Harper\'s bazaar Malysia September 2018

44 HARPER’S BAZAAR SEPTEMBER 2018

Editor’s

LET TER

LANVIN DRESS; FENDI EARRING; AND HERM

ÈS CUFF, ALL NATASHA’S OW

PHOTOGRAPHY AND HAIR: ALBERT NICO. STYLING AND MAKE-UP: ORSON LIYU

t’s not revolutionary, this idea of diversity in fashion, not even when

the  rst hijabi Halima Aden walked the runway at NYFW last year, or

way back Spring/Summer 14 when Rick Owens ran the whole gamut of

age, race, and size at his show—those knee-high leather sneakers being the

only commonality among his “models”. John Galliano widened the cultural

spectrum in haute couture circa 1997 with his spectacular Dior-ama of Maasai

queens, Navajo goddesses, sexy geishas, and Ling Tan, a sublime vision of chinoiserie

chic (I really miss his genius as I write this). Even that was not breaking news.  e very

concept of fashion is meant to be contrarian, ignited at the turn of the 20th century when

Paul Poiret dressed women in harem pants and sultana skirts to break away from the diktats

of traditional French court styles; through to Yves Saint Laurent who pioneered having black

models on the runway as early as the 60s, and insisted on Naomi Campbell for the August 1988

cover of Vogue Paris, their  rst-ever black cover model. And on the streets, isn’t the spirit always

United Colours? So why does fashion often backtrack to the whitewashing and one-sizing?

 ere is an entire season-to-season ‘Diversity Report’ by  eFashionSpot.com that analyses

runway and ad campaigns, through New York, London, Paris, and Milan, even breaking them

down into infographics, should you care enough. While this whistleblowing is necessary, it’s ironic

how fashion, a form of social discourse, has auto-corrected itself to the extreme with its rainbow

spectacle of geeks and freaks (and cyborgs!) this season. Alternative, anarchic, ugly are no longer

at the fringes or teetering cutting-edge. It’s as mainstream as Gucci. Forget fashion in its rhetorical

sense—a manner collectively embraced in numbers—but it being a democracy towards self-

identi cation or creative characterisation, from daring dressing to audacious make-up

and all the so-called imperfections that not only make us real, but really stand out.

BAZAAR’s take on diversity in this issue goes beyond the surface of what

it means to be di erent, and into state-of-being. Paris Jackson opens the

dialogue with her “black-or-white” beauty and unconventional way of

life you would expect as the daughter of Michael Jackson. Activist,

bohemian, bisexual ... I would avoid the labels, for “person” is the

very point of inclusivity in the 21st century. With that, we present

myriad faces and facets of a brave new world—cue our most radical

beauty shoot yet (page 176); Deborah Henry on her 24 hours with her

Fugee School (page 144); the new ugly (page 164); and dahling Edna

Mode on her style edicts (page 160).  en Carine Roitfeld, globa

fashion director of BAZAAR, rounds up a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

of famous stars and their o spring, in a Autumn/Winter 18 collections

portfolio that ri s high on individuality.

Last word: this editor’s note was photographed by Harper’s BAZAAR’s

Best Hairstylist of 2018, Albert Nico, who in recent years has discovered

a passion for photography, capturing interesting street life around the

world with his little Ricoh.  is month he launches his  rst photography

book  e Soul Of Portraits, in aid of the children’s charity Give Malaysia,

featuring “the new Malaysians of a new Malaysia”, a beautiful prism of

true diversity.

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Natasha Kraal
of traditional French court styles; through to Yves Saint Laurent who pioneered having black
models on the runway as early as the 60s, and insisted on Naomi Campbell for the August 1988

OVVVV

EEEE

Ring, Bulgari

Bag, Louis VuittonBag, Louis Vuitton

S CUFF, ALL NATASHA’S OWN.

myriad faces and facets of a brave new world—cue our most radical

beauty shoot yet (page 176); Deborah Henry on her 24 hours with her

Edna

Mode on her style edicts (page 160).  en Carine Roitfeld, global

, rounds up a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

of famous stars and their o spring, in a Autumn/Winter 18 collections

Watch,