Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2017 i Harper's Bazaar Australia

 THE FIRST TIME I MET OUR COVER star, Kristen Stewart (love a good name-drop!), I was in Seoul, South Korea, in 2015, at the Chanel cruise show after-party inside the Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza. She was rocking a red lip and a black Chanel haute couture minidress. Her then dark brown hair was cropped short and coiffed at the fringe. She was deep within the VIP area with model Gisele Bündchen and actors Tilda Swinton and Isabelle Huppert when I was ushered behind the red rope to meet her. She was sweet, gorgeous and ever-so polite when we chatted for that minute or two. The day after, she was on my flight to Los Angeles, still looking every bit the young, cool Hollywood star, but this time in jeans,…

6:30AM Ever since I was a kid I’ve been a night owl and would sleep in as late as possible. I could stay in bed all day. Now that I’m a bit older, I like to get up about 10:30, but that doesn’t mean I can stay in bed all day. I usually have an early call time, so I get up about 6:30. I start the day by stretching a little bit, and then I check my phone to see if I’m late. I usually have about five minutes to get dressed and somehow make it out of the house on time, which is crazy. These days, I’m based in NewYork. I live with my godsister and best friend, Olivia [Perez]. We’ve lived together for about two years. I…

ONE OF THE BIGGEST STARS of the A/W 2017 shows was the statement earring. Mismatched, shoulder-grazing, organically sculpted or oversized — the pieces on show were the culmination of a growing desire among millennials for unique jewellery pieces. Blame it on the need for Instagram-friendly accessories. Or perhaps, conversely, as the fashion world spins at an ever-increasing speed, women feel a little more secure investing in something that has remained relevant for years, not just months. Either way, it’s hard to believe that 10 years ago jewellery was barely viewed as a fashion item at all. “When I started, fashion magazines didn’t want to shoot jewellery in their stories — they didn’t see it as part of the silhouette,” says jeweller Gaia Repossi. The creative and artistic director of Repossi…

PHILOSOPHY: Have fun and wear only what you like. STYLE: I can’t describe my style in a word — it depends on my mood, trends, where I’m going … STAPLES: A white T-shirt and a blazer. KEY PIECES: Green satin mules by Balenciaga — I love the style and colour. DESIGNERS: Balenciaga, Loewe, Jacquemus, Miu Miu, Marni. ACCESSORIES: White Balenciaga earrings. JEWELLERY: Bracelets, necklaces and big earrings in gold, or I love to wear jewels made by local people that I buy when I travel. STYLE ICON: Françoise Hardy and Leandra Medine. RESTAURANT: Vegan restaurant Soul Green — the food is so good. FILM: Pulp Fiction. READ: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. ESCAPE: Hawaii is my second home. ART: Leonardo da Vinci, Matisse and Picasso. HOTEL: Constance Tsarabanjina…

THE WEEKND CANDICE SWANEPOEL WEARS SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO JACKET, $3835, SHIRT, $1150, AND PANTS, $1575; JIMMY CHOO SHOES, PRICE ON APPLICATION. WEARS CHANEL BLOUSE, $2660, AND SKIRT, $5750; DE BEERS BRACELET, PRICE ON APPLICATION. MAKEUP: LAURA MERCIER PAINT WASH LIQUID LIP COLOUR IN PETAL PINK, $37. MIRANDA LAMBERT WEARS MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION DRESS, PRICE ON APPLICATION; JIMMY CHOO SHOES, $635. MAKEUP: LAURA MERCIER FLAWLESS FUSION ULTRA-LONGWEAR FOUNDATION, $70. COURTNEY LOVE WEARS GUCCI DRESS, $3355, STOCKINGS, $245, AND SHOES, $1680; DE BEERS EARRINGS, PRICE ON APPLICATION. MAKEUP: LAURA MERCIER CRÈME SMOOTH LIP COLOUR IN RED AMOUR, $37. ADRIANA LIMA IRINA SHAYK WEARS SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO DRESS, $5240, AND BOOTS, $2445. MAKEUP: MAYBELLINE NEW YORK COLOR SENSATIONAL THE LOADED BOLDS LIPSTICK IN SAPPHIRE SIREN, $18. WEARS SAINT LAURENT…

FRAGRANCE NOTE: Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau de Toilette Limited Edition.…

THE HOUSE IS THE MOST PARISIAN BRAND,” says Anthony Vaccarello, the creative director of Saint Laurent, who brought its design atelier back to the French capital after four years in Los Angeles under his predecessor Hedi Slimane. “You think of it, and you think of Paris and Catherine Deneuve and all those amazing women. ” But right now we’re in NewYork, where it’s pouring rain, andVaccarello, a thoughtful, gentle-eyed man of 37, is tucked away in his room in the Mercer hotel, sipping hot water and lemon from a teacup. It’s a quick trip for the designer, who flew in from Paris the day before and is returning the following. ForVaccarello, repatriating YSL’s atelier was the starting point for considering its future. “It’s a mix of the past and the…

“ FASHION IS NOT VACUOUS. IT;S WHERE A LOT OF IDEAS ARE CONVEYED,” Miuccia Prada stated some years ago, as we discussed politics and radicalism over tea. “Fashion is far more serious than people think. ” It’s something with which DianaVreeland,the visionary Harper’s BAZAAR editrix (whose unconventional wisdom seems even more pertinent in this, our 150th anniversary year) would surely have agreed:“You can even see the approaching of revolution in clothes,” she famously quipped. So what to make of the A/W 2017 collections, hailed by many as the most radical in years and set against a backdrop of political turmoil in much of the West? Well, proceedings kicked off with a war of words in NewYork as designers quickly mobilised themselves into third-wave feminist formation following newly crowned Trump’s withdrawal…

THE RUNWAYS this season were all about looks that celebrate freedom of expression. Which is great. But will they stand the test of time? Probably not. Only a handful of eye makeup looks have proven iconic. Sultry winged eyeliner. Blue shadow. And a metallic reflective eye that plays with the light. But how do you steer clear of retro territory and keep the look fresh and modern? WINGING IT (opening image) “To stop this look feeling ’80s, I accentuated the shape of the eye by pulling it out a little,” says makeup artist Natasha Severino, who created the makeup for this story. “I made it feel a little dewy and worn in, and left brows natural, relying only on an eyebrow gel for definition. ” BOLD BLUES (previous page)…

It’s hard to think of the 1980s and not picture a scrunchy-adorned Madonna, all fiery-red lipstick, big brows and platinum hair. Fast-forward to 1992 and the Super Bowl is interrupted by the most famous supermodel of that time, Cindy Crawford, standing in a deserted gas station wearing high-waisted denim cut-off shorts and bed hair, sinking a can of Pepsi. Now it’s 2011, and Pippa Middleton is walking behind her sister, Kate Middleton, as she weds the future king of England,giving the millions watching a prime view of her very pert derrière. These are just a handful of the most iconic beauty moments of all time, burned into our memories forevermore. Relentlessly referenced on inspiration moodboards, these famous snapshots have changed the course of many people’s lives, inspiring so many to…

“I have to watch reality TV as a guilty pleasure. Either that or I’ll read Jane Austen. I’m so British at heart.” 8:00AM I usually wake up at 8am, but I’m shooting a show now [The Last Tycoon] and some of my call times have been 5am or 5:30, so I’ve had to try to become a morning person. I like setting an upbeat song as my alarm, but I have to constantly change it so I don’t start hating it. Right now I like The Chainsmokers, Drake and Banks — I went to high school with her! I check social media to see what my friends around the world have been up to. Instagram is my main thing; it’s where I’ve had such a huge interaction with young girls,…

As a beauty writer,one of the first things that gets drilled into you is the importance of SPF. Wearing sunscreen — rain, hail or shine — is on our version of the 10 commandments, right before ‘Thou shall not sleep without cleansing’. So, what if I told you that I only started wearing sunscreen daily this past summer? [Editor’s note: you’re fired. ] The truth is, it’s really hard to find a decent sunscreen that doesn’t smell, clog up your pores, feel greasy or leave behind a chalky white shadow. While we’ve all heard the facts before, I was freshly reminded how severely stupid this is at a recent sunscreen launch event. “The evidence that UVB radiation causes skin cancer is irrefutable,” says Dr Scott McGregor from local sunscreen brand…

“I’m a ceramicist working with abstracted vessel forms, looking at the value we place on vessels and sculpture. I really enjoy elongating bottle necks or the base of the belly of a pot and pushing that out beyond their functional realm. “Ceramics are having a moment and it keeps building and building. Throughout the history of Australian ceramics, its popularity has come and gone a little bit, mostly sitting as high craft, but at the moment it’s really taking off. “I’ve come from working with lots of matt, and at first this gloss was just kind of a gimmick. I work with objects en masse and portray how lots of objects together bounce off each other and create a really beautiful play between the negative space, and the gloss really…

UNTIL NOVEMBER 12 Filipino art and culture — from hand-loomed textiles to contemporary paintings — are spotlighted in Sydney with the BAYANIHAN PHILIPPINE ART PROJECT, bringing workshops, exhibitions and performances to galleries across the city; artgallery.nsw.gov.au. AUGUST 19–SEPTEMBER 17 DAVID LACHAPELLE is among the blockbuster artists in the BALLARAT INTERNATIONAL FOTO BIENNALE, featuring more than 100 exhibitions; ballaratfoto.org. AUGUST 19–NOVEMBER 19 He’s best known as a painter, but Belgian Surrealist RENÉ MAGRITTE was also an avid photographer. A new exhibition at Victoria’s LATROBE REGIONAL GALLERY includes 132 photos and eight films by the artist, many of which have never been shown outside of Europe; latroberegionalgallery.com. SEPTEMBER 6 Chef ANALIESE GREGORY will reveal the secret to spring entertaining (and give you a chance to sample her special gnocchi with greens and…

Salvatore Ferragamo shoes, $795, ferragamo.com.…

Carla Coulson “When I first saw Heidi Middleton’s chateau from the street it looked like something from a fairytale. It’s the kind of place us girls dream of, with a secret garden and a story of its own. You never want to leave,” says the Paris-based photographer who perfectly captured the magic of the fashion designer’s recently renovated Médoc home on page 198. “Heidi and her family have such an effortless, glamorous yet so wonderfully grounded way of living. I saw the joy being in this place brings them and the generosity of sharing this simple life with others. So special. ” My style of photography is … “nostalgic with a good dose of emotion. Joyful and fun. ” My favourite place to holiday in Europe is … “Greece and…

THE LOOK Photographed by Tom Craig. Styled by Leith Clark. Kristen Stewart wears Chanel dress, $25,465. Price approximate. Hair by Ken O’Rourke at Streeters; makeup by Christophe Danchaud at The Wall Group; manicure by Charlène Coquard at Open Talent Paris. Stylist’s assistant: Carolina Augustin. See Buylines for stockists. Get Stewart’s makeup look with Chanel. On face: Les Beiges Healthy Glow Gel Touch Foundation in No. 20; La Palette Essentielle in Beige Médium; on brows: Le Gel Sourcils in Brun; on eyes: Le Crayon Yeux in Prune Noir; Le Volume de Chanel Mascara in Noir; on lips: Rouge Allure Ink in Highway; on nails: Le Vernis in Ballerina. Stewart wears Gabrielle Chanel eau de parfum. PRICES APPROXIMATE. SEE BUYLINES FOR STOCKISTS…

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The Weeknd hates giving interviews, which would require the 27-year-old Canadian singer to make himself available backstage or at his condo, only to have his body language scrutinised and his hairstyle woven into elaborate metaphors. Before releasing Starboy, the hugely successful 2016 album that established him as one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, he chopped off his famous dreadlocks and stashed them away in his manager’s safe. But his new, softer coif, which plateaus ever so slightly above his forehead, still attracts annoying questions that The Weeknd would prefer not to answer. Instead, he offers glimpses into his psyche by way of email. Ask the press-shy cinephile about his favourite movies, for instance, and he will opine about his favourite villains. “The last one I was really…

Tug on any thread in fashion and you’ll unravel a host of inspirations, ideas and references, from statements about our current cultural obsessions to sartorial nods at space travel, feminism or, say, the coming A.I. apocalypse. But really, fashion is a people business — how clothes make us feel, the armour with which we protect ourselves, the medium through which we project a little of our spirit. Enter the FASHION ICON: women whose indelible personal style continues to inspire, today and always. VIPs (that’s Very Iconic People) whose faces launched a thousand moodboards. From a gamine and impossibly gorgeous JANE BIRKIN, her signature basket bag in hand, to an ultra-polished CAROLYN BESSETTE KENNEDY striding through the city, swinging her glossy ponytail and the equally famous bag named after the former.…

GRACE FORREST dials in from London a week after moving there from her hometown of Perth. Anyone could be forgiven for assuming the 24-year-old has made the journey, an Australian rite of passage, to get a job in a pub then travel the world. Or at least start an awful temp job. “I’m actually working as a researcher with a think tank called the Legatum Institute,” she says. “Their aim is to understand and tackle the great challenges that face humanity. ” This might sound like an endearingly earnest and perhaps naively ambitious project for the University of Notre Dame Australia graduate, who is now completing a master’s degree in Strategic Communications, to be part of. It’s actually spectacularly low-key compared with some of Grace’s former activities. Take the time,…

1 BEHOLD THE REVOLUTION: If anyone needs evidence that street-style cool is influencing all the way upward, from past the front rows to designer shows, this season says it loud and literally. As Louis Vuitton Cruise ‘18 converted a Kyoto street into a runway party and marched models out in cowboy boots and oversized tees, blogger soul-label Sass and Bide finally came back to the runway at MBFWA. Democratically flat loafers lined the front rows from NYC to Paris. And, everywhere, one detail pulled the elevated casual feel together: freeform, decidedly self-styled hair. Introducing the hi-tech yet lo-fi blow dry. It’s got just the right ratios of elegance and edge to wear from office to out-late via your minimalist blazer or Saturday night sequins. It takes no major product, no…

 When it comes to dramatic entrances, Elie Saab is the master. Take today’s Paris couture show,ATale of Fallen Kings, as a prime example. Every warrior woman he sends striding down the runway looks as if she just stepped off the set of Game of Thrones. Gold bandeau headbands à la Wonder Woman; romantic floor-sweeping gowns offering glimpses of flesh via dramatic deepV-necklines;regal fabrics such as velvet, tulle, fur and silk embellished with elaborate embroidery. “WE WANTED FEMININITY AND REFINEMENT. GOURMAND DONE ANOTHER WAY. ” This type of pageantry will no doubt go down a treat on some LA red carpet (even in all that glaring sunshine) months from now; the idea of a “fearless and heroic sisterhood” being sold by Saab is an intoxicating proposition — especially in light…

HAIR JEWELLERY was once strictly reserved for brides, spring-carnival-goers and, well, the not so fashion-savvy. Then A/W 2017 happened. There were feathers, headbands, pins — it was an all-out ’90s hair-bling revival. A party-inspiration moodboard in the making,but hardly appropriate for the corporate sector. Hairstyling guru Richard Kavanagh agrees. He has just launched a new line of hair adornments with his business partner, Merran Keil, named Kokoro (kokoro. world) to fill this gap in the market. The aim is to meld aspirational hair accessories with functionality. “I want women to be able to wear Kokoro accessories as everyday embellishments,” Kavanagh explains. “In a work environment, they can be used to secure quick hair-ups and add a bit of razzle-dazzle, and for occasions they can be a way to dress up…

“Skincare now has to surprise and delight. ‘We’re talking innovations like gel-to-water cleansers, cream-to-oil essences, bubble-foaming sheet masks …’” ME, TURNING TO 13-year-old daughter: “I’m seriously contemplating a selfie right now. ” Thirteen-year-old daughter: [Exasperated eye-roll] “Get that ridiculous thing off your head. [Considered pause] Does that come in pink?” It’s 9. 30pm and to kick off this evening’s skincare-ritual proceedings, I’ve donned a fetching snow-white bunny-ear headband that’s apparently spiked Instagram frenzy in South Korea among K-pop stars and their fur babies. Upon launching in US department stores, they sold out. Bunny ears are just a tiny blip on the Korean beauty-boom radar, a movement that kicked off around 2011, when US and European beauty behemoths started adding skin-perfecting BB creams, a category born in Seoul, to their ranges.…

“Today I mostly get girls who are more serious about boxing than the guys. From skipping to drills, they’re aware, strong and competitive.” It’s pre-dawn on a Tuesday in Sydney’s Bondi and I’m 10 minutes late for an interview. Today’s target is Maydad Ronen,a former pro boxer who owns a gym here apparently so discreet it’s practically invisible. I call the number listed on his website and he appears moments later from an entryway metres from where I’m standing. The narrow doorframe is flanked by a physio and a home-wares boutique, and I’d managed to walk past three times without registering it, yet the gym is frequented by at least as many famous models as the bar at nearby Bondi Icebergs. As I descend the steep stairs, I feel as…

RULES ARE MEANT TO BE BROKEN — especially in fashion,”says Racil Chalhoub,sitting cross-legged on a giant purple sofa in her art-filled apartment in Knightsbridge, London. In just two years,the Lebanese-born designer has charmed the fashion industry with her modern take on the tuxedo,brilliantly tailored to the female form and available in a rainbow of bold colours. Her eponymous brand is actually a tribute to her mother,after whom she was named. “She has always been a big inspiration to me,” Chalhoub says. “Had she been called something else, I would have used that instead. ” Chalhoub was born in Beirut, but moved with her mother to Paris when she was a baby, after war broke out. “In Paris, you’re always surrounded by beauty,”she recalls,“and I fell in love with fashion at…

My style is laidback luxury with an edge. I can’t go past an oversized deep-V cashmere knit paired with PANTS [1], a STRUCTURED JACKET [9], DELICATE GOLD JEWELLERY [3,8], and I never leave home without a printed SILK SCARF [14] — a great accessory for our climate. I have a weakness for A-LINE DRESSES [4,7] and a particular obsession with ’60s silhouettes and GRAPHIC LINES [2,5]. I usually pair these dresses with a mid-heeled sandal or WHITE SNEAKERS [13]. Balenciaga’s PAPIER A4 ZIP-AROUND BAG [10] is on my list — I love oversized totes, especially with a newborn — and COMME DES GARÇONS small leathergoods [15]. Balenciaga’s SEQUIN-EMBELLISHED PUMPS [6] are the missing link in my collection. I like STILA CONCEALER [11], under the eyes for smooth, even coverage. And…

“How to move through it when grief still has the power to sneak up behind me like a playground bully, making my eyes smart with a sudden arm twist out of nowhere?” A young woman, my mother’s neighbour, gingerly approaches me. She wants to offer her condolences about my mum, Mira’s death from ovarian cancer two months ago. I sense the hesitancy in her approach, and it is only when she says “Your mother always asked about my son” that I understand why. Her infant son had died, also from cancer, just a month after my mother. The tears start to stream down our faces as we measure the extent of our losses: in her case, saying goodbye to a beloved child who was robbed of so much life, and…

JULY’S couture-fashion-week street style always has a ‘last day of school’ feel, which is no surprise given Paris practically shuts down in August as its residents decamp to the country. The A/W 2017 couture shows were no exception, with crop tops and bralettes popping up at even the most refined salons. And this isn’t just a trend for whippersnappers such as Bella Hadid (although she did partake). Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri, who is rather fond of a bra top, has inspired women of all ages (with great abs) to try this trend, whether worn under a leather jacket or paired with a sheer maxiskirt. Those who don’t do 10,000 sit-ups a day can take their cues from the likes of Anya Ziourova, who wore a knotted bandeau over a nude…

In 1968,NewYork socialite Nan Kempner was forbidden entry into chic nightspot Le Côte Basque, as her trousers were against the establishment’s dress code for women (never mind that they were one half of YSL’s first Le Smoking). Instead of causing a fuss, Kempner simply whipped off the offending garment and strolled into the place wearing only the tuxedo jacket as a thigh-skimming minidress. In one swift move, she flexed her sartorial prowess,her daring attitude and her alignment with the burgeoning feminist movement. Almost half a century on from Kempner’s defiant display, however, and a woman in a power suit is no less polarising. Consider the column inches — no, mileage — that Hillary Clinton’s pants-suits garnered in think pieces during her run for president, Angela Merkel’s ‘Chancellor chic’ and Condoleezza…

“What did you like? What do you think of everything?” Fernando Garcia, of Monse and Oscar de la Renta, asks me as we stand in the ODLR showroom in Paris, surrounded by his first collection as co-creative director alongside Laura Kim. For just a second I’m thrown — after all, I’m here to ask Garcia and Kim the questions, not the other way around. But I shouldn’t be surprised. Garcia and Kim would be the first to tell you that part of their success over the past couple of years — which has seen them leave Oscar de la Renta, where they both worked under the late founder, to launch their own label, Monse (pronounced Mon-SAY),in 2015 and then return as co-creative directors late last year — lies in asking…

 KRISTEN STEWART has a photograph of herself from when she was five years old. In the picture, she’s standing against a fence at Disneyland with her older brother and she’s wearing blue Levi’s jeans, blackVans, a baseball cap and a white T-shirt with a pocket on the chest. She glanced at the picture again recently and then looked down at what she was wearing and realised it was “the exact same thing”: jeans,T-shirt, trainers. “I haven’t really changed my style since I was a little kid,”she says. As if to prove the point, today the 27-year-old Stewart is wearing blue Levi’s, blackVans and a ripped white T-shirt emblazoned with a monochrome image of the British band Madness. “I love Madness,” she says. “Ska is some of my favourite music.…

“PEOPLE ASKED ME BEFORE THE SHOW, ‘ARE YOU READY FOR YOUR LIFE TO CHANGE?’ BUT I’M STILL GOING TO BE ME, NO MATTER WHAT. ” The road to fame can be a bumpy one. Alternatively, one can hit the casting jackpot, score a debut role as the lead in a runaway Netflix hit and have every teen and critic swooning over you — go to whoa in just under three months. It is the latter, somewhat surreal scenario that has played out for 21-year-old Perth-born actor Katherine Langford, who blazed her way into the public consciousness after executive producer Selena Gomez and Spotlight director Tom McCarthy cast her as teenager Hannah Baker in the drama series 13 Reasons Why. The first season of the show, which is based on the…

PEEP SHOW Beauty’s most legendary eye makeup looks; gilding the Lily; and tune into the new skincare show…

The journey of a single eyeliner from conception through to sale can be an onerous one. The toing and froing between the lab and the testing table can sometimes take years until the product is deemed perfect, and, even so, there’s one crucial last step. Before something makes it into production, beauty brands hand it to their makeup artists to review on the ground. Be it backstage or on a shoot, this is make or break. For her first gig, at Cannes, as the official makeup artist for L’Oréal Paris,Val Garland was kitted out with a range of new releases she needed to review. “Always with each product development there’s a conversation between myself and the product development and design team. Communication is paramount in order for us to achieve…

1. L’Oréal Paris Pure Clay Red Algae Exfoliating Scrub, $15, uses the cleansing properties of red algae to exfoliate the skin. 2. The Body Shop Matte Clay Skin Clarifying Foundation in Moluccan Nutmeg, $19, offers breathable coverage, so you won’t ever have to choose between makeup and skin health again. 3. If excess oil is something you battle daily, powder on a little Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed, $38, for a nutrient-rich colour that sucks up shine. 4. Dior Hydra Life Pores Away Pink Clay Mask, $98, is air-whipped into an easy-to-apply formula that digs up impurities from pores. 5. Société Deep Thermal Cleanser, $64, uses a self-heating variety of clay to stimulate circulation and slough away dead skin cells. 6. L’unico Intensive Hydrating Mask, $150, taps into…

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Concentrated Recovery PowerFoil Mask, from $35, delivers a red-carpet glow in 10 minutes flat. Dr. Jart+ Rubber Masks consist of an ampoule containing moisturising ingredients which are then sealed in by placing a rubber mask on top. Dr.Jart+ Dermask Rubber Mask Moist Lover, $18. Erno Laszlo’s Two Phase mask range, ($122 for four applications) requires mixing liquid and powder sachets to activate; you apply, then they turn solid and rubbery, peeling off in one piece. Gold is everything. Try Knesko Skin Nanogold Repair Natural Collagen Face Mask (left), $190 (for four), and Mimi Luzon 24-Karat Pure Gold Mask, $378. And don’t forget your bunny-ear headpiece: Cool Enough Studio Bunny Headband, $25, from frankiandseoul.com.…

DRINK TO YOUR HEALTH Sparkling water and a sliver of lemon? Meh. Booze-free nights are a bore, but a sad reality for many of us on health kicks. But there may be a solution: Seedlip. Billed as the world’s first non-alcoholic spirit (it’s a sugar-free, sweetener-free, calorie-free distilled blend of herbs, plants and spices), it tastes a little ginlike and is a saviour for when you don’t want to drink yet crave a cocktail. We love it with tonic and a twist. 5am bootcamp, anyone? Seedlip Garden 108 (top), and Spice 94, $50 each, seedlipdrinks.com. OBSESSING OVER … If there’s one pair of workout leggings you buy this month, make it adidas’s new Warp Knit Tights, $140. They’re super soft despite their compression feel, but the best bits are the…

MONOLAB South Yarra, Melbourne … displays Japanese artisanal homewares in the style of a boutique art gallery. What sets your store apart? “High-quality, well-designed products from different regions of Japan,” says Sonia Zhang, one half of the founding duo. “We worked with Ms Lucy Marczyk from Nexus Designs to incorporate Japanese design principles of simplicity so the products stand out. ” How do you encourage your customers to shop? “We invite our customer to touch, listen, smell and taste. We offer a traditional Japanese way of gift-wrapping [customers can sit and observe] by using furoshiki, a wrapping cloth that can be reused. Both the gift and its presentation require meticulous consideration. Also, organic tea tasting is scheduled during each weekend, and Japanese culture workshop sessions run regularly in store.…

“Coming to terms with the country’s culture, size and multifariousness would be a challenging endeavour.” There is a small enclosed garden in the northeast corner of the Forbidden City, Beijing’s 80-hectare red-walled, yellow-roofed, built-to-intimidate immensity, where between 1420 and 1911 the emperors of China’s last two dynasties, the Ming and the Qing, lived and ruled. The garden was designed in the 1770s by the fifth Qing emperor, Qianlong, for his pleasure after retirement. Within it, atop a mountain-like rockery of fantastically eroded and pockmarked stones extracted from Lake Taihu (so called scholars’ rocks, nature elevated to art, found in gardens, museums and grand houses all over China), is the Terrace for Gathering Dew. Bronze vessels were placed on the little platform to collect dew,with which the emperor’s morning tea was…