From Your Personal Shopper in Switzerland: Fashion at BASELWORLD

Alongside renowned watch and jewellery manufacturers, such as Omega, Chopard, Bulgari, Rolex or Patek Philippe, a number of the world’s most well-known fashion brands will also be exhibiting in Basel and giving visitors an initial peek at their new watch and jewellery lines. For several years now, a close bond has existed between BASELWORLD, the most important watch and jewellery show globally, and the leading fashion houses with their designers. This liaison has its roots in the early 1970s when Gucci was one of the first fashion houses to introduce watches of its own.

The link between fashion trends and designs in the world of fashion, on the one hand, and accessories like watches and jewellery, on the other, is evident in a large number of brands. Examples include the GG and Bamboo motifs at Gucci or the B watch from Fendi, which constitutes the ideal match for the famous Fendi B bag. In many of the luxury goods companies, including Hermès, Dior and Chanel, a constant flow of design and material-based inspirations takes place in both directions between the watch and jewellery collections and the company’s remaining lines, with the result that they influence and complement each other in the ideal manner. A large number of the watches unveiled here captivate visitors with their accomplished French or Italian design and their perfected art of Swiss watchmaking.

While many of the collections shown at BASELWORLD reflect the major fashion trends and currents from the international catwalks, an influence in the opposite direction is also repeatedly in evidence. Yellow and rose gold have featured frequently at BASELWORLD over the past few years and are now being taken up by the big fashion house collections too. The wider fashion and design trends have similarly been influenced by the use of ceramics, titanium and PVD, as well as by the pavé technique for setting diamonds and the use of coloured stones.

Over the years, a large number of icons from the fashion world have been guests at BASELWORLD, including Vivienne Westwood and Diane von Fürstenberg. And this year once again, brilliant new designs and impressive creations from the most successful watch and jewellery brands and the biggest fashion houses will be enticing people to Basel.

From Your Personal Shopper in Paris: Christian Lacroix for Sofitel So Bangkok

The Sofitel So Bangkok hotel  unveiled a new executive lounge  designed by legendary French couturier Christian Lacroix.

Located on the 25th floor of  the 238-room hotel, the Club Signature lounge is dedicated to premium guests  staying in ‘So Club’ rooms and higher categories.

The interiors of the hotel were designed by Lacroix in collaboration with a  team of six Thai architects, drawing inspiration from the Asian philosophical  system of the five elements of water, earth, wood, metal and fire. Lacroix, who  led the artistic direction of the hotel’s overall design, also created the  uniforms of the hotel staff.

This is not the first time Lacroix has worked in interior design. He has  completed several other interior design projects over the past few years,  including Hotel Le Petit Moulin in 2005, Le Bellechasse in 2007 and Le Notre Dame hotel in 2010.

More hotels are turning to fashion brands to design their interiors in a bid  to draw the international jetset. Diane von Furstenberg designed 20 rooms at the Claridges London  hotel while Bottega Veneta designed a suite at the St Regis  Florence.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld is also reportedly working on the interiors of Monaco’s Hotel Metropole.