THE BEST THAI ESCAPE OF 2014: TRAVEL TALES

SUITE DREAMS (ARE MADE OF THESE)

Just a year old, Point Yamu, COMO Hotels and Resorts’s property in Phuket, delivers its promise of utmost seclusion in style but is this a vision of beach living for everyone? By Daniel Goh

Phuket isn’t off the beaten track for anyone – arguably very few places are now, and especially not Thailand, one of the most touristed destinations in the world – so it’s a challenge for any property seeking to distinguish itself in a location dense with hotels of all sorts. And yet Point Yamu succeeds in being memorable – perhaps this is where the Como style comes in.

Located on the eastern side of Phuket on the tip of Cape Yamu, the resort is miles away from anything, tourist or local, and is approached by driving up a gentle uphill meander through a rubber plantation. If you’re seeking a Victorian rest cure, this gated seclusion is ideal: ensconced in oversized daybeds indoors and out, comfortably propped up in nests of pillows, the serene panoramic views across the bay are a sight to soothe frayed city nerves. Unobstructed, they impose themselves on your psyche, stilling your inner chatter with the UNESCO-protected wonders of the limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay, stretching into hundreds of islands on the Homeric sea, with the stately grace of a Noh screen that changes through the day in slow motion from slate-grey (early morning), to peach melba (dusk), and Tiffany blue (noon). You forget to wear your watch, and the hours melt into the ozone.

To enter this magical seascape takes something of an expedition. The calm Andaman Sea beckons, but Point Yamu has no direct beach access. Guests take the daily shuttle to the jetty, then a scheduled boat transports you to the beach of Rang Yai Island (a 15 minute transfer). Beach enthusiasts may find this inconvenient, but the schedule actually adds to the calm, imposing form on an otherwise lolling, shapeless day. Similarly a timetable of complimentary activities on a printed card marks the hours – Pilates at 11 am; Old Phuket Town tour at 3 pm; Flower arrangement 4 pm; Bike tour 5 pm. Just studying the timetable feels reassuring, like you’re on rehab or in a posh nursing home. You must take a day tour of the bay, known parochially as James Bond Island (the setting for Man With The Golden Gun), a magnet for divers, snorkelers and kayakers. Tear a rent through the gelatine skin of the sea in a longtail boat with the hotel’s guide Roman, who has been sailing these waters for 20 years, and who knows every ancient cave glittering with minerals, every deserted cove of wild monkeys, every tide, every fable, every pristine beach of every uninhabited island, as well as you know every nook of Orchard Road. His skin is the wet teak of the boat, impervious to sun.

Service staff can make or break a hotel, and at Point Yamu, the service made the experience perfect. Efficient and warm without being mechanically so, nor betraying their training, and without being anything other than Thai charm itself, patient, humourous, discreet, each attendant is Thailand’s USP. From housekeeping to front desk to the ladies serving meals, to the auntie who made ice-cream in an uproar of tinkling bells and clouds of dry ice, to the lakorn-lovely nong (braces, perfect British-accented English) who came to the room to try to fit the TV with cables so that we could watch a DVD, and failed – every one of them made the stay a joy.

The rooms have no DVD players, and the point is probably that those are outdated. Point Yamu is resolutely modern in look and feel. The interiors are contemporary without being minimalist, cheerfully coloured and have some Thai accents.

The result is light-filled spaces punctuated by splashes of aquamarines and oranges. All rooms have spectacular ocean views. Each room maximizes space, and the executive suite is larger than most four-room flats, with a generous verandah. Shorn of all gimmicks, real luxury was brought to the fore in quality fittings, firm beds dressed in the fine Egyptian cotton, a bowl of edible fruit, the bathrooms are clad in jade-coloured tiles and furnished with COMO Shambala toiletries.

Every self-respecting resort must have its spa and the pompously-named COMO Shambhala Retreat takes itself seriously and offers yoga, Pilates and treatments over two stories with a modern European feel. I didn’t try any of the treatments but must say the therapists look almost medical in their purpose so I should say you’d be in good hands (literally).

When you’re marooned in a resort and eat all three meals in - food becomes all-important. At Point Yamu, it’s elegant that there are just the two restaurants here (plus a pool bar that disconcertingly played strenuous dance music at tea – surely jazz or Noh is more suitable) serving excellent food. Located alongside the 100m infinity pool and open on all sides, La Sirena is the checkerboard dining hall where you go to for breakfast, Italian cooking and locally caught seafood. Just across the way, Nahmyaa serves really delicious, finely balanced southern Thai. The calorie-counting health junkie will appreciate the COMO Shambhala menu which is available throughout, designed for those who want their raw foods, living enzymes, unprocessed fibre and morals.

So there you have it: If your idea of escape is a cozy version of house-arrest set in stunning views, Point Yamu is the place for you.

Point Yamu by COMO, Moo 7, Thep Kasattri, Thalang District, Phuket, Thailand. Phone:+66 76 360 100

WE ARE WHAT WE CONSUME: THE WORLD AS A SUPERMARKET

We consume constantly: We spend every minute of the everyday consuming fuel and fauna and destinations. We also consume ideas, and time, and people. We consume the beautiful, the complex and the simple. Enter the supermarket – the cultural symbol of our vast appetite for all that is natural and unnatural. This is our orderly paradise, an Eden of plenty with the gifts of nature – in orderly, manageable stacks, packed odorless-ly away on foam trays and inside tins, and nestled in paper and clad in glass and cling film and caught in multiple plastic bags. Nature in all its variety and then some – season-less, region-less, hybrid, we want it all! This is how we consume science – cold-pressed, vacuum-packed, vitamin-enriched, flour-less, zero fat, zero calorie, flavoured, coloured, preserved, non-stick, instant. This is where we go to consume the comforting and the familiar, carbs and creams and food from the mega-brands of childhood. It is also where we find the exotic and the delightful – stuff our parents never heard of and never dreamed of consuming. And here, finally, in the supermarket, is where we go to find ourselves, and define our next selves. Better, healthier, thinner, more sophisticated – what we are, or hope to be, is what we consume after all.

PASSAGE OF TIME: Hermes's Must-See Exhibition

Becoming Again, Ran Hwang’s meditation on transience, is a fitting last exhibition at Third Floor, before the gallery closes for a one-year refurbishment. Launched in 2006, Third Floor is a non-commercial art space that promotes contemporary art by commissioning and presenting works in the Hermes flagship store on Orchard Road. Next month, the iconic Liat Towers flagship store closes for a one-year refurbishment. 

It is fitting then, that the last exhibition to show in that space, South Korean artist Ran Hwang’s Becoming Again, is a meditation on time. For indeed the 10 years since the inauguration of Third Floor (located on the third floor of the store) have flown by in a flurry of shows including works by Takashi Kuribayashi (in conjunction with the Singapore Biennale 2006), Laurence Dervaux, Heman Chong, Flavia Da Rin, Luis Terán, Rei Sato, Ming Wong, Yeondoo Jung, Ranjani Shettar, Christine Ay Tjoe, Shinji Ohmaki, Joo Choon Lin, Nadim Abbas and Aiko Tezuka. 

Becoming Again is an immersive multimedia one-work installation, comprising a curved wall of Plexiglas that forms a shimmering screen studded with buttons arranged obsessively as a conflagration of cherry blossoms. As you watch, the blossoms glow with projected, shifting lights, changing colour and shapes in a kaleidoscope of moods; a golden phoenix unfurls its wings to the left and majestically flaps through the cherry forest to the right before a climax of golden showers. The artist, Ran Hwang, swathed in a grey dotted shawl, guides us through the work, a meditation on the cyclical nature of time, the brevity and fragility of life, which is represented by the evolving flowers, first chastely pale, then prettily pink, then autumnal gold, then fading into the void as the cycle begins again. The mythical phoenix – a symbol of grace, infinity and renewal – echoes the transient nature of existence that is at the core of Hwang’s work.    

Why buttons?

Beauty can be found in the most ordinary, and the humble button is a metaphor for the ordinariness of human existence. I want to encourage an appreciation of the simple things we overlook in the frantic course of everyday.

Your work uses a feminine vocabulary, with materials from fashion such as buttons, pins and needles.

My first memories of art were of my father avidly painting Chinese inks and I must have been five or six, very introverted, grinding his ink stone for him. While he painted, I would be drawing by his side. I spent all my time drawing, all through school and one day I started making paper dolls and making Barbie dresses for them and all of a sudden I found myself with friends! I became very popular, and from that time I became very interested in fashion.

When I went to study in New York, I scoured the flea markets and I would find old Chinese pieces of embroidery, and that fascinated me. I found many beautiful used items that were abandoned, and that was when I first discovered the beauty in found objects. I began to use those to create mixed media collages. My first job in New York was interning at an embroidery company. One day in the office, I found a stash of abandoned buttons in a corner. These lifeless, worthless abandoned objects were like me. I was working for a living in the day and could only work on art at night and I identified with the buttons. And so I decided to resuscitate these beautiful discarded buttons as works of art. I began to work more and more with buttons and now I make my own buttons using a traditional Asian method. Each button is made of seven layers of paper, then varnished, made just for me.

You also utilize traditional Eastern imagery.

My dad, a writer who passed away more than 10 years ago, and who never got to see my works, had influenced me a lot in this. His paintings were traditional scholar’s subjects of bamboo and plum blossoms, etc. And after I moved to New York, I began to feel the pull of tradition and history, especially embedded in vintage objects. And if I need to categorize my work, then I’m a Post-Modernist; even if the visuals may be figurative and traditional, but the techniques and medium are contemporary, so this isn’t exactly traditional.

When did you decide that you would be an artist?

I never wanted to be anything else! Right from the time that I was drawing Barbie dresses with my father, I knew I would be an artist. Now I have a permanent team of 25 working for me full time, in both Seoul and New York. I have so much to tell after surviving some really challenging personal times. I’m really grateful that I can create the art that I do.

How does Singapore and this collaboration with Hermes make you feel?

Before I arrived, I thought I would only find buildings here and I was surprised to find so much greenery! There’s also this combination of old and new, the organic and the man-made that I find really interesting. The Third Floor-Hermes space was inspiring because the sides consist of glass. This potentially makes the projected image different during daytime and night. Due to the low ceiling, the work also fills up the exhibition space, so the viewer solely focuses on the work and gets overwhelmed by the scale of it.

Becoming Again is on till 31 January 2015.  Time: 10:30 am to 7:30 pm daily. Third Floor - Hermès, 541 Orchard Road, Liat Towers. Free admission

         

  

PASSION FOR MONSTERS: NOTES

Parco dei Mostri (Garden of Monsters), a renaissance garden an hour's drive from Rome.
"Ogni pensiero vola" - "all thoughts flee".

Vincino Orsini, a warrior duke and poet, started arranging the garden in 1552.
Located outside the small town of Bomarzo, northern Lazio.
Villa d'Este at Tivoli.
Cerberus, a three-headed dog who guards the entrance to hell.

Demetria, goddess of the harvest.
Terme dei Papi, papal thermal baths outside Viterbo
"il sacro bosco" - the sacred wood

LOOKING BACK IN TIME

20 March 2005
My one week leave ends tomorrow. Sadness. Time just seems to whoosh by when I'm on leave but seems to crawl, slug-like when I'm at work. Not even slug-like but heavy and clanking and rusty - something that doesn't seem to work very well.
During this one week, I didn't do anything productive. Initially I planned to kickstart a fitness regime but one excuse led to another and soon the week was gone. I don't even feel that rested. I've been attacked by colds on alternate days and my sleep is just as disturbed as if I was working. I regret not going away for a mini vac.
The only thing I'm even slightly pleased about is I managed to write a brief little piece of fiction "You Bluff Me".
I really can't wait for my pen pal Chin to read it.
Chin and I E-mail at least twice a day, and it's been going on for quite a while now. I wonder how this epistolary relationship is going to end? Will I ever meet Chin?
That possibility makes me feel sort of anxious.
What if I meet him accidentally one day? After all, being bookish, he haunts Borders, Kinokuniya  and Plaza Singapura, as I do.
BG has not called me the entire week. I wonder what sort of mind game he's playing.
I suspect that BG is cruising at Fort Road. Yesterday, when I called him, he said "I'm on my way to Sentosa, with my new friends." He's playing mysterious.
EH is on his way to Taipei for a week. EH has been weird too - I think it's got to do with M. BG and EH have fallen out over M, tawdry but true.

21 March
Had dinner with Dylan at Akashi in Paragon, then we walked to the Heeren to take a cab to Mox where we met EH and HA, who is so cock-crazy and insisted that we go to Happy to watch a swimwear parade. Lots of champagne. HA knows the cutest model in the show, a young NUS thug called Nick Teo. He said that Nick has a bad character. HA said that Nick Teo just wants a lot of money but would give so little (in exchange). He said that Nick asked him for money to buy a car. Then we went to Why Not. It was really quite fun, mostly because of the crazy behaviour of EH and HA.

3 ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS STORIES

JF's Christmas at the Pool

"It's the eve of Christmas eve, 'round 1pm, one of those very quiet times at the pool, and so I was washing up with the shower door wide open, just so to keep an eye on my stuff which I'd left on the changing station ahead of me. You know me, I'm not shy like that. 

So I'm working up a treat with my new handmade geranium essential oil soap, I always use bar soap, I don't fancy gel. And I turn around and suddenly this tiny Chinese Hobbit, not very old, probably in his early thirties, was sitting right next to my stuff, so needless to say I had to keep an eye on him. 

The ACS Swimming Pool where so many things happened in my secondary school days.

Consciously nonchalant, acting oblivious, I continued soaping up and down my smooth flanks and sides, but became increasingly irked when I realised that I was putting on a Christmas show for that guy who kept gawking unabashedly. I really just couldn't hold it in any longer so I said very loudly, projecting across the room: "Excuse me, but what the flying fuck are you staring at?" 

"Ohhh... Ahhh, I wanted to ask you if I can borrow your soap?" he replied lamely.

So I said, "My soap isn't between my legs, you fuck!" 

Still relentless, he had the cheek to say, "Why do you shave down there? It's so ugly..." 

At this, I hurled my bar of soap in his face, hitting his right eye, and only then did he scurry off, Arena trunks, rubber sandals and drippy hair. 
I wasn't a marksman in the army for nothing."

Plaza Singapura in 1977

JZD's Christmas AT THE PLAZA MALL

Last night, amidst the plastic and tin foil-y Christmas decor at the Plaza Mall, JZD told me why he’s perpetually depressed. "It's not just Christmas," he said. As I suspected, it was about his family, a broken home and worse. His depression wasn’t about Nelson as I had thought, whom he had just met, and was all excited about; All anxious and nervous that it may all turn out to be naught. JZD isn’t quite as confident as he liked to present himself to be, but just as insecure as his good friend G, who no longer lives with him. They fought over rent, amongst other things, and G moved back to her parents' last Christmas.

KL model Haikal Hazman Hashim 

AY's Christmas Online

"So I met this dude online last Christmas, and he's a Chinese dude. We have been talking for a year now and indeed, he's very entertaining for a chat buddy. We would chat every day without fail, about this and that; However, when I asked him what race he preferred to date, I felt saddened to learn that he preferred to date a Chinese dude. I know it's his preference and what not, but I’m afraid he won't accept me as a potential date, because I'm not Chinese. I have yet to tell him that I’m Malay, so he doesn’t know this, even though we've been chatting for a year. He’s seen my photos though, but he doesn't seem to think that I'm Malay. 

Should tell him my race or just wait? I'm really confused..."

EDDIE REDMAYNE: MY NEW ENGLISH OBSESSION

This one is pretty self-explanatory, and if you watch the video interview below, you will see what I mean, English Charm operating at full power. Edward John David "Eddie" Redmayne is an English actor, singer and clotheshorse, born January 6, 1982. 
He's really the new Hugh Grant!

NO FEAR OF AGEING

Both Titian and Monet painted into their 80s, and Chagall and Picasso into their 90s. Then there's Matisse.

Titian, Portrait of a Girl, 1545

Verdi composed Falstaff when he was 80, while Richard Strauss composed Four Last Songs at 84.

INSTAGRAM PURGE: THE NEW SELFIE QUEEN

Bieby's Selfie with pants

Bieby's purported Selfie's rather real looking

Instagram's stupid purge of supposed fake accounts from their site, has taken a toll on many follower lists. It has meant a huge decrease in followers for some, particularly some questionable celebrities who have so far been chalking up amazing numbers. As a result of this purge, Eg: Justin Bieber is no longer the King of Instagram. The new most-followed person on Instagram is (roll eyes) Kim Kardsashian West. 
It's hard (pun unintended) to believe that there are more people who want to look at Mrs West than Bieby - but there you go - all sorts of perversity etc.

EXODUS: GODS AND KINGS VS THE HOBBIT: BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES MOVIE REVIEW

This is probably the only movie review that will come right out and say that the much maligned Ridley Scott epic Exodus: Gods and Kings is a much better movie than the generally praised The Hobbit.

Frankly, Exodus is simply more beautiful and finely made than The Hobbit, which feels for the most part like a glorified wuxia movie with too big a budget. You half expect to see Dato Michelle Yeoh leap out out from the cave looking gnarled and bloodied to battle an Orc played by Donnie Yen. (Of course Donnie Yen will die first; As you know Ms Yeoh has survived a disastrous string of flops and will outlive anything.)

Exodus promised to be a stunning epic, and delivers. The CGI and art direction are lushly beautiful in an Old Master way, at once stunning and considered, whereas in The Hobbit, it looks like CGI, at once too real and not real enough - you're never not aware that the actors are wearing a tonne of hair, makeup and polyester (for instance, you're never not aware that Gandolf is wearing a pointy hat made of that Christmas stocking felt - it's too real and not real because that Christmas stocking felt simply looks too NEW), or that the lumbering monsters are created by an army of artists clicking feverishly on a computer. The CGI monsters are summoned up for no reason, felled by any stray pebble hurled by a Hobbit, or elbowed by a Dwarf. They never feel menacing, just numerous.

I will never quibble with the casting of Christian Bale - in anything - even if he isn't his very best in Exodus, Bale is still always strangely watchable. I have no preconceived notions of what Moses should be like, and I reckon if there was a Moses, he would be heroic, human and conflicted, as portrayed by Bale. I also think that portraying the Old Testament God as a willful child is poetic and appropriate. 

PRINCESS SRIRASMI NO MORE

To those addicted to Thai lakorns, the still unfolding saga of the former Thai Princess Srirasmi will seem familiar. It's even more riveting than Love Sick The Series. (I'm planning a really long post on this TV series, so watch out for it!)

It wasn't to be a happy birthday for the  Princess, who was born 9 December 1971 to a family of modest means. She graduated from Bangkok Business College at age 22, and entered the service of Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn as a “lady-in-waiting”. In 1997, Srirasmi enrolled in Sukhothai Thammathirat Open University and graduated in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in management science. In 2007 she received a Master of Arts degree in Home Economics from Kasetsart University. 

The always polished former Princess in happier times

Today, she is Princess no more, and has adopted a new identity overnight, and from now on she will be officially known as Thanphuying Srirasmi Suwadee. It is reported that she will now return to her hometown of Ratchaburi and devote her time to studying Buddhism. The former princess (the third wife of the Crown Prince) was seen at a government office in Bangkok's Dusit district obtaining her new identification card.
The scandal-plagued Srirasmi's abdication came to light last Friday in a terse statement carried in the Royal Gazette. The announcement said that Princess Srirasmi had requested in writing that she be allowed to relinquish her royal status. No reason was offered for her resigination.
This request had been acknowledged by His Majesty the King and permission has been granted. Additionally, it was officially acknowledged by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha.
Apart from her royal title, she has also resigned her army position. 

Srirasmi has returned all her jewels and been granted 200 million baht to support her new life as a commoner. 

MY VERY OWN TARZAN

My Tarzan was a TV Tarzan, and I remember watching this avidly as a kid in the 1970s. It starred the very beautiful Ron Ely (amazingly still alive and still gorgeous!), in the series that ran from 1966-1968, but wasn't broadcast here until the 1970s. It was this version of Tarzan that I got to know first, formatively, as well as getting the first inkling of issues like Nature threatened, the nasty white racist, witch doctors, loincloths, safari suits and various animal attacks embedded in my psyche. Tellingly, I don't have any memories of a Jane, just Tarzan, chimps and natives. 

"I never thought of myself as representing a sex symbol; I didn't see anything attractive in what I was doing or the way I was presented. I just saw it as natural and normal — never beyond that." - Ron Ely

MARBLE, THE BEAUTIFUL STONE

A POLISHED BEAUTY

Marble carries a certain weight in our minds because of its elegant associations. We think of marble as the eternal building blocks of some of our most-loved monuments, an ancient Greek temple crumbling on a cliff, the lunar domes of the Taj Mahal spring quickly to mind in all their weathered nobility. And then we associate marble with the solidity of rich homes – perhaps your first encounter with marble was as a child, crawling on cold marbled floors, swimming in marbled pools and washing in marbled sinks – a hard knock or two was a lesson in how cruelly hard this stone can be.

    

By then, as adults, we would have learnt to appreciate the smooth marble hardness as a sort of beauty, perhaps the rarest of all beauties. A certain icy hauteur indicates a marble heart, remote and unknowable; a ghostly pale skin is said to be marble-like in texture and temperature. 

The poetry of marble is that it is both dead and ‘alive’. Marble has a unique translucence which comes from light entering its surface to produce a soft glow. This has made marble the favorite medium for Greek and Roman sculptors who brought galleries of models “to life”, and from them we have come to see marble as a symbol of refinement and art. Marble has the ability to take a very high polish, sanded to a high luster; After all, the word “marble” derives from the pre-Greek “crystalline rock, shining stone.”

Its varied and distinctive patterns make it decorative, and once you see it on a column in a renaissance palace, you will recognize it on Venetian paper, in a cupcake, a tub of ice-cream or a cake of eye-shadow. We are used to thinking of marble as being of a blinding white, but marble occurs naturally in a wide range of colours and can be green, yellow, orange, red and black, making it a perfect decorative material for architecture and interiors. 

Despite its many qualities, Michelangelo describes marble’s mysterious magic best: “The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has. I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”

WHAT IS STYLE?

That is Style: November 2007, when I was still working on it, inventing that genre as I went along. My work, my passion and my style.

TOP FASHION TREND 2014: ANIMAL PRINTS

NATURAL SELECTION

Animal print has probably always been in style in one form or another. Wearing the markings of jungle cats, zebra, giraffe, cow and reptiles is rooted in a atavistic yearning for our distant past, for a time when we were more connected with nature and depended more on our instincts, our animal senses, and our natural understanding of the wild environment. 

Animal prints are particularly alluring for us who live an air-conditioned existence, it's a sort of nostalgia for the time of caves and shamans and the colours of the wind. Perhaps this longing for the natural world is stitched into the threads of our genes, like a primeval ocean we can’t quite remember, yet whose undertow tugs on our subconscious hearts.

Azzedine Alaia design for Louis Vuitton

Animal prints entered fashion as a form of luxury and status. Throughout history, noblemen treasured animal patterns as they were exotic, and thereby wearing them was a sign of status. Traditionally, beautifully-marked animal skins were difficult to access, which meant that only the powerfully rich could afford them. A related aspect of this is that animal prints and skins were believed to convey a natural power to the wearer, like a sort of fashion homeopathy. Whatever its efficacy, not everyone has the prerequisite confidence to pull off animal print as they require an unabashed sense of self and an implied sexual accomplishment. Animal print advertises a feeling of “danger” as the one thing it isn’t is “safe.” Wear it, and you stand out from the crowd – and that is why animal print is often sold in small doses – not entire outfits. 

TOP FASHION TREND: Athletics in Fashion

What will mark this era out in fashion history will be that sports has finally taken the leap, from all its sweaty origins, locations and associations, into the arena of luxury fashion. Thanks to street-inspired designers, athletic-inspired fashion has finally grown up. The idea has leapt far from the starting point of that unsophisticated pair of sweatpants, a slouchy T-shirt and baseball cap; Over the last two years, the lines between Sportswear and Fashion have become blurred. 

Athletic influences are no longer immediately recognisable, and when they are, they have been made so luxe that you wouldn’t dream of wearing them to kick about. A sexier (narrow) fit, unexpected styling and unusual fabrics are used to balance out the relaxed, rugged silhouettes, making the new sports-style a modern hybrid elegance.

Traditionally, fashion and sportswear have been polar opposites: Fashion is refined, decorative and precious, while Sportswear was about function, technically advanced fabrics, and durability. The assimilation process began in the 1990s when fashion designers began to be seduced by massive sportswear brands into signing lucrative “capsule collection” deals, which helped the designers raise their profile and reach a mass audience; they also learnt the vocabulary of Sportwear, and brought their new-found knowledge to Fashion. Fashion sneakers, which today can be worn with just about anything, became just the tip of the Sportswear iceberg.

Fast-forward to now and hoodies and sweatshirts are flooding runways; But perhaps you had seen it all coming for isn’t fashion’s perennial T-shirt a sign of what was to come? Blame it on Casual Fridays (which became casual Every-days) and the raise of comfort over anything. Blame it on exercise becoming a fact of life for the professionally beautiful. Blame it on mega-rich, celeb sports stars. 

Sports-styling has come to invade the Fashion arena in a winning streak and there’s no looking back now, except in wonder at all those difficult, fussy, restrictive things that we used to wear in the name of fashion.

Be a sport won’t you?

HE SAID SHE SAID: THE BEST CELEBRITY QUOTE IN 2014

“I no longer have patience for certain things, not because I’ve become arrogant, but simply because I've reached a point in my life where I do not want to waste more time with what displeases me or hurts me. I have no patience for cynicism, excessive criticism and demands of any nature. I lost the will to please those who do not like me, to love those who do not love me and to smile at those who do not want to smile at me. I no longer spend a single minute on those who lie or want to manipulate. I decided not to coexist anymore with pretense, hypocrisy, dishonesty and cheap praise. 
I do not tolerate selective erudition nor academic arrogance. I do not adjust to popular gossiping. I hate conflict and comparisons. I believe in a world of opposites and that’s why I avoid people with rigid and inflexible personalities. In friendship, I dislike the lack of loyalty and betrayal. I do not get along with those who do not know how to give a compliment or a word of encouragement. Exaggerations bore me and I have difficulty accepting those who do not like animals. And on top of everything, I have no patience for anyone who does not deserve my patience.” – Meryl Streep

STYLE: October 2014

FOOT FAIR

The must-have shoe of the moment is the humble sneaker, and Dior’s Dior Fusion sneaker elevates this utilitarian item to couture levels with its glamourous makeover. By Daniel Goh

Now that sneakers can be worn with just about anything in your closet, lending any ensemble an air of sporty youthfulness, here’s the one sneaker that takes this must-have accessory from the streets to the couture salon – quite literally! With a flourish, we present you the Dior Fusion sneaker, the sneaker to end all sneaker fetishes. These are serious haute couture kicks: After all, they made their debut this year at the Dior Spring Couture runway in January, and have swiftly become a coveted accessory for the blog-and-Instagram-obsessed fashion set. With such a distinctive aesthetic, these instantly recognizable sneakers were designed by Dior’s artistic director Raf Simons, and carries all his design hallmarks, including a contrarian modernity, an incisive elegance and a quirky femininity. The modernity comes from the innovative structure and the futuristic technology combined with the old-school crafts of the haute couture. The beautiful hand-sewn floral embroidery sequins are attached to a hi-tech mesh and represent nothing so much as a clash of different eras; the molded rubber soles are spring this style from the salon to the street in one athletic leap.

What’s delightful is that these sneakers are lightweight and yet durable and there’s a certain ballet pump-neatness to its compact appearance, giving it a dainty, rather than jock-ish vibe. The storied House of Dior bills these sneakers as the perfect balance between couture and practicality, and notes that the floral motifs are a nod to the couturier Christian Dior's penchant for gardens and blooms. The Dior Fusion expresses the current fashion ideology, with this era’s contribution to fashion history being the “mash-up”: Of periods, of genres, of styles and cultures. These sneakers represent this mash-up in its combination of casual running shoes and polished evening shoes, between couture and street.  

“Decorative and extremely feminine,” Simons had said of the Spring 2014 Couture collection, and he might as well be speaking about the Dior Fusion, “I hope women can wear these fashion with freedom, and that they will choose to wear these designs their own way, rather than put false ‘fashion attitude’. The reality of the customer is that you can naturally and casually wear Haute.”

BOX STORY: MAKING OF DIOR FUSION

Dior Fusion sneakers are inspired by the ubiquitous running shoes but re-fashioned with bold innovation. The laces of the sports shoe are removed, and this element takes the “slip on” (sliding) design, so wearing it feels more luxuriously convenient and easy. The Dior Fusion has a more rounded, stylish shape, and are seamless and comfortable. These are true high-tech running shoes made with high-performance fabrics. The soles are composed of four substrates, giving it a more reliable quality and a lighter texture.

Dior Fusion comes from the brand's couture heritage, and features clever embellishments such as ribbons, bows and unique couture embroidery elements; The designs come in a range of cleverly interesting colour combinations, sometimes with bold collision of colour, sometimes blending the same colour, or colours in a perfect match, making an elegant and joyful kaleidoscope for your feet.

Style Men Magazine/ October 2014

FAMOUS AMOS

With his just-launched eponymous streetwear label, fashion designer Amos Ananda Yeo breathes new life into the local fashion scene. By Daniel Goh

With the considerable determination and certainty of a 25-year old tackling his grand passion, Amos Ananda Yeo, social media darling and fashion figure, has launched a line of some 20 looks under the eponymous label, Amos Ananda. Inspired by memories of living on the streets in his childhood, his designs seem to well from a deeply-felt atavistic reserve: You can see it in the way that he seems to be designing for himself, each piece a reflection of his own need and wants, each look worn by him in frame after frame looking as natural on him as his own skin. In fact, this line of “elevated” streetwear is nothing less than a cloth and leather expression of his personal philosophy. “The brand conveys a style I call ‘SUPERNORMAL’. It is my personal philosophy of choosing to excel beyond the expectations of the ordinary. It is how I live my life,” said the young designer. “If you choose to live life normally, you will never get to see how amazing you can be or what you can achieve. This is the thinking that I have applied to my dressing and style. I guess it’s about being unconventional in a very conventional world.”

This rebellious stance, except for his clothes, is hardly evident in his manner or demeanor. Yeo is unerringly nice in person, polite, mildly spoken and always groomed. Yet, a sense of having had a less-than-privileged start in life marks his confidence with an edge of aggression, and perhaps contributes to the edginess of his designs. Yeo is the eldest of two sons of a single-parent family; his mother brought them up on the takings of a small food business.  

When was the first time that fashion attracted your attention, and how did that lead you to a career in fashion?

I grew up watching football, and have always been interested in the clothes and hairstyles of football stars like Freddie Ljungberg and David Beckham. Growing up in the Choa Chu Kang, I played the game in the neighbourhood streets, and I lived the rebellious street culture. I didn’t choose to be rebellious. It’s innate and it’s a strong influence in my designs. Dressing up came naturally to me, from the age of 9 or 10. I think the need to create cool clothes stems from my childhood. I have always wanted a platform to share my stylistic expression and I chose fashion. Another reason I create is my quest for individuality, authenticity and exclusivity.

At what point did you decide that you will make fashion a career? Why did you decide to study fashion business rather than design?

Since I was little, I have always known what I wanted to do, and that is to have my own label. I’ve never doubted that I would pursue this path. Having just graduated from Raffles College of Higher Education Singapore with a Bachelor in Fashion Marketing and Management this July, I could pursue my fashion business full time, with the blessings of my mom. I studied fashion marketing instead of fashion design because I wanted to learn how to start a business. I designed, conceptualized and created my collection despite having no design training.

What inspires you? And why?

I draw inspiration from sports, tradition and military influences. My muse is anyone that inspires me on any given day. I do not restrict myself to a single muse or role model. Inspiration is that fleeting moment, that adrenaline rush, I have no restrictions.

Why is fashion important?

Fashion is a business but I think that style is more important as it gives you an identity. It is the most important requirement for success in the fashion business. It is something which either you have or you don't.

How different is your line from that of other young designers? Do you think you bring something else to the market that doesn’t already exist?

AMOS ANANDA is an elevated unisex streetwise label that is rooted in modern street sensibilities with a sophisticated aesthetic. All my products are produced in limited quantities. Each item is a limited edition, and comes labelled with the quantity number (eg 7/20) sewn onto the apparel. This ensures the best quality with quality control checks done (by me) throughout the production process. It has a good price point to allow the brand to fulfil its potential, to spread my vision, and to reach a broader market. My second line 7 BY AMOS ANANDA reaches out to those on a tight budget.

What is your brand all about? What is your brand philosophy?

AMOS is my Christian name and ANANDA came from this Buddhist exhibition that I was at with my father and the name struck me and it means the same thing as Amos. Both names mean “messenger” and my label brings a new message about streetwear going luxury. My message is also about doing your best. I want nothing average. It is either good or bad, and I choose the former. I’m completely independently funded, so I have total freedom and control, I have no restrictions. And this is what my label represents.

What are the qualities/ qualifications/ skills that will enable you to succeed in this business?

Each of my products is created with love and passion. When you have the love, you have the drive. When you have the drive, the chances to succeed is greater. In a nutshell, it all comes from the heart.

Who is your customer?

AMOS ANANDA is for people who want individuality. A confident personality who understands the quality of clothing. They want to be themselves. A unique individual who dares to be different. They are sporty, fast-paced and perfectly comfortable in their own imperfections.

What are some of the things that you want to highlight about your collection?

COLLECTION 01 is about functional daily wear with utilitarian detailing. The emphasis is on the shoulders which are padded to heighten masculine appeal. You can expect unconventional approaches such as the layered pants designed as a one-piece, yet looking like you’re wearing shorts over leggings. There is one T-shirt where the hem design adds layering to the outfit. Traditional influences, such as the mandarin collar is offered with contemporary styling. Expect a tailored silhouette infused with streetwear vibe.

How do you work with your pattern makers since you have no tailoring skills?

When you have the heart and the drive, you will see results. I make sure my demands and instructions are communicated across to the shifu who makes up my patterns in Shenzhen.

How did you get started working in fashion?

I did my internship at a fashion event company in 2013 and subsequently worked for them during fashion week. I met many people who helped me get started. Fashion really isn’t glamourous. Behind the glamour is tonnes of work, sweat and tears. When I go to China for my production, I face many challenges. The list is so long that I can’t name it all. But I am grateful to have met many nice people who accepted me, believed my vision, and assisted me to produce my line!

Describe a typical day in your life.

My day begins with replying emails and messages. I always wake up to tonnes of it! I work on anything related to my label in the day and design at night. When in Singapore, I make it a point to stay home to accompany my mum as I often travel for work. I also make it a point to meet my bunch of close friends of over 10 years once a week. Surrounding myself with these level-headed individuals is important because they have always been there for me. Launching the label has been a roller-coaster ride that seems never ending, and time with my friends, at my place, theirs or out for dinners and movies is precious.

Who are the most important people in your life?

My Mum. I love her the most. Her love for me is greater than anyone who can ever have for me.

AMOS ANANDA is available at local select shop Workshop Element, Level 3, Orchard 313.

MY VERY OWN SAY ON FASHION FAQs

A women's magazine recently asked me to participate in an interview for its September issue and sent me a list of questions. These are the predictable questions, with my unexpected answers.

 Q. What is the must-have/must-try trend this season and why? 

 

A. Everything and nothing. I've long given up on this idea of "must-have" as nothing is really a must-have unless it's lunch. There are simply too many pressing requirements in life to think of any random fashion item as a "must-have." Seriously, what actually happens if you don't have a "must-have"? Nothing. Who cares?

Based on the trends that you chose, please answer the following: Top 3 runway representations of the trend and why you chose these 3 brands.

There aren't actually any "trends" anymore: Everything goes nowadays. In any given season, you can see everything presented as the latest. The trend seems to be that at any one label, they would show a wide spectrum of looks and items to encompass all tastes and styles: The result is that short, long, volume, slim, minimal, print, plain, embellished, matte, shiny, black, colour, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s is well-represented. Show me a "trend" and I will show you the exact opposite - and often from the same collection. Fashion is a market after all, and labels just want sales.

 

Is this a trend for everyone? Why and why not?

 This "trend" of providing something for everyone with a cynical eye on sales is ironically what is detracting from the power of fashion. Because everything goes, nothing is therefore a "must-have" and the pull to buy isn't that urgent. And since everything is '"in" then you might as well just shop your own closet.

What do you like and dislike most about this trend?

I like that this makes fashion very democratic - but I dislike that now everyone is a fashion expert/ style icon. Now everyone with who can afford to buy a studded shoe thinks he's a fashion director - or worse - editor. 

Is this a seasonal trend or do you predict this trend to have a long shelf life? Why and why not? 

Hopefully this doesn't go on for very long - but delusions can last for a whole lifetime. 

How do you suggest to wear this trend for the work week and weekend.

You can wear delusions for a very long time, and everyday of the week if you factor in trips to Seoul to get your face done now and then.

 

Give 2 style tips on how to wear this trend. 

Must-haves to wear this trend convincingly would be to have a Kenzo cap and a new nose/ filler cheeks.   

What are the must-haves to own?

The LOUDEST press samples you can grab at the sample sale and a very developed ego.  

 

What items do you think will sell the best? 

Absolutely the LOUDEST, most-easily recognised items, those things that can immediately be identified on Instagram - things which leave no room for real worth, workmanship or subtlety. 

How do you turn this high-fashion trend into everyday life? Is it possible? Why and Why not? 

Everyone and their sidekick is doing it, so as long as you have an Instagram account you can too. And get that studded shoe!

3 dos and 3 don't when trying out this trend.

dos:

1. Watch Korean dramas and MVs, and learn to do synchronised dancing. 

2. Layer everything loud over everything louder. 

3. Wear the most hideous, over designed shoes.

don'ts: 

1. Think too much - it will crease your brow. 

2. Read. 

3. Pretend that you're human.   

 

Who are some personalities who will wear this trend best? (eg. someone who is a conservative dresser or someone who loves colors etc) 

This trend is for all the poor lost souls who always wanted to be in fashion and now they find they can - after some nip and tuck and now that Instagram has made words redundant.

Does this trend come with rules you should follow or is it best to break any fashion rule with regards to this trend?

There are no more fashion rules - only ego and shamelessness.