Mama Shelter resists the vocabulary of ready-made labels and has one reaching for an oxymoronic term like budget luxury. On the one hand, rooms are small, with queen-size beds and some have bunk beds but sheets are satin cotton, some bedrooms have private balconies and all have large screens and sound proofing.

There are two swimming pools, one of which doubles as a stage for DJ sets and live performances, and the rooftop enjoys an air-conditioned restaurant and deckchairs for sunset cocktails. Another restaurant, at ground level, has its own bar and a brasserie-style menu; Sunday brunches, always a big draw in Singapore, will attract local and tourists alike.

_{A medium double at Mama Shelter}

The Paris-born Mama Shelter hotel brand has been around since 2008, accumulating a score of properties around the globe but, until now, none further east of Europe than Dubai. The design team behind the Singapore hotel, Dion & Arles, also worked on Mama Shelter Shoreditch.

Their signature style displays colourful décor, patterned textures and a playful quirkiness that results in whimsical touches to the interior decoration but also, in the Singapore hotel, a hand-painted ceiling mural by Parisian street-artist, Beniloys, that took three months to create on site.

_{First-ever Mama Shelter bunk rooms}

Centrally located in the city state and with an ethos of affordability without sacrificing comfort, Mama Shelter Singapore should have an instant appeal for tourists valuing utility but appreciating a choice of bedrooms and a design-conscious environment.

by Sean Sheehan

Rooms from S$190+ per night, inclusive of breakfast for two guests, on bookings made before 31 August. The opening offer is valid for stays from 23 September 2025 to 28 February 2026, subject to blackout dates and availability.

For reservations, visit mamashelter.com/Singapore.

The post Get A Look At The New Mama Shelter, Singapore first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

_{Exterior of Pan Pacific Orchard}

As I make my way to the Forest Terrace, one of four open air sky terraces, the sense of being in a tropical forest is enhanced by the cascading waterfall. I’m staying in the beautiful Pan Pacific Orchard’s Premier Balcony Room overlooking the dynamic cityscape, its luxuriousness exemplified by the Diptyque amenities in the bathroom. As part of the hotel’s central motif of sustainability, there was also a filtered water dispenser accompanied by an array of reusable bottles made from ocean-bound materials. 

_{Terrace Lap Pool}

If it already couldn’t sound any better, a Happy Sleepers programme is on offer to all guests staying in the hotel’s suites, Pacific Club Room and to Pan Pacific Discovery members. Included is a bunch of therapeutic and sleep-boosting amenities and activities. The experience is 100 per cent worth it and even after only a two-night stay, I felt so much more well rested.

_{Beach Club Loft room}

Dining was another delight. The hotel’s signature restaurant, Mosella, serves Mediterranean cuisine with a Peruvian twist amid floor to ceiling windows and, you guessed it, even more greenery.

I’m just in time for the set menu that treats you to three generously-sized dishes, with choices such as tomato gazpacho, barramundi and a 28-layer cake. I decide upon the salmon tataki ceviche to start, which includes red pepper mango salsa, salmon roe, burnt orange, tahini, and mint.  

_Mosella

The mushroom and truffle risotto followed for mains, and finally the banana and miso chocolate for dessert, including Guanaja 70 per cent chocolate mousse, miso chocolate soup and caramelised banana.

Each and every flavour brought a fresh twist to the table and left me wanting more. With a satisfied palette and a warm sensation in my stomach, I made my way back up to the room to put the Happy Sleepers programme to the test.

by Alicia Tomkinson

_{The Deluxe Room starts at SGD 460+ per night}

_{For more information visit Pan Pacific Orchard}

The post Glass goes green in the Garden City at Pan Pacific Orchard first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

The post Glass finds calm amidst the vibrant city at the Conrad Centennial Singapore first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Black Pepper Prawns

Chilli Lobster and steak

Lloyd describes his food as “an explosion of flavour – offering a portal into an exotic world”, and post-meal I couldn’t help but agree. Upon tasting just one mouthful I was transported back to my year studying in Hong Kong, in which weekends would be spent travelling to nearby countries tasting and experiencing as many cultural delights as I could cram in. Opting for the nine-course tasting menu, priced at a mere £39, I was treated to Malaysian puff pastry, Thai prawn curry, Singapore Char Kuey Teow, and Indonesian Pandan macaron, amongst five other stunning dishes. A special touch to the evening was the personal welcome by Peter Lloyd who came to our table to introduce us to the menu and suggest dishes for the night. Full of personality, knowledge, as well as talent, it is no surprise the chef has received the critical acclaim he has. Restaurant critic Faye Maschler gave him a 4* review, Giles Coren scored the cooking an 8, and Marina O’Laughlin noted: “The food is so good, it’s a surprise to find that chef Peter Lloyd doesn’t hail from Kuala Lumpur.”

Marrying sweet, sour, salty and umami flavours together in a harmonious melody of small to large dishes, the menu consists of an array of meats, fish and vegetables to accommodate any dietary preference. Offering both a vegetarian and meat tasting menu, the wonderful team at Sticky Mango are able to combine dishes from both menus to suit pescatarians, like me, as well as any other special requests to ensure you receive the utmost attention to satisfy your palette.

Malaysian Chicken Curry Puff and Chicken Satay

Interior of Sticky Mango

Pandan Macaron

Stand out dishes of the night were the black pepper prawns served with dehydrated pineapple, jicama and pea shoots – the perfect combination of sweet and salty that left you salivating for more; the truffle egg fried rice – an adaption of the classic dish with a more elegant approach and refined ingredients, and finally the two desserts: the eponymous sticky mango rice dish that Lloyd has become renowned for and the Pandan macaroon served with soy salted caramel ice cream. Not forgetting the exquisitely light yet decadently rich curry puffs, available in both vegetarian and meat versions, which presented airy structures of warm buttery pastry filled with finely chopped ingredients that burst with a curry flavour so more-ishly sharp yet simultaneously sweet that you found yourself licking your fingers after the last bite.

The decor of the restaurant hones into the menu’s influences, with warm lighting, traditional wooden pieces and decorative gold finishing serving a slice of South-East Asian delight. Plates are rustic – resonating with Lloyd’s time eating from street stalls, whilst table and chairs celebrate simplicity and understated elegance. The atmosphere is welcoming and homely, with an unfussy attitude. It is this, combined with the lovely staff and even lovelier food, that makes Sticky Mango one of my favourite finds of London.

Peter Lloyd

Sticky Mango dish

by Lily Rimmer

The nine-course Tasting Menu at £39 with a Vegetarian Menu at £30
Sticky Mango continues RSJ Restaurant’s reputation for Loire Valley wines with a carefully curated list of unusual wines.

33 Coin Street,
London, SE1 9NR,
02079284554
info@stickymango.co.uk

The post Sticky Mango – It’s time to get stuck in first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

The Bicentennial – the 200 anniversary of Sir Stamford Raffles’ landing in Singapore in 1819 – marks a key turning point in the country’s history. The event is curated by leading Singaporean and UK creative agencies, In The Wild and Bompas & Parr. Together they have created a trans-historical experience that casts a wider lens on the spirit of discovery, openness of exchange in a dynamic city, and enduring relations between the UK and Singapore.

Sir Stamford Raffles in Singapore

Multi-sensory experiences will offer visitors a slice of Singapore’s arts, music, dining and cocktail scene. Featuring an internationally renowned cast of Singaporean artists, chefs and mixologists, this techno-garden is an opportunity to discover the sights, sounds and tastes of Singapore. It will depict the city’s experience over 700 years – from the 14th century to the 21st century.

Singaporean botanical designers, Humid House

Singaporean food and cocktails will be available at £6.00 each – arrive early to get the chance to try Michelin starred chef Malcolm Lee’s inspired Peranakan dishes. Compliment the food with botanical cocktails from a creative collaboration between Native (No.13 in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2018 and recently voted No. 4 in Asia’s 50 Best Bars 2019) and Lyaness, one of London’s finest drinking establishments.  There is also the opportunity to try the classic Singapore Sling from Raffles Hotel Singapore, which reopens its doors in August this year.

Singapore skyline at night

A colourful city glowing with life, Singapore has always been a kaleidoscope of different races, cultures, stories, materials and people. Experience it all in a clash of botanical beauty and urban thrills.

by Alicia Pountney

Singapore: Where Explorers Meet will be held at Finsbury Avenue Square, Broadgate, EC2, June 13 – 15, 2019

The post Singapore commemorates 2019 Bicentennial year in London first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Bedroom Banyan Pool Villa. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Set in a lush rainforest hillside on Bintan Island, part of Indonesia’s Riau Archipelago, the 64 thatched-roof villas of Banyan Tree Bintan are perched along the picture-perfect Tanjong Said Bay and inspired by a traditional Balinese village. The focus here is always the pristine location. Inside, each villa is decorated in earth tones, with marble flooring, four-poster bed, plus a luxurious day bed nestled under palm-frond-framed windows, all with views out over the South China Sea.

Guest Room Pool Villa Sea View. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Spa Bintan Banyan Tree Spa Ryokan. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Aside from in-room dining, the resort offers three restaurant options. Treetops plates up Indonesian cuisine from morning till evening – for breakfast, choose a shaded table outside and tuck into your choice from the buffet while listening to birdsong. For lunch and dinner, enjoy local specialities, including Bintan Lakse (a spicy noodle soup) and traditional satay with peanut sauce. Saffron is open only for dinner and serves authentic Thai fare with an innovative twist while The Cove has a modern Mediterranean menu.

Dining with a Blue Moon. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Restaurant Dinner on the Rocks. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Venture beyond the resort for an award-winning Mangrove Discovery Tour boat ride along the winding Sebung River, which passes wooden kelong restaurants pitched on stilts and serving seafood, including crab and lobster, for a song. Continue further along the waterway into Bintan Mangrove’s tangle of swampland where, in the low-hanging branches, stripes of yellow on pitch black give away the napping spots of coiled mangrove snakes. This dense foliage is also home to macaques and silvery lutung (also known as silver leaf monkeys), alongside a thriving network of flora and fauna. But for something even more magical, come at night to see the fireflies: “It’s like someone hung Christmas lights up on the trees,” says our guide over the roar of the boat’s motor.

Villas at Banyan Trees Bintan. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Back at Banyan Tree Bintan, it is 4pm and the sun is casting long shadows across the beach where we’re releasing four eight-week-old hawksbill sea turtles. Indonesia’s more than 130,000 islands and 50,000 kilometres of coastline is a popular breeding ground for these critically endangered marine reptiles (alongside the region’s other turtle species including olive ridley, leatherback, flatback and green turtles) who are threatened by the fishery and wildlife trade, loss of nesting and feeding habitats as a result of coastal development, and pollution. The resort’s Conservation Lab and “baby turtle release” programme is just one of many initiatives led by the Banyan Tree Global Foundation, and so far has protected more than 3,000 turtle hatchlings.

Guest Room Pool Villa Sea View. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Recreational Facilities Saffron Pool. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

Andi, the resort’s trainee conservation manager, paces ten steps back from the water’s edge and draws a starting line in the sand with a piece of driftwood. ‘Female turtles take in their surroundings as they make their way to the sea,” he explains, “they always return to nest in the same place where they hatched.” He then places four half-coconut shells on the line, each one holding a turtle, and we watch, enraptured, as they clamber out and their tiny flippers propel them clumsily towards the sea.

Restaurant Dinner of the Legend Evening Setup. Courtesy of: Banyan Tree Bintan

This is an inspiring place, one that’s as much about doing as it is about relaxation. Guests of Banyan Tree Bintan can play a part in the preservation of marine biodiversity by participating in coral planting activities, and mucking in with beach and reef clean-up events, too. Whether you’re walking the winding pathways, practising morning yoga or getting lost in the pages of a novel from your sun lounger, it’s hard not to experience the peaceful and restorative nature of the unspoilt outdoors here.

by Natalie Egling

A Rainforest Seaview Villa at Banyan Tree Bintan starts from £305 a night, on a bed and breakfast basis, including tax.

Book your island getaway with a city break in Singapore, a 55-minute high-speed catamaran ride away from the island idyll. Glass got a feel for the city with Betel Box’s informative Good Morning tour of Joo Chiat and stayed at the historic So Sofitel Singapore, a luxurious boutique hotel housed in Singapore’s most iconic neo-classical building.

For more information on Singapore, visit www.visitsingapore.com.

The post Glass gets back to nature with Banyan Tree Bintan, Indonesia first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Rirkrit Tiravanija, Untitled (running out of time), 2013, featuring performance by Mai Ueda.
Photo courtesy of MONA Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia/Rémi Chauvin.

Rirkrit Tiravanija is an Argentinian-born artist whose art aims to bring people together. He is best known for his installations in the US and the UK where, in one piece, he wrote the instructions for cooking south-east Asian green curry on a wall and then the dish was prepared for visitors. His exhibition at the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden draws on south-east Asian traditions through using regional materials and architecture. Tiravanija has built the biggest bamboo maze for visitors to navigate their way through, as well as a wooden tea house.

Alongside the exhibition, the National Gallery Singapore will host a series of accompanying programmes and talks including monthly tea ceremonies and performances.

Untitled 2016 (this is A, this is not A, this is both A and not-A, this is neither A nor not-A), 2016 Mirrored tea room, scaffolding, two 3D printed Bonsai Sculptures.
Courtesy of the artist and Gallery side 2. © Okayama Art Summit 2016, photo: Yasushi Ichikawa

by Allie Nawrat 

National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew’s Road, Singapore, 178957

Rirkrit Tiravanija’s exhibition at the Ng Teng Fong Roof Garden Commission series is open from January 24, 2018 until October 28, 2018

The post National Gallery Singapore presents exhibition by Rirkrit Tiravanija first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Poster for the show by Studio Niji (Shoji Katsume)

Tell us about the work you’re presenting at the DR/OP: Beyond Boundaries show in Singapore this autumn.
I will be presenting a sculptural installation work titled “I love you”. It all started when I read the quote in [The Singapore Story,] the memoir by late Mr. Lee Kuan Yew  – “If you are a troublemaker… it’s our job to politically destroy you… Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac.”

This was a powerful reminder of the brutal and manipulative nature of politics. I was also thinking about Mr. Lee’s red box (Throughout his life, former [Singapore] Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew had kept a red box close by. About 14 cm. wide, it contained all of the things he was working on at any one time). I imagined this red box might metaphorically contain a set of tools to “fix” the treacherous and demanding situations in the early years of building up a nation. I admired his courage, will power, and tenacity, and was grateful for what he has done for Singapore. I also believed he did what he thought must be done (including the injustices inflicted onto his opponents) to establish the foundation for a nation, though many may not agree with his methods.

He once quoted Niccolò Machiavelli, “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.” And I thought this book, The Prince by Machiavelli, may be among the tools in his red box. Thus, [I recognized] the series of tools tied in bondage like the Japanese art of bondage, Kinbaku; [they’re both] all about power and submission. In Kinbaku, the “victims” are willing partners of the “powerful,” both deriving pleasures from being either controlled or in control. Most of us may not be aware that in the pursuit for personal fulfillment, we may have become willing slaves to the powerful.

You’re known for your transformation of banality to painterly, metaphoric descriptions of the human condition. How is this show a continuation of that reputed approach?
This exhibition provided an opportunity for me to develop new ideas and experiment with a different mode of art making. This piece is part of a larger body of sculptural installation works, which will be presented in my 16th solo exhibition in October of this year at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts galleries. In my paintings, I have always been interested in teasing out silent innuendos within a picture composition, and adopting similar strategies for the object-based works. For me, the key to the appreciation of an artist’s work is understanding the context in which the piece was created.

Boo Sze Yang (SG), “I love you.” 2017, hatchet, rope, mild steel, 90 x 60 x 45 cm

Tell us about your role in curating this upcoming show. What was it like guest directing amongst the ONLY CONNECT team, who has worked together on other OC shows in the past?
I was invited to participate in OC’s exhibition in Onomichi last year, where the concept of this exhibition originated. I liked the way Yutaka [Inagawa] and his team worked. They are more like “cultural arrangers,” a term I shared with Yutaka recently. We agreed that the term “curating” has been overused and abused in contemporary art. Everyone is curating something daily. Even one of our Ministers (in Singapore) mentioned roughly “that students today need to curate their studies.”

I think we sees ourselves firstly as artists, and coming together to present an exhibition is always exciting because, unlike curators, we do not specify the type of work we want and we have no idea how the exhibition will look. We proposed an idea and set simple parameters; we then work with whatever is presented to us. We prefer to call ourselves “directors” of an exhibition; like making a painting, I roughly know the parameters, and I may start to arrange marks on the canvas, and I accept and try to ‘collaborate’ with accidental processes, but I have no idea how the final work will turn out until I resolve the painting.

Yutaka Inagawa (JP): Capture a Module (Electrical/Paradoxical), 2017, 870x830mm. Collage on shaped pasteboard, coloured silver-leaf on cardboard tube, wooden stretcher, digital print on office paper, silkscreen print on cotton 

There is a quite diverse group of artists presenting in the exhibition you’ve curated, hailing from all over the world. How did you select the artists? 
Many of the artists were those who took part in the exhibition in Onomichi last year. I proposed to OC last year to bring the exhibition to Singapore and Yutaka suggested we include a few more artists from Singapore and Malaysia. The Singapore artists I invited have different practices. While many of the artists in the Onomichi exhibition were engaged in multi-media, photography and using modern technologies, I wanted to include artists who have been working with “traditional mediums” but with a contemporary outlook in their practice.

Collin Crotty (UK): Assembly in the park ll, 2014, oil on linen, 28cm x 22cm

One of the veins of the show’s work is the inevitable presence of thematic modernity in the contemporary artworks, despite the influence or use of traditional crafts. What prompted this idea or approach? And how do you feel your own work contributes to this idea?
I think there has been an over-categorisation of things within our society. Putting things into neat boxes is a way for easy consumption. I think the problem today with art and culture is the ease of consumption. Many arts we see today do not require reflections or encourage questionings. The mentality that “customer is king” is prevalent in our [global] society. We are too inclined to play to the audience or to create for the audience. Central to this exhibition was the belief that viewers have the capacities to see and deliberate through a dichotomy of “certainties” and “uncertainties” and to arrive at a meaningful reading of the work encountered.

I think the challenge with traditional crafts for artists is how to break away from old-fashioned labels and preconceptions, and to produce work that is relevant to contemporary living. I also feel that audiences today are either too busy or too lazy to take time to look, reflect and ask questions. There are too many fast-food types of art and Hollywood-ish displays parading as art out there.

Abdul Latiff Padzari (MY): Mimic Series (3). 2017, wire, nylon, glass, dimension variable

As an Asian artist who has been educated in Europe and shows across the world, how do you find these cultural intersections define or inform your work itself? 
As artists working in tiny Singapore, we walk an extremely thin line. The situation is ironic most of the time; to your local audiences you may appear too national, meaning your work may be difficult for viewers of [this certain] cultural background to understand, which is limiting in bringing your work to a larger audience overseas. To your global audiences, if you are too international in your art practice, you may have no distinctive edge amongst the millions of practicing artists. The strategy is to embrace these tensions and differences, and try to find the material within these in-between spaces that is relevant to you as a cultural producer.

The show is in part a response to “a global environment that is culturally diverse and multifaceted.” What sorts of expectations do you, as a curator and an artist, have for your audience’s response or reception?
“It’s a cliché, but as artists we believe that our artwork has a life of its own once it leaves the studio. Most of the time you would want viewers to like your work and appreciate your intentions for the work. But, many times those who misunderstand or misread your intentions may turn out to have the most rewarding of interpretations.”

Glen Stoker (UK): Grow Our Own, 2017, print on archival Hahnemuhle photographic paper, 594mm x 420mm

Tamaki Ono (JP): Re-editing / Orderliness / Chaos, 2015, book and glue

by Emily Rae Pellerin

DR/OP: Beyond Boundaries opens with a reception on August 17, 6-8pm, and runs from August 18-27, 11am-7pm daily at the Goodman Arts Centre in Singapore.

The post Glass is the official media partner for DR/OP: Beyond Boundaries Art Show, Singapore first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

ONLY CONNECT, the understated curatorial powerhouse based in Onomichi, Japan (whose healthily unruly inaugural show Dogs in a Room Glass featured last year) has just opened another show.

The exhibit is a gestalt collection of the work of 23 different artists such as Yutaka Inagawa, Christina Mitrentse,
Akira Yasuda, Chiew Sien Kuan, James Brooks, Suzanne Caines, Aoife Collins, Mayako Hakusui and Tomohito Hiratsuka(including works from the curatorial body as well as one posthumous piece, from American conceptual and sculptural artist David Ireland; the rest of the artists hail from Japan, Greece, Italy, Singapore and the UK). The curatorial mantra of the show, iterated on its press materials (which, notably, were designed by Japan’s ingenious Studio Niji) is:

We place drawings at a level too close to the floor.
Like pitching a tent on the borderland,
each of us draws a line below our comfort zone.

The poetic statement’s final line may be said to describe DR/OP’s represented amalgam of mediums: digital montage, found object installations, inked-over newsprint, sound and video, mixed-media drawings and expressionistic paintings, each engaged in an overall experiential and thought-necessitating setting. However, despite the diversity of mediums there’s the comforting consistency of the single, conceptual display method: nearness to the floor.

The works are presented on table-like platforms put together using recycled materials collected from derelict houses around the Higashitsuchido-cho area in Hiroshima. The tables, exactly 13 centimetres above ground level, set the stage for viewers to meet and deliberate upon the works. The design of the exhibit prompts the viewer to get near the ground, to experience the works in unique yet intentional proximities.

Extending beyond the interplay with the art pieces themselves (and the way in which they’re presented), the experiential nature of DR/OP succeeds in its recording of gallery-goers’ conversations. Mini microphones are attached on some of the 13-centimetre tables, capturing spoken exchanges and recycling them via broadcast to the other two levels of the gallery space. Sounds and conversations that are recorded are overlapped and re-broadcast throughout the exhibition period, forfeiting any threat of conversations’ one-dimensionality via the looping, inter-mixing polyrhythm.

Like the audio aspect of the show, DR/OP’s stationary exhibit inherently caters to exchange: images plays with space (or the lack thereof, in bringing things low down) in perpetuity, throughout the gallery. DR/OP produces a cooperative viewing of disparate artistries, curated to spur engagement of thought, conversation, and movement.

by Emily Rae Pellerin

DR/OP is open until May 22 at Komyoji-kaikan gallery space, Hiroshima, Japan.

You can find more information on the show and on planning your visit at the gallery’s web site or ONLY CONNECT’s public page.

DR/OP installation, furniture, and fixtures by Only Connect

Images courtesy of Only Connect

The post Only Connect opens new show DR/OP in Onomichi, Hiroshima first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

HAUTE couture, French for “high sewing” has long been synonymous with the very finest form of skill and craftsmanship. Whilst the wider influence of prêt-à-porter often trickles down the fashion chain, haute couture remains the exclusive domain of a privileged few. The history of couture dates back to the eighteenth century, when the arts and fashions of the French court at the Palace of Versailles in Paris were sought and emulated by wealthy women across Europe through their own made-to-measure wardrobes. The father of the modern notion of couture however is widely regarded to be couturier Charles Frederick Worth (1826–1895). Worth, an Englishman, transformed the late nineteenth century fashion scene in Paris with his portfolios of one-off designs and his emphasis on the dressmaker as an artist and quickly attracted a rapturous following amongst the wealthy and titled.

By the twentieth century, fashion houses such as Callot Soeurs, Patou, Poiret, Vionnet, Fortuny, Lanvin, Chanel, Mainbocher, Schiaparelli, Balenciaga and Christian Dior were all following in Worth’s haute couture footsteps. But it was during the more affluent post-war period of the twentieth century, and with the launch of collections like Christian Dior’s New Look in 1947, that couture truly came of age. Around this time the term haute couture was defined and legally protected by the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris in legislation which remains active today. The late 1940s heralded a new era in couture, one that Dior himself called the “golden age”. Today, economic disquiet, changes within the fashion industry and the way we buy fashion have taken their toll on the power and popularity of couture and fewer and fewer houses can afford to produce the collections.

But as Asia’s economy, spending power and interest in fashion continues to boom, one wonders if something of a new dawn may lie ahead for couture. Glass travelled to Shanghai to preview the launch of Chanel’s Autumn/Winter 11/12 Haute Couture collection and to investigate whether a revival could be in store for fashion’s highest art form.

Navy blue organza dress embroidered with feather flowers and covered with black pleated chiffon embroidered with feathers and trimmed with braid. Chanel Haute Couture. Photograph: Benoit Peverelli

Pei Mansion, in the Jing’an District of Shanghai is separated from the city’s chaotic, traffic-jammed streets by a tranquil lawn and garden. I arrive at the hotel with my companion, a senior fashion editor from Elle Hong Kong, just before dusk in what the French call l’heure bleue. Now a boutique hotel, the stately structure was built in 1934 for the prominent Shanghai family of architect I.M. Pei (designer of the controversial glass and steel entrance of the Louvre Pyramid). Clear Lucite street lamps, a contemporary echo of the lights peppering the Place Vendôme in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, illuminate a path to the hotel’s main entrance. A familiar sign, in its iconic monochrome design, greets us: Chanel.

Chanel have taken over and transformed the entire hotel into a multi-level, private boutique complete with a showroom, lounge areas and suites for fittings. The lobby has become a showcase for the most recent season’s collection. Covering the original lobby walls are custom-fit midnight black boards with backlit, stylised stencils of the eighteenth century buildings surrounding Place Vendôme.

To the immediate right of the entrance are three silver Chiavari chairs with a tweed boater hat upon each plush black seat and a matching jacket hanging over the backs as though ladies had casually cast off elements of their day suits as they entered the mansion. Two mannequins stand facing the entrance, donning delicately intricate evening gowns of feathers, beads and sequins, black wool boaters and sheer black lace masks. Behind them is a sitting area of low black sofas and armchairs and a coffee table with a glass mirror top. A waiter from the hotel silently enters the room and places a plate of tiny tarts and cakes on the table. Nobody touches them.

The term Haute Couture is fraught with misuse and muddled definitions. For many, it loosely defines a class of extremely expensive designer clothing – for others, it is the pinnacle of high fashion. The words certainly embody the essence of high fashion; however, such a generic characterisation does not fully account for the layered and highly structured world of true Haute Couture.

In France, to be considered an Haute Couture designer, one must follow stringent regulations determined by the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture (established in 1868), a wing of the Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt-à-Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode (French Federation of Couture, Ready to Wear Tailors and Fashion Designers), created in 1973.

Wedding dress cape in draped ivory satin with train embroidered with silver sequins in the shape of a feather.
Chanel haute Couture. Photograph: Benoit Peverelli

A member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture must adhere to the following guidelines: the house must present a collection of a minimum of 50 unique designs, including both day and evening wear, to the press in Paris in January (for Spring/Summer) and July (for Autumn/Winter); they must show the collection to potential clients; the designs must be available for made-to-order with one or more fittings to private clients; and they must have an atelier (workshop) in Paris with at least 20 full-time workers.

The 2011 official members include: Anne Valérie Hash, Christophe Josse, Christian Dior, Adeline André, Stéphane Rolland, Atelier Gustavolins, Maurizio Galante, Givenchy, Jean Paul Gaultier, Frank Sorbier and Chanel. Correspondent members for 2011 include Giorgio Armani Privé, Valentino, Elie Saab, Azzedine Alaïa and Maison Martin Margiela. There are also invited guest members each year.

Over the years, the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture has adapted to the gradual decline of the industry. “In the 1980s, I used to make 180–190 exits,” recalled Italian Haute Couture designer Valentino in reference to the number of times models would appear in a new look during a fashion show. “Now the couture collection is 40 exits.” Haute Couture was a booming industry in the period following World War II. Released from the confines of wartime austerity, many wealthy American and European socialites and aristocracy flocked to Paris, eager to purchase couture again. During this time, the ateliers of Paris supported as many as 46,000 highly skilled couturiers.

The making of Dior’s AW 2011-2012 Haute Couture. Photograph: Sophie Carre

Today, the number of couturiers has diminished to approximately 4,500. The decline of Haute Couture as a profitable business was the result of a combination of many factors: the immense and growing costs of funding an Haute Couture collection (upwards of three million US dollars), the accessibility of high quality, ready-to-wear collections, the rising cost of skilled labour in Paris, and the shift in women’s fashion from formal attire to a more practical and casual wardrobe.

However, the tradition of Haute Couture seems a long way from being rendered obsolete. Despite the financial losses it incurs, an Haute Couture collection serves an invaluable purpose. “Haute Couture is what gives our business its essential essence of luxury,” said Bernard Arnault, head of LVMH Group (owner of couture houses Dior and Givenchy). “The cash it soaks up is largely irrelevant. Set against the money we lose has to be the value of the image couture gives us. Look at the attention the collections attract. It is where you get noticed. You have to be there. It’s where we set our ideas in motion.”

Certainly, the fascination with Haute Couture is undeniable. The collections set the fashion house’s tone for each season and provide the chance for the designer to allow creativity to roam free – irrespective of cost and practicality. For many women, to own a pair of Chanel sunglasses or bottle of perfume is to own the look or scent of the renowned Haute Couture house. For the fortunate few who can afford an Haute Couture piece, it is the ultimate word in wearable luxury.

An Haute Couture day suit such as one of Chanel’s famous tweed numbers requires approximately 150 hours to construct. Each piece is handmade from start to finish by one couturier, ensuring consistent workmanship as well as a sense of ownership for the artisan. An evening gown often requires many hands, as the embroidery or beadwork is highly labour-intensive and time-consuming.

The rarity and exclusivity of Haute Couture ensures that the client will be one of only three or four women in the world to wear a particular design. Lebanese Haute Couture designer Elie Saab doesn’t offer designs again if they have already been sold in a particular region. Established houses present their collections to potential clients in several cities around the world with their Directrice de Haute Couture and the heads of their ateliers (the Premières) on hand for questions and fittings. To the select group of women who purchase Haute Couture, 20,000 US dollars for a day suit or 150,000 US dollars for an evening gown seems a pittance to pay for a sartorial work of art.

Actress Fan Bing Bing in Elie Saab Haute Couture. Photograph courtesy of Elie Saab

To sit in a room of Haute Couture is not unlike viewing rare and elusive art works at a museum. But in contrast to a museum gallery, I was invited to observe the pieces closely, touch the sumptuous fabrics and trace the beadwork. Haute Couture, after all, is meant to be worn. I found myself quickly falling under the spell of Haute Couture.
Given Asia’s increasingly influential role in the world of luxury goods, it is not surprising that many people believe it could be the next major region for Haute Couture clientele. Elie Saab already boasts a rather starry Asian following.

Beloved Chinese actresses like Li Bing Bing, Dongjie and Fan Bing Bing have made red carpet appearances in his feminine and elegant gowns. And certainly Chanel’s presence in Shanghai, one of only three cities (the others are New York and Los Angeles) in a global tour of their Haute Couture collection, is an indication that Asia is set to play a strong role in Couture sales. Recent presentations by Chanel have taken place in Hong Kong (Spring/Summer 2006) and Shanghai (both Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter 2011 collections).

Though unwilling to reveal hard sales figures and demographics (Haute Couture houses are notoriously discreet about their clientele), Chanel’s President of Fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, divulged that they had “exceptional results for the 2011 Spring/Summer collection” and that the “sales and number of pieces significantly increased with numerous new clients from China after the presentation in March 2011.”

Other Haute Couture designers such as Alexis Mabille (currently a guest member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture) have also experienced a warm reception in Asia, an eager yet green client base. “The new market is very interested in couture and specific developments,” Mr Mabille observes. “I am actually in Singapore to present my couture show, and people are extremely, highly responsive, curious and open to buying couture.” He reports that sales of couture have had a “good start” in Asia, “especially around Singapore and Malaysia.”

Equally important to showcasing the designs to this new market has been the process of educating the clients in Haute Couture. “They are not used to the specific process it requires,” explains Mr Mabille. To that end, he and designers like Elie Saab have been holding trunk shows and explaining the process of Haute Couture in intricate detail. Others, like Chanel, stress the historic relationship between the house and the tradition of Haute Couture and emphasise the fact that Haute Couture is unequivocally and uniquely Parisian. “Chanel is the oldest Haute Couture house still in business,” Mr Pavlovsky explains. “Haute Couture remains the ultimate luxury fashion experience and is the DNA of the House of Chanel.”

China, in particular, proves to be an enthusiastic market, quick to respond to new experiences especially of the luxurious persuasion. “I found it interesting that such an industrial area is starting to think about craftsmanship and series of low quantities,” muses Mr Mabille. “They have Chinese couturiers of course, but they are very inspired by Haute Couture. It explains this desire of French couture which is singular.”

A more sophisticated and discerning palate is beginning to emerge in conjunction with the Chinese elite’s increasing appetite for luxury. According to an Elie Saab representative, their Chinese clientele “have a very precise idea of what they are looking for”. There is no doubt that more will want to join these pioneering few. Today Haute Couture may be elusive and out of reach to all but 4,000 of the wealthiest women in the world, but one can be sure that a new generation of prosperous Chinese clientele will soon enter this exclusive and private club.

by Sandra Hong

From the Glass Archive – Issue Eight – Faith

The post Glass investigates the rise of haute couture in China first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

I had never been to Singapore before my recent visit, and quite frankly, I didn’t know what I had been missing. Singapore, this almost perfect and pristine city-state, has lots to offer. Whether for the business or leisure traveller, Singapore has it all.

I was staying at the perfectly located Conrad Singapore, with easy access to downtown and set within the ever-evolving Marina Bay area, overlooking the Straits of Malacca, which incidentally connects the Pacific Ocean to the coast and is one of the world’s most important shipping lanes. The hotel is adjacent to the Sun Tec Singapore Convention Centre and close to arts and cultural venues, such as the ArtScience Museum and the world-renowned Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. Asia’s largest casino is just minutes away in Marina Bay.

With over 1000 shops scattered within the clinically clean and modern local shopping malls, as well as 300 multi-cultural restaurants, there is plenty to enjoy. And don’t forget to pop into the Louis Vuitton store, located on the water and approached via a drawbridge walkway – quite unique.

Not only is the hotel ideally situated, but the extremely helpful and well-informed staff make each guest feel so welcome, which in a city so busy and transient, I found unusually endearing. Furnishings in the public areas of the hotel are to a high standard and there is a modern feel throughout. On entering, giant floral displays are found on every flat surface and an enormous winding staircase dominates the ground floor.

There are 507 guestrooms and 29 suites, which are all comfortably furnished and well appointed. My room of choice would be the corner room on one of the executive floors. It has a side window and a huge main window, which allows far-reaching views of some of the most iconic landmarks, including the Singapore Flyer in one corner and the Lion Head immediately in front of the huge main window. Night time can really be appreciated in such a high-elevation room, from where I enjoyed admiring the magnificent skyline, which is ostentatious yet very attractive.

A room or suite on the Executive floor includes access to the Executive Lounge, which serves delicious Asian and Western food and copious snacks during the day with an extensive pre-dinner finger buffet. Breakfast is also served in the Executive Lounge, which avoids the sometimes-overcrowded main dining area, which gets particularly busy on weekends. With their award-winning app, Conrad Concierge, guests can remotely pre check-in and provide their estimated time of arrival in addition to being able to access all the luxury services on offer.

A stunning feature of the hotel is the beautiful pool area, which is surrounded by skyscrapers and bright lights. A late night dip is invigorating and lets you soak up the unique nightscape. There is an adjoining fully equipped fitness centre, which is conveniently open 24 hours for guests to use at their leisure.

With Singapore this year celebrating 50 years since its foundation, 2015 is a perfect time to visit, especially since its famed Botanic Gardens has just joined the international league of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which is a major coup for Singapore. It’s also worth visiting Gardens by the Bay, Singapore’s futuristic new green space, featuring the best in horticultural and architectural design with over 500,000 plants from every continent in the world.

Last year Singapore welcomed over 15 million visitors. I hope they were all as charmed by this magnificently impressive city-state as I was – I have a feeling they were.

by Amanda Bernstein

Conrad Singapore,  Two Temasek Boulevard, Singapore, 038982, Singapore
Tel: +65-6334-8888
Email: Conrad_Singapore@conradhotels.com

The post The surprise of Singapore first appeared on The Glass Magazine.

Gentrified street food is something to be approached with caution – it’s street food for a reason. Spice Market’s Peter Lloyd has done his research, though, having travelled Asia extensively, and his Singaporean street-food inspired 10-course tasting menu translates the intense, complicated flavours of the country well. Indeed, Singapore might be an Asian country, but, owing to its huge ethnic diversity, its culinary scene is incredibly diverse.

As per Asian tradition, the menu is made up of multiple plates to be shared among the table. Shrimp in a sticky, spicy sauce with sweet roasted pineapple chunks came first. The flavours were intense, but were offset well by the fruit – as per Lloyd’s designs – and we found ourselves using poppadoms, which were provided with their own sauce, to finish off the remains of the dish.

More starters were laid down, including a generous portion of roasted skate and a more traditional dish of soft shell crab served with fried steamed buns – in Singapore it’s usually a whole crab and multiple buns, but this was a refined replacement.

The main courses arrived quickly; the first, a vegetable nasi goreng, had the punchy, moreish quality that you’d except from street food. This was certainly a highlight, and the subtle spring-onion omelette that topped it proved a great feat in textural contrast – in comparison, the rice felt wonderfully crisp. The seafood laksa was good, but lacked the hot, spicy depth of more authentic dishes of its kind, still, it was delicious and would suit many Western palates.

My Singaporean dining companion was excited when the Hainanese chicken and rice dish was laid down – she said people eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner in the country and it’s a universal comfort food. We weren’t disappointed; the chicken was butter-soft and came topped with a potent ginger sauce that added a real intensity to what was otherwise a very delicate combination of flavours.

Dessert, sometimes an afterthought, was what really lingered in our minds – and in our conversation – after the meal end. There were two dishes; the first, a supersized pandan macaron, was filled with an ingenious spin on salted caramel ice cream – instead of salt it was soy sauce, so the taste was new and exciting.

The second was durian ice cream, served inside a novelty takeaway box. You could really taste the durian, but it wasn’t so strong as to be overwhelming. Both were singular and well thought out, striking the perfect balance between tradition and innovation. That’s where the appeal of this novel culinary concept lies – in its combination of authenticity and contemporary ideas.

It’s not often that you find good Singaporean food in London, and this new menu ticks so many boxes.

by Becky Zanker

The menu is available until August 2015

Spice Market, 10 Wardour St, W1D 6QF, London

Tel: +44 207 758 1088  ·
Email: spicemarket.london@whotels.com

The post A 10-course taste of Singapore first appeared on The Glass Magazine.