It is likely that your frame of reference to Fan Bingbing, would depend largely on the lens by which you are viewing her. If you are from the mainstream movie-going public, you may know the actress from her English language role as Blink in “X-Men: Days of Future Past”. If you’re a fan of couture and European film, you might know Fan as a fixture on the red carpet of the Cannes and Venice film festivals — she was on the Cannes jury in 2017 — in dramatic, show-stopping gowns that somehow never seem to wear her.
At our photo shoot in Beijing, Fan models exquisite pieces from Alexander McQueen as well as stunning, voluminous couture from the archives of brands like Viktor & Rolf and Iris van Herpen pulled out by celebrity stylist Min Rui. To say she is a professional is an understatement, as there is a grace and resplendence in which she carries off these gowns. Fan has an old school glamour about her that makes you stop and take notice. In photographs she is magnetic. She is also a hard worker — modelling for the T Singapore shoot late into the evening and giving it her 100 per cent effort with nary a complaint. When it comes to personal style, Fan’s advice is measured but sage. “There are no rules to fashion. Fashion is always changing. Rather than following trends and footsteps, why not establish one that is your own? When it comes to curating your own personal style, it also requires a thorough understanding of yourself,” says Fan.
This story is from the January 2020 edition of T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 2020 edition of T Singapore: The New York Times Style Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Look At Us
As public memorials face a public reckoning, there’s still too little thought paid to how women are represented — as bodies and as selves.
Two New Jewellery Collections Find Their Inspiration In The Human Anatomy
Two new jewellery collections find their inspiration in the human anatomy.
She For She
We speak to three women in Singapore who are trying to improve the lives of women — and all other gender identities — through their work.
Over The Rainbow
How the bright colours and lively prints created by illustrator Donald Robertson brought the latest Weekend Max Mara Flutterflies capsule collection to life.
What Is Love?
The artist Hank Willis Thomas discusses his partnership with the Japanese fashion label Sacai and the idea of fashion in the context of the art world.
The Luxury Hotel For New Mums
Singapore’s first luxury confinement facility, Kai Suites, aims to provide much more than plush beds and 24-hour infant care: It wants to help mothers with their mental and emotional wellbeing as well.
Who Gets To Eat?
As recent food movements have focused on buying local or organic, a deeper and different conversation is happening among America’s food activists: one that demands not just better meals for everyone but a dismantling of the structures that have failed to nourish us all along.
Reimagining The Future Of Fashion
What do women want from their clothes and accessories, and does luxury still have a place in this post-pandemic era? The iconic designer Alber Elbaz thinks he has the answers with his new label, AZ Factory.
A Holiday At Home
Once seen as the less exciting alternative to an exotic destination holiday, the staycation takes on new importance.
All Dressed Up, Nowhere To Go
Chinese supermodel He Sui talks about the unseen pressures of being an international star, being a trailblazer for East Asian models in the fashion world, and why, at the end of the day, she is content with being known as just a regular girl from Wenzhou.
