dressing up and down in saigon

Last week was a crazy week for our company as we organized the World Rice Conference in Ho Chi Minh (former Saigon), Vietnam.

Let my first Vietnam blog be a no-brainer: my travel closet. Before the event, I was handed our company shirt. I’m not very small, but the shirt was really huge. XL, American size. It’s the only available size and I understand we needed to wear it during our preparation in the hotel’s grand ballroom area. I’ve pointed this out to the Boss, but he gave it to me anyway.

After trying it on in front of my room’s huge mirror, I whipped out a belt, buttoned up to the top, and made a kimono out of the super sized white polo shirt.

Its fabric is not your ordinary cotton, but satin-like cloth. C’est parfait. When I showed up for breakfast and told them I’m wearing the shirt, they looked closely and were pleased about this new company dress. But that’s the first and last time I experimented with my outfit because my whole week attire had been pre-meditated for the conference.

I remember an interview with clozette.co, a fashion website with an office in Singapore. I was asked if I know anything about fashion, and I had to admit I was only interested, but not knowledgeable, and because of that, I was challenged to work on my wardrobe. I guess this is a good start:

Welcome to my humble closet back at Sheraton Hotel Saigon.

This is my first business trip so on the left side you see some fancy black suits. And squeezed between the white cocktail dresses and bathrobes are more relaxed dresses and different types of long sleeves.

This dress is one of my sister’s precious finds in a bazaar in Singapore. The fabric is heavy yet it clings to the skin like soft silk. Its highlight is the bling-bling strap made of gorgeous faux diamonds. The thick black belt is the final magic touch that gave the dress an edge.

A pre-event outfit is this A-line chiffon dress with tiny white roses by the neckline. Underneath are layers of laces which show nicely at the bottom. What makes it more playful are the print dotted petals/leaves. This long cotton blazer serves as a striking coat for a classic black and white outfit.

This ensemble is one of my favorites: body hugging stretchy lilac dress with tied strings on both sides, topped with a velvety collarless black blazer.

Another conference day: I wore a navy blue dress with zipper in front that runs from top to bottom, and some suit to taste. To break the monotony of darkness, I put on the well-used belt for a touch of silver.

After-work dress is this backless Petit Monde dress (skirt is flared) with cute pink bubble prints. On top of this is my loose curls which behaved well that day.

Another dress I wore after the event was this knee-length Chinese collar dress with red waistband.

My favorite outfit of them all, though, is this second-hand United Colors of Benetton cotton long sleeves perfect for walking or rugged motorbike ride. My rugged look was softened by my faux crocodile skin doll shoes with garter hem; these are my official walking shoes because they’re comfy and cute. I paired my old rose top and baby pink shoes with ultra-short shorts I bought from Saigon’s Ben Thanh night market for VND200,000 or USD9 after haggling from its original price of VND350,000 (USD16). I so love its kinky cut–rough edges and half-inch slits on the sides, with stitched cuts all over for design; and the fabric! it’s so soft, I didn’t want to let it go when my sister asked for it when I returned to Singapore, but since it’s wee bit bigger than my waist, I gave it anyway.

Perhaps to give myself another reason to go back to Saigon.