Redesigning Denim Jeans - A Competiition for Young Aspiring Local Designers

I have never been a huge fan of jeans but I was wowed away by the creativity of our young local designers who compete for top honors at the "Fashion Upclose - A Style Recreation Competition". Participants were tasked to recreate the look of the assigned pair of dENiZEN™ jeans based on their interpretation of the theme "Fashion Upclose". The finalists of the competition get the opportunity to present their design to the panel of judges on the runway, where the top three winners were announced.

The runway was held at Suntec City Tropics Atrium and attracted a large group of spectators and photographers. Here are some of the designs by our local talents:

Models presenting the redesigned jeans on the runway

Most of these creative designs are achieved through methods such as tie-dye, spray painting, patchwork and embellishments etc. 

And the winners are:

Second Runner-up

 Unique details include funky prints and attached wire suspenders

First Runner-Up

From skinny jeans to  a style resembling harem pants -what more can  I say about the uniqueness of this piece?

 And finally, the grand winner is:

First Prize!

Asymmetrical  tie-dye prints and white piping - Simply gorgeous! Trendy but wearable.

Group photo of designers with their winning designs

  

Are you inspired to design your own jeans now?

One Apparel, Several Different Looks - The Wonder Clothes Of Today's Fashion

I believe that versatile clothing is a god-sent to busy women who may not always have time to think about what to wear for the office everyday. So this is my recommendation for women who love versatile clothing and value-for-money purchases:

Click on this image to take a closer look of the answers!

Kudos to the designers behind these creative apparels. Personally, I love these creative designs and for someone who is always looking for great buys, I see good value in just getting one apparel which can be worn in several different styles to create a variety of looks.

Hope you like my recommendation and visit Lace And Buttons if you want a closer look of the Multi-Wear Versatile Blouse (comes in safari green or safari brown) and Skye Crepe Reversible Skirt.

Parco next Next Launch Party - A Designer Wear Heaven For Shopaholics!

If you are a fan of local designer labels, you will find it a shame to have missed the launch of the Parco next Next Party held at Millenia Walk on 14 April 2012. This event introduced fans to 23 local designer labels through a private fashion showcase of each designer's Spring Summer Collection. The eclectic range of the mix from a swatch of street style to a dash of global culture is a feast to the eyes and sure to trigger your shopping impulses!

Guests attending the event at the registration counters

Some of the gorgeous designer fashion wear and display at the event:

It really took me a lot of effort not to break my bank when I was there!

Another interesting find at the event is a technological innovation by students of the Republic Polytechnic:

Just stand in front of the television screen, hold a card with a apparel design in front of you (around chest area) and behold, there you are in the apparel on screen! Interesting isn't it?

Besides the great fashion, other perks of attending the event included free Marble Slab ice-cream and Mr Bean Soya Milk:

Yummy Marble Slab Ice-cream at the event. What flavors do you want?

All in all, it was great fun at the event and I am looking forward to attending similar events in the near future! 

More beautiful designs by our local fashion designers for your viewing pleasure :) 

Do You Know What Is The Most Popular Type Of Female Fashion Wear in Japan?

A Japanese girlfriend and I were looking through a Japanese female magazine when we came across an interesting article. According to the article, out of 2000 women who were surveyed, as many as 1837 of them show the most support for the basic white shirts! The survey examines the popularity of a total of 17 categories/types of clothes including medium-sized floral prints apparels (ranked second with 1785 supporters), Lace applique apparels (ranked third with 1776 supporters), skinny pants with pockets (ranked fourth with 1433 supporters) and polka-dotted prints apparels(ranked fifth with 1329 supporters). Below is the coverage of the basic white shirt being the most popular item among Japanese women:

White shirts of various designs are the favorite among 2000 Japanese women surveyed

Personally, I am a fan of white shirts as well since they can be mix and match easily to create different looks. Wear with jeans or shorts, a modern eye-catching necklace below the neckline and platform shoes or wedges for a chic casual look. For the office, just tuck the white shirt into a pencil skirt or tailored pants and match with fine jewellery (shorter necklace from 18"-20" recommended) to achieve a perfect corporate image. 

Here are a couple of basic white shirt designs at Lace and Buttons:

 White shirts available at www.laceandbuttons.com

Do pop by our online boutique if you are looking for a white shirt!

Style Tips From My Articles At Ezinearticles.com

At the same time I started running Lace And Buttons, I also began writing informative articles with useful style tips for Ezinearticles.com. Ezinearticles.com is a well-know article directory featuring hundreds of thousands of quality original articles, posted by Expert Authors & Writers from different niches around the world. As one of  their Expert Writers, these are some of the articles I have contributed:

Looking Great By Dressing According To Your Body Shape - A Case Study

When I was a style coach trainee, my first client was an expatriate working in a well-known MNC located in Singapore. Let's call her Ms A (real name is not provided to protect my client's privacy). Ms A is one of the most amicable people I have ever known. Her pleasant personality and disposition has won her many friends and a very happy marriage. She did, however, have one problem.

Ms A was very dissatisfied and unhappy with her appearance and very much wanted to improve the way she looks. It is worth mentioning at this point that a client's willingness and determination to change is crucial to the success of the Style Coaching process™. I knew that Ms A was ready for her make-over....more

Looking Good By Dressing According To Your Style Personality - A Case Study

n my last article, I shared with you a couple of items in Ms A's wardrobe that is not suitable for her triangle body shape. Before I continue with this case study, let me briefly touch on the basic characteristics of this kind of body shape. You know you are a triangle if:

1) Your shoulders are more narrow than your hips
2) You wear a bigger size on your bottom half than top half
3) You have a smaller top half and fuller hips, bottom and thighs

The above are tell-tale signs that you are a triangle but it is always better to measure yourself with a measuring tape for the most accurate assessment, just like what I did for my client, Ms A....more

Beautiful Cheongsams For Modern Women

All entrepreneurs have their own stories of how they started their own businesses. This article will tell the story of one amazing entrepreneur, who embarked on her journey 30 years ago. Under the recommendation of a close friend, I was fortunate to be able to meet with Jade, the proud owner and designer of Jade Collections, a boutique which specializes in cheongsams (or qipao) with intricate details and exquisite workmanship. ...more

 

Elegant cheongsams by Jade's Collections. Available at www.laceandbuttons.com

Dressing To Show You Care In A Relationship

Recently, a friend of mine started dating for the very first time. Alicia (not her real name) is slender, pretty and looks much younger than her actual age. Many people actually mistook her for a student although she is over thirty years of age. Apart from following a rigorous skin care regime which helps to keep her skin looking youthful, Alicia looks young because of the way she dresses. Her everyday wear consisted mainly of basic Tee and jeans which she wore to work as her job nature does not require her to dress formally. While Alicia's dressing style does play a part to help her look younger, it does little to bring out her femininity. Despite many attempts by family and friends to persuade her to wear clothes that can accentuate more of her feminine side, Alicia remains unmoved. ...more

Personal Style - Born or Learned?

Recently, I read a piece of news about David Beckham on VOGUE. In the article, Beckham admitted that he remembers some of his previous fashion choices with a sense of trepidation. Although Beckham mentioned that he does not have any regrets, he can't believed that he had actually chosen to wear certain apparels before.

I believed many of us can relate well to Beckham's past experiences with his fashion choices. Looking back at old photographs, we may wonder to ourselves, "What were we thinking?" ...more

If any of these topics interest you, just click in to read more :)! 

Christian Dior Beauty Set Giveaway And New Products Coming Soon!

The month of April is an exciting one as we have just announced our first Facebook promotion! Fans of Christian Dior is up for a treat as we are giving away an exquisite set of products consisting of the following:

・Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Concentrated Cream (15ml)　
・Capture Totale Radiance Restoring Serum Foundation SPF15 (10ml)
・Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Concentrated Serum(10ml)
・Capture Totale Multi-Perfection Concentrated Lotion 1(50ml)　
・Silver Belt Buckle Pouch

Definitely a great gift and travel pack for those who travel regularly! In addition, we are also giving away two sets of SGD $10 Lace and Buttons Vouchers. So what are you waiting for? Join the contest now!

Up and coming, we are launching a new collection on 11 April, Wednesday, at 8.30pm. Here is the sneak preview:

Also included in this collection are the following:

Hope you like what you see and do visit Lace and Buttons soon!

What To Wear On A First Date?

Recently, I read a write-up on Her World (a female magazine in Singapore) sharing the views of what men have of women wearing certain clothes on a first date. In general, it seems that the men interviewed prefer women who wear clothes that are feminine, but not too sexy. Out of interest and curiosity, I checked with my husband whether it is true that most men share the same perspective and also get him to offer me his opinion of what he believes a good combination will be for a woman to wear on a first date. After some fun playing mix and match, here is what my husband came up with:

 Dress and earrings available at Lace And Buttons, www.laceandbuttons.com 

 Shoe and bag from Charles & Keith,  www.charleskeith.com

This is what my husband shares about the combination (in his own words):

"From a guy’s perspective, what we expect on the first date is for the girl to portray femininity. Dressing with femininity brings out all the positive traits that guys associate with girls, being sweet, cute, interesting, etc. And what better way to create that first impression than from the apparels a girl wears.

I have chosen this combination as what I will want to see from a girl on the first date.The dress makes the girl look approachable and fun to be with. At the same time, the shoes, earrings and clutch bag / wallet gives a touch of sophistication and maturity, making the guy interested to know her more as an individual.

If the style is too casual, like a combination of t-shirts and bermudas, it makes the whole date feel less significant. And it gives the guy a signal that the girl is not that interested."

I came up with a version of what I believe will be appropriate for a date as well:

Dress and earrings available at Lace And Buttons, www.laceandbuttons.com

Shoe and bag from Kate Spade,  www.katespade.com

I think this look reflects an out-going and vibrant personality that is feminine and pretty at the same time. The interplay of details such as ruffles, pleats and bold colors makes this combination stands out for me. I like the fact that the whole combination is not too over the top (as the dress and earrings are mono-color) but still likely to be interesting enough to trigger some positive attention from a date.

Will share more fashion tips in upcoming blogs so keep a look-out!