Hi everyone and I know you must be wondering where I have been this last one year?
For those of you who have been following me on Instagram - I have been active with my outfit posts and styling tips just a little slower in posts given I had recently gone back to full time corporate work. Instagram is the main platform that I showcase my styling tips and tricks and #ootd. So please follow me there for more up to date looks ( @yourstylearchitect)
Nonetheless my passion for fashion still holds strong and figured it's about time I refreshed and updated my blog as well.
So for today, let me just share with you some fun times I recently had with a client when I headed over to her place for a Wardrobe Edit. She had never done one before so it took a bit of coaxing to get her to understand why one needs to do such an exercise now and again - cos it does open up one's eyes to note how we have been "frivolously" spending our money with no thought process and eventually ending up with the same styles / color over and over again. That is why many of us open up our wardrobes and still go on about " I don't have anything to wear" when one has a wardrobe FULL of clothes!
Enjoy and do leave me a comment on what strike you the most from the videos and what take away tip was most useful for you.
I have to firstly apologise that much has been happening on my end and I needed to take a haitus from blogging over the last year. My main focus for social media interaction was ONLY via Instagram, hence for those of you are not following me yet on Instagram, kindly do so with my handle : @yourstylearchitect so you can enjoy the reels and videos I have put together as well as for more regular outfit inspirations.
Firstly, I have to admit that 2022 was a year I like to leave behind me as I had a few challenges from a fractured foot ( so that meant mobility was a big issue) which did not allow me to take many photos or do much styling. Then the disappointments with insincere people and friendships, of which I should have trusted my gut feelings from Day 1 when I spotted the red flags. Well, I guess we all live and let learn and so I have moved on leaving hypocrisy behind and definitely not wanting to reinvite such negativity into my life again. Sadly, 2022 also brought further sadness with the passing of our rescue dog from Hong Kong, who had succumbed recently to cancer and passed on 5 Dec 2022. It was a sad, trying few months that I had to administer palliative care for her. I still miss Rum badly. I will share a tribute reel I had put together for her in my next post.
Anyways, now with the Year of the Rabbit at hand, I finally decided to check-in again to my blog and at least say Hi to those of you who have continued to love and support me in what I do. So here's a big bang entry into the Year of the Rabbit and still pushing hard to inspire all of you on how to shop from your own wardrobe, keep fashion sustainable and be very selective on how you spend your money on new buys. Yes, we are all facing some financial restrictions during this tough economic times, so why spend what's not necessary but just restyle, re-wear and re-create new looks from what you have.
In the first qipao / cheongsam look - which is a traditional Chinese outfit that most women wear especially during special occasions like Lunar New Year, Weddings or formal events, mine here was custom made for me back in 2021. Unfortunately as I get older in years, the confidence of wearing short or mini skirts gets lesser, therefore I have decided to " extend " the hemline of this outfit without altering it per se, but throwing on a tulle skirt underneath and voila... we got a whole new vibe going on here. A fusion twist to a traditional garb.
In the second look, I added an obi belt made of men's ties to cinch in the waist and add a bit of " drama" to the outfit. And with the tassle earrings, it definitely changes the look of the outfit to one being more chinoi in vibe.
Hope you enjoyed this first post of 2023 and as mentioned, do follow me on instagram ( click here) where I post every other day and provide " 3 Ways To Style " series for fashion inspiration on how to restyle your current wardrobe items.
Thank you for still sticking by and following me although I needed to take a much needed break from blogging as my life was just going in so many directions especially with Covid. One would think that I would have more time to be blogging but on the contrary, I got busier with collaborations especially for Instagram which I am most active on, for all my social media accounts.
Aside from that, my personal styling consults were getting more enquiries and I am now also the In-House stylist for one of the most prominent vintage clothing stores in Singapore. Styling people have always been such a fun experience but working with vintage wear - that's a whole other ball game as not many stylists are working in that direction. Most are focused on workwear, casual wear and outfits of today. Creating vintage looks and getting my customers happy with those looks takes a whole lot more!
Anyway, to re-introduce myself to all of you - here is a Pink and Green combo look which is an easily affordable outfit from Zara and one that any of you can Get The Look ( and not just for less!). I love this combination a lot and you will see me play with such colour palettes in upcoming posts. Meanwhile enough said, enjoy my return from sabbatical of blogging and stay tuned for more exciting reels and blog posts coming up.
Always happy to take your enquiries for styling tips so please do drop me an email or a comment below on what you would like to see me style next or perhaps to ask for some styling tips. For those of you based in Singapore, happy to customise a styling session for you too based on your needs and budget so please Click on the tag above that says Personal Styling and we can get going from there once you have completed a Pre-Styling Consult survey.
Have a great Valentine's Day coming up and see you guys again soon.
I had recently chanced upon a thrift shop here in Singapore which has been around for a long time but I have never had the chance to explore till recently. Here, I found the most amazing upcycling idea which the thrift shop has taken on to actively promote sustainability and yet be able to move their items in order to secure every sale that goes towards contributing and providing financial aid to the poor - The Society of St Vincent De Paul.
So what is so amazing was that I found some stunning Obi belts which is one size fits all and is perfect for them to use men's ties and create this amazing new product. As most people are working from home, of course men nowadays rarely wear ties to work or even from home, so with so much stock of donated men's ties in the store which was not moving off the shelves, this amazing idea by one of their volunteers got me so excited that I bought 5 immediately. Not to mention that a local newscaster/ celebrity/ ex-model saw it on my Instagram feed and she too supported them with some purchases. From then on, I have touched based with the store manager and he said since the post on Instagram, many have been buying the belts and the volunteers are now struggling to get more out as there is now a waitlist. Previously when they had first launched it, it was online for sale for over 2 weeks yet no one took any interest to it.
So as I would say #trustthestylist and once I showcased how to mix and match using these Obi belts, I am sure more of you ( especially those living in Singapore) will be able to lend your support to this great cause and promote sustainability.
Enjoy this little video I had put together showcasing 3 of the Obi Belts I have purchased for your styling inspirations.
( Please click here if you are unable to view above )
For those of you living in Singapore, you would have been following me on Instagram where I have been showcasing many types of hats or head cover recently as it's been sweltering hot these last few weeks. The heat and then the extreme blasting air conditioning in malls or public transportation has me suffering pounding migraines and headaches.
So I decided to keep the temperature more constant by wearing head scarves, hats and some type of cover from the drastic change in temperature on the top of my head. With this, I started to enjoy styling the different types of hats and I start to realise that not many people do wear hats in Singapore - when our weather is so ideal to style hats. I am not just talking about sports caps but stylish and chic hats.
Hence, I started a #hatchallengesg on Instagram to get everyone to share with me pics of them styling hats in Singapore so we can push more people to enjoy this trend. If you could, please do share your pic with me with the following :
1) #hatchallengesg
2) tag @yourstylearchitect
Moving on to today's look, I love this saucer style hat which I had commissioned my favourite millinery in Singapore - Girl With A Hat to design for me after watching the Emily in Paris series on Netflix. Yet wanting something more feminine and cute - Lise who is the owner and found of this millinery added cute little butterflies to my saucer hat to create some 3D effect for me.
So here is the first of many looks styling this cute hat for Summer!
I hope you enjoyed this fun look and don't forget to head on to Instagram to participate in my #hatchallengesg!
Can't believe we are now already heading into the 3rd month of the year! Indeed how quick time has flown when it was just recently I was just putting up the Christmas tree and ringing in the New Year. Glad to move on from 2020 with all that's happened but also it seems much has also happened in just these 2months of the year.
Well - at least spring is around the corner and for many we are already in Spring! So here's a fun and cute outfit one can style and add some cheer to your lives. For me, I have always loved the ruffles and the florals, so combining the structured and pretty harsh and masculine look of a dungaree with a ditsy floral, ruffle top is the perfect combo. Throwing on some open toe sandals and we got something going on here. Not to forget accessories play a very key role in completing any outfit so here, this stunning pair of handcrafted earrings by Indian artisans is the cherry on the top.
Here's a little reel I have put together whilst styling this outfit for you to see it come alive!
Unable to click on video above, then tap on this link below :
Belt : Alberta Ferretti // Boots : The Tui Collection
Hi Everyone,
My first post of 2021 brings this trend I am loving much for Spring 2021. The Boyfriend's Blazer! A chic look which also means a cost cutting measure for me as I am able to look stylish by styling from my husband's wardrobe to create new and exciting looks without having to spend any money to purchase an outfit to style this trend.
Most of you would know I am based in hot, humid, tropical Singapore. However, the weather has been quite wet at the start of the year and it's been fair and windy the last couple of days. So trending this blazer is perfect at this time of the year. Kept the look simple with a simple white tee and added a feminine touch with a little skort ( skirt cum shorts) with a lace up detail. I enjoyed pairing this look on a more natural colour palette and bling it up with statement cuff and chain link necklace.
Of course, to keep the look more feminine, I could also cinch in the waist with a belt and therefore toning down the masculine jacket.
Will you wear this look? Let me know what you think.
Thanks for being so patient in waiting for this post.
I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for always being there for me. Always supporting me with your follows, comments and just listening to me vent and express my views every now and then and appreciating the effort I put into each post and picture, and what I intend to put out there to inspire.
Of late, I have been facing an emotional battle with social media and what I had intended for my Instagram profile when I first started. However having been working non-stop since Singapore went into her Circuit Breaker period ( now being 7 months), I have seen so many good and also bad sides of people and in many ways have had me feeling so disappointed in the humankind. To see and hear about the evils happening around the world, like the terrorist acts in France and all the wrong doings big or small and crimes committed against innocent people during this period, gets me thinking that I too cannot just sit here and do my thing when I hear of all the hurt and pain others are facing in another part of the world. A
So, I have decided to take it slow with social media for a while. To regroup my thoughts and feelings and not let it take over my life but compliment the direction I want to take with it. So for today's post - something a little different again - channeling vintage.
There is always something about Vintage that makes me happy. To bring me back to old times when people were perhaps happier, simpler and appreciative of others' efforts. And so this lovely shirt that I had gotten from my favourite local vintage store A Vintage Tale resonates so strongly with the 60s for me - girl power and freedom. Paired it with another striking pattern of a floral clutch and a statement leather vintage belt and grounded the look with retro earrings and a simple pair of grey Chanel sneakers.
Feeling the whole 60s Flower Power vibe, done my hair differently this time and bringing us back down to reality - finished off the look with a matching coloured mask from Al.Ma.Lu as I am sure this is the new normal for us to be wearing masks out for most countries well into next year.
I hope you like this fun and fresh look and do let me know if this is a style I should continue to trend moving forward. Stay safe everyone!
A pre-school teacher by day and fashion blogger by night / weekends, blogging provides me an avenue where I can inspire others to achieve trendy and fashionable styles without having to splurge a whole lot of money doing so. " Getting The Look For Less" is my motto and helping women realise all of us can look good no matter what age, shape or size we are!
Email me at salf15loveshopping@gmail.com for comments, reviews, invites and advertorials. Thanks for reading my blog!
