Shirley Keon

Couture Designer & Owner of Keon Couture 

高级服装定制设计师和Keon Couture经营者

Shirley Keon features ubiquitously at the atrium of Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, a hotel that exudes French sophistication interlaced with the elegant and chic Australian style of hospitality. This time, with Australian couturier extraordinaire Shirley Keon’s work emblazoned across its Atrium Gallery, Sofitel pays homage to the fashion icon in a specially commissioned body of work by photographer Heidi Victoria that showcases the story of Keon in her Collins Street Studio.

Inspired and trained by her mother, Keon was sewing and creating her own clothes at an early age, in an era that celebrates authentic and organic works of art by hand, long before digital domination. “My mother instilled in me the beauty of creating individual and unique pieces.”

A couturier with a long list of celebrity and socialite clients, Keon started her career as a seamstress in the famed Flinders Lane, embroidering a name for herself stitch by stitch. She honed her skills in garment construction and hand detailing while attending night school to master fashion design and pattern making. “I’ve always drafted my own patterns.  I believe the pattern and construction of a garment are signatures of couture.”

Keon works with fabrics from the houses of Valentino, Armani and Givenchy. Sometimes she wonders if her idol Valentino uses the same fabrics. “Valentino has always been my inspiration and I admire his fabulous couture collections.”  

“I’ve always drafted my own patterns. I believe the pattern and construction of a garment are signatures of couture.”

The couturier’s success would not have been possible or meaningful without the love and support of her husband Philip Keon, who is a jewellery designer himself. Both make a chic and sophisticated couple among the Melbourne high society.

The most iconic and fashionable women in Australia and worldwide have worn the Keon label for years, a creation that has withstood the test of time and been passed down for generations. After five illustrious decades in the fashion industry, Keon has finally decided to retire from the fashion industry in March 2020, leaving behind a legacy of unsurpassed bespoke designs, artwork and enduring trends. 

“Shirley Keon”优美地渗透了墨尔本索菲特柯林斯酒店(Sofitel Melbourne on Collins)的大堂中庭，这家酒店散发着精细法式风情，掺杂着典雅别致的澳大利亚式待客之道。这一次，澳大利亚杰出的时装设计师 Shirley Keon的作品装饰在中庭画廊，索菲特酒店透过特别授权委托的摄影师Heidi Victoria的一系列作品向这位时尚偶像致敬，而Heidi位于柯林斯街工作室中展现了Shirley Keon的故事。

Shirley Keon自小在母亲的启发和训练下，开始缝制和制作自己穿戴的服装，那个时代推崇的是真实、有机朴质的手工艺术品，远早于数码时代。“母亲向我灌输了创作个性和独特美丽的哲理。”

“我一直在琢磨本身的特质设计模式。我认为服装的样式和构造是高级定制的标志。”

从著名的弗林德斯巷(Flinders Lane)作为一名女裁缝师起始，Shirley Keon一针一线细密的缝纫出自己的名声。直至成为拥有众多名人和社会名流的服装设计师，在夜校期间，她磨练了服装结构和手工制作技能，掌握了时装设计和图案制作。“我一直在琢磨本身的特质设计模式。我认为服装的样式和构造是高级定制的标志。”

她沿用的编织物面料来自华伦天奴、阿玛尼和纪梵希等品牌。有时她会想，偶像华伦天奴是否也用了同样的面料。“华伦天奴一直是我的灵感来源，我热爱他神话般的时装系列。”

这位时装女设计师的重大成就离不开其丈夫Philip Keon尽心尽力的爱与支持，否则一切对她来说毫无意义。Philip Keon身为珠宝设计师，两人是墨尔本上流社会中时髦、长袖善舞的一对佳偶。

多年来，Keon作为澳大利亚和世界各地最具标志性的女性时尚品牌，这是经受时间考验并代代相传的时尚精神。而在度过辉煌的五十年后，基恩终于决定在2020年3月宣布退出时尚界，留下了无与伦比的定制设计、艺术作品和历久弥新的潮流印记。

By Billie Ooi-Ng Lean Gaik    

MICHAEL CINCO
Fashion Designer

Award winning Dubai-based Filipino designer Michael Cinco, best known for his fabulous couture gown, has garnered a long list of celebrity support from big names like Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Aishwarya Rai, Steve Aoki, Carrie Underwood, Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, just to name a few. Cinco’s innate creativity and masterful techniques have catapulted him to the front ranks of fashion. He has cultivated a dedicated following for the luxe and intricacy of his designs, with their fresh, elegant and detailed juxtapositions of fabric and Swarovski crystals. This creator revels in his quote, “A Michael Cinco woman is moneyed. She may not be born into royalty, but she better be married into one. My clothes appear seamless. They look heavy and yet they float. They look expensive simply because they are.” 

频频获奖的迪拜菲律宾籍服装设计师Michael Cinco，出自他手的闻名时装礼服拥有一长串明星大牌支持追捧，比如Beyonce、Jennifer Lopez、 Rihanna、 Lady Gaga、 Mariah Carey、 Aishwarya Rai、Steve Aoki、Carrie Underwood、Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears 与 Christina Aguilera等。

Michael Cinco与生俱来的创造力和娴熟的技巧让他一跃成为时尚界的领军人物。他的设计风格奢华而复杂，面料与施华洛世奇(Swarovski)水晶搭配显得格外清新、优雅而细致，这也为他培养了一批忠实的追随者。这个服装创作者骄傲的表示：“Michael Cinco的女人是华贵的。她也许不是出身皇族，但她与皇族匹配。我的衣服看起来天衣无缝。它们看起来很重，但实际上是飘浮的。它们看起来就是纯粹的价值不菲。”

Image(s) courtesy of michaelcinco.com

The ultimate expression of the Maison’s Savoir-faire. Stones are paramount in Cartier’s design studios. Understanding them, recognising what makes them special and capturing their beauty to maximise their potential is the designer’s primary task. The creativity and expertise of Cartier has allowed it to develop its signature style, which has continued to evolve for some 170 years.

Launched in July 2018, the latest COLORATURA COLLECTION by Cartier celebrates virtuoso voices and their echo around the world in a sensorial exploration of colour. Driven by a universal curiosity, the Maison investigates creative diversity; uniting the four corners of the globe and blending the variety of vast continents alongside their local traditions.

The correlations between past and present, the connections between cultures and generations all viewed through the human values of celebration, sharing and joy. The diversity of the world offers a rich palette. Colours combine; horizons meet. Together they compose a dynamic score: the vibrant colours of India, the uncompromising contrasts of Asia and the Orient, the subtle palettes of Japan, and the staccato shades of Africa are united by a shared vision of style and a jubilant spirit. 

这是出自名门世家自由奔放的极限写照。在卡地亚的珠宝设计工作室里，原石具有至高无上的地位。设计师的首要任务是理解和认识它们的特质、捕捉它们的美丽，并最大限度地发挥它们的潜力。卡地亚的创造力和专业技能导向本身的强烈标志风格，类似风格已经持续发展170年左右。

卡地亚在2018年7月推出的最新COLORATURA系列，透过对色彩无限的感性探索，艺术家声音也唱响世界各地。在网罗所有好奇元素的推动下，卡地亚尝试多样性创意；融合地球的四个角落，各大洲的多元化和当地传统特色。

而过去和现在的枢纽，文化和世代之间的连接，都是通过人们庆祝、分享和欢乐的价值观视察。世界的多样性提供丰富的调色板，因此颜色的组合来自于视野观察，它们共同构筑一个动态的乐章:印度属于充满活力的颜色，亚洲和东方毫不妥协的对比色彩，日本微妙的调色板及非洲断奏一般的色调，皆因共同的风格愿景和欢欣鼓舞的精神联系在一起。

Image(s) courtesy of Cartier