Weekly Obsessions: Boucheron’s audio jack-inspired jewellery, Johanna Ortiz’s maxi dress and more

As editors at Lifestyle Asia, we’re privileged to get a first look at the most exciting new luxury goods daily, but with so many new releases rolling out all the time, it’s all but impossible to cover every single lust-worthy find we have our eyes on. That’s what you’ll find in Weekly Obsessions: a running list of highly covetable items we’re currently mad about — because if it’s on our radar, it should definitely be on yours, too. From the must-have shoe of the moment to age-defying beauty products, scroll down to see what our editors are obsessing over this week.

Boucheron’s Jack de Boucheron bracelet

While there is much to appreciate and admire when it comes to the history of a heritage brand, it’s always exciting to witness these luxury masters venture into new territories, tasking themselves with coming up with new designs to keep up with modern times while maintaining the core DNA of the brand. Boucheron, the first jeweller that settled on Paris’ legendary Place Vendôme, is adding a new chapter to its century-old heritage with a brand-new Jack de Boucheron collection. It features a playful and contemporary design inspired by audio cables, and can be playfully piled up, wrapped around, or extended by connecting multiple pieces together using the clasps that resemble a jack plug. These necklaces/bracelets come in three lengths in both yellow gold and white gold, available with half-paved diamonds or without. I, of course, prefer the bling bling versions — particularly the bracelet crafted from yellow gold (HK$78,000) as seen above. —Cindie Chan, Style Editor

Johanna Ortiz ‘Roses After the Rain’ maxi dress

I’ve always been a big fan of Columbia designer Johanna Ortiz for her feminine, elegant and modern aesthetics, topped with thoughtful designs that are really flattering for the body. This ‘Roses After the Rain’ maxi dress (HK$13,490) is a great example of that. It’s made from silk-crepe that features a nice romantic floral print, elegant princess sleeves, as well as ruffles at the waist to create a more appealing waistline. There’s also a V-shape neckline, along with a small cut at the back to reveal just the right amount of skin for an alluring appeal. —CC

Lush SLS-free Shampoo Bars

In the spirit of Earth Day (and in my ongoing quest to ‘clean up’ my beauty cabinet), I’m increasingly looking to greener products that use simple, non-harmful ingredients, are packaged in recyclable material, or sometimes not even packaged at all. Lush, aka the reigning handmade soap bar giant, has been paving the way with its naked packaging policy for a while now, but now is the time more than ever to check out its range of products. Previous offerings of shampoo bars in particular have listed SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulphate), an important lathering and cleansing agent in many commercial soaps, as a top ingredient. The controversial ingredient is considered by many to be a skin and eye irritant and can be toxic to humans and the environment, though some studies also tout its safety and biodegradability; it all depends on its source. Those who would rather not risk it and do want to start a cleaner routine may want to take a gander at Lush’s new SLS-free shampoo bars (HK$140) — the Mango Exuberance bar smells like a poolside cocktail with mango, lime, lemongrass and pineapple, not to mention adds shine and freshens up lifeless roots. —Evelyn Lok, Associate Editor

Faire Leather Co. “Bond” travel briefcase

As a former white collar grunt — shout out to all my brothers and sisters still climbing that corporate ladder — I’m painfully aware of how valuable a smartly laid-out carryon can be. Occasionally, I still fly for work these days and though a nigh-indestructible briefcase is no longer a prerequisite, I invariably default to bags that offer good looks alongside that same kind of function-first carrying capacity. That’s where Faire comes in. Direct-to-consumer brands peddling “professional hand luggage” are like the pox these days, but Faire manages to lift itself above the competition on provenance and design. For starters, its flagship product — the “Bond” travel briefcase (approx HK$3,464) — is made in Singapore under the supervision of workers who’ve been in the leather goods trade since the 80s. Handles are rolled and exteriors are crafted using topgrain leathers, sourced exclusively from US tanneries. On the inside, a staggering amount of thought has gone into maximising storage space, resulting in a layout that anticipates everything the 21st century professional might travel with. Snap-fastening “tab organisers” hold your various digital accoutrement, a 12-cm-long pocket safeguards small paraphernalia like SIM cards, and when the bag is sealed, magnetic closures neatly hold the zippers in place. At this price point, I’d say that the competition doesn’t even come close — that is, if there was any competition to speak of. —Randy Lai, Staff Writer