By Victoria Barker

How VJ Utt found his fashion sense Click on thumbnail to view
Photos: myp, Jamie Koh

MTV video jockey and television host Utt has not always been the stylish trendsetter he is today.

In fact, the guy never used to think much of fashion - and has even had his share of fashion faux pas.

During an interview with my paper at the Book Cafe in Martin Road, the 35-year-old said sheepishly: "Remember the MC Hammer (1990s rapper of U Can't Touch This fame) pants? And the fluorescent T-shirts? I had those."

Utt, who was born Greg Uttsada Panichkul to Thai- Chinese parents, added with a laugh: "Those (parachute-style) pants are back in, though. I saw them on an episode of Glee!"

Fashion missteps aside, Utt has learnt to embrace fashion on different levels, even though comfort is still paramount when it comes to his personal style.

"I've slowly developed a knack for mixing and matching what I like," he explained. "And I've learnt to appreciate highend brands a lot more, not because of the brand names themselves, but because of the quality of the products."

Still, that doesn't mean that Utt, who has been with MTV for 12 years, is a brand snob. Indeed, when he's not working, his typical attire consists of a simple T-shirt and cargo shorts.

"Be who you are," he said of his fashion philosophy. "Wear the clothes, don't let the clothes wear you."

By that, he means that even a bargain shirt can look great - if worn well and paired with the right accessories.

For example, Utt has a penchant for picking up accessories like scarves, ties and shoes on his travels, particularly in his favourite spots like Hong Kong and Japan.

"I can go without buying anything for a while, but when I'm somewhere like that, I can't resist and buy everything," he said.

In particular, Japan's "unique culture" keeps drawing him back.

"It's strange, because the Japanese seem to have two extremes - they're either very conservative, or far from it," he said.

"They have a very vibrant style about them."

And when he goes home to Thailand, sometimes as often as once a month, he shops at small boutiques to "support the young designers".

His heritage has also led him to a very popular Thai sport: muay thai, or Thai kickboxing.

He has been training once a week for the past three months because he "wanted to try something different", having previously confined himself to more solitary hobbies like yoga and longboarding.

"It's a very vicious, tough sport but it gets me out of my comfort zone," he said, before adding with a laugh: "My trainers bully me. If I miss lessons, they make me work twice as hard to make up for it."

When he's not working or training, the bachelor enjoys curling up with a good book.

For now, Utt said he'll continue to work on his personal style, drawing inspiration from his fashion icons, Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro and British footballer David Beckham.

Of the latter's appeal, he said: "He's the first real dude who incorporated fashion with his day-to-day life, while still being cool and manly. He's not afraid to experiment, and fashion is a facet of his life."

He added with a megawatt grin: "He's a good role model."

vbarker@sph.com.sg

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