New Find
Fresh from last week’s cover story about emerging local fashion designers, I’ve also just discovered the new creations of contemporary womenswear designer Priscilla Shunmugam and her curiously-named new line Ong Shunmugam. What makes Priscilla’s collection interesting is the fact that it’s made across Asia, but available exclusively via the website www.ongshunmugam.com (now that’s what we call new age guerilla). The collection, consisting mainly of dresses and separates, like the flowy May Yee dress at $450 and the little black Chandrika dress at $379, is inspired by “New Orientalism” and created mainly using traditional textile techniques, but the cuts and sihouettes are certainly more contemporary. Log on to the website for your fix.
Site Seeing
Want more shopping options from the comfort of your own home? The guys at local-based Singsale.com.sg offer a wide range of designer goods spanning brands like Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Guess and Diesel at heavily-discounted prices up to 80 percent off their original retail value. The pieces sell out 48 hours after they go online, ensuring exclusivity, with daily updates so that members really get their time’s worth logging in. Membership is free, so if you’re a hardcore shopaholic with too much time on your hands, you’ve got nothing to lose.
Not Quite Black Out
A couple of weeks back I reported that the original Blackmarket boutique at Jalan Pisang might be closing in a few months so that owner Jasmine Tuan could concentrate on her latest and bigger venture at Orchard Central. Well it seems like the always gung-ho Tuan has even more plans up her sartorial sleeves and will probably keep her original boutiques (yes, we’re all suckers for nostalgia and all things sentimental) and sign on for another season. While Tuan has not revealed her current plans yet, I reckon a little cool cafe-bar concept on its currently unused second level would be great to bring back the fashion crowds to the quieter side of Jalan Pisang. Or perhaps another art collaboration project like the recent “Garage Days” pop-up store with street artist and sneaker customizer Mark Ong to create more buzz. Stay tuned for more updates.