Iffah Rakinah, Editor of HYPE magazine
Your style icon: A good, strong woman. I look up to Florence Welch, Patti Smith, Joan Holloway from Mad Men, and Velma Kelly from Chicago in ways that extend beyond style.
Describe your style in three words: Random gentle dreamer.
What’s the soundtrack of your style? I actually get dressed to music, and tunes are a heavy influence to the clothes on my back on that day. My iTunes is perpetually on shuffle, so it depends on whatever that’s playing. It could be anything from Twin Shadow (sleek menswear) to Nicki Minaj (a fuchsia lippie). But if I really, reeeeally had to pick, it’d be You’ve Got the Love by The xx feat. Florence + The Machine. It’s a really erratic track, it’s moody and uplifting, heavy and light, all at the same time. But it’s spectacular as a whole.
Who are your favorite designers or labels? Miu Miu’s top on the list (I harbor ambitions of getting a Scottish Fold and naming it ‘Mew Mew’), but I also really like Stella McCartney, and 3.1 Phillip Lim. Charlotte Olympia for shoes and Angel Jackson for bags.
Guys should stop wearing: Their collars popped up. No, douchebags, it does not make you look cool. Dracula called, he wants his shirt back. Also, slippers to places beyond a 1 km radius of home. It makes me shudder a little.
Fave hang outs in Singapore: Home when there’s no one else. The best days are when I wake up and the house is really quiet because everyone has gone to work or school. And anywhere where I can have a gastro-gasm with friends. Laidback places like Timbre, Burger Shack, Buddy Hoagies, TAB (they’re a Thai disco on Wednesday nights now! Whuuuut).
If you could have any job in the world, what would you like to be? Okay this isn’t very original but I would love to own a café-shop. With good smoked salmon sandwiches, hazelnut macarons, clam chowder, and Earl Grey with lavender tea. People can write best-selling books by the window, shop for party dresses, and fall in love all at the same time.
What do you read for inspiration? Martha Stewart Living. I am not kidding. If the woman wasn’t a bit of a bitch to people, I would want her as my mom. Oh, and Frankie and Reader’s Digest.
Who would play you in the film of your life? I’m so afraid of flattering myself with this question, but I think Anne Hathaway is the closest. She’s so endearingly dorky! She can be really careless with what she says sometimes, which I think is an unfortunate trait we share.
If you could choose any three things to get for free, what would they be? A day of whale-watching, a lifetime supply of tea, and this UO Waterfall Ruffle Duvet Cover I’ve had my eye on for aaaaages.
Motto: You can make anything out of anything.
