The New Paper
Monday, November 5, 1990

Wear those bold curves
By LOIS NG

It takes a confident woman to wear the clothes by Daniel Yam. One blue crepe sheath has a plunging neckline, revealing two scantily covered breasts, that ends at the navel forming wave-like folds. And a slit is slashed up to the thigh to reveal bare legs.
Another rust-coloured dress has a flap covering a bare back while still giving a glimpse of the curvaceous hips. It reminds one of the plains and plateaux of the Earth.
Mr Yam, 29, has designed clothes that are simply sensuous, moulding a woman's every curve and contour.
To him, it is an expression of his 'earthy' moods and feelings when he designed the clothes in May.
His collection of 16 outfits simply states the feeling of 'going back to the basics'.
The theme is reinforced by the earth tones - blue, green and rust - used on his clothes.
The green halter neck dress worn with a hood over the head is inspired by foliage. Put the hood down and it covers the bare back.
His collection made its debut at the Soda Show two weeks ago and caught the eye of fashion journalists.
Among them is the editor of Fashion Weekly (UK) , Ms Karen Falconer. She was so impressed that she snapped up two outfits.
At the same time in Paris, British designer John Galliano won 'hole-hearted approval' at the unveiling of the Spring/Summer collections with a dress that has a big hole right in the centre of the chest.
Mr Yam has designed clothes for women to use 'as a tool to express their feelings'.
He said: " I don't want them to be a slave of fashion nor be dictated by my designs.
"I would be most happy to see someone wearing my clothes differently from how they were originally displayed."
For example, the neckline of the blue crepe sheath could be hiked up or twirled to form a rosette if you don't want to show too much cleavage.
You can use also wear the dress over a pair of plain or printed leggings if you are shy to bare your legs.
"There are so many ways to dress and it is all up to you," he said.
For those who lack imagination, he has made press darts on the blue dress for alternative ways of dressing.
Mr Yam is a self-taught designer who has been in the rag trade for nine years.
His inspirations for his clothes come from the rippling sound of waves to the issues of the world.
For the next six months, he plans to launch 120 outfits of which a collection of blue outfits that bear subtle details of marine life will be launched in February and March.
The designs are inspired by the migratory habits of marine creatures such as whales and sharks.