One MediaCorp actress wore a loose corset-top and social media buzzed like crazy

Carrie Wong in a leather Fendi corset. Photo: carriewst/Instagram

It is easy to say an actress is badly-dressed. The thing is, she may not even be aware of it. There are actresses who wear whatever is presented to them, without considering how they might appear to those the stars are outfitted to dazzle. Carrie Wong (黄思恬) could have been similarly unaware, or inattentive, or just indifferent. Last Wednesday, she wore a brown Fendi leather corset—likely loan to her—for the opening of the brand’s newly refurbished store in Takashimaya Shopping Centre. Photographs of her were shared on her WhatsApp page, and many of her followers noticed that she was not able to fill the two parts of the outfit usually described as “cups”. The critical Netizens were not wrong, but some, admittedly, have been cruel in their description of hers not runneth over. The reactions did bring to mind the just-as-harsh comments by the many who were not impressed by influencer Chrysan Lee’s choice of a scanty Shein top. Time and again, we see the less well-endowed are inclined to not be aware that they are.

Some Netizens think Carrie Wong had only herself to blame: Even if Fendi gave the outfit to her, she could have said no to that attire, they insisted. Stars attending these brand events are expected to wear something from that brand. You do not show up at a Fendi store opening wearing Dior (even if they are both from the same LVMH stable); you appear as Fendi’s model, not as an individual with your own taste or trace of discernment. It is possible that Ms Wong did not have a chance to take a pick from the rack made available to attendees from MediaCorp, or was the last to choose. It is also possible that a mirror was not available to her. Still, she might have discovered something amiss if she looked down at her corset top, which 8 Days curiously called “edgy” (they are especially fond of that word—a convenient euphemism). Surely she must have seen the deflated parts. Or, were the dimples on the bust what gave the top the edginess only 8 Days saw?

We suspect fit didn’t matter to Ms Wong, or smooth contours. She is not as “flat” as many commentators considered her to be, but the top really did not fit, let alone flatter her. Leather corsets, when worn, are expected to be as tought as rugby balls. Perhaps she was drawn to it because it afforded her freedom of movement. Sleeves could be impediment to motion or gesticulation. With this corset-top, she was able to assume a certain posture, even if was not tight enough to position her rigidly upright or trussed up. The irony in this is that a corset is a form-fitting garment—it is designed to encase the body snugly (even the bodice is not a close fit on her). With a corset, as the saying in the halcyon days of corsetry went, “a lady does not stoop”. Perhaps Ms Wong had no idea. In an age of the anti-fit, as seen in Gucci, or the oversized, as seen in Balenciaga, it is possible that Ms Wong, like so many of her contemporaries, is clueless about what exactly is a good fit. Or, a good fill.