Don’t let them tell you that fashion is a business that belongs to the young. There is life after 40 here!
I came across an article in an old issue of Surface (June/July 2014). It was their 1st annual list of influential figures in art, architecture, fashion, real estate, design and more.
I zoomed in on the fashion list, as its closest to my heart. Interestingly, out of the 13 designers named, only one was under the age of 40 (Christopher Kane turns 33 in July this year).
christopher kane
Well, there is this saying that 50s is the new 30s. I really do believe there is some truth to it! Just check out the ages of the other named designers.
However old they are, it seems they are the ones setting the trends (whether tasteful or otherwise) for the world to follow. So I say, stop asking me my age!
Beginning of last year, I was invited by Shunji Matsuo to help style real women over 50yo for a book he is doing. He wanted to change the outlook of women of a certain age that they are still beautiful. What started out as a fun project became a more fulfilling one for me personally as I get to interact with these ladies and get a glimpse of what makes them tick.
finale of makeover magic at the japan association
From styling women for a book, we went to doing several shows with these women. The first was held at the Japanese Association with 23 of them. This was so well-received that even Japan NHK TV heard about it and wanted to interview and film Shunji for his next show.
backstage at the japan associationmakeup at shunji matsuo salonmodels taking a bow with shunji matsuo
You can check out the first show from this link:
The second one, albeit a smaller show, was one with a meaning, a heart. 8 women participated, with 7 of them cancer survivors. Held at Bobbi’s Pole Studio, these women not only did the fashion show, they also showed off their pole dancing skills! One of them, Eva, the oldest at 73yo, made a stirring and heart-felt speech, that I felt compelled to include in my blog here, below.
shoot and preparation at shunji matsuo salon before showshunji matsuo beaming (can you see me in the background?)
I take my hat off to these strong women and salute them and wish them a healthy and happy life onwards…
“Good evening my dear friends, ladies and gentlemen.One of my little granddaughters, in whose eyes I must of course look very old, one day wanted to make me feel good, so she said “Grandma, you are NOT old, you only look old!!” My name is Eva. I am 73, and yes, in your eyes I may be quite old.
And I think both you and my little granddaughter are be right. But, my perception of myself is that I am not really old – I can still lead a very active and enjoyable life. But looking old? That was perhaps a maybe, until Shunji-san came along. With your Makeover Magic Shunji-san, suddenly I think I don’t look too old!! In fact, I feel quite young tonight. What more can I ask for?
The perception we have of ourselves is the most important cause of how we live our lives. In my case, 2 factors have contributed to the way I perceive myself and my life now:
1. The normal way of seeing and feeling the body showing signs of age, and still experiencing a youthful mind;
2. Having had cancer, and survived.
I feel a deep sense of gratitude to still feeling youthful and having survived cancer also, so I want to lead a life as active, meaningful and joyful as possible. This doesn’t mean that I neglect aging signs of my body. You have to adjust! I may not run, skip, climb mountains, be up all night, live on junk food, etc any more – I have to listen to my body. And to be able to feel well, strong and lead an active life, I need to:
(a) Have enough rest
(b) Have nourishing food at quite fixed times
(c) Exercise – energy practices; yoga and qigong
(d) Spiritual time: praying, meditation
(e) Spending time with kids – my grandchildren energize me – makes me feel young
(f) Time alone with my dear husband as well as with nature
(g) Spending time with good friends – especially the Pink Spartans – our wonderful cancer survivors dragon boat team and pole dancing group who give me so much inspiration
All these help me get closer to my goal of leaving the past behind, not worrying about the future, but living in the present moment, enjoying the time I have.
I believe active aging is not how many activities we are engaged in – it is the mind set – you can be wheelchair bound and still be able to age actively – as long as you still have passion and love for anything, are enthusiastic and can focus on what you can do and not on what you cannot do … and last but not least, feel good about yourself!
I want to end by thanking Shunji-san for inspiring me so much. For believing in our inner beauty and for making us shine! I am very grateful for being part of this beautiful event. Thank you Shunji-san and thank you everyone.”
models 1 (eva is in black, first from left)models 2
shunji thanking the models
shunji and models taking final bows
(back row from left) vik, loong mun, harry, james, meng hee & kong shin (front row from left) chee meng, lionnel, toon & yuan
Yes, its that time of the year when the bidthday looms close… And for this year, I was taking off to Seoul with some close friends of mine for a short trip (more of that later…)
Kong offered to cook dinner Saturday night but didn’t offer any other information. He does this occasionally so I didn’t think anything of it… When I arrived, a group of my close friends flew out from the various rooms all dressed up… like me! They claimed that the theme was an homage to my style. LOL… Judge from the photo…
food glorious food part 1
And the food, oh the food… James contributed nasi ulam, opor ayam and kerabu nanas while Kong made his famous curry yong tau foo. Vik contributed his delicious stewed chicken with chestnuts while Meng Hee brought a delicious finger-lickin’ mango salad.
food glorious food part 2
For desserts we had cheng tng made by Toon’s in-law with sumptuous cupcakes doubling as birthday cake.. and washed down with Yuan’s bubbly rose champagne.
bubbly & sweets
I sat with Chee Meng to blow out the candles as it was his birthday just a few days ago…
Bored with my usual dark hair colour, I convinced my hairstylist, Francisco, to do something drastic…
So for the last few months, I have had several colours applied to my hair, and most recently, I look like a character out of Japanese anime with my turquoise green shade – courtesy of Elizabeth…
My colleagues at Word of Mouth Communications and I had my birthday lunch yesterday at Ka Soh, the College Road branch. They weren’t supposed to celebrate it, as I have never enjoyed birthdays but I am appreciative of the sweet gesture! Check out the gluttony of us… Love the food, thanx to Cedric for the discount!
valerie, cedric, cheryl, amanda, marcus, jansen and lionnelbirthday cake without the candles… whew!!this is only lunch!ok, one candle!candle blown and about to cut…
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