Nasassistic

By NASA MARIA ENTABAN
alltherage@thestar.com.my

ONE of the highlights of Tan Yue Lyn’s career as a fashion merchandiser with Vincci+ came in the form of a compliment – from Harry Potter star Emma Watson.

Yue Lyn’s sister, television personality Megan Tan wore a pair of Vincci+ ballerina flats to the London premiere of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows and during her interview with Emma Watson aka Hermione Granger, the actress complimented the shoes she was wearing.

What made that moment so special for Yue Lyn, even though she wasn’t even there, was the fact that she had had a hand in the shoe’s design.

“She absolutely adored them,” said Yue Lyn, 27. “I get a sense of fulfillment when I see people wearing the shoes I’ve helped design.”

A large part of Yue Lyn’s job is improving and refining shoe designs based on market research and consumer needs.

“I’m not technically a designer but what I do is improve and enhance existing designs. It could be changing the shoe’s material to something more suitable or adding sequins, stones and other embellishments, or adding a platform or increasing the height of a heel for example,” she explains.

Most of the time, she spots shoes she has ‘refined’ in malls, but the real reward is seeing them at events.

Vincci + Fashion merchandiser Tan Yue Lyn develops and refines shoe designs based on market research and customer needs.

“It’s getting the brand recognised that gives me a sense of pride and joy,” she adds. “You see your products, your babies, whatever you’ve developed responding in the market, there’s a sense of pride in knowing that your products are selling.”

“Its like I somehow made a difference in a way, people are wearing the shoes we’ve put out there,” she says, noting that she spots Vincci+ shoes on people on the street and at events at least four times a week.

The fashionista, whose sense of style is edgy chic meets retro glam, has always had a passion for fashion.

She started out as an assistant buyer for shoe brand Bata, and over two years ago she landed a job at Vincci +.

A typical day for Yue Lyn involves studying sales reports to see which products are working in the market and which ones aren’t, dealing with suppliers, visiting stores and conducting market surveys.

“When I source for shoes and handbags, I take note of the trends that are out there, such as key colours, shapes, hardware details like materials, embellishments and so on,” explains Yue Lyn, who travels abroad for fashion exhibitions to source for ideas and trends.

“I stick to the key colours of the season, while also taking into account what fits into the Malaysian market. For example, trends that are in line with fall/winter may not always be suitable here,” she adds.

At the end of the day, Yue Lyn explains, it’s all about the customers’ needs and wants.

“What makes a good buyer or merchandiser is being able to study consumers behaviours and catering to their needs,” explains Yue Lyn, whose informal research includes talking to friends and friends of friends about trends they are interested in.

On the other end of the spectrum, she has to have a good relationship with her suppliers while keeping them in check when it comes to prices and delivering orders.

“Dealing with suppliers is the biggest challenge,” she says. “Negotiating prices with them can be pretty tough, I manage cost issues by ensuring they are clear about the current economic conditions.”

“Late deliveries are another issue, as this creates setbacks especially during peak season for example during the festive seasons,” she adds. “One of my responsibilities is always making sure my stores have enough stocks, and ensuring my suppliers follow my order dates strictly.”

Anyone interested in getting into fashion merchandising has to have a keen eye for fashion trends and the ability to study the retail market, according to Yue Lyn.

“Most importantly, they need to be able to understand consumer behaviour and to tailor products to their needs,” she says. “Passion is very important – when you love what you do, everything else like determination, dedication and dilligence will come naturally.”

Hi everyone ! This week’s Style It is here Check out what our favourite celebs wore to the Grammy Awards last weekend

Robyn

Esperanza Spalding

FILM stars have had a few red carpet moments this year. Last weekend, our favourite music entertainers stepped out and showed us what they’ve got, fashion-wise.

Stars that walked the red carpet at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles did not disappoint. Although there weren’t too many “out-there” outfits (even Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj seemed a little mellow), there were several new and comeback trends to take note of.

Colours weren’t as vibrant as you’d expect, as most of the stars came in black, white or neutral tones, but check out some of the other trends that could make their way onto runways and into stores worldwide.

All black

Plenty of stars chose to walk the red carpet in “safe” black outfits, but it is not really a big surprise as black is a colour which complements all shapes, sizes and skin tones.

Rihanna's daring black dress.

Most of the black dresses came with a relatively high necklines (well, except for Rihanna’s). It was not about showing a lot of skin or drawing attention but more about subtle style, elegance and detailing.

Take Corinne Bailey Rae’s Christian Siriano gown, for example. The delightful black piece with a voluminous, textured skirt was the perfect blend of elegance and youthfulness, a trend which is said to rule the runways this year.

It’s so easy for black to be boring but it is still a colour to look out for this season.

Corrine Bailey Rae in a delightful Christian Siriano gown.

Glittery getups

Whoever said “Not all that glitters is gold” was probably not talking about fashion. This year’s Grammys proved that sparkles and glitter are the way to go.

The celebrities who wore glittery gowns to the awards show have breathed new life into the trend, proving that to make an impact in fashion, you have to go big or go home.

Carrie Underwood, Katy Perry and Taylor Swift each donned brilliant, sparkly gowns. While they were long and elegant, they were anything but dull – each were injected with some glam flavour with shiny sequins and gemstones.

Carrie Underwood's Gomez-Garcia gown was a perfect blend of class and flash with a high neckline and glittery stones all over.

Most of the best gowns were long with sleeves and were not too “experimental”, cut-wise (devoid of slits, oddly-shaped sleeves etc) but what made them stand out were the carefully crafted jewels sewn onto the dresses.

We’re so happy designers, celebrities and stylists have found a way to merge class with flash and we can’t wait until some of these designs make their way into our stores here.

Full coverage

It would appear the celebrities are going with a more covered-up approach to trends this season.

Instead of going big on cleavage, most of the stars (again, except Rihanna) had demure necklines and few exposed much of their skin for the big night out.

Taylor Swift chose a gown with a mandarin collar.

Mandarin collars, boatnecks and round-necklines were aplenty while sweetheart necklines, with exposed cleavage, were hardly seen.

It’s actually very refreshing to see stars stepping out of the whole strapless gown trend and experimenting with different necklines.

Granny-wear

This isn’t a trend that is catching on fast, but it is definitely out there – Givenchy Fall/Winter couture collection last year included granny-panties (full coverage innerwear you probably wouldn’t be caught dead in), and the Kardashians have been spotted wearing them under sheer dresses and skirts.

We get that it would be totally unacceptable to wear thongs and even boxer-style panties under a sheer skirt, so, wearing full-coverage “granny panties” are a way of toning down the level of sexiness.

At the Grammys, Fergie attempted to make this trend work, but we are still unsure of her orange lace see-through Jean Paul Gaultier gown, paired with a black bra and black granny-panties.

Fergie wore a range lace dress, but forgot to put on a slip dress.

IF there’s one thing I do in every place I visit, it is shopping. Even if I can only find one item of clothing or some accessories, I never come home without buying something.

Of all the cities I’ve been to, my all-time favourite place to shop is Bangkok, Thailand. First of all, it’s a mere two hours away by flight from Kuala Lumpur and once you get there, getting around is easy.

The public transportation system is excellent and most of the shopping hubs are within walking distance from the BTS Skytrain or the MRT stops.

Metered taxis will take you anywhere, but during peak traffic hours they may hike up the price a little or ask for “extras”. However, their flat rates are pretty affordable.

Besides, it beats having to get into a packed train during rush hour with all your shopping bags.

If all else fails, there are also tuk-tuks or motorcycle taxis to get you where you want to go.

The main reason why Bangkok is such a great place to go shopping is because there’s something for everyone in every price range, and a wide variety of places to shop at.

There are also a lot of places where you can haggle for a better price on the items you want.

As with many capital cities worldwide, Bangkok offers a variety of luxury shopping hubs for those with bigger disposable income.

You can get high-end brands like Valentino, Christian Louboutin, Prada, Miu Miu and Chanel at malls like Amarin Plaza, Emporium Shopping Centre, Siam Paragon, Gaysorn Shopping Centre and CentralWorld Bangkok.

These malls aren’t just packed with luxury brands, though, they have your regular high-street mall stores like Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, Aldo and so on, but they sell pretty much the same items as they do in Malaysia.

Departmental stores like Zen, Tokyu and Isetan also offer a wide variety of cosmetics and innerwear.

Platinum Shopping Mall is a one-stop centre where you can get everything from clothes and shoes to accessories and bags.

By far the best place I visited during my most recent trip was the Platinum Fashion Mall, where you can bargain your way to a sweet deal.

The mall is divided into several different floors by category – apparel on the first three floors, bags and shoes on the fourth and fifth floors – and there are hundreds of stores around.

The only catch is that you can’t try on any of the clothes, but some retailers can be convinced to let you try them over the clothes you’re wearing.

Another wonderful thing about this mall is if you like several items in any of the stores, you can get them at wholesale price.

Usually, you would need to choose three of the same stuff to get the promotion, but if you are persuasive enough, you may not even have to do that. It’ll only be a few ringgit cheaper but it’s a bargain nonetheless.

Uber comfortable jelly shoes are all the rage in Bangkok right now

Right now, jelly shoes are all the rage in Platinum, and you can pick up two pairs for only RM80 (make sure you haggle!). Platinum has an abundance of shoe stores, and you are permitted to try on the shoes for size.

You may be able to get a pair of flats for RM20, if you buy two pairs from the same store.

For items similar to the ones in Platinum, cross the road to Pratunam market, or take the skytrain to Mo Chit station and head on over to the Chatuchak market.

Pick up a pair of shoes for just over RM30 in Bangkok, and haggle to get deals on multiple purchases.

This internationally famous market is very big so it would be wise to grab a copy of the map for easier navigation. The market is also divided into several sections – clothes and accessories, furniture, fresh produce, pets, etc.

Getting bargains in Chatuchak is pretty easy, but bear in mind the area is rather stuffy and it won’t be long before you begin getting hot and bothered. The trick is to plan your purchases and head straight to the desired stall as browsing and milling around might dampen your mood.

It will be useful to learn a few Thai words if you want to bargain with the locals, and remember to smile when you’re at it.

If you’re pressed for time and need to shop for luxury, high-end, high street and wholesale items in a hurry, your best bet is to get off at the Chit Lom BTS station.

From here, you can walk to Gaysorn Shopping Centre, CentralWorld Bangkok, Platinum Fashion Mall and Pratunam market.

Hi all! Here’s this week’s Style It, get your comments on right here

Jenny McCarthy at the 9th annual 'Leather & Laces' party before Super Bowl XLVI

Rooney Mara at the Japan premiere of "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" in Tokyo

Katherine Mcnamara poses on arrival for the film premiere of 'Journey 2 The Mysterious Island' at Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California