Hey guys, I havent blogged for a long time, so sorry about that.
*WARNING: Im gonna be really wordy, but if you take the time to read this you might find that it is worth it.... But oh God a fashion post without pictures is like Lady Gaga without her 10 inch heels....... it just aint right. Anyway...
Today's post is gonna be about how I perceive style, as well as what I think of the Singapore fashion scene (plus some of my own rules when it comes to clothes for anyone who is willing to let me share). It is actually inspired by the bus ride I had just today on the way to the IT fair.
I was clad in a leopard print top, some acid wash mini shorts and my usual black blazer, along with my black boots (mah babies) and some strange accessories that I threw on. Pretty rocker huh? Then, I inched nearer towards the end of the bus, and saw two Indian women wearing very similar (and yet so different) outfits to mine. You know the top where it's black, but has leopard print at the buttons area and the collar? Very typical bugis merchandise. Yeah, that and dark wash jeans and some nordic print tote paired with flats. (I guess these women were BFFs or sisters, they wore the exact same thing)
We looked totally different, and i think i looked kind of better :P Although my fats were bursting out of those shorts but that is a totally different matter altogether..... (excuses)
What is so different about our outfits that made us look so different from each other? Maybe it is our way of thinking.
How I perceive style is that it should be a form of expression. What are you trying to tell people when you dress this way? Oh and now you might think: That's how everyone in fashion thinks. Well, for me, I'm trying to express my emotions and play a character all at the same time. One day I am totally dark, angry and vengeful, so I would wanna be a mysterious goth vampire, another day I am feeling really happy and sweet, and my ladylike, cute persona comes out, and on other days I just cant be bothered about anything else except to just chillax, and a rock star it is.
Of course, I would be lying if I said that I dont put a lot of thought in putting together my outfits. My outfits are almost to the point where they can become stage costumes, but I try to wear them tastefully such that they are still suitable for everyday life, so as you can see, I have a huge task to handle.
It wasnt only until last year that I started to think this way. Before that, it was a long hard struggle of trying to fit in, buying all the teenage fashion magazines in desperation of finding trendy stuff that other people will consider fashionable. Looking back at my past fashion choices, I never fail to facepalm at those. Good God, what the fuck were you thinking Theodora?
Then, in Sec 3, I was introduced to ViVi, and thats where fashion started to make more sense to me. What it was about the outfits that made Japan one of the six main powerhouses of fashion. In sec 4, I started deviating from the sweet, girly styles of the Japanese to the more sophisticated, elegant fashion of the runway. I knew that the clothes from runway set the trend every season, but they were the work of such talented, famous designers. Their creativity knows no bounds (wait that is another debate altogether, fashion is accused of being on repeat coz designers cant come up with anything new lmao). Whatever it is, they set the rules in the industry, and I very much wanted to break out of those chains, I just didnt know how.
I gotta give thanks to lookbook for introducing me to SO many amazing people, like Bobby Raffin, Adam Gallagher, Shan S, Luanna P, Lina Tesch and Bebe Zeva, because they have all taught me one thing: FUCK the rules, you can do whatever you wanna do and look good and stylish. Anyway, it seems like I have been preaching this over and over again, but the thing is, not many people GET IT. Everyone still goes back to the same old, same old, especially in Singapore. Everyone follows the trends, and not even in the right way. Afraid of getting bashed or stomped, fashion has become rigid. Well, below are some tips on how to conform and yet deviate in terms of style that I have sort of invented. Not necessarily true for other people though.
My current 'rules' that I follow (I made them up myself, and I think it serves me very well):
1. Stay far. far. far. away from local blogshops. Eg. KISSjane, Eternityloft, Miss Queenie, The Design Closet etc.
-The only good things they sell are work related clothes. For casuals and party clothes, the designs are way too simple and boring, and they are all in the same old colours. Oh, and also because they use the same fabric for almost every single piece they manufacture, and not that it is of very good quality (crumples far too easily), nor is it very well made.
- at least 70% of women in Singapore think that these clothes are the 'in' thing, so to set yourself apart, you shouldnt be buying those clothes.
- some local bloggers even get the COLOURS wrong when promoting these items. One example is a top that is a shade of lime and that particular blogger put it as mustard. FAIL
2. Quality, quality, quality.
- It is not advisable to purchase stuff that are really cheap because they come apart after wearing them a couple of times, and the designs arent really pleasing to the eye in the first place.
- Well, I kind of close one eye to clothes like tops, shorts and skirts because I cant afford expensive fast fashion. Besides, I get good deals at Bugis for these items. BUT, for clothes like jackets, blazers, jeans/pants, I dont usually spend less than $40 (the bare minimum) on them. These pieces of clothing will last you forever, best to get some good expensive ones than some fugly looking cheap ones that wont last long.
- Oh, and SHOES, it really depends. High heels and boots: Minimum $35. Better ones cost around $100 plus as can be seen in high-street brands. Dont scrimp on shoes! However, slippers/flip-flops: maximum you should be spending is probably $10. They all look the same, whether they are from the market or from Havanias. Which brings me to my next point....
3. NO FLIP FLOPS. NO WAY.
- This is the one trend in Singapore i REALLY don't get. Why cant you slip into a pair of cute flats or sneakers or even some well designed sandals when there are so many designs available in the market? WHY FLIP FLOPS? Are you just too damn lazy to tie the shoelaces or reach down to buckle the sandal?
- This is the number one type of shoe that makes you look sloppy. IMO, its worse than crocs. And crocs is said to be the number one way of protecting yourself from getting laid.
- Talking about this, one local blogger did a photoshoot for a local blogshop in SLIPPERS. Yeah, sure, they might be from Old Navy, but they are slippers. Nobody should EVER do that, it is a hideous insult to the fashion world.
- Well, the only time we are ever allowed to wear these things are to the wet market, and the beach.
4. Look for interesting details.
- Whether its the fabric, the embellishments, the print or even the design, each piece of clothing you own should have some interesting elements to it that makes it unique. As for me, I love lace. White, black, mint, empress, french, floral, crochet, all kinds of lace. Oh, and I love tulle and leather too. These are the fabrics I cant live without. Prints like leopard and florals are a no brainer, just choose those that arent too mainstream or too flashy.
- Im really into graphic tees nowadays, any kind of tee that has a vintage vibe will make me wanna pounce on it ASAP. Just recently I bought a black Marilyn Monroe printed tee, a Rolling Stones tee (RARE LIKE FUUU, its selling for like 100 plus on eBay, but I got it at a reaaaaalllly good price ;) ), and a slogan like graphic tee. I really want to get the Guns and Roses tee from H&M, but dunno whether it has already sold out.... :( vintage tees FTW!
5. The right colour combinations are extremely important.
-Another mistake that many people make is that they think you can pair any coloured dress with any coloured shoes. And the result is horrifying. That is why I still look towards runways for the colour trends occasionally.
- I saw a girl wearing a mint green dress with bright red and white flats the other day, and i was facepalming to no end. Yeah, I can tell that she is trying to be trendy by colourblocking, but girl, do it in the right way. I believe that when colour blocking, the colours should come under the same family, like bright with bright and pastels with pastels. Not unless you are a pro and know exacly what you are doing, like those from the arts who work with colour daily. Only they can pull it off.
- My favourite colour combinations are pastels and black. Baby pink, lavender, beige, lemon, even mint goes so well with black. And im taking into consideration my hair. Its my most important accessory. And its black. I also think monochrome colours go well with gold, but I prefer to not mix any other colour with black and white.
-Sometimes, I even just go with all black or all white ensembles. It isnt boring, unlike what many people think. You can do so much just by changing the fabrics, textures and designs. Imagine, A sexy leather and lace dress with black booties and a black floppy hat, and all of a sudden a garish metallic hot pink clutch comes outta nowhere and scares everybody. Not a very good idea.
-Oh, and the worst colour combi is black and brown. It was a fashion rule before that was apparently broken, but I choose to stick to that rule. It is seen on way too many people, especially ah lians, in Singapore. And it doesnt look good at all. Well it did, 5 years ago when nobody knew about it.
6. Get inspiration online.
-Unfortunately, Singapore aint New York, where everywhere you turn, there is something new and happening. Singapore is a very trendy place, but not necessarily unique. Well, we have something called the internet now, and there are tons of images for you to dig and search, you just need to put in the effort. For me, I love fairytales and renaissance art, and more recently more rock and death metal images. You can get so much more from an artwork than a picture of someone's outfit.
7. Last, but I think the most important, TAKE RISKS.
- Yeah, even I look like a wreck sometimes, but it is so much better to look way out of the box than sticking to the usual, the conventions, and the norms and look totally boring. If u wanna rock something, do it! Be free. (By the way, when I say free, I mean staying far away from local blogshops. Really.)
Yepp. This is the end of my super wordy post. Thanks for reading patiently for those who really did! :) As for those who didnt..... oh well, its alright. Lol.
See ya next time lovelies! <3
Theodora~
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