If people on the street aren't going
where the culture is, perhaps culture and history can be brought to them -
'curated' appealingly in a stylish boutique rather than a stuffy museum.
  |
| Discovering culture
through fashion: Ms Tan wearing one of
her own creations |
Visitors to such a boutique can admire,
touch, feel, try on and best of all, buy. And that, is a great way into a
Singaporean's heart, believes broadcast journalist-turned-designer Tan
Sheau Yun, who opened her fashion boutique Tan Tan last year.
'Visiting museums isn't a Singaporean
thing,' she says, based on her experience as long-time docent (volunteer
guide) with the Asian Civilisations Museum and the former Singapore
History Museum. 'And those who go are already converts,' she adds.
So, armed also with a post-graduate
diploma in Asian Arts from the British Museum, Ms Tan has managed to marry
her business degree and knowledge and love of Chinese arts for the fashion
business.
While there has been a 'revival' and
re-interpretation of the qipao since the movie In the Mood for Love seared
cinema screens six years ago, Ms Tan is giving a fresh and quirky take on
the traditional Chinese qipao silhouette, with the inspiration for most
designs drawn from from the 1950s-70s.
Tops and dresses are cut out from the
qipao template, with little twists and embellishments here and there - not
just for the look, but for comfort and ease of wear for the modern girl.
Fabrics she uses include Indian sari
fabric, English-country floral prints; shantung silk and even vintage
material when she can get her hands on them.
A dress can look like a traditional
qipao in front, while the back of the skirt could be in box pleats - so
the modern girl need not feel restricted in a fitted skirt. Ms Tan
maintains that traditionally, the qipao wasn't as figure-hugging as the
way actress Maggie Cheung wore hers.
For something contemporary, there are
'day dresses' with the traditional qipao top but skirts in tulip shapes or
pleats. And ladies would be most happy to know that while sizes range from
US size two to 10, Ms Tan labels them according to Chinese dynasty names -
Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin and Han. Tang and Song sizes are customised to
order.
'Nobody really likes to know that
they're wearing an XL or XXL, so we use dynasty names instead,' she says.
Now that's a fresh approach in the
fashion business, which is surprising - or maybe not - given that Ms Tan,
34, doesn't have a fashion design background. Her approach to design is
more rooted in her childhood exposure to Chinese history and arts.
Her parents were educated in Taiwan,
and she vividly remembers her father getting her to memorise ancient
Chinese poetry - the Tang dynasty poem about the Romance of Yang Guifei,
no less - when she was in kindergarten. Her mother studied art in Taipei
and taught it when she returned to Singapore. 'I remember going with them
on trips to Taiwan, and my mother had classmates who were curators in the
National Palace Museum in Taipei. Even at a young age, I could sense their
passion for the arts,' Ms Tan recalls.
After graduating in business studies at
the University of Indiana, she worked as a journalist-producer with
Mediacorp's Channel Eight for six years, mainly producing current affairs
features, several of which won Mediacorp awards.
Three years ago, the former Singapore
Chinese Girls' School student decided to quit broadcasting and take up a
British Museum scholarship, spending nine months learning about the
decorative arts of Islamic, Indian and Chinese cultures.
When she returned to Singapore, she
figured a good way to induct a person into Chinese history was through
fashion - by making it relevant to daily life. Her debut collection sold
successfully at a private sale, and Tan Tan - the boutique that wants to
inspire Singaporeans to discover their heritage - soon came about.
'A lot of my customers bought their
first qipao from me,' she says with satisfaction. Cotton qipaos are priced
from $150, with silk ones around $300. Tops range from $55 to $200. There
are also T-shirts - a later addition, and she steers clear of propaganda
art because it's overused, she says - and plastic brooches in the style of
Chinese paper-cuts.
Eventually, Ms Tan hopes to
expand her design range to include lifestyle products, especially as she
has a soft spot for ceramics. 'Fashion is only a starting point for me,
and I want to take it further,' she says. With a Chinese twist, of course.
- SINGAPORE
BUSINESS TIMES 3 Feb 2007 by Cheah
Ui-Hoon and Corinne Kerk
