Channelling seasonal chic for Chinese New Year

SINGAPORE — Red, orange, peach and gold. That’s the traditional colour palette that is de rigeur at Chinese New Year celebrations. But these auspicious shades are not the easiest to wear — especially if you don’t want to come across as garish or, heavens forbid, matronly.

But even if you don’t see yourself as a traditionalist, the upcoming festivities paint the perfect opportunity to embrace a bolder colour palette, style-wise.

TEXTURE PLAY

Most people don’t imagine dramatic colours and unusual textures going hand-in-hand, but that’s exactly what the fashion experts espouse for a contemporary take on the classic Little Red Chinese New Year Dress. “Anything ruffled or off-the-shoulder will take the colours of red and orange to new heights of desirability and give instant style cred,” said Lena Kamarudin, fashion editor at fashion publication Style:. A modern silhouette, which plays with unusual shapes and clean lines, plays a crucial role in deviating the crimson hue from connotations of Chinoiserie. Lena’s tip: “Wear red with an androgynous twist by pairing it with spring’s trending runway looks by way of denim flares and flat mules.”

THE DEVIL IN THE DETAILS

“Like the LBD (Little Black Dress), the little red dress is a classic. Red looks good on all skin tones and can be worn any time, not just during the Chinese New Year,” said Sharon Tulasidas, fashion director at fashion title Elle Singapore. But she warns that “shoes can make or break the outfit”. “Ditch skanky heels and pair a red outfit with gold flat sandals and a perfect manicure,” she advised.

A choice pick of accessories in a bright hue is also a chic and subtle way of channelling the New Year spirit. Red, orange or coral-hued handbags add a pop of colour and are a perennial favourite, particularly with fashionistas who prefer to keep to tamer sartorial palette. Chunky, colourful costume jewellery is also an effortless way of keeping your look fresh and youthful.

British high-end jewellery brand Monica Vinader’s two special Chinese New Year creations include the Fortune pendant, which features 18 red rubies set in a yellow-gold vermeil circular pendant, representing unity and completeness.

And if you don’t fancy wearing the “lucky” colour where it is visible, Hong Kong fashion label Rue Madame and French underwear and swimwear brand Le Slip Francais have collaborated on a limited-edition Chinese New Year underwear set. Priced at S$120, the set of two ladies’ underwear features poker card patterns and a signature Chinese Red hue to usher in good fortune for the year of the Monkey. So cheeky.

BEAUTY TOUCHES

Brightly-coloured make-up is surely one of the easiest ways to wear a traditional hue. A red lipstick is sensual, dramatic and a classic beauty look — and is particularly on-trend in a matte finish. Luckily, there’s a host of options to pick from on the beauty counters, such as Revlon’s new Matte Balm lip collection (S$19.90 each), and Laura Mercier’s punchy tangerine-red Velour Lovers Lip Colour in Foreplay (S$42). Tom Ford’s Jasmin Rouge Lip and Nail Set (S$457) is as scintillating as Chinese New Year make-up gets, pairing the Nail Lacquer in Carnal Red with the beauty editors’ favourite Lip Color in Cherry Lush.

Reddish hair colour is also a very popular choice this festive period, evident in L’Oreal Professionnel launch of a special Chinese New Year menu of Majirel red hair shades at all of its salons. “Mix and match these festive colours with dark bases for a good contrast and depth to your total look. You can get your stylists to try different techniques such as highlights and ombre effects to play around with the placement of colours. Try not to wear red or orange on the whole head,” warned the brand representative.

In fact, Shawn Chia, associate salon director at high-end hair salon Chez Vous on Orchard Road, recommends veering completely away from red hair dye for the festivities. “Try boysenberry (a purplish-red shade) instead — it’s very subtle and lifts the colour in your skin,” he noted. But if you have to wear red in your hair, ask for “baby highlights” of red, which are basically micro-highlights done in very small sections of the head, which are more subtle than normal highlights and won’t look too overwhelmingly festive.

And if you are thinking of doing a dramatic hair colour as a conversation starter, such as pink or ash-grey, get to the salon no sooner than three days before the first day of visiting, as these colours fade quickly and can look tired — not the look you want your relatives talking about.