DRESSED FOR

Ashley Ann Guan
Ashley Ann has an affinity for writing, with experience copywriting for past projects. In addition, sge gravitates towards creative direction and design roles thanks to a background in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign and Blender. An avid fashion collector, she is keen on art history and tackles photography whenever she has free time. Outside of school, she sources quality secondhand clothes for local thrift store Rework in Progress and works on crochet commissions. She takes inspiration from songs listened to, films watched and the art she admires, and hopes to inspire others in turn with her own creations.
Ashley Ann's final year project is an inquiry into how gender biases and undercurrent misogyny have an impact on women and girls’ dressing in Singapore. With womens' wardrobes shaping identity, self-expression, and their sense of safety across different life stages, dress becomes both a site of judgment and a cultural marker. DRESSED FOR depicts a young lady being bombarded with advertisements and clips scrutinising women’s appearances, how they should (or shouldn’t) present themselves, and the traditional gender roles expected of them. It explores the double bind of modesty and hyper-visibility of feminine ideals in the context of Singapore. The complementing lookbook captures stills from moments that contribute to the narrative, as well as behind-the-scenes shots from the film.