Cover Stephanie Kuo wearing an Andrew Gn dress at the ACM Gala 2023
Stephanie Kuo wearing an Andrew Gn dress at the ACM Gala 2023
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Guests turned out in their finest looks by Singaporean designer Andrew Gn to celebrate the Asian Civilisations Museum’s 25th anniversary
There were two spectacular Andrew Gn designs on display at the ACM Gala this year, but they proved unnecessary. That’s because at the gala, held at The Fullerton Hotel Singapore in celebration of the Asian Civilisations Museum’s (ACM) 25th anniversary, it was Gn galore: guests from all over the world showed up wearing their finest threads by the Singaporean designer.
This year’s celebration on May 25 served as the opener to the ACM’s first retrospective exhibition of the designer, titled Andrew Gn: Fashioning Singapore and the World. While the dress code read “Asian Formal”, it was just as much of an invitation for attendees to show off their favourite Andrew Gn designs, which often embody an East-meets-West aesthetic.
Read more: Singaporean designer Andrew Gn wants his fashion legacy to inspire a new generation of Asian talents
Above Guests viewing an archival Andrew Gn design on display at the ACM Gala 2023
Guests viewing an archival Andrew Gn design on display at the ACM Gala 2023
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Gala chair Paige Parker led the way by wearing not one but two looks that evening. For the cocktail reception, she made a dramatic entrance wearing a white gown with a fringed cape from Gn’s spring/summer 2021 collection. Later, she changed into a bright red gown adorned with handmade silk flowers that matched her handbag. The latter dress was from Gn’s spring/summer 2018 collection.
“I wanted to wear pieces from his past to show his vast range and evolution of his craft over time,” said Parker. She was accompanied by her 20-year-old daughter Hilton Rogers, who donned a one-shoulder white dress embroidered with blue flowers—her first ballgown, she confessed. It wasn’t a bad piece to start her personal Andrew Gn collection with, something that many of the gala guests have built over the years.
That includes Dr June Goh-Rin, who looked vibrant in an off-shoulder pink dress and turquoise floral embroidered jacket—pieces from Gn’s debut collection in 1996. She was introduced to his work by her mother, who was friends with Gn’s mother. “I totally fell in love [with that first collection],” shared Goh-Rin, who pointed out Gn’s use of pagoda shoulders as a standout detail for her. After that encounter, she immediately sent an email to the designer to place her order (this was, after all, before the rise of e-commerce).
Above ACM Gala 2023 co-chair Paige Parker and her daughter Hilton Rogers, both dressed in Andrew Gn
ACM Gala 2023 co-chair Paige Parker and her daughter Hilton Rogers, both dressed in Andrew Gn
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Purchasing an Andrew Gn design would become much easier in the years that followed, partly thanks to Browns’s chief fashion and merchandising officer and CEO, Elizabeth von der Goltz, who also graced the gala. When Von der Goltz was senior vice president and general merchandise manager at Bergdorf Goodman, she brought in Gn’s fifth collection, introducing him to a wider clientele outside of Paris where he is based. She continued to support him as she went on to lead other luxury fashion retail platforms, including Net-a-Porter. On the night of the gala, she donned one of Gn’s newest designs: a pleated blue silk dress with a jewelled belt.
Like Von der Goltz, Kelly Keak, managing director of MTM Labo, also chose an ensemble from Gn’s upcoming fall/winter 2023 collection, Roots. She shone in a gold metallic gown, adorned with gleaming jewels around the neckline. “I feel that every piece of his work is art, and tells a story,” expressed Keak.
Former actress Sharon Au, who is a friend of Gn’s and lives in Paris as well, appreciates how his extravagant designs “carry you from day to night,” she said. “I realise that his clothes are very graceful and playful at the same time.” Au made the case for it in her black halter-neck jumpsuit, in which she moved freely through the party, with one of Gn’s metallic silver leather handbags in tow.
Indeed, there was much to see at the ACM Gala 2023, even before the doors opened to the ballroom where dinner and festivities commenced. Below, take a closer look at the glamorous guests we spotted and see how they championed Andrew Gn in their own way.
Sharon Au
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Pameyla Cambe is the Assistant Digital Editor of Tatler Singapore. She handles the Fashion section of the website, where she reports on trends, the hottest fashion launches and what your favourite Asian celebrities are wearing.
