Interview (Two)

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Oh what fabulous luck! Fashion Nation is excited to bring to you yet another fashion interview. I am really particular about choosing personalities for style profiling, as you can see from the well-received ‘Style Icons’ feature which has been long-running on Fashion Nation.

For Fashion Interviews, it gets even more stringent because the people we feature must be looking fabulous all the time, in reality - that is, without stylists. Which is simply impossible to achieve.

Just think of the weekday after that crazy party where you got completely sloshed, or the day when it poured and poured just as you got out of bed so all you wanted to do is to wear your pyjamas underneath your thickest coat and sip tea endlessly.

However, post-Susie Bubble interview hysteria, we present someone who is as low-key as it gets in person (we had the good luck to have met her briefly in person before!), and really pleasant, but in the blogosphere she is crazy-famous. Okay, the suspense ends here - we present an interview with voodoo_mary!

We first featured her on Fashion Nation as a Style Icon, with a lovely post written by Tweeds. I first saw her “What Are You Wearing Today?” pictures on the Flowerpod thread by the same name, when I was busy checking out which was the best sunscreen to buy locally.

I was quite amazed that someone so stylish actually resides in teeny tiny Singapore - but of course that was years before I got involved with the fashion industry. I started seeing her on The Fashion Spot soon after, where she gets loads of daily karma and love from fashion watchers all around the world.

If you have read about her before, seen her WAYWT pictures or her style diary, you must have wondered who she is and where her fashion inspiration stems from. We’ve asked the questions, and we have the answers!

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1. We’ve love all the fabulous outfits you’ve put together on your Style Diary. Please name some of your favourite places to shop, both in Singapore and abroad.

Singapore: dustbunny vintage, alldressedup, baylene, blum

Hong Kong: Button Hole, SPY by Henry Lam, there are also plenty of interesting and unique shops behind Times Square at Tsim Sha Tsui.

U.S.A.: revolveclothing.com, vibetheboutique.com, angelasrunway.com

2. Being accessories-crazy people, we see that you have a lot of fabulous vintage bags! Which are your favourites?

I have some vintage gucci bags from the early 1980s that are great collector’s pieces. I keep them as they are almost impossible to find in good condition. Also, they are very versatile bags which look very different and dated at the same time.

I also have a drop dead gorgeous navy blue bottega leather tote which my mother has sneakily borrowed from me for the last 2 years…. I only get visitation rights. But that bag is what I call a silent-killer- understated but super luxe and none of that woven veneta style which has been copied to death.

Also, vintage aigner bags are my all-time favourites. My favourites are the linen and leather ones. I’ve been hoarding a few since 5 years ago. These are structured bags that usually open from the top with hinges at the sides. Etienne Aigner bags were always handmade and made to last for the longest time.

3. Fashion-wise, which is your favourite decade/era?

I think the 70s had alot to offer in terms of extreme fashion styles- from the romantic peasant dresses to disco pixie dresses and the rebelliousness of punk fashion (think Debbie Harry from Blondie.)

My favourite decade is the 70s partly because in the 70s, fashion -referencing reached its peak and it hasn’t stopped even till today. In the 70s, you could find fashion thats influenced by the 50s and 60s that was the most inventive, outrageous and pure.

Conventional shapes of the dress and pants were also undergoing great change - bellbottoms, maxi dresses, platform shoes, craftan dresses etc. And then there’s the beginnings of androgynous styles in the 70s which introduced the pants-suit to mainstream fashion consciousness.

Also, the 70s produced some of the fashion-inspiring movies like Annie Hall (this started a whole cross gender dressing, where women wore ties with tweedy vests and loose pants), grease (yes, grease started a 50s revival in its own way), Saturday Night Fever (disco fashion) and rock stars started becoming fashion icons as well (David Bowie), Charlie’s Angels (I grew up wanting Farrah Fawcett’s amazing hair and bikini-body).

While I do love the prim and feminine styles from the 50s, its the 70s that gets me excited and inspired. I think there’s more Annie hall in me than Audrey Hepburn.

4. There are a lot of vintage pieces in your wardrobe and accessories - do you know any well kept secret shopping haunt for vintage in Singapore?

Unfortunately, I shop mostly outside of Singapore… and that includes my vintage pieces which I source from only the USA and Canada. And even if vintage is not you thing, you will find plenty of unique yet wearable vintage dresses and accessories at Dustbunny Vintage.

5. We’re so curious - what’s your day job?

I work in I.T. as a marketing professional.

6. The burning question on our mind - who takes your daily outfit pictures for you?

My husband- the long suffering photographer who wishes to remain anonymous for now.

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(Credits: Many, many thanks to voodoo_mary!)

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Filed under Fashion Interviews, Fashion in Singapore, Stephie, Style Icons

Tags: style, Fashion, icon, Nation, Fashionation, voodoo_mary, voodoo, mary, what, are, you, wearing, today,