All about Style, but only for Teens
By Vimita Mohandas, channelnewsasia.com | Posted: 13 November 2009 0603 hrs

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SINGAPORE: If looking back at past photos of yourself leaves you with tears in your eyes over laughing too hard at the styling in hair and dress, join the club!

When my three best gal pals since I was a teen, presented me with a scrapbook filled with pictures tracing our lives since we were 13 right up to our ripe age of 25, the birthday gift was priceless not just for the memories but the hours of giggles amid wails “Oh My God! What on earth was I wearing?!”

Whether it’s 1989 or 2009, there’s one thing about fashion that doesn’t change – the need to dress right.

In Singapore, most kids have to worry about school, exams, tuition, enrichment classes and peer pressure… usually in this order.

Dressing right, pops in somewhere in between depending on the age, sex and band of friends.

Years from now however, the boys and girls of today need not re-live any dress-up horrors despite it NOT being Halloween, thanks to a prominent figure in the local image consultancy business.

Jill Lowe decided to launch two books on personal grooming and dressing well on noticing an absence of a style book in the Singaporean market for boys and girls aged between 10 and 18.

The small and handy books “Dressing Smart for Girls” and “Dressing Smart for Boys”, are personally written for young adults so as to help them discover and understand their unique physique.

It’s also handy in offering suggestions on how each can enhance their positive attributes and downplay their flaws.

As Lowe points it, most people aren’t blessed with the airbrushed good looks or impeccable body proportions of a model.

Both books are categorised into five parts, namely: ‘Trend’, ‘Fashion’, ‘Colour’, ‘Body’ and ‘Wardrobe’.

The digestible read delves into problems that most young adults fuss over – such as being at a loss about one’s personal style, how to dress right for various occasions and dressing in the right colours according to one’s skin tone.

Although the age limit is 18 years, adults who take a peek will find it beyond kid-stuff.

Browsing through “Dressing Smart for Girls”, I found the ‘Colour’ section interesting as it allows readers to discover their skin tones but also offers colour suggestions on their choice of clothes.

Besides that, readers will also gain insight on the kind of vibes and character traits they pass off when they are clad in various colours.

So stay clear of the colour purple, a royal hue that could make a person come across as arrogant; but wearing green may show tenacity but leave you also being perceived as boring.

With the target audience being at an impressionable age, it was good that the book also addresses how each can live with what they’ve been blessed with without having to start dressing down, starve to squeeze into a size 0 or opt for liposuction.

Through a series of quizzes and questions, the reader gets to understand his or her body better as well as how to dress according to the personal shape and size.

There are also tips on how to highlight a person’s best body features with the right type of clothing and accessories.

While the book is aimed primarily at youths, Ms Lowe said they are also excellent for parents so they will be able to comprehend the image issues their kids may be going through.

She said: “The books allow parents to understand their children and witness themselves how proper dressing can build their children’s self esteem and confidence.

“Youths are at a phase where they are discovering their own identities, and parents have to be by their side to guide and shape them to become outstanding individuals in future.

“So it is beneficial to equip someone with knowledge on how to manage their bodies and proper grooming from a young age. This is because people make judgments within three seconds of meeting us, hence, it is important to create a lasting positive impression.”

Truth be told, I was pretty sceptical about how teens would react to this styleguide especially when they are probably at a juncture in their lives where their perception of cool is the complete opposite of what their parents think.

But after lending the style guide to a group of youths aged 11-15, I realised that the book was actually a page-turner for them.

15-year-old Cheryl Chuah of St Theresa’s Convent, isn’t a blind fashion slave.

But while she admits to choosing to dress in a way to fit in with my friends, she said “...what I liked about the book is that I learnt more about my body shape and what kind of belts I should wear.

“At the end of the day, I am my own trend-setter, just like other kids. But the book helps you to make wiser choices while still retaining your individual sense of style.”

As for a group of 12-year-old boys, the style-guide also went down surprisingly well.

Initial expectations for young male masculinity to set in and snub the book, were dashed when all three boys took turns to read the book cover to cover.

“This book is very nice and interesting. I can tell about particular styles” said Rishi Nadawani of Anglo-Chinese School Junior.

Class-mate Kim Khoo added: “I really liked the part in the book about the body and how you should dress to enhance it.”

One sceptical mum who brought home the book found her “I-don’t-care-what-I-wear” tween busily rummaging through his wardrobe after reading the style-guide. The reason the young man explained, was to confirm that he was dressing in the right colours as outlined in through “Dressing Smart for Boys”.

“He even threw away his Nike wallet and started using a black wallet instead, because the book said so” recounted the amused but amazed mother.

Even though the books are aimed at those aged between 10 and 18, there was credible style advice that even I picked up.

My only wish is that “Dressing Smart for Girls” had been published a decade earlier before I committed fashion suicide.

So for now, the scrapbook shall remain buried. - CNA/vm