Orchard Road: The hottest runway on Earth
Fashion is no match to heat. Cold weather, it can bear. We can grit our teeth and hold our breaths wearing a dress and a jean jacket in six- degree temps, but we can never, ever stand a clingy tank top on a humid day. In Manila today, it’s 36 degrees. Sometime last week, in Singapore, it felt about the same — so many people wearing black along the stretch of the fashion- famous Orchard Road, perhaps part thankful that black betrays no sweat, and part suffering from the unforgivingly heat- absorbing color. Yet, they were excited.
I don’t think we here in the Philippines get so excited over fashion shows anymore. Often exclusive and meant only for the eyes of VIPs and those who can score passes from a friend of a friend of a friend, many shows remain unseen by the vast majority. Last month, as it does same time every year, Singapore brought fashion out in the streets again, closing down the most main of main roads, Orchard, holding a show for everyone to see on a particularly humid Saturday night.
Thanks to the Singapore Tourism Board, I was lucky enough to witness it. The runway was so long, it was impossible to see where it ended and began. The runway was so wide, trucks carrying models literally passed through it. On the sidelines, we sat, seeing the clothes only as they passed right by us. Fashion Steps Out is an annual affair in Singapore, the equivalent of fashion week, except it lasts for over a month. The show, Orchard Fashion Runway, was an hour long, and was curated by Daniel Boey, who presented eight fashion labels: Fox Kids & Baby, Raffles Privato, Rêvasseur, Sean & Shiela, Mash-Up, Phantaci, Thomas Wee, and Uniqlo.
Attended by over 700 media personalities, guests included Baey Yam Keng of Tampines GRC Singapore, Tourism Board’s CEO Lionel Yeao, Orchard Road Business Association executive director Steven Goh, and Samsung Singapore president Stephen Suh. They were joined by celebrities JJ Lin from Singapore, VJ/ TV host Daniel Mananta from Indonesia, Aisyah Aziz, Shiela Lim, and regional style makers like fashion blogger Laureen Uy from the Philippines and actress Min Chen from Malaysia.
There were 188 models and more than 150,000 visitors, but most impressive was — in true SG fashion — how organized everything was. At around noon that day, Orchard Road was business as usual, save for a few closed blocks just around the corner of Hotel Jen, where many members of the media stayed. By 5 p.m ., all attendees were already gathered for the pre-event party, then-closed Orchard remained very still. There were no models rehearsing, no people on walkie-talkies rushing around. By 7 p.m ., everything was magically in place. We were ushered to our blocks ( seats) which were situated someand where across Lucky Plaza, and waited only a few minutes before the show started — promptly. A Samsung truck opened the show, carrying models posing as the truck went by. Dancers took snaps with their Samsung phones while going down the runway. A half- naked man carried a giant balloon on his back, as the audience behind the yellow steel barricades looked on. Man, was it hot. After an hour of sweating and spectacle, it was over and the streets were clear—until Zouk resident DJ Hong got the after-party started.
By then we were long gone with my guide, the lovely Naseem, and the rest of the Southeast Asian press, martini-tasting at Grand Hyatt (thank you, Rosanna, for the tiramisu martinis), and then having dumplings and pre-bedtime cocktails at Grand Park Orchard.
SINGAPORE’S MONTH OF FASHION
On the fashion front, Singapore is one of the leaders in Asia in terms of designer labels. Local flavor is something that visitors will discover if only they take the time to walk around and see past the glaring signages of international brands. At Tiong Bahru, stores and restaurants like Forty Hands — a popular brunch place, Strangelets and Books Actually show a side of Singapore that’s interested in arts, crafts and literature. Books Actually (9 Yong Siak St.), is a must-visit book shop apart from Kinokuniya, that carries titles, both fiction, non-
fiction and magazines, from local publishing houses and authors. Design is their forte, and it shows in their local products.
For designer labels, T Galeria, ION Orchard, Orchard Gateway, and Tangs are among the one-stop shops. Singapore is one of the few Asian countries where these brands hold their launches and other exclusive events — most likely you’ll find new collections here first (Pedders on Scotts presented a Chanel exhibit recently that transformed an entire floor of the building into a Chanel airport, displaying the latest collection from Chanel and Chanel Beauty on a Chanel conveyor belt — the chicest baggage carousel you’ll ever see.
For the month-long Fashion Steps Out, fringe events will be held around the city:
• Knit in the City, which runs until May 8 at Wisma Atria Indoor Event Space. Craftist Adeline Woo makes a quirky vision of a fantasy knit-scape, featuring a knitted giant backdrop, headpiece, and train complete with giant needles.
• Samsung Visionaries from April 22 to 24 at Atrium and April 28 to May 8 at Paragon. Consumers can enjoy an immersive experience with the new Samsung Galaxy S7 4G+, S7 Edge 4G+, and Samsung Gear VR and Samsung Gear 360.
• Shop and Redeem with MasterCard until May 8. Charge $300 to your MasterCard at participating malls and redeem a $30 shopping voucher.
• Shop, Dine & Win until May 8. Get a chance to win shopping vouchers with every $550 spent at participating malls. Charge your purchases to your MasterCard to triple your chances of winning.
• Throughout Fashion Steps Out, lifestyle and fashion- timed events organized by Orchard Road stakeholders will also be made available to the public.