I’m back home in Singapore after a 2 month absence! I have nothing to offer you except the seminal excuse of university constantly getting in the way of my social life. I should probably have published the second half of my Gold Coast entry now but after having experienced several emotional roller coasters of my own, the last thing I want to write about is more coasters so imma declare a fashion interlude right now. I have the advantage of being in the same country as my pro photographer bff, Dejiki, which makes it a lot easier to show you some of the key pieces in my wardrobe.
Skater dresses must have exploded into the Singapore fashion sphere in the middle of last year and the trend hasn’t dwindled one bit. No one complains because these dresses are cut to flatter any body shape and provides a temporary reprieve from the hip deadlock of the pencil or the fat-divulging bodycon. Still, not all skater dresses are made equal: many of them are manufactured using fabric that belies their true nature. A skater dress has to be well-constructed for it to work as it should; the perfect skater should be made of a material stiff enough to hold the pleats in its skirt without the help of any netting. Just as no one should have to eat a fallen souffle, no girl should have to wear a flouncy skirt being passed off as a skater dress either.
Asos has been a real genius for using cotton piqué (fabric pic here), a woven cotton fabric with the right stiffness and weight, for the skater dress I have on. My other best friend, Aaron, thinks it’s an insult to call it a skater “because it’s obviously too haute to be called a skater dress” but it is what it is lol. To him, a skater dress may be a fashion fad that’s been dragged out long enough but I think if you find one that’s beautifully-made, you would’ve scored yourself a trend-defying classic.
Also introducing the latest bag in the family: my mom’s navy blue Chanel Timeless CC flap bag she received as an apology/mother’s day gift from my father after they had a 15 minute fight in the heart of Orchard over CUTLERY (wtf). I don’t know how she does it but I’m pretty sure part of the secret is to find a man who cannot bear to be treated with angry silence. But my mother has a way with words too: the night I arrived back in Singapore, she handed me a Louis Vuitton wallet she just bought but strangely didn’t want anymore.
“Why don’t you want this?? You haven’t used it at all!”
“It’s got too little credit card slots for me and you have none.”
My mother knows the best way to verbally drive a stake through my heart LOL. Anyway, I didn’t accept the Louis Vuitton wallet in the end, which may seem like a dumb move but if it’s concerning small leather goods, my loyalty will forever lie with Mama Miuccia.
President dress in Hot Pink – courtesy of MAIA, Gold belt – ZARA, Pearl and enamel necklace – Mom’s, Bag – Louis Vuitton x Sofia Coppola ‘SC’ Bag, 200 denier tights – ASOS, Amaaazing Jil Sander knock-off Heels – Tony Bianco.
I had these photos taken on the last week of my holiday in Singapore, I’d insisted these photos to be taken really early – I think it was a Tuesday – because I wanted to get it out of the way before I began my last food frenzy before my flight on Sunday. I was brought to 3 buffets in the same week and I can tell you truthfully that I would need a bottle of talcum powder and some powerful zip tugging to get into that pink dress.
The MAIA President dress was sent to me as a surprise – I had no idea they were giving me something else other than the two pieces I was allowed to pick, aren’t they just lovely? Thank you so much, Diana and the other girls behind MAIA! I have a lot of pinks in my make-up bag but not in my wardrobe since I much prefer the darker colours of fall. But thankfully, the President dress is a lot more wearable than most acid coloured clothing simply because of its black top. I’ve paired it with jewelry and a bag, both in a dark brownish red hue that complements the hot pink without having to do so much. If pink is not your thing, the dress also comes in the most incredible ink colour.
The Louis Vuitton x Sofia Coppola ‘SC’ bag was actually my mother’s birthday gift from my dad and of course, it is no coincidence that suddenly, my ultimate dream bag becomes my mother’s LOL. My mother wanted a classic LV bag without the monogram which was perfect because there could be no other bag but the Coppola for her (and me). We searched for it in Paris and Singapore but everything was gone to my mom’s utter disappointment. A secret phone call to my resourceful and well-connected LV maniac best friend and one week later the bag was hidden in plain sight in my mother’s room where she took 10 excruciating minutes to notice there was a huge ass LV paper bag on her bed. My dad took a video of this and I wish I could put it up here – it’s the funniest thing!
This bag is so effortless, so beautiful yet so casual that I can take it with me anywhere; for dinners with the family and coffee with friends. Another funny story is when my mom went shopping at Chanel, she left her Coppola bag at the counter and another customer lifted it up thinking it was a Chanel LOL. She almost died of embarrassment when my dad said, “I’m sorry, this is my wife’s bag.” We tried really hard not to laugh.
I also have a special attachment to the necklace I’m wearing in this entry. Again, it’s mom’s and it’s been with her for more than a decade now. It is seriously a work of art – I put on a simple top, pants and add this stunning art deco necklace and instantly I’m all dressed up, which is exactly what I did when I was in Kuala Lumpur. I believe in minimalist dressing when on vacation (save the luggage space for all your shopping!!) but I always take an incredible piece of jewelry with me to anchor the look. I had to give the necklace back to my mother before I flew back to Melbourne so I feel extremely gutted every time I look at these pictures. Sigh, they just don’t make jewelry like this anymore.
Face:
Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 hour Foundation in 103 True Ivory
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20
Cheeks:
TOPSHOP Cream Blush in Pinch
Eyes:
KATE Quick Eyeliner S in Black
MAC Browset in Girl Boy
Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Neo
Lips:
Burberry Lip Cover in Brick Red
After years of playing around with make-up, I finally mastered the perfect winged eyeliner omg. It’s not all about steady hands; the eyeliner you use also plays a big part as well. It’s really about figuring out what you’re most comfortable with: I like KATE’s Quick Eyeliner S in Black, it’s works literally like a pen. Uncap and you’re ready to draw on a crisp line. Doesn’t smudge, lasts forever and so cheap – it is, to me, the holy grail liquid eyeliner. A lot of people love their gel eyeliners, e.g. MAC Fluidline, but I don’t know, my hands can’t work with a reed thin eyeliner brush lol.
I have Catherine to thank for my red lips, she sent me a Burberry lipstick sampler for Christmas and the shade I’m wearing is no. 19 Brick Red which a gorgeous deep brownish red. I have become SO obsessed with the Burberry lipstick line and bought one right before I left but that’s a story for another day.. 
Thank you Dejiki for the beautiful photos and my mother’s LV LOL. My other best friend, Aaron, just graduated yesterday and he’s leaving for a 3 week trip in Europe tomorrow so I got that summertime sadness right now 
Congrats bb, take care and please buy me all the beauty crap you can get from the French pharmacies!
I’m slowly getting back to the swing of things here, school has been so exhausting but I’ll try to whine less and write more. Hope everyone’s had a good weekend!
Archeologist cardigan in Grey – courtesy of MAIA, ‘Dress’ – tailored (read below), Gold belt – thrifted @ Lost & Found, Melbourne, Gold cocktail ring – ASOS, Blue glass ring – Sunday Art Market @ St Kilda, Melbourne, Bag – Chanel, 200 denier tights – ASOS, Platform heels – Forever 21 (previously seen here).
Putting up outfit shots on t-n isn’t feasible for me because there really isn’t anyone I can ask to take photos of me except for my best friend but he lives in Singapore and I’m in Melbourne most of the year so I’ve taken to putting up my looks on Instagram instead (add me on Instagram: @ilyana 
) But when MAIA emailed me and asked if they could send me some pieces from their first collection, there were no apologies, no excuses – a style post had to be written.
The Archeologist cardigan I was sent is no ordinary cardigan. I’ll be honest: when I first spotted it on the MAIA website, I only picked it because I needed a new cardi stat, the Archeologist was a quirky option (name and all) and that was it. What you don’t really see in their photos is that each cardigan has secret air pockets hidden at the bottom (see first photo) to trap the wind, allowing the billowy fabric to float and whirl every time you move; it’s a cape disguised as a cardigan (it’s even made with a bit of spandex in it ;p) Genius! Easily my favourite pick from the collection.
Each clothing piece you purchase has a tag with a pretty sweet handwritten note with an inspirational quote from the MAIA girls. “In order to be irreplaceable, one has to always be different” – I’d like to think I am lol!
I also picked up their Zoologist scarf whose name is strangely fitting; it’s a blend of two very abstract leopard and grunge prints doused in a dusty gradient of rose and pink. I think it is this feminine hue that makes it very wearable and I hate that I haven’t gotten the chance to wear it yet. It’s made of the softest poly satin, a godsend in our crap weather. Ready for more secrets? If you observe the scarf carefully, you’d notice these 6 black loop holes emerging from one of its edges..
Those loops are meant to be fixed onto these buttons you see on my President dress (I LOVE THESE NAMES LOL). I believe most of their pieces have this element in them, meaning the scarves were designed to be worn in synchronisation with the rest of the collection. Naturally, you can wear the scarf on its own but you can tell immediately a lot of thought has gone into the design process of this entire collection which is why I hesitate to call MAIA your run-of-the-mill “blogshop”.
Their prices are on the more expensive side and I think it’s fair because their clothes aren’t the sort of basics you buy and throw after two years – they have little secrets embedded in them and they’re designed to be statement pieces that are meant to add a little somethin’ somethin’ to your own style. If you want to check out MAIA‘s clothes in person (which I highly recommend you do!), they are stocked at OVA.
Thank you Diana and the other girls behind MAIA for sending me these pieces! Diana actually won my last giveaway too, I gave her free Lush products and now she’s giving me free clothes – good karma also exists, people! Don’t forget to join MAIA‘s mailing list and get 15% off your order ;D Full disclosure: I wasn’t paid for this post kthx!
Of course, I have my own style secrets too. The dress that I’m wearing in this style post? You see, technically it isn’t a dress. No one believes me when I tell them but it’s actually the top bit of my baju kurung – has your mind been blown yet LOL? This is probably the only baju kurung I bothered bringing over to Melbourne and I thought it was a bit sad I could only wear it once a year because it’s so god damn beautiful. It’s made of this sheer blue floral chiffon with gold lining so it’s got this duochrome effect I’m crazy about. I broke the baju out of its traditional realm and I’ve been wearing it out paired with the perfect gold belt, andddd INSTANT CHIC SHIFT DRESS TYVM. This, ladies, is how you ‘recycle’ your baju kurung without looking like a skank.
The gold cocktail ring is a recent purchase from ASOS to add to my dizzying ring collection and honestly I wasn’t expecting it to be this huge obnoxious thing (online photos, they lie) but I actually like it this way. My other bff, Aaron, and I have been jokingly calling it my future wedding ring – whether it’s really a joke or not, I can’t tell you that yet ;p
And my Chanel bag finally makes its debut on the blog with its own almost gratuitous shot. I suppose perfection doesn’t need to be explained.
That’s the last of my photos for tea noir’s Valentino series. Seeing the collection pieces in real life was evidently a richer experience than viewing runway shots on Style.com. The stitching, beading and other fine details were laid bare to be observed and scrutinised by us common folk. It was also lovely to see the old archive pieces we would have never gotten access to. And while I don’t agree with Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli’s vision for Valentino, I left the exhibit with a tad more respect for them than I would normally admit. The exact pieces I hated on the runway were swiftly made okay when I realized how much work must have gone into them as I broke the dresses down ruffle by ruffle.
What I wore to the exhibit:
Werqing the Azzedine Alaïa HAHAHA AS IF. And urgh, I have the fattest legs in the world :/ Anywho, ever since I saw a photo of Giovanna Battaglia wearing this Alaïa dress, I have been obsessed with finding a similar version which won’t lead me into debt.
I found my navy blue pleated dress at MANGO, I love how the colour is contrasted with a thick black border at the edges. My art nouveau gold belt is a lucky thrift find from Melbourne and my bag is from COACH, twas a birthday present from my mother. I never thought I’d like the brand (their CCCCCCCCCCC monogram is so off-putting) but I’m eating my words now, I love my bag!
