Trend spotting: 3 of the best Little white Dresses from Singapore labels

Forget about colours, this summer’s hottest trend is all white!

From the Oscars where stars like Gwenyth Paltrow, Rooney Mara, Octavia Spencer and Mila Jovovic wowed in their all-white looks, to the SS2012 runways of designer labels like Louis Vuitton, Moschino, Nina Ricci, L’Wren Scott; white dresses have been on the rise this year and luckily for us replacing the LBD as the classic dress to go to for every occasion.

What I love about the LWD is that it is very versatile, breezy for the summer and works well with almost all skin tones as long as you follow few tips which I’ll be dishing out later in this post. The trend this summer has spanned from very minimal and practical forms of the LWD (Jason Wu and L’Wren Scott) to a more ornamental ones like the detailed and romantic lace and organza creations at Louis Vuitton especially.

But first, as usual I’ve done the work for you and picked 3 of the best on trend LWDs, all from local labels of course! These dresses are not on the cheap side but they’re definitely worth the investment as judging by the AW2012 shows in NY, the LWD is here to stay  for at least a couple more seasons to come.

This Spring/Summer's LWD as shown on the runways of Alberta
Ferretti (left),Louis Vuitton (centre) and L'Wren Scott (right)

Stars who wore white at the Oscars including Gwenyth Paltrow in
Tom Ford, Octavia Spencer in Tadashi Shoji and Rooney Mara in Givenchy.

Five of the Best: My picks from Marni for H&M collection

When H&M did the collaboration with Lanvin, I thought that was the pinnacle. I mean where do you go from there? With all due respect, Versace was a step down; more popular but definitely a step down in terms of style and quality.

Then came Marni… and now I’m kinda torn! But while Lanvin’s collection consisted mainly of party dresses, Marni has stuck steadfastly to what the brand does best: sophisticated yet wearable everyday clothes. And another plus point of this collection is the price range which is considerably lower than the previous H&M designer collaborations (the most expensive piece is S$199).

One of the reasons I love Marni for is the label’s practical approach to design; Making the everyday wardrobe interesting while also being comfortable and appropriate. But the trick to rocking Marni pieces (and especially those for H&M) is good styling! Without it, you can risk those lovely pieces looking just blah and uninspiring due to their understated cuts.

Keeping that in mind, I made my 5 picks from the Marni for H&M collection based on how well I think the pieces would look on a real person, not styled up to perfection like the model in the lookbook.

So, here’s my list for next Thursday:

This outfit is styled so well but I doubt the shiny look would be possible to pull off...
unless you are the model of course :-)

Q&A with Allysa Sing: the director behind MAX TAN’s short fashion film ‘Crane Wife’

I don’t know if I have mentioned this before but as much as I am into fashion, I am into film as well! So it’s only natural that when I see a fashion video with a great narrative and superb direction I get as excited just as I would, seeing Yasmin Le Bon closing the Stephane Rolland couture show in a 50kg dress!

And it is not just any fashion film I’m talking about; this is a Singaporean film, conceived and produced by young talented people and showcasing local favourite Max Tan’s Autumn Winter 2012/13 collection from a different perspective.

Along with her creative team, the director of the short fashion film, Allysa Sing based this video on the Japanese folk fable ‘Crane Wife’ which is a chilling story in itself and kinda related to clothing.

The result is a simple narrative with a powerful mood which translates MAX TAN line’s easy yet sensuous philosophy and feel. I also love the score of the film, whose subtlety reminds me of some of the Asian films I’ve seen and admired over the years.

Crane Wife from strangexperiments on Vimeo.

Get the Rooney Mara look from Singapore-based website UNESTABLISH.com

And the award for the celebrity who rocked the cutout/black look goes to… by far Rooney Mara!

Regardless who’s going to win this year’s Oscars, Rooney Mara has won the fashion stakes during this award season; mainly because of her constant use of the cutout dresses.

I was never the biggest fan of this trend but she single-handedly changed my opinion. And while it doesn’t sound so ‘chic’ to start with, she owned it with her unique styling, effortlessly making those flesh-baring cutouts look more class than trash.

Now I’m convinced, I’m ready to rock the trend for this spring/summer season… in my own way of course :-)

Teaming this sexy cutout number from Keepsake with my favourite pair of heels (seriously!),
cool accessories from local label Yahn Adam and bright yellow mesh bag might
get me my Rooney Mara moment... Rana-style ;-) 

Weekend want: Singapore label EMBLEM clutch from Asia Fashion Inc

With my current busy schedule, I’ve been finding very little time to physically trawl the streets looking for inspirations and items to fall in love with.

Luckily, there is online shopping! And no I’m not talking about Net-a-porter and ASOS, it is e-commerce sites which stock Singaporean and Asian labels that are keeping me up to date with the hottest brands in the region and in awe for the coolest clothes and accessories!

One of these sites is AsiaFashionInc.com, which is true to its name and where stocks vary widely in styles and prices, that there is definitely something for everyone!

From experience, I know that the best thing to buy online is handbags. Reason being that sizing is never an issue.

This Singapore label EMBLEM clutch is just gorgeous!