Black or denim always works for VJ Hanli Hoefer

The former United World College student first burst onto the scene as a model when she was 19.

Now 23, the 1.78m-tall Chinese-German beauty who was born and bred in Singapore, has been a VJ for the past four years.

She fronts music and lifestyle series The MTV Show, which airs on MTV Asia (StarHub TV Ch 533/Singtel TV Ch 350) on Saturdays at 2pm.Back when she was in school, she recalled the "emo" trend being "in".

Hoefer, who has graced the covers of Her World and Shape magazines and is currently the ambassador of luxury fashion magazine L'Officiel Singapore, told The New Paper: "That was a pretty hard fail for me. I used to think I was emo but looking back at the pictures, I was just a melted black eyeliner mess with the slicked down hair and the baggy jeans. It wasn't so much emo as it was uncomfortable. That outfit was not made for tropical weather."

But being an MTV Asia VJ has definitely changed things - for the better.

"Music is a huge fashion influence, especially street style. I've got a lot more into sneakers. When I first (joined), our stylists had such a wide range of clothing for me, trying to figure out what my style was, and by doing that introduced me to things that I wouldn't necessarily have tried on my own but now I really like.

"My stylist introduced me to Boyfriend Jeans and I've never looked back," she said.

Her style mantra? Black or denim always works for her.

"I have a lot of skinny jeans and way too many black shirts and little black dresses. Around that staple, I add fresh sneakers or a cool cap," she said.

CASUAL HANLI

She thinks no one can go wrong with black, denim and sneakers as it's "such a clean, classic look", which is why it's become her "everyday uniform" of sorts.

She rocks get-ups like a plain Zara T-shirt, Cult of Individuality jeans, Topshop bomber jacket and American Eagle Outfitters sneakers to the MTV Asia studio, meetings and when she hangs out with friends.

FESTIVAL HANLI

As part of her job, Hoefer attends many outdoor music festivals, the latest being MTV Music Evolution Manila 2016 last Friday, which she co-hosted.

It airs on MTV Asia on July 19 at 8pm.

With the sun beating down on her, Hoefer's Forever 21 hat is a must-have.

"The whole festival look has a very bohemian vibe. When we're at a festival, I'm all over the place so I'm not trying to dress pretty, I'm trying to dance," said Hoefer, who opted for a flowy off-shoulder top from Zara, Max Mara shorts and Marc Fisher gladiator sandals, with a Nasty Gal tiered necklace as the finishing touch.

SPORTY HANLI

When Hoefer is taking her dogs on their daily 45-minute speed walk or hitting the gym four times a week or doing yoga, she sports this ensemble.

"I feel like I live in yoga wear half the time because I'm always going back and forth (from workouts to work). I'm not the girl who wears super short shorts in the gym. I'm the full-length leggings chick," said Hoefer of her top from Lululemon Athletica and yoga pants from Pure Apparel, paired with adidas shoes.

"I think it's sleek and for workout wear, black is always safe. I love how the top has a (built-in) bra and the leggings are made for fitness so they don't show sweat marks. That means after the gym, if I'm too lazy to change, I can just put on a white shirt and no one will know."

DRESSY HANLI

This Zara jumpsuit can take the lover of well-fitting one-pieces from a fancy dinner date to a bar after.

"I like the small details in the neckline and knowing that I can dress it up for something super formal if you put your hair up and have strong make-up," said Hoefer, who added Kurt Geiger gold heels.

This article was first published on July 01, 2016.
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