Pioneering oceanographer Sylvia Earle on her lifelong fight to protect the ocean

The waters of the Gulf of Thailand are warm, visibility shifting in slow, luminous veils. A few metres below the surface, two silhouettes drift downward—one fluid and youthful, the other compact and steady, almost regal. The younger diver glances over at his companion—not out of concern but in admiration, for swimming with him is none other than Sylvia Earle, the legendary American oceanographer and explorer. Known around the world as Her Deepness, Earle celebrated her 90th birthday last August, but still moves with effortless and instinctive grace, seemingly at one with the water—it is almost as if the ocean recognises her as one of its own after a lifetime spent in its depths.

The marine biologist has clocked more than 7,500 hours underwater, and counting—not surprising, given how early her love of the natural world began. Growing up on a small farm in New Jersey, Earle spent her childhood exploring the woods and the pond behind her house. Then, when she was about 12, her family moved to Florida and her curiosity turned towards larger bodies of water. “The ocean was my playground,” Earle tells Tatler later in an exclusive interview after spending several days diving off the tiny island of Koh Mak in the southeastern province of Trat. “Even before I had a diving mask, I was able to explore and find so many creatures—little seahorses, sea anemones and, of course, little fish and shrimp and crabs.” 

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Few perfumers approach scent as a couturier approaches fabric—not as decoration, but as structure itself. Francis Kurkdjian, perfume creation director for La Collection Privée Christian Dior, has long understood this parallel, describing his process as one of olfactory architecture that reflects the structure of a garment. This philosophy finds its most literal expression in Cuir Saddle, a fragrance inspired by the John Galliano Saddle bag, an early-2000s icon whose curves echo the classical form of a riding saddle. The result is neither homage nor reinterpretation, but a scent that wears the same structural audacity— like the Saddle, it is worn close to the body, intimate and unapologetic.

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Korean culture (or K-culture) is firmly entrenched in Singapore, from dramas to popstars, and cuisine to cosmetics. But for the F&B industry, it is cocktail bars that have led the latest hallyu (Korean wave) across the globe. 

It was evident in the climb of notable new Seoul bars such as Zest, which is a Tatler Best 100 Bar 2024 and 2025 recipient. It was also 2023’s World’s 50 Best Bars’ Highest New Entry award winner at  No. 18, while also meteorically climbing to No. 2 in the Asia’s 50 Bars list in 2024 and 2025. Meanwhile, Seoul native Uno Jang, based in Singapore since 2014, was named Bartender’s Bartender in the World’s 50 Best Bars 2025, a resounding vote of popularity by his worldwide peers. 

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On the afternoon of January 22, the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at Marina Bay Sands filled quickly as Art SG 2026 opened its doors to collectors, curators and cultural insiders—including friends of Tatler—for its VIP preview and vernissage. Now in its fourth edition, the fair presented by founding and lead partner UBS has settled into a confident stride, defined by pace, presence and layered discovery.

Early attention gravitated towards the main Galleries sector, where blue-chip names and leading regional galleries set the tone with assured presentations. Large-scale paintings and sculptural works drew steady crowds, while conversations clustered around booths foregrounding Southeast Asian practices—an indication of how firmly the region’s artists now sit within international collecting conversations. 

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When Park Hyatt Tokyo underwent a thorough renovation by Paris-based studio Jouin Manku, reopening on December 2025, its famous swimming pool was left untouched. This feature maintains its timeless appeal as an oasis perched approximately 180 metres above the city.

The property was the first international luxury hotel to offer a swimming pool in a skyscraper, immortalised in cinema history through Lost in Translation, starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson. The swimming pool is located on the 47th storey of the second tower of the Shinjuku Park Tower Building, designed by the late Japanese architect Kenzo Tange. It is the centrepiece of the Club on the Park spa and fitness city, framed by a hard–soft composition of Tange’s dynamic glass curtain walls and potted palms.

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