/ style / Our Second Nature’s Lily of the Valley maxi dress.
Uni earrings from Khoo’s latest Deep Sea series.
For fine jewelry
Lauren Khoo (Lauren X Khoo) New York-based Singaporean designer Lauren Khoo started her jewelry line in 2014, and it’s quickly caught global attention—Dover Street Market in London and New York’s luxury shopping site Moda Operandi stock the line—for their whimsical, handcrafted details. When in Singapore, Khoo hosts occasional trunk shows for a more intimate look at her creations, including her recent Deep Sea series, a bold take on marine life inspired by travels to the Maldives and Mauritius. The series turns ocean creatures into earrings: sea urchins and starfish get fancy finishes studded with diamonds, rubies and chalcedony. laurenxkhoo.com.
More Boutiques to Browse
For wearable art
Velda Tan (Our Second Nature) How to stand out in a crowd? Have a killer print. Working with a London-based designer, Our Second Nature’s prints are its star. Sister brand to Velda Tan’s Collate The Label, Our Second Nature is effortlessly arty in style: the imaginative prints feature charming interpretations of everything from birthstones to wild poppies to paint strokes. Sophisticated yet highly wearable, the affordable range including skirts, shorts, camisoles, kaftans and dresses (dresses start at S$89) have timeless, streamlined silhouettes. The brand has opened its first bricks-andmortar shop in Chip Bee Gardens, and every purchase online comes with a little something extra—limited-edition-print wrapping paper or coasters, anyone? oursecondnature.com.
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m a r c h 2 0 1 8 / t r a v e l a n d l e i s u r e a s i a . c o m
Starting as a series of pop-up events by jewelry designer Carolyn Kan to showcase the work of local creatives, this multi-genre boutique now has a permanent home at the National Design Center. Stock is refreshed every two months from new and established local names including leather accessories Kultskins, fashion label The Missing Piece, Ling Wu handbags and children’s bicycle brand Happy Bike. Keepers has also collaborated on exclusive pieces with Singapore designer Thomas Wee and scarf brand Binary Style. National Design Centre, 111 Middle Rd.; keepers.com.sg.
Kapok
This Hong Kongbased boutique opened their first Singapore branch in 2013 in Tangs Orchard, and stocks homegrown brands like GINLEE Studio, Amado Gudek’s ecofriendly bio-resin jewelry, and menswear label Faculty. Kapok’s focus isn’t just hyper local; this year they’ll also be stocking brands such as Johnny Romance from France and Scandinavian sportswear line Wood Wood, as well as the new collection of raincoats from its in-house label, Future Classics— ideal for battling Asia’s rainy season. 3F, 310 Orchard Rd.; ka-pok.com.
Le Salon
Enter a more intimate retail experience at Le Salon, an apartment boutique curated by Goh Ling Ling. Ling Wu’s handbags sit alongside a collection of décor and lifestyle products: handpoured candles by Singapore fragrance company A Dose of Something Good, which blend scents like jasmine, rose and lychee; jewelry by London-based Singaporean Alexandra Alberta; retro accessories from Dark Horse Vintage; and ethical cashmere scarves by Trebene from Kashmir. 43 Jln. Merah Saga; lingwu.sg.
fr o m l e f t : c o u rt esy o f o u r s ec o n d n at u r e ; c o u rt esy o f l au r e n x k h o o
Keepers