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

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!

Audi Fashion Festival: Singapore designers dress and impress

 Apart from the Parco next NEXT designers’ show, (yup the one I was in!), Singaporean designers had a fair share of spotlight this year at Audi Fashion Festival.

Of course I would have loved to see more of the local labels represented but the turnout and the vibe was good start – and hopefully a platform for what is an incredibly strong bunch of labels this year.

The main show I went to was Singapore designers showcase which featured 3 labels: Saturday, Depression and a.w.o.l. – I also made it to see alldressedup’s show after label owners Lionel Leo and Tina Tan-Leo kindly invited me.

alldressedup provided one of the highlights of the show with their elegant,
wearable but slightly edgy collection

5 things to watch for during Singapore’s ultimate week of fashion

The biggest week in the Singapore fashion calendar is upon us and I cannot hide my excitement! Unless you’ve been living a in a bubble you probably know that two huge fashion events are happening this week. That is, the Blueprint tradeshow and emporium (i.e. shopping heaven!) and the Audi Fashion Festival.

Naturally the mainstream media are wetting themselves over the fact Thierry Mugler’s creative director (and Lady Gaga’s stylist) Nicola Formichetti will be in town and opening the fashion week. Big names like Zac Posen and Roland Mouret will be also showcasing. That’s huge news for Singapore, but what I’m really most looking forward to, are the shows and events where local and other Asian designers will be given the runway to show what they’ve got.

Raoul, one of the most successful Singapore - and now international
label - will be among those showcasing at AFF

Threadbare & Squirrel: Haven for Singapore Designers

From the strapline of my blog, you would have guessed that Haji Lane is one of my favourite parts of town. No, not because of the sheesha cafes but the cool independent shophouse-boutiques which give this tiny alley its quirky and laid-back atmosphere – unlike lookalike malls-infested Orchard Road.

But despite the street’s unique indie character, I was disappointed on a recent visit when I saw more boutiques selling generic blogshop-type clothes than the local designers and unique finds, which made this street popular in the first place.

Only a handful of shops remain true to what this independent shopping heaven stands for – one of them is Threadbare and Squirrel, a multi-label boutique which has recently relocated to the adjacent Bali Lane to distinguish itself from the clone shops which are increasing day by day on the stretch of Haji and everywhere else in the city.

Display of the newly-stocked local labels at Threadbare & Squirrel: A.K.A. Wayward,
LION EARL, Primary and ZAAK.

Parco next NEXT party: celebrating the launch of 18 new Singapore labels and young designers

The 14^th of November, 2011 was the first time I got invited to a local fashion event. It was at Parco and I still remember Wey, the designer of Veira bags sending me an invite as an excited newbie on the blogging scene.

I remember going with my hubby, not knowing a single person or designer showing. Fast-forward 5 months and here I am, just as excited and attending the launch of yet another batch of young local designers at Parco – only now I know almost everyone and was surrounded by friends and familiar faces.

A model showing one of Revasseur's colourful designs during the mini-show

With Genevieve, one of the designers behind 20:twothree

Q&A with.... Me! From Fashion Studio Magazine

Forgive my self indulgence - but I'm quite excited about this.

I've just had an interview published with international website Fashion Studio Magazine. This online fashion site was launched in NYC just over a year ago and now operates in London, Toronto and Singapore.

So obviously I'm excited because it will introduce Singapore fashion and designers to a more global audience.

The focus of my post today is...erm...me :)

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.

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.

Singapore Trends/SS 2012: Mae Pang does graphic colour blocking

Unlike high street chains and established designer houses, following a trend might not be the first thing on the mind of an up-and-coming label when designing a collection.

The desire to express more of their vision and unique style almost always takes over which, if you ask me, is a much better option than following the herd.

However for a large number of customers, seasonal trends which are set by the high end fashion designers during the international fashions weeks cannot be ignored.

This usually causes a dilemma for shoppers who wish to update their wardrobe: would they buy the mass-produced but ‘trendy’ pieces from the high street, or support the local designers and ignore the season’s trend?

Well because I’m such a nice person, I’ve decided to make it easy for you to do both :-)

Looks from  from BCBG MaxAzria SS2012 collection showing colour
blocking trend in a more graphic form and less loud than SS2011.