Ribbon and Roses in Antipodean, Holland Village.

We are so excited to have a pop up stall in the pretty store, Antipodean in Holland Village, Singapore for the next few months.  Please pop down to the shop to see the latest from Ribbon and Roses.

 

We put some questions to Cynthia from Antipodean for some inside info!

 

How long has Antipodean been open and who are your main customers.
- Antipodean has been around since 2004 and we have a good mix of locals and expatriates who come to us because they prefer to shop comfortably in a private environment that feels akin to home, taking their time to meander through the shelves of "gems".
What inspired you to open Antipodean and what was your USP?
- Antipodean basically stands for Australia and New Zealand. The shop focuses on bringing in Australian labels that are unique to Singapore. Striving to depart from the commercial items sold along Orchard.

Antipodean is also a term used to describe parts of the earth that are diametrically opposite. A term distinctly in line with the boutique’s vision and concept, it manifests right through to its bold choice of location, tucked away on a second level Holland Village walk-up.
Antipodean – a space where contradiction reigns and individualism begins.

 

How do you find your designers for the shop?
- Apart from scouting for new labels at the Australian Fashion Week, Antipodean is also a supporter of local labels. We work very closely with local designers to feature their collection at the boutique. We have brands such as Al + Alicia, Alice McCall through to pretty jewellery by Tree + Bee.

 

What do you consider the top 5 staple items for a woman's wardrobe?
1. A pair of boot cut dark washed jeans
2. A nicely cut white button down dress shirt
3. A little black dress
4. A classic fit blazer/jacket
5. A pair of classic black pumps
 

 

We are thrilled to be doing a pop up shop with you, how do you think Ribbon and Roses sits amongst your other brands you hold.

- Ribbon and Roses collection is very versatile and is aligned with our customers' taste. We have held Ribbon and Roses homeware for nearly 3 years now which had a great response so now anticipate that there will be good response to the clothing. Working in small quantities, you better hurry to the shop before pieces are snapped up!

 

 

If you had an unlimited budget to spend on one item, what would it be?
- A classic black leather Chanel handbag

As you’re an “old timer” there, tell us a secret about Holland village, Lorong Mambong!
(Don’t know of any secret but here is a little bit of Holland Village history)
- In the early years, Holland Village was occupied by plantations and nurseries on both the Jalan Merah Saga and Lorong Mambong sides.

As her name suggests, it was the Dutch, who was the first community to settle in the Holland area.
Later, members of the British army made their homes in the semi-detached and terrace houses here, now known as Chip Bee Gardens (the Jalan Merah Saga side). You could almost visualize English kids playing on the front porch while daddy drives home from Dempsey Camp in his Ford Consul!
In the beginning, the Village catered to the essential needs of these foreigners. As time passed, the Holland district attracted a greater number of expatriate families.
The district‘s reputation as an exclusive residential area also attracted local developers who quickly saw the potential to build bungalows and semi-detached houses for the local elite. Consequently, a variety of trades began to flourish in Holland Village, which catered to the well-heeled.
This was the place where shops sold imported, expensive gourmet products and international school uniforms.

Any exciting news or events happening at Antipodean soon?
- There will be lots of new arrivals streaming in for Christmas, not forgetting mark downs for the festive season. We hold lots of smaller home ware items and children’s gifts alongside the fashion… hopefully a one stop shop for your Christmas shopping list.
 

Where can people find you:
Address: 27a Lorong Mambong, Holland Village, Singapore 277 686

Parking: Public Car Parking available

Opening Hours: 11am to 9pm daily

Tel: 6463 7336

  

Happy Shopping!

Lots of love

Ribbon and Roses xx

Here are some pics from the lovely Antipodean girls

Tunic dress

pink maxi

pink maxi

Ikat tea dress

Tunic dress

Orange silk blouse and star print shorts

Orange silk blouse and star print shorts

 

  

 

 

What’s in My Bag – Emily Cheetham, Designer, Cheet London tells us all.

Being female, I am prone to the common malaise of having too much in your handbag.  However, as my (many!) bags are pretty much in constant rotation, I’ve also worked out how to shift from one bag to another in quick time – and generally its just a bit of loose change or a hairclip that are the casualties stranded in the previous bag.  Using different bags is really important as it means I can road-test new designs to see if they function right - which is of equal importance to them just looking pretty.  

 

Bag - I’m using our Fitzgerald satchel bag in cobalt blue at the moment – the calf leather is so soft it really moulds to your body and I love this bright blue pop it brings to any outfit.  It’s concertina shape with multiple pockets meaning I can easily find ‘stuff’ and its long strap means I’m hands-free to carry my six-month old baby!  It’s a great bag to use to advertise my brand as it has one of my signature hand-worked knots on the front which grab people’s attention – I’ve also attached one of the Bunty giant tassels, something to both make it look cute and also for my daughter to fiddle with!

 

Inside you will find:

Wallets & Purses – my regular wallet (Eros wallet) is a zip around purse in a washed bright cherry red colour and will fit a ton of cards, cash, receipts, coins – even a passport.  I also carry a second smaller purse, the Bunty in yellow ostrich – I often take this out on it’s own as it will fit your phone, a card, cash, even car keys if you’re off to the pool or park.  As you never know who you are going to meet, I carry a snakeskin business card holder– it's a sample of something I’m working on for next season.

 

Make up – inside the centre pocket I will stash a few bits of make up.  I really like a lip balm I bought in England last month.  It’s just a Boots No 7 but it helps prevent and disguise the dark lines you can get on your lips from too much sun.  An eyeliner and mascara from Edward Bess – its from New York and is hypo-allergenic as I seem to have sensitive eyes.  A travel size bottle of Jo Malone perfume – it’s so hot here its nice to have a refreshing squirt if it all gets too steamy – all crammed into a teeny Cath Kidston make up bag that detaches from a roll-up wash bag my MIL gave me for Xmas!

 

Sunglasses – you can’t go anywhere without sunglasses…I got these ones from a fellow exhibitor in Paris, they are brilliant and amazingly don’t seem to scratch despite me throwing them around the place. 

Baby wipes, plasters and a rattle – we have a six month old baby and a 3 year old son.  I’m normally travelling with a separate nappy bag for Elyse but always have a rattle or something in my bag for her too.  Rufus, my son, is a keen cycler and scooter, seems to get many a bump and scrape (an “ouchy ouchy”) so a few Mr. Men plasters and some wet wipes are on hand too.

Phone – my phone screen is totally cracked but until it stops working I’m hanging onto it! Phones are so much more than phones now – mini computers, cameras etc I would be lost without a smart-phone.

Notebook – never without something to scribble down a thought, sketch, exhibition to note or anything useful. I am using a zebra pony skin pad from Papuro. 

For all Cheet London bags and accessories, visit www.cheetlondon.com Cheet will be at the Under One Roof sale on Pender Road, Singapore next Tuesday and Wednesday.  See flyer below.

 

Emily’s top three things in life:

1) Unconditional love from my children and husband

2) The satisfaction from realising a creative urge - be that a new design or making a tarte aux citrons from scratch

3) A large flat white (current favourite from Dutch Colony Coffee Co, Parsabella)