Recently I have started a new series on Instagram called " Street Art & Street Walks" of which given the fact we can hardly travel these days, I took the opportunity of taking a new friend who has recently relocated to Singapore, to see the sights and sounds of Singapore. And in this way, rediscover Singapore for myself.
We had fun on a few of these streetwalks and I wanted to share one of these walks with you. We chanced upon this lovely mural along Chinatown and had to just take some gorgeous pics with it. See if you can spot me in them. The first larger one, depicts the neighbourhood lifestyle of days gone by. To be honest I do recall these settings growing up. Where housewives would be shouting down to the " mamak" shop owner downstairs ( often of Indian or Malay descent) asking to buy onions, bananas or some basic grocery like sugar or salt as they run out of them whilst cooking. Imagine having to run down the stairs to buy it was too much of a trouble so a basket would be lowered for the produce and money transacted the same way. Amazing....
Back to this particular outfit. A cotton blouse which is perfect for this current humid tropical weather ( yes it has been a "cool" 28 degrees at 7am!). And a hat is a must-have these days when out and about although I am glad to add since this post was due to be published we have had a bit of thunderstorms to cool things down albeit for a short spell. I love how I enjoy playing print-on-print and the whole outfit is a testament to this fashion trend. Everything I had on was printed - from the blouse, to the skirt to the embroidered up cycled kimono fabric bag. Yet everything came together so beautifully ( well in my eyes at least) as they all were part of the neutral family in terms of colour tone and therefore that is a big must if you are playing with prints and afraid to make too much mistakes if you started clashing prints with colours.
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!
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.
It's been a busy few weeks for me prepping and trying to get as much of my Christmas preparation done so I can take a little time off from work for the family. This year has indeed been such a crazy year with all that's happened and is still happening. Many of us have missed seeing our love ones around the globe whilst some of us have even lost our love ones without even saying goodbye or seeing for one last time.
As a Catholic, to me Christmas is extra meaningful besides all the commercial aspects of it - but that it is to bring Faith, Hope and Joy as well as Love and Peace to all that we know that on this day, we have hope for what is to come. The giving of gifts is all about love and happiness and spreading joy - and that as Christians is what we need to do but on a less secular form but more of our spirit that we share with those around us. So this Christmas, many will be alone without love ones around them. Go and spread the love and joy with them even to knock on your neighbours door to wish them a Merry Christmas.
On that note, let me share with you this stunning outfit I have styled for Christmas from this fabulous store here in Singapore called What Women Want. True to its name, this store has almost everything a woman desires. From fashion to jewellery to shoes and accessories. So if you are residing in Singapore, do pop over to their boutique at the Mandarin Gallery to check them out. Of course they have just finished their Holiday Soiree pop up but you can most definitely find great buys in time for your festive shopping.
In tropical Singapore, and bearing in mind the restrictions at play for big group festive gatherings, so many will be entertaining in smaller groups or even in their own backyard instead of the traditional hotel get togethers. Styling this summer maxi dress with silver threads running through the outfit, it gives it a little sheen and shine which is perfect for Christmas in the Tropics. Let me tell you the drama I had to go through to get this shoot in place. Was at the airport thinking it will be all setup with beautiful decorations for my backdrop but sadly enough with travel minimised to almost a standstill, therefore it was a sad situation at what would have been a gorgeous backdrop at Singapore's Changi Airport that usually spares no expense to deck out the terminals in splendid Christmas cheer.
So I decided with my assistant of the day, to head to another popular spot in Singapore where the recent Crazy Rich Asian movie was set for the gorgeous wedding at Chijmes Singapore. And lo and behold, we were able to secure a dining dome that was sprawled all over the lawn where reservations are free though we need to order some food and drinks from any of the outlets within Chijmes. We were sooo lucky that there was a last minute cancellation as all online bookings were full for these domes and my good friend and assistant of the day, Lauren and I had a whale of a 2 hr time slot to do my photoshoot whilst sipping a whole bottle of Chardonnay and stuffing ourselves with tacos on the side.
Anyway more of this gorgeous scene in the next posts but meanwhile, here's a nice kickstart to Christmas looks and celebrations from the dome at Chijmes.
Stay safe everyone and stay tuned for more Christmas looks.
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!
I AM BACK!! Yes, if you have been following me on Instagram, you would see I have been swarmed with non-stop campaigns with the recent being a launch of a "shop in your own home" concept that has been rolled out by a local brand Simone Irani here in Singapore.
I do realise that many of you reading this would find it harder and harder to follow me seeing that I have been supporting more local brands in my styling and my posts however rest assured many of these brands do ship worldwide so you can still enjoy purchasing the items that you see on my posts. I have not forgotten you guys and will be back soon with new labels that you can work with and widely available in your own home countries.
In the meantime, let's talk Simone Irani. Whilst many of you are into transitional dressing now between seasons, I would also believe many of you in the Southern Hemisphere would be able to relate to this outfit. And even whilst you are heading into Autumn now, you can always do pairings with this stunning Sari Pants with an outerwear. Or a heavier top like a denim jacket and a high neck tee.
This pair of Stradivarius sandals reminds me so much of the Bottega Veneta pattern - just had to have it as its a classic piece. Styled this pants this time semi formal with a long crystal tassel necklace and vintage earrings and clutch to finish the look. You can easily take this look out for brunch, even a casual dinner out and of course swop the jewellery for something more casual, a large tote bag and sneakers and you are ready to go for daily errands.
So here is the video for the " Shop Simone Irani In Your Own Home" concept so that you can have a better understanding of how it works. Certainly a great idea for a girl's coffee or night out get together or even a fun idea for a Hen's Night. Not forgetting there is NO additional charges aside from paying ONLY for what you keep.
Enjoy the video.
Click on link here, if you are unable to watch the video.
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!
