Seated in Anthea’s Perfect In Black shophouse along Kim Yang Road, Singapore
It was the usual sweltering afternoon in tropical Singapore, still I couldn’t hold my excitement as I anticipated meeting Anthea Chan, creator and owner of the label Perfect in Black. I have previously shown some of her fashion show pictures from last year’s Singapore fashion festival, by Kevin, and I couldn’t wait to see her latest collection in real life!
Anthea and I were to have lunch at a Japanese restaurant close to her shophouse and as I stepped into Hakata restaurant along Jln Mohammed Sultan road, a most beautiful woman, dressed in her signature pure black outfit, greeted me with bursting energy!
Myself with Anthea Chan at Hakata restaurant
With British and Chinese heritage in her blood, Anthea attributed her interest and knowledge in textiles and the fashion industry mostly to her mother. Her mother was a talented seamstress who taught Anthea all about fabric textures, cut and shapes since Anthea was a little girl.
But why work only with black? And according to Anthea it’s because black is “sensual, sexy, elegant, timeless” and most importantly, “instantly slimming”. For Anthea, black is also a most practical colour because one can pair the colour with all other colours. In her words:
Black is slimming, alluring, mysterious, easy to keep clean, goes with everything else in your wardrobe, and you can never go wrong wearing it. Overall, black is a magical colour that can transform people by giving them a mystical air of sophistication, and moreover, it is an all-time classic.
A halter neck top with feathers
Multifunctionality in clothes is also something that is important to Anthea when designing her clothes. So skirts can function as tops and tops can have as many as 16 different looks or 16 different ways to wear it. She gets inspiration from various places, persons and from her favourite movies.
I’m really not one for too much black in my wardrobe, but as I stepped into the boutique, I at once saw how black was indeed versatile and surprisingly interesting in Anthea’s designs. Pieces of different lengths, materials, textures and shimmers. There were pieces covered in mother of pearl shells and others covered in glittering black rhinestones. Designs ranged from simple and elegant to dramatic!
Fitted denim jacket with corset details and rose shaped buttons. Photo by Anthea Chan
In the above picture, a close-up shot of the denim jacket from the first picture. This jacket has a close cut to the body that lends a good shape to the wearer, emphasizing the waist.
She is now preparing for her New York fashion show, her Holiday 2008/9 collection that actually incorporates colours other than black. I can’t already wait to have a peek at that upcoming collection!