I have never been one for fashion trends. Growing up in an impoverished Kentucky home meant wearing hand-me-downs, yard sale junk and whatever Wal-Mart had on its clearance racks. There was no such thing as being picky when you had no money. Today, you could spend an eternity digging through my closet, but would never find a single brand name item. Nothing has changed. Simply put, I just don’t do fashion. Never have, never will.

Yet being incredibly stylish means practically everything to Singaporeans, everything. I have never met such image-conscious people in my entire life. From top to bottom, it seems as though everything has to be perfect all the time. Granted, these are super attractive people, but is it really worth all that trouble, time and — most of all — money, just to flaunt it to total strangers? For some reason, this really gets to me.

Clothing, along with basically every other item in existence, is terribly expensive in this country.

Locals insist on buying overpriced garments because social acceptance is highly valued. And it’s true: what better way to garner said acceptance than through clothing you wear on your torso?

American Eagle and Hollister are nice, but the coolest Singaporean guys are sporting Abercrombie & Fitch. That plain-colored T-shirt you bought for $50 with “New York” italicized and embroidered on the chest — a necessity, of course. Vintage gym wear is also a huge hit among guys. It gives off that “I-just-worked-out-really-hard” vibe. You’re also viewed as fashion forward if you’re rocking the jorts, or jean shorts. I know, I thought we ditched those things in the ‘90s. Turns out, we just sent every pair to Singapore.

Women, on the other hand, just go straight for the dresses and skirts, as well as “cute tops.” Singapore is approximately 85 miles north of the equator. Needless to say, it’s humid and gross here all year. From discussions I have had with locals, women just wear whatever fits them well, looks good on their bodies and makes them feel comfortable in the blistering heat. In other words, women enjoy shopping for the purpose of shopping, whereas men are the ones who genuinely enjoy filling their wardrobe with logos.

Others tell me it’s not even what you buy, but how you wear it.

“Just don’t overdo it. Dress modestly and look hot doing it,” said one young female shopper on Orchard Road, Singapore’s main retail hub. “You don’t need a bunch of name brands to compete with these other girls.”

Women will often accessorize with small bracelets, wristwatches and crucifix necklaces. Dresses almost always come to the knees and shirts cover the full abdominal area. This is not the type of place to show-off your underbutt and Spring Break tramp stamp. So, how do ladies wear it? Humbly, I suppose is a good word. Guys, however, go all-out sexy beast mode. Cut-off shirts for the biceps, rolled up shorts to show off the glutes and the fancy haircuts.

And that’s another thing I will never understand about the fashion trends here — the typical Singaporean male’s choice of hairstyle. You see all sorts of things throughout the day, but the most common is this one style with the sides shaved off and the top of the hair gelled back or combed over to one side. It’s almost birdlike to me, very Miley Cyrus. But what’s the point? And who really has the time? According to locals, this is apparently the norm after a guy finishes compulsory National Service. But I still don’t get it.
The point is there’s a huge difference between dressing to feel good about yourself and dressing solely to impress everybody around you. Sure, the latter is socially acceptable at times, but I feel this is truly no way to live your life. I’m a big supporter of having your own style and not following the social current even if it’s much easier. My time in Singapore helped solidify this lifelong sentiment.

Zachary Gipson is a senior majoring in economics and linguistics. He is striving to fit in with the fast-paced locals of Singapore. To chat about life abroad, shoot him an email at [email protected].

Published on April 20, 2015 at 11:43 pm