Sam Chua

You can say that Sam Chua’s fashion education took place in a bank—she worked in the finance industry for more than 10 years—where mastering the finer points of a bespoke suit is de rigueur. “I realised that in the corporate world, a lot of what I wore determined how I felt at work. You don’t dress for the job you have, you dress for the job you want to have,” she says. Perhaps it is the nature of her work—even now as a restaurateur behind Japanese wagyu restaurants Black Cow and Shatoburian as well as coffee bar Waga Waga Den—but Chua’s attention to detail is impeccable, from the materials that complement her body shape to the threads, buttons and even her initials on the cuffs. She invests in classic yet modern pieces and has found the right fit in Dior’s Modern Tailoring capsule collection. When it comes to dressing well, Chua has it all figured out: “I’m very much colour‐coordinated.” But her style is by no means colourful; she prefers instead a colour palette of blue, black, white and grey. “When you’re playing with the same tone, it becomes easy. I don’t need a new suit for every occasion; I enjoy switching things up.”