The Stylo Fashion Grand Prix, undoubtedly the fashion event of the F1 season, brought together fashion trendsetters from all across the region to appreciate the fine art of couture and ready-to-wear fashion under one roof.

Held at the Mercedes Benz Centre at Alexandra Road, the Stylo Fashion Grand Prix is the only Malaysian initiative to be included in the Singapore GP season official calendar. It is in support of the close cultural ties between the two neighbouring countries. This Stylo Fashion Grand Prix is the brainchild of Dato' Nancy Yeoh who is the president and CEO of Stylo International Pte Ltd.

The Mercedes showroom was converted in the fancy 'Scarlet Mansion' an abode for the rich and famous. Cordoned in red lavish cushions and drapes, silver platters decorated with feathers, candles and long chandeliers, the ambience was definitely set for a sensually good time.

In all, five Malaysian designers - Michael Ong, Khon Hooi, Melinda Looi, Edric Ong and Dato' Tom Abang Sufi - and five Singaporean designers - Jo Soh, Heng Nam Nam, Frederick Lee, Francis Cheong and Nicholas Wong - showed off their favourite collections that contributed to the overall mood of the night which was fashion-rock. Great move, as we all know how the music and fashion industry are always inspiring each other.

The Queen of Malaysia, Seri Paduka Baginda Raja Permaisuri Agung Tuanku Nur Zahirah graced her presence to the fashion event along with top regional socialites, celebrities and personalities from the F1 industry.Dignitaries such as Speaker of Singapore Parliament, Mr Abduallh Tarmugi, accompanied by his wife, Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry) Mr S Iswaran, Mayor of Central Singapore District, Mr Zainudin Nordin and his wife were among those that attended the star-studded event as well.

The Malaysian designers also had the ultra-glam priviledge of walking the red carpet with their celebrity muses. Leggy Malaysian beauty Andrea Fonseka showed off a beautiful bare-back dress from designer Khoon Hooi. She mused how she is usually portrayed in the media as a wild party girl wearing only the skimpiest outfits, but in actual fact, she prefers the more subtle and elegant style of Khoon Hooi's. Fonseka also donned a stunning ruby necklace and ring from Mondial, both adding up to about 37 carats of rubies, 41 carats of diamonds - and a price tag of almost $1.4 million. 

 

Malaysia's top lyrical soprano Syafinaz Selamat was spotted decked out in a beautifully sequined white gown by Malaysian designer Melinda Looi, who was faithfully by her side. The talented beauty then changed into another bling-heavy Beyonce styled gold Jonathan Cheng outfit for her performance of the operatic version of the James Bond theme song 'Goldfinger'. Gold is meant to symbolise the rising sun and birth of nature's five elements. The runway was lit up and Selamat's singing accentuate the ambience by creating a hypnotic affect.

 

Most impressively and the envy of many, Selamat also confidently showed off $10 million worth of Mondial's 'Countless' necklace - a stunner with 13 fashion-cut yellow diamonds, over 15 carats, complemented by seven marquise-cut diamonds totalling 35.28 carats of GIA-certified stones. Breathtaking!

 

Also lending their voices for entertainment of the night was top local songwriter Dick Lee, who performed a brilliant jazzed-up version of the classic 'Fly Me To The Moon'. It was coupled with Tom Abang Saufi's designs, classic yet different against a backdrop of a rising moon.

 

The usually-reserved crowd went wild when two members of the popular 90's band Fool's Garden walked onto the runway and performed their biggest hit, Lemon Tree. We even spotted a local designer singing along to the band, evidently enjoying himself with his entourage. Nicholas Wong's models strutted the stage with pastel dresses suited more for the everyday or a summery beach vacation as Fool's Garden sang their song.

Citing the tagline for the event, "Fashion's merely the excuse", Dato' Yeoh said she came up with the idea of having a Fashion Grand Prix as the GP season was always stereotypically an event for car-loving males and she wanted the ladies to be involved in the excitement as well.

Thank you Dato' Yeoh for such a brilliant idea, although, we did notice the crowd was made up of as many stylish males as females, so perhaps the local boys are more fashion-forward than she presumed. 

Building on the fashion-rock concept, the show provided a delightful mix of quixotic outfits and hairdos themed with one of the five elements of nature - Fire, Wood, Earth, Metal and Water. 

While all designers evidently showed off their best that night, kudos to Frederick Lee who presented the 'Fire' element with stark red satin dresses, some had elegant cut out backs and straps for a sexy yet subtle peek of skin that tantalised every inch of our fashion tastebuds and left us hankering for more. 

Another designer worth mention is Melinda Looi, who captivated the audience with her interpretation of the 'Metal' element. While her array of Egyptian-inspired outfits were not particularly the most wearable, it was definitely intriguing and showed off Looi's acute sense of taste as she knew just how to draw the fine line between haute couture and shock garish.

Frederick Lee also showed off his beautiful transition from wedding gowns to evening gowns. His dresses boasted a beautiful shape with just the right amount of sequins to jazz up the incredibly simple gowns without going overboard. Truly the mark of a great designer: as they say in fashion, it's easier to do shock and punk than to try and make a classic yet stylish dress. 

All things beautiful aside, Plush is proud to have been a part of the biggest fashion event in the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, and while stories of inefficient valet parking and less than stellar food served at the event have decorated the pages of local newspapers, we choose to focus on the positive - we're sure all guests present enjoyed the beautiful designs on showcase that evening, and perhaps will be able to develop a bit more respect and awareness for local and regional designers.