UOB Cards x Vivienne Tam: Who won at our 5 minute style challenge?
updated the 10 December 2015 à 10:36We put three personalities – Angie Chen, Rachel Lim and Chanel Lyn – to the task of coming up with an outfit around the limited edition Vivienne Tam bag by UOB Cards. Now you decide, who did better?
Oftentimes style is seen as a way to represent your personality without having to speak and well, we couldn’t agree more. Which is why to celebrate individual style, we roped in three personalities to display their unique sartorial sense. That too, with the limited edition tote bag designed by Vivienne Tam done in collaboration with UOB Cards.
All three, Angie Chen curator at online boutique, The Fifth Collection, Rachel Lim of Love, Bonito and model, Chanel Lyn boast of rather different styles that they’ve honed over the years. So to put them to the test, we tasked them with a 5-minute style challenge which involved picking out an outfit that complements the Vivienne Tam bag. The bags feature sleek cut outs of the lotus flower accented by silver highlights, and come in two versatile colours – classic black, and elegant gold – the perfect addition to multiple style options.
Also, since the design of the bag was only revealed to them on the day itself, there was ultimately no chance of preparing the look beforehand – that’s the fun of it all now isn’t it?
Held at online store, Shopthemag’s beautiful showroom, they were allowed to sieve through racks of designer clothing and accessories to whip up their ideal outfit – ranging from workwear to party dresses and casual pieces. So if you’re wondering what their nifty styling fingers came up with, read on. Who knows, you may just get some inspiration to style your own Vivienne Tam bag.
The Eclectic One: Angie Chen
As a curator for The Fifth Collection, a pre loved and vintage designer e-commerce platform, Angie Chen is definitely one with a discerning eye for style. Calling herself a “schizophrenic when it comes to style,” Angie likes to dress according to her mood and can be “very sultry one day and the other very quirky.”
For this limited edition bag, she chose to go with the gold version and paired it with a stunning backless dress from Malaysian designer, Khoon Hooi. Her outfit easily takes her from work to dinner, and the bag allows her to stash her laptop and her necessities all in one bag instead of fumbling with two. “Normally my problem is that I have to carry two bags, one tiny one and another for my laptop. So this is perfect, I can put my computer and my documents inside but it’s still dressy enough to carry to an event.”
Moving around the showroom, Angie also picked out some ear cuffs that served to inject a hint of edginess and at the same time tone down the formal aspect of the dress. We have to say this was one outfit we can’t wait to try with our bag!
Time taken: 4 minutes 40 seconds
The Effortlessly Chic One: Rachel Lim
Being in the heart of fashion as the co-founder of online store, Love, Bonito, Rachel Lim is no stranger to style and dressing up. As soon as the bag was revealed, Rachel instinctively went for the gold because she didn’t want to be safe or take the easy route out of the challenge with the black.
Thereafter, with 5 minutes on the clock, she swiftly made her way around the room and soon enough picked out an outfit that she knew was it. “I love how the crop top and culottes go so well together – besides having the same print, the twisted tube crop top adds character and some fun element into the outfit!”
Rachel’s ‘feminine chic’ style sense definitely shone through with this effortless look. She could essentially head off for a weekend brunch or a lunch meeting along with this practical tote bag in hand.
Time taken: 3 minutes 45 seconds
The Experimental One: Chanel Lyn
With her confident personality, model Chanel Lyn was not one bit worried for the 5-minute style challenge. While she did take a while to browse and decide on the theme of her look, she eventually fell back on a casual approach.
We adore how she unexpectedly paired the ruffled halter neck from Australian label, C/MEO Collective with a pair of white crochet shorts by Alice McCall to create that juxtaposition of casual and dressy. She injected her touch of cool into the edgy-feminine look with the bold black Vivienne Tam tote that boasts a secret hot pink lining.
“Singapore is very warm, even in December so I chose an outfit that’s very comfortable to wear to a Christmas lunch or even a dinner. The top is a subtle gold, so it can still be worn in a casual way and it’s definitely still a little dressy as well.”
Time taken: 4 minutes 30 seconds
Photos: Glenn Taubenfeld
Venue: Shopthemag showroom, 71A Hillcrest Road, Open from Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 7pm
Shopthemag is currently having a Christmas sale with pieces up to 70% off. Most of the designers on sale are from Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
This post was sponsored by UOB Cards. For more information on the limited edition tote bags and redemption, click here.