BAZAAR Most Stylish Women 2019: Wendy Long

The past 10 years have seen seismic shifts in the world of fashion and culture at large. Gone is the dictating manner in which fashion used to speak. Today, influence and inspiration bubbles up as much as it trickles down. The speed at which movements now take root and cross-pollinate across cultures and communities would have been unimaginable a decade ago. In many ways, the rise of social media and the digital age has revolutionised the way we access, consume and interact with fashion. At its core, style is still about looking a certain way to telegraph a certain message, but the key components of that message have evolved to centre around the ideas of authenticity, individuality and positivity. To close out this progressive, transformative decade, we’ve chosen to celebrate a group of originals who are as sharp as they are stylish; the ones who march to their own beat while maintaining a certain polish and verve that drives home a uniquely Asian perspective.

Wendy Long

How would you describe your style?

I know it’s a no-no for some, but I like total looks—it’s like inhabiting the whole vision of the designer. I might wear the same designer from head to toe, but with pieces from different collections, or I would change up the accessories to make [the look] more my own. I love Saint Laurent so I wear a fair bit of black. It’s sexy in a way that is not so in-your-face; it’s quite French and effortless, and I like that kind of edginess in a look. Fashion to me is like works of art, so I care more about how I look and how I feel in them rather than practicality.

Do you have a go-to piece or look?

My favourite item would be a pair of sequinned shorts by Anthony Vaccarello for Saint Laurent. I have a lot of his more dramatic pieces, but this is the one thing I feel goes with everything. My staple look would be these shorts with booties and a jacket.

Which other designers do you love?

I like Balmain for its sequinned dresses. On lazy days when I don’t know what to wear, I just throw on a sequinned dress. I am also rediscovering a long-lost love for Alaïa; and Chanel is such a classic. Some people think it’s just another tweed jacket, but for me, there’s always something slightly different, so I try to pick up at least one or two every season. I think it’s worth collecting because it’s truly timeless.

What trends are you into this season?

I’ve been playing around a lot with accessories. Most of my Saint Laurent looks are of a similar spirit—the biggest difference comes from the accessories. For example, this season, Vaccarello paired a lot of looks with sheer stockings and feather booties. It’s these small things that totally change the look. I wear them with my older pieces and they look updated. Other key accessories for me this season are the Dior Saddle belt and the veiled bucket hat.