Audi Fashion Festival

When people ask, “what is Fashion”, words such as New York, Paris, London, Milan are normally the first words that come to one’s mind. These countries are the fashion capitals of the world with semiannual fashion weeks held for designers to showcase their latest works and collections. On the map of fashion, Singapore is literally a small red dot compared to these giants. However, with our annual Singapore Fashion Festival (SFF), which past events was a playground for various international and local designers coupled with models such as British Supermodel Lily Cole and bands such as Placebo, it seems as though Singapore definitely has something to say.

The news of this year’s Fashion Festival being put on hold till next year was an indication that proved true to buzz about something big happening for this year’s SFF. And indeed so; within months, the official press release of the Audi Fashion Festival (AFF) was given and it was as extravagant as promised- Christian Lacroix opening the Festival and Vivienne Westwood closing with her Anglomania collection.

Though I have little interest in what is considered fashionable or not these days as I live by the mantra “simplicity is best”, I am constantly amazed and awestruck by French designer Christian Lacroix’s ability to turn fabric into costumes and high-end clothes that define thebright colours and extravagant embellishments of the 1980s. Upon hearing that he would be opening the AFF, it was without question that I would make the effort to view his collection, one way or another. As his opening event for the AFF was sold out within days of the ticket release, I had no choice but to head to the National Musuem of Singapore to see costumes and sketches from the collection of the Centre National du Costume de Scène (National Stage Costume Centre, Moulins, France) and from Lacroix's personal collection instead.