Editor-in-Chief Claire Starkey meets the girl behind the cover and our one-to-watch.
Editor-in-Chief Claire Starkey meets the girl behind the cover and our one-to-watch.
Knit beanie, $69.90, Vans. Crystal hoop earrings, $149, Swarovski. Metallic taffeta bomber jacket, $1,464, Off-White. Lurex turtleneck, $39.90, ZARA. Denim shorts with tulle, $1,060, Unravel Project from Surrender. Checkerboard slip-on sneakers, $59.90, Vans.
Exclusive Shoot
For someone who could well be on the verge of becoming a household name in Singapore, Jasmine Sim has a remarkably low-key online presence.
You can see that she was the runner-up in The New Paper New Face competition in 2014. And that she was deemed one of the nine sexiest women to follow on Instagram by Men’s Health Singapore. From that article, you can find her Instagram handle @jskg, but even that doesn’t seem to give away too much, I tell her.
Sitting in Starbucks, iced Americano in front of her, Jasmine, 23, laughs. It’s not because she’s trying to keep a low profile, she promises. She just doesn’t write a lot, which means she doesn’t put up that much personal information.
So instead, she fills me in. “I grew up watching America’s Next Top Model with my brother. The two of us would always talk about it, and do stuff at home like strike poses. I’d do my makeup and then he’d dress me up in a blanket. I’ve always liked doing that.”
But a lack of confidence stopped her from pursuing it until years later, when she walked a runway show at her university and then started modelling for online store Love, Bonito.
“I guess I got more confident after Love, Bonito. Before that, I felt a bit awkward in front of the camera, and I would feel very scared when I was working with new people. I didn’t know what to do. Even now, I’m [sometimes] still scared when I meet a new set of people, and I don’t know what they’re expecting of me.”
“Before that, I felt a bit awkward in front of the camera, and I would feel very scared when I was working with new people. I didn’t know what to do. Even now, I’m [sometimes] still scared when I meet a new set of people, and I don’t know what they’re expecting of me.”
The making of a model
Face Jasmine always thought she was relegated to commercial work because of her height (170cm, 5cm shy from runway status). “I don’t have a very edgy or unique face. I’m more like girl-nextdoor,” she says matter-of-factly.
She signed with Now Models in 2015, and the work started to flow in – as she expected, it was commercial shoots at first, but then, more recently, editorial work, including for CLEO.
When I first arrive at our cover shoot, Jasmine is tucked in the corner of the room on a couch, dressed in black with grey flat boots. She’s having her nails painted and speaks quietly. But despite her low-key demeanour, that girl-next-door label Jasmine gave herself is not quite true.
The stunning shot of Jasmine in the pink top that’s on the cover is quite literally her first shot of the day. She says a lot of that is practice. “[During The New Paper New Face competition], before a shoot, we would scroll through photos for inspiration and do a lot of posing in front of the mirror to see the different shapes we could make.”
Next big thing
This year, Jasmine is juggling modelling and acting. Despite having no formal acting training, she signed with a talent agent late last year, and has since landed two parts in local Mandarin dramas. In the first role for a show called The Lead, she plays a villain who is determined to do anything to get the guy, complete with a slapping scene that left her colleague’s face hurting the next day; and in the second, a nice girl.
Jasmine says she doesn’t look too far ahead, and is happy with her current work. But from the little peek I had, I’m pretty sure you should get familiar with this face. And not just so you can create your favourite cover looks…
On This Page: Assorted ear pieces, $11 to $30, all Forever 21. Metal choker, $15, Lovisa. Cotton tee, $14.90, ZARA. Lace gown with tulle overlay, $2,084, Whole9Yards. Vintage denim jacket, stylist’s own. Suede high-top sneakers, $129, Vans.
On Left Page: Diamante ear cuffs, $11 for a set of three, Forever 21. Crystal ear studs, $599, Atelier Swarovski. “Say What” choker, $19.90, faux leather jacket with graffiti, $119.90, both ZARA. Silk chiffon top, 3.1 Phillip Lim. Cotton wide leg pants, $1,180, Off-White. Canvas belt, $25, suede high-top sneakers, $89.90, both Vans. Crystal ring (left), $449, crystal ring (right), both Atelier Swarovski.
On Cover:
Look 1: Assorted ear pieces, $11 - $30, all Forever 21. Perforated knit turtleneck, $1,690, Bally.
Look 2: Cotton knit dress, $1,190, Moschino Couture. Crystal rings (Index finger): $300 each, both Vita Fede from Surrender. Crystal rings (Middle finger, from top to bottom): $189, Swarovski. $210, Vita Fede from Surrender.
Look 3: Crystal studs, $129, Swarovski. Faux leather jacket, $55.90, Bershka. Gold chain choker, $15, Lovisa.
Look 4: Atelier Swarovski by Lanvin crystal choker, $1,590. Lace bralette, $59.90, ZARA.
Look 5: Chainmail scarf, $740, Ambush from Surrender.
Photography Joel Lim Fashion Direction Janice Pidduck / Styling Cheryl Chan / Makeup Rick Yang/Fac3inc and Keith Bryant Lee/Fac3inc both using LANEIGE (product colours found on p9) / Hair Ash Loi/Atelier Hair & Beauty using La Biosthetique Paris Nails Ann Lim (@ruffiebear) / Model Jasmine Sim/Now Model Management / Fashion Assistant Nicholas Chan, Jeraldine Boh.
