Not Your Average Woman: Michelle Yeo

I get a lot of misdirected searches for Malaysian Bond Girl Michelle Yeoh. Unfortunately, this is a different Michelle. Michelle Yeo is my colleague at work and also the spunkiest 50-year-old I know. Michelle turns 51 at the end of September but this woman shows no signs of slowing down. I’d say she’s actually peaking! She’s energetic, crazy and opinionated. She’s also Peranakan – an ethnically declining hybrid descended from Chinese migrants who intermarried with the local indigenous population of yore. And because Mich was the one who encouraged me to start this blog to document the things I wear, she gets the honour of being the first NOT YOUR AVERAGE WOMAN!

On 18 August, I visited Michelle at her quaint flat in Marine Parade where she lives alone with 2 beautiful cats. I had a fun time chatting whilst eating and having her model her favourite outfits! In my view, Michelle’s style is eclectic boho with an Asian influence – do you agree?

• What is your dress/shoe size?

I have no idea. I never take note. Sometimes it’s 7 and sometimes it’s 9; sometimes, it’s L and sometimes, it’s XL.I’m too lazy to take note and I forget.I do have a habit of not trying on clothes. I’d just place them against me to see if they fit. Quite often, after buying, I’d have to give them away because I cannot use them. Again, too lazy to go back to the shops to change.But this is nice still because it doesn’t go to waste and someone can enjoy wearing the clothes.With shoes, however, I do try them on I’ve had a couple of wrong sizes when buying shoes online – like my Chinese shoes and the latest is today. I bought these beautiful espadrilles of various colours from the Breast Cancer site and I cannot wear any. The good news is my sister inherits them!

• Describe your style. I don’t have any kind of style but I think I’m quite a quirky dresser.It really depends on my mood but what’s important is that I’m comfortable wearing the clothes for that particular occasion.I love accessories – bangles, broaches, necklaces, RINGS – I love rings! They do wonders.Sometimes I’d wear a plain white T-shirt and throw in a broach or even a pearl necklace and jeans and sneakers.

• What do you normally wear to a work event/meeting? If I have a day that requires me to run around a lot, I can wear anything from cargo pants to slim jeans, fisherman’s pants to a pair of shorts, all coordinated with a shirt or a loose top to even a shift dress with my Converse shoes.For meeting, I’d be a lot more formal but still I’d add something like my red bunny broach, for eg to break that formality or use my kerosang broaches not with a Peranakan top and in a different way with a blouse.
• Where and how do you shop? I don’t have the patience to shop. I often do 1-stop shopping ie go in 1 shop and get everything there and be done with it.The most wonderful thing that has happened for me is online shopping. I like some shops in Etsy.I’m a very decisive shopper. I know what I want and what I’m looking for so my shopping can take all of ½ hour.

• What are your favourite things to buy? I don’t have a favourite thing to buy. For as long as they are beautiful and I love them, I would get them but I’m also pretty much a practical shopper. I wouldn’t go for something that is way too much for what it’s worth.However, once in a while, that practicality goes out of the window.

• What are your favourite brands or shops? I’m not a “favourite” kind of person so I don’t have a favourite brand or shop although I find myself shopping at Muji and lately, Uniqlo. I love basic things.I have a couple of favourite shops on Etsy that I buy my clothes from. I love them because they have this contemporary Chinese design. And they are so comfortable.Kelans Art Couture, The Simpson, idea2lifestyle, Lwangslife…

• How do you dress on your blah-days? All the more something comfy and it could be just anything.

• When you were 12, what did you imagine your life would be like at your current age? I don’t think I imagined that far ahead but I had dreams tho – of being an archaeologist, anthropologist, architect, interior designer.