Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2021/January 2022 i Esquire Singapore

The end is always harder than the beginning. The dissolution of a relationship, the loss of a loved one, hell, the aftermath of graduation… and you ask yourself, what’s next? The journey you’ve been on, at least, afforded some level of stability and familiarity, no doubt about it. We may make merry of both the start of a new year and the end of a passing one, but where the latter feels like the acceptance of the closing of a chapter to a favourite book, the former comes with the daunting whiteness of a blank page. Starting is the hardest part, you opine. Often, we see an obstacle, one that is too huge to overcome and, in our limited minds, we give up even before the attempt. But that isn’t…

THE ONE THAT’LL DECIMATE THE COMPETITION Patek Philippe Annual Calendar Chronograph Ref. 5905/1A-001 You’re definitely on to something when you’ve got not one but two of Patek Philippe’s most coveted complications packed in one timepiece. The annual calendar meets the flyback chronograph in this sporty number with a spanking new integrated bracelet, although—who are we kidding?—the real reason everyone’s all hot and bothered is the case material: stainless steel. Common everywhere else but a rarity at Patek Philippe. That, coupled with a striking olive green dial, lands this watch a permanent spot right at the top of our Christmas wish list. THE SPEEDY TO END ALL SPEEDIES Omega Speedmaster Chronoscope The idea that you have a mechanical watch which not only tells you the time with great precision but also…

Whether you’re into Tarot cards or not, the symbology is rather intriguing. The image for the Six of Swords is of a woman and a child being rowed across water towards land. The woman is usually depicted as downcast and her child is huddled close to her; six swords are impaled into the boat as mother and child are ferried from a turbulent past towards calm waters. The card represents a state of transition, a journey from trouble into safety. This is the theme that Jason Lee, founder of Scent by Six, draws from with regards to sleep. He says that sleep is a foundation for maintaining mental health. While the secrets of sleep have yet to be fully uncovered, research has shown that sleep helps recuperate the mind and…

“Oh no, if it’s not founded by a true born-and-bred Japanese, it must not be authentic” is the general consensus thrown at any food establishment of said cuisine. Duxton handroll bar Rappu was not exempt from this sweeping statement, according to its owner Sheen Jet Leong. This is barely a point of concern fortunately, given the success of the joint alongside his steakhouse The Feather Blade that is a street across. Still within the same neighbourhood, Leong has unveiled Mezcla. Named after the Mexican term for mix or blend, the casual gastrobar offers quite simply Japanese ingredients translated through Mexican execution. Like at the two other restaurants, the menu here is not complicated. Averaging around SGD10 a pair (apart from the Uni & Scallop, understandably), taco portions are relatively generous…

It was his task of adding new life to a run-down basketball court that caught our eye. A basketball court in Punggol was given a fresh coat of blue paint—wavy shapes, some of which are patterned by lines. This was part of Toby Tan’s (or as he’s known by his nome d’arte, Tobyato) final-year project at NTU’s School of Art, Design and Media, called Kejiranan, meaning ‘neighbourhood’ in Malay. Tan wanted to discover the origins behind the names of local neighbourhoods and engage with the residents through basketball court paintings. In Malay, ‘Punggol’ means ‘throwing sticks at fruit trees’, which were represented by the straight lines and the colour and shapes were influenced by Punggol being one of the first waterfront towns back then. Tan would follow that up with…

Covid sequestered us in our abode, forcing us to slip into something comfortable-our PJs, that unwashed one-week-old sweatshirt, the depression bathrobe. Occasionally, we dress up for Zoom meetings but that effort is focused only from the waist up. Now as restrictions lift and immunisation rates rise, we return to the outside, draped in our splendour. We pulled some of them from across the spectrum of dressing up in Singapore—especially after a devastating pandemic—and find out how they dress now. JOSIAH CHUA ARTIST “The Yohji Yamamoto ensemble that I wore was from the season when I interned with the brand. This was my favourite look from the collection but I was a student studying in Japan back then and I couldn’t afford it. I remembered how much I wanted these pieces…

For decades now, sneakers have become a ubiquitous part of one’s wardrobe whether you’re an athlete or not. And as with most things fashion these days, automation certainly plays a part in helping to ensure that demand is met. Onitsuka Tiger’s Nippon Made series, however, deliberately challenges that notion. Sticking to its Japanese roots, Nippon Made was launched in 2008 as a way of celebrating the brand’s heritage through the works of Japanese artisans and craftsmen. It is with Nippon Made that each and every sneaker is meticulously crafted in Japan’s Tottori prefecture, where the brand’s only shoe production facility in the country is located. Iconic Onitsuka Tiger silhouettes with the likes of Mexico 66 and Fabre are adapted as premium versions of the mainline by master craftsmen with more…

At what age does something become ‘classic’? Ten years? Twenty? One hundred? Will some things, no matter their seniority, always fall short of classic status, like Crocs and bandanas? After all, classic is a coveted status. To be classic is to be ageless. Classic things don’t buckle to trending curves. They fly above them. So loafers, and sharp navy suits, and continental lagers. We’ll always enjoy these things. And now, maybe (definitely), trainers. For decades, the casual alternative to proper, leather-soled shoes was seen as lesser. How could something worn by misanthropic teens stand toe-to-toe with their monochromatic, office-okay counterparts? Well, those misanthropic teens are now all grown up—and they can wear what they like to the office, if the office is even open. The Air Jordan 1 has grown…

The beginning is always harder than the end. A new career, becoming a parent, heck, the first day of school, whether for you decades ago or the little bugger coming along. Embarking on something new is evidently more daunting, no doubt about it. We may make merry of both the start of a new year and the end of a passing one, but where the latter is a heartfelt send-off to the good, bad and ugly, the former comes with the murky unknown ahead. We fear death, you chime. Perhaps most of us do, but deep down, no one expects an untimely, horrific demise (well, sorry for putting that in your head). We think we fear the end, but we don’t. We fear what comes after, because we simply don’t…

The request for this column was simple enough. Be like Janus. Be god-like. I appreciate the obvious Sengkang connection but not the spelling mistake. The name of my MP is spelt with an ‘m’ and we are hardly on first-name terms. Besides, Jamus Lim’s economics expertise surely doesn’t warrant an elevation to deity, even in Singapore. My daughter clarified matters. Janus was a two-headed Roman god, capable of looking forward and back, a link between old journeys and new beginnings. He was the god of doorways. (She reads Percy Jackson novels. She doesn’t work in Ikea.) Janus often presided over the end of something negative (like a war) and the start of something positive (like peace). He was given the month of January when he should’ve been given the manager’s…

It’s not often you’d find a luxury house that’s acclaimed for more than one thing. Hermès is one of them. Its leather mastery—dating back to the brand’s equestrian roots—runs in tandem with its expertise in scarves, especially in the emblematic vibrant silk Carrés (literally meaning ‘square’ in French) typically measuring 90cm by 90cm. The intricacy in the designs ranges from kaleidoscopic patterns involving a myriad of colours in one scarf to artistic prints that deserve to be framed up and displayed (as they tend to be at times). What makes Hermès scarves even more special is that they’re still being produced in the same manner since 1937—by hand and with each colour individually silkscreened. What used to be limited to adorning necks as additional pops of colour to an outfit…

While vaccination numbers are rising, we are still not out of the woods yet. Social gatherings are capped at a modest number and we’ve just—at the point of writing—allowed music to be played at restaurants. And masking up… now that’s just gonna be the norm. If you’re wearing a mask, you might as well go all out. You need a mask that filters, and is comfortable too. You’d want an N95 level of filtration while airflow is kept moving and cool. The Philips Fresh Air Mask is one such mask, made up of an N95 filter and the mask fabric shell that’s affixed with an Air Power module—a small fan module that modulates airflow, which decreases humidity, temperature and carbon dioxide levels within the mask. Three levels of fan speed…

It shouldn’t be too difficult to identify the 27-year-old actor or what makes him stand out. Earning the typical ‘Tarzan’ and ‘Asian Jesus’ nicknames, Paul Lee began his commercial journey precisely because of his luscious locks. He has since been involved in modelling and acting in short films and local drama series, which is a far cry from his previous career in environmental engineering and renewable energy. Though he’s no longer climbing rooftops to manage solar panel projects, the tree-hugging tendencies still remain via his own sustainability start-up The Plastic Project. Of half-Taiwanese descent, Lee also grew up in Bangkok but returned to Singapore to complete his studies and national service. He tells us via e-mail why he was cut out for the ‘one with space buns’ role. ESQUIRE: What…

The Panthère de Cartier is nothing short of an icon. What started as an abstract representation of the big cat in 1914—visible only through spot motifs on a timepiece—has evolved to include various interpretations ranging from full-bodied, almost biologically accurate designs to more creative renderings. A constant fixture throughout the years though is the panthère’s head; at least, since 1958. It was the late Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan who first commissioned a pair of panther-head earrings, and then subsequently it has become part of Cartier’s visual vocabulary. In 2005, the Panthère de Cartier ring took on a more contemporary appearance with its first faceted iteration in yellow gold with black lacquer and onyx as well as a pair of peridots as its eyes. Yet, as with all great icons in…

As a child, I’d drag my feet to my paternal grandmother’s house. For one, she was a fierce woman, so there were no two ways about things. She also spoke loudly, which distressed me. And because I wasn’t allowed to switch the TV channel, the only way I could busy my restless self was by playing with a collection of props from her past as an acrobat. They weren’t particularly interesting to an eight-year-old; there are, after all, only so many ways to fiddle with an orange paper umbrella or metal rings. But what was uninspiring to me used to be entertaining to many: There was a time when these kaleidoscopic tools were what people trained their eyes on before the introduction of the TV. I’d always known that my…

Taking numerous shapes and forms over more than a hundred years, the Tank is Cartier’s most iconic timepiece. It might not have been the company’s first watch—that honour goes to the Santos—but the Tank was definitely the one that transformed Cartier from jeweller to luxury maison. The 2021 Tank Must collection puts the spotlight on this momentous milestone as it connects two of Cartier’s most definitive chapters: the creation of the Tank in 1917 and the introduction of Les Must de Cartier in the ‘70s. Indeed, if it hadn’t been for the Tank Must, the maison might have looked very different today. The entire concept behind the watch, known as Les Must de Cartier, could also be credited as the single most important collection that gave the company another shot…

Granted, Nemesis is not the first of its kind. That subversive, back-door dive bar type of aesthetic is hardly original. Yet, the neon splay and playfully defaced portraits positioned within an old-school Duxton shophouse are a refreshing welcome. Besides, all graphic elements seemingly join forces to scream ‘youth’, so do the libations. In lieu of the age-old nag to eat your greens, the bar prefers you drink them, offering fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables in house-made cordials. Each cocktail features a hero ingredient, all in the goodwill of helping you achieve the recommended dietary intake of two daily portions. Not. The signature NoLo (No-or-Low ABV) Aperitivo like Iaso made from ingredients such as fennel and alternative classics including the Manly Glass with strawberry are easy to drink, but the martinis…

Closing the chapter on yet another year also means it’s the best time for a physical escape; if not, at least, a mental one. From futuristic dystopian depictions to taut relationship tensions, these titles stretch the legs of our imagination. All titles are available at Books Kinokuniya and/or Amazon. Something New Under the Sun By Alexandra Kleeman A bit of all in one, this sci-fi, detective thriller, eco-slanted genre bender follows novelist Patrick Hamlin as he uncovers corruption amid environmental collapse in the age of capitalism in Hollywood. As it all seems like the work of a mysterious new brand of synthetic water, the last-ditch effort to resuscitate his career turns into an investigative prowl with an unlikely partner. Cloud Cuckoo Land By Anthony Doerr If you liked Doerr’s previous…

There are those who seek out adventure. But that comes naturally to Geralt of Rivia, a magically enhanced monster hunter-for-hire known as a witcher. Based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s popular book series The Witcher, the fictitious medieval tale that explores the destiny between protagonists Geralt and Princess Cirilla gained further fame as fantasy action role-playing video games. In 2019, the story was brought to life via a live-action television adaptation on Netflix created by American producer and screenwriter Lauren Schmidt Hissrich. Henry Cavill, 38, who returns as the titular character in the second season, shares his affinity for The Witcher. ESQUIRE: What attracted you to the role of Geralt besides already having an interest in the medieval-fantasy genre and knowing The Witcher through the book and game adaptations? HENRY CAVILL: I’d…

Erdem Moralioglu has long been one of Britain’s most beloved designers of womenswear. Born in Montreal, Canada, of Turkish and British descent, he has lived in London since the turn of the century, and since launching his label, Erdem, in 2005, he’s been a favourite for a particular kind of chic, distinctive British woman: Kristin Scott Thomas, Erin O’Connor and Alexa Chung are all fans. The house style is classically feminine, fragrant with florals, floaty fabrics, delicate bows, modest necklines and hems that glide hypnotically in the wearer’s wake. In June, Moralioglu unveiled Erdem’s inaugural menswear collection, a series of nuanced takes on the standards of masculine clothing, and an exercise in creative restraint. Simple flat-fronted trousers cut with a higher-than-usual waist and shorter-than-usual leg. Mohair knits with ever-so-slightly bulbous…

Diego Maradona saved Paolo Sorrentino’s life; cinema gave it meaning. On Sunday, 5 April 1987, Maradona’s Napoli travelled to Tuscany, where they played out a goalless draw with Empoli. Sorrentino, the future maestro of Italian cinema, then a 17-year-old schoolboy, had planned to spend the weekend with his parents, at their house in the mountains. But with the World Cup-winning Argentine as their talisman, Napoli was on the way to their first-ever Serie A championship. Young Paolo, a fanatical supporter of his local team, was permitted, for the first time, to go to the match alone. Both his parents were killed that weekend, poisoned in their bed by carbon monoxide fumes from a faulty heater. “That tragedy has marked my life,” Sorrentino told me, in September. “My adolescence ended with…