Night In Day

Fashion curator Angie Chen tells us how sequins and glitter can actually see the light of day.

Burberry

Style is equal parts making and breaking the norms. As much as we consistently exalt disruptors in the fashion world, we still very much subscribe to theories of appropriateness. One theory is that of day and night looks. 

Angie Chen rocks glitter pants in the day.

But daredevil Angie Chen begs to differ. The fashion curator of vintage site The Fifth Collection, who’s known to wear sequins and fascinators in broad daylight, is all for negotiating the categories of “appropriate” dressing.

Moschino

For starters, Chen strongly believes in the notion of balance in an ensemble, by “grounding” loud pieces with “safer” options. Some of her favourite combinations include an outlandish blouse paired with jeans, and a white shirt tucked into a sparkly pencil skirt.  

Gucci; Pairing colours: Gucci makes a loud metallic silver blouse wearable for daytime by weaving it into a grey monochromatic look.

Contributing to this gung-ho approach is her self-described condition of “fashion schizophrenia”. She explains: “I don’t believe in committing to just one style. I may be in classic black and white one day and clashing patterns and colours the next.” 

Louis Vuitton; Balance: Louis Vuitton layers glittery skirts over plain black tights and under solidcoloured pieces, demonstrating the idea of grounding loud items with safer ones.

Chen honed her passion for conspicuous style from a very young age, when her colour-enthusiast grandmother would teach her how to pair prints and colours and wear vivid shades. Naturally, her grandmother serves as one of her biggest style inspirations. 

Alexander McQueen

Much of her daring can also be credited to her laissez-faire attitude. “I don’t like taking myself too seriously, and I’m too lazy to plan outfits,” she says candidly. While many have tried to cajole her into dressing more “normally”, she’s quick to retort: “This is my normal!” – VW