Gentlewoman

If she wasn’t working in fashion, Melissa says, she might have gone to study law instead. “I secretly like arguing my case. My friend says that I like to prove a point and I’d stick to it to matter what. Probably the nicest way I’ve heard anyone call me stubborn!” Nonetheless, Melissa says she loves the industry that she’s in, and has met plenty of awesome and inspiring people. Working at a menswear magazine also has her convinced of the power of a good suit, so much so that she recommends that everyone, regardless of gender, should get themselves a tailor-made pantsuit. “A good suit can make you look way above your ranks,” she says. And even though she often dresses down with boyfriend jeans for days when she has to run about town for work, she always has a double-breasted blazer at the ready for more formal occasions; she even layers up on weekdays and days off. “I do get some people asking me how I stay cool under all my layers,” she says. “Well, Singapore may be all sun and humidity but we’ve got powerful air-conditioning too, no?” In her spare time, however, Melissa embraces the sun and goes stand-up paddling. “Being near water, like at the beach or swimming pools, also has a strange effect on me,” she adds. “I just get really happy!”