One of the many many reasons I love being a personal stylist is witnessing someone step into something out of the ordinary and instantly evolve into the best version of themselves (on the outside that is!)
There is something very satisfying about looking into their faces as they gaze in the mirror and feel confident and happy with the way they look.
And this why I was as excited as Nie Yile (the winner of my Zardoze giveaway contest last Jan) whom I finally had the chance to style and shop with for some outfits and accessories from the label, worth a whopping S$500!!!
Yile was younger than I expected and looked even much younger when I met her, so the first challenge was to try to find something suitable for her age, lifestyle and her tiny 5 foot 1 figure – knowing that Zardoze does mainly cocktail and evening wear.
But yours truly has managed to find just the right items for Yile, who walked out with a big smile on her face after our 90 minutes of playing dress up at Robinsons in Centrepoint, Orchard.
I’ve also documented the process to demonstrate that embellishment and glamour is not just reserved for socialites but CAN also be suitable for an ordinary sweet-looking 22-year-old. It all depends on choosing the right pieces and styling them in a right manner!
Like every styling job, we started off by eliminating some options and determining which styles would be best for her, depending on a few factors:
A. Analyzing Yile’s body shape was the first thing on the list! With a smaller bust (UK4-6) and wider hips (UK8), she was a slight pear shape so ideally anything with more emphasis on the waist would be better and generally speaking, dresses would be more ideal than trousers especially that she’s quite petite and would be swamped by too much fabric.
Ruled out: Trousers, jumpsuits
Tried on: Dresses with stretchy material to highlight her waist.
1- The off-white embellished tulle dress fit really well but the colour washed her fair complexions so we decided against it.
2- The beaded stretch satin dress in dark blue, although gorgeous the top part looked a bit too overwhelming for her frame and maybe more suitable for someone slightly older.
3- The red asymmetrical sequin front dress was just stunning on her!!! The fit of the stretchy yet firm material was perfect for her figure, the colour was vibrant highlighting the beautiful contrast between her fair skin and jet black hair. She just looked ready to party – or attend a fancy Chinese New Year family with a glamorous edge.
B. Knowing Yile’s lifestyle and age are also as equally important. As an early twenties young student and intern, Yile’s life revolves around going to school, work, casually meeting up with friends and celebrating family occasions but not much big balls and social events. So she needed a glamorous piece in her closet yet nothing too lavish.
Ruled out: Evening gowns and anything too grown up for her age hence black coloured dresses. I was hoping to get her to try more colours anyways :-)
Tried on: Shift embellished dresses in various colours which can be worn to a party or family occasion yet look age appropriate
4- Starting with the off-white V-back beaded shift dress, it looked great on her from the front yet the back hung a little loose due to the V-shape and her smaller top. We also agreed she needed a bit more colour to complement her complexion.
5- Although Yile was not so sure about the colour, I thought the hot pink low V-back sequined dress looked great on her bar the low back again which hung loose on her tiny frame and made her a little uncomfortable.
6- The orange beaded dress was one of my favourites from Zardoze’s collection as it looked laid back and lux at the same time and was in a beautiful shade of orange! Unfortunately, once tried on, the colour didn’t go so well on Yile and the baggy top was again too loose for her.
C. Personal style and preferences are also very important. The worst thing is putting someone in clothes which won’t make them feel comfortable and hence look less confident. Thankfully Yile was open to almost everything, which made my job much easier. However she did indicate that she’d like to get a blouse as she’d wear it more often and on different occasions.
Tried on: Chic blouses which are versatile and can take you from day to night:
7- Yile had eyed the light peach bead embellished crepe top online before she came in but when she tried it on, it looked way too pale on her skin especially that she usually goes out barefaced with no make-up on. We had to give this one a miss!
8- But the black sleeveless blouse with neck embellishment was everything Yile was looking for! It was versatile to wear to work, dinner and even party depending on what you team it up with. I picked out a colourful sequin skirt for her to try it with and demonstrate one of the possible looks she could go for. Another would be wearing it with a pair of jeans and embellished sandals or bright heels for a more laid-back look, or pick an on-trend tribal-inspired skirt for a more quirky look. This was a perfect all-rounder shirt which I’m sure she won’t get enough of :-)
After trying enough clothes and making our pick, we moved on to the accessories! Yile had mentioned that she rarely accessorizes but I wanted to show her how one statement accessory could actually work with her casual everyday look.
The cuffs were too chunky for her arms and so were the necklaces which looked a bit too dressy for her everyday looks. However, the stunning 2 stone and 3 stone ring worked just perfectly to add that extra touch to a simple dress, or shorts and t-shirt combo – and most importantly she was comfortable wearing them.
And being the sweetheart that she is, she even picked 2 matching rings for her best friends! Lucky BFFs!!!
THE VERDICT: After lots of fun and getting Yile into a 5-inch heels sandals for the first time (how else could you complete a glamorous look?) and to pose for me after each change we settled on an amazing number of items!
To be honest - as you could probably tell from the photos - most of the looks we tried looked great but the whole exercise was to pick the best for her and explain why.
At the end Yile walked away with the red dress sequin front dress, the black embellished blouse and 3 rings for her and her 2 best friends – in addition to some styling tips which she’ll hopefully find useful!
As for me, I was happy to give someone so sweet and gorgeous the opportunity to add some Zardoze glamour to their lives – and for once on this blog, get to play dress up with a model other than myself ;-)
All the featured items can be bought from Robinsons Centrepoint and Marina Bay Sands – as well as online on Zardoze website.
P.S. Zardoze is currently running a social media competition in search for their next brand model. The winner will be featured in top fashion magazines and get to walk away with an outfit from the brand as well as tickets to the Zardoze show and after-party at Audi Fashion Festival next May. For more information, check out their facebook app!
There is something very satisfying about looking into their faces as they gaze in the mirror and feel confident and happy with the way they look.
And this why I was as excited as Nie Yile (the winner of my Zardoze giveaway contest last Jan) whom I finally had the chance to style and shop with for some outfits and accessories from the label, worth a whopping S$500!!!
Yile was younger than I expected and looked even much younger when I met her, so the first challenge was to try to find something suitable for her age, lifestyle and her tiny 5 foot 1 figure – knowing that Zardoze does mainly cocktail and evening wear.
But yours truly has managed to find just the right items for Yile, who walked out with a big smile on her face after our 90 minutes of playing dress up at Robinsons in Centrepoint, Orchard.
I’ve also documented the process to demonstrate that embellishment and glamour is not just reserved for socialites but CAN also be suitable for an ordinary sweet-looking 22-year-old. It all depends on choosing the right pieces and styling them in a right manner!
Like every styling job, we started off by eliminating some options and determining which styles would be best for her, depending on a few factors:
A. Analyzing Yile’s body shape was the first thing on the list! With a smaller bust (UK4-6) and wider hips (UK8), she was a slight pear shape so ideally anything with more emphasis on the waist would be better and generally speaking, dresses would be more ideal than trousers especially that she’s quite petite and would be swamped by too much fabric.
Ruled out: Trousers, jumpsuits
Tried on: Dresses with stretchy material to highlight her waist.
1- The off-white embellished tulle dress fit really well but the colour washed her fair complexions so we decided against it.
2- The beaded stretch satin dress in dark blue, although gorgeous the top part looked a bit too overwhelming for her frame and maybe more suitable for someone slightly older.
3- The red asymmetrical sequin front dress was just stunning on her!!! The fit of the stretchy yet firm material was perfect for her figure, the colour was vibrant highlighting the beautiful contrast between her fair skin and jet black hair. She just looked ready to party – or attend a fancy Chinese New Year family with a glamorous edge.
B. Knowing Yile’s lifestyle and age are also as equally important. As an early twenties young student and intern, Yile’s life revolves around going to school, work, casually meeting up with friends and celebrating family occasions but not much big balls and social events. So she needed a glamorous piece in her closet yet nothing too lavish.
Ruled out: Evening gowns and anything too grown up for her age hence black coloured dresses. I was hoping to get her to try more colours anyways :-)
Tried on: Shift embellished dresses in various colours which can be worn to a party or family occasion yet look age appropriate
4- Starting with the off-white V-back beaded shift dress, it looked great on her from the front yet the back hung a little loose due to the V-shape and her smaller top. We also agreed she needed a bit more colour to complement her complexion.
5- Although Yile was not so sure about the colour, I thought the hot pink low V-back sequined dress looked great on her bar the low back again which hung loose on her tiny frame and made her a little uncomfortable.
6- The orange beaded dress was one of my favourites from Zardoze’s collection as it looked laid back and lux at the same time and was in a beautiful shade of orange! Unfortunately, once tried on, the colour didn’t go so well on Yile and the baggy top was again too loose for her.
C. Personal style and preferences are also very important. The worst thing is putting someone in clothes which won’t make them feel comfortable and hence look less confident. Thankfully Yile was open to almost everything, which made my job much easier. However she did indicate that she’d like to get a blouse as she’d wear it more often and on different occasions.
Tried on: Chic blouses which are versatile and can take you from day to night:
7- Yile had eyed the light peach bead embellished crepe top online before she came in but when she tried it on, it looked way too pale on her skin especially that she usually goes out barefaced with no make-up on. We had to give this one a miss!
8- But the black sleeveless blouse with neck embellishment was everything Yile was looking for! It was versatile to wear to work, dinner and even party depending on what you team it up with. I picked out a colourful sequin skirt for her to try it with and demonstrate one of the possible looks she could go for. Another would be wearing it with a pair of jeans and embellished sandals or bright heels for a more laid-back look, or pick an on-trend tribal-inspired skirt for a more quirky look. This was a perfect all-rounder shirt which I’m sure she won’t get enough of :-)
After trying enough clothes and making our pick, we moved on to the accessories! Yile had mentioned that she rarely accessorizes but I wanted to show her how one statement accessory could actually work with her casual everyday look.
The cuffs were too chunky for her arms and so were the necklaces which looked a bit too dressy for her everyday looks. However, the stunning 2 stone and 3 stone ring worked just perfectly to add that extra touch to a simple dress, or shorts and t-shirt combo – and most importantly she was comfortable wearing them.
And being the sweetheart that she is, she even picked 2 matching rings for her best friends! Lucky BFFs!!!
THE VERDICT: After lots of fun and getting Yile into a 5-inch heels sandals for the first time (how else could you complete a glamorous look?) and to pose for me after each change we settled on an amazing number of items!
To be honest - as you could probably tell from the photos - most of the looks we tried looked great but the whole exercise was to pick the best for her and explain why.
At the end Yile walked away with the red dress sequin front dress, the black embellished blouse and 3 rings for her and her 2 best friends – in addition to some styling tips which she’ll hopefully find useful!
As for me, I was happy to give someone so sweet and gorgeous the opportunity to add some Zardoze glamour to their lives – and for once on this blog, get to play dress up with a model other than myself ;-)
All the featured items can be bought from Robinsons Centrepoint and Marina Bay Sands – as well as online on Zardoze website.
P.S. Zardoze is currently running a social media competition in search for their next brand model. The winner will be featured in top fashion magazines and get to walk away with an outfit from the brand as well as tickets to the Zardoze show and after-party at Audi Fashion Festival next May. For more information, check out their facebook app!
