7 things in a fashion director's bag

Fans of luxury discount website The Outnet, here is the woman in charge of all those fashion shoots and videos that you see there.

As the fashion director of The Outnet (www.theoutnet.com), the sister site of luxury e-tailer Net-A-Porter, one of Ms Eve Thomas' job is to take past-season designer items and style them according to current trends.

"There's nothing wrong with buying off-season items. A great piece is a great piece," said Ms Thomas, who was in town last month for a fashion showcase held at the Raffles Hotel for selected customers.

A fan of bargain hunting herself, her best find has been a Chanel tweed jacket that she bought for £200 (S$400) at a Chanel sample sale held several years ago.

The 34-year-old Briton, who joined The Outnet in 2010, said that being able to work in fashion is a childhood dream come true. Prior to joining The Outnet, she worked as a fashion assistant and stylist at The Times newspaper in London.

"I remember being really little and cutting up my mum's magazines and sticking them together, which is pretty much what I still do when I'm preparing for a shoot," said Ms Thomas, who is married with a 15-month-old daughter.

After graduating with a degree in French and Spanish from the University College London, she went on to pursue a master's in fashion journalism at the renowned art and design college, Central Saint Martins, but dropped out when a job at The Times came along.

"The whole point of doing the course was to get a job anyway, and I figured fashion styling, which was what I was interested in, is not something that you can study," she said.

Dressed in an Iris & Ink shirtdress and a pair of Bimba & Lola platform wedges, Ms Thomas said she veers towards fail-safe pieces like these.

But in her younger days, she went through more experimental phases.

"I'm sure I made lots of fashion faux pas, but luckily there was no social media back then for evidence," said Ms Thomas with a laugh.

Growing up as a teen when the Spice Girls were wildly popular, she wore chunky platform shoes like band member Geri Halliwell (aka Ginger Spice). It was not one of her proudest fashion moments, Ms Thomas admits. "Now, I'm really about buying pieces that will last for a long time in my wardrobe," she said.

7 THINGS IN HER BAG

HER BAG

This is the Bottega Veneta Nero Intrecciato Nappa bag, which I bought from The Outnet.

It is quite rare to find this bag at a discount; it was about 20 per cent off the original price.

I love it for its classic design. I think one should always invest in a bag with a classic style, so you can get the most out of it.

1. SMYTHSON NOTEBOOK

I pen my thoughts and to-do lists in here. 

2. MONTBLANC PENS

I trained as a journalist and one of the things that I have learnt is to always carry two pens in case one runs out of ink. 

3. ROSES DE CHLOE PERFUME

 This is quite feminine and fresh, which is really nice. I love Chloe's ready-to-wear as well - you can call me a Chloe girl.

4. OLIVER PEOPLES SUNGLASSES

I like this for its classic wayfarer style. Like my bag, it is a design that will never go out of date.

5. MAWI EARRINGS

I think these help me to look more dressed up instantly. I always recommend wearing one piece of bold jewellery to elevate your look.

6. LUCAS' PAPAW OINTMENT

This is an amazing product that keeps my lips moisturised.

7. CHARLOTTE TILBURY THE RETOUCHER CONCEALER

This is great for the bags under your eyes. In fact, all of her make-up works really well.

This article was first published on April 17 , 2015.
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