How did Jumanji, that 1995 film adaptation of the children’s fantasy book by Chris Van Allsburg, get interpreted by a label so well-known for its feminine designs? For home-grown fashion label Whole9yards, that inspiration for its S/S ’18 collection at the Singapore Fashion Week show on Friday resulted in a mash up of the themes of utility and sports with the brand’s trademark style, rather than an outward safari outing. The result was a beautiful and restrained effort.
Its creative director — the Alexander McQueen-trained and Malaysian-born Daniel Ngoo — incorporated ideas like ruched up tulle tops, deconstructed shell tops in chiffon with trails of ruffles, and sheer dresses worn with trendy track pants that come with waistbands emblazoned with the logo “W9men”. The tulle fest didn’t stop there, of course. Of note were the mesh socks that adorned the feet of each model. While pretty, that styling hack reinforces the cool way Ngoo has redefined the feminine aesthetic. And we predict plenty of his customers would agree.
Here, we pick out seven pretty-meets-edgy frocks we think would be hot favourites.