I’ve always looked forward to L’Officiel Malaysia’s June/July
issue; it captures the transition of the fashion seasons with the
beginning of Pre-Fall and also one other thing I am fascinated
about—art and design.During my recent trip to Shanghai, I dropped by Chanel’s
Mademoiselle Privé exhibition staged at West Bund Art Center.
The exhibition was an eye-opening one and “Mademoiselle
Privé” also happen to be the two famous words on the door sign
of Coco Chanel’s Creation Studio on the third floor of 31 rue
Cambon in Paris which I have visited. It is the door that leads
to the creative universe of the French mega brand.The West Bund Art Center was designed by architect Liu
Yichun, and it used to be an old Shanghai aircraft factory. Two
storeys with 6,000 sqm of floor area, the high-ceiling exhibition
space allows the Maison to present three of its main pillars:
Chanel No 5 perfume, high jewellery and haute couture.I used public transportation to get to Longteng Avenue where
The West Bund Art Center is located. Shanghai’s ever-changing
landscape is really an exciting one, and sometimes I enjoy the
view along the journey to the museum even as much as the
exhibition itself.Our very first experience working with the young and talented
Leslie Zhang was a one-of-kind experience. He was recently
included in the 2019 edition of Dazed 100, a global search of
creative talents shaping our culture. Leslie is one of China’s
new wave fashion photographers whom I look forward to
working with.For our cover shoot, we went around Shanghai’s old restaurants
tucked within the city’s neighborhoods with rising model
Xie Chaoyu. I believe Leslie’s traditional Chinese painting
background has led to his unique and picturesque sense of
composition and colour. Having grown up in eastern China, he
presented the Chinese beauty with nostalgia and surrealism.
It was a fresh experience working with him, just as how I recall
shooting with late Ren Hang, who totally revolutionised the way
I perceive fashion styling.I am thankful for all these next-generation creative talents as I
am learning a lot from them indeed.Monica Mong
Managing Editor
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