Wendy Long gives us a peek into her chic, considered domain, where high style reigns supreme.
Wendy Long gives us a peek into her chic, considered domain, where high style reigns supreme.
Wendy Long shows she has mastered the art of lounging in an ostrich-feather dress and matching boots from Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2018 collection
Fifty-five storeys above the glittering heart of the city, somewhere in the concrete and glass jungle of Marina Bay Sands, the ultra-chic Wendy Long is swanning about in a strikingly sculptural Saint Laurent mini dress. The Ruinart is flowing, brandy cake is served on Gucci platters, and the extra lobster rolls she has over-ordered for the BAZAAR photography crew—“I don’t know how to do things in moderation!” she exclaims—sit on the kitchen counters. This is Long in default mode—the hostess with the absolute mostest.
Her passion for entertaining played a huge role in her interior design decisions. “I’ve been here for six years. I knew from the start that I wanted to entertain. That’s why there’s no TV in the living room; I wanted to maximise the space and the seating arrangement. It’s also why I focused a lot more on the living and dining areas, because that’s what a home is to me: Having people over, and having friends and family to share it with,” says Long.
From top: A few of Long’s glitzy favourites from Saint Laurent and Paco Rabanne. A fraction of Long’s collection of hats. A table setting by Long, who loves playing host
Her living and dining areas seamlessly blend, united by soft grey panelled walls and anchored by sleek, modernist furniture: deep creamy couches, a bronze and leather armchair, side tables stacked high with fashion and art books, a gargantuan marble slab of a dining table. A lacquered wood credenza sits to the side, housing her extensive collection of Baccarat crystal and Hermès tableware. “I’ve always loved interiors and doing up houses, and I like to bring in a bit of the external environment—have synergy between the indoors and outdoors,” she shares. “So here in the heart of the CBD, right off the bat, I knew I wanted things to be very modern, urban, almost masculine. I wanted a lot of leather, metal, concrete. And I always like a juxtaposition, so I went for these classical framed wall panels—which I love and have in a few of my houses—and very modern furniture.”
The rest of her home is equally chic (pieces from Christian Liaigre, Bottega Veneta and Minotti fill the house), but a lot more understated. “The private spaces are more about utility for me,” says Long. Three of the apartment’s four rooms have been converted into a study for her husband, a cocoon of a reading room for her, and storage space for her overflowing wardrobe. Saint Laurent pieces too voluminous to fit into the closets are strewn all over a bed in the last room. And that’s before her new-season purchases have even arrived. “I’m just dying for the new Saint Laurent collection to come in—I’ve pre-ordered the latex leggings and the cropped bra tops.”
The devoted Saint Laurent fan enjoys a glass of midday bubbly in the brand’s poofy silk and ostrich-feather top and sequinned shorts (both from the spring/summer 2018 collection) teamed with statement earrings—from where else but Saint Laurent
I FOCUSED A LOT MORE ON THE LIVING AND DINING AREAS, BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT A HOME IS TO ME: HAVING PEOPLE OVER, AND HAVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO SHARE IT WITH.
While waiting, she bought similar pieces from Jacquemus and, surprisingly for her, a lot of activewear. “During the circuit breaker, I discovered new sides to myself I never thought possible. I really got into fitness. Before this, I used to be so afraid of the sun, I would never go out in the day,” says Long. She’s now devoted to Pilates, Gyrotonic and walking, and she swears by Ernest Leoty. “I eat, breathe and live in those clothes. I love the brand’s jumpsuits and I have them in every colour. It truly is a staple; I don’t need to think about what to wear—I just pull out a onesie and that’s it.”
Looking elegant and sophisticated in a lace dress from Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2020 collection, thigh-high boots from Saint Laurent and a Dior beret, with brilliant jewels adding a luxurious finish, Long proves that home decor is indeed a reflection of the homeowner’s taste and style
A HIMALAYAN CROCODILE SKIN BAG DOESN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT TASTE OR PERSONALITY; IT JUST SAYS YOU HAVE MONEY.
As much as she has embraced her new normal, Long is hopeful for a time when she can start entertaining again—something she has practically refined into an art form. Her secrets to a great dinner party? “Music,” she shares, “is very important for setting the mood. I have a playlist for everything.” Her go-tos include Neil Frances’s “Music Sounds Better with You”, Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”, Nora En Pure’s Saltwater and The Magician’s remix of Lykke Li’s “I Follow Rivers”. “I pay attention, too, to the guest list and the seating arrangement. I also love, love, love a good table setting. The wine selection is important as well, and it’s not just about pairing wines to the food. I love a theme—for my 10th wedding anniversary, for instance, I insisted that all the wines be from our wedding year. And I always have party favours—something for the guests to take home.”
From top: Long on her balcony in a sequinned blazer dress from Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2020 collection, teamed with a Maison Michel beret, a Van Cleef & Arpels ring and leather thigh-high boots from Saint Laurent. Long’s love for the quirky and dramatic are reflected in her selection of shoes, mini bags and homeware. Long standing tall in a suede dress from Saint Laurent’s spring/summer 2019 collection and Alaïa boots, topped with a Dior hat and sparkly Saint Laurent earrings
For Long, mastering the art of entertaining is something money can’t buy. “It’s not about serving that 1982 Lafite or Latour; it’s remembering that this person prefers red to white, or that that person has a food allergy so you don’t serve certain things. It’s thinking about every possible detail. Do you want a bread-and-butter plate? Do you want all the utensils to be out at once, or as the courses are served? Do you have all the necessary utensils? Are you serving soup, salad? What’s the main course? The devil really is in the details because it means you’ve made an effort and you’ve thought about the journey of a guest diner from start to finish.”
This striving for value beyond a monetary one is why Long remains so enamoured with the ready-to-wear component of fashion. “I’ve never been huge on accessories,” she says. “A Himalayan crocodile skin bag doesn’t say anything about taste or personality; it just says you have money. But for ready-to-wear, certain things need a certain physique, for example, which requires a certain discipline. It’s something you have to work for, and I admire it when that something is not based on wealth but on the individual.” Individuality is something Long has in spades and it is why her every decision—from food to fashion to furniture— is so singularly stylish.
CREATIVE DIRECTION: WINDY AULIA.
Photographed by Brendan Zhang
Styled by Gracia Phang
MAKEUP AND HAIR: GREGO USING YSL BEAUTÉ AND KEUNE.
PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: REX TEO
