Singapore Maximalism Creation Sent To (MFIT) Museum Of Fashion Institute of Technology New York: Lydia Kok.

She's fab and so alert. Her English Language is excellent and did the ultimate with her assignment for a La Salle Institute project. And her creation (above) was sent to New York. Wow!

Read about student, Lydia (La Salle Institute) and what I learnt about Maximalism.

Thanks to Michael Bangar too.

Sincerely,
Andy.

Lydia Kok writes:

In collaboration with The Museum of Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT) and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, LASALLE’s School of Fashion featured a cross-pollination exhibition themed Minimalism/Maximalism, featuring works of BA Fashion Design & Textiles and BA Fashion Media & Industries Level2 students, curated by the School of Fashion.

Students from both cities cross-pollinated ideas of both minimalist and maximalists aesthetics in response to historical and cultural references from the 1960's and 1970's from their respective cities.

LASALLE’s School of Fashion’s Minimalism/Maximalism Invitation

As an avid music lover of all genres, I’ve decided to research on the Singapore music scene from the 1960's. Pertaining to the given brief, I wanted to design a maximalism collection that reinvents the idea of a Modern Jukebox, bringing back the nostalgic good times and retro-style.

The collection should bring awareness for the 1960's music scene of Singapore to the younger generations, and allow the audience to ponder on the idea of how the nation’s economic development also signalled the downfall of the local bands’ commercial appeal.

With Michael Bangar (wife extreme right), who came to assist with 60's music information at Andy Young's request, when Lydia wrote to Andy for an interview.

I stumbled upon Andy’s music blog during my research and realize it was a goldmine of information and reference points for me. It is rare in this day and age to see someone so passionate about preserving a rich music history! I was intrigued and I knew I wanted to chat about the local music scene first-hand with someone that came from that period of time.

Hence, I reached out to Andy. During our meet-up, Andy brought a couple of valuable music albums and 60's fashion reference books and introduced me to Michael Bangar, a musician from the 60's.

A 60's collection of Extended Play vinyls (EPs) showing the fashion styles then.

With all the valuable perspectives I’ve gathered, I designed a silkscreen printed bell bottom jumpsuit with multicoloured ruffles and a voluminous ruffles shirt jacket.

The silkscreen design comes from a warped and distorted archival photo from the scene in the 1960's. I screen printed the A3 size block, in a ‘tile’ manner onto a cotton poplin fabric.

Vermicelli stitches embroidery on silkscreen fabric to create textures that highlights the psychedelic 60s music.

Ruching and ruffles details on the shirt jacket.

Jukebox Blues Cotton poplin silkscreen printed jumpsuit

Model: Kaci Beh

Shot by Charles Rezandi

Garments by Lydia Kok

The garments were selected to be exhibited at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, in conjunction with the Minimalism/Maximalism exhibition happening at the Museum of FIT.

My creative process documentation is still currently exhibited at LASALLE. This became one of my favourite fun-filled and rewarding projects. I hope that the local music scene would continue to thrive and flourish and that our efforts would influence the younger generation to have a greater understanding and appreciation for the Singapore’s golden age of music.

Lydia's project exhibited at the 
Museum Fashion Institute of Technology (MFIT) 
 in New York, New York, USA.

Article and Images are Copyrights Reserved by Lydia Kok.


Below: Images from Google n YouTube

Tom Jones with We Can Work It Out by the Beatles. 
All in Jumpsuits.

Checking the Net, the creative mind is inspired by
the various colorful jumpsuits worn in the 60's and 70's
by Elvis Presley, Elton John, David Bowie, Cher and Ann Margret.

Andy 60's Music: Silver Strings 55th Anniversary 2019 Part 2

All photographs by Alistair Leo

Thanks to the boys who backed us up.
So it's just them on this posting.
No singers will be discussed nor highlighted.
Cheers to Michael, Nick, Peter, Johnny and Audie.

Band boys have never been the focus at pop concerts. It's always the singers, so this time around, I'm highlighting our Silver Strings members who have been so busy practising and accompanying the singers these past weeks.

It's also strange but drummers and keyboardists always come at the end of any  photograph presentation. So here, I have placed our two Silver Strings members, Michael Cheng and Nicholas Strevens at the forefront. 

An enthusiastic lady in the audience asked me during our 55th Anniversary Concert break, "Who's that striking, youthful, new drummer with the pony tail and black leather? Can introduce?" She knows.

Then there's our piano player or keyboardist Nick. Another lady came over, sidled up and remarked, "He looks like George Clooney.  Alamak, so handsome!"

Peter Han and Johnny Yeow were the talk that evening too. Both were doing lead but with different songs. And both were just as adaptable with the instrumentals and melodies they tackled. 

With ease and plenty of charm, Johnny has this smile that distracted many in the audience. He's one of the young ones... not young once. And he sang the song too.

Likewise Peter memsmerised his audience with his serious play but he provides his own guitar humour when he dances and prances in unique poses to the tunes he plays.

He wrote to me on SMS that the bass guitar was so heavy that it became a challenge to handle for three hours. But the few minutes break did justice when Audie Ng, leader of the band, could rest his legs to watch others sing and play on stage and enjoy his show.

https://singapore60smusic.blogspot.com/2019/11/singapore-60s-music-silver-strings-new.html

ALISTAIR LEO took these photographs with super zoom lens from the back seat, and are copyrights reserved. Thank you Alistair, and with MC's help, for contributing these images for the blog.

Andy 60's Music: Silver Strings In Concert 55th Anniversary RELC November 2019.

If I missed out your pictures please let me know. I had taken most of them from Facebook as we were too busy that evening, what with the rain outside and the long waiting sound-check inside.

It was one of those memorable nights when top bands performed on stage to an audience noisier and rowdier than the amplified instruments.

Photographs below, thanks to Linda Tan's, Richard Toh's, Facebook and placed according to the evening's schedule:

I'm having a difficult time uploading these pictures. More images coming up soon. Thanks very much.

Left: Audie Ng and Johnny Yeow. 

Right: Michael Cheng, Nick Stravens, Peter Han.

Andy is with PERCY da'Silva

Jimmy Chan with Eliza and Jimmy Yap

Wayne at the microphone with Jimmy Chan on keyboard.

Eliza and Jimmy with 'Summertime' and 'Wonderful World'.

Tony Kwek with The Mysterians

Justin sings with The Mysterians

Johnny, Ernesto, Andy, Richard Toh and Audie outside the auditorium, waiting for the second act.

With Eddie Eng, who writes for this blog. Thanks Eddie.

Backstage with Chew Hee Hong, Veron and her nephew Kevin Mealin.

The packed audience at RELC INTERNATIONAL HOTEL SINGAPORE.

A packed audience on 29th November 2019 at RELC

In the audience NTU/NIE friends SL and family.

She writes for the blog too. Thanks Leng.

Freda Hanum with Linda Tan and Mrs Audie Ng.

Freda has a concert with the Teepees soon and 

a regular writer for this blog.

New line Up The Silver Strings 2019 November. Backstage at RELC Auditorium: 

From left: Peter Han (from Tokyo Square), Nicholas Stravens (from The Shang), Andy Young (Blogger, Silver Strings), Michael Cheng,  Percy da'Silva (Black Gold), Audie Ng (leader Silver Strings) and Johnny Yeow (from Flying Phantoms),

Practice session with Andy Young, Jimmy Chan, Sandy Loo, Eliza, Jimmy Yap, Audie Ng and Wayne Chow.

Larry Lai, Jerry, Jimmy Chan and Audie. Old pals. Together perhaps, 300 years young.

More pictures soon. Please contribute. Thanks.