Liying Y. talks about the beauty of made-to-order clothing

At Elizabeth Little, it is always a privilege to customise your clothes and help you tell a story through what you wear. We absolutely love seeing how all our customers style our pieces to make them their own.

This is one of the reasons we decided to ask long-time customer, Liying Y., to show us how she would wear some of our new designs. We have long admired Liying’s sense of style — classic with a quirky spin. One sunny Friday afternoon, we met up with Liying, who happens to be a newly minted dressmaker, to talk style, reminisce her made-to-order Elizabeth Little pieces, and play dress-up with our new pieces.

Thank you for having us, Liying!

Liying wears our Celine Dress in Irish Linen with her go-to Nike sneakers and matching earrings. Much to our delight, she's also balancing a stack of our new journals made in collaboration with SPD Singapore on her head — entirely unassisted!
 

Liying, how would you describe your style?

Modern vintage, I think. I just wear whatever makes me comfortable or reflects my mood these days, and care less about how others perceive me.

I used to be an impulsive shopper and would purchase items without thinking twice. After I started to sew, I began to look at clothes more closely. I now scrutinise details like the lining, the collar, pleats of the piece, and how it fits. Noticing these details helped me move away from fast fashion and towards smaller brands that are more meticulous in their designs and tailoring. Now, I don’t even consider buying anything unless I can envision myself wearing it at least 30 times.

And what first drew you to Elizabeth Little?

The very first piece that drew me to Elizabeth Little was a light blue dress with a Peter Pan collar. I had tried it on three times over the period of a year and finally bought it at a Boutiques pop-up! I also customised it in a classic Liberty fabric print.

I’ve since ordered other made-to-order pieces — I really like the flexibility of being able to choose the fabric design, the style of the dress, and having it made to my measurements. This way, the items last longer in my wardrobe, and are worn more often.

We also had the honour of designing your cheongsam for your Chinese betrothal ceremony. Can you tell us a little more about that piece?

It was a Liberty-print cheongsam inspired by one of the pieces Maggie Cheung wore in In The Mood For Love. It’s a beautiful piece and one of my favourite items in my wardrobe. The colour is so reminiscent of the cheongsam in the movie, the cut is flattering, and I love how it fits. It’s a very empowering item of clothing and it always boosts my self-confidence.

Liying with her family, dressed in a made-to-measure Liberty-print cheongsam at her Chinese betrothal ceremony. 

Your sweet husband, Sebastian, has also surprised you with a few custom pieces from Elizabeth Little! What do those pieces mean to you?  

They’re lovely pieces and I’m so glad Eileen helped him with them. They mean a lot to me, as they were gifted to me during different phases of my life — he actually paid for the cheongsam for our betrothal ceremony, and he sent me a skirt when I was studying overseas.

Sebastian's fabric choice and the sentiment behind the piece really touched me. The skirt he sent was in a cheery sunflower print. As Sebastian is not inclined to bright colours, the fact that he chose something so bright made me laugh when I received it!