Peter Lum is a renowned Malaysian stylist. He is a veteran in the fashion industry and his work include styling celebrities like Sharifah Aini, Camelia and recently, the contestants from Malaysian Idol 2. emmagem caught up with him recently and got his professional views as well as hot fashion tips on fashion in Malaysia.

17. What sparked off your interest in fashion styling?

Growing up, like many young people I had certain issues with my personal image. At one point I gave up trying to create the perfect image for myself and saw styling as a venue to express myself. I saw it as a way of translating all those beautiful images in my head to real life.

17. What is your favourite part of the job?

I love to transform the average Jane. These are usually those who have so much hidden potential but have never known how to use it. I strongly believe that a good outlook allows a person’s confidence to go leaps and bounds. Hence, seeing that person’s reaction to the final result is so fulfilling. I work with people from a broad range of backgrounds and giving them a day as someone glamorous and seeing the smile it brings really makes my day!

17. How do you decide what style would suit a person?

 I always make it a point to have a chat with the person I’m styling beforehand. This allows me to get a little insight on what kind of a person he or she is. I’ll then try to show some of that personality through the look I have created. This allows me to create more real images for the person as compared to just a general look. For instance, in Nita’s case , we decided to go for nice simple flowing feminine looks which is in contrast to her athletic somewhat “tomboyish” demeanour and instead drew out the “princess who twirled around in delight” from within her.

17. How would you describe Malaysian’s fashion mentality?

I think there are 3 main schools of style here. There’s the Sungei Wang crowd. I would describe these people as…”unique.” Their style is dictated by the Hong Kong stars who on their own have an OTT (as in “Over The Top”) take on fashion. So, we’re talking colour clashes, faux fur, and the whole works. Next are those who literally sell their souls to fashion. These people worship fashion houses and end up buying entire looks from designer brands. They tend to lack an original stamp on their outfits. The last I think is the “Don’t know, Don’t care” set. They don’t have a clue about style and they really wouldn’t care less if you tried to tell them. They dress according to comfort and are not even aware that there are such things called trends!

17. How would you describe someone who has style?

Fashion is different from style. Designers dictate fashion but not style. Style is respecting yourself, your body and the people you’re with. In Malaysia, we must be sensitive to various cultures and religions; hence we must learn to dress appropriately for different settings. Style is also being tasteful. If you’re 40 and dressing like your teenage daughter, that’s not stylish. If you are an executive and going to a meeting in a leopard print mini, you’re not going to earn the respect you deserve. Hence style is about immaculate dressing. That could mean pants and a blouse and yet carry it off perfectly. I’m not a fan of sloppy dressing. Therefore, no unsightly bra straps, g-strings peeking out and ripped stockings!

17. Are there any tips you could share on dressing for different shapes?

Sure. I believe that are three main shapes for women. The first is the pear shaped woman.

Characteristics:
Small shoulders, a high waist, small bust and pronounced hips and thighs.
What she should wear:

1. Tops that would enhance her shoulders. Hence, tops with busy details from shoulders to bust is good.
2. Boot-cut bottoms. These would flare out below and hence balance the width of her hips.
3. Earrings. These would bring the attention to her upper half and widen it.

What she shouldn’t wear:

1. open neck, capped sleeves and halter tops. These ‘cut in’ the shoulders and make the top look even smaller than it is.
2. Crop tops. She should always choose longer tops as it would detract from the width of her hips. Tops should always reach the high hip area which is directly on the hip bone.
3. Hipsters with belts. The belt would create an obvious line across the hips which would make them very obvious. Pants with pockets are also not a good idea as it would attract the eye to her ample bottom

The second is the hour glass shape.
Characteristics:
Medium shoulders, full bust, small waist and full hips.
What she should wear:
- fitted dressed that would emphasize her figure.

The third is the apple shape.
Characteristics:
Wide shoulders, medium bust and narrow hips.
What she should wear:
- fuller bottoms that would add width to minimise the top.
- a belt around the waist or hip to create a Y-shape which is attractive.
- long chains that would cut the top in half and pull the eye downwards.

What she shouldn’t wear:
- turtle necks and other closed tops.
- chokers and any other neck details. This would shrink the neck and thus emphasize her strong shoulders.

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