Sartorial storytelling

THE fashion blogosphere might be dominated by the Anna Dello Russos and Miroslava Dumas of the world, but homegrown street style site Shentonista.sg has been shining the spotlight on more prosaic subjects: A banker in jeans who wears prayer beads on his wrist; an accountant with a skinny tie that adds a bit of hipster to the task of balancing ledgers.

"When you mention 'Singapore street style' to the average Singaporean, you'd usually get a disbelieving, if not scornful, laugh," says Darren Lee, founder of the six-year-old blog chronicling the street style of those working in the business district.

"So it's quite gratifying to find people who do put in effort to dress up and to make sure that they look good. And it's all the more gratifying to find people who dress well in the CBD (central business district) area, because people tend to think that all the well-dressed folk are strolling along Orchard Road or Tiong Bahru."

What started as a dare by a friend who used to work in Shenton Way to uncover stylish folks in the area spawned into an internationally-recognised site, as well as collaborations with companies like Club 21 and men's grooming salon We Need A Hero.

"The focus initially was interview-based content and we wanted to feature a whole range of people in Shenton Way with just a simple point-and-shoot camera," admits Mr Lee, who also runs branding and communications consultancy Uniform.

"Locally, readers were not as receptive then, so we pushed it towards personalities with a little more emphasis on style. This picked up quicker and helped with readership."

Over the years, Mr Lee found the task of finding corporate climbers with a sense of style a lot easier, as Singaporeans - even the cubicle-dwellers, becoming more fashion-conscious.

"With all the fast fashion and high street labels launching locally, clothing has become much more accessible and affordable, particularly the trendy workwear options available online," adds the former stylist.

"This is especially true for women and the multitude of options from blog shops and Tao Bao. But men also have a larger pool of bespoke and ready to wear options available - accessorising has become widely accepted and more men have begun to take pride in it."

A highly discerning dresser, Mr Lee also differentiates himself from other style bloggers by briefly profiling the person behind the outfit, offering a different perspective to his subjects and their fashion choices.

One civil servant clad in a wrap jacket and body-skimming trousers reveals that she is usually dressed in a cheongsam or 1950s-style circle skirts - without her co-workers ever raising a brow. Another advertising exec reveals that she cycles to work from her home in Little India.

"When we approach people to shoot, the first thing we notice about them is how they are dressed, definitely," says Mr Lee.

"But what creates an impression is who they really are. We usually get people to share a little about themselves-their little quirks, unusual hobbies, how they like their job. And even after speaking to so many people, we still love getting to know people because everybody is so different."

And despite the stereotype of Singaporeans being somewhat reticent, Mr Lee generally manages to convince strangers to agree to a chat and impromptu shoot.

"Out of every 10 people we approach, we would get just one or two who say they are simply too shy, or flat-out refuse," says Mr Lee. "We think people are generally quite open to being photographed, and we make sure to always approach them with a friendly, down-to-earth attitude. Being aware of who we are is one thing; for us to create a good first impression is another."

These days, with the rise of personal style Instagrammers who don't need to be spotted by a photographer to appear on the radar of fashion watchers, Mr Lee remains relevant by maintaining true to his blog's premise and exploring other platforms to evolve the site.

"We don't think street style blogs will completely fade away - there's always going to be an interest in people, what they are wearing and how they express themselves," says Mr Lee. "For now, the rise in social media, especially Instagram, means that you don't have to visit an actual blog site to be exposed to street style. Street style blogs will have to set themselves apart through the quality and depth of the content they offer, and in order to get someone to actively follow you on your blog, a strong sense personality and an ability to connect with your readers is a must."

And instead of stemming from thinly-veiled narcissism, which might be the case for many an Instagram star, Mr Lee's blog has slightly loftier ambitions: Putting Singapore on the global map by flaunting our own league of snazzy dressers.

As he adds: "We hope that Shentonista can show that good style can come from anywhere, and anyone."