Seeing Double
Two of society’s most fashionable, Carol Shieh and Sammi Lim,
bond over shared interests, and all things Burberry
BY TERENCE LIMFashion Spotlight / STYLECarolShiehandSammiLimare
bestfriends,buttheycouldnotbe
moredifferent.Carol,whohails
fromTaiwan,istall,soft-spoken,
andastay-at-homemotherofthree
children,withtheeldestalreadyin
university.BornandbredinSingapore,
Sammiispetite,confident,anda
seasonedrealestatespecialistinthe
acquisitionofshophouseandstrata
commercialproperties.Yet,thetwo
havebecomecloseaftermeetingat
numerousSingaporeTatlerevents,
andthankstotheircommonloveof
BritishluxurylabelBurberry.
“We’veseeneachotheratseveral
Burberryengagementsbeforewewere
formallyintroducedataTatlerevent,”
Caroltellsus.“Webecamecloser
afterattendingafriend’sweddingin
SouthKoreatogether.”Thedynamics
oftheirfriendshipissimilartothatof
bloodsisters.Carolisthecaringand
protective“eldersister”ofSammi,who
sheendearinglycallsmeimei(younger
sisterinMandarin).
“Wheneverjie(eldersisterin
Mandarin)returnshomefromTaipei,she
neverfailstobuymyfavouritesnacks
andfood,”sharesSammi.“Infact,whenI
recentlyvisitedTaipeiwithmyfamilyfor
avacation,Carolwasthegracioushost.
She’sdefinitelyafriendwhogoesthe
extramile.”
Such is the depth of their relationship
that some of their friends have
commented how much they looklikeeachother.“Shelapsesintoa
Taiwaneseaccentoccasionally too,”
enthuses Carol, adding that they also
share a love for good food. And being
thegreatcookthatsheis,Carolwould
alwaysinviteSammitoherhomefor
sumptuousmeals. Sammi is even taking
cooking lessons from Carol.
Their shared love for anything
Burberry also means that they are decked
out in its ready-to-wear pieces—often
atthesametime—whichfitbothof
themperfectly.“Thepiecesarereally
comfortabletoo.Mostofthedesignsare
classicenough,thusgivingthemtheextra
mileage,”Sammishares.
TheirfavouriteBurberryitemis,of
course,theChelseaHeritagetrenchcoat.
Pointing to the classic trench in honey,
Carol says, “Sammi will definitely like this.
Not only does it accentuate the sensuous
silhouette of the female form, it also
exudesastrongBritishstyle,whichisa
uniquecombinationofsophisticationand
modishcharm.”
In turn, Sammi’s pick for Carol is the
same trench in black, but in a longer
version. “This is a beautiful classic that
matches her elegant style. The slim-fit
trench coat features narrow shoulders
andanipped-inwaist,whichwould
fitCarol’stallandsvelteframe,”she
explains.“Furthermore,sheembarks
onregularholidaysandtripsbackto
Taiwan.Itwillserveasaperfecttravel
companion,shieldingherfromthecold
orrain.”PHOTOGRAPHY: DARREN GABRIEL LEOW; STYLING: JOEY TAN; HAIR: KENNETH ONG; MAKE-UP: ZHOU AIYI/MAKEUP ENTOURAGE; PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: DARRELL NEO; LOCATION: THE ST REGIS SINGAPORE