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Fashion darling Yoyo Yao waxes lyrical about growing up with Louis Vuitton, her love for menswear and her prized Courrier Lozine 110 trunk
Her first precious piece of Louis Vuitton—a classic Speedy bag bestowed upon her as a gift when she was a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 20-year-old—is still carefully stored in the family home in Shanghai, and she occasionally takes it out to admire it when she returns to China. It is in mint condition, she tells Tatler Singapore, and can still be used. Perhaps it will be passed down as a family heirloom of sorts, a keepsake with sentimental value, to one of her children: a pair of boy and girl twins aged 13, and a son aged nine.
We’re talking to Singapore-based fashion darling Yoyo Yao—an ardent, long-time fan and friend of the house of Louis Vuitton—at the maison’s sprawling two-storey store in Ngee Ann City. She has just effortlessly posed up a storm in the season’s latest offering and is ready to regale us with tales of her decades-long love affair with the brand.
“When I was growing up, China wasn’t so open and we didn’t have much exposure to things from outside of the country,” she shares. “When I was able to get a passport and travel in my 20s, I was so curious to see the world. Back then, in terms of style, I just liked and bought what was popular and what everyone else was buying. But with time and increased exposure, I slowly developed my own personal style.”
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Her glam chic aesthetic is all over her Instagram, @msyooyoo, where she serves up style inspiration in spades to her 21,300 followers, and lives her best life in luxe sportswear, jumpsuits and various ensembles that boast more trousers than skirts and the occasional frock. Perhaps surprisingly, Yao eschews overly feminine outfits, saying: “I seldom wear dresses and skirts. I prefer trousers, and pieces that are more simple and comfortable. Of course, I’d wear dresses for occasions that call for more elegance.”
In fact, the cool sartorial darling, who after our shoot changed into her own oversized bomber jacket, baggy jeans and sneakers, tells us she is a big fan of Louis Vuitton’s menswear, and loves how the late Virgil Abloh had steered the house’s menswear collection in a fresh and youthful direction. “I actually don’t buy much womenswear, besides jewellery and bags,” she says. “For clothes, I love shopping from the men’s collections. I like oversized outfits, and it’s also trendy these days. I’d pick T-shirts, coats and even shoes from LV Men—they’re edgy and unique, and fun to style. I’d custom-order the smallest men’s shoe size for designs that I like—I have a few pairs.”
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