At 22, model/blogger Francesca Tan has already garnered an empire of followers, whom she inspires with a style that intertwines edgy chic and felicitousness. Having established herself as a local web icon, Francesca is a well-known face in the online fashion retail industry and has also won the title of ‘Face of Make Up Store 2012’ at Elite Model Look, a prestigious modelling contest.
This month, Lee Cooper dresses Francesca up in its latest autumn/winter collection that gathers inspiration from industrial artisans. The British label continues its on-going support of talented and emerging makers by making clothes for these creatives to live in, work in, play in, dance in, drink in. The AW14 collection also nods towards Lee Cooper’s workwear legacy with a base colour of inky workforce blue, punctuated with natural pops of colour for a modern spin.
We spoke to Francesca about her style and travelling.
Nookmag (N): Hey Francesca, tell us more about yourself.
Francesca (F): I’m 22 this year and I was actually studying business at SIM-UOL. I took a gap year after one year then decided that I very much preferred working instead. So I went back to shooting. I’m a freelance model right now and I’ve also decided to blog at the same time. I started modelling when I was around 17.
A typical day for me would comprise a photoshoot and maybe an event to attend. On days when I don’t have shoots, I’ll post adverts on my blog. Also, I like to café-hop a lot.
N: When did you start blogging and how did it happen?
F: I didn’t want to blog actually. I started modelling at the age of 17 and people started to ask me if I could post pictures of my shoot and they wanted me to give them fashion tips and stuff, so I decided to create a blog.
N: What do you hope to achieve with your blog?
F: Of course I would love my blog to reach a standard like international bloggers. But I think it’s hard with all the upcoming bloggers in Singapore. But I hope I can survive with this.
N: The blogosphere is pretty competitive. What kind of edge do you think you have?
F: The difference is that I model too, so I can share pictures of my photoshoot with my readers.
N: What is one of the most enjoyable project you have embarked on?
F: The recent one was organised by Fitness First. I did this project for Fit for Fashion and they flew me to KL for their media preview. I got to meet international trainers and contestants. It was quite fun.
N: What do you like about the event?
F: I like how the contestants shared their stories – what made them join the competition and how much they have changed over 10 weeks. It’s very inspiring.
N: You’ve been doing mostly fashion-related projects. What other kinds of assignments would you like to take on next?
I would love to do travel logs and share my experience with my readers. Right now, I really want to visit Africa.
N: Describe your personal style.
F: A bit tomboy with a mix of feminine. I also know what suits my body shape better, so I’ll stay away from body-contour dresses and tops that are too heavy.
N: What kind of feminine details do you like?
F: I like laces, crochets, and low back tops and dresses.
N: How do you like the Lee Cooper outfits that you picked out?
F: I think Lee Cooper is very wearable and it offers a wide range of styles for everybody. Lee Cooper is mostly about denim and you can wear denim any day. I like that they have skinny jeans, straight cut, shorts…
N: Choose one: sneakers or heels?
F: Sneakers.
N: Casual or dressy?
F: Dressy
N: Hair up or down?
F: Up.
N: What’s your must wear accessory?
F: Watch
N: Who’s your biggest style influence?
F: Chiara Ferragni, an Italian fashion blogger. She’s very interesting in the way she dresses – very different. Every day is a different style. I wish I can be like her. She travels around very often and she does a lot of campaigns for major brands.
N: Let’s talk about travelling. What’s your most memorable destination?
F: Seoul. I went there in May and it was quite an experience. The people there dress up a lot.
N: What kind of a traveller are you?
F: Not very adventurous. But I like to be very spontaneous; I don’t like to plan a detailed itinerary. I like shopping of course; museum – yes, but not too much.
N: What do you like about travelling?
F: I like to experience the different culture and food. I enjoy the shopping too.
Conversation seeks out inspiring individuals who possess a creative spirit and brim with passion. It offers an insight into the lives of these individuals and the things that drives them. This edition is proudly sponsored by Lee Cooper.
