping a happy, smiling face—to hide the fear of this new virus that was sweeping the world.

When I read our Associate Fashion Director Jeffrey Yan’s mammoth twice-yearly “The Collections” report (page 142), it was with a mixture of anticipation—for what’s to come next season—and sadness because fashion shows and weeks will never be the same again. In Paris, Saint Laurent started the week with Vaccarello’s strong ’80s-inspired collection for the House. It gave me the chills as power vixens, poured into skintight leggings, strode down the runway in all shapes of latex and dresses topped with power-shouldered jackets. A similar energy, though a lot darker and more ominous, was found at the Balenciaga show. Models strode out angry and purposeful, stomping water all across the studio space, with lightning bolts and burning fire visuals setting the LED sky ablaze. Pagoda shoulders and arresting silhouettes for both men and women marched past an enraptured audience who lapped up the post-apocalyptic landscape that Demna Gvasalia did so very well. When the final day in Paris rolled around, we found ourselves on a set that literally mirrored the River Seine. I realised that the lyricism of Chanel has never been lost on me as I watched models walking hand in hand in delicious tweed confections found in all shades of monochrome. Nor the camp kitsch of Miu Miu, where playful colours, checks, leopard print and grand coats came together so melodiously in a way that only Miuccia can pull off. Then, we ended with Vuitton, where Ghesquière’s choir of choral singers, dressed in a time warp of period garb, set the audio stage for the models—in looks that appeared to be haphazardly put together (though we knew they were not!)—to the tune of 200 booming voices. 

It was an apt end to fashion week. A mixture of past and present, of ancient garb against the coolest street looks elevated for a fashion magpie. Thought-provoking fashion? There’s so much more for you to discover in our September issue (our version of a fashion runway show)—all the prep, all the looks, the hair, the makeup, and the beautiful accessories and fashion. The fact that we pulled off this cover shoot at the eleventh hour in New York, with one of the world’s most successful and incredibly beautiful models, Candice Swanepoel, was a feat in itself. Enjoy the fruits of our labour because your appreciation is the standing ovation we hope to get. 

—Kenneth Goh, Editor-in-Chief 

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Photographer: Yu Tsai
Stylist: Emma Jade Morrison
Model: Candice Swanepoel/ The Lions New York
Makeup: Georgi Sandev/ Forward Artists
Hair: Ward Stegerhoek/The Wall Group
Production: 88 Phases
Producer: Trever Swearingen
Digital technician: Desmond Reich