Two Fridays ago, I had the privilege to attend the press preview of Cartier’s La Panthere de Cartier Exhibit, held at the Centre Court of Pavilion KL. This is, to date, the largest showcase in Malaysia since 2011. As the name of the exhibition suggests, it pays homage to the Cartier icon, the panther.

Heading into the venue, I really didn’t expect that the entrance to the exhibit began from the main entrance of Pavilion, and the area from the entrance leading to the centre concourse’s steps were blocked off with alternating panels of the black and gold art-deco-styled motif and the posters of the panther, which went all around the exhibition space, which was lined with plush black carpeting. Oh, and there was also a super cool Mirror Labyrinth room (below) where you could have fun taking photos from several angles, and have your reflection staring back at you, kinda like you had yourself cloned. 

For this exhibit, 28 pieces from the Cartier archives were flown in, along with other more recent jewellery and timepieces from the Panther collection, including a Limited Edition timepiece that debuted at this year’s Salon Internationale de Haute Horlogerie event.

It all began with this Panther-pattern wristwatch from 1914, the very start of using the panther-skin motif made with a combination of black onyx and diamonds. From this point onwards, we begin to see the Maison slowly incorporating more and more of the panther, moving on from just the panther print, to first just a part of the animal, like the head and a little bit of the body of the panther in the cuff you see below, to a more detailed full-bodied panther “in motion” that we often see in the more recent collections. Today, Cartier has since made panther into a more multifaceted feline with designs that showcases both the wild cat’s ferocity, and an animal with a more gentle, and playful spirit.

“JT” for Jeanne Toussaint

The Jeanne Toussaint Collection. Fun fact: Toussaint headed Cartier’s Fine Jewellery department for over thirty years (1933-1960s), and she herself was actually nicknamed the “Panther”! Yet another of the highlights of this exhibit is this cigarette case below, ordered by Toussaint herself, in gold with black and white enamel, with a “Kodak system” catch.

For this very special piece, the panther’s paw actually functions as the “hour” hand, and the diamond solitaire that you see, is the minute hand. How cool is that?

This secret watch is a watch and a tiara all in one! And then we have this Panther Clip Brooch owned by the Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, featuring two pear-shaped yellow diamonds for its eyes, and a 152.35-carat Kasmir sapphire cabochon.

And finally, the customary OOTD shot that you’d only ever see of me on the blog when I attend events because I usually leave OOTDs to Instagram