Cheryl Marie Cordeiro

A leopard print skirt by Karen Millen and a black stretch top by Wolford.

I remember animal print designs – mostly tiger and leopard – to be popular even during the youthful days of my grandmother during the 1940s (see Dorothea’s Closet for a fine example of a leopard print item).

I’m not one for too many animal prints in my wardrobe, but I find them generally irresistable in accessories such as bags, purses, scarfs and even shoes from the likes of Giuseppe Zanotti’s leopard print wedges and Christian Louboutin’s range of leopard print heels including the coveted knee-high Alta Ariella Talon Leopard boots. Continue reading “Animal prints in spring 2009” →

A brown beaded halter-neck evening dress by Sue Wong.
Model: Cheryl Marie Cordeiro. Photo by Geoffrey Pereira.

A surefire way to kick off a glamorous evening is by picking the right dress. This slinky number by Sue Wong and her inspirations – Garbo, Dietrich, Lombard – certainly fulfills her desire to bring glamour and romance to the modern woman.

Sue Wong began designing under her own name in 1985 and in 1999, her Nocturne label, which showcases elegant evening wear (and is one of my favourite labels to have for evening wear) became an immediate success. Intricately beaded, soft on the body and one that offers a stunning silhouette to the wearer, are her signature traits in evening wear.

Back at work, a pencil dress in deep purple from Mango (MNG) with a Chanel Classic Flap bag with diamond quilting.
Photo: Geoffrey Pereira.

These Chanel classics are quite comfortable in size. The slimmer, sleeker versions are perfect for evenings out and the larger sizes are great for office wear, allowing for A4 documents.

For office wear, I’m favouring pencil skirts and stream lined pencil dresses. This Mango (MNG) rendition is in a deep royal purple with capped sleeves and a skinny belt at the waist.

For more designer handbags such as this Chanel, Gucci, Tod’s, Prada and this Bottega Veneta clutch as pictured above, please contact Jaimie Lim.

A natural ametrine (amethyst and citrine combined), weighing 42.75 carats, set in 18k white gold and diamonds.
Jewellery design: Cheryl Marie Cordeiro. Photo: Kevin D. Cordeiro.

In keeping with most Asian traditions, where gold is given to a newborn as a form of savings they could wear, I was introduced to yellow gold jewellery, mostly given as gifts, at a very young age of about five or six years old. Since I couldn’t wear jewellery to school, the tradition was that I bounced around in rounded gold ear studs and slim gold bangles during the festive seasons of Christmas and New Year’s. As a young girl, I loved the melodious tinkering of the bangles that went with my every movement.

What began as the traditional festive wear of jewellery when I was younger, has today blossomed into a love and passion for well-crafted fine jewellery. These days, I find myself unable to resist the glitter of fine jewellery with large coloured gemstones, and try to keep a small collection that can match the clothes in my wardrobe.

Duo-toned ametrine. Basket setting in white gold ring.
Jewellery design: Cheryl Marie Cordeiro. Photo: Kevin D. Cordeiro.

Sourcing my own stones is part of the delight in jewellery making and collecting, where I sometimes meet with the gemstone cutters in person to be able to pick out the most alluring stones. Coloured gemstones are not very expensive in themselves, so a lot of a stone’s quality comes from its cut, polish and finish. This duo-toned ametrine I fell in love with the instant I saw it and was happy to ask my favorite jewellers to set it in a fitting ring of my own design.

Side profile snapshot of the stone and the ring setting. The stone caught and reflected brilliantly, the morning sunlight streaming in through the windshield of our car.
Jewellery design: Cheryl Marie Cordeiro. Photo: Kevin D. Cordeiro.

The ametrine sits in a basket setting with four prongs, one prong to each corner of the stone. It has a single fleur-de-lis on either side of the ring, created with 3 marquise shaped diamonds to each flower. Brilliant cut diamonds run halfway down either side of the shank of the ring.

Depending on the light and the angle, the stone goes from a crisp golden yellow to a deep grape purple. Yummy.

Rojjana Petkanha for Chanel Allure.

I’ve always loved Chanel fragrances as they never seem to tire through the day.

Launched in 1996, Chanel Allure is a sophisticated mix of Oriental florals like Bergamot, Mandarin, Water Lily, Magnolia and Jasmine. Its complexity as a scent and its intrigue increases when a hint of Rose begins to come forth as the scent settles. It’s sensuously subtle vanilla base notes appears after the scent matures on the skin.

Depending on skin chemistry, I find Chanel Allure a parfum that can bring you from day to night. The lighter, young sophisticate beats of Allure compliments most occasions, in comparison to Allure Sensuelle, which is perhaps more suitable for the dark winter nights. The light powdery scents of Allure also brings me home to days when I was a child, laying snug and cozy under newly washed comforters.