Asia's Most Stylish honouree Beatrice Ho talks to Tatler about owning her body, learning from strong female role models, and why fashion is so much more than just window dressing
Most Hongkongers do their power walks in exercise gear—a Lululemon outfit, perhaps, with trainers in varying shades of neon. Beatrice Ho has just returned from a brisk stride around Deep Water Bay dressed in a black crop top and long ruffled skirt, as well as a pair of three-inch-high Stella McCartney Sneak Elyse incline trainers.
This is unsurprising given that Ho doesn’t own a single pair of flats (nor, for that matter, jeans). “I own these Stella McCartney trainers and a pair of workout trainers—because honestly, what else can you wear to play tennis?” she says, laughing. “But everything else in my wardrobe consists of varying styles and heights of heels.”
Ho is the daughter of prominent businesswoman Daisy Ho, and she attributes much of her style to the powerful women of the Ho family, starting with her maternal grandmother, Lucina Laam.
“My late grandmother told me: you don’t know who you’re going to meet when you walk out of the house every morning,” she says. “Normally—when I don’t go on a walk—I try to have my hair and make-up done [before leaving home]. Every single day, you should look presentable at the bare minimum, and [preferably] have a dimension of flair in some way, so people will remember you. You want to stand out in a positive way.”
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One gets the sense that the balance between public perception and self-expression through personal style is something that Ho has honed over the years. The 27-year-old Princeton and Penn graduate has had her share of the limelight as the granddaughter of gambling tycoon Stanley Ho, not to mention growing up with her mother and her aunt, Pansy, both prominent businesswomen in Hong Kong.
She refers to how the late fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld once said that his greatest luxury was not having to justify himself to anyone. “I agree with this sentiment completely. I believe that one’s body is not beholden to anyone because an individual should have confidence and complete autonomy over their own body,” she explains. “My style stems from what I think would best flatter my body, while accurately reflecting my personality and respecting the occasion I’m at.”
She adds that her personal style is all about timeless elegance. “I view myself as more of a Grace Kelly than a Marilyn or a Jacqueline. I’m more a classic kind of girl,” she muses. “I want to look back in 50 years and be proud of my choices, because while I want to be stylish and fashion-forward, ultimately I would pick what looks good on me as opposed to what everyone else is wearing; to me, that is what a stylish woman is.”
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