The multi-hyphenated, man-about-town gives us a course in menswear styling and verifies the necessity for tailored suits.
Ong Chin Huat is not your average, decorated charmer. His acumen is as sharp as his every-day outfit: impeccable, smart and meticulously put together. His eye for fashion has secured him the accolade of celebrated stylist, for a man of already many hats, including writer and TV host. The affable former social editor for Hong Kong Tatler owns an air of sophistication and worldly attitude to match an eclectic wardrobe collection. In his style bible, the rule of thumb is to own a tailored jacket. “A jacket hides a multitude of sins. Even if you don’t have a perfect body, it gives you a shape, a silhouette,” he declares, before initiating us into his style secrets.
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1. Tell us about your must-have: The jacket.
Formal doesn’t have to be a suit – I can wear khaki pants or jeans with a jacket, it is my number one item. If you have a good tailor and the jacket is cut well, you’ll look dressed immediately. For me a silhouette is very important; the outline of the body. I have 2 very good tailors in Hong Kong. I have ready-to-wear too. At one time in the 90s, I owned a lot of Giorgio Armani.