ELECTRIC DREAM

Neon! Your colour so bright it doesn't even matter how hard you try. (In case you're wondering, I'm channeling Linkin Park's 'In The End') You won't be missed in a crowd. In actual fact, you get all the attention you want: good or bad? It doesn't matter, does it?

Neon coloured clothing is very tricky to play with. It's a hit or miss. And that's two extreme ends of the style spectrum where only the adventurous can take on. Then comes a refreshing colour-combi: neon yellow and red. Who knew it could be a perfect match. I never thought the two colours will go so well together until I bumped into Pia.

Pia, Central Saint Martens undergraduate, half of womenswear label, SWITCH, intern-to-be of haute couture line, On Aura Tout Vu, has LOADS under her fashion belt. She's also our local street style star known for her eclectic and unexpected ootds, not forgetting her ever-changing hairstyles. Spiked, shaved, bangs, bob, green, blonde, name it, Pia has it. 

In this ootd in particular, the limelight is on her quirky neon yellow tee for sure. Its round neckline may look slightly casual but Pia amped it up by drawing eyes to her bob haircut and statement earrings. Keeping the colour-blocking to three colours - neon yellow, red and white - is great (or rather, just nice) for her ensemble without going overboard. 

Style Tip: Add glamour to your casual tee by pairing it with either statement earrings (preferably for short hair) or necklace (long hair), not both. 

Here's the roundup: Top from Korea, Topshop earrings, Zara pants, Celine bad and shoes from online.

Follow Pia and her ootds on Instagram at @piajacqueline.

Psst! If you're a McQueen fan like me, you're in for a treat!

BASIC SPACE

I like Jamie. I like her vibe. I like her style. I like what she does - she is half the brainchild of Singaporean unisex label, 20:TWOTHREE and part of the barbering/creative team of Heist.

I first met Jamie at Zouk's Flea more than a year ago. I like how she creates two different seasonal looks thou wearing the same sheer skirt. Black may be Jamie's wardrobe staple but she still explores other styles by matching it with a variety of prints and textures. 

Style Tip: If you must have something black in your ootd, the best way to freshen it up is to add something of a unique print or texture or colour to your ensemble. 

Let's go back to her Fall look. Jamie prefers to go clean and edgy with the essentials such as her structured sling bag and wears no accessories of any sort. I'm a big fan of her oversized coat. It has a very soft and interesting layering at the back (very versatile!) and it looks great on guys too!

Here's the roundup: 20:TWOTHREE coat, thrifted skirt and bag, Cheap Monday shoes, socks from Japan.

RIGHT ON TIME

First things first: who needs a watch when you have Mimi's Prada bracelet? Whether is it fixed at 7:25 a.m or p.m. (though we would rather prefer for it to be in the evening, don't we?), it's just brilliant how with simply four studs, a few leather pieces and one hell of a genius design concept (that probably only the biggest fashion houses can think of), a faux watch bracelet is created which many would exchange their actual working watch for.

Mimi is the proud owner of the leather timepiece (it's a gift, btw) and also a vintage Louis Vuitton bucket bag that, again, I'm sure many would die for. A hand-me-down from her stylish mother, the bag saw a replica of its sort at the recent Balenciaga SS'13 show - a clear justification that classic shapes transcend various fashion eras. The VIP manager of Avalon wears a two-tone dress with cute flower cut-outs from Korea and shoes from Pedro. Don't you just love her stand out combination of black and red?



With the Golden Globes ending on a high note, here's a non-fashion related shout out to Christopher Waltz for winning Best Supporting Actor for Django Unchained! Catch it if you haven't!

About A Girl.

There's something special about Josephine that intrigues me. It's more than just her androgynous look. I love her hair, her clothes, her tattoo on her arm, her look, her brown eyes and especially her laid-back vibe. Leggings as pants, a fashion faux pas? Josephine definitely pulls it off just fine.

 

I like her clutch too! It's a great mix of circle and diamond hardwares with subtle zig-zag lines, and guess what? It's from City Plaza! I'm sure a lot of you have been there and snag loads of deals already. Good for you. My turn now! Maybe, next weekend? 

Here's the roundup: her cropped top and leggings are from Bangkok, clutch from City Plaza and sandals from Cotton On. 

I forgot to ask her where she got her fox thumbring from! Dang!

Style Lessons from NYFW #3.

Style Lesson #3: T-shirt & Pants Are Best Friends.  

Shades and shoes come along thereafter. Make sure you wear shoes not flats or heels or crocs or something else. Also, I meant high-waist pants. Yes, as simple as that. Just keep those T-shirts either tight-fitting or (if they are too big) fold the sleeves up to show off those toned arms. Whether is your hair up or down, or your pants folded up (it's sexy ankles time!) or down, this look is perfect for a casual day out. 

Lace Love: Those black lace pants (right). If you know where I can find those, do tell! 

Style Lesson #2: Matching Suits & Heels For All.

Style Lesson #1: Keep your childhood in your childhood.

Casual Chic.

Sometimes, all you need is basic clothing and let your accessories do the talking. 

I'm totally in love with makeup artist, Cheryl's style. As simple as using a scarf to pull her hair back to her rocking arm party (don't get me started) and her shiny oxfords, I feel so inspired I need to embark on my very own arm party search and give my oxfords a good polish! 

Cheryl has not one but TWO Alexander McQueen skull bracelets (I want)! I love how she mixes her bracelet collections with oriental designs, random tribal ones and the badass McQueens. Her blue oriental beaded bracelet was given by her husband, renown bespoke tailor and womenswear designer, Kevin Seah, while the jade bangle right above the oriental one (it's 10 years old btw) is her first jade purchase.

Headscarf and top, Cotton On; Glasses, Andy Wolf; Belt and pants, Kevin Seah Bespoke; Bag, Ling Wu; Arm Candies, Alexander McQueen, Pandora Box, Amen and others; Shoes, Church's.

I have to admit, I have a thing for fashionable couples. 

Style Lessons from NYFW #2.

Style Lesson #2: Matching Suits & Heels For All.

Are you a fan of matchy-matchy suits? Well, I am. And add a dosage of sky-high heels to that! During NYFW, I've spotted bright suits, floral suits, monochrome suits, printed suits and a whole lot a of variety of suits. I mean, this trend has been going on for a couple of seasons already, but where else can you find both men and women in their suits, strutting their stuff in HEELS? Only in NYFW.

Lose that spoiler: I love his oriental floral suit and of course, him feeling more comfortable in those heels than I do! But, I'll lose that bohemian sling (you don't want to crumple that blazer of yours, don't ya?) and pair it with a sleek clutch like Lauren Santo Domingo on the left. Tres chic!

Style Lesson #1: Keep your childhood in your childhood.

Rock Chic.

It's hard to wear a two-tone vest without looking like a jester. I like how Cherry matches her black and white vest with an all-white ensemble. With that, her outfit certainly makes her jet black cropped hair stands out too. Of course, to complete a rock chic look, you can't leave out a statement chain mill necklace like hers.  

Currently studying Fashion Marketing at NAFA, Cherry is serving her internship for a semester at Club 21. A Topshop fan she is, her top, shirt and necklace are all from Topshop, vest is from Taiwan and her see-through oxfords are from A Lodge.

I would love to own a pair like this but given my sweaty feet, I'm not sure if I'll feel as comfortable with the plastic sticking onto my feet. :(

Black Beauty.

One main reason why editors Taylor Tomasi Hill, Kate Lanphear, Anna Dello Russo and Giovanna Battaglia are the new celebrities of the fashion scene has got to be the growth of street style photography. Given their expertise in fashion and style, there isn't why they have gained a cult following. More photos = more publicity = more coverage = more fans = more shopping = more $$$$.

After so many seasons and so many shot of the same faces, it's about time to make room for 'newcomers'. So when I found out that Singaporean editors have caught the eyes of Tommy Ton and The Sartorialist, I know it's time.

Here is Female Singapore fashion writer, Caroline Suganda with her fresh cropped hair and all-black ensemble. You got to admit, the all-black outfit never gets out of style. There's still mysteriously cool thing about black that no one can resists! I remember meeting her first at our very own version of Fashion Nights Out, Fashion Steps Out @ Orchard, and since then I've been trying to grab hold of her for a shot. I'm not sure how open the local editors are but I had a bad experience with one from a major magazine. 

Caroline is wearing Maison Martin Margiela top, Reckless Ericka skirt, Alexander Wang bag, Ray-ban and cute cut-out oxfords from Korea. Don't you like how she mixes designs from all over the world? I give her an extra thumb-up for supporting local label, Reckless Ericka!

Then the question comes, cropped hair or long feminine tresses? I definitely can't pull off Givenchy sweater as well as her, prolly gonna sweat my ass off in our crazy weather. But I think she rocks in both. 

Sheer Delight.

Spotting a well-dressed person is no biggie in Singapore, well at least during our Fashion Festival last month, but a well-dressed couple? Hardly any! (And girls, drop those high-waist super short shorts already. You all look the same.)

Let's just say I've seen Faith & Kevin around during the fashion month last year, I did photograph them for FashForward.com but it was just a stop-shot-and-go moment and I didn't get the chance to talk to them. This time round, I knew I had to find out more.

So Faith is a first year business undergraduate and Kevin is still serving the army (more about him in the next post!). I love how she uses a light sheer dress from Shakuhachi and layer over a thin sweater from H&M. (See! Layering is possible in our sweaty stinky humid Singapore) Then come the eye-popping citron none other than Proenza Schouler sling bag and jet black Sam Edelman shoes. Sometimes, all you need is one striking colour to complete your entire look and Faith's outfit hits the spot. Plus, you can keep those high-waist super short shorts back to your drawer.

Konnichiwa!

I first met celebrity street style photographer, Rei Shito at Audi Fashion Festival last year. She was seated in front of me and we were waiting for a show to start. I jumped into the opportunity and got her for a quick interview for Singapore's first fashion show live streaming site, FashForward.com. It's crazy how fast a year has passed and we met again at the festival this year.

I love how effortless chic her over-sized denim jacket matches with her floral shorts. It's a great mix from of masculine and feminine pieces. My favourite? Her uber cute and wide smile! I'm sure you agree with me that the Japanese are one of the most friendly and hospitable people. I can totally feel her excitement and energy just looking at this photo. 

Rei-san, can't wait to see you next year!

Screw It!

So you've seen my Mandarin Gallery guy and here's my gurl. I sorta chased her for two levels of the shopping mall for this. It's like one of the street style photography moments where you just knew you wanted to photograph somebody and ran after him or her cause you know you'll get a good shot. Unfortunately, I lost all her details when my iPhone died. But what I can remember was that she was waiting to start her degree as an accountant. Straightaway, I thought if only all accountants could wear something like her, other than the boring suits and pencil skirts. 


The skirt-over-dress trend is certainly one hard to translate from the runway to the realway. It's pretty amazing how she could pull it off so easily here. Layering can be a pain in the butt here in Singapore but she did it nicely wearing leather over a thin sheer dress. And this is not it. You gotta see the details! Not just the accessories, her turquoise-mani-and-blue-pedi combo is just so pretty.

Is this nail cuff cool or what? I am totally in love with it the moment I saw it. I would advise DIY-ing with a long nail isn't a good idea but I was so tempted to do so! If you know where I can buy this, please share!