Q & A
LANI CHAN, 54, SINGLE
CLUB 21 STYLE SERVICES MANAGER
Describe your style.
Eclectic. I do not stick to one thing. Working in this environment, I should not get stuck in a rut. I love colour and interesting shapes. I love volume too. On a petite person, it can look really cute.
I tend to look for interesting details, shapes and fabrics and I like mixing high and low. Sometimes, I like to rock a classic jeans and blazer look.
Who are your favourite designers?
I have different brands for different things, but for a long time, I have loved Belgian designer Dries van Noten. He is an intellectual designer and it comes across in his collections.
I admire Giorgio Armani as well. He does not veer from his vision of classical tailoring.
Do you have a style icon you admire?
Audrey Hepburn. She has an enduring style and, in those days, they did not have people to put an image together. Till today, I think a lot of people are still inspired by her looks - the ballerinas, the capris, the turtlenecks, the jackets with the cape. I love capes.
My grandmother - who was always beautifully dressed and died last year - had a fabulous collection of fabrics she had not made into clothes, so I had this skirt made (photo 1). It is a brocade fabric and I love this 1950s shape. I also love trenchcoats. This floral one (photo 2) is from Marc Jacobs and I layer it with shorts or a little dress.
Do you have a weakness when it comes to shopping?
Shoes. I think it is because my feet are very small and shoes my size are rare. I'm almost a 35. For people with small feet, I say if the shoes fit, just buy them.
I run around, so I need them to be comfortable, as well as pretty. Sometimes, I buy multiples.
What is your favourite splurge piece?
I have loved this Dries van Noten skirt (photo 3) forever. It has beading and embroidery. It is one of the first things I bought from Dries, a splurge at the time.
This is my new Proenza Z cross-body (photo 4), a recent splurge. It has everything I love about handbags now - it's a crossbody, but not too tiny.
Have you gotten any amazing deals?
I love the raw edge of this Lanvin gown (photo 5), the exposed detail. My colleague at Club 21 picked it out for me. She was like, "Lani, you have to come get it."
She is very stylish, so when she said, "come and get it", I just did.
It was on sale, probably more than 50 per cent off.
Is there a gifted item in your closet that you love?
This Anteprima trenchdress (photo 6) is from a friend, who clears her closet often. I wear it with a tutu skirt underneath for volume. I feel very Audrey in it.
What was a recent purchase?
This Marni top I'm wearing.
What is the best shopping or style advice you live by?
Buy because you love it and it matches something else in your wardrobe, not because it is cheap. And try to buy something you will wear for some time.
•My Wardrobe is a new fortnightly column that takes a peek into the closets of the stylish.
