TIME FOR A CHANGE?
Can it be less than one month ago when it looked as if we were past the worst, and that we were once more free – subject to a degree of circumspection that still saw many of us wearing masks – to visit shopping malls, play on sports fields, relax in the late afternoon sun with a beer, and frolic and hold barbecues at the beach with a whole bunch of family and friends? Now, with a second, third or quite possibly that very same first wave of Covid-19 rearing its unwelcome head once again, and we face another round of quasi-lockdown even more rigorous than the one before, early July seems a long way away indeed.
It will pass, eventually. But until it does, and while we’re all semihousebound into the near future at least, I trust that this and subsequent issues of Prestige magazine will help you pass the time enjoyably, no doubt alongside binge-watching all those Netflix series you never got round to and plundering the home library for volumes that have remained unread till now. So, partly with that end in mind, we’ve packed our August issue with sustenance that I hope will also keep you satisfied.
For a start, there’s our cover star Rosamund Kwan (page 118), who from the photographs alone seems as perfect an exemplar of the notion that life begins at 57 as one could possibly imagine. Less than 15 years ago the actress, who in a TV and cinema career lasting a roughly quarter of a century appeared in more productions than anyone could reasonably expect, exchanged stardom for a more grounded and emotionally satisfying existence beyond the limelight. As she says, “I was just enjoying my life – living easily and simply ... I worked, then I broke off from it, and then went back to work, then dropped it when I felt it was time – that’s the way I’ve always been.” At a time when all of us are likely reassessing our lives in one way or another, Kwan, who is now well into a second life as a businesswoman, provides a welcome reminder that it’s never too late to seek fulfilment by changing course.
Kwan’s is just one of many local voices in this issue. Among them are globally successful bridal designer Viola Chan (page 66), martial-artist and actress Juju Chan (page 128), fashion designer Ximon Lee (page 68), chef Yoshiharu Kakinuma (page 150) and museum director Lynn Fung (page 134), all with much to say and plenty for us to think about. And as we’re sure many readers will be trying hard to keep up appearances even while languishing at home, the results of our annual Prestige Beauty Awards, which this year we’re presenting in a separate supplement with this issue, will doubtless be required reading. Stay healthy, beautiful and, most of all, safe – and we’ll see you next month.