Crazy Rich Asians
So I just finished the book, and I wanted to touch on some of the iconic fashion goodies that the characters splurge on.
ASTRID LEONG
‘My goodness, is that linen? Only you could get away with wearing a simple linen dress to a ball, Astrid!’
This seemingly ‘simple’ linen dress that Astrid was wearing turns out to be an ORIGINAL early Madame Grès couture piece. Madame Grès, born as Germaine Émilie Krebs, was one of the most reputed couturier of her generation. She was famously known for her Grecian gowns, which accentuated minimalistic yet exquisitely detailed drapes.
An early Grès piece is extremely rare, let alone hellishly expensive. In order to land a Grès, you either have insane connections in the fashion industry (God knows how you can achieve that), or you’d have to pay close to millions in private auctions or museums.
‘Astrid was the first to pair a vintage Saint Laurent Le Smoking jacket with three-dollar batik shorts bought off a beach vendor in Bali, the first to wear the Antwerp Six, and the first to bring home a pair of red-heeled stilettos from some Parisian shoemaker named Christian.’
Let’s ignore the $4000 Saint Laurent jacket and the $2000 Louboutin heels and focus on Antwerp Six. The ‘Antwerp Six’ isn’t necessarily a brand, but six Belgian designers that graduated from Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts — Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van Noten, Dirk Van Saene, Dirk Bikkembergs, Marina Yee, and Ann Demeulemeester. They made an appearance at London Fashion Week in 1986, when they drove on a rented truck with their collections.
“As they could not pronounce (the designers’) names, they just started calling (them) the Antwerp Six.”
RACHEL CHU
‘Rachel Chu—I’m taking you shopping!’
Peik Lin ends up buying Rachel not one, but a handful of couture dresses. Haute Couture comes at a high price, with everyday wear starting from $15,000, while more sophisticated designs costing around several hundred thousand dollars.
For the wedding ceremony, Rachel settles on an Alaïa couture. Azzedine Alaïa is a Tunisian couturier who passed just a couple of years ago. He is known for keeping his designs ‘discreet’. He produced dresses and garments for private clienteles, and usually didn’t show up to fashion shows unless he had something to present.
He’s wrapped up in controversy due to his statements about fellow designers, but he is still revered for his passion towards the industry.
EDDIE CHENG
‘Mr. Cheng, your family is always at the top of the best-dressed lists, and you certainly didn’t disappoint us today! Tell me, who are you wearing?’
Eddie and his sons were wearing Gieves and Hawkes bespoke, while his wife, Fiona, and their daughter was wearing Carolina Herrera.
Gieves and Hawkes, one of the oldest bespoke tailoring companies, is one of few brands that hold the ‘Royal Warrant of Appointment’. This allows them to provide for the British Royal Family. In exchange, they are allowed to publicly state that they provide services for the royal family, which in turn builds brand reputation and prestige. This royal warrant was issued by three of the most prominent members of the royal family—HM the Queen, HRM the Duke of Edinburgh, and HRM the Prince of Wales.
And as you can guess, these hand-tailored suits are EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE.
As for Carolina Herrera, the Venezuelan designer’s dresses will bite you in the ass with the price tag. All the first ladies go to her for dresses. She’s the best of the best.
ARAMINTA LEE
‘For months, magazine editors, gossip columnists, and fashion bloggers had speculated wildly over who might be designing Araminta’s [wedding] dress.’
Araminta decided to wear a classic high-necked lace dress with overlaps of lace and silk. If I had to guess, this dress sounds like a recreation of older Valentino looks, with longer sleeves and dresses that encase the body in exaggerated curves.
It also features a fifteen-foot train, embroidered with ten-thousand seed pearls and silver threads. The book claims that it took a team of twelve seamstresses nine months to sew the dress. This process literally embodies the definition of couture. It takes hundreds of hours of manual sewing to complete dresses, and months to complete more sophisticated designs. This is part of the reason why they’re so expensive.
My thoughts?
I’m completely overwhelmed by their scale of luxury. While their fashion choices are of the highest quality and beauty, it is quite unrealistic for an average person to wear some of these pieces.
I think I’m gonna stick to H&M for now ;)
