Fashion for winter: from luxury watches to Asia-exclusive shapewear

Breguet

Swiss luxury watchmaker Breguet launched its 2021 new models in the Shanghai flagship store in downtown Xintiandi this week, following the global celebration of the brand's 220th anniversary.

The timepiece, the Breguet Classique Tourbillon Extra-Plat Anniversaire 5365 unveiled last month, features a 60-second tourbillon, visible between 4 and 6 o'clock, with one of these axes showing the seconds. Its upper bridge is made of blue steel, and the cartouche affixed above the tourbillon bears the text "Brevet No.157," a reference to the patent number awarded to Abraham-Louis Breguet for his invention 220 years ago.

In tribute to the mechanism's creator and also the brand's founder, it has released only 35 pieces worldwide (four available in China) – the same number of tourbillon watches made during the master watchmaker Breguet's lifetime.

The Reine de Naples 8938 is another new addition to the Reine de Naples collection. A delicate "snow setting" adorning the dial imbues it with luminosity and splendor. The snow technique, in contrast to the traditional concentric setting, uses different sized gemstones to cover the dial, thereby keeping the visibility of the material upon which they are set to a minimum. It's a technique that calls for great dexterity and unwavering patience.

The Marine collection, in the spirit of adventure and conquest, embraces new variations of its Marine 5517, 5527 and 5547 models this year in rose gold with a slate-gray dial, and in titanium with a blue dial.

The Tradition collection caused a sensation with its new 7035 model, noted for the architecture of the fully symmetrical caliber, and the snow-setting technique.

The piece is topped off with a natural white mother-of-pearl hours chapter, providing a clear view of the fully exposed movement. The 18-carat gold chosen for the dial, plate and bridges are all set with different-sized diamonds to keep the visible material to a minimum. For the retrograde seconds indicator, Breguet opted for a gradient of rubies and pink sapphires.

Ti Gong

Hermès

Hermès Maison in Shanghai recently unveiled its winter window display, entitled "Symbiosis," by the Japanese design studio WE+ to illustrate the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature.

Bamboo is the main material used in the window installation. An evergreen plant that symbolizes life and festivity while representing cultural values in Asia, the beauty of bamboo lies in its fine fibers and flexible combination and helps Hermès objects to look like modern buildings of Shanghai.

The winter window journey begins with the women's window, where time travelers arrive on Earth for the first time and discover structures covered in green moss. The city is enveloped with light from the orange sky, as Hermès objects are carried by the wind to spread laughter and cheer.

Trekking to the men's window, the design features the deep ocean, where the city shines like a treasure chest. Marine life, humans and plants roam freely in the boundless blue sea.

The two accessory windows vividly depict preparations for this warm holiday season, where gifts are packed and sent from the sky to the inhabitants of land and sea.

To celebrate this cheer, a lighting installation has been created in front of the Maison, consisting of fabric with small mirrors attached all over, sparkling and reflecting the lights of the city.

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Lane Crawford & SKIMS

Luxury department store Lane Crawford has announced the Asia-exclusive launch of SKIMS, a solutions-orientated underwear, loungewear, shapewear and accessories brand founded by Kim Kardashian West and Jens Grede in 2019. It is available in store and online from November 24.

For its autumn/winter 2021 debut at Lane Crawford, a special curation of SKIMS best-sellers, core basics, fashion and lounge releases is available in an extensive size range that's touted to fit everybody.

"The core range of bras and knickers we're carrying is from US0-24," says Seville Chow, senior vice president of Fashion. "And we actively monitor our customer's feedback so if there are more or special requests, we can restock immediately."

The SKIMS collection at Lane Crawford is in a foundational palette of 12 skin-inspired hues and 12 fashion-directed colors with a variety of soft fabrics, including nylon-spandex mixes, cotton jersey, cotton rib and sheer mesh.

From sculpting shapewear to plush loungewear and ultra-soft underwear, SKIMS offers "outfit foundations" in all shapes, sizes and shades, empowering women to get dressed with confidence and ease at home or outside.

"I think our customers will particularly appreciate the comfort, support and versatility of the pieces in the 'Fits Everybody' range because they are more than just underwear and shapewear, they are wardrobe staples that make great foundations for a myriad of looks," says Chow.

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Burberry

Burberry has opened its flagship store at the downtown Shanghai Plaza 66, the second flagship to feature the brand's new global design concept.

Designed in collaboration with the architect Vincenzo De Cotiis, the new store offers a more modern environment through a juxtaposition of luxurious and brutalist elements, while still keeping Burberry's familiar classicism.

The core colors of the brand – beige, black, white and red – are recurring throughout the store, with Burberry's iconic pattern reinterpreted in the ceiling's mirrored zones which reflect the roaming tiled chequerboard floors.

In line with Burberry's ongoing commitment to sustainability, the Plaza 66 store is carbon neutral, and undergoing a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification process. All stores on the Chinese mainland are carbon neutral, and Burberry is on track to procure all of its electricity from renewable sources by 2022.

The brand plans on opening two more flagship stores in Paris and London next year, both featuring its newest design concept.

"We are delighted to open the doors of our newest flagship store at Plaza 66 within the highly dynamic and cosmopolitan city of Shanghai. A place of discovery, the store is emblematic of our rich heritage – at once, embodying creativity and innovation with our new global design concept, while supporting China's ambition to become carbon neutral," said Burberry's China President Josie Zhang.

Courtesy of Burberry