Social media makes it easy for any label to go mainstream. Dress a blogger and you’ll find yourself on the feed of every fashion portal. It takes something else to reach cult-brand status. This takes stealth and a certain feel of exclusivity. You’ll still need buzz but you need to be able to generate the talk from the select few, and not from the usual trendy crowd.
Self-Portrait managed to do it, I suppose. The brand under Malaysian-born, London-based Han Chong quitely launched in 2013 and by 2015 was already on the radar of Fashionista. It gained red carpet status via Lucy Hale and Kristen Stewart. Recently, it has been seen on Duchess Kate MIddleton and former (and terribly missed) First Lady Michelle Obama.
It’s quite an irony how these influential women are found in these lace creations. The dresses speak of femininity and also detail to craftmanship. Due to the nature of lace and the delicate fabrics, they are sensual but are also accessible given how they can quickly transition from the office to the party. You can tell I am a few pieces like a mini dress made of guipere lace tulle, and crepe or a cutout ruffled organza-trimmed guipure lace top.
The price range is from $340 to $600. As with many young labels, it’s an entry-level investment. It might just be good to buy if you’re betting on the designer making it big.
Han and Self-Portrait still have a lot to prove. Many labels pick up a wave of interest only to crash quickly. They may also find themselves stuck into a niche of a forgetten trend. For now, we’ll see how it goes and we’ll be keeping an eye on what’s next for this brand that’s been worn by Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Aimee Song, Olivia Palermo, and Suki Waterhouse.