City Nomad-ing for Couch Potatoes
PUBLISHED May 2nd, 2012 12:09 pm | UPDATED July 23rd, 2024 12:47 am
I’m from London, where you may have heard, it rains, a lot! We are all a bit miserable about the rain and complain about it constantly. My expectation of living in Singapore was all-year-round sunshine and Hawaiian-Tropic tan. So imagine my disappointment to discover that just like home, there is quite a lot of rain, epic rain in fact, and people do love to talk about rain! So here I am talking about rain. yawn
Well, here’s the perfect antidote. Nothing nicer than snuggling up on the couch with a glass of (insert here- wine/coffee/hot chocolate with marshmallows) and feeling smug and dry. And seeing as how not even a gale force 12 can dampen my shopping enthusiasm, I thought I’d share with you my favourite Singapore internet sites for next time you need a shopping fix but aren’t inclined to leave the house. Note- this also applies to hangover days, shopping fear (usually man-specific) and general laziness.
Korla Home is my go-to for inspirational fabrics and exciting home decor. Recently launched they are responsible for some of the most distinctive, bold and delicious prints I have seen in a long time. Founded by Jane (fashion and design guru) and Ted (actor, journalist, marketing, brand consulting, all-round-dude guru) their aesthetic certainly has roots in their western heritage, but pays true homage to eastern influences. Bold colours, iconic motifs and strong patterns are coordinated across collections to give customers the ability and courage to mix, match and play with various prints to reflect their personality and taste.
Their website is so user friendly that after five minutes you feel like an interior design professional! Their online lookbook provides inspiration on how to pull together different prints to form exciting combinations. It’s excellent quality and very reasonably priced, considering you’re essentially getting a bespoke service; their fabrics are available by the metre, as made-to-measure curtains and blinds, or across a line of home accessories. So cast out those sequinned, crushed velvet monstrosities of a cushion (yes, you may well look sheepish!) and let a little Korla into your life.
Roccoco Kent has a distinct vintage flair. Featuring hand-picked treasures from around the world (Emmeline recently went to London on a buying expedition. I’m not sure how many suitcases she brought back, but judging from the beautiful vintage bags on line, it was a successful trip!). Her pretty online shop has thoughtfully curated vintage clothing and accessories, jewellery, home decor and lifestyle products. She is also the sole distributor of Super Earth Goods, a recently launched eco-label. Using recycled materials like coffee sacks, rice sacks, second hand clothing, truck tire tubes and a big imagination, fresh and funky products with style, function and purpose are brought to life. Roccoco Kent is a one-stop shop of all things cute and cool.
If you haven’t discovered ZALORA.SG yet, where have you been? Proving that function and fashion can co-exist, ZALORA.SG, Singapore’s own multi-brand online retailer have taken it all in to account and have a huge selection of Men and Women’s fashion, accessories, beauty and even homeware. With international labels and smaller niche brands, there is a huge amount of choice and it’s updated weekly to be on-trend all the time. Their stock ranges from thrifty purchase to real keepsakes so you can spend as little or as much as you like, and it’s delivered straight to your door!
So far, so good, but where they’ve really excelled themselves is their free, no-questions-asked return policy. The drawback of buying clothes online is that sometimes it won’t fit. Most companies allow refunds but require you to ship it back to them at your cost. Recognising that women come in different shapes, sizes and sometimes have wobbly bits, ZALORA.SG have taken the need for caution out of internet shopping. If it doesn’t fit, they’ll collect it so long as it’s within 30 days and in original condition. Excellent! Take a look, although I warn you, this may be the start of a bad habit!
http://www.facebook.com/ZaloraSingapore
DeCandle & Beauty is a Singapore-based company passionate about natural and innovative products to help relax your mind and make you beautiful at the same time. Sounds fantastic right? They are the sole distributor of Mind to Body massage candles, a phenomenal innovation! Light the candle, enjoy the amazing aroma and burn for 10-15 minutes until a pool of warm oil forms, extinguish and pour the melted lotion in to your hand, massage in to your skin for a baby smooth, sweet smelling complexion!
http://www.decandlenbeauty.com
Epigram Books is an independent publisher based here in Singapore. Their selection of fiction ranges from children’s books to serious literary works that will make you look thoughtful and intelligent on the MRT! They also stock the sweetest range of notebooks I ever saw which have charming, affirming self-justificating messages; my personal favourite being “I am not high, I am happy”. Simply adorable. Available in 16 zesty colours, they are filled with blank paper, ready for your scribbles and sketches or moments of genius. Perfectly pocket sized, they make a worthy companion for the thinking shopper.
YOUR CHANCE TO WIN IT ALL!
We think our tribe of Nomads are by far the coolest and most stylish kids in town so, we wanted to show our love and appreciation for you! We have amazing prizes from each of the sites featured in the article and we’re offering you a chance to win the lot.
One lucky winner will take home a $600 goodie bag which contains, a selection of DeCandle candles, 5 Epigram notebooks, a bracelet from the Australian accessory label, 8 Other Reasons, exclusive to ZALORA.SG, a Super Earth Goods mac sleeve from Roccoco Kent and 2 Korla Medium cushions in a fabric of your choice.
To enter this super-duper competition all you have to do is refer 3 or more friends before 9th May which will qualify you for the lucky draw. You can refer your friends on your personal account page. Either invite by email, or share your personalized link on facebook, twitter etc. Our clever website tracks all the referrals.
Don’t we treat you good? 🙂
Written by Heh Zee
