Scarlet Carlson, Noel Caleb and Jason: Three things I learned at the Circa Xmas event

They said you should learn something new every day, so last Sunday was an extraordinary day as I learned not one but three interesting things about the Singaporean fashion scene while at Circa (Parco Millenia Walk).

The event itself was multi-purpose one, aiming to celebrate the first year anniversary of local label Scarlet Carlson, announcing and briefing the fashion design competition by clothing label Noel Caleb, and showcasing another local menswear label Jason.

So here’s what I learned...

Cornelyus from Scarlet Carlson label cutting the cake and
flanked by JR Chan from JASON (2nd left) and Eileen from
Noel Caleb (far right)

One Twenty2Seven dress, 6 different looks

Twenty2Seven is one of my favourite Singaporean labels. Despite their latest collection being mostly in black and white, the dresses are so versatile and fun that even a colour-crazy person like me could not resist the appeal!

But is it adaptable to my style? To find out, I asked Twenty2Seven designer Zee Tan, to loan me a dress from the collection for the weekend and see if I can wear it for several different occasions.

The dress I picked is the Edie Mod Frock. What I loved about this dress is the flattering cut, with soft draping detail on the waist and criss-cross neck that makes it more fun than a normal shift. 

The Edie Mod Frock from Twenty2Seven label ticked
all my boxes, read on to see how I styled it...

All I want for Christmas is… a recycled leather accessory from ATGAB

Ever wondered what to do with your old worn-out leather handbag?

I’ll tell you what: donate it to ATGAB (All Things Green and Beautiful) and Elaine Pang - the talented one-woman show behind this very unique Singaporean label - will turn it into beautiful accessories that make perfect and green Christmas gifts.

Green and beautiful:These beautiful accessories are
made up of at least 80% old material!

Singapore fashion label Yumumu's interesting take on minimalism

I have never been a big fan of minimalism. Not in art and definitely not in fashion! It’s simply not me.

For some reason, last season’s big trend which consisted of crisp shirts, dresses and trousers with minimal details just looked wrong when I tried them on, say at places like Zara. It might have been the fabric which was stiff and didn’t drape, or the ‘too-clean’ style which looked messy when teamed with my unruly hair and less than angular features. It certainly looked much better on the short-haired model although not as flattering as well.

However I have recently spotted an outfit, from the cool Singaporean label Yumumu, which has won me over and made me want to try the trend while staying true to my style.

Love it! Yumumu's top and skirt/trouser look
understated yet not remotely bland.

Singaporean young designers at PARCO next NEXT Phenomena 2011 Fashion show

When, like me, you’ve just moved to Singapore from over 3000 miles and started blogging about local fashion, nothing can warm your heart and make you feel welcome more than the first invite you receive to attend a fashion show.
Ok, I know this wasn’t the Prada SS2012 show, not even the Singapore Fashion week but to me it was far more significant because it was an opportunity to see the work of young up-and-coming Singaporean designers and get to meet them and lend them some much-needed support.

The event in question was the PARCO next NEXT Phenomena 2011, where 6 promising local designers of the incubator project sponsored by Parco were showing their collections to a small but interesting crowd.