Crawford & Sons: On trend tailored menswear in Singapore

Crawford and Sons is a welcome new addition to the menswear scene in Singapore.

I don’t think they are anything to do with Grammy Award nominated Brit folk rockers Mumford and Sons but you never know.

What I do know is that they are filling a much needed gap in the market, namely for well tailored and well made workaday menswear that is bang on trend. 

So imagine you can find a company rocking the trend for that soft palated, sharp yet unstructured mod-lite look. Imagine James Dean rebel cool mixed with the tailoring of the scooter wearing set and you're on the right path.

Imagine you also find an answer to one of the biggest problems with menswear in Singapore - that when it comes to locally sourced shirts you tend to find it caters for the CBD banker market or the left-field cropped pant clad hipster crowd.

Great colour, great fabric and great fit. Is this really a Singapore work shirt?

Crawford and Sons have nailed that denim colour and the mods vs rockers influenced collar

EXCLUSIVE interview with Haute Couture designer Maurizio Galante

Maurizio Galante, as he describes himself at one point during this interview is ‘crazy’! What else can you call a man who makes a dress out of thousands of red seeds, each painstakingly punched to create holes for threads to be woven together and is then topped off with an angel-like bolero made of majestic feathers?

It is kinda surreal and out of this world!

Interviewing him has left me in awe, reminding me why I fell in love with fashion in the first place at 7 years old - staying awake at 10pm to watch one of Elie Saab’s couture shows on TV and try to recreate them for my doll the next day from scraps of fabric - which I tore from my dresses or leftover fabric from my mom’s latest custom-made frock.

It was love and it became an obsession. Something stronger than me, that even after an education and career unrelated to fashion I had to take a turn and share it through this blog.
So how can I not, when presented this rare chance, interview one of the very very few Haute Couture houses founder in the flesh? Sitting next to him and his business associate (his co-designer for non-fashion objects and talented artist in his own right Tal Lancman) I was transformed back to that little girl, daydreaming about his surreal creations which are wearable art pieces, so inspiring and genuine, a world’s apart from vanity dressing and fast changing fashion trends.

A dress which took over 700 hours to make, a precision and technique which needs an OCD person to practice and an armchair made to resemble cold marble when it’s in fact inviting and comfy. You can never expect what’s next from Maurizio Galante who will be in Singapore for his show at the French Couture Week later this month at MBS The Shoppes.

Photos don't give justice for the amazing detailing of Maurizio Galante's
bloleros. The red flamingo one (right) is apparently the best sold item
and even celebrated architect Zaha Hadid owns one!

3 standout labels at Best of British (BOB): SS13 LFW preview

I make no secret of my love for London and the fact I consider it to be the most fashionable city in the world! Lucky me, I’ll be flying off to London in a couple of weeks for a visit and while I’m not looking forward to the cold weather (living in Dubai and Singapore I almost forgot how it feels like!) I’m so excited to be back there to get inspired by this amazing city!

But before I go,  I managed to get a sneak peek on what to expect for the coming SS13 season from some of the coolest London designers – at Best of British's seasonal preview from London Fashion Week (Read about  last season’s trunk show here).

What I love about Glamour Inc, the people behind BOB is that they certainly stray from the boring and ordinary and instead, bring some of the quirkiest labels out there, some of which are starting to make a buzz across the fashion capitals of the world!

Here are my 3 favourites – featuing the three important food groups - shoes, clothes and accessories – which grabbed my attention at the preview and are now firmly on my fashion radar and MUST-have list for the next summer!

Mojito shoes anyone? Yes please!!!! Julian Hakes designs displayed at BOB showroom
in Singapore.

An array of beautiful printed scarves...

Bonjour Bangkok: Lynn Around keep it quirky and mainstream

Perhaps a great thing about Thai labels is that not only the small and independent ones that pride themselves on being funky and quirky.

  

Maybe it's something to do with the Thai attitude to dressing up, but it’s really refreshing to see the eccentricity not being designed out by committee when a brand becomes more mainstream. They're still waving goodbye to dull and pushing the boundaries with risky style statements.

One label which despite its size (It has around 10 outlets in Bangkok) is doing just that: Lynn Around.

I first saw their outlet at the never disappointing Thai fashion cathedral Terminal 21, where the vibrant colours and eye-catching looks pulled me in to inquire about the label (and ahem… shop).

Even in a somehow more 'mainstream' Thai label like Lynn Around, you can still find
some quirky stuff like these adorable pony hair loafers. Bangkok rocks!

The colours and variety of styles at their Terminal21 branch is so inviting.

Isetan: Bringing Jakarta Fashion Week to Singapore!

Ever since getting to know and blogging about  Indonesian labels like Toton and Nikicio, Jakarta has been put firmly on my to-go to list for Bonjour on Tour! It seems wherever you go, Asia is a hotbed of fashion creativity.

But until I finally get on that plane (hopefully around the beginning of November for Jakarta Fashion Week), I have to settle for a rare taste of these talents thanks to Isetan Singapore which has organized a Designers’ Week’ event in collaboration with JFW.

Isetan is one of the big department stores in Singapore which I really like, because they stock a variety of local designers, especially emerging ones and thus expose them to a more mainstream crowd. It is something I respect them for.

So when I heard about their Designers’ Week event – which is running until September 25 and is held at Re-Style section on Scotts which stocks the local designers’ labels - I went to check it out only to discover some amazing labels which I previously didn’t know about.

How can you not love these colourful necklaces from Indonesian
label Antyk Butyk?

Something quirky and unique! I'm sooo in love with this
Frej necklace made of pencils!!!

Kate and William: Championing Singapore labels!

So the Duchess of Cambridge (a.k.a. Kate Middleton) has left Singapore today. But her effect will certainly be felt - especially when it comes to Singapore fashion.

Kate is known for picking the right and diplomatic choices for her overseas visits and it was the same case here where among her handful of wardrobe changes were a gorgeous dress by Singapore-born Prabal Gurung and an ensemble by RAOUL, which came rather as a surprise.

But my question is, did we really need the Duchess to wear a local designer to make us realize that they do exist, and make beautiful clothes for that matter?

The Duchess of Cambridge looked lovely in her RAOUL top
and skirt. Still wish she makes more effort in her shoe choices
though! Oh well...

Parco next NEXT A/W12 Preview

There is no doubt that the 2012 class of Parco NEXT Next labels was the strongest yet.

Taken as a collective whole they were more eclectic, innovative and interesting than before. But like a great band that hits the big time with their first album, the pressure is on.

As these fledgling labels get ready to launch into their second season, the questions on my lips were simple. Can they take these promising starts and grow as brands, evolving their style and learning lessons from their first collections?

In other words, would the learning curve continue or would some of the labels suffer from second album syndrome?

Bahareh Badiei brings Middle Eastern chic to Singapore

Middle Eastern women are some of the most glamorous in the world.

You might not believe that if you watch too much of the news but it’s really true. Just walk down any street in Beirut or Tehran and you’ll see women dressed up from head to toe, perfectly made up even if just to visit the neighbours or the grocery shop.

I think it’s something in our DNA, or maybe in the culture which puts so much importance on looking elegant and chic. Pretty much all of our designers do ballgowns and flipflops are nowhere to be seen unless you happen to be at the beach (even then there is a fair share of heels and bikinis).

So when I received an invite to a show by Bahareh Badiei, a Singapore-based Iranian designer, I naturally expected one thing – glamour!

Designer Bahareh Badiei (in the middle) with the models at the cozy presentation at Novus
Restaurant in the National Museum.

All photos by Kenneth Choo (www.kennethchoo.com)
Thank you Kenneth :-)

Hansel A/W12: Perfect Puffins!

Perhaps you don’t know but my first piece ever from a Singaporean designer was a gorgeous blouse from Hansel. This was on my first visit to this little red dot and even before I moved here a few months later.

Even then, my mission was simple: To shop only from interesting local labels and boutiques which I could brag about when I went back to Dubai – a place with virtually no local design scene to speak of.

In fact, walking through Haji Lane and later on browsing at Hansel's store in Mandarin Gallery was when I realised this was going to be a great place to live. 

After moving here I had the opportunity to meet and get to know so many other great local labels which I absolutely fell in love with and continue to support and buy, but Hansel remains firmly on my list of favourites.

Cute puffins everywhere at Hansel this season!

Can you see the little puffin brooch on my dress? So adorable!!!

Singapore lounge-wear label Les Affaires: Go to bed and wake up with style

If you ask me, sleepwear is so underrated. I mean just because people on the street don’t get to see us in them, it doesn’t mean that an old t-shirt and a pair of worn out shorts should constitute what we go to bed with.

When I say sleepwear I’m not talking about lingerie though. I’m sure all my female readers will nod their head in agreement when I say that while sexy, lacy underwear is definitely not comfortable enough to drift off in.

So why are we so attached to the 10 year old t-shirt? The argument is always that nightwear is supposed to be comfortable, not fashionable. But what if both were combined?

Luckily, a new Singaporean label, Les Affaires has taken it upon themselves to convert the doubters and is showing us that practical and stylish loungewear does have a place in our closets.

Some of Les Affaires designs can be easily mistaken for daywear
like this gathered dress which I would team with a necklace and
sandals to pop out and run my errands around the neighborhood!

Jimmy Choo who? Four Malaysian Shoe Labels You Should Know About

Like most girls out there, shoes are my guilty pleasure! I can spend hours and hours browsing the internet for shoe inspirations and day dreaming about those stilettos that look like pieces of art – yet are not really functional.

Since moving to Asia, I wanted to discover more South East Asian shoe brands and to my surprise - or not really – most of the cool shoe labels came from Malaysia. It might be the Jimmy Choo effect but again the styles are hardly similar to the shoe legends designs and vary widely from elegant and simple to edgy and avant-garde.

There is definitely something for everyone and even better, they all come at an affordable price point and are available online for those who don’t reside in the country.

So here are the Malaysian shoe labels you should know about – and stock in your closet:

CHIYO is one of the new labels proving that Mayalsia might as well be the
shoe capital of the region!

How elegant is this pair from rising shoe designer Benson Chen?

Bonjour Beirut: Malaika Najem’s Unconventional, Raw and Beautiful Jewellery

If you ask anyone the words you’re least likely to hear when discussing fashion in Beirut – ‘raw’ or ‘urban’ will be top of the list.

For such a gritty environment (and Beirut often defines the concept of raw) there is an almost escapist obsession with being refined and polished. Quite often to an extreme.

Even away from the fashion scene you’ll find architecture that involves plastering new facades over historical buildings and the famous Lebanese look (never leave the house without makeup, bling or a blow dry, what surgery can I do this year...)

Yep, Lebanese people are known for their seeking of what they see as aesthetic perfection. And its no wonder Kim Kardashian is such a hit over there.

Raw, ethnic and intruiging... Malaika's work is not your average
style of jewellery, especially not in Lebanon!

 You can multiply that by 1 million when it comes to fashion - just look at the breakout labels that come from Beirut. Nothing but glamour in the form of Elie Saab, Zuhaair Murad and Basil Soda.

So when I stumbled upon Malaika Najem’s work, the epitomy of raw and unfinished, I was more than a little surprised.

Malaika is a jewellery designer whose work is all about the core rather than the perfectly polished exterior. she definitely is a breath of fresh air in a country stifled by a narrow fashion perspective.

The beautiful and charming Malaika, bringing some depth to the overly
polished fashion scene in Beirut.

Fashfix Singapore: A Fun and Stylish Way to Clean out Your Closet

The cover for my fashfix closet! Wonder who's gonna be my first buyer :-)!

Anyone who has visited Chez Bonjour will know that my apartment’s second bedroom basically doubles as a walk-in wardrobe. It basically houses a bed (which I’m lobbying to remove!) and the important stuff – mainly racks, rows and bags of clothes of which half I hardly wear anymore.

And in case you’re wondering, yes I do wake up most days and feel like I have nothing to wear! While donating boxes of unwanted clothes to charity is something I’m keen on doing (related story coming up next week!), there are some items which are too pretty to let go of and I’d rather see someone else wear them.

Having a stall in flea markets is one option (also helps to fund some more shopping ;-)) but why bother and sit in the sun all day when you can sell your stuff from home at the newly-launched fashion exchange site fashfix.sg?

Fashfix is the brainchild of Vivien Chia, a Singapore-based entrepreneur who has come to the rescue for like-minded (i.e shopaholic) people like myself who want to clean out their closet stylishly. And like they say, someone’s trash can be someone else’s treasure so I decided to try it for myself to start with.

Love this colourful skirt but time to let go...

Bonjour Beirut: Missak HajiAvedikian’s fun take on couture

What happens when you mix, great couture aesthetics, strong heritage influence and a hint of fun together? You get Beirut’s newest  enfant terrible Missak HajiAvedikian.

The minute I entered the Armenian Lebanese designer’s showroom in the middle of the hussly bussly Armenian center I knew I was getting something different, more authentic and candid in a way.

Missak has a great sense of humour which translates even in his most dressy gowns. He does fashion for fun and you can see it through the feathers, unusual bird cage silhouettes and scattered laser-cut butterflies. He is not one to shy away from drama or experiment and this is exactly why I fell in love with his avant-garde designs.

It's obvious when you see Missak's playful creations that he has a
lot of fun making them. I love this dress!!

Poshism: Singapore's lookbook.nu? Let's hope it's better!

I have a confession to make. I never liked lookbook.nu!

For some reason the ‘style-inspiration’ community business always seemed a little full of model wannabe’s and sponsored bloggers trying to show off rather than inspire or educate.

So when I heard about Poshism, which kind of sells itself as a new ‘lookbook’, I was not sure what to expect. But I knew it wasn’t likely to be love at first site (geddit?).

Their launch event – which was basically a walkoff between a bunch of teenagers didn’t fill me with hope either – although perhaps that is showing my age a little bit more than I want to admit!

But I’ve been working in the lifestyle field for quite a long time and if I’ve learned anything, it’s not to judge too soon.

Zeikei (only 17!!), from the Poshism publicity team has the coolest quirky
style! Let's hope more people will get inspired by her awesome looks and stray
away from the over-done looks a la lookbook.nu (i.e. blazer x shorts combo)

The best look I've seen so far on Poshism! This guy is rocking it!!

Weekend Want: 6 top picks from Future Fashion Now

If you’ve ever shopped online then you probably know how much of a bittersweet experience it can be.

Unlike the real thing, there is no instant pleasure when you click the button or the thrill of browsing and luxuriating in the touch of a beautiful fabric.

But when your purchases are on the way, nothing beats the anticipation of waiting for that box to arrive and opening that package to see and feel it for the first time. It has that Christmassy feeling all over.

And even though e-commerce sites selling Asian designers are springing up faster than pop-up shops these days, most of them are still operating under more or less the same concept. However the newest kid in town tries to make it as interactive an experience as possible, allowing you to watch catwalk shows live and pre-order the pieces you like straight after they showed on the runway.

Future Fashion Now is making it possible to pre-order pieces from
emerging designers like MAE PANG's latest collection

Bonjour Beirut: Azzi and Osta and the battle against bling!

If the national dress in Singapore is hotpants and t-shirt, Beirut’s is a ball gown!

It’s a nation where one popular saying is ‘borrow money to dress up’, seeing someone dressed up to the nines just to cross the road to the grocery shop is not an uncommon sight. In some places you have to see it to believe your eyes!

It’s no surprise that there are dozens of designers specializing in evening wear and glamorous dresses. From  Elie Saab, to Rabih Kayrouz and Georges Chakra.

While some designers go seriously OTT and bling it like there is no tomorrow, others, namely the new generation, have stuck to a much more modern and stylish approach to glamour – understated elegance.

The perfect example of such designers and probably the forerunners for such style are Georges Azzi and Assaad Osta, whose label Azzi & Osta is gaining popularity and changing people’s views on what is glamorous in Beirut.

A breath-taking bridal creation from Azzi and Osta

Quirky and edgy Singapore label? AMEN to that!

It takes a lot of courage for new labels in Singapore to throw out the populist rulebook and decide to go their own way from the off.

Well, one such label is AMEN, traditionally accessories label that has branched out and released their  first clothing line, Femme with the debut  collection called Transmission.

Clinton Leicester and Nicole Wong, the couple behind AMEN, are not your average Singaporean label, and only one of them comes from fashion design background.

One look at their bold personal look followed by a glance at their quirky designs is enough to tell you that they basically design stuff they would actually wear.

Suited for Success: unusual and quirky, I'm loving this look which sadly
I could never pull off!

Bonjour Beirut: Dina Khalifé’s playful silk prints

Note: this is the first of 8 posts on Lebanese designers and cool emerging labels I met/discovered on my trip back home. Knowing there are so many talents in Beirut I couldn’t reach while living abroad, was behind my inspiration to explore the emerging designers in what has quickly become my second home, Singapore.

I hope you enjoy this series and can see that regardless where you are in the world, there are some amazing talents out there who deserve to be known everywhere else. So keep reading and join me on this part of my journey which is very dear to my heart.

Dina Khalifé

Dina Khalifé's vibrant prints are just so charming!

Who knew that in my recent visit back home, I would find out that one of my dear university friends has recently launched a fashion label?

Dina was my classmate at university majoring in Graphic Design, and always had a thing for doodling and illustration. It seems she has finally found a way to bring her cute illustrations to life, through silk scarves, separates and enamel accessories.

My Week as a Street Style Star

The past week has been a big ‘style’ week for me.

While I’m not big on ‘outfit of the day’ style posts on my blog, I was more than happy and extremely flattered to pose for street style photographers and bloggers (including Tokyo’s Rei Shito!), who captured my outfits at some of the Audi Fashion Festival shows (go to my media page to check them out).

the week was made even better by the fact that the post in her blog Style From Tokyo was ranked in the top 10 outfits of the day across the world by sartorial aggregation site Street Style News. 

But aside from these moment-in-time kind of photos, there was one style blog (lilreddotfolks.com) which wanted a little more; a-few-hours-long street style candid shoot, showcasing my personal style around my neighborhood, plus a little fun Q&A.

The shoot included a non-avoidable close up... do I look angry here?