Mileti Swimwear: Fashionable and Chic at the beach!

As bright as I am in my dress sense,I have to admit that there is one part of my wardrobe where I usually stick to black and simple; i.e. my swimwear. Yup if you see me at the beach, I’ll be the one with plain black bikini and an over-the-top floppy hat to make up for that lack of my colour and character in my swimwear!

Somehow and somewhere in the past few years, I concluded that when it comes to swimwear, less is more. Not in terms of fabric of course (I’m no fan of Brazilian bikinis!!!) but more to do with style and embellishment. Although rightfully suitable for summer, I feel that too much patterns and ornaments tend to make swimwear less flattering, unpractical and uncomfortable especially when I’m using the swimming pool in my residence. It just feels awkward.

But black is not ideal too so it was time to find an alternative especially that I’m planning on visiting the nearby islands for a relaxing holiday sometime soon! And it was home-grown label Mileti which finally got it right in terms of chic and functional swimwear.

Love this Mileti statement one-piece which brings the colour blocking trend
to the beach!

Best of British trunk show: the London Fashion Week experience in Singapore

If I were to choose one of the main fashion weeks to attend, it would be London Fashion Week for sure. Reason is, I find it more exciting and unpredictable, and every season you’re guaranteed to be wowed by one of the lesser known designers (remember Mary Katrantzou in 2008?)

So when I was told that some selected samples from these designers who showed at LFW just two weeks ago (AW2012/2013) have landed here in Singapore and will be previewed at the BOB (Best of British) trunk show in Tiong Bahru I couldn’t wait to see it for myself; and it’s safe to say that the experience was not far behind being in the front row at the LFW show itself- only more exclusive and sans the celebrities.

With models parading and changing from one stunning piece to another, the showroom was stocked with some great fashion that is luxurious and stylish and doesn’t involve a single logo to show its value.

BOB showcased some stunning couture creations from British label
BOUDICCA. The orange dress is on my wishlist already!

HERMIONE DE PAULA's designs are delicate yet bold... love all the
colourful and distinctive floral prints of her pieces.

Playing Dress Up at Nostalgia Queen Vintage

I’m always happy to hear feedback on my blog and people seem to notice that I do put a lot of work into it i.e. it is not one of those lazy press release publishing blogs, and I do chase content instead of waiting for it to drop in my lately overflowing inbox.

But looking for interesting and fun content is not always easy especially that I’ve been working non-stop these days! So I decided to use my very little free time this week to… just have fun and get inspired!

And what a better place to do that than booking an appointment at my next-door neighbor vintage shop Nostalgia Queen Vintage to try on her newest attainable from Paris and treat myself impulsively to something unique :-)  It’s very cozy  and charming and its owner Michelle is very friendly and welcoming! Plus the price range makes it excellent value for money.

I never know what to expect while vintage shopping... this outfit looks more
avant-garde than vintage! Just love some healthy impulse buys from time to time... 

Weekend Want: TENTWENTYSHOP.com affordable but stylish looks

When updating my closet or shopping in general, I’m almost always guilty of ignoring my casual everyday wardrobe and buying items which catch my attention even if I end up wearing them very little.

But after moving to Singapore, and no more having an office job where a dress code is needed, I realized that I’m missing some key pieces to make my everyday runs as fashionable as my work wardrobe and special occasions’ one.

Change is good sometimes and although not my usual colour, I love this black
dress which would get me through from day to night...

However this doesn’t mean I am convinced yet that the Alexander Wang plain tee is worth the few hundred dollars investment! To me it’s simple. As long as the quality and design is good, casual wear doesn’t need to cost a fortune. Most trends change is a season or two so why invest in a non-classic fast fashion piece as much as you’d do in a timeless handbag for example?

On the other hand, although a good alternative to the overpriced international highstreet chains, blogshops fail to offer a good quality pieces for picky people like me. So is there an in between?

Recently I did find an alternative in form of local e-tailer tentwentyshop.com which stocks casual and fun pieces from young Korean designers, and for great value.

Trend spotting: 3 of the best Little white Dresses from Singapore labels

Forget about colours, this summer’s hottest trend is all white!

From the Oscars where stars like Gwenyth Paltrow, Rooney Mara, Octavia Spencer and Mila Jovovic wowed in their all-white looks, to the SS2012 runways of designer labels like Louis Vuitton, Moschino, Nina Ricci, L’Wren Scott; white dresses have been on the rise this year and luckily for us replacing the LBD as the classic dress to go to for every occasion.

What I love about the LWD is that it is very versatile, breezy for the summer and works well with almost all skin tones as long as you follow few tips which I’ll be dishing out later in this post. The trend this summer has spanned from very minimal and practical forms of the LWD (Jason Wu and L’Wren Scott) to a more ornamental ones like the detailed and romantic lace and organza creations at Louis Vuitton especially.

But first, as usual I’ve done the work for you and picked 3 of the best on trend LWDs, all from local labels of course! These dresses are not on the cheap side but they’re definitely worth the investment as judging by the AW2012 shows in NY, the LWD is here to stay  for at least a couple more seasons to come.

This Spring/Summer's LWD as shown on the runways of Alberta
Ferretti (left),Louis Vuitton (centre) and L'Wren Scott (right)

Stars who wore white at the Oscars including Gwenyth Paltrow in
Tom Ford, Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji and Rooney Mara in Givenchy.

Five of the Best: My picks from Marni for H&M collection

When H&M did the collaboration with Lanvin, I thought that was the pinnacle. I mean where do you go from there? With all due respect, Versace was a step down; more popular but definitely a step down in terms of style and quality.

Then came Marni… and now I’m kinda torn! But while Lanvin’s collection consisted mainly of party dresses, Marni has stuck steadfastly to what the brand does best: sophisticated yet wearable everyday clothes. And another plus point of this collection is the price range which is considerably lower than the previous H&M designer collaborations (the most expensive piece is S$199).

One of the reasons I love Marni for is the label’s practical approach to design; Making the everyday wardrobe interesting while also being comfortable and appropriate. But the trick to rocking Marni pieces (and especially those for H&M) is good styling! Without it, you can risk those lovely pieces looking just blah and uninspiring due to their understated cuts.

Keeping that in mind, I made my 5 picks from the Marni for H&M collection based on how well I think the pieces would look on a real person, not styled up to perfection like the model in the lookbook.

So, here’s my list for next Thursday:

This outfit is styled so well but I doubt the shiny look would be possible to pull off...
unless you are the model of course :-)

Q&A with Allysa Sing: the director behind MAX TAN’s short fashion film ‘Crane Wife’

I don’t know if I have mentioned this before but as much as I am into fashion, I am into film as well! So it’s only natural that when I see a fashion video with a great narrative and superb direction I get as excited just as I would, seeing Yasmin Le Bon closing the Stephane Rolland couture show in a 50kg dress!

And it is not just any fashion film I’m talking about; this is a Singaporean film, conceived and produced by young talented people and showcasing local favourite Max Tan’s Autumn Winter 2012/13 collection from a different perspective.

Along with her creative team, the director of the short fashion film, Allysa Sing based this video on the Japanese folk fable ‘Crane Wife’ which is a chilling story in itself and kinda related to clothing.

The result is a simple narrative with a powerful mood which translates MAX TAN line’s easy yet sensuous philosophy and feel. I also love the score of the film, whose subtlety reminds me of some of the Asian films I’ve seen and admired over the years.

Crane Wife from strangexperiments on Vimeo.

Facebook meets Lookbook at the WED campaign launch

It was a very good night for local and emerging fashion labels yesterday at the W.E.D. (Wear Emerging Designers) campaign launch party. This social media campaign is organized by Blueprint to support local designers and encourage people to wear emerging labels, so that was exactly the kind of event I was hoping for and was more than happy to attend and spread the word about.

It was a great night for me too, as I got snapped by probably every photographer at the event and interviewed for various publications (amongst which is a big media tabloid). However apart from my hair, I have to give the credit for all the attention to my Noel Caleb outfit (yes THAT mullet skirt) which I love so much! It was definitely more colourful than most of the outfits at the event and it stood out for its unique look.

Wearing my favourite Noel Caleb outfit teamed with Papparazi clutch
and the not-so-emerging Zara gladiators (sorry)!

Next big thing? The Singapore labels who hit the spot at Parco next NEXT

One of the great things about fashion is that nothing in the industry stands still. There is always something and someone new to discover and potentially fall in love with!

Yesterday was one of those days where I get to do what I love best; meeting new emerging designers and previewing their maiden collections which will only hit Parco next NEXT store in April.

Naturally the mood at these events is super exciting and optimistic and from talking to these talents, I can sense that the fact that they are finally doing what they always wanted to do is satisfying enough for them. Regardless how the business side of it goes, at least they are getting the chance to live the dream.

All the new designers from Parco next NEXT seemed optimistic and eager to
show the crowds what they've got.

Four new looks for Chinese New Year from Soon Lee

If you’re anywhere in Asia, there’s little chance that you don’t know what next week is; yes it’s Chinese New Year, the most important occasion in the region!

Apart from the colours and pageantry, I love it most for one very good reason: Shopping!!! Chinese tradition states that you buy new clothes to wear for the occasion and for the past few weeks, shops have been full of people hunting for their new outfits.

This is one cultural tradition I have no problem integrating with and so I headed down to one of the coolest boutiques on Haji Lane to not only try new outfits but come up with different looks for the lengthy celebrations.

Getting ready for Chinese New Year...

To buy or not to buy: my guide to the Versace for H&M MEN'S collection (Special guest post by Adam*)

This is my first ever guest post on Bonjour Singapore.

I don’t consider myself a fashionisto (is that a word?) by any stretch of the imagination but as my straight male friends laugh at my dress sense and female and gay friends lavish praise, I tend to think I’m doing at least something right.

So how am I qualified to comment on what to fight for in the Versace and H&M collaboration?

To buy or not to buy: my guide to the Versace for H&M collection

(P.S. This post is for the women’s collection but my husband, Adam, will be guest posting his take on the men’s collection tomorrow on bonjour-singapore. You don’t wanna miss that!)

Love these studded leather pieces but they're not
a smart investment if you live in Singapore

With just one more week to go, the final countdown for the launch of H&M’s collaboration collection with Versace in Singapore and worldwide has now started.

But unlike most of the blogs and magazines which have been encouraging you to buy them (well they don’t need to push hard), I will take the objective line and dish out advice on what you (from a Singapore perspective) should be fighting tooth and nail for, and the stuff that will only be good for eBay listings or the back of your closet.

Well, I’ll try my best anyway. Let’s face it, you won’t really be listening too hard when those doors open and the grab begins. You will want anything you can get your hands on from the collection is what can be called, bold and beautiful.

Men's personal stylist at Singapore's Ninos Felices boutique

Are you fed up with your boyfriend or husband plumping for jeans and t-shirt for practically every occasion?

If so, you might want to drag him (bribed, or kicking and screaming if necessary) to Ninos Felices boutique, where they are warring against the boring.

The boutique is designed to look like a 'bachelor's pad'
with stylish mannequins sitting on a pool table...