By: Dottie of Fashionation
My friends and I are convinced that Zouk has the most number of good-lookers per square metre in the whole of Singapore. This is not a frivolous, baseless statement – having clocked countless nights in this legendary club, gawking at ridiculously beautiful and effortlessly stylish people, we think that we’d definitely done enough ‘research’! Which is why we’re always thrilled to attend events at Zouk. The crowd is always fabulous, and absolutely anything can and will be cool when it is happening there. Not that Wardroblings, a fashion show featuring student designers about to be unleashed upon the local fashion scene, needs any help in the cool department. Organized by The Fashion Fraternity, Wardroblings is set to be an annual event from 2008, and is held as a prelude to Zouk’s The Wardrobe Series (more of this later).
We arrived (fashionably late) to find this long line of student models, looking excited and fantastic in their candy-coloured ensembles. NICE! It got us right in the mood for a fashion-studded night. There is always a high degree of anticipation at student shows because one never quite know what will turn up. It is not that established designers lack innovation, but because student designers making their debut do notallow the audience to make any prior impressions to based their expectations upon.
And this is all part of the fun! Wardroblings features designers from most of the major design schools in Singapore. All the collections are bold and fashion-forward, but these are the ones that really caught my eye:
Max Tan – Although I do not wear it much myself, I like the versatility of the classic white shirt. Max Tan from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts updated this wardrobe staple by adding unexpected details, such as billowy translucent sleeves. His starched, neat collars also remind me of Nicholas (which I love), but the resemblance ends there when he paired his crisp shirts with voluminous harem pants instead of smart tailored trousers.
Journey Li and Sharifah Ashahnadia - The aforementioned designers rolled out models sporting the iconic Balenciaga shoulders. I won’t recommend it for the petite though – they sit much better on tall, lithe frames. (Journey Li)
(Sharifah Ashahnadia) Anastasia Hoeng – It’s really hard to miss a dress that fits two girls at once. It may not be the most practical garment, but it is an interesting concept! Her light, layered collection is perfect for our humid weather as the heat is no longer an excuse!
Michelle Yee and Susuki Yu – Michelle and Susuki injected a dose of the Future into their collections with metallic silver.
(Michelle Yee)
(Susuki Yu) Wrapping up Wardroblings, The Wardrobe Series is up next. A 10-year-old fashion project, The Wardrobe Series aims to create a platform to showcase up-and-coming local designers. While Wardroblings consisted mostly of student designers, Wardrobe features labels which are already available on the market. Fürrmuse Building upon the theme of THE ALL-AMERICAN GUY, the team of designers at Fürrmuse put together a collection of preppy pieces and in colours I do not see many guys in Singapore donning. It’s a fun take on menswear – if I’m a guy, I’ll definitely be wearing these clothes!
The play on colours is really superb – I wish that Singaporean men will use more colours in their outfits!
Pouf – Pouf appeals to the girly girl inside of me, its all candy-coloured, retro-printed goodness! Sassy models strutted down the runway with cheeky expressions and lots of fun-loving vibes. Its one of those collections which makes you grin widely. Simply looking at them puts you in a good mood 
Eye-popping shades and prints aside, I love the tulle skirts – I go weak in the knees for full tulle skirts like these.
So, whoever said Singapore’s fashion scene is lackluster obviously doesn’t know what he is talking about, or just looking in the wrong places!
