The UrbanWire

In a warm climate like Singapore, wearing anything more than tanks, boxers and flip flops can be quite a challenge for some.

^{HYPEd UP! Flea market @ *SCAPE}

However on July 31, more than 2000 youths streamed to HYPEd UP! flea market at *SCAPE in all sorts of crazy outfits – which didn’t include the above 3 said items.

^{Owners proudly showing off their stall which sold dresses and accessories}

The flea was organised by m:idea, a youth-led media conglomerate for youths, to promote HYPE #31, hosted around 65 stalls selling many different items from pre-loved apparels to hand-made accessories to vintage goods to second-hand books to quirky knick-knacks.

^{One-off vintage apparels hanging off racks for sale}

^{Quirky items such as cute mugs and felt pouches for sale}

Although the majority of the items catered for the ladies, the boys didn’t leave empty-handed either. Checkered shirts, beige pants and brand new canvas shoes exchanged hands and found new owners at the flea.

^{Shirts for guys on sale for cheap}

The flea not only attracted youths with bursting wardrobe to sell their items, online stores were also invited to set up stalls at the flea.

^{Chachos selling their tees at the flea}

Besides coming to the flea with a pocketful of cash, the heat certainly didn’t stop the youths from dressing up for the HYPEspotting contest. The denim shorts with loose top combination was aplenty but there are many others who stood out with… well, their unique sense of style.

^{Harem pants + loose top = perfect combination to beat the heat}

There’s nothing like an eye-catching pair of sandals to jazz up a minimalist outfit. If all else fails, a brilliant hairstyle will do the trick.

There were live performances by 4 local bands namely Run Neon Tiger, Postbox, Duxton Plains and Trella who came smartly dressed for the event.

^{The boys from Trella all decked out for the flea}

In HYPE #31, there’re 2 fashion spreads, Do-It-Yourself Alexander Wang inspired outfit plus many more fashion-related articles. Do grab a copy of HYPE from Ngee Ann Polytechnic now!

Imagine not one, but three halls showcasing the latest collection from different Asian designers and labels and having the opportunity to purchase them at discounted prices. Blueprint is what every fashionista could ask for.

If you missed out on this fabulous fashion event, regret no more! UrbanWire got down to check out what exactly happened among those black tents.

For the first time ever, Blueprint welcomed the public to join in the three-day fashion trade show held at the F1 Pit Building from April 29 to May 1.

First conceived in 2004, Blueprint 2010 fashion trade show aims to showcase Asian designers and fashion labels and this year was no different. In a bid to encourage East-West exchange, Singapore labels such as the well-known Alldressedup as well as lesser known Al & Alicia, to Bangkok label, Flynow The Leather to London label, Joanna Sykes were invited to exhibit their collections.

_{Alicia, the proud owner/designer of Al & Alicia}

At every fashion trade show, the highlight would definitely be the expected and highly anticipated fashion runway show. With a total of 10 runway shows spread throughout the three days, there was definitely no shortage of edgy frocks, gorgeous models and envious eyes.

_{Rows of white seats at the walk-through runway}

Here are two of UrbanWire’s favourites.

Aptly named a.w.o.l (All Walks Of Life), this Singapore label by Alfie Leong presented threads of unconventional construction white still keeping the clothes wearable. Although the colour palette was kept to mostly blacks, whites and greys, this collection definitely did not lack lustre as the structurally draped pieces captivated the eyes of many.

Utt’er, yet another home-grown label, presented an entirely different set. The atmosphere liven up as the models strutted down the runway clothed in fun and flirty pieces in cheery colours, coupled with oxford flats.

An added bonus was the trend styling workshop conducted by Cat Ong, the woman behind Blueprint, who taught the audience how to accessorise nude dresses (silver jewellery and keep it to the minimum), how to work the grey sweatpants look (pile up on the necklaces, preferably off-whitish in colour) and how to prevent yourself from looking tacky when wearing apparels in gold colour (do not attempt to match your shoes to the colour of the dress ie. gold heels are a big nono).

_{Cat Ong explaining why less is more for nude dresses}

_{Accessorising grey stretch jersey}

Besides the usual clothing line, accessories also played a big part in Blueprint. Local labels such as Holly Tupper and Vice & Vanity proudly showcased their lovingly hand-made, one-of-a-kind accessories.

_{Holly Tupper, the woman behind the label}

_{Vice & Vanity’s hand-stitched necklace}

Blueprint concluded the three-days fashion trade the traditional way in the fashion scene: Afterparty at Zouk!

So, girls (and boys), keep your ears and eyes peeled for any whiff about Blueprint 2011. It can only get bigger, and better!

All pictures taken by Natasha Yow, second-year Mass Communication student.

If fashion and football are separate entities in your dictionary (like they are in mine), you’ll be pleasantly surprised to know how wearable a fusion of both, even in the hands of youths, can be.

Nike Sportswear unveiled its Summer 2010 Collection in a spontaneous student stylist competition at Wisma Atria on April 13 and UrbanWire was there to give you a sneak peek at what went on.

Drawing inspiration from football, Nike Sportswear Summer 2010 Collection, which is targeted at youths, takes silhouettes from the field as inspiration for the street-wear fashion scene.

While sportswear is nothing new, these new threads from Nike definitely dazzled many as 4 student stylists from Raffles Design Institutes competed to style 2 celebrities and 2 athletes in the neon-coloured apparels and sneakers.

4 looks with the same number of themes that were revealed only at the start of the competition were put together in just a span of 15 minutes.

“To be honest, I haven’t really got the chance to look into the mirror yet! But I’m very open to the idea of wearing bright colours,” exclaimed actress Pamelyn Chee, a FLY Entertainment artiste, who donned the winning outfit.

Xara Lee, 23, who was tasked to style Chee in “Harajuku street” style, won the votes of the audiences with her extravagant styling and brave experimentation of clashing colours in her choice of outfits and accessories.

“Harajuku is all about the burst of colours, which is in line with Nike’s. To complete the look, I added colourful ‘heartshape’ clips in her hair. Accesorising is necessary,” explained Xara Lee. She won $1000 worth of Nike products and vouchers.

Rocking the runway in their outfit were model/actor Bobby Tonelli, a FLY Entertainment artiste, who was styled as “Metro Sexy Male”, Naila Nadwana, Fitness First Instructor, who was given the “Rock Chic” look and national footballer Hariss Harun, who had a chance to play his own fan, dressed as “Football Obsessed Teen”.

Hariss, 20, whose daily usual outfit is his team gear, confessed to UrbanWire that it was only recently that he started to pay attention to how he dresses in public.

Togged in a yellow tee, a white N98 track jacket, cuffed pants and a scarf, Hariss exclaimed, “It’s the first time I’m wearing a scarf actually! It’s a new change, I think I look quite stylish now.” His stylist Anchal Seth, also 20, muct have been pleased.

Singapore’s best known fashion director, who has produced international couture runway shows and styled icons such as Louis Vuitton, Daniel Boey explained, “Sports fashion has been around for a long time. Even my grandfather used to wear it. Nike just took in the hems, made it seamless and adapted it so you can wear it as a fashion item today.”

Perhaps incorporating sportswear into your daily outfit isn’t as challenging as you might imagine after all. Swapping pumps for high-cut sneakers and flimsy windbreakers for seamless slim-fit jackets are baby steps you can take to explore the fashion sportswear scene while retaining your personal style.

Ultimately, Boey reminds us, “Shops invest in fitting rooms for a reason. Laugh at yourself in private but in there, you can determine what fits you and what does not.”

All pictures taken by Jasmine Chong from Kilx Photography.