Shoe-in for New Face girls

It is one of the yearly New Face rituals - the choosing of the shoes.

The New Paper New Face 2012 finalists turned up at New Look at 313@Somerset to pick a pair of shoes that would last them from events to shoots to the runway.

The New Paper New Face - sponsored by Subaru MotorImage and co-sponsored by Levi's and Clinique - is a modelling competition now in its 20th year.

Each of the 20 finalists will be featured in a fashion spread in this paper starting Aug 20.

And on Oct 4, one of the 20 will be named The New Paper New Face 2012.

But heels and girls don't always go hand in hand.

Both Nadiah Sapuan and Fai Kuiujitkosol readily admitted that they aren't "heels people".

Said Nadiah, a 19-year-old sports management student from ITE College East: "I'm a simple dresser and I usually go for flip-flops or sneakers.

"I rarely shop, and when I do, I prefer to go for sporting goods stores."

Admitted the 1.72m-tall Fai, 20: "I usually don't wear heels even though I love them. I'm too tall. "And I travel a lot so it's not practical to own many pairs of heels."

The economics student from University College London travels frequently, shuttling between London, Singapore and Thailand.

She said with a laugh: "I get bored of heels easily anyway so I just get one or two good pairs."

But both Fai and Nadiah couldn't resist the selection of New Look shoes before them.

Nadiah exclaimed: "I was very excited because there was a lot of variety! The heels were all too nice and I didn't know which to choose."

Another finalist, 22-year-old tuition teacher Shine Koh, said: "I was spoilt for choice but I picked the white pumps because I felt that the colour was versatile.

"It felt comfortable and I'd been eyeing that pair for a while."

Indeed, the girls were really hyped up over the wide selection of heels available and gleefully went about trying on the different sizes, colours and designs.

Most spent minutes in front of mirrors, pondering over the designs.

Girl bonding

Many ended up asking each other for suggestions as to which colour or design better suited them.

Fai, who picked a pair of hot-pink heels, said: "I don't like to buy shoes alone and I was really glad to have other girls around to talk and discuss options with."

For Sharin Keong however, selecting the right pair was easy.

The 20-year-old early childhood education student from Ngee Ann Polytechnic said: "Surprisingly, I didn't have a hard time finding the right shoes.

"I was thinking of finding shoes that match my outfit and are comfortable enough to wear every day. The New Look heels fit really well."

But the outing was more than just about choosing heels.

For some, this was one of the many treasured moments of the contest.

Shine said with a smile: "This pair of shoes will definitely have sentimental value as it'll accompany me on my New Face journey.

"And after it's over, it will serve as a reminder of what I went through."

bryanlim@sph.com.sg

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