happy new year!

the great thing about being of chinese descent (and i'm sure other cultures too) is that we have two new calendars that we follow. my last post was in 2014 and throughout the year, i either had no impetus to write or time was against me. 2014 saw the formal establishment of The Online Edition as a company and there was much to be done. 

anyhow, things are somewhat more certain in terms of the company's development thus it is time to reconnect with one of my favourite hobbies: writing! so here i am again...

in preparation for the lunar new year are my multiple engagements as an events host. i am ever thankful that my clients believe that i am still relevant after all these years. most of these engagements are five years on and counting. being the perfectionist that i am, it not about what i say onstage but the overall appearance as well. so now i present to you, the looks for this season of hosting:

1) the simple

checkerd Armani shirt over jeans

Zara hoodie over red tee with jeans

since the shows span over five weeks, i decided to start off with simpler looks that are more casual and comfortable. generally, it's too early to remind the crowds that the festive season is upon us so it's usually just a collared shirt with jeans. 

2) the layered

red Armani cardigan over black

one of my favourites this season

i love layering especially when it comes to my stage outfits. the base is often to absorb the perspiration (stage lights can be cruel!) and in between shows, i can just hang up the jacket for the essential backstage nap. 

the favourite look is a red Zara blazer with a pair of Armani black jeans with red 'flames' on the bottom. what i particularly liked was how well the outfit shown up on pictures. of course the look was completed with a pair of Puma that i jazzed up with a pair of wings (inspired by the Victoria's Secret models).

new lease of life for a pair of old sneakers

3) the muted

muted outfit so that i don't blend into the carpet

occasionally, i depart from the bright reds. this outfit consisted of a maroon shirt with a pair of faded gold jeans from Zara. to tone it down further, i threw a blazer of sorts over the combination. i was pretty glad at this outfit choice because a bright red outfit would have blended into the table skirting and stage carpeting.

4) the impractical

this final two outfits look good on stage BUT honestly are the most impractical. 

the first is a semi-trench from Emporio Armani over a red Armani Exchange shirt, paired with skinny jeans from French Connection. the outfit is finished with a pair of G*Star boots. this entire outfit is just tight (i blame the skinny jeans!) and seriously hard to move around in. driving in boots were a nightmare.

the second outfit is something for fall and definitely not tropical Singapore. it's a wool Amani pullover paired with a pair of maroon skinny (Armani again!) and finished with a pair of gold Versace. beyond the fabrics, the shoes look stunning but seemed to give me lots of blisters (i don't know why!)

a confession though, i do love these two outfits regardless of their comfort level and they have received numerous compliments.

and FINALLY, this year, i decided to have a little fun. since my closing show involves a camera zooming into my hands and projecting my nails onto a screen, here's what i did:

the devil is in the details...

the audience (and client) had a lot of fun snapping pictures of my nails. ask me if i would do it again? probably but i'll probably go back to the manicurist to have it removed. cleaning up the nails is tough. 

overall, it was a fun season of hosting and connecting with friends (old and new). if you want to follow me on my fashion (and generally my life) adventures, just look me up on instagram (@theonlineeditor). may the new year be one of great health and wealth. haven't said this in a long time BUT...

fash'on... BAM!

hello-outfit

as adults, we celebrate singapore's halloween in a couple of ways... either we turn up at a club or event, dressed up in costume and party the night away. or we buy tickets to some local attraction and get spooked out by part-time (sometimes, full-time) actors or talents. both ways, it is pure fun and a great opportunity to take pictures.

so keeping both the elements of fun and photos in mind, for the last two halloweens, i went for the non-dress up option. primary reason? this is what i do for a living...

another day in the office

the idea of dressing up as a character and putting on make-up really does not appeal to a performer during his down time. being the practical money-grabbing person that i am, unless i'm paid, chances are i won't don a costume out of my own accord. 

i remember being invited to a 'skin' party where you were supposed to go in revealing outfits showing off some skin. i turned up, covered head to toe in cow skin (leather). the host was not too pleased but hey, i did technically dress to theme. so excuse me for my blunt ways but if i am here to party, i need to be comfortable and comfortable was i when i showed up at last thursday's halloween event for the media (shall not do any plugging for them today since all posts tomorrow will be devoted to them)

couple of notes when planning your outfit:

1) know where you are going... if it's a fully air-conditioned venue, then you can dress in a few more layers and don fabrics that do not 'breathe'. if it's an open air event, then you might want to scale back on the layers. personally, i went for a pair of bermudas because walking around in jeans is way too warm for me. however i did layer my top and i'll explain why in the next point.

as for shoes, i went for one of my favourites, puma (think this was alexander mcqueen collection), because if there was one thing to expect, it was walking.

the shoes

2) know what you are going to do there... if your intention is just to view attractions, then it's fine to wear anything. after it's halloween, no one will fault you for looking hideous. however, if you are going to be taking lots of photos OR people are going to take photos of you, then please do yourself a favour and wear something decent. 

the outfit

i wore a basic red tee layered it with a hoodie. the red was just for that pop of colour and the tee that i selected was one that is highly absorbent so i won't feel sticky even after perspiring buckets. the hoodie was to cover the sweat patches that will probably appear on the red tee. also, with the hood, you can have more outfit options! slip the hood over your head and you can mimick the traditional black hooded death.

overall verdict? i did perspire a lot throughout the evening from the weather and all the walking around but i'm pretty happy that the outfit i selected did not disappoint in photos while keeping me comfortable the entire night. while you prepare for your halloween night out, do take a couple of moments to plan your outfits for a great evening of fun and a fantastic album of great memories.

fash'on... BAM!

the next edition...

this post is not fashion related so i'm sorry to disappoint those of you who have started to pay attention to my humble blog and were hoping to find a fashion tip or two...

a couple of days back, i decided to start writing again because i enjoy writing... but writing for nobody in mind was quite a bore so i started to put up random articles about fashion (which i love!) and then monitor which ones work and which ones don't... well, the results are encouraging...

yes, i know there are blogs that hit hundreds of thousands of page views per day... who am i to boost with thirty each day? well, it's nice to know that people actually come to my page... of course i hope it's not a one time visit but do come back regularly and give feedback so that i can keep improve my content whilst developing my writing.

anyway, long story short... expect less posting during the weekends cos that's the time i have dragonboat training (yes, the @ditor is a dragonboater... paddle paddle race race) and also a time i catch up with friends or shopping... but i have lots of ideas about the next step that this blog shall take so do visit often!

final note... dropped by armani exchange and calvin klein jeans at ion orchard... quick glimpse at puma too... armani exchange and calvin klein jeans has decent new stock... do swing by if you are free... puma didn't blow me away.

OKAY... i love my virtual friends too much to not do something nice... when the page views hit 250, i shall look into my collection and do a fashion giveaway... it's nothing fantastic yet... baby steps to BAM!