#WILDFORJUICY

On the 24th October during my short trip home to Singapore, I was fortunate enough to attend Juicy Couture's newest store opening in Singapore in none other than the prestigious "Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands" on the Canal Level of the glitzy shoppe-ing mall. Occupying a luxurious 1,800 square feet of decadence, femininity and Los-Angeles cool, all media representatives and fashion enthusiasts at the event enjoyed delicious refreshments, catchy tunes by the one and only Linda Hao (owner of YESAH, half of DJ TWOFACE) and a preview of the sparkling store space. The interiors are characterized by a much more directional aesthetic, including highlights such as crystal chandeliers, herringbone floors and stunning decorative moldings which add a high-end touch of refined elegance to an otherwise youthful, spontaneous brand. Another focus of the event was Juicy Couture's latest fragrance, Viva La Juicy Noir. A more sensual, smoky and dark expression of the original sweet notes of Viva La Juicy, this fragrance is a definite must-have for those who express their iconic personal style loudly and proudly - it certainly ain't for the faint-hearted!
 

A spectacular event is never complete without an equally star-studded guest list, and leave it to Bless Inc Asia to bring along Singapore's biggest fashion icons such as Daniel Boey, Sheila Sim and Asia's Next Top Model runner-up Sofia Wakabayashi to the event. Hosted by an equally fabulous pair of MTV Asia VJs Alan Wong and Hanli Hoefer, there couldn't have been more excitement and charisma overflowing in any event - plus, they were all dressed to kill. My two girlfriends and accompaniments for the event were a little (or a lot!) smitten for Alan, and I hit it off really well with Hanli, who is just as sweet as she is beautiful. We went to the same school (each for ten years) so we had plenty to talk about! She also gave me some enlightening, professional advice about my modelling career, which I thoroughly appreciated and was honored to receive.

"Famous for ascending the pink tracksuit to its status as a casual luxury icon, Juicy Couture has grown today into a global hit, with an assortment of fashion apparel for women, girls and babies, including handbags, shoes, intimates, swimwear, fragrance, accessories, jewelry, sunglasses, and small leather goods. The brand continues to evolve, bringing the same confident and feminine attitude to everything it creates." - Bless Inc Asia

As well as mingling with all the famous names in fashion, I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with some dear friends I hold close to my heart, namely Sara-Ann K, Katherine of Bubbamama, Kara Bensley of WYLD Agencies, blogger Yovani Turner and more. I wore a geometric printed blazer courtesy of wholesale7.net, a white blouse courtesy of Threepurs, wedges from Primark, lucite clutch courtesy of style.in.kind and a blue skirt from Lace and Ebony.

The fun didn't stop at fashion celebrities, a directional new store and the clothes themselves - there were also a series of super fun games, activities and lucky draws for guests to enjoy! Whether you wanted your initials in rhinestones on a hot pink Juicy Couture badge, or you fancied taking a guess at the missing scent (sandalwood or cinnamon) from Viva la Juicy Noir in order to stand a chance to win a bottle of the delicious perfume, there was so much to do and we had so much fun doing all of it. My favorite aspect of the event was the insta-printer, which provided memorable little printouts of any Instagram pictures hashtagged #jcsingapore and #wildforjuicy. There was an Instagram competition run as well, and the lucky winners would each receive a Juicy Couture watch! I couldn't believe my luck when I found out that I was one of the lucky winners! 

What do you think of Juicy Couture? If you're in Singapore, make sure you stop by and check out the gorgeous new store at the Canal Level of The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands!

#AFF2012 part 3: roland mouret.

Roland Mouret's Fall/Winter collection was packed to the brim with all things wonderful: cool sorbet hues, sophisticated peplum separates, and some of the most ingenious tailoring I have ever seen. I particularly enjoyed the mash-up of menswear-inspired, tailored outerwearand feminine, pastel shift dresses.Seeing this collection right before my eyes (from the third row!) during the Audi Fashion Festival might have left me a little biased, but this collection will forever resonate in my mind as proof that an array of simple pieces can really make an impact.

For an under-ten-minute long show, the collection ticked a LOT of boxes. From effortlessly simple shift dresses to fur-topped pastel hued outfits, every ensemble that was sent down the runway possessed something from the greater scope of things; at least one recurring element drawn from Mouret’s initial inspiration. In other words, there were no “filler” pieces just to pass the time; each ensemble was brutally conciseand adhered firmly to a set of motifs, fabrics, colors and tailoring styles to create a solid collection with a strong aesthetic identity. I’ve picked out a few of my favourite trends within this collection and collaged them below:

I love the interesting architectural quality of the crossover-neck. 

Think of it as a scarf, I guess. With a bolder “twist.” (pun intended!)

Voluminous fur, meet sorbet hues and pastel peplum. Probably one of the most unexpected combinations in this collection, but definitely a favorite of mine. There’s actually nothing cuter than a peek of peplum or a flap-pocket underneath a huge ball of fur (that somehow manages to still look chic). Roland, I don’t know how you do it.

Another fabulous highlight of the collection – a succulent abundance of masculine tailoring in various forms: fitted, slouchy, or tweaked to look girly. The angularshoulders and no-fuss colors made ‘borrowing from the boys’ something we ladies should contemplate doing more often.

This is the part where the girls bring out their scissors, needle-and-thread and pastel colored dye; menswear is about to get a whole new look. Whoever thought muted, manly office-wear could be so intimately related with such gloriously girly confections? Along with his fantabulous team of seamstresses, Mouret has managed to whip up a plethora of different neckline designs for each ensemble. While the peplum dress on the extreme right boasts pleated puffy shoulders, the electric-white pantsuit next to it (center right) has a lovely loose fit but a wide, creased shoulder to raise the bar. The blue ensemble (centre left) possesses a delicately folded bust and shoulder, reminiscent of the elegant Japanese paper-folding art form: origami.

Another super-great thing (gosh, I could go on forever gushing about my love for this collection) about Mouret’s AW2012 line is that it sticks to an exclusive color palette, which is echoed and recreated through the whole collection in ways that really did make my jaw drop. Take that shapeless lemony frock paired with knee-high boots, for instance. Gorgeous color, light fabric, and the ruched shoulders and crinkled neckline are super feminine. Now, on the far right we have another ensemble featuring the stunning fluorescent hue. A restructured, slouchy take on the modern blazer, this unusually long piece of outerwear is equipped with lethally tailored broad shoulders, and a sharp pair of pants to match. And there you have it, a floaty, DVF-esque dressand a sleeveless, slouchy blazer-type-thing-which-still-qualifies-as-super-cool, both coated in the same, delicious color. Roland Mouret is definitely one to conjure up ingenious juxtapositions of his own designs (and present them within the same collection), which give every collection of his an authentic feel. 

Sorry that this post was months late (AFF was ages ago), I totally forgot about it but I still really wanted to share it. Hope you enjoyed!

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xx v.

the faces of fashion.

I've always really liked the concept of a brand choosing a "face" or an "ambassador," someone to live out the brand's ethos and be a human embodiment of what the brand is all about. It's almost like a game of translating a brand's aesthetic into a series of physical and emotional characteristics and traits, and finding a celebrity/model who bears the most resemblance to those characteristics. Having a real, walking representation of a perfume, item of makeup or seasonal collection adds a whole new dimension to its meaning - and makes it that much cooler. Below, I've picked 5 of my favourite model-brand partnerships: 

1. Abbey Lee Kershaw x Flora by Gucci

(source)

At first glance, Abbey Lee Kershaw is anything but a flower-girl. Her gap-toothed smile could complement a shabby plaid & denim farmer's ensemble, and her piercing eyes would definitely work with a tough biker-chic facade, but the last things I pictured Abbey posing with were a bunch of flowers and one of Gucci's girliest scents. I'm glad to say I was pleasantly surprised by this ad campaign; given the correct styling and makeup such as that in the picture above, Abbey's striking features add a powerful, feminine aura to the soft, floral perfume. 

2. Gisele Bundchen x Givenchy

 (source)

This smouldering Brazilian beauty looks absolutely unstoppable in Givenchy's ultra-cool s/s2012 ad campaign. The sophisticated ensembles on Bundchen and her two beaus look smashing against the gloomy backdrop of a stormy sky, and her free-flowing blonde locks create a great contrast with the knife-sharp aesthetic of the collection. Normally I associate the bubbly blonde beauty with her beachy iPanema shoe collection, so this campaign was both a surprising and refreshing addition to my mental picture of Gisele.

3. Miranda Kerr x Reebok

(source)
I absolutely fell in love with Miranda's campaign with Reebok. The stunning VS Angel clearly proves that her assets can be flaunted in ways other than just in lingerie. The sporty look is amazing on her (well, she's Miranda Kerr. What doesn't look good on her?!) and her smoking feline looks add a healthy smidgeon of sexiness to the sportswear brand. I don't know about you, but Reebok is suddenly a whole lot more appealing to me now!

4. Sheila Sim x SKII

 (source)
I'm so biased towards Sheila Sim; she's such a babe. After seeing her walk in two shows at Singapore's Audi Fashion Festival 2012, I suddenly felt so proud of Singapore for cultivating such a star. Her charismatic, bubbly smile makes me just want to reach out and hug her! SK-II definitely chose the right face - she's naturally radiant and possesses an elegance and dignity that is sadly growing rarer in this industry.

5. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley x Marks and Spencers

(source)
I was originally convinced that this curvaceous lingerie model was far too promiscuous and sexy for home-y brand Marks and Spencers, however when all was concealed by uber-conservative-British clothing at the M&S Autograph campaign shoot, Huntington-Whiteley's English rose features took the spotlight, and she looked absolutely stunning in toned-down hues and timeless silhouettes. 
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What do you guys think of these campaigns and the models that were chosen to star in them?

Don't forget to place your vote in my new poll on the right hand sidebar!

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#AFF2012 part 2 - zac posen.

"Asia as a whole is so important to my design, to my business, to my personal aesthetic and culture."

Elaborate floor-grazing gowns of every delicious hue accompanied by office-chic power suits for the modern contemporary woman, Zac Posen delivered a lip-smacking, saliva-inducing double collection (Pre-Fall and Fall/Winter 2012!) on the penultimate night of Singapore's Audi Fashion Festival 2012. His runway preview, as well as the pre-show excitement buzzing in the Tent@Orchard, was nothing short of a wondrous affair, with socialites, editors, style enthusiasts and local celebrities dotted around on the red carpet, clutching glistening flutes of champagne and mingling with the stars... And, of course, maintaining perfect composure under the merciless flash-photography attacks of the paparazzi.

 (I'm proud to say that I, too, was subjected to the utter "torture" of having my picture taken by the paps. Sigh, life's tough.)

I hate to start my review with a piece of criticism, but I do think this is worth sharing: Although the individual pieces were absolutely stunning, I do think that a little more time, effort and resources could be put into expanding the existing collection(s) even further by exploring a wider range of stylistic techniques and fabrics, and drawing inspiration from a larger scope of sources. I purposely decided to include the 4 pictures above in a collage together because I think they collectively represent the essence of Posen's collections (I probably should've thrown in a fiery hued dress for oriental measure, too...): Evening dresses, power suits and the occasional textured separate. I know that sounds harsh and abrupt, but throughout the whole show, I felt like I was waiting for something that would really strike a chord and bring the audience to their feet. The power suits brought a smile to my face, as did the genius idea of layering a luxury fur pullover on top of a voluptuous tailed skirt, so I can't help but wish I saw more ingenuity and uniqueness. I felt that Posen played it safe by playing up his signature strengths (in the form of evening gowns), even though he had the potential to impress his audience equally as much by taking bolder risks.

  And with that short complaint over - I'm pleased to begin the next phase of this lengthy post, which will be flowing with nothing short of the highest praise for Posen's glittering creations. Promise.

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 In an interview with BBC, Zac Posen spoke of the increasing influence that Asia possesses over his designs and his aesthetic. He certainly isn't just full of talk; the evidence of Asian inspiration was profoundly significant, and pulsated through the entire collection. As intense Adele violin instrumentals blared, the show kicked off with understated LBD's (Long Black Dresses, that is), and graduated into the first dose of saturated red gowns, reminiscent of Chinese prints and oriental motifs. Both the atmosphere and the music both cooled down a few notches as a series of tailored ensembles in sub-zero hues unfolded onto the runway. Taffeta silk tails blazed the trail the entire night, with unique silhouettes and inventive collar-cuts following close behind. Icy chandelier earrings embellished each and every million-dollar look by adding a few more zeroes to their price tags, as well as leaving remnants of tiny, sparkling reveries for the audience to devour. Although the venue remained understated and simple, the high-octane glamour was enough to leave the entire room tent ablaze with explosions of fluorescent fabric and dazzling diamonds.

 

 Posen's authentic showcase was the first proper "Fashion Week" show that I have ever attended, and judging by the hyperventilating, giggly state I returned home in, it certainly wasn't going to be the last. I am proud to say that I returned to that very same tent with even more juvenile enthusiasm the following night for the grand finale that bid farewell to AFF2012 - Roland Mouret. A post on that is coming soon!

photo credits to audi fashion festival singapore

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