Self-Portrait

Han Chong runs SelfPortrait’s Instagram feed himself. That may not seem remarkable, but in an era when most labels employ an army of social media experts to lovingly ‘curate’ their feeds, his continued control is testament to the firm hold he exerts over his brand.

An Instagram obsessive, the social platform also allows him to anticipate what his customer is going to want next – the success of the lace cocktail dresses that jumpstarted his brand was built on millennial likes, and likes don’t lie. His subsequent expansion of the label into a one-stop shop for young women looking for outfits for everything from prom to graduation to their best friends’ weddings – and the brunches and house parties in between – has been diligent as well as prudent. Unlike other designers, whose nascent triumphs via an affordable “it” item often segue into a disregard for price (read: pumping out a line of ‘elevated’ goods with an inflated price tag) Chong always has his girl – and her wallet front of mind.

She’ll love the tiny metal-framed sunglasses he’s created for autumn. And the liquid silk dresses with handkerchief hems that will sit equally well over jeans as bare legs. Zipper cardigans that Chong threw over dresses are a helpful suggestion for the London girl whose sunshine quota is nothing to shout about. Ditto windowpane check coats. If there were any holes to pick, it was the fit of several of the off-the-shoulder dresses and the inevitable nipple chafe the model wearing the grunge mesh knit – topless – must have experienced. Self-Portrait scores when it keeps things simple.