Kiira has been one of my buddies here in Cambodia for a while, and this funny lady just makes a room better to exist in. Originally, it was her sweet manfriend who asked me to design her a dress as a surprise for Valentines Day. This is what boyfriend points look like, people. However, when we started playing with drawings and fabric and designs, we decided against a dress and instead on a few separate looks that will fit in Cambodian heat, but will also transfer to real life after the Penh.

You may remember her words of wisdom from her shared post on Minneapolis, but what you might not expect is that she has close ties to Singapore as well, and takes a glamorous weekend there every so often, leaving me crazy jealous. The inspiration for the top came from the traditional Mandarin collar, found in Singapore and across a number of cultures in Asia. The skirt idea came from a classic 50’s look, which is popular again, and my hope is that she can wear it to work, and not feel dumpy at sexy date night after. (Like Kiira could ever feel dumpy.) Tiff took her to the newly renovated Elephant Bar at the Raffles Le Royal, which was a great call for these pretty photos.

I am happy with the top. I think the collar looks gorgeous of her, and the keyhole is sexy without going full-on cleavage.

The skirt is great as well, I just wish it had a little more pouf to it. We talked about putting something underneath to fan it out a bit, but the tailor suggested tulle, and the thought of that made me itch all over. We decided to keep it smoother, and it’s a more of an understated look. I’ll just find a bustle in London.

Kiira looks amazing in this combo, and I am grateful to her for making this job easy.

All photos by Tiffany Tsang. Please request permission for use.