Hats

It is not a custom for us living in South East Asia to wear hats.  Well yes, there are baseball caps and the occasional beach hat, but that's about it.

I find hats fascinating, but just like clothes, you have to find a hat that suits your face and head.  Then the colors and material and type of hat to suit the occasion.  For example, a straw hat may not be appropriate for a formal wedding, or a fedora to the beach.  
Here are a few hats that I love.  I think large brimmed hats are best for this tropical climate, protects your face from the sun - and it looks fashionable too!

Large brimmed hat made of synthetic fiber from Cambodia

Round hat made of paper from Australia

(Left) Fedora made of straw-like material. (Right) Super large brimmed hat.  Both in a shop in Bangkok.

Sun hat made of synthetic fiber from Cambodia

Wearing White

Lately I have been accumulating a lot of white dresses, and that's not because I have been recently married.  Part of my job is representing a brand and the brand's main color is white.  So there you have it.

Wearing white is not easy.  You can easily fall in the trap of looking like a bridesmaid, you can make it dirty in a second and the color is very difficult to care for. Oh yes, and not to forget the oh-so-wonderful VPL!

So, here are a few tips if you are considering a white dress:

Simplicity
Keep your dress simple but with just the right amount of accents.  A dress that has too many frills can look like a bridesmaid's dress. Too plain can cause the same effect too.

Be Meticulous
It will be easy if everything is made out of cotton, machine washable and bleachable.  Well, with white dresses most likely it is dry-clean only.  Keep your white dresses in dress bags to avoid too much moisture exposure.  I found that oxidation can cause the dress to have brownish spots so you want keep your dresses nicely covered.  Use padded hangers as it can reduce possibility of a snag.

Dresses (L to R): Daniel Yam, Biyan, Daniel Yam, Max Mara, Elita

Watch Your Drinks
When wearing a white dress, avoid holding or coming close to a drink with color. The last thing you want is to spill a glass of red on your dress at a party.

VPL
The one thing that is annoying about wearing a white dress is the obvious VPL.  Even a g-string will still have that 'line' going across your waist, especially when your dress is figure hugging or of clingy material.  What I usually do, and this is the safest bet so far based on experience, is to wear a girdle. Yup, not nice, not comfy, but hey, beauty comes with a price :-).   A girdle works multiple ways: it doesn't give you that embarassing VPL, it flattens your tummy, trims down your thighs and makes your dress fall and flow smoothly around your body.  Overall confidence if you ask me!

White shoes - Not!
The last thing you want is to look like a nurse.  Opt for a different color, something radical like purple or shocking pink, but avoid dark colors such as black or dark brown as it will dampened the white color and just kill the look altogether.
If you must wear something 'white', try ivory, beige, gold or silver that can nicely blend in with the dress color, but don't look like you're running to the ER.

Beautiful Batik

I was searching for a definition of "batik" on-line, and here is what I found on Wikipedia which I think is perfect: 
"Batik is a cloth that traditionally uses a manual wax-resist dyeing technique.  Javanese traditional batik, especially from Yogyakarta and Surakarta, has notable meanings rooted to the Javanese conceptualization of the universe. Traditional colours include indigo, dark brown, and white, which represent the three major Hindu Gods (Brahmā, Visnu, and Śiva). This is related to the fact that natural dyes are most commonly available in indigo and brown. Certain patterns can only be worn by nobility; traditionally, wider stripes or wavy lines of greater width indicated higher rank. Consequently, during Javanese ceremonies, one could determine the royal lineage of a person by the cloth he or she was wearing.  UNESCO designated Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on October 2, 2009. As part of the acknowledgment, UNESCO insisted that Indonesia preserve their heritage."

Until recently, the only batik I had was from my school uniforms more than 20 years ago and a dress I made in 1989.  Other than that, I had none.  Even when the batik craze crept up in Jakarta a couple of years ago, I was the least interested to join the bandwagon.  Well, I was never a fan of batik.  I think it started because part of my school uniform was batik, and I remember the material being hot, thick and un-user-friendly.  In those days, batik was used by "old people", or for weddings, and the design of the "everyday" dress was never appealing.  It seemed old, boring and not hip at all.  However, a few months ago, a friend of mine gave me a simple batik lawasan dress which had a cute style, and I started to have some interest in it.  Then, one day I was at a department store in Jakarta and came across a beautiful designed piece, and suddenly I became fond of batik.  If I were to count, for the past 2 months I went from zero to 15 dresses made of batik!

The batiks I am featuring at the top of this entry are from this online Facebook shop called Batik Centil, owned by Vegi Handayani and Idha Jacinta.  Their pieces are ready-to-wear, inexpensive and designed very tastefully.  They sell one-of-a-kind items and if the item you like is sold out, you can order it (but not in the exact same design).  I think I am lucky to have measurements the same as what they make, otherwise it will kill me to wait for my order every time!

Hello Kitty Shopping Cards

A Birkin, an off-the-shoulder blouse, a strand of pearls,  heels AND a cup of Starbucks.  So me :-P 

What can I say.  I have never grown out of Hello Kitty.

I was at the bookstore today and when we were standing in line at the check-out counter, I saw these stacks of Hello Kitty cards, packed in a set of 4, just like Match Attack cards my son loves to buy.  I picked them up and wondered what was it all about.  Curious enough, I bought a pack for $2.90 and immediately opened it up.  Inside, there were 4 transparent cards with Hello Kitty clothing items printed on them, which basically you can use to dress up your Hello Kitty card.  You get a basic Hello Kitty card - Hello Kitty in underwear (or bikini, if you want to look at it positively), 2 cards of accessories - I got a red hat with a bow and a bow with a cup, and a dress card.  You also get a little brochure that has all the items you can possibly collect.  The idea is to collect these cards, so you can endlessly mix-and-match the outfits with the accessories with the Hello Kitty.  How cool!  It is called Hello Kitty Shopping Mania, and now I can understand why it is called that, because you just want to buy the cards and keep changing Hello Kitty's outfit!  I am already looking forward to my second pack :-) Love it, love it!!

My Roaring 20s

When we were planning our wedding dinner, we wanted to have a memorable and unique theme.  We went through several era, movies, countries,...and finally agreed that the 1920s would be nice and elegant.  We tried to stay as close to the theme as possible - outfits for sure - but also the font of the place cards, the dishes served, the drinks, the way the menu is written and the entertainment and dancing (although the last one we had to forfeit because it was raining, but that is a different story).

So when it came to picking out a dress, you would have thought, oh that must be easy. Not!  For one, only after sending out the invitations and determining the dress code I realized that I don't look good in a flapper dress! So I had to search high and low for an option other than a flapper dress that fits the 1920s theme but at the same time suits me.  I did my research on the internet and basically the key is to have a low or no waist dress.  So here I was on a quest on a Saturday afternoon down Orchard Rd.  The dress I found was actually not flattering on the rack.  The color was this off beige - can't really tell if it was planned to be white, beige, peach or what - and the cut looked really "auntie".  But then when I tried it on, it looked really nice on me (or so I think :)). Then I went home and paired it with super long strands of pearls, a feather in my hair, a bob hair cut and red nails and lipstick. It just did it!  For the guys? Just a slim-cut suit, a narrow tie and a hat. A small detail to add: hem the bottom of the trousers outwards.

My Great Finds

Shopping is always fun.  And girls LOVE shopping.  But the only thing is, it can be taxing on your wallet.  Well, over the weekend I spent around 7 hours at Orchard Rd, Singapore's shopping belt, and found really great finds.  I found places to shop that will not bust your budget but you can still look very stylish.

Far East Plaza on Scotts Rd
Small "boutique" type stores, with nice dresses and tops averaging around $30.  It also has lots of accessories stores where you can get hats, boa feathers, belts etc that are between $5-$10.  If you are going to a costume/theme party, this is the place to go.

Takashimaya and Robinson's
There are a lot of local designer counters that often are overlooked.  I found that dresses by Singapore designer Daniel Yam (Takashimaya 3rd floor) has a great fit and cut.  I somehow think Daniel designed it especially for me :-).  My body is not proportional - I have short legs, a hip that doesn't balance my waist, and shoulders and chest that are not the right proportion for my height.  So it is really important to choose styles that can 'camouflage' all my "opportunity" areas and make me look balanced.  It is not easy and it took a lot of trial and error. Daniel's designs are simple, stylish, and affordable.  There are many other brands in Takashimaya and Robinson's that are within these lines.  Spend a bit more time to look around, and you'll be surprised of what you can find.

Forever 21 at 313 Sommerset
I find that the accessories here are really great.  If you are looking for that seasonal item, a statement ring or necklaces, Forever 21 at 313 Sommerset has lots of variety.  Their have an extensive selection of accessories and at affordable prices ($5-$19) it is something you can afford to look good.

A Gift From A Good Friend

I got this adorable necklace from Shimomura-san, a colleague of mine at work.  She got back from Mauritius on holiday and gave this lovely necklace to me as a wedding gift.  Working with me for about 5 months now, I guess she has figured I love the color purple and pink.  So she chosen this purple and white shell necklace to compliment the various purple outfits I have.

I have to admit, I was a bit unsure what to wear it with.  In and by itself, this necklace is loud.  So I had to wear something that compliments, tones it down but at the same time, bring out the color and the details of the lovely shells.  So I tried a few combinations and finally was happy with the outfit I have chosen.  As usual, when in doubt always choose black, but I combined it with a purple long cardigan I got at a flee market in Bangkok and my purple/pink Guess shoes.  The black top I chose was a v-neck and its cut fell right where the necklace was, making it seamless, as if the necklace was part of the outfit.  The black trousers with the black top elongated my silhouette, and the trousers covered my already high heel shoes gave it a double impression that I am tall and slim :-).  And that...is always a great impression to have!