© galeries lafayette jakarta - beckoning shoppers from afar at pacific place mall

jakarta's retail landscape has been void of a diversity in quality brands for a long time, lagging far behind many of asia's leaading cities. those who could afford it would hop on a plane to singapore, hong kong or even further away to stock up on the very latest trophy items. but the tide is slowly turning. after a previous upswing in luxury retail, expansion was hampered by global recession in 2008. but indonesia's economy is once again steaming ahead and has seen unprecedented growth rates these past few years. now hailed by experts as southeast asia's biggest luxury goods market to be, foreign brands are eager to open up shop, allowing the indonesian capital to make up for lost time, and in a big, big way. indicative of this trend is the recent galeries lafayette opening, a joint-venture between the famed parisian department store and leading local retailer mitra adiperkasa.

located at pacific place, arguably the city's swankiest mall, the store occupies a multi-storey space of over 12,000 sqm. [134,549 sq.ft.]. the store design is conceptualized around the theme one day in paris, and has obviously taken cues from the iconic dome of the galeries lafayette store in paris and various elements inherent of the french capital. the ground floor presents the store's beauty section with various branded cosmetics and frangrance counters. the selection also includes exclusive niche brands, and there's also a multibrand boutique for men. the first and second floors present a myriad of women's apparel collections, lingerie and once again shoes. on the third floor the men's domain is situated, featuring a great variety of leisure menswear and shoes.

the new galeries lafayette store aims to be a one-stop shop for the city's fashion-savvy community, offering no less than 330 top brands of which quite a few are exclusive to the store. the fashion brand list includes coveted names such as vanessa bruno, stella mccartney, sonia by sonia rykiel, mcq by alexander mcqueen and marc by marc jacobs for women, and façonnable, ben sherman, zadig & voltaire, new balance and brooks brothers for men. complementing the the range of goods are the handy services of an in-house fashion advisor and tailor. and while your out there power-shopping, the department store boasts no less than four restaurants, each with a distinct gourmet menu, and where you can recharge on a wide variety of tasty bites and drinks for your next session. location: pacific place, jalan sudirman 52-53, ground floor [senayan].

© galeries lafayette jakarta - packed to the guilds with top brands, the store's liberté restaurant [top to bottom]

© james turrell - rendering for aten reign [2013] - site-specific installation at the guggenheim museum, new york city

while a retrospective of his work is currently held in los angeles, american artist james turrell now also gains the limelight with a show on the u.s. east coast. opening fri - jun 21 at the guggenheim museum in new york is a show which focuses on the turrell’s groundbreaking explorations of perception, light, colour, and space, and with a special focus on the role of site-specificity in his practice. this is the artist's first show in the city since 1980, and one that makes wonderful use of the museum's iconic structure.

at the very core of the show is aten reign [2013], a major new project that recasts the museum's rotunda as an enormous volume filled with shifting artificial and natural light. the installation reimagines frank lloyd wright’s architecture as one of turrell’s skyspaces, referencing in particular his ongoing project and magnum opus, roden crater. additionally, other works from throughout the artist’s career will be displayed in the museum’s annex level galleries, offering a complement and counterpoint to the new work in the rotunda. location: 1071 fifth avenue [upper east north].

© james turrell - rendering for aten reign [2013] and afrum i (white) [1967] - photo: david heald

© above second - asia's biggest street art exhibition

when it comes to urban art in hong kong, savvy little above second gallery is the place to be. it shouldn't come as a surprise that they were asked to curate a show presented by swire properties, and held smack in the middle of their massive taikoo place office block. called work in progress and with the aid of a group of artists rallyed by the hong kong youth arts foundation, the exhibition spans the loading bay and 13th floor of a defunct office space and is one of the biggest street art showcases ever to be held in asia. playful and inspiring, it presents a cool mix of old and new school techniques and expresses a wide range of international perspectives and styles, and additionally hopes to change the perspective of individuals about the artistic credibility of street art. participating artists include rone, meggs, beastman and cyrcle [on through jul 7]. location: somerset house, 979 king's road, 13th floor [quarry bay].

© above second - show pieces, artists and organizers, opening party [top to bottom]

© burberry - the burberry prorsum s/s 2014 men's collection show in london

burberry presented its highly anticipated burberry prorsum s/s 2014 men's collection in london's kensington gardens. the new collection is a celebration of artistic and intellectual spirit, with a nod and a wink to ian bennett and david hockney. the styles are full-on yet effortlessly classic, featuring pretty much a complete men's wardrobe, captured in the finest of fabrics. the colour palette features lots of khaki paired with a dusty range of solid colours. there's a certain emphasis on accessories but not too much, it is a men's collection after all. the summer shades stand out though. the show marks the expansion of runway made to order, the new burberry service which allows online shoppers to snap up and customize specific pieces right after the show. the show was packed and pulled lots of a-listers, including tinie tempah, serena williams, dermot o'leary, hugh dancy and chen kun.

© opposite mess hall / photography: chris wise

a longtime fav of locals and visitors alike, the wtf bar and gallery is a cosmopolitan hangout where to indulge in cocktails, bites and culture, all in a laid-back manner. they've already expanded across the road to open up drinking den opposite, but have now added opposite mess hall one floor up. the restaurant occupies a concise space that features an open kitchen on one side and sets of communal tables. the décor is contemporary, simple, and is just as cozy as your living room. for nicotine addicts there's even a separate smoking room. opposite mess hall's kitchen is headed by australian chef jess barnes - of previous quince fame - who serves both tasty european dishes and fusion fare. the menu currently lists delicacies such as croquettes, sicilian style mackerel confit and a crab salad with cucumber, grape and mint. down it all with a compatible range of cocktails by in-house expert chris wise, or a cold beer instead. location: 27/2 sukhumvit soi 51 [sukhumvit].

© opposite mess hall / photography: chris wise

© stighlorgan - a limited edition trophy backpack

based in dublin, stighlorgan is a men's bag and accessories brand with a rugged edge just as the irish themselves. rooted in tradition and proudly blending elements of home in its products, stighlorgan crafts a range of beautiful and timeless products. one of the brand's latest trophy items is the roban backpack, a limited edition classic style made from the best cotton canvases and finest leather trim. it was relaunched in a spectacular way by washing 100 of its peat green style in the irish sea just off the coast of dublin. this unique procedure gives the bag a unique weathered aesthetic which actually strengthens the fabrics. the canvas becomes worn but tougher and the rope detailing becomes stronger too. fancy one? then click [here] to order yours.

© stighlorgan - deep sea washing

© monocle

yes, the monocle country fayre is back! today monocle magazine kicks off the two-day event [sat + sun: 11am-5pm] on the premises of its headquarters in london. both a celebration of summer and a global take on an english tradition, there'll be market stalls hosted by the magazine's fav countries - this time it's colombia and once again sweden - and a range of preferred retailers and brands, including drake's london, lagom design, kitsuné, daunt books, hentsch man and the knowledgeable allpress coffee roasters will be present with their coffee cart. it's an event for old and young, and as such the event features a jolly mix of additional fun activities.there's a petting zoo, plenty of summery apéritifs, the monocle tombola, games and some cool gigs as well. ah, and there's good food of course, provided by the magazine's very own monocle café. come on down! location: midori house, 1 dorset  street, courtyard [marylebone].

© monocle

© fondation d'entreprise hermès / photo: tadzio / sébastien gschwind - un genre humain [2011]

opening on fri - jun 21 at palais de tokyo in paris is the massive nouvelles vagues showcase which emphasizes the emergence of the curator. as one if the exhibitors that fills up pretty much all of the venue, fondation d'entreprise hermès - a special foundation of luxury brand hermès that promotes traditional craft skills, supports the creative arts, related education and training, and all with an environmental as well -  participates with a sophisticated presentation of its own called condensation. the nouvelles vagues show is a large-scale event organized by 21 international young curators, working individually or in groups, and have been selected by a jury from over 500 candidates.

the hermès presentation is curated by gaël charbau who has brought together works created as part of a series of special artist residencies that have been sponsored by the fondation d’entreprise hermès. the show is conceived as an encounter between the realms of dream interpretation and alchemy, and is structured around formal and narrative echoes that leads the viewer to the heart of matter, along a path dotted with works by various artists. this will be the first public showcase of these works. participating artists include sébastien gschwind, marie-anne franqueville, andrés ramirez, atsunobu kohira and félix pinquier. location: palais de tokyo, 13 avenue du président wilson [champs-élysées].

© fondation d'entreprise hermès / photo: tadzio / andrés ramirez - lost in love [detail of silk printing, 2012] and félix pinquier - station [2012]

© trunk - men's treasure trove

in a previous post we talked about trunk, an exclusive menswear store that's part of monocle magazine's london-based parent group. today it opens trunk labs, a separate accessories shop, also located on chiltern street. featuring a concise retail space of approx. 30 sqm. [323 sq.ft.], the décor is one of warm greys - and yes, that includes the concrete floor - and stylish mid-century furniture sourced from specialty furniture retailer century. and some of these pieces are actually up for sale.

so, what else does trunk labs carry? targeting a savvy and style-conscious demographic, it stocks a tightly edited selection of men's accessories in the widest sense of the word. shoppers not only come across coveted luggage, accessories, bags and shoes, but also ties, shoes, small leather goods, grooming products, stationery, eyewear and, as said. furniture pieces. these are sourced from japan, australia, germany, italy, the u.k, and other nations known for good taste and a sense of high quality. happy shopping, guys! location: 34 chiltern street [marylebone].

© trunk - what would you pick?

© wft gallery

jorge carlos smith is a jack of all trades with a cosmopolitan background. born in mozambique with ancestral roots in macau, he was raised in the u.k. and portugal. next to being a hotelier, smith is also an avid collector of 1970s jazz + funk vinyl, a cook, an occasional dj, a designer, a closet artist and founding partner of both the wtf and phuket 346 hospitality venues. currently on at wtf gallery is blur, a multimedia installation by smith that presents a mix of painting, drawing, neon woks, sound and scent boxes that offer an interaction with the viewer in a most personal collection of ideas, thoughts and memories. the show aims to create a relationship with the viewer, bridging both reality and imagination, triggering ideas, thoughts and emotions [on through jul 18]. location: 7 sukhumvit soi 51 [sukhumvit].

© wtf gallery