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.

Girls Generation of style: Armoire, Jooix.com and Bonjour Singapore collaborate

Normally when 3 girls meet on a Sunday morning, they talk about fashion. But when Evon (the designer of Malaysian label Armoire), Angelina (the lady behind the Singapore-based super stylish jooix.com) and me (a fashion loving stylist/blogger and a major shoe-holic) met this Sunday, we DID fashion!

With the beautiful chic dresses of Armoire (who is participating in this year's Blueprint) and the unique statement accessories from jooix.com, I couldn’t help but see how each brand complemented the other to perfection and brought it to life – and we looked in each other’s eyes and cried COLLABORATION.

Evon from Armoire on my left and Angelina from jooix.com on my right.

Ok, what I brought to the party was the vision to see how these two brands could look together, with some help of my styling skills, my shoes collection and of course my now well-known modeling for your amusement :-)

So here’s how our Sunday morning went, read on to see the magic brought to life and learn a few tips on how to wear these gorgeous pieces and transform them from day to night:

P.S. I will be co-hosting and sharing some styling tips at the official launch of Jooix.com this Wednesday (March 14) from 1:30pm till 9pm. The first 30 guests will get vouchers worth S$200 of styling services with me :-) Make sure you RSVP for the event here  and see you there!

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.

Get the Rooney Mara look from Singapore-based website UNESTABLISH.com

And the award for the celebrity who rocked the cutout/black look goes to… by far Rooney Mara!

Regardless who’s going to win this year’s Oscars, Rooney Mara has won the fashion stakes during this award season; mainly because of her constant use of the cutout dresses.

I was never the biggest fan of this trend but she single-handedly changed my opinion. And while it doesn’t sound so ‘chic’ to start with, she owned it with her unique styling, effortlessly making those flesh-baring cutouts look more class than trash.

Now I’m convinced, I’m ready to rock the trend for this spring/summer season… in my own way of course :-)

Teaming this sexy cutout number from Keepsake with my favourite pair of heels (seriously!),
cool accessories from local label Yahn Adam and bright yellow mesh bag might
get me my Rooney Mara moment... Rana-style ;-) 

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. 

ATGAB update: The fruits of my Singapore modeling debut

It's been a long time coming, but the pictures from my first ever modelling assignment have started to come in.

Some of the longer term readers might remember I was asked by local eco-label All Things Green and Beautiful (ATGAB) to model their wonderful accessories for their 2012 look book.

The shoot was an eye opener as I spent a full day having my hair teased, my make-up applied and re-applied and most difficult of all - pretending I knew what I was doing. Well now the fruits of my labour have finally arrived, and are here for everyone to see on the ATGAB website. Fame at last!

My verdict on the pictures? 

I think I saw something over in the distance. I think it might have been my modeling career disappearing over the horizon :) 

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...

Shito shoes: adding colour and character to Singapore’s LBD

Whoever it was that said brown was the new black had obviously never been to Singapore.

Brown isn't the new black here. black is. In fact black was the old black, and will more than likely be pretty much every other future black too.

And in a country where monochrome dresses are a staple of most wardrobes, it becomes more essential for the average person to accessorize well.

For some that means a nice expensive handbag, but for me it means one thing...SHOES!!!

What's better to accessorize an LBD than a pair of bold statement shoes?
This Shito pair is my current favourite!!!

Singapore Stylings: Working with local womenswear label Noel Caleb

If you’re following my blog, facebook or twitter you would have known by now that I’ve been a busy bee lately!

From modeling for local label ATGAB last week to being a brand ambassador for Noel Caleb this week, life for me nowadays seems to revolve around fashion! And mind you, I’m up for new challenges as well!

While modeling was certainly a lot of fun, in comparison, this role definitely comes more naturally to me. Having been just 2 days at the Noel Caleb pop up space in Tangs, I am truly loving it!

For my debut at Noel Caleb's pop up space as their stylist, I chose
this cute Alexandrova polka dot skirt combo. Loved all the details!!

Three New Year’s party looks – from the back of my closet

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve and I still haven’t decided what I’m doing. However, being the obsessive that I am, I have an outfit for any plan which might come my way: glamorous dinner, clubbing, or a house party with friends.

If you’re wondering whether I went mad and shopped for three outfits that I might not wear, don’t worry. I only shopped in my closet!

Yes you read it right. Looking at my bursting closet I noticed that I had lots of trendy (and some still unworn) clothes that I forget about sometimes. Of course I love to shop for new things but I made an effort this time instead of embracing the shopaholic in me, to open my wardrobe and put together 3 potential outfits for tomorrow night - without spending a penny.

Zoolander 2: Rana gets a modeling assignment

I've only been in Singapore a few months and things have happened so fast with this blog. 

I've met lots of interesting, talented and driven people and really been embraced by local designers and labels.

Now the most exciting thing has happened to me...I've been asked to do a photo shoot for local label All Things Green and Beautiful modeling their latest collection!

Move over model of last collection! It's my turn now ;-)

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...

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...

What was the dress code again?

Black tie in most places means tuxedo and below-the-ankle evening dresses. In Singapore apparently it means ‘wear whatever you find in your closet’.

To the shock and horror of my husband (who rented a less-than-perfect tux for the occasion) and I (you know the story of my struggle by now), entering the ballroom at the Sentosa Resorts World last night there was hardly anyone in black tie attire. To be specific, maybe around 40 out of the 500 guests were wearing tuxes or evening dresses. On the other hand, patterned shirts, suits for men and short cocktail dresses and what I’d view as day dresses were aplenty.

Black tie enough? Safe to say so apparently!

The good, the bad and the horribly cheap

Shopping for an evening dress is fun. Shopping for an evening dress on tight budget is not.

This is something I learned the hard way this weekend when attempting to find an outfit suitable for my inauguration on the Singaporean social scene at a very posh dinner.

On a ship somewhere, my perfect
outfit won't make it in time

The event in question is the launch of the Miele Restaurant Guide at Sentosa Resorts World on Wednesday, very much a black tie event.

Learning only last Friday that my gigantic wardrobe is not going to arrive for another week, I had to find an alternative to my ankle-length Alberta Ferretti halter dress and bronze Louboutin platforms which I’d already decided on. That was one hell of a mission!

So needless to say, this took up my whole weekend, shopping for a total of 16 hours until I finally found something which isn’t made of highly inflammable material and didn’t cost a fortune at the same time.

My budget was tight, because let’s face it, this was a one-event dress which with a closet like mine, I probably will not wear again for a long time. Specifically speaking I put a limit of SG$200 and if I don’t find anything I was going to go for my Karen Millen lace dress which although not dressy enough was a better option than buying something I didn’t like as much. I also had another restriction: I had to buy something which would go with my black Louboutins as they are currently my only dressy heels and I really don’ do cheap evening shoes.

Better under-dressed than badly-dressed,
this outfit was an option if all fails

So with no help or tips (from friends or online) I started my journey.

First I went to a rental shop. Although I found two passable dresses, to be honest  first they were not exactly my style, 2^nd, they were not exactly cheap to rent (SG$120-190) and third, imagine the horror of finding someone else wearing the same dress especially when at the time I was there I saw two other women looking for dresses for the same event.

My second option was to try different kinds of boutiques. Again, all the ones I fell in love with were sadly way beyond my budget (starting at SG$800). They were gorgeous but I had to stop myself and I am sparing you sharing my agony by not posting any pictures of them.

But as an aside, let me say Keith Png is a genius. Anyone who doesn’t know of the Koops brand should head to his gorgeous Hide and Seek boutique in Tanjong Pagar and be educated.

Another time…sigh...

Black or red? nice but none was really my style

Loved this one but sadly it didn't fit or go with my shoes!

It’s safe to say things hadn’t gone according to plan (my approach being slightly more discerning than my husbands – where’s the nearest rental tux place; yep, that’ll do approach), and come the end of Saturday night I was desperate.

And I mean desperate. I went into any shop that seemed to have anything below the knee. High end, low end, anything end.

From high-street shops like Mango and River Island to Korean evening wear shops which sold high-shine satin dresses which you have to slip on. I wondered, haven’t they heard of fits, zips or buttons?

Shocking I know! And guess what, they were on the higher end of my budget as well. I just couldn’t rationalise the fact these badly-made dresses would have cost me the same amount I paid for a Moschino dress from my favourite outlet shop in Dubai. I just couldn’t do it.

Love the colours but not really dressy enough
for a black-tie dinner

If only the colour was brighter and
the flower smaller!!

Vintage was also an option but sadly it didn’t seem the right kind of dress for such an occasion.

Finally I hit Orchard road! I always assumed that it might not be the best place to bag a bargain but I was wrong. Walking into department stores like Robinson I finally found a List dress which was simple and elegant and luckily on 70% discount.

At this point, I didn't know what to think!

I would be lying if I said it was the nicest and most stylish I’ve seen. It was probably my third best. But given that it cost just 10% of the 2^nd, I’d say it was a great deal and definitely much better than the cheap looking polyester dress that was double the price and not half as nice.

I think this whole experience cemented my belief that first you don’t have to spend a fortune to look nice even for a big event like this, and second never settle for the cheap-looking dress even if you’re on a budget.

I’m leaving you with some of the dresses I tried on (no names, no brands mentioned), but come back on Thursday to see how my ensemble went down at The Miele Guide Gala Dinner; and for the lowdown on what was hot and what was not on the night.

P.S. Please excuse my bad photography as my reliable camera is sadly still on the same ship as all my outfits and well, I think I was way too exhausted (as apparent in the pictures) to actually care!

SingStyle: Trendsetters on the island

You've all heard about the Satorialist (if you haven't then beat yourself around the head with your Choos!), well this is my Singaporean version of it! I'm here to show everyone that when it comes to fashion, Singaporeans have style and attitude.

I'll be carrying my camera around the streets of Singapore and snapping people with standout style.

This means there won't be any jeans or hotpants-wearing people in my edition (unless it is revolutionist!), so only ladies and gents with super stylish, original and most importantly individual looks will make it to Sing Style.

Name: Andrew Tay

Age: 30

Occupation: Men’s Fashion Designer

Outfit: All from his own collection (Chota at Illuma)

Shoes: Red Wings

Your style in 3 words: Depends on mood

Favourite shopping outlet: CineLeisure in Orchard

Style tip for the guys: Be more adventurous!

Andrew’s look screams attitude and individuality. Not just that he designed the clothes, but also his cross-body bag, funky hair style (some serious mullet!) and those glasses are just so cool! The key to this look is the oversized t-shirt peeking through which adds extra depth to the ensemble. The perfect answer to the challenge of layering in Singapore’s humidity.

---

Name: Justin Quek

Age: 31

Occupation: Store manager, Ninos Felices

Outfit: All from Ninos Felices, Cathay Mall

Your style in 3 words: simple, neat and sharp

Favourite shopping outlet: The Cathay mall and Haji Lane

Style tip for the guys: Add more colour!

Justin Quek works the tailored shorts with shirt combo (which is not uncommon with trendy Singaporeans now) but the splashes of colour in the belt, watch and shoes give it an extra twist. He owns it! What makes the outfit work is the colour/formality clash in the shoes which complements the short/shirt combination. If you’re going to rock this look you should pay particular attention to the shoes.

If you like what Andrew and Justin are wearing, make sure you keep checking the blog. I will be featuring both local boutiques (Chota and Ninos Felices) in future posts very soon!! Watch this space!

Saba7 El Kher Singapura! (Good morning Singapore!)

Bonjour Singapore!

Ok just to clarify, no I’m not French. But, I am Lebanese. So if you don’t already know, in our dialect we also use ‘Bonjour’ to greet each other in the morning (We are Frenchies at heart). And don’t ask why! But to be fair we have also added our own twist to it and owned it, so for example we say ‘Bonjourik’ or ‘Bonjourak’, which literally means ‘your Good Morning’ addresing a female in the first and a male subject in the second. Or if someone greets us with ‘Bonjour’ our answer would be ‘Bonjouren’ meaning ‘TWO Bonjours’. Talk about Lebanese generosity!

Anyways I promise you this is not going to be a blog about linguistics or anything of that sort. Bonjour Singapore is my first (and very belated) attempt to blog about things I’m passionate about like fashion and shopping, focusing mainly on Singapore and Asian-based labels, designers, boutiques and anything I discover along the way.

Having just settled in the city few weeks ago, still looking for a job, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to start my blog for sharing tips, learning more and discovering things about my new home city Singapore.

Just as a disclaimer before we start, I am in no way trying to reinvent the wheel here so don’t expect Anna Wintour attitude from me :-) It will be more on the lighter side even cynical sometimes as I cannot help myself.

But don’t get me wrong, even though I don’t take fashion (or myself) too seriously, I can get obsessive sometimes over an irresistible pair of pumps or err… a certain Prada banana monkey print dress. Regarding the later, since seeing it on the runway last year, I literally kept googling ‘banana-monkey-Prada-dress’ almost on weekly basis until one sample came up on ebay from a trusted seller, so I snatched it right away and now I have the dress I went bananas for right here in my closet waiting for the right occasion to make its debut.

I simply enjoy fashion and all beautiful (and bold!) things regardless of the label or price tag. It is like art to me but I get to wear it as well. I also love bargain hunting and online shopping and I am quite good at it. The proof: I snatched my gorgeous vintage Valentino wedding dress for less than quarter its original price last year, and I own a closet full of designer clothes and shoes mostly bought for less than half their original price! And NO I never buy fakes!!!

I’m looking forward to this e-journey to discover the best of Singapore fashion and shopping and share my best tips and discoveries with you.  And I do hope you get to enjoy this as much as I will and share your opinions and tips with me and I get to share mine.

Singapore here I come!!!