Singapore swings

(Conclusion)

So what’s a fashionphile to do after the shows at the Singapore Fashion Festival? Hit the malls, of course! All the major fashion powerhouses are represented in Singapore and stock the latest collections. Just do Orchard Road and you’re pretty much covered.

Ngee Ann City at 391, the site of the tents, has Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine, Chanel, Burberry, Fendi, Tiffany, Cartier and Takashimaya, the flagship Japanese superstore with all your favorite signatures, including Harrod’s at the food basement. At Ngee Ann, don’t miss Kinokuniya book store, touted as the biggest in Southeast Asia, and why argue – at 43,000 square feet with over 500,000 quality titles, it’s daunting! You won’t even know where to begin. Aside from English, there’s Chinese, Japanese, French and German titles.

At Paragon on 290, there’s Jean-Paul Gaultier, a rare Miu Miu store, aside from mother store Prada; plus Gucci, Ferragamo, Etro, YSL, and Lanvin, among others.

Ashley Isham, the Singaporean who made it big in London, is available at Pois. Palais Renaissance on 390 has Prada, DKNY, Vera Wang and Jim Thompson. For harder-to-find brands, head to the Hilton Hotel and the adjoining Four Seasons Hotel Arcade at 190. The fashion cathedral of Club21 holds your sweetest sartorial dreams: Alaia, Stella McCartney, Dries van Noten, Margiela, Viktor&Rolf, Comme des Garcons, Yohji Yamomoto, Undercover and others – you get the drift. They carry stock other stores consider retail suicide, like no-wash, no-dry-clean Glitterati jeans by Dior. Tim Yap was so tempted to get a pair, even if it was good for only one divine Embassy night.

There’s a newly opened Balenciaga Concept Store for all the to-die-for items of that French wunderkind Nicholas Ghesquiere. Other designers include Jil Sander, Donna Karan and Issey Miyake.

A visit to Orchard is not complete without a stop at Tangs, the quintessential Singaporean department store with their own in-house labels, aside from international staples. The ladies’ accessories department is of particular interest. Pauline Suaco-Juan, editor of Preview, said we could just leave her there while we did all the floors. True enough, when we came back for her, she had a horde of the most jaw-dropping pieces like peacock feather headbands, shagreen cuffs and python bangles.

For a younger look, head for Heeren at 260. There are Harajuku-style boutiques with vintage clothes and accessories and a huge HMV for music. NewUrbanMale.com had hilarious T-shirts like the "Kill Kitty" series with scenes of the iconic kitten in a blender, a microwave, and a cannon ready to explode.

Shopping Beyond Orchard

Is there shopping life after Orchard? Of course there is! Remember, this is multicultural Singapore so you have Chinatown, Little India and Arab Street. For you OCDs, this is hygienic heaven as all areas of Singapore – ethnic areas included – are squeaky, theme-park clean. Chinatown stores and galleries have furniture, handicrafts and objets-d’art finds from China, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand. Little India has the 24-hour Mustafa Center on 145 Syed Aliwi Rd., selling everything from electronics to jewelry, shoes, bags and CDs – all at bargain rates and conveniently open during pre- and post-club hours.

At the Arab Quarter, Parco Bugis Junction between Victoria St. and North Bridge Road has many local fashion labels to discover. On Arab and Bussorah Streets, Middle Eastern exotica, from fabrics to food items and trinkets, abound. There’s a heady scent of incense everywhere and a landscape that’s not immediately identifiable as Singapore. No wonder Comme des Garcons chose this neighborhood for their Guerrilla Store at 47 Haji Lane. A rare appearance in Asia, with all the others (Warsaw, Athens, Reykjavik) being in Europe. The only other one we saw in Berlin has closed already, which is the whole concept of this store, which has a set expiry date. Catch this store before it expires on July 25, 2006.

Going Hawker In Comfort

When you’ve shopped yourself silly, as we all did, there’s nothing like good hawker food. "No, no, no not in those alfresco ones, hon, we did that already and we don’t want to melt before we see supermodel Lily Cole at MOS." So we headed to controlled-clime comfort at Straits Kitchen in the Grand Hyatt on 10 Scotts Road. Great interiors designed by acclaimed Mezza9 designer Super Potato from Tokyo: Warm colors play off dark timbers, with walls cleverly adorned with scrap metal, wood carvings, pleated floor mats, art gallery pieces and cut glass. It’s a stylized market setting where the chefs are the stars and the "show kitchens" the stage from which they prepare made-to-order dishes for guaranteed freshness. We overate to our heart’s delight, from Chinese to Indian to Malay specialties, from Singapore laksa and Hainanese chicken and duck rice with all the condiments you could think of to nasi goreng and chicken tikka. Dessert was a cool, delectable chendol of jellies topped with ice shavings, gula melaka and coconut milk.

For creative cuisine, try Coriander Leaf at 3A River Valley Road on Clarke Quay, a popular waterfront night haunt where dining choices abound. We had a refreshing arugula, mint and coriander salad with calamari and the most tender tandoori chicken spiced to perfection. To cap it was a lemongrass panna cotta with raspberry chili jam and caramel-orange drizzle. There are various Middle Eastern, Indian and Southeast Asian dishes done with a modern twist that you can mix and match. If time allows, you can even enroll in one of their cooking courses.

Foodies should not miss the World Gourmet Summit from April 10 to 28, Singapore’s annual celebration of fine food and wine featuring a world-class cast of iconic and master chefs as well as wineries serving the best in select restaurants and hotels. Some of the culinary celebrities scheduled to come are Chef Santi Santamaria of Raco de Can Fabes, a three-star Michelin-rated restaurant from Spain; Chef Wan, Malaysia’s food ambassador; and the Rubino brothers, famous for their TV series Made to Order.

We Love The Nightlife

Before you overindulge in Singapore’s nightlife, try to catch one of the performances at the Esplanade (an architectural wonder worthy of a visit in itself – tel. no. 6828-8377 or www.esplanade.com) or one of many theater and music venues (tickets for most shows in Singapore are at SISTIC: +65 6348-5555 or www.sistic.com.sg). The Broadway musical classic West Side Story is on from April 7 to 30, with choreography by multiple Tony award nominee Joey McNeely and produced in cooperation with Sundance Productions New York. The Noel Coward comedy, Private Lives, will play at the Raffles Hotel Ballroom from April 18 to 22.

Cineastes will get their fill with about 300 films from over 40 countries at the 19th Singapore International Film Festival from April 13 to 29 (book at www.filmfest.org.sg or Ticketcharge +65 6296-2929).

Cirque du Soleil’s Quidam is showing from September 8 to October 15 (+65 6416-2233 or SISTIC).

For a taste of Paris cabaret, there’s Crazy Horse, that George V institution showing "the world’s most beautiful and artistic nude show" for the first time in Asia at 3B River Valley Rd., Clarke Quay (+65 6339-1800). All the dancers are European, with a classical ballet background and each one with her distinct style and stage name, like the Polish Volga Moskovskaya and the French lady Pousse Pousse. There is a restaurant and a lounge for pre- or post-show dining and drinks but no, there’s no chance to meet the performers at the lounge – they are professional performers, the management stresses. You just have to be lucky enough to catch them at one of Singapore’s clubs or bars, if they are disposed for a night out that evening.

At Zouk, perhaps? This popular, newly renovated 15-year-old clubbing landmark definitely placed Singapore on the world dance map, pushing the envelope in all forms of electronica and alternative entertainment, with four outlets, each with its own distinct music direction, clientele, and door policy. DJs like Paul Van Dyk and Timo Maas have spinned here and performers include the likes of Primal Scream and Björk (17 Jiak Kim St., www.zoukclub.com).

The queues were longest at the newly opened Ministry of Sound, the biggest MOS club in the world at 40,000 sq.ft. filled with a state-of-the art audio and visual effects system. It also has themed rooms with individual music programs. 54 takes you back to the ’70s with disco house and retro on lighted disco panels and disco balls. Smoove has break beats and deep R&B. Most coveted is the Taittinger Sky Lounge, where privileged guests get a bird’s-eye view of the main dance arena below and the 54 disco room through one-way glass (Blk 3C, The Cannery, www.ministry of sound.com.sg).

If you’re in the mood for some sand, sea, thumping music and beautiful tanned bodies a la Ibiza, head for KM8 at Sentosa Island. News has it that an international mix of models and model wannabes have been hanging out there (Tanjong Beach, 6274-2288).

And Where To Sleep?

Finicky stylephiles are always on the lookout for the hotel to be billeted in. By middle of April, they will find design paradise at the Majestic Hotel (31-37 Bukit Pasoh Rd., +65 6222-3377, www.newmajestichotel.com). Occupying a 1928 traditional conservation shop house in the heart of Chinatown, there is nothing conservative about the interiors – if the location’s history of being a street for mistresses has anything to do with it – from a raw, exposed lobby ceiling with restored vintage Compton fans to an eclectic mix of modern and vintage furniture and a dramatic pool with glass inserts floating above the restaurant.

The restaurant was a revelation, a modern Chinese dining concept with cuisine by chef Yong Bing Ngen. The nouvelle Cantonese cuisine is served on individual plating: scrumptious, crispy wasabi prawns, Peking duck with pan-fried spiced foie gras, braised lobster in creamy milk and lime sauce, baked sea-perch in a fine champagne sauce. The dessert we tried was a refreshing lime sorbet with aloe vera and grass jelly.

After lunch, we toured the rooms which number 30 in all but each one is different, from the interiors to the furniture and the customized baths. The only thing all rooms have in common is that the bathtub is in the central part of the room with an open view. To make for a thoughtful and pampering experience, there are select indulgences like personal CD/radio Bose stereos, plasma/LCD TVs, wireless broadband and Kiehl’s toiletries. What we really liked, though, was that amidst all the modern electronica was a specially designed, handcrafted music box by the bedside with a soothing melody to lull you to sleep. That’s the kind of amenity that will be truly appreciated by fashion-showed-out, shopped-out, partied-out, clubbed-out and overindulged fashion reporters. That’s the attention to detail that has made Singapore a tourism phenomenon and the reason why the Singapore Fashion Festival 2006 is a huge success.