While Singapore’s sartorial history might be younger than most, there is no doubt that many talented designers reside here. While progenitors like Roland Chow might come to mind initially, other pivotal figures have greatly contributed to the local fashion scene. Filmmaker Larissa Ong chanced upon such a figure when a documentary on the 1963 Pulau Senang prison riots, a tragedy in which prison guards were murdered during an inmate uprising within a new rehabilitation island, was created. During the documentary’s production, the crew uncovered that the superintendent Daniel Dutton’s wife, Vickie Dutton, had a noteworthy history of her own.
Entranced by her personality and demeanour, they wanted her to be featured in a series for national television which highlighted three local female personalities. Spearheading this project was Ong, who along with her research team, pieced together her life record by record, interview by interview. The process proved arduous, with only bits and pieces of her life available in daily papers and old magazines. “We also tried to reach out to others who knew of Dutton then to obtain personal accounts,” recalled Ong. “but none of them were particularly intimate connections.”
Dutton’s life started in Telok Anson, Perak in 1923. Her formative years alluded to her fashion leanings in her adulthood. As a child, she was taught how to sew and read fashion magazines her mother had. She also dressed her dolls in the creations that she made. When Dutton was in a convent school at Alor Star, she wore whatever she desired since there were no uniforms. During that period, she created one of her very first pieces that hinted at a blossoming design ethos of her own–a sarong with a zipper inserted at the back, a piece she coined as Che Puteh Modern (meaning Modern Miss).
Although much of her formative years were in Malaysia, it was in Singapore that she began her heavy involvement in fashion. Shortly after moving here following her marriage with Dutton, she joined the modelling training course at Joan Booty Mannequin Training and Charm School with a friend under the encouragement of her husband, becoming the first Malay model in Singapore’s history. She also took courses in beauty culture and dress design in her frequent commutes to Paris with Dutton.
“She was an ambitious woman who desired to carve her own path. I identify a lot with that boldness.”
From there on, Dutton’s fame and authority as a fashion figure catapulted. In July 1960, she started writing for Fashion Fling, a monthly column for Her World magazine. In this section, she displayed her designs by modelling the pieces herself. Each piece was accompanied by a body of text articulating her processes and considerations surrounding her design of the month. Most of her designs in this column were her own twists on the kebaya. She experimented with unorthodox but chic pairings of textiles. For instance, lime green piping was paired with rose motifs. Dutton also inserted sensibilities of the kebaya into silhouettes from other cultures. A Western cocktail frock was adorned with a flowing sash and billowing sleeves. The mandarin collar of the qipao was matched with the skirt of a sarong kebaya. Similarly, kebayas were also altered with elements like the balloon-like sleeves of the Filipino terno dress.
Apart from her designs that melded cultural influences, she was also a figure that many looked up to. In her column, she frequently included style advice for Singaporean women, empowering them to be the best version of themselves that they could be. “If the Spanish can afford to be flamboyant”, asserted Dutton in one of such a column, “then why not we (Singaporeans) who have even sunnier skies and as vivid complexions?” In Dutton’s eyes, despite different social structures, Singaporean women could embody the same level of style as women living in fashion capitals without discarding their heritage or identity.
Dutton’s fame as an iconoclastic style maven and an equally formidable designer grew beyond the pages of the magazine. Commissioned by Tootal, one of the largest English textile manufacturing companies then, Dutton designed a 43-piece collection that included a comprehensive range of beachwear, cocktail dresses, sarong kebayas, saris, cheongsams, sportswear and gowns. It was showcased in Singapore, Penang, Ipoh and Malacca. She also took over the directorship of Joan Booty Mannequin Training and Charm School and created a new course in Malay––paving the way for more Malay models to follow suit in her path.
After her husband’s death, Dutton was still active in the local fashion scene, albeit at a slower pace. In 1964, she produced a fashion show Parisienne Fashions by Vickie Dutton, which was sponsored by Christian Dior and held in the opulent Goodwood Park Hotel. In this presentation with six models, dresses designed by Dutton that fused both Western and Asian sensibilities were displayed.
It was not until 1967 that she halted her activities in Singapore’s fashion scene completely. She remarried and travelled the world, before settling down in the United Kingdom till her passing in 2022. Even in her time away from the limelight, Dutton retained her penchant for style. Her granddaughter Haniz reminisced, “When I was younger and picked out what I thought was trendy to wear, she goes, “No darling, that does not suit you at all.” She had an eye for what looked good on someone and vice versa with just a glance.”
More than anything, in the hearts of people who know her, Dutton symbolises qualities that resonate with today’s Singaporeans. “She was an ambitious woman who desired to carve her own path,” mused Ong. “I identify a lot with that boldness.”
The March ‘Dualism’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available for sale online and in-store from 4 March 2024.
