Meeting haute couturiere Guo Pei, as seen through the lens of Portfolio’s resident columnist
As I sat at the hotel lobby, my mind raced through the questions I had for my VIP guest, Guo Pei. Asia’s foremost haute couturiere was in Singapore for the opening of her exhibition at the Asian Civilisations Museum. Guo Pei’s fame shone brighter internationally when Rihanna wore her 25kg yellow brocade and fur-trimmed gown to the 2015 Met Gala, catapulting both to the ethos of fashion history with that iconic moment on the steps of the Met. What should I say and how should I react in the presence of such an icon? More importantly, what should I wear?
All my worries promptly flew out the window when we met. The most endearing quality about Guo Pei is her tremendous warmth that instantly puts anyone at ease, as if you’re a long-time friend, even though you’re meeting for the very first time. That she is famous and accomplished and yet humble and sincere is truly heartwarming and remarkable.
Guo Pei, her husband, Jack, and daughter Daisy have just arrived in Singapore when our mutual friend, Ms. Brittany Levinson, welcomed them with a dinner. We gathered a group of fashionloving ladies who reveled in the presence of an Asian superstar fashion designer and guest member of the prestigious Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, which places her in the same league as the biggest fashion names in the world. It was an honor to have them accept the dinner invitation, and everyone took the opportunity to delve into the mind of a genius. Who is Guo Pei? What makes Guo Pei Guo Pei? Prior to our dinner, we all read up on Guo Pei. Many articles have been published about her, especially the Rihanna-Met Gala moment, the pivotal moment in her career. She described it as “the perfect dress meeting the perfect wearer”, in the perfect context, “for a perfect moment that will forever be encapsulated in the minds of many for years to come”. In fact, it has been said that despite the many outrageous fashion worn on subsequent Met Galas, there has never quite been another “Rihanna–Guo Pei” moment.
Guo Pei believes that any clothes, no matter how exquisite or intricate, has to be worn to bring it to its full glory. The iconic Rihanna gown is now majestically displayed in the museum and anyone can admire the incredible details and craftsmanship of the piece — but only when it is worn by the right person will its real beauty be amplified. Rihanna, with her larger-than-life personality, was the perfect wearer of the gown; Guo Pei herself believes that true beauty transcends age and physical attributes. It is always about the individual style, attitude, confidence, personality and aura. She appreciates the unconventional and gravitates towards the soul of an individual. Hence, her choice of Carmen Dell’Orefice, 85, “the world’s oldest working model,” to close her Fall 2017 Haute Couture runway show. When Carmen walked down the runway, many in the audience, including naysayers, were moved to tears. They were touched by her beauty, confidence, aura and attitude, recalls the couturiere.
Guo Pei never doubted her decisions even for a moment. That has always been her guiding principle. She neither listens to anyone nor gives them the chance to influence her with their opinion; “follow your heart” is her mantra. As a passionate believer in intuition and destiny, she advises anyone looking to live a fulfilling life to follow their heart, listen to their intuition and let their instinct guide them. “Let it slide”, she says, do not let any negative or positive feedback affect your thoughts and feelings. She neither feels egotistic when people compliment her nor demoralized by criticism. Neutrality, peace at heart and mind, and calmness are key.
“Life has a path for us and if we allow our instincts to rule and not get distracted, we will live out the destiny that was meant for us.” The finale dress for her upcoming Haute Couture show in Paris in July 2019 was actually created seven years ago. She had no idea what to do with the gown or which collection it will fit in; it was just a stand-alone piece that she created. She knew instinctively that she had to make the gown and took a long time to complete it. Fast forward to July 2019, that gown was the pièce de résistance of the collection, without which the collection would not have been perfectly complete. But had she not worked on it instinctively seven years ago, the gown would never have been completed in time for the show in July 2019.
Guo Pei relishes nothing more than spending time working on her fantasy creations. That is her form of escapism, her idea of perfection, her happy place. The jaw-dropping creations featured on the runways and in museums are literally works of art that, more often than not, are not worn at all. She receives numerous requests from stylists, looking for an incredible gown for a mega celebrity to wear on the red carpet, but she often declines their requests — she is incredibly fastidious over who gets to wear her fantasy creations. She protects her fantasy creations zealously as they are the essence of her dreams and purpose in life.
As someone who feeds on passion and creativity, that is what drives her. When she designs and creates her haute çouture collections, she only thinks of herself, her ideas, her inspirations and dreams. But that is different when she designs for her haute couture clients. She will place their objectives and desires above hers. The ability to compartmentalize her creative mind is the key to her success both as an artist and as a fashion designer. In her mind, there are absolutely no conflicts; she understands the need to have a separate “commercial life” outside her personal dreams, in order to fuel her passions and bring her fantasy to life. Her ability to balance pragmatism and passion, commercial concerns and fantasy, is a reason why she is not a tormented genius, like most sublimely talented designers or artists. Guo Pei perfectly understands that one has to learn to distinguish between emotions and thoughts in order to be happy.
That is also her secret to looking so youthful. It is all in the heart, mind and soul.
I’m grateful to Ms. Brittany Levinson for the incredible opportunity to meet Guo Pei up close and personal.