The buzz: The Noel Caleb brand, founded by local fashion designer Eileen Yan, has been around for a few years–we were eyeing it at Blueprint Emporium in 2011. Now there’s a women’s only brick-and-mortar Noel Caleb Concept Store that showcases Yan’s own quirky yet wearable garments alongside a range of clothes, handbags and costume jewelry curated from other Asia Pacific designers including Yuna, Jude and Curiosity.
The vibe: Wooden floors, all glass walls and two lines of neatly stacked clothing racks with a heavily monochrome color palette. The staff are friendly and attentive and offer styling consultations and advice for the less fashion-savvy.
The goods: The store stocks a range of dresses, shirts and jackets with predominantly neutral tones and the odd pop of color. The clothes are mostly tailored, form-fitting items in block colors, the kind of outfit that can take you from the office to the bar with just a change of shoes. For the more risqué office dresser there are also items that tread the fine line between work and play. Think pencil skirts and cropped jackets with sheer cut out panels and lots of bling. Stuff ranges from $100 to $400, with a custom couture line at $400 to $1500. There’s also a small range of costume jewellery and handbags, including snakeskin patterned clutches (made with real python skin) from $250 and a line of colorful handmade drawstring bags at $199 which are reminiscent of a South American adventure.
Why you’ll be back: Tailored, form-fitting clothes that aren’t boring and sterile to add some fun to your work wardrobe.
