The Right Note

Whether it’s classic and feminine or a little crazy, this private banker believes in dressing for the occasion.

When you are handling vast investments as a private banker to ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals, the way you present yourself has to convey reliability and consistency. This is why you will not find UOB private banker Jaime Ang trying all kinds of wildly different looks on a day-today basis.

Sitting down to have her makeup done in a white T-shirt and jeans, Kate Spade flats and a Rolex Daytona, the 39-year-old elaborates: “I think I’ve settled into a classic and feminine dress sense. In the wealth management business, it’s important to give clients confidence. They know what to expect of me. I wouldn’t want them to wonder, ‘Does she know what she wants?’”

Workwise, Ang is clear about her path. While she declines to share too much about her work – discretion ranks right up there with trustworthiness in her field – Ang lets on that she has always known that she wanted to work in banking.

She has served UHNW clients in Greater China for the past nine years and been in wealth management since graduating from university. She muses, “The whole world revolves around economics, and I like understanding how it works as well as meeting different people.”

Of course, enjoying being consistent in her dressing does not mean that her style is boring. She experiments – within boundaries. “For example, I like structured dresses but I might switch things up in terms of materials, colours and prints. And I believe in balance – so, if I’m wearing a bright dress, I would tone it down with a black blazer, or if I’m wearing a plain dress, I would pair it with a printed jacket or perhaps a pair of red heels.”

For Ang, propriety is paramount. Even though the sporty individual – she plays tennis, golf and volleyball – often dresses in activewear when working from home, she makes it a point to get properly dressed for online meetings, whether with colleagues or clients.

“It’s about respect,” she says, although she admits with a laugh that along with a proper blouse and jacket, she would most likely be wearing a pair of running shorts during those video conference calls.

But when it’s time to go crazy, you can count on her to do so. Two years ago, her company held a Christmas party with a rock star theme. Ang went as flamboyant Queen frontman Freddie Mercury, complete with crown, cape, track pants and a thick moustache. With a smile, she says, “When there’s an event that calls for dressing up, I can be pretty daring.”

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Citing Kate Middleton and Blake Lively as her style icons, Ang describes her style as classic and feminine. We’d say it’s fun as well, if her choice of this vibrantly patterned Tory Burch silk blouse and skirt, along with glittery Jimmy Choo heels, are any indication. “This is something I’d wear,” she says. “I’d wear a black jacket in the day to tone it down and remove the jacket at night if I have a dinner event to attend.”