Dior Flagship Opening, One Peking Road, 2003

During my early years at Dior, Anita Mui and I became close as she dressed almost exclusively in Dior. I had the honour of working with her on her last two concert series. Like Leslie Cheung, Mui never asked for any commercial remuneration, and all she wanted was to have the “best of the best”. In 2003, Dior’s flagship opening in Asia was the first party post-Sars and Anita came out to support. The energy of that party was electric, as everyone wanted to celebrate the end of Sars, so we extended the soirée to two consecutive evenings.

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Dior Homme Hong Kong Grand Opening, One Peking Road, 2005

Dior Homme by Hedi Slimane was all the rage in men’s fashion at this time. Everybody wanted to be dressed in the label, so when it came to opening the first boutique in Hong Kong, all of the top male celebrities clamoured to be invited. Our headline celebrity was actor Nicholas Tse, who was just perfect for the brand’s youthful, slim, rock ’n’ roll image.

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Dior hosts the premiere of The Banquet at the Four Seasons, 2006

Zhang Ziyi was another very close friend of Dior, and we worked on many projects together in Asia and Paris. Dior sponsored the premiere of period film The Banquet, starring Ziyi, at the Four Seasons’ ballroom. It was an incredible production: we built a large podium to host a fashion show. I wore an incredible Dior Homme gold sequinned jacket. There were only a few in the world and another one belonged to Karl Lagerfeld. I have to say, it weighed a tonne.

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Asian Film Awards, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre, 2009

After joining Versace, I had the honour of working with and getting to know Donatella Versace. She trusted my advice on marketing and communications strategies, and that year for the Asian Film Awards, I negotiated for her to present the inaugural Best Costume award. “DV” flew to Hong Kong without any hesitation. That red carpet was very long—more than 500 metres—prompting her to exclaim, “Oh my God, this is so long, Peter! You have seen the shoes I am wearing, right?”

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Van Cleef & Arpels Prince’s Building Maison Opening, 2011

If I had to choose my favourite event from my career, it would be the grand opening of the Asian maison of Van Cleef & Arpels. It was an all-night affair of incredible beauty, elegance and style, and all the guests were impeccably dressed and adorned with the most magnificent jewellery. The grand opening was a series of events, including a dinner taking over the top floor of the Mandarin Oriental, followed by an after-party at Sevva, with a performance by Lisa Stansfield, who flew in for the occasion.

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I was proud of how many legendary Chinese actresses came: Deanie Ip, fresh from winning best actress at the Venice Film Festival the previous week; film producer Nansun Shi; Michelle Yeoh, who came straight from the Toronto Film Festival premiere of The Lady; and the elusive Josephine Siao Fong-fong, who cut the ribbon alongside Cate Blanchett. To this day, I get told it was the most beautiful event ever in Hong Kong.

49th Golden Horse Awards, Taipei, Taiwan 2012

Deanie Ip invited me to attend the Golden Horse Awards in Taipei, as she was presenting the best actress award after her previous year’s win. I didn’t hesitate, flying to meet her in Taipei and escort her down the red carpet. She joked to the press that I was her “godson” and it was my first time really seeing the power of the red carpet at one of the most prestigious award ceremonies in Asia. I was pretty nervous with all the screaming fans and paparazzi, but Deanie held my hand tightly.

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Peter Cheung Asia Ltd, Grand Launch, 2015

After hosting numerous launch parties for all the brands I have worked for, the pressure was on for me to launch my own company in style. I called on my celebrity and industry friends for their support and was so touched when they came out in force. The launch was held at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which allowed unprecedented use of the newly renovated Grand Lounge. It was the first and only time that it has been privately booked and we had a great party for some 300 friends. Some even flew in from Paris, including designer Gaspard Yurkievich, who helped me dress Karen Mok and other celebrities. I kept it in the family, of course, and wore a Versace suit and Van Cleef & Arpels.

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Theory Boutique Grand Opening, 2016

When organising events, timing and luck are everything, such as when your Korean friends happen to be in Hong Kong and you are working on a boutique opening for your client. It was a surprise for the press and fans to see actors Lee Byung-hun and Han Hyo-joo officiating the opening of the Theory boutique at Pacific Place. I have known Lee since 2008 and have had the pleasure of working with him on numerous projects. He is always so friendly and so much fun to be around, and we just had a blast together.

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Joyce Boutique Grand Reopening, 2016

I have always been a huge fan (and loyal client) of Joyce Boutiques, and when Ingrid Chen Mandonnaud (then marketing director) called me to help with the grand reopening less than three weeks before the event, I didn’t hesitate. She already had a line-up of many designers, including Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens, Haider Ackermann and Philip Lim, flying in for the celebration. She asked me to help choose a Hong Kong icon of style for the ribbon cutting and I could not think of anyone but my dear friend Josephine Siao Fong-fong. She looked beautiful as always, in her usual couture cheongsam by Barney Cheng, and I wore Comme des Garçons, one of my favourite labels at Joyce. I loved introducing Siao to the international designers, who were gobsmacked by her beauty, grace and style.

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Peter's Favourite Tatler Ball Looks

Over the years, I have had a lot of fun dressing up for the Tatler Ball. I always love the challenge of the dress codes and have become braver when interpreting the themes.

2015

I was thrilled to be awarded Most Stylish Man—I am only one of three so far. My friends came out to support but gave me one piece of advice: “Keep it classic, Peter; don’t look crazy!” I took their advice to heart and wore a Versace tuxedo with Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery.

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2017

While working with Versace, I helped negotiate the brand’s sponsorship of the Most Stylish Woman Award. I was asked to present the award and knew I needed to make a statement. It was out there, but I wore a baroque Versace bathrobe over a turtleneck and tuxedo trousers. It screamed Versace and also was the most comfortable black tie look ever.

2018

Seeking comfort, something to match the theme “The Future”, and practicality in the face of the looming typhoon signal no. 10, I eschewed the traditional tuxedo for a full-length PVC Versace trench coat. The look was a hit, but it was a little warm and stuck to every chair I sat on.

2021

As promised, I went all in for the Tatler Ball’s return after two years’ hiatus. It was the first gala event to be held at the incredible M+ museum, right before Christmas, so to make the most sparkly of statements and rise to the theme of “creative glamour”, I wore this fringe jacket (above) by Dries Van Noten. As I am getting older, I feel braver to try new things, keep things fluid and have fun.

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