Style Harmony

This is my favourite time of the year! This is the period where fashion week kicks off and all the boutiques and malls are putting out their new fashion arrivals and runway shows. Magazines are saturated with reports and updates on the latest fashion labels in town, trends and fashion advice. From colour blocking to nautical prints to wedges and more, there are so many things to buy! And I know for many of you out there, it can be overwhelming looking at all these trends but not knowing what to buy. Let’s not get too emotional and start rushing out on a shopping spree simply because it is the “IN” thing or on “SALE”! Truth be told, sometimes women (me included!) buy stuff only to regret later because we do not know what to match it with or it didn’t look that great afterall! Well, it is not about buying but rather, ask yourself how can the new purchase(s) add value to your current wardrobe and personal style? Here are my expert picks for this season (see photo below, clockwise), which I feel is evergreen and easy to coordinate.

1. Rolled up cropped jeans – A stylish alternative to bermudas and sweat pants. You can roll the hem up or down! Roll it down and wear a trench jacket over it for a dress down Friday and roll it up for the weekends. Cropped jeans will flatter women with shorter legs. I love mine from Guess!
2. Nautical top – Stripes never go out of style and versatile enough to match with solid colours and other prints. I wear my multi coloured striped blouse I got from Zara with a floral kimono-styled pants.
3. Flats – Great for summer and our local climate. Flats can go with everything (except office attire, of course!) and you can show off your beautifully manicured feet:-) EVery woman needs a great looking pair of flats and I got my stylish black and camel Spartan flats from Riccino. They make great comfortable shoes!
4. Bright coloured bag – A handbag in a bright colour instantly updates your look. Pick one in your favourite hue. I found my Liz Claiborne orange clutch when I was in Manila last year. I didn’t know the label carries such cool handbags. Goes well with jeans or an evening dress.
5. Green stone earrings – Jade earrings are very trendy now. Once regarded as jewellery that only grannies wear, designers have now modernised the traditional gem and you can see Hollywood celebrities like Angelina Joilie, Eva Mendes and Beyonce sporting jade earrings. You don’t have to get a real piece of jade; there are many affordable options available in the market.
6. Nude eyeshadow – I have to talk about makeup! I just love my neutral colored eyeshadow “Powdery Nut” from the Makeup Store. It is perfect for brightening up my eyes on days when I don’t feel like putting on full eye makeup.

What’s your favourite must-have for this season?

Trend spotting: Thin belts on white dresses

You can retire your favourite thick obi belts for now. The thin belt is the “It” accessory for this Spring. It is versatile and can be worn with the latest punk, glamour and ladylike styles of this season. How to wear it:

• When worn with high waisted bell bottoms or skirts, it creates a sophisticated and chic look.
• Choose a belt in a bright spring colour like orange or turquoise to jazz up a black or neutral colour outfit.
• Belt it over a shift dress or loose cardigan to shape your waist (see picture below).
• Instead of a belt, you can also use a ribbon or lace to create a feminine effect.

Great for women with a rectangular body shape as it instantly creates a defined waist.

I was shopping for the perfect dress to wear on the first day of lunar new year. I have always make it a tradition to wear something new and special on this festive occasion. I had envisioned a long flowy dress in bright colours like orange. With barely a few hours to spend looking for that vision, I walked into POIS, a multi-label boutique that carries high fashion labels from Europe. It is one of my favourite shopping haunts for unique, quality and exclusive pieces for special occasions. I knew there was a sale for some of its past season’s collections. As I browsed through the racks of clothes, I found a few possibilities but nothing came close to one long silk dress which I spotted the last time I was there. So I was delighted that it was still there, and even better; they had one in the exact print and colours that I had in mind! Stripes are a big trend this season, especially in multi-colours. I don’t look at labels when I shop, hence I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the dress is an “ISSA”. ISSA is a label by Daniella Helayel, a Spanish born high fashion designer who most recently became even more famous when Kate Middleton, the future wife of Prince William, wore her blue ISSA dress during their engagement photocall. Thereafter, that blue dress was sold out immediately! ISSA has been worn by celebrities like Madonna, Alicia Keys, Scarlet Johansson and is a favourite label of Kate. ISSA designs are bold and colourful. Daniella Helayel’s philosophy is to design clothes that are comfortable, feminine and glamorous. I can certainly attest to that with my first (and definitely won’t be my last) ISSA dress. I felt glamorous and so comfortable in the dress; it is so soft, luxurious and wearable. You can wear it loose and with bejewelled sandals for a resort look or dress it up with a cinch belt and strappy heels. As the dress is already a big statement, all I needed was a cocktail ring to complete the look. And I got it at a great discount!:-) Ah…perfect!

Kate Middleton

issa-spring 2011

Alexander Wang

The high-waisted look is trendy for this summer. From casual denim to smart tailored shorts, wear them with a fitted top or billowy peasant blouse. High-waisted shorts are excellent for elongating the legs and to balance a longer upper torso (see photos below). It is also a great choice for your summer vacations in the tropics. But be careful if you are wider in the hips compared to the shoulders as the high-waisted shorts will emphasise your derriere and make your body look less proportionate. In this case, you may want to throw on a blazer to camouflage your hips.

Spring accessories are making its statement loud and clear. The new trend in accessories are big bold necklaces in lightweight material like lucite (see photo, left) and semi-precious gem, rock (see photo, right). Because of its transparency, these necklaces will easily go with all of spring’s prints i.e. stripes, florals, digital prints and tribal. It instantly wows your outfit! And you can pile on the layers and go for chunky bold designs as the lightness of lucite will not overwhelm even if you are on the petite side. A friend of mine recently wore layers of chunky transparent necklaces over a white top and a zebra print cardigan. So chic and fabulous looking! (Rock necklace on mannequin is available from Image Harmony. Price: SGD$80)

How delightful to smell the flowers and hear the birds singing! Sounds cheesy? Well, like it or not, dresses are it for next Spring season. The girly girl will love them! Black-and-white floral dresses are decorating the fashion runway and red carpets as seen below.

Be sure to balance the scale of the floral prints with your body scale, bone structure and facial features. If you are petite, big floral prints will overwhelm your small frame. Hence, choose a dress with smaller prints (see picture below) to achieve a harmonious balance. If you are not a fan of flowers, opt for dresses in tribal, geometric or abstract prints which are also trendy for next Spring.

Asymmetric “Cleopatra” necklace by Rebecca Yam

One of the new trends to look out for in Spring 2010 is asymmetric fashion. Designers have incorporated the asymmetric features in their creations from one shoulder dresses and  hemlines that are misproportionate to prints/ detailing that are concentrated on one side of the clothing. Asymmetric lines and shapes can be flattering and make an asymmetrical figure more balanced. The asymmetric body is camouflaged as more attention is drawn to the dramatic lines of the clothing.