Since his win as overall champion at Star Search 2007, Andie Chen has caught our attention as the opportunistic and willful son in The Little Nonya, a warm-hearted geek in Prosperity and, most recently, a martial arts expert in Code Of Honour. The affable MediaCorp artiste considers himself more of a saver than a spendthrift, rarely splurging on clothes and opting for "a good wallet" instead. We spoke to the 26-year-old and learnt more about his penchant for high-cut sneakers and baseball caps. ZHANG WEIFANG



How would you describe your sense of style?

My sense of style? I guess it's young and edgy. Oh, you look like you agree. Thanks! (Laughs)



Has it evolved over the past few years?

Definitely - by leaps and bounds. When I first got into the industry, I was an army boy and had no idea what my sense of style was. In my first two years in the industry, everybody was trying to give me a boy-next-door image, which is what the mass market wants ... I got to a point where I just discussed with my manager and said: "Look, I need to start being who I am. I'm not this guy whom you want me to be."



What's your daily wardrobe like?

I dress according to what I need to do. For example, recently, I've been dancing a bit more so I've started to wear a lot of dance gear for casual wear.



What in your wardrobe do you wear to death?

I think it would be a pair of drop-crotch jeans I got from DKNY.



What is your ultimate shopping weakness?

Shoes and caps. I'm still a neighbourhood boy, I guess. I'm into baseball caps recently and I've gotten a few already. I've been thinking of designing my own logo with a letter A. When I was travelling, I met this American and he said, "Why don't you just get one from Boston Athletics?", because their logo is an A. There's one - a checkered cap, fur tied up to the top - that, oh my god, I need to get. That (desire to buy something) doesn't really happen often for me.