9 Belles Of The Ball Share The Local Designers Behind Their Red Carpet Gowns

My go-to local designer for gorgeous evening wear is… so hard to answer! There are soo many amazing local designer these days – Jovian Mandagie, Innai Red, Mimpikita, Alia Bastaman and Fiziwoo are some of my favourites.

Each designer has their signature looks, that’s what I like about them. So it depends on the look I want. If I’m going for a more flowy piece, it’s Alia. To achieve a structured look it'll be Fiziwoo and for the drama, I go for Jovian. Innai is all about feminine chic. It’s incredible to have a variety of local designers, now.

I’ve found my dream evening gown. My favourite gown so far was the green Jovian Mandagie dress last year at the Tatler ball. That was very me: Dramatic but classy, at the same time.

Hands down, Michael Ong is my go to local designer for eveningwear.

What I love about his designs are they are beautifully sleek in design, with sharp tailoring. 

Ideally, my perfect evening gown is classic with luxe detailing.

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For 30 years, I’ve been going to Irene Khoo. She’s made a lot to keep my style game going strong before she retired. Since she’s retired, I am a bit lost on the local designer scene.

For my next big event, Im going to try a few Nisa Mazbar or Gary T.

My ideal evening dress is a simple gown, but most importantly, completed with the right heels for dancing!

There are a range of really talented local designers and my favourite so far are Khoon Hooi, Melinda Looi, Alia Bastamam, Keith Kee, and recently I fell in love with Tsyahmi.

I love designers who dare to design beyond the norm yet still wearable. Something bold yet classic and comfortable – Tsyahmi pulls this off so flawlessly.

My dream evening gown is a design that projects a flair for bold and empowering statements with minimal effort.

My go-to designer for the red carpet isKhoon Hooi.

I love that the Khoon Hooi pieces in in my closet have detailed embellishments to complement the design of these dresses really well. Hidden pockets are lovely too and so useful especially when some evening bags are tiny and you can't fit everything in there.

I’m currently eyeing a lot of tulle. Case in point, Delpozo's strapless silk tulle degraded gown and Costarellos illusion one shoulder tulle ball gown.

For statement eveningwear, I go to Elaine Kwong of Red Lantern Studio. 

I love the flexibility and openness working with Elaine, who always welcomes suggestions. We’ve been working together for close to ten years now and I absolutely love her professionalism and easygoing attitude. We would even study ways and methods to make a design together and that’s always one of the most enjoyable parts of the dress making process.

My ultimate ball gown has to be an embellished, flowy piece with a mid-length train and illusion neckine.

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It’s either Khoon Hooi or Celest Thoi as they are both about classic elegance and comfort. 

Their designs are not over the top, so it focuses on you wearing the dress and not the other way around. 

My dream evening gown is plain and simple, all about classic elegance.