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Two words I have heard being used a lot this autumn by fashion buyers is “quiet luxury.” This aesthetic is certainly nothing new, as it is a phrase that perfectly describes the Phoebe Philo era at Celine and the ethos behind Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen’s 14-year-old brand The Row. However this move towards classic, elevated pieces, that are beautiful and special, but not too shouty or flashy, is particularly resonating in 2021.

Last autumn there was a shift towards more classic pieces and this customer’s mindset is invest now and wear forever. “Although dressing up means something different now, there are still excuses to wear something a bit more glamourous, there are plenty of evening options that are comfortable, elegant and ideally suited for a more relaxed occasion such as entertaining at home,”Cassie Smart, Head of Womenswear Buying, at Matchesfashion.com, explained last year. “The Row and Gabriela Hearst are great for quietly luxurious pieces.”

Tiffany Hsu, Fashion Buying Director at MyTheresa, adds: “Understated luxury is the keyword for many collections, and the vocabulary is high-quality knits, cashmere, and neutral tones. Among the ways to achieve the look, the knit dress is a new wardrobe essential.” In terms of the key items to achieve this look, Hsu noted last year: “A standout style for us was Joseph’s head-to-toe layered knit look, which included a long, matching shawl. We also loved the pared-back silhouettes from Deveaux and The Row’s cozy cashmere slippers.”

The appeal of these ‘quiet luxury pieces’ is that they are designed to be season-less and so are guaranteed to go the distance within your own wardrobe. The 12 items below are all classics that you will treasure forever.

Next up, see our guide to the key trends for autumn winter 2021.

Ok, I have a couple of new exciting makeup things to share with you guys! You know what a huge Tom Ford Beauty fanatic I am, well…, they just came out with a couple of new products, which I had a chance to try this week, and I am obsessed!

First new product is the Shade & Illuminate Blush Duo. I got it in the shade “Explicit Flush” and it is so pretty! A lovely shimmery/pinky peach, it creates a beautiful lit-from-within finish! Each blush comes with two complimentary shades. One is semi-matte, and the other has a light-reflecting highlighting finish. Love that I can use one of the shades or both to create different types of looks. The peachy/pink shade looks so pretty during the day and the highlighting shade is perfect for more glam looks.

But the way, if you have not tried the Shade and Illuminate Cream Face Palette you should! It is my Holy Grail of makeup! The versatility alone is amazing. I use the darkest shade to sculpt my nose, enhance cheek bones, but also, as an eyeshadow to create subtle cat eye effect which is perfect for daytime looks. The highlighter is also amazing! It creates a very subtle, natural-looking glow. Essentially, you don’t look like you’re wearing a highlighter, even up close, but rather, it makes you face look like it is lit-from-within!

The other new product is the Gloss Luxe Lip Gloss in Sunrise Pink. No one does nude shades like Tom Ford! They are always perfectly natural, and beautifully pigmented. Love this particular pinky nude shade because it creates such a natural looking beautiful lip color which is absolutely perfect to wear everyday. BTW, it also looks great layered over a pinky/nude lipstick. Personally, I love the way it gives added dimension to my favorite lip colors.

The Eye Color Quad I used for today’s look is also new, and I absolutely love this color combination. Burgundy and soft rose shades tend to enhance eye colors and shape eye in a very beautiful and dramatic way. The best part, it took me 5 minutes to create this look. I am wearing the deepest burgundy shade all over my upper eyelid. I also used the same shade to line my under eye area. Finally, I used the soft champagne rose shade in the corners of my eyes.

You can also Shop this Entire Look on The LTK App by CLICKING HERE

After some teasing, ACO Tech has finally revealed what it has been working on all this while. This is ATLAS (an acronym for ACO Tech Local Automotive Services), an infotainment operating system (OS) that will undoubtedly make its way to Proton models in the future.

Wholly led and developed by a Malaysian team and backed by an investment of RM30 million, ATLAS offers an enhanced user experience with new features and is supported by a complimentary mobile app called ATLAS Auto, which we’ll get to shortly.

Unlike the current GKUI software that is built on Android 8 (Oreo), ATLAS is entirely new and makes the shift to Android 9 (Pie), although you still won’t have access to Google-related services like the Play Store. Instead, apps, other content and data packages can be obtained via the proprietary A-Store within the OS.

The user interface is a somewhat familiar one, with the homepage closely resembling the GKUI software in the latest Iriz and Persona. In terms of layout, the map is displayed on the left side of the screen, while customisable widgets for things like the weather, media playback and quick access to the apps are on the right. As before, there’s also an app drawer so you can see everything installed and for you to access vehicle settings, and you can still personalise the OS’ look using themes.

Voice commands are an integral part of the GKUI experience, and this has been further improved in ATLAS. You can choose from male (Atlas) and female (Aethra) voices, while the voice command name and user’s name can also be customised. Under the hood changes also help the system better able to understand Malaysians and localised English better, which is something we’d really love to try out.

The system is also able to notify the driver of any extreme weather in advance and tyre punctures, the latter dependent on the specification of the car. Meanwhile, on the entertainment front, Astro’s Syok platform (digital radio, podcasts, etc.) joins the existing Joox online music streaming service, but there’s still no mention of Spotify, or Android Auto and Apple CarPlay for that matter.

On the navigation front, ATLAS’ Map app features real-time traffic information, points of interest, and is tied to the system’s weather app to alert the driver of the weather at the destination and even changing conditions along the route. If there’s no active internet or GPS connection, drivers will still be able to navigate using offline map data. Another useful feature is if the system detects the car is low on fuel, it can suggest the nearest petrol station for the driver to navigate to.

In Q2 2022, a calendar feature will be added to the system, allowing users to sync their calender and meeting reminders from their mobile device. ACO Tech says the system will use the information and provide users with a suggested departure time to make sure they arrive on time.

In-car payments, dubbed ATLAS Pay, will also be added to the in-car OS by the first half of next year, allowing users to make payments and transactions securely without leaving their cars. This is a first in the local automotive industry and will be powered by Fasspay.

ATLAS Pay will also be included in the aforementioned ATLAS Auto app, which will arrive sooner in Q4 2021. Available for download from the Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei AppGallery on mobile devices, the app allows users to integrate several e-wallet platforms into a single one. Additionally, users can browse and purchase services via an online mall and discover news and other information.

More importantly, the app also handles telematics functions, allowing users to control vehicle functions remotely or to check up on the status of their cars. You can even sync the app to your wearable devices from Q1 2022 to stay connected to your vehicle and send friend invitations to be picked up.

“The ATLAS is intelligent, proactive and humanised. The ecosystem is not only integral in transforming people’s relationship with their car, in-vehicle or remotely, we believe that it underpins the future of automotive user experience and paves the way for autonomous vehicle in Malaysia,” said Li Pu, CEO of ACO Tech.

Looking at the images provided by ACO Tech, it looks like the Iriz and Persona will be the first to benefit from ATLAS, but it isn’t known if the OS will be rolled out to the X50 and X70 – we’ll have to check with Proton and report back. What are your thoughts on ATLAS? Share them in the comments below.

GALLERY: ATLAS infotainment OS

GALLERY: ATLAS Auto app

The post ACO Tech launches ATLAS – Android 9-based OS for Proton cars; better voice commands, more features appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Having been teased for a a week now, the new fourth-generation Suzuki Jimny is officially on sale in Malaysia. The tiny 4×4 arrives here with a big price – RM168,900 on-the-road without insurance, inclusive of a 50% sales and service tax (SST) rebate (the car is fully imported from Japan).

Power comes from a 1.5 litre VVT four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 100 hp at 6,000 rpm and 130 Nm of torque at 4,000 rpm. It is mated exclusively to a four-speed automatic gearbox and a part-time four-wheel-drive system with viscous coupling and a low-range transfer box.

Standard kit includes automatic LED projector headlights, fog lights, 15-inch grey alloy wheels, manual fabric seats, single-zone automatic climate control, cruise control, a touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay connectivity and two speakers. Safety-wise you get just two airbags to go with your ABS, brake assist, stability control and rear ISOFIX child seat anchors.

GALLERY: Suzuki Jimny at GIIAS 2019

The post 2021 Suzuki Jimny in Malaysia: mini 4×4 costs RM169k appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.

Sir Jony Ive (right) and Marc Newson are behind the LoveFrom creative collective

Big news from the world of design, with two of the biggest names coming together. Sir Jony Ive, the man behind all the Apple products that you know and love, will be working with Ferrari.

This deal is between the Agnelli family’s holding company Exor – which has a big stake in Ferrari – the Maranello supercar maker itself, and LoveFrom, the creative collective founded by Ive and fellow designer Marc Newson. It’s a long term, multi-year collaboration.

“The first expression of this new partnership will bring together Ferrari’s legendary performance and excellence with LoveFrom’s unrivalled experience and creativity that has defined extraordinary world changing products. Beyond the collaboration with Ferrari, LoveFrom will explore a range of creative projects with Exor in the business of luxury,” the press release said.

The deal will also see Ive join Exor’s Partners Council. This annual forum draws on the experience, expertise and insights of a group of highly successful Exor friends and partners, to share ideas and explore potential business opportunities. Besides Ferrari, Exor also has stakes in Stellantis and famous shoemaker Christian Louboutin. It also controls Juventus, the Italian football club.

“In building great companies, we also believe in building great partnerships. Soon after LoveFrom was founded we began to talk with Jony and Marc about opportunities to combine their world-renowned creativity with ours, in complementary and incremental ways. Ferrari represents a first, exciting chance to do great things together as we build our future,” said John Elkann, chairman and CEO of Exor and chairman of Ferrari.

“We have been friends with John for many years and are great admirers of his insight and vision. We are thrilled to be embarking on such an important, long term collaboration with Ferrari and more broadly Exor. As Ferrari owners and collectors, we could not be more excited about collaborating with this extraordinary company and in particular with the design team expertly led by Flavio Manzoni,” Ive and Newson jointly said.

“We see some uniquely exciting opportunities working together which we believe will yield important and valuable work,” the LoveFrom duo added.

It will be interesting to see what Ive will bring to the Ferrari design table. The former Apple chief design officer is known to be a car enthusiast, and besides cars with the prancing horse badge, the Brit has a thing for Aston Martins and Bentleys. What do you think of the looks of today’s Ferraris, and which is your favourite Ferrari of all time? Mine is the 355.

The post Famed Apple designer Jony Ive to work with Ferrari appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.