berlin istanbul milan paris rio de janeiro shanghai

BERLIN
ISTANBUL
MILAN
PARIS
RIO DE JANEIRO
SHANGHAI
SINGAPORE
SIX NEW
DESTINATIONS
ADDED TO
THE WORLDWIDE
LINEUP FOR THE
LOUIS VUITTON
CITY GUIDES
On October 15, 2014, Louis Vuitton
expands its collection of trusted
companions for the world’s urban
explorers, adding City Guides for Berlin,
Istanbul, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore
and Shanghai, while also offering
a fresh look at Paris, in the company
of the architect Frank Gehry.
Refreshed with up-to-date content,
this collection remains in a class
by itself, now covering 21 of the world’s
greatest cities.
Since 1998, Louis Vuitton has been sharing its unique perspective
through its City Guides. Eagerly awaited every year even by
the world’s most sophisticated travelers, they truly capture the
personality of each city explored, offering a hand-picked selection
of addresses, delivered with flair and conviction. Last year, for its
fifteenth-anniversary edition, the collection set off on a new journey,
with new features, new contributors, and a more lively and cohesive
layout. For this year’s edition as well, everything is done to make
readers feel like insiders themselves in each city, allowing them
to easily get their bearings, no matter where their travels take them.
Six new cities join this latest edition of the collection: Berlin,
Istanbul, Milan, Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Singapore. Entirely
revisited, the Paris guide offers quite a few new addresses together
with a stroll through the city in the footsteps of Frank Gehry,
the architect behind the design of the Fondation Louis Vuitton, due
to open its doors to the public on October 27. Presented as individual
volumes, beautifully illustrated with exclusive photographs, each
year the Louis Vuitton City Guides explore new urban destinations
and take a fresh look at long-cherished favorites. Readers are always
thrilled to rediscover the subtle mix of places—from conventional
to quirky, classical to avant-garde—behind the collection’s success.
As urban aficionados, attentive to the changes shaking cities
to their very core, with an offbeat and refreshing take on fashion,
design, contemporary art, food and culture, the Louis Vuitton
City Guides unlock the secrets of each destination. They benefit
from the wide-ranging contributions of a team of journalists and
writers from different countries and backgrounds. Never shying
away from subjectivity, these fiercely independent contributors
may purposely avoid the usual expected addresses and reveal others
off the beaten track, always articulating their own personal vision,
taking in everything from the most exquisite hotels to the very best
chocolate shops, from neighborhood eateries to elegant luxury
boutiques, from techno dance clubs to little-known museums.
Rather than focusing on price as a main consideration or the latest
hot spots, the Louis Vuitton City Guides always look above all
to quality when making their selections. By identifying trends and
offering recommendations not found anywhere else, they are created
as much for travelers with time on their hands as for jet-setting
businesspeople, and even for residents of the cities explored.
CLEARLY ORGANIZED CONTENTS
AND UNIQUE FEATURES
The main ambition of the Louis Vuitton City Guides is still to offer
the finest selection of places available. Hotels, restaurants, gourmet
treats, bars, cafés, tea rooms, fashion houses, spas, antique dealers,
designers, museums, galleries—in the pages of these newest
City Guides, all readers, from the worldly-wise to the wide-eyed,
will find the elements that have built their unequaled reputation.
And even more, a discerning, personal selection of places, enlivened
by the perspective of contributors, draws readers into their intimate
take on the city. Distinctive experiences, snapshots of life in each
city, take center stage, not only through the detailed descriptions
of selected places, but also in the broader commentary, where
the contributors give free rein to their impressions, conveying the
attitudes, trends, styles and surroundings that build the personality
of the city and express its essence. Insiders’ tips, unwritten dress
codes, appropriate attire for every imaginable circumstance,
roof terraces with gardens, imaginary museums, not-to-be-missed
souvenirs, and literary tidbits are just some of the types of featured
content that will pique readers’ interest and curiosity. Each guide
is organized around the set of features listed below.
LOUIS VUITTON AND TRAVEL
By way of an editorial, each Louis Vuitton City Guide recalls the philosophy of travel
shaped by the House of Vuitton. Travel is an art, with multiple facets. It requires
an artist’s eye, among other senses, to dream up possibilities, gain perspective
and savor experiences. As for the art of traveling itself, it cannot be completely
improvised, but must instead be organized and carefully constructed.
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR
Each City Guide features the contributions of a special guest. These celebrities
or local insiders offer their distinctive vision of their city and remain at the reader’s
side throughout the guide, sharing experiences and personal favorites, inviting
the reader to join them at table, open their wardrobes or peruse their bookshelves.
THE CITY AND ITS NEIGHBORHOODS
Taking a simplified map of the city as its starting point, this chapter helps readers
gain a better grasp of the city’s layout, through its various neighborhoods.
Historical background is provided for each area, as well as information
on architectural styles, the main activities, the characteristic atmosphere
of its landmark places and the denizens readers are likely to encounter.
THE ESSENTIALS
Presented in a single chapter, this practical mini-guide provides easy access to
information on modes of transportation, from subway systems to hired limousines
with drivers, the calendar of the city’s annual must-see festivals and events, keys
to fitting in with the pace of life preferred by the locals, together with a suggested
list of books to read, films to see, and songs to listen to before or after the visit.
24 HOURS IN THE CITY
This feature crafts twelve hand-picked experiences for the reader to capture
the very best the city has to offer, filling an entire day and night with twelve
ideal addresses for each of twelve time slots around the clock, from an earlymorning breakfast spot to a late-night haunt before turning in at dawn.
HOTELS
FIVE-STAR LANDMARKS TO OFFBEAT HIDEOUTS: WHERE TO STAY IN THE CITY
RESTAURANTS
TOP TABLES TO CORNER CAFÉS: EATING OUT IN THE CITY
GOOD THINGS
GOURMET DELIS TO FARMERS’ MARKETS: THE TASTE OF THE CITY
BARS, CAFÉS AND TEA ROOMS
BREAKFAST TO DRINKS ON A TERRACE: TAKING A BREAK IN THE CITY
NIGHTLIFE
JAZZ CLUBS TO TECHNO DANCE SPOTS: WINDING DOWN OR REVVING UP IN THE CITY
A SENSE OF STYLE
HIGH FASHION TO EMERGING DESIGNERS: SHOPPING IN THE CITY
INTERIOR CACHET
QUIRKY ANTIQUE SHOPS TO CONTEMPORARY DESIGN GALLERIES:
TREASURE HUNTING IN THE CITY
ART AND CULTURE
MAJOR MUSEUMS TO RADICAL THEATERS: EXPLORING THE CITY’S CULTURAL RICHES
THE SCENIC ROUTE
Each guide offers five themed itineraries for readers interested in taking a breather
between seeking out any of its many recommended spots, to explore the city
on foot, avoiding the urban hustle and bustle, far from the madding crowd.
Each suggested itinerary comes with a map and an indication of the time required.
LOUIS VUITTON’S GUIDE FOR TRAVELERS
Each guide includes this chapter offering an amusing digression, presenting
Louis Vuitton’s views on the art of packing and the art of travel, putting into
perspective the history of the House of Vuitton since its origins and providing
an overview of the timeless products that have built its renown.
A READER-FRIENDLY LAYOUT
AND AN UPDATED DESIGN
LOUIS VUITTON
AND TRAVEL
Each city in the collection is assigned a specific color, used on the
guide’s cover as well as the pages inside. For these new City Guides,
all designed by the Paris-based studio Lords of Design, the spectrum
includes royal blue for Paris, caramel for Rio de Janeiro, and jade
green for Shanghai.
Travel is a multifaceted art.
It is something that is imagined,
envisioned and savoured. As for
the journey itself, it cannot be totally
improvised. It requires planning
and organization.
Louis Vui on and the history of luggage
The City Guides are still lightweight and softbound, but their page size is slightly larger
than in the past, making them easier to use and read. Down to their finely wrought details,
the Louis Vuitton City Guides depart from the typical formula for travel guides, bringing
to mind something more akin to a fine stationery product, with their linen-finish covers
and rounded corners. The distinctive Louis Vuitton City Guide stamp features the name of
the city on each guide’s front cover, while a duotone photograph sets the mood on the back.
Right from its foundation in 1854, Maison Louis Vui on stood out
for its creativity, highlighted by a series of inventions and innovations
that revolutionized the art of travelling. Representing three
generations, Louis, Georges and Gaston were the three men who,
at the turn of the 20th century, built the reputation of a house whose
savoir-faire went well beyond simple luggage. Each had his own way
of meeting travellers expectations, ranging from the manufacturing
of trunks to the design of lightweight, re ned bags, as the cra sman s
skill and the styling of the object came together in the service of the
idea. Witness the unpickable lock invented in 1890 and still valuable
today, and the famous Keepall, the rst du el-type (polochon) bag,
which inaugurated the era of supple bags.
Extraordinary luggage for unique travellers
Inside, the layout is open, airy and well structured, so that readers may leaf from
one chapter to the next with ease, immediately locating the information they need.
The formatting, the fonts used, the subtle treatment of full-tone colors, the clarity
and elegance in the way information is presented, as well as the modern look
of the whole make the Louis Vuitton City Guides both practical and attractive.
Travellers and explorers demanded the impossible. A bed-trunk
to withstand the humid heat of the jungle for Pierre Savorgnan
de Brazza, a trunk-cum-secretaire to house his precious scores for
the conductor Leopold Stokowski and a luxurious chest for the
Maharajah of Baroda s tea service. e famous wardrobe, designed
so that travellers would never have to unpack, was followed by a host
of creations, from the supremely surprising to the last word in luxury.
Witness the “driver bag”, designed when the motor car was in its
infancy, capable of holding spare tyres and inner tubes, as well as the
PETER LEE, GUEST
PORTRAIT
Asian art, heritage and museum
consultant, collector, scholar,
singer and bon vivant, Peter Lee is
a Renaissance man who proudly flies
the twin flags of his Singaporean
identity and Peranakan heritage.
A musical upbringing
Apart from a few years abroad for schooling, Peter Lee has lived
his whole life in Singapore. Born in 1963, he recalls an engaged,
happy childhood in which he, his three brothers and sister were raised
in benign neglect by his father, a scion of the family stevedoring
business, and his musically gi ed mother. As neither parent held rm
views on any subject other than manners, the result was a decidedly
eclectic and generous approach to life that the children embraced as
they took up highly successful hyphenated careers as graphic
designers, historians, writers and musicians.
Music played an important role in Lee s household. His parents
loved to sing and dance, and lled their home in the leafy Bukit Timah
neighbourhood with popular music and big-band jazz. Glenn Miller,
the Ink Spots, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters were favourites.
On festive occasions, home concerts were staged for which Lee s eldest
brother Dick, who would become one of Asia s most famous pop stars
and stage composers, wrote ve-part harmonies for his siblings.
Moving on: the spirit of travel
Beautiful luggage plays its part in departure reverie. But, ultimately,
travellers dreams are born of encounters. Encounters with cities,
to which those other travel essentials, the Louis Vui on City Guides,
hold the key. Redesigned as individual volumes, the Louis Vui on
City Guides know no bounds. Revisited and transformed in 2013
(to mark their fifteenth birthday), the new-look guides explore
destination cities the world over. A er São Paolo, Mexico City,
Cape Town, Sydney, Beijing and Seoul, the new guides
visit Rio de Janeiro, Shanghai and Singapore. Classic destinations
– Paris, London, Moscow, Venice, New York, Miami, Los Angeles,
Tokyo and Hong Kong – have been completely revised, while
new arrivals Milan, Istanbul and Berlin reveal their hidden facets.
More than ever, the Louis Vui on City Guides o er a constantly
evolving panorama of the world s greatest cities, embracing their
future while cherishing their past.
A mirror and se er of trends
Readers will discover the subtle cocktail of o eat nds, classics and
dependable addresses that have made the Louis Vui on City Guides
such a success. e guides are served by a team of talented journalists
and writers from various countries and backgrounds. Sharp-eyed
and informed chroniclers of the transformations at work in the
heart of the city, they o er unexpected perspectives on fashion,
well-being, interior design, contemporary art, gastronomy and culture,
capturing the essence of each metropolis. Always open-minded,
they are prepared when necessary to omit the obvious address
in favour of some li le-known new nd, following a discerning trail
from the nest hotels to the best chocolatiers and from the hippest
fashion addresses to spaces showcasing art. eir contributions,
combined with those of renowned artists, designers, business people
and gallerists, make the City Guides unique mirrors and se ers
of trends, astute witnesses to urban vitality. e original photographs
illustrating the Louis Vui on City Guides complement the vision
that these unique books o er of each destination.
ey lived in colonial towns where Malay was the lingua franca for
a few hundred years, which explains the unusual mix of Malay and
Chinese words in the Peranakan language. Over the centuries, a unique
community grew in which everyone – Indians, Peranakans, Europeans,
Malays, Chinese and Arabs – was a li le racially mixed, a stunning
melting pot accented by the fact that the early women of the community
were mostly slaves from Sumatra, Sulawesi and Bali, since women
did not arrive in the archipelago until the late 19th century.
e cultural legacy of such a diverse heritage seeps into every part
of Lee s life. English, Peranakan Malay and Cantonese are spoken
in the family. e house cooks prepare a medley of European
and Asian fare. On All Souls Day, Catholic mass is followed by visits
to the graves of Christian family members, and during Qingming,
the Chinese version of All Souls Day, the family lights joss sticks at
the household ancestral altar, visits ancestral graves and performs
Taoist rites.
A taste of the world
Formally educated in English, Lee and his siblings grew up on a diet
of Enid Blyton, Arthurian legends and tales from European history,
their minds lled with fantasies of meadows, bu ercups and ladybirds.
It wasn t till boarding school that Lee understood he was not English.
Lee s father was a frustrated journalist who had to devote his career
to the family business, hence his insistence that his children should
do what they wanted, as he could not. Equally, his mother, herself very
unconventionally raised, never dreamt of imposing predetermined
career paths. Lee remembers her telling him that he could even be a road
sweeper if that was what he wanted, as long as he was good at it.
A life and love of art
From his father, Lee inherited a love for Asian and European history,
and from his mother, an accomplished painter, a love for Asian art
and nature. e la er was quite a magpie of random things she found
beautiful, and her infectious enthusiasm and passion played a leading
part in shaping Lee s own creative and artistic bent.
At thirteen, Lee went to a British boarding school. His decision to
do a BA in Chinese and later a Masters in art and archaeology focusing
on Buddhist art at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the
University of London surprised no one. Lee worked in the Chinese art
department at Christie s in the early 1990s before returning home
to Singapore to manage the family s investment portfolio and consult
on projects with South East Asian artists and heritage bodies.
PETER LEE, GUEST PORTRAIT
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
14
e riches of Peranakan culture
Lee is particularly proud of his Peranakan background: both his
paternal grandparents were Peranakan, while his maternal grandmother
was Cantonese and her husband was Peranakan. Several generations
of his clan are active in the community as politicians, poets, stage
actors, playwrights, authors and restaurateurs. Lee himself is a museum
consultant with the Baba House and Peranakan Museum.
e Peranakans are an ancient community of Chinese whose roots
in the Malay archipelago stretch back to at least the 17th century.
driver s e ects, but also usable as a shower tub! Also extraordinary
is the extreme re nement of the toiletry set in crocodile, tortoiseshell
and cut crystal designed for the opera singer Marthe Chenal. Over
the years, Louis Vui on has continued to invent the most beautiful
luggage for the most fabulous journeys.
15
RESTAURANTS
CULINARY CLASSICS TO BISTRO FARE:
EATING OUT IN THE CITY
The island-city s frenetic pace of life is mirrored in its dining
scene, which has seen a wave of refinement and reinvention
over the past ten years. Local chefs and restaurateurs, from
Willin Low, Janice Wong and Loh Lik Peng to the PS.Cafe
Group and the Spa Esprit Group, have led the charge in
bolstering Singapore s culinary range and reputation, while
international luminaries – including Jason Atherton from
Britain and Tetsuya Wakuda from Australia – all add to its
distinction as a world-class culinary capital.
ORCHARD ROAD, TANGLIN
Retail nirvana & sumptuous gardens
Cloistered mansions & old money
RAFFLES PLACE, BOAT QUAY
Financial hub & al fresco watering holes
RIVER VALLEY, ROBERTSON QUAY,
CLARKE QUAY
Urbane living & entertainment district
MARINA BAY, CITY HALL
Glamorous hotels, theatres & historic sites
KAMPONG GLAM
Malay district, local fashion & hookah cafés
LITTLE INDIA
Curry shops, temples, gold
& textile merchants
CHINATOWN, TANJONG PAGAR
Terraced shophouses, gay bars
& boutique hotels
TIONG BAHRU
Hipster restaurants & Art Deco district
EAST COAST
Multicultural hub & foodie haven
SENTOSA, HARBOURFRONT
Green cocoon, theme parks
& waterfront living
HOLLAND VILLAGE, PORTSDOWN
Boho chic & retro architecture
THE CITY AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOODS GENERAL MAP
BUKIT TIMAH, NEWTON
The only problem with eating in Singapore is knowing
where to begin. The sheer profusion of cuisines, from local
and regional to European, American and Latin American,
can leave the most avid gourmets dizzy. And it does not
help that every Singaporean has a favourite restaurant to
recommend around every street corner.
Thus, it is best for the first-time visitor to adopt the
quintessentially Singaporean approach to food and eating –
that is, start local and work from there. Despite the island s
lack of natural resources and local produce, passionate chefs
have found their own way of using the freshest imported
ingredients to yield bold and modern takes on traditional
dishes, as well as to create original, contemporary offerings
resulting in an extraordinarily diverse cuisine.
21
LIVING LIKE A LOCAL
Singapore gets up early and hits
the sack late. There s too much
going on and too little reason
not to partake, since commuting
time isn t much of a concern
and domestic help is easy to find.
Drawn-out meetings, conference
calls and business entertaining
can make for long workdays.
Things slow down a smidge on
weekends, but only when not
rushing out to a beach getaway.
UP AND RUNNING
Weekdays before 7:30am are spent
doing any (or all) of the following:
exercise, conference calls, school runs and
baby drop-offs with the parents or in-laws.
The CBD gets packed quickly, either from
early-risers or those who combine exercise
– running or cycling – with commuting.
Downtown gyms are usually packed until
8:30am, and then there s a rush to grab
a pre-work breakfast on the go, while still
hot from the running machines.
Rush hour starts before sunrise,
as early as 6:30am with the school run,
While everyone might be in the office
at the official starting time, they rarely
start working immediately. Morning coffee
or tea is accompanied by casual chatter
in the office pantry. Breakfast at the desk
often follows. More flexible workplaces
turn a blind eye to the odd employee who
sneaks away after a brief time at his or her
post for a 20-minute coffee break and
internal meeting – often a flimsy excuse to
shoot the breeze with a fellow worker. It s
not uncommon for a group of colleagues to
engage in a lively mid-morning discussion
on what to eat and where to go for lunch.
These discussions last at least 10 minutes
and continue on and off right up till noon.
Lunch hour in Singapore rarely stops
after 60 minutes. Once the clock strikes
noon, it s out the door to the venue of
choice. It s rare that anyone gets back
within the hour unless there s a post-lunch
meeting scheduled – 90 minutes is a more
realistic estimation. For the harried eat-atthe-desk workers at the other end of the
spectrum, it s a blink-and-miss-it affair.
They opt for takeaway from the nearby
hawker centre or a sandwich ordered in
and demolished at the computer screen
between meetings or after a workout.
alcohol prices are notorious, and they re
not getting cheaper anytime soon. No
wonder the bars are packed every evening
with thirsty workers doing their best to put
away 1-for-1 drink deals the minute their
workday comes to an end. Draft beers and
standard vodka and gin pours are popular
choices nearly everywhere. Wednesday
is Ladies Night, with special drink deals
(or freebies) for women who bring the
men in their wake. Most happy hours end
by 8pm or 9pm. Prices vary, but they re
unlikely to dip below S$10.
Weeknights are the new weekends.
Many are choosing to have a reasonably
sensible night on the town on Wednesday
or Thursday, leaving the weekend for other
pursuits. New hip areas like Tiong Bahru,
Chinatown and Club Street are never
short of a buzzy anything-can-happen
vibe. Unlike weekends, though, the action
starts to wind down around 11pm, leaving
only the hard-core drinkers to help close
up the bars after midnight.
THE WEEKEND
Saturday is used by many to run
errands, while others continue to trudge
into work, since some offices are open
a half day. Shopping malls, hairdressers,
nail salons and supermarkets are all very
busy, and traffic in and out of certain
suburbs can be heavier. Saturday play dates
are popular, as seen in the hectic familyfriendly restaurants. Swinging singles can
be found by a pool (or in a darkened room)
attempting to recover from the night
before, or gearing up for a Saturday night
out on the town. As night falls, food and
drink takes the spotlight, with restaurants
and bars in the hipper enclaves usually
packed from dusk till its time to catch
a performance or hop off to another spot
and party till sunrise.
2,000,000
SENTOSA,
HARBOURFRONT
BEACH VILLAS
517
AMARA SANCTUARY
TROPICAL FANTASY, VIEWS
trees planted along
roadsides
Green cocoon, theme parks
& waterfront living
million tons
amount of sand imported
in past 20 years
1 Larkhill Road, Sentosa
Metro HarbourFront
Tel 6825 3888, sentosa.amarahotels.com
140 rooms and suites, S$706 to S$9,416
QUIET LUXURY, SEDUCTIVE
It is not Sunday in Singapore without
brunch. After a long week, Sunday is
reserved for sleeping in late or waking up
extra early for outdoor exercise – including
trail runs around MacRitchie Reservoir or
group cycling trips around the island.
Either way, one thing is mandatory: brunch.
It s a toss-up between going hipster, with
elaborate egg concoctions, artisanal coffee
(single origin only, please) and peoplewatching in the latest hip café, or doing
a full local – trekking across town for a hot
bowl of wonton noodles and enjoying it
down in a noisy, crowded market setting.
Then it s off to the flea market or the
mall to do a lap around the shops. Late
afternoons are devoted to napping at
home or snoozing during a foot massage
at a neighbourhood spa. The party set
(who wake up at 2pm) carry on the revelry
down by Tanjong Beach Club on Sentosa
Island or at ad-hoc festivities held around
Singapore. Dinner is usually a family affair,
kicking off around 6:30pm, and the rest of
the night is taken up by a movie, TV series
or reluctantly sitting down to catch up on
work for the coming week.
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
It’s happy hour! Singapore s
oriented who leave work punctually, it s
a 7pm at-home affair. For those working
overtime, straddling time zones or
trying to squeeze in some exercise or
a post-work tipple, dinner is postponed
until 8:30pm. While dining at home is
popular, the accessibility of cheap yet
delicious hawker meals also means many
young couples grab a quick bite at the
nearest hawker centre. For more special
occasions, they may opt instead to check
out the latest hot new restaurant.
39
78
Set in a refurbished British army barracks
on the edge of Sentosa s Palawan Beach,
Amara Sanctuary opened in 2007, a time
when genuinely atmospheric hotels were
a rarity. The hotel’s calmness and quiet
luxury are a credit to Japanese architect
Masaki Miyake, whose blend of stone,
limestone and timber finishes never detracts
from the building s heritage or from the
lush 3.8 hectares of landscaped gardens
and rainforests. The occasional sightings
of peacocks in full regalia stepping out of
bushes to strut across the pool make for
magical moments. The suites housed in
1930s bungalows in the former colonial
British Sergeants Quarters are particularly
nostalgic for preserving their original
architectural features, although they have
also been turned into air-conditioned
sanctuaries with outdoor showers and
jacuzzis. The Larkhill Terrace boasts
eighteen exquisite new suites, utterly
seductive in their mod Asian appeal with
sisal rugs, Balinese four-poster beds
with mosquito netting, and rattan weave
benches. All Terrace guests have access
to a private infinity lap pool, though if more
strenuous exercise is required, the fitness
centre offers Pilates, boot camp, TRX and
a fight club. Far better though to adjourn
for a pre-prandial cocktail at the Tier bar
before an authentic Thai meal at Thanying.
Resorts World Sentosa,
8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa
Metro HarbourFront
Tel 6577 8899, www.rwsentosa.com
22 villas, S$2,589 to S$9,416
Though part of the Resorts World
Sentosa mega-complex, the Beach Villas
(a misnomer really, since there is no direct
access to an actual beach) are essentially
a capsule tropical resort set back at
a comfortable distance from the madding
crowd. All the better to enjoy the blissful
surfeit of swimming pools, outdoor rain
showers, ESPA toiletries, private timber
decks, 400 thread count Egyptian cotton
linen and panoramic views of the sea,
Keppel Bay or Labrador Park. The interior
design cleaves close to the tropical fantasy
with mother-of-pearl installations above
bathtubs, pendant lamps made from twigs
and rattan floor lamps. Depending on the
size of the party, there are one-, two- or
three-bedroom villas to suit (the last two
categories feature private 12- to 15-metre
lap pools), all catered to by a team of
personal butlers. The resort s crown jewel
is the invitation-only four-bedroom,
two-storey Palace villa, reserved solely for
VIP guests of the casino. It s a 731-squaremetre pleasure palace that begs for a
blow-out house party. All guests enjoy
complimentary access to ESPA, Singapore s
largest spa, a first for the brand and the only
spa in the city with an authentic Turkish
hammam. Post-treatment, join the gilded
youth at Tangerine, the in-house spa café
run by celebrity chef Sam Leong.
CAPELLA SINGAPORE
1 The Knolls, Sentosa
Metro HarbourFront
Tel 6377 8888, www.capellasingapore.com
112 rooms and suites, S$710 to S$15,000
CUTTING - EDGE LUXURY, EXCLUSIVE
Just minutes away from the screams spilling
from the zero-gravity roll of the Battlestar
Galactica rollercoaster at Sentosa s Universal
Studios theme park is Capella, a lushly
landscaped 12-hectare bolthole that does
a first-rate impersonation of an haute
Balinese retreat. Lord Norman Foster and
local firm DP Architects were tapped to
convert this late 19th-century British
military barracks on the edge of the South
China Sea into a five-star retreat where
butlers (or personal assistants, as the hotel
prefers to call them) are on hand to satisfy
every whim. Interior designer Jaya Ibrahim
may have played it safe with furnishings
of muted drapes, stone-lined bathrooms,
dark timber and silky Pratesi linen, but the
deliciously louche atmosphere is perfectly
measured. Three asymmetrical swimming
pools are terraced into the hillside-like
paddy fields, though guests are just as likely
to be found sipping cocktails while sprawled
on a daybed in Bob s Bar or retiring to the
wonderful Auriga spa for a treatment based
on the phases of the moon. Ramp up the
luxury quotient by booking the hotel s RollsRoyce Phantom for day trips into town.
MÖVENPICK HERITAGE
HOTEL SENTOSA
23 Beach View, Sentosa
Metro HarbourFront
Tel 6818 3388
www.moevenpick-hotels.com
191 rooms and suites, S$294 to S$5,885
HISTORICAL, CONTEMPORARY
Once again, a former British military
barracks has been transformed into a
hotel, though this time the decor is a little
schizophrenic, depending on which
room is booked. The spacious rooms of
the Heritage Wing, located in the original
building, sometimes feel as if they were
inspired by Pottery Barn s back catalogue
of patchwork denim rugs, water-bucketinspired pendant lamps and mirrors
lined with textured moss-like fabric.
In contrast, the contemporary wing has
simple, natural wood furnishings and
earth-tone textures, created by celebrated
interior designer Super Potato. The
Premium Onsen Jacuzzi suite features
a modern Japanese-style hot tub on its semioutdoor patio, a lovely touch somewhat
let down by the fact that the entire space is
enclosed, with no view. Far better to check
into the bright and spacious one-bedroom
suite for its Etro toiletries and views of
green landscaping and the South China Sea.
After a few languid laps in the 22-metre
pool, adjourn to the World of Whisky Bar
by Waldhaus am See, St. Moritz, for one of
the world s largest whisky collections.
TREETOP LOFTS
Resorts World Sentosa,
8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa
Metro HarbourFront
Tel 6577 8899, www.rwsentosa.com
2 villas, S$1,865 to S$3,531
ARBOREAL COMFORT, ISLAND CHIC
Treehouses for grown-ups: two onebedroom lofts, Angsana and Tembusu,
balance on 7- to 12-metre-high columns
nestled in a grove of coconut palms and
native trees. Access to the ground level
comes via private elevators. Conceived
as “a log cabin in the sky”, the unusual
arboreal mood is amplified by the liberal
use of wood in the interiors, including
timber shuttered sliding doors and decks,
as well as high ceilings that encourage
cool cross-breezes. It s a pity, though, that
the views are a bit of a letdown. Practically
every side looks into either hotel rooms
“At night the city takes on a new lease of life. The heat of day
is past, and it is pleasant to stroll about the streets, to eat oyster
omelette and fried chicken noodles at the open-air restaurants…”
Han Suyin and Peter Robinson, See Singapore, 1955
HOTELS SENTOSA, HARBOURFRONT
THE EVENING
Dinnertime in Singapore is fairly
early. During the week, for the family-
THE ESSENTIALS LIVING LIKE A LOCAL
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
38
but the roads are busiest from 7:30am to
9am. During those hours, metros and buses
are packed to the gills. Everyone remains
in their zone, with minimum conversation
among fellow commuters. Instead, it s
time used to catch up on emails and social
media, or to simply snooze until reaching
one s destination. It is very difficult
to flag a taxi during rush hour, so many
commuters book in advance.
THE WORKING DAY
79
rolls; kong bak pao, soy-braised pork with
steamed buns; and of course mee, fried
wheat noodles cloaked in thick dark soy.
Beng Hiang s magenta-carpeted dining
room with carved wooden panels is filled
nightly with multigenerational families
and Chinese towkays entertaining their
business associates.
BRASSERIE GAVROCHE
66 Tras Street, Tanjong Pagar
Metro Tanjong Pagar
Tel 6225 8266, www.brasseriegavroche.com
À la carte S$80
Closed lunch Saturday and all day Sunday
TRADITIONAL FRENCH
MODERN GRILL, BARBECUE
The counter seats at this buzzy, rustic-chic
hotspot places diners right up against the
chef s counter – all the better to ogle the
seamless performance of Australian chef
308 Tanglin Road, Tanglin
Metro Queenstown
Tel 6737 2377, www.verita.com.sg
Open daily 9am to 9pm
SALT THERAPY
WE NEED A HERO
#01–86, 57 Eng Hoon Street, Tiong Bahru
Metro Tiong Bahru
Tel 6222 5590, www.weneedahero.sg
Open 11am to 9pm, Saturday 10am to 9pm,
Sunday 10am to 8pm
MEN’S GROOMING
Real men wax, colour their hair and trim
their brows in this rockabilly-infused
hideout. Walls have exposed concrete
and animal skulls, while vintage B&B Italia
chairs anchor a waiting corner filled
with dude reads. We Need a Hero is part
of the home-grown Spa Esprit group,
so expect the same irreverence and freewheeling wit that infuse its Browhaus
& Strip branches, whose Boyzilian
and Brow Resurrection services have been
transplanted here. The sharp-looking
crew members each have a speciality in
hair (cuts, colour, scalp treatments), shaves,
brow threading, waxing or IPL tattoo
removal; this last is handled in ruggedly
attractive back rooms on denim-clad
treatment beds – Rittenhouse rye whiskey
is served should a shot of courage be
required. Cult skincare brands Malin +
Goetz and label.m, and Geo. F. Trumper
shaving products are used. The independent
enclave location means reasonable rates,
which draws everyone from metrosexuals
to (intentionally) scruffy bros, national
servicemen and budding hipsters,
but everything offered here that pushes
the frontier of masculine primping is for
the big boys.
8–10 Mosque Street, Chinatown
Metro Chinatown
Tel 6222 3654, www.leekui.sg
À la carte S$40
Closed Tuesday
TRADITIONAL TEOCHEW
The red PVC-lined metal chairs and bold
square of black terrazzo in the centre of
the room hark back to the 1980s, when
New Wave was in and shoulder pads de
rigueur. But no one comes here to soak up
the nostalgic decor. It is the food – those
same dishes turned out year after year by
the Lee family since the 1950s – that draws
the multitudes. Thick, fluffy omelettes
topped with plump oysters, steamed pig s
intestines and glutinous rice sausage, and
all the standards of the Teochew repertoire
done the old-fashioned way and captained
by second-generation owner Lee Huat Kee.
LOLLA
22 Ann Siang Road, Chinatown
Metro Chinatown
Tel 6423 1228, www.lolla.com.sg
À la carte S$70
Closed Sunday
MEDITERRANEAN FUSION, SMALL PLATES
Distressed concrete walls, exposed light
bulbs and chic (though uncomfortable)
wooden bar stools make for a sexy and
intimate bar in the heart of gentrified
Chinatown. From behind a rugged wood
and metal counter, young self-taught chef
Tan Huang Ming dispatches an everchanging menu of Mediterranean-inspired
fusion fare, including immensely popular
squid ink custard crowned with a creamy
tongue of fresh sea urchin. Owner Pang
Tien Hee is a well-known champagne
distributor, so it s no surprise the kitchen
encourages pairings with a flute of bubbly
from a long, personally curated list.
105
THE TEN ICONS OF TRAVEL
WARDROBE TALK WITH PETER LEE
The history of the House of
Louis Vuitton is measured
out in landmark creations.
These are hard-wired into the
My grandfather was a dandy who ordered all his clothes om London.
Singapore was one of the rst cities in Asia to sell French and Italian
ready-to-wear and my siblings and I were already designer victims in
Kansai, Miyake, Mugler and Montana aged thirteen! I like classics with
an edge, and pale tones, maybe with some ash of colour – red sneakers
or a quirky belt. Singapore is sweltering and dressing up depends on how
much time you spend outdoors. I generally just wear shirts and long
trousers or shorts.
It s easy to t out a winter wardrobe om here, and in general I travel
with only one quilted jacket and a few light knits (layering). A cashmere
scarf or antique silk weave om the islands always helps. Victorian
travellers always remarked on the variety of lavish costumes worn in
Singapore. We have lost a lot of that. Peranakan women today, though,
still love to dress up in wonderful kebayas and batiks and jewels.
Arab Street, one of the oldest districts for clothes and fabric, is still alive
and thriving!
For me, going for a massage is the nicest and easiest way to “escape”
Singapore. I am one of many loyal followers of Tan Chiew Song, a certi ed,
visually impaired masseur whom I have known for decades. Having
Song (as everyone calls him) knead every kno ed muscle is one of life s
greatest pleasures. He has a rather utilitarian studio at the back of a hair
salon, but he does make house calls. He tells me a British peer once
booked him daily for the entire week of his stay.
Orchard s shopping frenzy unfurls at the
corner of Scotts Road with (1) TANGS
(No. 310), Singapore s iconic department
store, easily spotted by its Chinese-style
roof. Tangs stays relevant by constantly
reinventing itself: the latest wow factor
being its seventh-floor spa. From the store s
lower ground floor take the underground
pedway – offering respite from humidity
and street traffic – and join the crowds
heading to (2) ION ORCHARD (2 Orchard
Turn), where streetwear and high fashion
coexist in a nature-inspired contemporary
space. Many international luxury houses,
including Louis Vuitton and Christian
Dior, have stores here. Smartly suited
concierges will help you navigate the maze
of brands. Take time to check out the art
exhibitions on the fourth floor. Exit onto
the spacious pavement – wide enough for
two car lanes – via the door next to the
Louis Vuitton space, and turn right to head
down Orchard Road. Despite constant
construction work, Orchard Road stays
true to its roots – floral baskets, lush hedges
and shady trees line the entire pedestrian
avenue. Before entering (3) NGEE ANN
CITY (No. 391), stop for an ice cream
sandwich – a slab of frozen confection
between fluffy bread slices – from one of
the motorcycle vendors outside, and watch
Woola Hula Uncle, a septuagenarian street
performer who swings strings of gigantic
wooden beads around his torso. Ngee Ann
276
collective memory of luggage.
WARDROBE
The quintessence of hard-sided luggage,
the wardrobes are the ultimate example
These legendary trunks were invented
effects in a single container, a matchlessly
robust combination of wooden structure
and coated leather or canvas exterior.
wardrobe-trunk have a hanging space on
one side and drawers on the other. The
dresses, while some of the drawers are
spacious enough to hold voluminous hats.
Even today, demanding travellers refuse to
do without this accessory, which ensures
that their clothes and accessories will
remain perfectly safe and organized during
their journey. Other advantages include
the unpickable lock, and the fact that each
KEEPALL
client has a unique, single key for all his
or her Louis Vuitton bags. And, finally,
mobile wardrobe at each destination.
Travellers who travel lighter use these
wardrobes as the centrepiece of their
living space, setting the trunk in the hall,
lounge or bedroom.
STEAMER BAG
Created in 1901, the Steamer Bag was
originally one of those extra bags in canvas
and leather offered with the trunk, made
simply as an elegant receptacle for the
personal laundry worn by travellers during
a long ocean crossing. Hence its name.
was due to its reassuring reputation for
never divulging those personal details,
thanks to a highly sophisticated locking
system. Tough, thanks to its hard-edged
rectangular base, and exceptionally
capacious, its versatility as a container
made this complementary baggage
For many years, travellers who ordered
or Deauville at the wheel of a sports car.
the films shot at the time on the beach at
actresses! – or in the Saint-Germain-desPrés of Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut
and Jacques Rivette.
277
of the modern woman. It plays a role in
several histories – the history of Louis
Vuitton, of course, but also within movies
and fashion.
NOÉ
grandson of Louis, when a champagne
producer asked him to devise a robust but
elegant bag capable of carrying five bottles
of champagne (four upright and one in the
middle, top-down), the Noé has become
benefited from the invention of supple
canvas, becoming a favourite of free, active
women for whom distinction is a given.
Today, the proportions have been modified
and the bag is available in several sizes
and finishes. Popular with female clients
worldwide, the Noé is one of the great
Louis Vuitton classics.
invention of the supple Monogram canvas
in 1959, establishing itself as an item
hand-sewn, this bag still requires fifteen
SPEEDY
TAN CHIEW SONG
Archetype of the versatile soft bag,
#01–331 Block 48, Tanglin Halt Road, Tanglin, tel 9798 9363
288
sac s old Straits Chinese shophouses.
Decorated with baroque Chinese details,
the bar is a popular after-work spot. For
an after-shopping reviver, try the signature
chilli vodka.
of the supple Monogram canvas in 1959
made the Keepall the perfect answer
Kampong Glam
217
(9) NO. 5 EMERALD HILL (5 Emerald
Hill Road) , is located in one of the cul-de-
the Keepall, designed in 1930. It is the
ancestor of all the bolster-shaped duffel
bags which, with changing lifestyles and
means of transport, have become separate
ARAB STREET
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
216
Asia s first halotherapy facility uses
200 kilograms of alkali from the Dead
Sea, along with sophisticated sensor
technology, in a simulation of natural
salt cave microclimates, in order to treat
respiratory and skin problems. Both
adults and kids come to this basement den,
complete with lounge chairs and piles of
salt that clients are encouraged to play
with. They hope to ease asthma, eczema,
psoriasis, and sinus problems or simply to
improve their general health. Even yoga
classes are conducted in the salt cave, with
therapeutic-grade and negatively ionized
salt particles to help with detox and
rejuvenation. Verita s all-in-one holistic
centre, occupying a massive colonial-era
barracks in serene Phoenix Park, presents
myriad other options for wellness goals,
with personal consulting available
to customize programmes that can include
Zumba, TRX, reiki, physiotherapy,
massages and facials.
LEE KUI (AH HOI)
RESTAURANT
Orchard Road – that grande dame of
luxury labels, mega malls and glitz –
carries the same cachet as the ChampsÉlysées and Fifth Avenue. The wide
boulevard, named after the fruit
plantations that once lined either side,
is now home to opulent apartments,
massive advertising screens and
non-stop commerce.
City is home to upscale Japanese
department store Takashimaya and mostly
comprises international fashion houses.
Kinokuniya takes up half of the long
building s third floor and carries the most
varied and extensive selection of books in
the country. Exit at the Orchard Link doors
to cross Orchard Road at one of its busiest
intersections – choruses of chirping birds
add to the cacophony of traffic noise –
to enter (4) THE PARAGON (No. 290).
An exclusive selection of jewellery and
watch galleries, along with the beauty salon
Escentials, is enough reason to stop here,
but hold off on purchasing a timepiece
until you have visited (5) MALMAISON
(No. 270) , in the Knightsbridge building
across Bideford Road. The Hour Glass
group is behind this emporium with salons
dedicated to special-edition and antique
Rolex and Patek Philippe models. It s one
of the few places in Asia where Pierre
Corthay shoes, vintage Cartier trinkets,
Frédéric Malle scents and other such
essentials can be found.
Cross back over the main road to lunch
on chicken rice at the Chatterbox in
the (6) MANDARIN ORCHARD hotel
(No. 333) . The restaurant has served its
lauded version of Singapore s national
dish for forty years. Turned immediately
right into the (7) MANDARIN GALLERY
(No. 333A) , which has sought-after
brands and edited multi-label collections.
Hansel, the boutique of homegrown talent
Jo Soh, is the main draw here. Turning
right, continue down to (8) ORCHARD
CENTRAL (No. 181) , where local designers
are showcased at Sabrinagoh, The Reckless
Shop, MIYOC and PACT. Cross back
over the street to the laid-back enclave
Emerald Hill, diagonally to the left.
identifiable for those familiar with its
older brother, the Keepall, immediately
established itself as the obvious partner
of modern travel, where its lightness
and versatility were a key advantage.
Audrey Hepburn. An easygoing city bag,
it became one of the prime accessories
LOUIS VUITTON’S GUIDE FOR TRAVELLERS THE TEN ICONS OF TRAVEL
VERITA ADVANCED
WELLNESS
For over fifty years, the Wong family, now
headed by Mr Wong Kok Sen, has been
serving classic Cantonese zi char (wokfried) dishes from their humble restaurant
along Keong Saik Road. The original
premises were located just a few doors
down and moved to its current, larger space
in the 1980s. The service is gruff, but
beneath the brusque exteriors, the servers
are really proud of their food and happy to
make recommendations when asked.
They are likely to list the fish head fried in
black bean sauce and the yong tau fu
(vegetables like bitter gourd, capsicum and
eggplant stuffed with a homemade fish and
prawn paste). Take their word for it,
because those two dishes are spectacularly
delicious. Though there is usually a queue
at dinnertime, it tends to move quickly.
With some patience, you ll be rewarded
with one of the most satisfying and
affordable meals in town.
Time: 4 hours
WARDROBE TALK WITH PETER LEE
swinging doors awaits a handsome den,
as British as the Winston Churchill quotes
and perfectly yellowed photographs of
gentlemen beaming down from dark blue
walls. Getting settled here in a leather
barber s chair, face framed with a soothing
warm towel prepped for a wet shave amid
Timothy Oulton s decor of marble
countertops and colonial furniture, feels
just like being in Truefitt & Hill s original
St. James s location in London. The
setting might feel overly stylized and the
deep house beats picked by master barber
Shane O Neill can seem rather jarring
for a grooming retreat, but complimentary
shirt ironing, shoe shines and shower
facilities make these moot points.
On top of delivering impeccable massages,
the barbers mix classic cocktails using
premium spirits as trained by 28 Hong
Kong Street s Zdenek Kastanek. A full
range of Truefitt & Hill products,
including badger-hair brush shaving sets,
are available for those game to attempt
this level of grooming at home.
CANTONESE WOK DISHES
Few thought it possible, but a locavore movement is burgeoning slowly but surely
in land-scarce Singapore. Although the popular assumption is that the island simply
lacks the natural resources to yield quality produce, an entire belt of successful
farms along rural Kranji forms a living testament to the contrary.
Appraise the menus of the swankiest restaurants in town, and you ll nd dishes
featuring produce of local provenance. Frog legs, barramundi, quail, goat s milk,
chickens and eggs – the variety is impressive, and the quality, say many chefs, is at
least equal to and sometimes even be er than the imported counterparts.
Chef Peter Rollinson of Halia, for instance, uses locally grown produce to imbue
a sense of place to his cuisine. ough Halia is unmistakably rooted in European
sensibilities, the local ingredients re ect of his restaurant s Singaporean roots.
Others are taking it a step further and ge ing involved in the way their supply of
animal produce is raised. Andre Chiang works with Toh ye San Farm to produce
120-day-old French Sabres chickens that are ethically raised and allowed to age
slower and for a longer period of time. To him, the di erence in taste is integral to
ensuring that his dishes live up to his exacting culinary standards.
A burgeoning crop of urban farmers is also taking to the roo ops and corridors
of buildings to grow its own supply of vegetables and herbs. Social enterprise
Edible Garden City Project is helping homes and restaurants start their own
edible gardens, mostly grown in charmingly stacked wooden crates, while urban
farming initiative ComCrop has created Singapore s rst roo op urban farm
in the heart of Orchard Road, with the ambition of supplying restaurants across
the island with 15,000 fresh vegetables each month.
THE SCENIC ROUTE LUXURY AND FASHION
20 Teck Lim Road, Chinatown
Metro Outram Park
Tel 6224 3933, www.burntends.com.sg
À la carte S$80
Closed lunch Monday and all day Sunday
30–32 Keong Saik Road, Chinatown
Metro Chinatown
Tel 6223 2005
À la carte S$20
Closed alternate Mondays
ORCHARD ROAD
THE LOCAVORE MOVEMENT
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
SINGAPORE LOUIS VUIT TON
104
BURNT ENDS
KOK SEN RESTAURANT
LUXURY AND FASHION
POINT OF VIEW
RESTAURANTS CHINATOWN, TANJONG PAGAR
Where better to soak up the intoxicating
atmosphere of Paris than at the very spot
Hemingway, Matisse, Dali and Proust
sat more than eighty years ago? Sourced
from Paris s famed Café de la Paix, the
antique bar takes pride of place at Brasserie
Gavroche and consorts with a host of
atmospheric paraphernalia: wall-hung
mirrors, bronze sconces and vintage
posters. Owner and chef Frédéric Colin –
a native of Paris himself – pays admirable
attention to authentic detail with food
that hails from yesteryear. Hand-me-down
recipes from Colin s grandfather cover
hearty staples such as duck confit and sole
meunière, but the real finds here are the
anachronistic signatures like pâté en croute
et foie gras (cold baked pork terrine with
duck liver) and quenelle de poisson sauce
Nantua (“dumplings” of pike fish fillets in
a rich crayfish sauce).
Dave Pynt. With previous experience
at Asador Etxebarri in Spain, Pynt is
completely at home in the touch-and-feel
world of the wood grill. After quick blasts
or slow, languorous roasting, each dish on
the compact menu emerges unrelentingly
sublime. Intense smoked quail eggs that
ooze yolk; blistered fennel laid to rest upon
creamy burrata, lifted by a citrusy drizzle
of orange juice; and the Dirty Sanger,
a handful of slow-cooked pork shoulder
dolloped between toasted brioche and
neon chipotle mayo. A no-reservations
policy for this seventeen-seater – backed
by prolific hotelier Loh Lik Peng and chef
Andre Chiang of the vaunted Restaurant
Andre – means that queues can be long,
but it s worth the wait.
289
A BOX SET WITH A CHOICE OF FIVE CITIES
The Louis Vuitton City Guides may be purchased in a box set
including any 5 destinations among the 21 in the entire collection.
Available exclusively in Louis Vuitton stores, this box set also makes an ideal gift
for all urban explorers, who may thus be treated to guides for a group of cities
reflecting their personalities and interests. Below we suggest just a few examples.
Fashion capitals: London, Milan, New York, Paris, Tokyo
Important centers for contemporary art: London, Miami, New York, São Paulo, Venice
Beach cities: Cape Town, Los Angeles, Rio de Janeiro, Singapore, Sydney
Business cities: London, Hong Kong, New York, Singapore, Tokyo
INDEPENDENT CONTRIBUTORS,
ALL KEEN OBSERVERS
A PERSONAL TAKE ON EACH CITY
BY A LOCAL CELEBRITY OR INSIDER
This new collection of guides for the world’s most exciting cities
would not have been possible were it not for our excellent team
of 50 contributors, supported by unrivaled editors, passionate
editorial assistants, translators, copy editors, production experts
and myriad other professionals. Genuine wordsmiths and seasoned
communicators are behind every guide in the collection.
Each Louis Vuitton City Guide includes the participation of a special
guest contributor, who all speak from personal experience of their
home cities. Local celebrities or insiders, they take the reader
by the hand to explore their city, along the way sharing tips for
making the most of any visit as well as a few of their favorite spots:
a first person singular initiation to the city. At various points
throughout the guides and at the end of each chapter, these special
guest contributors open their personal address books and divulge
one or two secret preferred haunts.
To capture the heart and spirit of each city, Louis Vuitton reaches out to journalists,
writers, major figures in the world of arts and letters, many of whom divide their time
between two cities and whose work often appears in the most prestigious newspapers
and magazines. Several masters of the pen often collaborate on our guide for a single
city, as is the case for Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Milan, Singapore and Shanghai.
Their contributions, joined with those of artists, businesspeople, creative geniuses
of various stripes, all backed by the authority and experience of Louis Vuitton, make each
City Guide a publication like no other of its kind—atypical, free-wheeling, offbeat and
invaluable. Bursting with curiosity, cosmopolitan, brash, playful and literary, each guide
reflects the personalities of its contributors. All of them are astute observers of life among
the locals and wear their vast cultural knowledge with ease and elegance. They have
the rare gift of being able to appreciate both the ridiculous and the essential, seeking
out what is truly magnificent in the many little pleasures each city has to offer.
For example, Barrie Kosky, artistic director of the Komische Oper Berlin, offers
an intimate introduction to his adopted city, while the celebrated interior designer
and Ottoman art expert Serdar Gülgün whisks readers back in time, delving deep
into the very soul of Istanbul. Frank Gehry, the Fondation Louis Vuitton’s architect,
shares his favorite Paris addresses and the influential French chef Paul Pairet
serves up a delectable portrait of Shanghai. The current crop of Louis Vuitton
City Guide insiders also includes the fashion photographer Giovanni Gastel in
Milan, the renowned Peranakan art specialist Peter Lee in Singapore, and the hugely
popular singer/songwriter Joyce Moreno in Rio de Janeiro. Once again, together
they form an international A-list of guest contributors of varying backgrounds
and perspectives, treating readers to fascinating, amusing and unexpected insights.
NOTED PHOTOGRAPHERS CAPTURE VIEWS
OF EACH CITY EXCLUSIVELY FOR LOUIS VUITTON
The Louis Vuitton City Guides have always placed special emphasis
on the finely crafted contributions of their authors, supporting
them in their quest to find just the right words and an appropriately
elegant style to reveal the soul of each city. Without departing
in any way from this philosophy, the City Guides now include
photographic contributions to offer their readers an additional
perspective, not merely to illustrate the text. The photography
collective Tendance Floue has been selected again this year for this
aspect of the collection, producing a new series of images exclusively
for the City Guides.
The collective’s photographers sensitively capture the charms and distinctive
allure of each port of call in ways they have never been seen before.
Founded in 1991, Tendance Floue, a collective of thirteen photographers sees itself
as a laboratory, exploring the world and working together to open up new horizons and
diversify approaches to representation in contemporary photography. Apart from the
personal aspect of their work, Tendance Floue’s members have all taken on the shared goal
of contributing to a wider photographic mission. By joining, combining, comparing and
contrasting their images, they move their work beyond the limits of individual creation to
give rise to something entirely new. Tendance Floue looks behind every door, experiments
with all techniques and processes used in contemporary photography, without taboos.
A TOUR OF THE WORLD IN 21 CITIES
BEIJING
ISTANBUL
A capital of strong contrasts, between peace
and turmoil. Today’s architectural marvels
sprout alongside landmarks dating back as
much as three millennia. Phenomenal economic
growth in recent years sets this city’s rhythm
and energy, creating an urban landscape
in a constant process of becoming.
A magical city, Istanbul brims with life, against a backdrop
of Ottoman riches and ornate palaces. Captivating, proud
and boisterous, like the waters of the Bosporus, the city
is constantly changing, painting each visit in a new color.
Contemporary, bubbling over with creativity, Istanbul
draws inspiration from its past to move forward into
the future, with force, delicacy and determination.
BERLIN
LONDON
Berlin has never stopped reinventing itself, drawing its
dynamism from its history and its transformations. Today,
its landmark buildings have regained their splendor and
grace. The former East Berlin has been entirely rehabilitated
and now a vast program of architectural renovation
and urban renewal is under way in West Berlin. Openminded, free-spirited and tolerant, Berlin is an extremely
modern city, standing as a beacon of reconciliation.
Stretching for many miles on either side of the Thames,
this dynamic capital takes pride in its ethnic diversity
while still embodying the quintessential British spirit,
which shines through in a vast assortment of unique
places, each with its own very special atmosphere,
from the fantastically eccentric Speaker’s Corner
in Hyde Park to the stiff-upper-lip luxury of Belgravia,
from the nocturnal playground of Soho to the imposing
behemoths of a storied financial center, the City.
CAPE TOWN
LOS ANGELES
Table Mountain offers dramatic panoramas of the
African continent’s southernmost city, its beaches,
the blue immensity of the ocean. Down below, a concert
of white and black African identities awaits the visitor,
a meeting point of geographies, cultures and histories,
from great open spaces to the vestiges of the colonial past
in the bustling City Bowl area, from the posh villas of
Constantia to the futuristic post-apartheid constructions
of a city in transformation, open to the world.
The stuff of which legends are made: West Hollywood,
Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills…. Stars climbing out
of poverty to fame and fortune, movie magic at the
studios, light and shadow. This modern city, the largest
on America’s Pacific coast, long known for its maze
of highways, the sun-drenched beaches of Santa
Monica, Venice and Malibu, is taking on a new identity
today, remaking its downtown area as a world-class
destination anchored by major cultural institutions.
HONG KONG
MEXICO CITY
Nestled between sea and mountains, a group of islands
and peninsulas with limited room to grow is home
to this fascinating metropolis, peppered with more
skyscrapers than any other city in the world, reaching
ever higher, with thronging streets, a frenetic pace of life
and, amidst this joyous chaos, the grace of a Zen temple
or the sanctuary of a botanical garden. The entrancingly
lit skyline at night is a symphony of color reflected
in waters plied by catamarans, sampans and ferryboats.
This sprawling city, one of the world’s most populous
metropolitan areas, offers a passionate mosaic of colorful
neighborhoods, known as colonias, where diversity
rather than unity is the byword. From the bustling
and energetic historic center to Tepito in the north,
notoriously home to the country’s largest informal market,
contrasting with picturesque and artistic Coyoacán and
the aristocratic tranquility of San Angel in the south.
MIAMI
PARIS
Seductive, sun-kissed, devoted to outdoor pleasures,
dominated by the Four Seasons Hotel and the
ultra-modern office buildings of its central business
district, a tropical paradise by day and an urban
playground by night, with a vibrant music scene,
this fashionable city is at the crossroads of North
American, Latin American, and Caribbean cultures.
Synonymous with elegance, the quintessential city
of light wears the marks of its long history effortlessly
on every corner. Always a romantic backdrop, straddling
the banks of a river where dreams come true. A city
that retains a hint of insolence and jauntiness from
its insubordinate past, inspiring artists, creative spirits,
connoisseurs and all lovers of luxury and beauty.
MILAN
RIO DE JANEIRO
Italy’s financial capital and the main city of the
prosperous northern province of Lombardy,
a center for publishing and the press industry,
Milan proudly boasts a new urban landscape created
in advance of Expo 2015, the next world fair.
Now more than ever the city stands as a magnet for fashion
and design, a trendsetter for an international lifestyle
that draws streams of visitors from around the world.
Both provincial and sophisticated, beautiful and wild,
Rio is a modern, tropical and multicultural metropolis
that revels in paradox. From lush forests to closely
packed skyscrapers, modern architectural masterpieces
to elegant colonial residences, glamour to religious
fervor, beaches to ultra-contemporary museums,
there really is no other city quite like it on the planet.
MOSCOW
SÃO PAULO
Brash, bold and beautiful, its history stretching
back nearly a thousand years, the Russian capital
revels in its artistry and majesty. From gilt domes
to holy sanctuaries, from the severity of Soviet-era
urban planning to the splendor of world-renowned
art collections, and the gaudy razzle-dazzle of its
nightclubs, this eclectic city never fails to enthrall.
Welcoming, prosperous, wheeling-dealing, burning
the candle at both ends, contagious in its effervescence,
this economic success story and emerging-market paragon,
the largest metropolis in the Southern Hemisphere,
with its thousands of buildings, including many skyscrapers
reaching to the heavens, is constantly in motion.
NEW YORK
SEOUL
The city that never sleeps, a dream destination
for travelers, with an infectious spirit of camaraderie,
offers surprises to its visitors not just when they move
from one neighborhood to the next but on every
corner. Geometric and awe-inspiring Manhattan,
the vast yet human scale of intellectual and artistic
Brooklyn, the melting pot of cultures vividly on
display in Queens—an exciting and desire-kindling
metropolis, that stays with visitors long after they leave.
Buddhist temples and gardens are oases in this fastgrowing megacity. Provocative building facades are
complemented by the eclectic galleries of a booming
contemporary art scene, where local artists vie for
acclaim with highly creative and engaging multimedia
works. The dynamic and light-hearted South Korean
capital, a high-tech hotbed, deftly marries its taste
for innovation and design with a party spirit.
SHANGHAI
TOKYO
At the vanguard of world economic development,
Shanghai teems with avant-garde office buildings dangling
above the clouds and counts nearly 25 million residents.
Although quite often beset by thick smog, on some days
the sky can be a brilliant blue. The city’s weather is a
study in contrasts: frigid winters, humid and scorchingly
hot summers. Owing to these extremes, Shanghai’s
energy has plenty of bite, firmly asserting its position
as a fascinating metropolis at the cusp of the future.
Hip to the latest fashion trends and technologically
savvy, this chameleon city offers an astonishing
marriage of modernity and tradition, from sleek
contemporary architecture to the ancient art treasures
of the Asakusa district, fascinating visitors with its
seemingly boundless ambition, inspiration and energy.
SINGAPORE
VENICE
In less than 50 years, Singapore has grown from
a peaceful fishing village into one of the world’s most
vibrant cities. Its reputation as a leading provider of
services and its reliability as a city built for business have
earned it the nickname “Singapore Inc.” But this is far
from the whole story. Nurturing creativity is also one
of Singapore’s strong points, making this Asian destination
an extraordinary city where everyone wants to live.
By turns festive and secretive, this city of dreams
and illusions between sea and sky reserves its
inexhaustible artistic heritage and its contemporary
creativity for those who, venturing beyond the
usual tourist attractions, take the time to explore
its labyrinth of narrow streets and canals.
SYDNEY
Spirited and bathed in sea breezes, Australia’s most
cosmopolitan city is a great place to live, its claims to fame
including the bay lit at night by the office buildings of
the business district, the steel arch of the Harbour Bridge,
not to forget the futuristic and beastlike silhouette of
the Opera House with its fins extended, ready to set sail.
PUBLICATION INFORMATION
FOR THE 2015 LOUIS VUITTON CITY GUIDES
BEIJING
ISTANBUL
MIAMI
PARIS
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-88-3)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-013-9)
Chinese (ISBN 978-2-917781-98-2)
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-030-6)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-031-3)
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-81-4)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-006-1)
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-034-4)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-035-1)
Authors: Marie Le Fort, Antony Doucet,
Alara Kap, Bahar Karaca,
Fatma Zehra Hande Orekli,
Umut Sengün, Zeynep Berik Yazici
Photographer: Thierry Ardouin
Guest: Serdar Gülgün
Authors: Linda Lee, Lydia Martin,
Barbara de Vries
Photographer: Olivier Culmann
Guest: Lourdes Lopez
Authors: Alexis Chenu, Claude Deloffre,
Sébastien Demorand, Isabelle Forestier,
Sophie Massalovitch
Photographer: Gilles Coulon
Guest: Frank Gehry
Authors: Eric Meyer, Nelly Alix,
Bénédicte Bro, Lucile Constant,
Zora Gerbault, Isabelle Holden,
Flore de Lassus, Nicolas Sridi,
Jérémie Thircuir, Diane Vandesmet
Photographer: Meyer
Guest: Huang Hung
BERLIN
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-028-3)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-029-0)
Author: Pierre Léonforte
Photographer: Patrick Tourneboeuf
Guest: Barrie Kosky
CAPE TOWN
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-85-2)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-010-8)
Authors: Paul Duncan, Patrick Farrell,
Nadine Rubin Nathan
Photographer: Alain Willaume
Guest: Beezy Bailey
HONG KONG
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-87-6)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-012-2)
Chinese (ISBN 978-2-917781-97-5)
Authors: Lok Ting, Zoe Li, Virginia Lau
Photographer: Bertrand Meunier
Guest: Carol Cheng
LONDON
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-918871-77-7)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-002-3)
Authors: James Sherwood,
Harriet Walker, Augusta Pownall
Photographer: Philippe Lopparelli
Guest: Celia Birtwell
LOS ANGELES
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-918871-82-1)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-007-8)
Authors: Sabine Bouvet,
Claude Deloffre, Pierre Léonforte
Photographer: Denis Bourges
Guest: Tim Street-Porter
MEXICO CITY
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-83-8)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-008-5)
Spanish (ISBN 978-2-917781-95-1)
Authors: Élisabeth Cautru, Natasha Edwards,
Ana Elena Mallet, Maria Jose Musi,
Guillermo Osorno Covarrubias,
Una Pérez Ruiz, Yannina Thomassiny,
Deborah Vértiz
Photographer: Flore-Aël Surun
Guest: Carlos Couturier
MILAN
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-032-0)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-033-7)
Authors: Pierre Léonforte,
Isabelle Valembras-Dahirel, Donatella Brun
Photographer: Alain Willaume
Guest: Giovanni Gastel
MOSCOW
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-79-1)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-004-7)
Russian (ISBN 978-2-917781-94-4)
Author: Sophie Massalovitch
Photographer: Pascal Aimar
Guest: Micha Gannouchkine
NEW YORK
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-80-7)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-005-4)
Authors: Juliet Kinsman,
Daniel Maurer, Rachel Wolff
Photographer: Gilles Coulon
Guest: Melia Marden
RIO DE JANEIRO
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-040-5)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-041-2)
Authors: Ana Luiza Pessoa de Quieroz,
Dominic Phillips, Douglas Gray,
Kathleen Mary McCaul, Nathan Walters
Photographers: Denis Bourges
Guest: Joyce Moreno
SÃO PAULO
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-84-5)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-009-2)
Brazilian Portuguese
(ISBN 978-2-917781-96-8)
Authors: Jean-Michel de Alberti,
Cédric Morisset,
Ana Luisa Pessoa de Queiroz
Photographer: Meyer
Guest: Marcio Kogan
SEOUL
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-89-0)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-014-6)
Korean (ISBN 978-2-917781-99-9)
Authors: Nicolas Finet,
Jean-Yves Ruaux, Michel Temman
Photographer: Thierry Ardouin
Guest: Lee Byung-Hun
LOUIS VUITTON PUBLISHING
SHANGHAI
TOKYO
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-038-2)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-039-9)
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-90-6)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-015-3)
Japanese (ISBN 978-2-36983-000-9)
Authors: Michel Temman,
Nick Taylor, Justin Fischer,
Samuel Charles Gaskin, Kuan Huai Tsyr
Photographer: Bertrand Meunier
Guest: Paul Pairet
SINGAPORE
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-36983-036-8)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-037-5)
Authors: Annette Tan, Charlene Fang,
Daven Wu, Desiree Koh, Audrey Perera
Photographer: Olivier Culmann
Guest: Peter Lee
SYDNEY
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-86-9)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-011-5)
Authors: Marie Aucouturier,
Marie Le Fort
Photographer: Pascal Aimar
Guest: Miranda Otto
Authors: Benoit Piquet, Michel Temman
Photographer: Mat Jacob
Guest: Makoto Ozone
VENICE
€30, 8.2 x 5.4 in. (20.8 x 13.8 cm)
320 pages, 600 addresses
French (ISBN 978-2-917781-78-4)
English (ISBN 978-2-36983-003-0)
Italian (ISBN 978-2-917781-93-7)
Authors: Philippe Duboÿ, Oscar Duboÿ
Photographer: Patrick Tourneboeuf
Guest: Alberto Sonino
Louis Vuitton has operated its own publishing house for some fifteen years and today offers
a catalogue of more than 80 titles, including three collections resolutely focused on travel:
its “City Guides”, “Travel Books” and the “Voyager Avec” collection of little-known travel
accounts by famous literary figures. Louis Vuitton also produces a series of richly illustrated
volumes in association with several international publishers as well as art books, in limited
editions signed and numbered by the artists, exclusively for sale at Louis Vuitton stores.
Books have always held pride of place in the history of the House of Vuitton.
Gaston-Louis Vuitton (1883–1970), grandson of the founder, was himself
an avid collector and keen bibliophile, whose tastes ranged from literature
to art books. He founded three bibliophile societies and maintained a prolific
correspondence with the publishers, illustrators and writers of his day.
When the Louis Vuitton store on the Champs-Elysées opened its doors
in 1914, it already featured a comfortable reading and letter-writing room for its
customers. This tradition continues into the present day at the Maisons in Paris,
Taipei, Hong Kong, London, Singapore, Rome and Venice, where Louis Vuitton
bookstores offer a choice selection of books on art, fashion, design and travel.
CONTACTS
LOUIS VUITTON PUBLISHING
Julien Guerrier
2, rue du Pont Neuf
75001 Paris – France
+33 (0)1 55 80 38 75
j.guerrier@fr.vuitton.com
cityguide@fr.vuitton.com
PRESS RELATIONS
Cécile Durieux
2, rue du Pont Neuf
75001 Paris - France
+33 (0)1 55 80 36 55
c.durieux@fr.vuitton.com
www.louisvuitton.com
DISTRIBUTOR FOR BOOKSTORES
Harmonia Mundi
Mas de Vert – BP 20150
13631 Arles Cedex - France
Book sales: +33 (0)4 90 49 90 49
adv-livre@harmoniamundi.com
www.harmoniamundilivres.com
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Pages 5, 10, 20-22: © Louis Vuitton Malletier
Pages 12-19: © Tendance Floue / Thierry Ardouin,
Denis Bourges, Gilles Coulon, Olivier Culmann,
Bertrand Meunier, Patrick Tourneboeuf, Alain Willaume
FTP LINK TO DOWNLOAD IMAGES
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