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!

seasons come and go...

the days become weeks and the weeks have become months.

i have disappeared from my own fashion blog for almost two months. during this time, there was a great spike in numbers for a couple of weeks. it was definitely a pleasant surprise even though i was not actively writing. truth be told, i have been doing some script writing too. =)

anyway, this is just a quick shout-out to everyone that i am doing well. i've just been extremely occupied with work and holding down sixteen hour days are no joke at all. just to justify my ranting on a fashion blog, here are a couple of outfits that i wore during my hosting over the chinese new year festive season. (if you want to get a better glimpse of my clothes, follow me on instagram: theonlineeditor)

i do love my reds and my gold. one of my favourite pieces would be the semi-trench from Armani. it was from last year's fall but i kept it till early this year before showcasing it on stage. love how comfortable it was and the movement it gave on stage. 

well, it's late and there's more work to be done. hope everyone is well!

fash'on... BAM!

@dd it: fashion fear

so for the entire week, we have talked about halloween. on monday, it was about a fashion spread inspired by halloween and what i wore to a halloween event. then over the next three days, it was where to go, what to wear and how to look. hope you managed to see the underlying connections between the three daily posts. as for today, i wanted to share the background to a couple of halloween stories with everyone but in all honesty, i got really freaked out after writing the section on the pontianak hence i dropped the rest of the material. my friends know that i am one that does not like to scare myself. the last post is really a 'full circle' post where we look at fashion accessories that can be used during halloween. something light for the last 'content' post of the week.

but the question looms and remains, what can we possible trend this halloween? well, i would first encourage you to look into your closet and find one piece of garment that you have not worn in at least a year. ask yourself why have you not worn it for the longest time. 

this is what i found in mine... 

so what exactly am i getting people to trend? it can't be as cliche as old clothes, right? well, it's worse... a lot of times, we stop wearing a piece of clothing because our bodies change or we do not look as good as we think we should.

for my pair of jeans, i outgrew it in the year that passed. much as i would like to squeeze myself back in, i can no longer do that. one of my biggest fears: weight gain...

same for the two tees, one just hangs loosely and the other is also skin tight but both give away the weight that i have gained. 

so why wear them if they do not make one look good? i'm asking us all to take a look at our biggest fashion fears. why do we avoid certain articles, colours or patterns? is the fear of not looking good that scary? perhaps it is. it's normal to feel insecure about the way we look but there needs to be a point of balance within ourselves. 

there are days that we will feel and look like our worst nightmares come true but that is fine. this is why i say we should add to our true closet. a dose of confidence and a touch of reality that we cannot look our best everyday. there will be days when we look into the mirror and staring back at us are our fashion fears... let's face them with a tinge of courage. 

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!

@dd it: hoodies

it's friday, friday! usually, the final post of the day goes live between 10pm - 11pm... but fridays will be no different (thanks to the ability to schedule my posts!)... the post to wrap up the week will also be what i call a 'trend-ing' post... hence the title '@dd it'... it would be an item or something that i personally think we should trend thus you should '@dd it' (add it) to your fashion collection... of course i will try to stick to the overall theme of the week whilst trending a fashion item...

so something that i think we should all @dd it this week... HOODIES! to help me trend this fashion item, i enlisted some A-list help in the art of trending... say hi to justin bieber... 

courtesy of The Bieber SPACE

yup, i'm not even shy to admit that...

i am one of 28 million!

now that we have gotten that out of the way... let's talk the hoodie...

Nicki Minaj in Versace

why i think the hoodie should trend is because it's a nice departure from the collars that we are used to. round neck, v-neck, collared and the list goes on... the hoodie gives a more varied look and of course, it may not be as effective as a cap but it can still block out some sun! of course, in singapore, one can never predict the weather so a hoodie does well as protection (not much though) from the elements... 

my 10 hoodies ranging from Armani to ZARA

oh, if you are lazy to style your hair, wear your hoodie up whilst in public... bring it down when you're in private spaces... 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!

Fresh Start

this must the millionth time that i'm been trying to get my blog (any blog) up and running... from writing about the state of things in singapore to ranting about life to a semi-biography... well, they all failed. i'm not certain about this one BUT i just feel this need to (a) write (b) discuss the state of things (c) just share, share, SHARE... all right, (b) and (c) are similar but this is MY blog, whatever i say, goes...

anyway, what is this fresh start going to be about? it's going to be something i love, love, love... FASHION! so i am going to attempt to write about what people are wearing... some finds that i have... basically anything that goes BAM! (also, i recently went to a 'fashion blogger's' site... like i told my friend, that's cut and paste... nothing fashion about it!)

that's enough ranting for now... if you are the lucky few who stumble upon my little fashion haven, here are a couple of treats for you...

1) emporio armani is launching their autumn/winter collection this weekend (14th - 16th sep)... spend $1000 to get a limited edition leather bracelet or a leather passport holder... got a text from the staff at the forum outlet (not sure if it applies to mandarin gallery...)

2) from now till 16th sep, receive a $50 or $100 voucher when you spend a minimum of $450 or $800 respectively at any Armani Exchange stores... (personally i recommend the vivocity outlet... much better staff there)