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Singapore offers a wealth of experiences to explore. From indulgent luxury encounters to fascinating exhibitions, here’s how to make the most of your March in the Lion City.
From now until 18 May 2025, Maison Margiela Fragrances invites visitors into a dreamscape at House of Memories, an immersive pop-up inspired by the brand’s REPLICA collection. Iconic scents like Lazy Sunday Morning and By the Fireplace are reimagined through tactile installations, while the Fantasies series, Soul of the Forest and Dancing on the Mood turn scent into atmosphere. Check out the Afternoon Delight Café, where madeleines and lattes conjure the newest REPLICA launch through actual sugar, warmth, and sunlit nostalgia. Come for the fragrance. Stay for the vibes.
Maison Margiela's House of Memories is located at 265 Beach Road and is open from 11am to 8pm on weekdays and 11am to 10pm on weekends and public holidays. For more information, click here.
Raffles City’s Beauty Vault is back with a second edition that reads like a love letter to beauty obsessives. This year, 21 premium brands take over the space, each bringing a curated mix of new launches, hands-on workshops, and expert-led sessions. Expect makeup masterclasses from celebrity artists, fragrance layering labs, floral bouquet sessions, cocktail workshops, and even personalised colour analysis, all packaged within a rotating lineup of pop-up showcases. It’s less “mall activation,” more “glow-up circuit".
Raffles City's Beauty Vault is located at the mall’s Level 3 Main Atrium and runs till 15 May 2025. For more information, click here.
Part Parisian café, part New York corner store, the Laura Mercier pop-up at Ngee Ann City introduces the newly reformulated Tinted Moisturizer Blurred Matte and Natural Dewy lines. There’s also shade matching, a trinket station, a claw machine, and enough sampling to leave with your skin and serotonin levels both improved.
The Laura Mercier Le Mercier Daily Cafe pop-up is located at Takashimaya Shopping Centre, B1 Atrium (opposite Aveda) and runs till 11 May 2025.
To mark its first anniversary in Singapore, K-beauty powerhouse JUNGSAEMMOOL is celebrating the only way it knows how: with great skin, great colour, and a little local flair. Till 1 June 2025, the flagship store teams up with art duo Ripple Root on The Sweetness of Tangerines, a month-long installation that blends vivid brushstrokes with beauty-world minimalism. The real collectible? A Singapore-exclusive Essential Skin Nuder Cushion in limited-edition packaging that combines good coverage and cultural.
The Sweetness of Tangerines is now on till 1 June 2025 at the JUNGSAEMMOOL flagship store located at 27 Scotts Road. For more information, visit their website.
Spring has officially bloomed at Paragon’s Spring Soirée. Take a picture at artist Pei Li’s Blooming Windmill installation, a 4.5-metre-tall tribute to mental health, or lose yourself in A Botanical Escape by Mosscape, where sculptural florals and lush foliage offer a rare breath of serenity in the middle of Orchard Road.
A Botanical Escape pop-up runs till 12 May 2025 at Level 1, Paragon.
ArtScience Museum’s Curious Worlds micro-festival opens minds and redefines the way we think about design and biology. At Brain, Body, and Biosphere, get close up with the textures of elephant skin to adaptive fashion innovations, this multisensory journey ties together nature, science, and inclusivity. Exhibitors include Brain Bank Singapore, bioSEA and more, each one challenging the boundaries of the biosphere.
Brain, Body, and Biosphere is now on till 25 May 2025 at the ArtScience Museum. For more information, visit their website.
Giovanni Leonardo Bassan’s first solo exhibition in Singapore isn’t here to play it safe. Non c'è Rosa Senza Spine (“Ain’t No Roses Without Thorns”) peels back the layers of beauty and brutality through raw, figurative works that feel as classical as they do confrontational. The Paris-based Italian artist, who’s worked with Michele Lamy and currently heads Rick Owens’ furniture division, knows a thing or two about duality, and it shows. Think sacred versus savage, softness versus severity, oil paint versus emotional gut punch.
Non c'è Rosa Senza Spine - A solo exhibition by Giovanni Leonardo Bassan will be running till 30 May 2025 at the LOY Contemporary Art Gallery, Tudor Court. For more information, visit their website.
The world of renowned fashion designer Iris van Herpen is here with "Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses". Her first solo exhibition in Asia, visitors will get to see over 140 of Iris' works up close and personal including pieces worn by the likes of Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, and Björk.
Iris van Herpen: Sculpting the Senses is now on till 10 August 2025 at the ArtScience Museum. For more information, visit their website.
ArtScience Museum presents "Mirror Mirror: Journey Into the Mind". Created by Moment Factory, the exhibition puts art and science in focus with a series of interactive, experiential environments that stimulate the senses and explore the different facets of the human mind.
ArtScience Museum's "Mirror Mirror: Journey Into the Mind" is on till 6 July 2025.
Calling all Potterheads! The Wizarding World has arrived in Singapore with "Harry Potter: Visions of Magic". Step into 10 immersive environments from the beloved franchise, including thrilling new experiences like The Chamber of Secrets and The Trap Door. Magic awaits!
"Harry Potter: Visions of Magic" is happening at Resorts World Sentosa. For more information, visit their website.
All through May, Writers Bar at Raffles Hotel Singapore honours the pageantry of the Kentucky Derby with a four-part cocktail tribute to American racing’s most storied tradition. Expect variations on the classic Mint Julep, crafted with Michter’s Kentucky Straight Bourbon, alongside the grapefruit-honey Brown Derby, a zesty Whiskey Buck, and the Jockey Club, a deep, aromatic blend built for lingering. It’s tradition with a twist, served on a silver tray.
Raffles Hotel Singapore is located at 1 Beach Road. For more information, click here.
Celebrate the women who raised us, fed us, and somehow still text with one finger. For its first-ever Mother’s Day celebration, C.O.T.U is pulling out all the stops across its elegant, firelit corners—Enso Steakhouse and The Whisper Room. Expect a midday feast at Enso, featuring a one-day-only lamb special, or a decadent high tea in The Whisper Room, complete with a complimentary Hibiscus Bellini and live jazz.
C.O.T.U is located at CapitaGreen, Level 38 & 39. For more information, visit their website.
HighHouse launches The High Table, a culinary collaboration series spotlighting renowned chefs. For its debut available for lunch and dinner, Michelin-starred Chef Daniele Sperindio of Art di Daniele Sperindio presents eight exclusive dishes infused with playful, Italian-meets-Singaporean flair. Highlights include chilled somen in watermelon rind broth, scallop-studded black lime pasta, and an ice kachang-inspired dessert with burrata cream and banana nectar ice.
HighHouse is located at 1 Raffles Place, Level 61-62. For more information, visit their website.
Ma Cuisine ushers in the season with a refresh of its spring menu. Think French classics with just the right amount of creative rebellion. Expect confit Jeju abalone to replace lamb in a reimagined Navarin d’Ormeau Printanier, and milk-fed sweetbreads paired with morels in a silky veal sauce. The cellar-first bistro’s 1,000-label wine list is the real flex: rare vintages, cult producers, and bottles you’ll only find if you know someone who knows someone. Luckily, the sommelier knows just what to pour.
Ma Cuisine is located at 38 Craig Road. For more information, visit their website.
Moderation? Never heard of her. Bar Somma’s new happy hour offering, cheekily titled Nothing in Moderation, is unapologetically indulgent. Order any martini and enjoy unlimited Lampredotto Panini—think slow-cooked veal tripe with green salsa, red sauce, and homemade focaccina. Equal parts hearty and hedonistic, it’s the kind of pairing that makes restraint feel overrated.
Bar Somma's "Nothing In Moderation" is available from Tuesday to Sunday, 6pm to 7.30pm. For more information, visit their website.
The city’s most decadent brunch is back. Manhattan’s famed adults-only Sunday Cocktail Brunch returns this April, this time with even more flair. Start with a Bloody Mary, boozy milkshake or spritz at one of the interactive stations, before diving into a New York-inspired spread featuring showstoppers like OP rib smoked in a Solera-Aged Negroni barrel—and yes, a whiskey chocolate fountain. Come hungry, leave a little tipsy.
Manhattan's Sunday Cocktail Brunch happens every Sunday, 12pm to 3pm at Manhattan, Conrad Singapore Orchard. For more information, visit their website.
From 8 to 25 May 2025, the Hendrick’s Sunset Cinema returns with a fresh slate of crowd-pleasers, including FREE SOLO, WICKED, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. Billed as Asia’s most breathtaking open-air cinema on Tanjong Beach, Sentosa, it’s where film buffs sip gin cocktails on the beach while watching Oscar winners and Broadway adaptations under the stars. Proof that blockbusters hit different when you’re watching them by the water, drink in hand.
For more information on Hendrick's Sunset Cinema or to book tickets, click here.
Get ready for a cultural passport through 26 acclaimed films from across the continent at the European Film Festival this year, plus a special “Six at Sixty” segment celebrating Singapore’s independence through the lens of young local filmmakers. Screenings are followed by dialogue sessions, and if you’re wondering whether Europe still does cinema better, this month-long festival is here to answer that with subtitles and soul.
The European Film Festival runs till 24 May 2025, and screenings are held at The Projector at Cineleisure. For more information, click here.
Medical dramas are one thing, but Hyper Knife takes it to another level by injecting a dose of thriller, revenge, and high-stakes neurosurgery into its pulse-racing plot. Starring Park Eun-bin (Extraordinary Attorney Woo, The King’s Affection) as Jeong Seok, a neurosurgeon shunned from the medical world after uncovering a dark secret, and Sul Kyung-gu (Memoir of a Murderer, Oasis) as her former mentor, the series is a tension-filled masterpiece of skill, power, and retribution.
Hyper Knife is streaming on Disney+ now. Read the ELLE exclusive here.
KATSEYE is back, and this time they’re not here to whisper sweet nothings. After debuting at number one on Billboard’s Emerging Artists chart with their EP SIS (Soft Is Strong), the group returns with Gnarly, a maximalist club anthem that feels like an online meltdown and a mosh pit kiss rolled into one.
Stream the single today on Spotify.
As Levi’s celebrates the legacy of its 501 jeans, it teams up with Future Asian Music (FAM) and 88rising for Road to FAM, a free multi-city tour spotlighting Southeast Asia’s new wave of musical storytellers. On 16 May 2025, catch our own Fariz Jabba live at Hard Rock Cafe, delivering his signature blend of hip-hop and sharp, street-level narrative. Part anniversary, part talent showcase, and entirely worth the RSVP.
For more information or to RSVP, click here.
With her impossibly flawless skin and expressive gaze, South Korean actress and Dolce&Gabbana global beauty ambassador Moon Ga-young is every bit the modern muse. In this exclusive beauty spread, she transforms from demure ingénue to high-drama heroine, capturing the many moods of a woman who owns her allure. Shot against a backdrop inspired by Il Gattopardo, the iconic 1963 Italian film that shaped the maison’s romantic codes, the shoot is a masterclass in cinematic sensuality and unapologetic glamour.
From a fresh-faced glow created with the Rose Glow Cushion to a bold red pout courtesy of the Everkiss Liquid Lipstick in Devotion, each look evokes a different facet of Ga-young’s beauty—refined, radiant, and irresistibly confident. Whether it’s a crisp white cat eye or a glossy mauve lip, the message is clear: Make-up isn’t just enhancement, it’s expression.
Here, the star shows us how to master the art of transformation—one swipe of lipstick, one flick of liner at a time.
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Moon's sharp winged eyeliner draws inspiration from the inky-black night sky, which she complements with lips in a deep shade of matte red.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: That’s My Line! Eyeliner in 07 FYI, $48; Everkiss Liquid Lipstick in 405 Devotion, $61, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
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A sheer layer of cushion foundation creates a fresh, dewy finish, while a sweep of pink blush across cheeks and eyelids leaves a natural flush. Lips are softly tinted with a touch of mauve, topped with a glossy lip plumper for a moist sheen.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: Rose Glow Cushion, $99; Cheek & Eyes Match Blusher in 04 Cheerful Pink, $75; Everkiss Liquid Lipstick in 205 Affection, $61; Mint Oil Lip Plumper, $51, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
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Embodying the bold and undeniable allure of Dolce&Gabbana, Moon's radiant complexion is perfected with a blurring primer and mattifying foundation, providing a polished canvas for a strong red lip.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: Everlast Primer, $80; Everlast Foundation, $89; Everkiss Liquid Lipstick in 405 Devotion, $61, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
The long-lasting, transfer-proof matte foundation creates a flawless base that is enhanced with a soft bronzer-cum-eyeshadow on cheeks and lids. A hint of romantic mauve on the lips completes the sophisticated look.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: Everlast Foundation, $89; Everkiss Liquid Lip in 205 Affection, $61; Face & Eyes Match Bronzer and Eyeshadow, $81, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
In a setting that channels the sumptuous scenography of the 1963 Italian movie, Il Gattopardo (The Leopard), a film that inspired Dolce&Gabbana’s house codes, Moon makes an indelible impression in polished make-up doesn’t beg for attention but owns it.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: Everlast Foundation, $89; Everkiss Liquid Lip in 405 Devotion, $61, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
To get Moon's rosy glow, start with a luminous primer to smooth and refine skin’s texture, followed by a thin layer of cushion foundation. Press shimmering eyeshadow onto eyelids and finish by drawing a cat's eye with a crisp white liner to add a bold, modern edge.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: Bergamot Glow Primer, $79; Rose Glow Cushion, $99; Eye Dare You Palette, $118; That’s My Line! 01 POV, $48, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
For skin that looks radiant all night long, combine a brightening and hydrating cushion foundation with a long-wearing base. A rosy, matte lip adds the perfect finishing touch.
OUR SHOPPING LIST: Rose Glow Cushion, $99; Everlast Foundation, $89; Everkiss Liquid Lipstick in 205 Affection, $61, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
Photographer MOK JUNG WOOK
Stylist KANG YUN JU
Make-Up Artist LEE YUN YEONG
Hairstylist BAEK HEUNG KWON
Manicurist LIM MI SEONG
Art Designer JEONG HYE RIM
Set & Prop Stylist YOO HYE WON
Stylist’s Assistant JOE WON HEE
If you love pasta (who doesn’t?), then consider this our PSA to sprint, not walk, to Scarpetta, the new pasta bar at Amoy Street. This place is a love letter to handmade pasta, written by a former finance bro (let’s call him Aaron), who so missed his favourite cacio e pepe from his time in London that he decided to open his own restaurant. And, you know it’s passion over profit when nothing on the menu is over $30.
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To bring his vision to life, Aaron roped in Danny Ng, the ex-head chef of Bar Cicheti, and together, they crafted a small-ish menu of pastas that deliver serious flavour and variation. We’re talking bold, umami-packed sauces and perfectly al dente noodles, all made fresh, and paired with thin, crispy schiacciata bread so you can mop up every last drop, which is what the term “scarpetta” means.
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Begin your calorie-laden feast with the Tuscan Toasts (from $12), particularly the uni version. Aaron uses only auction-grade uni flown in twice a week, and it’s as creamy and sweet as the ones you’d pay double for at a Japanese omakase. The Burrata ($18) with cherry tomatoes is silky, milky and high-key addictive.
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If I had to pick three pastas, I would go for the Al Granchio e Limone ($26), a Blue Swimmer Crab taglioni brimming with oceanic sweetness; the Spicy alla Vodka ($21), a baked vegetarian tomato- and chilli-based rigatoni with charred crispy edges; and the Bolognese Ravioli ($24), where tender beef cheek, bone marrow, and sun-dried tomato explode with rich, meaty flavours.
For dessert, don’t even think about skipping the boozy Tiramisu ($11), hands-down one of the best in town—strong, creamy, and perfectly balanced with its layers of espresso-soaked ladyfingers. And if you have space for more, go for the Gelato con Olio ($6), a creamy Hokkaido milk ice-cream topped with Umbrian extra virgin olive oil and salt flakes. Have this with an Espresso Martini ($22), and call it a night.
The only downside? This 30-seater restaurant—easily identified from the long queues outside—is walk-in only, with seating mostly at the bar. But that just adds to the charm; watching your pasta get plated right in front of you is part of the experience. And with prices this reasonable, you’re definitely getting maximum bang for your buck.
Scarpetta is at 47 Amoy Street. For enquiries, WhatsApp 8851-1521.
Summer has come early thanks to Tommy Hilfiger. The brand has always been about a dynamic, distinctly American lifestyle and the effortlessly cool clothes synonymous with that kind of living. It only makes sense that summer is the natural element for those breezy clothes, when days stretch long and everything is bathed in warmth and light. This year, Tommy Hilfiger created the dream version of summer on a Caribbean island with The Hilfiger Resort. Taking over the Soho Beach House Canouan in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Tommy turned paradise into a playground for the super stylish—one where red, white and blue commingled with golden hour and turquoise waters.
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The Tommy Hilfiger aesthetic can be summed up as ‘Prep with a Twist’ and this summer collection did not deviate from that winning formula. The brand offered up a whole wardrobe of timeless pieces refreshed for sun-soaked, sea-sprayed adventures. Comprising resort and holiday styles, the collection ranged from more elevated fare for sundown soirees to easy looks one can just throw on or off by the beach.
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The guest list at The Hilfiger Resort read like a who’s who of beautiful people. There was Patrick Schwarzenegger, fresh off his buzzy turn on The White Lotus, along with his fiancee, top model Abby Champion. Other actors such as Madelyn Cline, Lukas Gage, Michael Rainey Jr. and Anupam Tripathi also came along for the trip, as did influencers like Irene Kim and Noel Robinson.
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The four days at The Hilfiger Resort were both a fantasy escape and a real-life showcase for how versatile the Tommy Hilfiger Summer 2025 collection is. From lightweight dresses and shirting to soft, relaxed tailoring, there was a style proposition for every occasion—be it sunset cocktails at the jetty; a day out on the boat, sailing around and diving in the crystal clear waters of Tobago Cays; or heading to nearby Mayreau island for grilled seafood and piña coladas.
On our last night at The Hilfiger Resort, Tommy Hilfiger himself and his wife Dee, showed up for dinner by the beach, where we also celebrated Mr. Hilfiger’s birthday. With disco balls strewn all around, the beach also became the dancefloor once the food has been polished off. To cap it all off and end things on a literal high, Tommy Hilfiger whisked everyone off to a surprise afterparty at a club that looks like a beach shack but is situated up in the hills, its open rooftop deck looking out over the island and the waters.
From soft stardust to high-beam brilliance, what better way to achieve gorgeous radiance skin than with these highlighters. Whether you prefer a skin-like effect or a high-impact beam, these illuminators are your shortcut to a lit-from-within look.
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With a concentration of pearlescent micro-pigments in a clear gel base and infused with hyaluronic acid, Dior’s Forever Glow Luminizer comes in seven shades and three finishes that blend seamlessly into the skin for an unparalleled glow to the skin.
Dior Forever Glow Luminizer, $98, DIOR.
Oil-infused with a soft-lit halo effect, Dolce&Gabbana Beauty’s Devoted Everlift Luminizer enhances the complexion with a lifted, illuminated finish that lasts for 16 hours.
Devoted Everlift Luminizer, $96, DOLCE&GABBANA BEAUTY.
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With a gel-powder hybrid formula, Tom Ford’s limited edition Soleil Glow Highlighter brings a healthy glow that
lasts throughout the day—perfect for the summertime.
Soleil Glow Highlighter, $145, TOM FORD BEAUTY.
Clé de Peau Beauté’s The Luminizing Face Enhancer imparts a soft, multidimensional radiance with opal powder and light-reflecting pigments, while caring for the skin with nourishing argan oil.
The Luminizing Face Enhancer, $100, CLÉ DE PEAU BEAUTÉ.
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Gucci Glow Highlighter features a gel-powder formula with an ultra-light, airy texture that delivers a gorgeous radiance, while seamlessly blending without settling into fine lines.
Gucci Glow Highlighter, $95, GUCCI BEAUTY.
With light-reflecting pearls, Rare Beauty's Positive Light Liquid Luminizer is a liquid highlighter that gives your skin a high-impact and long-lasting glow that looks like skin.
Positive Light Liquid Luminizer, $44, RARE BEAUTY.
A classic in the beauty world, M.A.C Cosmetics' Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighter is a slow-baked powder illuminizer that gives the skin that sunkissed luminescent finish.
Mineralize Skinfinish Highlighter, $72, M.A.C Cosmetics.
Before Serena Williams, before Maria Sharapova, there was Suzanne Lenglen, the French tennis prodigy who dazzled 1920s crowds with a string of victories, in addition to how she moved, dressed, and defied the era’s conventions.
Between 1919 and 1926, she won six Wimbledon singles titles and two Olympic medals and lost only one match as an amateur. Yet she didn’t just serve to win — she served looks. At a time when women were expected to compete in corsets and floor-length skirts, her wardrobe was its own act of rebellion: Pleated skirts, silk blouses, and sleeveless cuts that freed her movement. What she wore was not only practical and fashionable; it was political.
Her style, once labelled “indecent” by the British press, went on to define an era as women soon started following her style. In 1973, Lacoste would design her uniform as a pleated V-neck tennis dress with contrast piping. The design paid homage to Lenglen’s pioneering look and contributed to an ongoing dialogue about the intersection of fashion and sports, a conversation that continues today.
Now, a century later, the French label honours her legacy with the introduction of the Lenglen, a leather bag that distils the elegance of her court couture. Its silhouette draws directly from the pleats of a tennis skirt, with supple folds fashioned out of sheepskin leather that fan outward in clean, architectural lines. It holds its shape without feeling stiff while following the balletic flow of a player’s footwork.
Few brands understand tennis heritage quite like Lacoste. Since its founding in 1933 by tennis champion René Lacoste, the label has consistently drawn from the sport’s visual language to shape its womenswear, blending athletic precision with a distinctly Gallic insouciance. The brand’s approach is rooted in movement, with an eye on how each piece functions beyond the court.
Today, that same thoughtful approach to womenswear considers not just heritage but the rhythm of daily life. The Lenglen bag promises function and restraint: An optional adjustable strap allows it to be worn crossbody or over the shoulder, while matte, tonal hardware offers quiet cohesion over contrast.
Its proportions are generous enough for the day’s essentials without veering into excess, and it comes in three sizes: Large for those who carry their day with them, medium for everyday ease, and small for just the essentials. The silhouette remains consistent across all — sculptural, pleated, and quietly poised.
The palette follows that same logic. Cristalline (a chalk white), black, Viennois (a tannish-beige) and Burnt Henna (a deep red) form the base, with seasonal colours to follow. These colourways complement any outfit rather than define it. As with Lacoste’s ready-to-wear, the focus isn’t on trend or spectacle but on translating the values of sport — fluidity, autonomy, elegance — into something you can carry, wear, and move with.
Lenglen’s influence stretched far beyond what could be measured in medals or match points. She redrew the boundaries of femininity — not by asking for space, but by taking it. The bag that now carries her name reminds us that elegance, when it’s lived on one’s own terms, never goes out of style.
Photographed by JAYA KHIDIR
Styled by DONSON CHAN
Model AIMEE CHENG-BRADSHAW/Basic Models Management
Make-up Artist RINA SIM
Hairstylist GREGO OH
The Lenglen is available in the Lacoste store at ION Orchard.
What does it mean when a fashion House steps into a photography exhibition? When it’s Dior, a maison fluent in the language of iconography, the answer is never superficial. This month, it lends its support to Graciela Iturbide, one of Mexico’s most revered photographers, whose first major retrospective in Japan opens at the Kyoto City Museum as part of Kyotographie 2025. A showcase of work that spans six decades, it’s an exhibition of Iturbide's portraits that resists spectacle in favour of clarity, intimacy, and truth.
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If this moment feels particularly poetic, it’s because it is. Dior’s relationship with Japan began in the fifties, when Christian Dior became the first French couturier to present a collection there in 1953. In the years that followed, silhouettes like Tokio, Jardin Japonais, and Outamoro gestured to an East-meets-West reverence. Romanticised? Yes, but never trivialised.
Fast forward to today, and Dior's artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri continues that legacy by drawing connections between craft, feminism, and community, most recently through the Fall 2025 show held in Kyoto, Japan.
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Iturbide’s inclusion is a natural fit. Born in Mexico City in 1942, the photographer has spent her life documenting what others overlook: Zapotec women in Juchitán, muxes in Oaxaca, desert rituals in Sonora. Her images are stark but never cold; poetic without sentimentality. They are, as Chiuri herself might describe, expressions of lived feminism.
In 1989, Iturbide published Juchitán de las Mujeres, a pivotal work that continues to shape feminist discourse in Latin American visual culture. And in 2018, Dior tapped her to shoot a special reportage in Oaxaca for its Spring 2024 collection, a creative partnership later immortalised in the Her Dior anthology.
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The retrospective in Kyoto, part of Kyotographie’s 13-artist lineup exploring love, empathy, and resilienc, is a quiet triumph. In a festival that seeks to map humanity through photography, Iturbide’s voice is essential. Her black-and-white work doesn’t just show us women; it asks how we see them. Her camera moves with the gaze of someone both insider and outsider, activist and artist. She makes room for contradictions: strength and softness, ritual and rupture, stillness and defiance.
At a time when luxury brands often shout to be heard, Dior’s move in Kyoto is a study in quiet power. No logos, no runway, just reverence for an artist, a cause, and a legacy that transcends borders. After all, as Iturbide’s lens has taught us time and again, the real beauty lies not in spectacle, but in what remains when the noise clears.
Graciela Iturbide’s exhibition takes place at Kyoto City Museum, from now till 11 May 2025. For more information about Kyotographie 2025, visit their website.
When it comes to birthdays, there are toasts and then there are Moët & Chandon toasts. For generations, the maison has been the bottle of choice for the bold and the beloved, from Paul Newman blowing out 40 candles in 1965 to Scarlett Johansson clinking glasses with her twin brother in 2014. Even Roger Federer, the king of baseline cool, saves a glass for family and friends at home. Some traditions never go out of style because they just get better.
Enter Pharrell Williams, who has teamed up with Moët & Chandon to reimagine the art of birthday celebrations. Their collaboration brings a new sense of collective joy to the ritual of raising a glass, tapping into the best part of birthdays: The people who want to celebrate with you. (And yes, Pharrell’s first champagne toast was Moët, what else would it be?)
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For the limited-edition collection, Williams reached into Moët & Chandon's archives and uncovered a charming detail: Before it became the sleek tie we know today, the bottle once wore a bow. That bow, symbolising togetherness, generosity, and a little bit of birthday surprise, now crowns a new range of celebratory bottles from the glittering Jewel Masterpiece to the Bow Capsule and limited-edition releases.
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The lineup includes Brut Impérial in Gold, Midnight Blue, and Deep Red, plus Nectar Impérial Rosé (75cl) in White. If you’re feeling extra, the Bow Creation is available in Midnight Blue and White but only in very limited quantities. In Singapore, you’ll find them at W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, selected FairPrice Finest stores, and nightlife spots like Zouk, HighHouse, and HaveFun Live Show. Party season just got a lot more official.
You heard it here first, or from that one friend who never stopped wearing them: The thong sandal is having its moment. The minimalist ’90s staple has officially crossed into grown-up territory, and credit goes to brands like The Row, Toteme, and Tory Burch for upgrading it with sculptural heels, buttery leather straps, and just enough polish to make you forget about their foam rubber ancestors.
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They’ve also made runway cameos like at Alaïa, Sportmax, Ferragamo, and Miu Miu, reimagining the thong sandal silhouette somewhere between barely-there and better-than-you-remember. Even Havaianas had their moment, championed by Scandinavian street style stars back in the summer of 2018. Now, flip-flops come square-toed, kitten-heeled, and perfectly prepped for every setting from rooftop cocktails to actual sand, just like these ones.
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Sunny, strappy, and stamped with double the French pedigree, these sandals have an ease with enough edge to make it to the city.
Leather sandals, $595, LONGCHAMP x K. JACQUES.
A high-shine “LRL” logo brings polish to the sandal’s minimalist silhouette, while the nappa leather used is so soft it practically sighs.
Everley sandals, $595, RALPH LAUREN.
A square heel and strap fastening keeps the sandal's rhinestone-studded centrepiece grounded, just in case your evening turns into an all-nighter.
Thong sandals with heels, $1,250, GIORGIO ARMANI.
Celine’s unapologetically extra take on the thong sandal pairs the gleaming Triomphe logo with just enough padding to suggest you walk everywhere.
Lympia Triomphe sandals, $1,450, CELINE.
These are flip-flops from a Pinterest moodboard: Delicate straps with a metallic finish that comes in five colours, and a sharp toe shape.
Slim Point sandals, $65, HAVAIANAS.
Jelly, but make it designer. Consider it your childhood beach shoe reissued with a French passport, shell-shaped heels, and a scallop-inspired sole.
Jelly sandals, $1,800, CHLOÉ.
These pool-side-to-everywhere-else sandals toughen up their minimalist silhouette with lug soles and the House’s enamelled metal triangle logo.
Rubber thong sandals, $1,040, PRADA.
Runway photos: Courtesy of Launchmetrics Spotlight