At the beginning of 1993, I was only a few months into adjusting to a new life in Taipei again. That was after returning from Shanghai due to the breakdown of my marriage. I had adopted the local rhythms of life and enjoyed window shopping like most of the Taipei girls do in their spare time. On the day I saw this particular skirt, well it was new love at first sight. This A-line midi skirt in Taipei’s Pacific Sogo department store lightened up my mood which needed lightening and I knew I had to have it…

Working as a freelance writer meant I had to save up to go back and buy it and I did. The reddish earthy tone and dot print pattern reminded me of Australian aboriginal artwork. Australia, my other home. Well I loved that skirt so much that when my second book Shanghai 1992 was published in Taiwan in June that year, two photos were used of me wearing that very skirt as illustrations in the book, and this photo above was one of them. Perhaps it’s symbolic that this skirt has since become a part of my personal journey.

Looking back at my then Outfit-of-the-Day ensemble, I wish I had kept my blazer and earrings as well even though they were out of style for a while.. aren’t they fabulous! However, now I do think my choice of earrings and necklace clashed with this look. Circle versus square? Yellow gold versus silver? Not too sure about it now… But hey, isn’t it what they say, ‘rules are meant to be broken’! So maybe not perfect styling choices, but I do think I nailed the look with confidence. What about you, have you broken fashion rules too?

Stay tuned to see how I styled this very skirt in 2019.

Portrait by: Tsong-Chii, Lynn.
Post film scan edit by: Kent Johnson.