amiee squires-wills on miss moncur

Miss Moncur is one of Electric sekki's favourite new e-commerce stores from Australia.  Founded by Monica Rouse, who has lived everywhere from the vibrant area of Notting Hill in London to the cosmopolitan hub of Hong Kong, and is now residing in sunny Sydney, Miss Moncur, "creates fashion with quality craftsmanship," and at a "deliciously obtainable" price-point, too.  So when Monica approached Electric sekki Founder & President, Amiee Squires-Wills to for a feature interview on her site, Amiee was happy to oblige.  Read Amiee's interview with Miss Moncur below and get some insight into how she built the incredible showroom and distribution network in the Asian fashion industry below!

Electric sekki Founder & President, Amiee Squires-Wills.

How is it that you came to do what you're doing?

I started in fashion on the shop floor in sales from here I moved into marketing and then more specifically fashion marketing for a publicly-listed company, the Stirling Group. After working in a corporate environment for 5 years I decided to start my own company of fashion distribution in Asia.

What is the most difficult thing you overcame and what did it teach you?

I think the lesson here is perseverance, consistency and believing in yourself or your idea. When everyone is telling you, "No," keep knocking on the next door and you’ll eventually find a person that is likeminded and understands what you are trying to achieve.

Who inspires you and why?

My mum and dad; I learnt all of my business skills and acumen from them.  Starting a business is always tough, but so worth it.

Most memorable moment?

There are so many memorable moments! I suppose what I appreciate now is looking back at how I’ve grown the company from myself to 3 staff to the current 110 staff in the Hong Kong office, with 6 offices regionally throughout Asia.

What is your signature style?

Jeans and a T-shirt paired with a great jacket and shoes.

What three items are on your Miss Moncur wishlist?

The Gold Rocker Tank, Caviar Stud Tote and the Sequin Stripe Jacket.  All perfect for Hong Kong!

What's your favourite App?

Instagram.  I love capturing the moment.

Best advice you've ever received? 

I’ve received a lot of advice over the years, but I think it’s always best to use it with a combination of your gut instinct.

What item can't you live without?

Fragrance, moisturizer and my shoes-- I love sneakers to heels!

See more from Miss Moncur and shop the collection here.

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bird of paradise

Style Heroine is one of our favourite new upcoming fashion bloggers; the Greek beauty has impeccable style with a downtown edge and, of course, a killer bod to boot.  So when we saw her sporting the No. 21 skirt of our dreams from the Fall/Winter 2013 collection, we were ecstatic.  The aforesaid dream skirt is an utter No. 21 classic: a pencil skirt shape done in Italian lace withe embroidered birds of paradise speckled all over it.  A dreamy piece if we ever saw one!  We fell head over heels in love with it when it came down the runway and, well, Style Heroine seems to have felt the same.  Here, she pairs it with this season's must-have plaid print shirt, styled in her cool way, worn off the shoulders, with flat lace-up boots.  It's a great mix of uptown-meets-downtown and, quite frankly, we think she's worn it even better in real life than it was on the runway!  Now that's great style.

The skirt on the runway at the No. 21 Fall/Winter 2013 show.

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henry holland takes bangkok

Last week, Bangkok was taken over by the one and only Henry Holland, who was in town with a very special guest: Mr. Quiffy.  That's right, the Mr. Quiffy for House of Holland collection was unveiled at Bangkok's most prestigious mall, Siam Paragon last week, much to the excitement of fans, media and guests.  Henry himself was all hands on deck, meeting customers and press, being his oh-so-charming self.  We ended things with a big in-store bash at the end of the week, complete with a parade of models, delicious snacks and, of course, some House of Holland-approved shenanigans.  The Electric sekki team had an amazing time with Henry in Bangkok, rocketing around in a traditional tuk-tuk, seeing some of the city's iconic sights and coming across culinary delights such as - gasp! - the octopus burger.  It's been a joy working with the Siam Paragon team in Bangkok and now it's off to conquer our next destination: Jakarta!  See you there, everybody!

Henry Holland checks out the Mr. Quiffy for House of Holland set-up at Bangkok's Siam Paragon mall.

Henry arrives at the House of Holland corner in Siam Paragon, Bangkok, to make sure everything is in place!

Henry Holland poses with Mr. Quiffy himself!

Henry Holland, ever the consumate jokester.

Photo fun at the launch with our guests.

Harper's Bazaar Thailand's Duangporn interviews Henry Holland.

Thai celebrity, Jane, checks out the Mr. Quiffy by House of Holland Collection!

Henry Holland with the Siam Paragon and Electric sekki team.  A big thank you from us here at Electric sekki to both Henry Holland and the incredible Siam Paragon team for putting on such a great event!

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galeries lafayette opens in beijing

When Galeries Lafayette announced that they would be re-entering the Chinese market after 15-years of being absent, the fashion industry in the region was abuzz with excitement.  They had announced that they would be opening their first department store in China in Beijing, in the popular shopping district of Xidan.  What excited us the most was when they announced that they would be bringing 500 brands into the store, more than 200 of which would be made available in China for the first time.  Now, that's a gutsy move.  Although they store will house well-known luxury labels such as Valentino, Givenchy and Fendi to the area for the first time, it will also house lesser known Parisian favourites such as Maje and The Kooples.  Operated in a 50-50 joint venture with Hong Kong heavy-hitting retailers, I.T, the Galleries Lafayette is backed by a wealth of knowledge in the fashion department store industry in both Asia and Europe, which has created an interesting mix of tastes and references within the store.  And, if shopping is not for you, the Galeries Lafayette in Beijing also houses renowned French cafe, Cafe Angelina, as well as a Bordeaux wine cellar and, of course, Asian cuisine.  It's at the top of our To Do list next time we visit the capital and it should be at the top of yours, too!

The exterior of the Galeries Lafayette Beijing.

The store is home to luxury brands such as Givenchy, Valentino and Fendi.

But it also houses a range of new-to-China brands, such as Parisian favorites, Maje and The Kooples.

The 47,000-square metre space spans across four floors.

A digital projection of the Paris store's iconic stained-glass dome is displayed at the Galeries Lafayette Beijing location.

Top French actress, Audrey Tatou (you may know her from Amelie) was flown out for the official opening of Galeries Lafayette on 18 October.

Hong Kong movie-star and Canto-pop icon, Aaron Kwok, also attended the opening.

Hong Kong actress Niki Chow was also there to celebrate the Galeries Lafayette opening in Beijing earlier this month.

See more from Galeries Lafayette Beijing here or visit the store yourself at this address:

110 Xi’dan North Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China.

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spotted: yao chen in house of holland

Yao Chen is heralded in her home country of China as the 'Queen of Weibo'; she has the largest number of followers of anyone on the Chinese social media network--over 52 million fans. So it's always a coup for designers when Yao Chen selects to wear one of their designs. On her press tour to promote her upcoming blockbuster film, My Lucky Star <<非常静距离>>, Yao Chen opted for a number by House of Holland for an appearance with her costars on a popular Chinese TV-show.  She chose a playful printed starburst tee, which she pair with an edgier starburst embellished leather skirt from House of Holland's Resort 2014 collection.  Styled in her classic, simple style, with a sleek ponytail and basic black pumps, Yao Chen's down-to-earth personality really shines through.  Yao Chen looks fantastic in the look and we can't wait to see her film, too!

The starburst embellished leather skirt at House of Holland's Resort 2014 presentation.

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supers in sass & bide

By now, we're certain that everybody knows how much we love a supermodel here at Electric sekki--especially when they're seen in one of our labels!  So we were beyond excited to see not one, but two major supers wearing sass & bide on the glossy pages of some of our favourite magazines recently.  First up is one of the original supermodels, also known in the industry as "The Body" for, well, her incredible bod, Elle MacPherson, who graces the page in nothing but a pair of worn-in sass & bide jeans.  Then there's newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley who is not only a Victoria's Secret angel but also a Hollywood blockbuster actress who is also seen wearing nothing but the pair of perfect sass & bide denim cut-off shorts, all wind-blown and gorgeous at the beach.  There's nothing better than seeing gorgeous women in their element, embracing their natural side and wearing classic denim, don't you think?

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henry holland in bangkok

If you're in Bangkok this week, then you're in luck, because none other than Mr. Henry Holland of cult-favourite fashion brand, House of Holland, will be in town to celebrate the launch of his House of Holland shop at Paragon.  And he's bringing Mr. Quiffy the ice-cream man with him, too!  Henry's been enjoying himself a lot so far, even Instagram-ing some shots of the highlights of his trip so far, which included receiving a seriously out-of-this-world amazing cake with a whole bunch of fun House of Holland decorations on top and, of course, visiting the House of Holland corner at Paragon to scope out the incredible set-up.  So, if you're in Bangkok then make sure to keep your eye out for him all this week, before he heads off to Jakarta this weekend!  

The seriously out-of-this-world amazing cake with a whole bunch of fun House of Holland decorations on top, via Instagram @henryholland.

The incredible House of Holland corner at Paragon, via Instagram @henryholland.

Henry Holland with Mr. Quiffy the ice-cream man, don't forget to pop by and say hi!

Check out House of Holland at Paragon Bangkok here:

991 Rama 1 Rd Bangkok 10330, Thailand

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sass & bide on tales of endearment

When New York casting director-turned-blogger/photographer/street style star Natalie Joos announced on her Instagram feed that she was photographing one half of the sass & bide super duo for her blog, Tales of Endearment, the internet immediately was abuzz with excitement.  The subject of her post was none other than Sarah-Jane Clarke, whom Natalie photographed in a variety of outfits at her incredibly enviable Vaucluse home in Sydney, Australia.  As one might expect from the colourful, intricate nature of sass & bide's fashions, Sarah-Jane's home is similarly styled and scattered with gorgeous trinkets and designs she's picked up on one of her dozens of exotic trips she embarks on each year with sass & bide partner Heidi Middleton to find inspiration.  Her home is incredibly inspirational and there's not much more we can think to say about it, except that we all know pictures speak louder than words, so explore the photographs below and prepare to fall in love!

See more at Tales of Endearment here.

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the men in our lives

It's nice to know that the men in our lives are dressed well--and when those men include 'mando-pop' star Khalil Fong and upcoming DJ Tedman Lee of Ni. Ne. Mo and the Living Discoheads, well, that's just even better!  Both men seem to have a penchant for ksubi, having worn the brand in two interviews with two of the city's biggest publications recently.  Khalil Fong chose a graphic tee by ksubi in his cover story for ELLE MEN magazine, while Tedman Lee decked himself out for an interview with the South China Morning Post.  Their two styles are vastly different, yet both men wear the brand in their own unique way--proving that the best way to rock an outfit is to rock in your own individual way, with a touch of your unique personality.  And, hey, it doesn't hurt to seriously dig their music, either!

Singer, Khalil Fong in a ksubi tee.

DJ Tedman Lee wears ksubi.

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all about plaid

Just in case you've been living under a rock recently, the fashion industry is going mad for plaid this Fall/Winter 2013 season.  And at the forefront of this madness is a look by none other than Alessandro Dell'Acqua for his label, No. 21.  The opening look of his Fall 2013 collection, which showed at Milan Fashion Week, was a plaid sweater over a plaid shirt, accompanied by a sparkling gold skirt with a massive slit up the side.  Back then, perhaps nobody could really have predicted that it would be such a huge success, but we here at Electric sekki could feel it in our bones.  We already showed you how Anna Wintour featured the look in one of the main editorials for her all-important September Vogue issue, and now it's popped up in spreads for Vogue China, Jalouse and CR Fashion Book, to name just a few!  And we have a feeling that this is only just the beginning.  We've simply got to get our hands on this look.

No. 21 shirt, sweater and skirt in  Jalouse.

No. 21 shirt, sweater and skirt in  Vogue China.

No. 21 shirt, sweater and skirt in CR Fashion Book.

No. 21 Fall 2013 show, opening look.

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