The Fashion Nation Girls

HEY HO UNIQLO!

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:52:24 GMT

Dottie + Stephie + Mr. Tadashi Yanai at the UNIQLO Tampines 1 store preview.
He is the founder and president of Fast Retailing,
UNIQLO's parent company
and also Japan's richest man currently.

UNIQLO @ TAMPINES 1
First store in Singapore and South-east Asia

Stephie is wearing Topshop glittery gold flats, Miss Sixty jeans, Chanel 2.55, and a jeweled leopard brooch.

Dottie’s in a T-shirt dress, a really comfy sweater she got from Bangkok, a cute owl necklace from Shop My Wardrobe yesterday. Her boots are the Dr. Martens Riviera boots.

Both carrying goodie bags of the day.

Detailed write-up on Fashion Nation.

Dottie & Stephie

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 13:02:53 GMT

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 09:10:05 GMT

mmm

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 08:51:13 GMT

hello (:

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:53:08 GMT

Our July

Sat, 02 Aug 2008 03:22:09 GMT

Maniacal with Bows

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:39:04 GMT

found this crazy huge floppy bow at the thrift shop last week for SGD2.70. It came with safety pins so you can pretty much attach it anywhere.

In the meantime, Dottie has been clearing out her wardrobe and discovering strange bows of her own.

and outerwear which has almost been forgotten:

x
Dottie & Stephie

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 06:48:24 GMT

Outside Berliner Dom

Hanging out in the Heartlands

Hardcore Shopping in Town on a weekend

Park near Museum Island (Berlin)

Outside the University which the Grimm Brothers attended and Einstein taught (Berlin)

frolicking in Melbourne

Windmills in Amsterdam!

Hanging out along the Great Ocean Road trail

Barefoot on a picnic in the Gardens of Versailles, Paris

Saying 'Hello!' to the graceful marble giants at the Louvre

Cloudless day while visiting the Eiffel Tower

Touristy shot

late-night tea session

Out for drinks

Visiting the shops in Haji Lane

Yesterday - too hot to be outdoors

A bit more photos this time due to a slight increase in adventures
Dottie & Stephie

Monday Night

Mon, 19 May 2008 16:18:31 GMT

Bag, dress - Australia
Shoes - Substance

T-shirt - Threadless
Skirt - Topshop
Heels - Pedder Red
Bag - Vintage
Belt - from some other dress

What We Wore to the Singapore Fashion Festival

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 07:27:57 GMT

Something Personal

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:50:56 GMT

A couple of days ago, it came to my attention that my style was being flamed. I wasn't as 'cool' as a fashion blogger should be. Of all horrors, I was parading around in inferior shoes from Charles & Keith.

Apparently Charles & Keith shoes are travesties of fashion - affordable, yes, suitable for the average shopper, enough to actually buy one pair of shoes from there every single day. It's fine to own a pair, but never, never blog about it! That is absolutely fashion suicide, it seems, for a fashion blogger.

Along with the derogatory comments, we even were treated to this lovely picture:

Of course this isn't personal, it is just because I have really bad style. Especially since I wear Charles & Keith shoes.

Now, for those not in the know, Charles & Keith is a local shoe label. They started out with one store, and ultimately multiplied it into a gazillion stores infiltrating the malls such that there's one in almost every shopping centre in Singapore.

I don't care about that. I just happen to like shoes, and I am willing to buy from everywhere and anywhere. Salvation Army, flea stalls, departmental stores, Ferragamo, Chanel, even the shoes this blogger is selling. Except I stop and wonder - what is so horribly wrong with wearing Charles & Keith shoes?

I've always seen fashion as a spectrum. There is definitely going to be these amazing gods and goddesses who are forever effortlessly cool, always spot on in their sartorial choices. There is always those who do not care, who will put on whatever's clean in their closet and walk around in troll shoes. Then there are those who are in between - some interested in fashion, some not. Just all out to work within the available budget they have to create something interesting and comfortable, which perhaps, just perhaps, may give you that bit of thrill when you walk out the door to face the world.

I'm one of these in-betweeners (or you may of course tell me that I am the scum of the spectrum). I start from the runways, the media, the forums, the mags. Plaid shirts, velvet, triple-strap mary-janes, studded boots, the gladiator shoes I still can't find. The look is created in my mind, and sometimes along the way I see beacons in the dark, such as Queen Michelle with her self-made gladiator straps and Selina with her dyed stockings.

I'm not one of these mega fashion bloggers who go with a blazing trail, I'm really more of a person, who instead of watching the telly and vegging out on the bed, spend her personal hours clicking through fashion sites and have a damn lot of fun just absorbing the creativity of fashion design.

There is then the question of the identity of a fashion blogger - so, if I write about fashion instead of what I did today and what I ate for lunch, I must dress fabulously and trot in footwear from luxury brands? What is the fun in that, when I can poke around the local stores and see what's the best I can find with forty bucks?

I think that is much more of a thrill for me, rather than pretending that I wear only shoes made by the French and never, never write about my five pairs of Charles & Keith shoes, which ought to be my dirty little secret - as suggested by this flamer who owns a shoe store... except pray tell, if you are a store owner, why the high horse and narrow-mindedness in fashion? It is a form of expression - an art. I may not have perfected it, but really I do not see what is so wrong with my style, or my choice to purchase shoes from a local label to warrant being flamed this way.

I never did have anything against you and your blog, in fact I enjoy the fearless take you have on fashion. I look forward to patronising your stall at the Zouk Flea and Easy on Sunday, perhaps even buying a pair of lovely shoes from you. I'll be in something from my Charles & Keith shoes, probably, and so would perhaps a quarter of the ladies in the venue.

There you can tell me in my face that you hate my style, and I will be more than happy to hold a conversation with you on how so I should improve my bad style, since you are of course more superior in the style hierarchy in your Irregular Choice shoes than me in my C&Ks.

Stephie

Muted

Tue, 18 Mar 2008 16:00:40 GMT

Hello! Dottie's officially fled Singapore to shop her heart out in Australia, so I will hold the fort here at Fashion Nation.

The Girls and I usually meet on Tuesday - today we avoid the town centre and escape to Serangoon Gardens- a quaint, quiet place filled with little cafes and eateries - for dinner and a game of Scrabble.

- Vest: Little shop off Raffles Place
- Long-sleeved top: Mango
- Skirt: Topshop
- Belt: Mango
- Bag: Prada (previously written about here)
- Shoes: Charles & Keith

Found a bow-tie hair ribbon in one of the shops in Far East Plaza, this really doesn't cost much so I was happy with the find.

A close-up of the belt as it didn't quite show on the picture.

x
Chilled-out Stephie

Weekend Relief

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:43:15 GMT

We had some tickets to The Spiderwick Chronicles movie, which suited me just fine due to my obsession with children's literature. With time to kill, we did our usual magazine-worshipping ritual in Borders.

- Gold-splattered Jeans: D. Belfort from Florence, Italy
- Pink Keffiyeh Scarf: Fourskin
- Flats: Zara

- Jeans: Miss Sixty
- Purple Velvet Jacket: Tangs
- Gold booties: Zara
- Pearls: DIY gift from a friend
- Watch: Tag Heuer
- Skull Scarf as headband: Topshop
- Heart-shaped gold bag: Zara
- Cocktail Ring: Chinatown

x
The Fashion Nation Girls

Last Tuesday - Graffiti as Art

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 15:47:25 GMT

Tank-top: From the Mothership's Closet
Pearls: thrifted from a bazaar
Skirt: Soon Lee
Shoes: Bianca

Jacket - Zara

Tank-top: G2000

Skirt - GG<5 (happily snatched from the sale at less than SGD20)

Shoes - Substance

x
Dottie & Stephie

French Fare

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 13:12:38 GMT

Tuesday Night - We're in the mood for French dessert (it being Paris Fashion Week and such!), so we met up with The Girls over dinner, tea, and dessert.

If you're wondering where this restaurant is, it's located at the basement of Raffles City and has a great selection of cake.

Dress: Sense
Shoes with Pony-hair detailing: Alegra (which we have mentioned before)
Bag: Charles & Keith
Necklace: m)phosis
Stockings: Pro-peds, in pearl

Dottie's still feeing the color clash, while I'm obsessing over strappy sandals. I'm still getting over a bout of flu and feeling quite green so please excuse the glum face.

Jacket: GG<5
Top: m)phosis
Silk/Linen Combination Skirt: Topshop
Patent Black Strappy Sandals: Charles & Keith
Bag: Louis Vuitton Speedy 30
Watch: Tag Heuer Alter Ego

strappy sandals and color clashes!
Stephie

Lounging Around

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 04:04:41 GMT

It's Thursday. Before the weekend hits us full on, we met up for the usual with our girlfriends - magazine flipping, dinner, shoe-gazing, then carry out our "Must-Do-On-Thursday" activity, which is to read the Straits Times Urban. We love Urban - Stephie cannot not read for one week, and she especially loves the voyeuristic Bag Page.

One of us is feeling the color clash while the other is musing about Prada's lace obsession!

Orange Dress: Sense

Shoes: Thrifted

Lace top: Mango

Skirt: Topshop

Bracelet: Tiffany & Co.

Lace-ups: Pedder Red

Clutch: Mango

P.S. Shame about the soiled soles - we'll try not to capture those from now on!

caffeine-coated love!
Dottie & Stephie

Bubbly on Wednesday

Sun, 03 Feb 2008 07:31:30 GMT

This was us on Wednesday, where we attended the Preview of Furla's Spring/Summer 2008 Collection. Flushed from too much champagne, followed by a late dinner with some of Dottie's friends.

Jacket: Far East Plaza

Dress: Isetan

Necklace: Topshop

Shoes: Bianca (which we've written before here)

Shirt dress: GG<5

Cardigan: Esprit

Belt: Esprit

Grey Lace-ups: Pedder Red

Bag: Chanel 2.55

Errands on Saturday

Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:45:21 GMT

Hello!

Nothing is as daunting or as fun as a Saturday filled totally with social activity.
First off to Haji Lane for a Fashion Nation-related errand,
next to the National Museum to say 'Hello!'
to the Greek statues which came all the way from the Louvre!

worn out from all that running about,
Dottie & Stephie
of Fashion Nation

Film Club Night

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 18:04:35 GMT

Hello!

The weekend has barely started and
we kicked it off with our Film Club meeting by watching Dogville. 'Twas good!

embracing the weekend (like all of you!),
Dottie and Stephie

Post Holiday Cheer

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:19:05 GMT

Hello!

still drunk on post-holiday cheer,
Dottie and Stephie