Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop

CoutureNotebook

When I started my career in journalism few people had mobile phones and Google didn't exist… that may age me, but with more than 940,000 followers on my personal Instagram (@Couturenotebook), I like to think I’ve kept up with the times.

From covering central bank meetings — waiting in lobbies in the vain hope of getting usable quotes on policy changes or interest rates — and more dramatic life-changing events such as seeing firsthand the extent of the Tsunami devastation over Aceh a few days after the 2004 tragedy, to providing insights into the rather more glamorous and often surreal worlds of fashion and art, whether visiting a film set to see Donnie Yen at work or Yayoi Kusama in her studio and watch her paint, I can truly say I’ve covered nearly every journalism beat.

In 2012, I got a fabulous opportunity when a new Singapore-based couture magazine approached me to go to Paris and cover couture week. I became the Editor-in-Chief of Couture by Designaré and had the opportunity to not only interview couturiers but also visit their ateliers, go backstage and discover their world from a different angle. I was hooked!

What I discovered is that haute couture was enjoying a new lease of life, buoyed by the new wealth in emerging markets where young clients aspire to wear only the best, and the emergence of a new generation of couturiers interested in pursuing the excellence associated with couture’s craftsmanship.

Between 2012-2016, I worked for BLOUIN ARTINFO as Editor-in-Chief for Lifestyle & Fashion, while overseeing the Blouin Lifestyle Magazine. As such I had the opportunity to regularly attend couture presentations in Paris and beyond.

Currently I work as the Editor-in-Chief of Whispers, a luxury lifestyle publication exclusively reserved to owners of a Rolls-Royce motor car.

Sonia Kolesnikov-Jessop, June 2024