Nasassistic

 By NASA MARIA ENTABAN

alltherage@thestar.com.my

THE fashion world’s “It” girls have taken on many forms in the past; there are skinny girls, voluptuous girls, blonde girls, girls with high cheek bones and so on.

These days, the fashion industry is more diverse than ever, but somehow, there will always be that one model, actress or singer that stands out in every crowd.

Funny how the term “It girl” actually originated as one that describes personality, instead of what it is more commonly used for today – appearance. One of the first references came about in 1904 in a story by author Rudyard Kipling, who wrote: “It isn’t beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It’s just ‘It’.”

Today’s It girls have it tough, though. Not only do you have to burst onto the scene and grab everyone’s attention, you also have to keep your audience interested; only a handful few have managed to achieve that.

Sure, designers are rushing to dress current It girls like Hailee Steinfeld, Lourdes Leon and Elle Fanning, but we’ll just have to wait and see if they can hold a candle to the following It girls:

Marilyn Monroe

Although the 1950s actress only enjoyed several years in the limelight, the impact she made in the entertainment industry as well as the fashion world will live on for years to come.

Her hour glass figure, suggestive child-like vocals, and flirtatious demeanour were all part of the package that had every man wanting her, and every woman wanting to be her.

Marilyn Monroe in 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes '

Everything looked better on Monroe – from bathing suits to gowns and even sunglasses, the blonde actress was one of the biggest fashion phenomenons to achieve global fame.

Twiggy

There’s no denying there’s a certain appeal to 1960s teen model Twiggy’s large eyes, waif frame and androgynous looks.

For a model, she isn’t really that tall – at 167cm, she wouldn’t even qualify for supermodel status in the new millennium.

Twiggy

The short hair and doe-eyed look took the fashion world by storm back then, appearing in almost all leading fashion magazines. Later, she went on to expand her career in the stage, film and television scenes.

Twiggy also has several books to her name and was a judge on popular TV series America’s Next Top Model.

Iman

To the fashion world in the 1970s, Somali supermodel Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid was something new, fresh and different. Her long neck, arms and legs as well as her sharp features and dark skin cast a hypnotic spell on design houses like Halston, Versace, Calvin Klein, Issey Miyake, and Yves Saint-Laurent, who couldn’t get enough of the exotic beauty.

Iman

Today, she runs the successful Iman Cosmetics firm, which focuses on developing makeup for ethnic women, and has her own fashion line called Global Chic.

Chloe Sevigny

Chloe Sevigny’s popularity as one of today’s fashion It girls has yet to diminish. Actress, model and fashion designer Sevigny grabbed the public’s attention in the mid-1990s and early 2000s for her eclectic fashion sense and modelling work in New York’s fashion scene.

Chloe Sevigny

She also has a successful acting career, having starred in several critically-acclaimed arthouse films and blockbuster hits. With several fashion lines to her name and top-notch designers singing her praises, we’re pretty sure Sevigny will be around for a long while more.

* Who do  you think will be the next It girl? Comment below!

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

…..

Angelina Jolie in Jenny Packham

Katrina Bowden in an Amsale gown

Emma Stone in Alexander McQueen

Kyra Sedgwick in a smokin' hot cutaway dress

Tilda Swinton in Lanvin

Dianna Agron in a Carolina Herrera dress

Emily Blunt in Oscar de la Renta

Viola Davis in a Marchesa dress

Sarah Hyland in an embellished Temperley gown

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love awards season! So many pretty dresses to marvel at (or not)

With that, here are our picks for this week’s Style It!

Busy Philipps

Zoe Saldana

Rose Byrne

Kaley Cuoco

Emilia Clarke

Everyone! Here’s this week’s Style It, have fun commenting on these star’s outfits

US actress Arden Myrin arrives for the premiere of 'Bachelorette' at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, USA

Carmen Electra at the premiere of 'Underworld Awakening' in Los Angeles.

Drew Barrymore at the premiere of Big Miracle in Washington

FASHION runways and magazine shoots are the real deal when it comes to setting trends, and then there’s that other thing – the red carpet.

Who hasn’t looked through pictures of glamorous celebrities at awards shows and later on, consciously sought out pieces inspired by these designs?

What makes fashion-watching at awards shows so much more pleasureable than actual runway shows is seeing our favourite actresses and entertainers glammed up in these brilliant gowns.

So far this year we’ve been treated to the People’s Choice Awards, the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Awards – all of which have given us heaps of ideas to look out for on our next trip to the mall.

Here are a few trends that will definitely appear in our favourite stores in no time:

Bridal chic

It was plain as day this was going to be a major trend this year as soon as Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale and Elle Macpherson stepped out onto the Golden Globes red carpet.

The gowns, most of them in white and blush tones with embroidery, lace and beading detailing were just what a bride would pick out for her wedding day.

Elle MacPherson wore this bridal-like Zac Posen gown to the recent Golden Globe Awards

This is going to be a great trend because while many girls fantasise about their own nuptials, not everyone wants to walk down the aisle, so why should they be denied the chance to rock the ‘white dress’ look?

Understated accessories

There was a time when it seemed there was an all-out war on who could wear the largest, and the most, accessories. Chunky rings and bangles in ridiculous colours were everywhere, and earrings hung like sparkling crystal chandeliers from earlobes.

Based on what we spotted on the wrists, ears and fingers of our favourite celebrities on recent red carpets, the world of accessories is taking it down a notch.

less OTT accessories are in

Multiple bangles are still in, though the number has decreased slightly – while detailing is still popular, we’re sticking to no more than three pieces per wrist.

People have finally begun to realise how troublesome chunky rings are (they interfere with typing, texting and driving) and how tedious mile-long earrings can get (they get stuck in your hair and speaking on the phone can actually be painful), so we’re happy to welcome a season of toned-down jewellery.

Strappy shoes

For the longest time strappy shoes were worn for everything – work, clubbing, shopping, events and even trips to the post office. But for several years the trend has taken a backseat to fully-covered pumps.

strappy shoes

Recently, the more demure strappy shoe (gladiators not included) have only been spotted at mainly weddings, engagement parties and secondary school proms.

Thanks to the award ceremonies however, they are soon to make a glorious comeback – expect them back in stores complete with stones, lace, sequins and beads, made to suit every occassion.

Mesh & Lace

Showing skin is always in, but there are increasingly more clever and inventive ways to get around displaying legs, backs and cleavage without looking too slutty.

This is where mesh and lace come in. From covering a teeny-tiny short skirt with a long lace applique sheer skirt to plunging necklines covered by mesh to give out a hint of cleavage, these trends were everywhere on the People’s Choice Awards red carpet.

A great way to show skin without looking too slutty is to try what Miley Cyrus did with this sheer plunging neckline

Incorporating either one of these two elements (or both, if you’re confident enough to pull it off) is great if you want to show skin, but not be too ‘obvious’ about it.