4 places to get Peranakan-inspired accessories in Singapore

Trendy Peranakan-inspired jewellery and fashion are all the rage now – with international designers such as Chinese haute couturier Guo Pei incorporating elements of Peranakan design into the Spring/Summer 2013 couture collection.

The trend was blasted into mainstream consciousness after the launch of popular 2008 Channel 8 drama, The Little Nyonya.

Since then, designers have perfected the marrying of Peranakan style – rich embroidery, handmade beading and a bright colour palette – with a modern twist.

Photo: Eden + Elie

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The original version of this story was published in The Straits Times on Feb 16, 2017.

The label (www.chinoiserieblu.com) launched in December last year and features pieces with Chinese influences (including Peranakan culture) fused with Western aesthetics.

Its upcoming Clouds Collection, which is slated to launch in about three months, will feature a cloud motif that is Peranakan-inspired.

Mr Way Tay, 47, its founder and designer, says: “There is so much to love about Peranakan culture, from its distinctive decor and architecture to its intricately embroidered kebaya and hand-beaded sandals.”

Photo: Chinoiserie Blu

Bamboo earrings in 925 sterling silver with palladium, rodium-plated, US$155 (S$220); square bamboo 18K gold-plated bangle in 925 sterling silver with palladium, US$235

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The restaurant, which serves Peranakan food, started selling Peranakan-inspired purses and bags late last year.

The bags and purses are made of batik-print cloth embroidered with beads. They are designed and produced in Indonesia.

Photo: Indocafe – The White House

Beaded Boston shoulder bag, $89.80

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The label’s (www.chooyilin.com) current Peranakan Flower and Peranakan Lace collections draw inspiration from the traditional Nonya kebaya.

Its upcoming Shophouse collection, which will launch next Wednesday, is inspired by the pastel-hued facade of Peranakan shophouses and the long, angular silhouette of its timber windows and doors.

Ms Choo Yilin, 35, who founded her eponymous jewellery label in 2008, says: “Modern interpretations of the Peranakan culture and aesthetic serve as ways to keep heritage and tradition alive through the generations.”

Photo: Choo Yilin

Shophouse Gemstone Earrings in white rhodium, light blue chalcedony and green amethyst, $328; Peranakan Flower Trio Bangle in rose gold, white rhodium, rhodolite garnet and pink amethyst, from $3,000

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The label’s most recent collection features hand-woven beaded designs inspired by kebaya patterns and uses blue, yellow or vermillion Japanese seed beads.

Its founder, Ms Stephanie Choo, 46, says her appreciation for Peranakan design goes beyond colours and patterns.

She says her label (www.edenandelie.com), which she launched in 2015, is not a Peranakan brand, but rather, one that is inspired by the love of making that is part of Peranakan culture.

“Whether it is in beading, garment-making or cooking, there is an incredible attention to detail and sometimes even painstaking effort to create these exquisite pieces, which express the maker’s commitment to the craft,” she says.

Photo: Eden + Elie

Hand-woven capsule necklaces with 24k gold chain, $249 each

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