So, I bought these giant, geeky specs in Korea, thinking I would wear them in Singapore once in a while, for fun.

 

 

But I’ve been back in Singapore for more than a month and I haven’t worn them in all that time.

With that and similar experiences in the past (bought stuff overseas then didn’t feel like wearing them back home) I’ve come to the conclusion that the Singapore weather is really uninspiring for fashionista wannabes.

Your face gets greasy quickly, your curls get weighed down by the humidity so they become limp and straggly, and your body thinks you’re in a sauna so you’re sweating out toxins by the bucket.

Just five minutes outdoors in Singapore and you’re ready to go back indoors, remove every article of clothing that you’ve spent a painstaking 30 minutes to carefully match, then put on a ragged oversized t-shirt and call it a day.

I prefer dressing up when I’m overseas in a cooler climate. I feel good and comfortable the whole day, even after being in the streets for 10 hours.

 

 

But the problem with dressing up overseas is that you don’t have your full wardrobe with you. You only have what you managed to pack in your little suitcase, and maybe a few things you picked up there, which is nothing to call home about.

 

Little suitcase. lol.

 

Plus you have limited time because your friends are waiting for you to finish vaining around so you can all go out and do some touristy things before the sun goes down.

 

 

 

Maybe that’s the reason why Singapore can’t be a leader in fashion. Given the weather, people can’t be bothered to dress up and fashion designers can’t feel too inspired to create breakthrough looks.

And, of course, since we only have one season all year round, the stuff we can wear is quite limited.

 

 

Not that I’m trying to give excuses for the uninspired fashion scene in Singapore but, really, think about it. How many people do you know bother to dress creatively?

And when you do get people who dress creatively, if they haven’t already died from the sweltering heat, they might receive jeering comments such as “ai sui mai mia” (willing to sacrifice your life for the sake of beauty).

Between the crazy humidity and the jeering comments, it’s a wonder at all that you can even spot the occasional fashionable person in Singapore.

Sure, you can be fashionable in light clothing suitable for our weather. But sometimes you don’t even want to bother with that because the heat has already fried your brain cells and you just wanna lie down in an air-conditioned room and go to sleep, right?

 

 

After several times of buying stuff overseas and then not wearing them in Singapore because it’s too hot to bother, I’ve kinda gotten tired of shopping overseas. In my last few trips this year (Korea, China and Hong Kong), I hardly bought anything, spending most of my money on food and entertainment.

But it’s making me feel boring and uninspired. Maybe it’s time to bugger it all and dress crazy again. I’m planning to travel quite a bit in the coming year so maybe I’ll start shopping again!