SHE SHINES BRIGHT

AS SHE CELEBRATES 10 YEARS IN FASHION, INFLUENCER, ENTREPRENEUR AND RECENTLY MINTED FRIEND OF CARTIER YOYO CAO REVEALS WHAT CONTINUES TO DRIVE HER.

- LYNETTE KOH

Few celebrities would say yes to a major haircut on the very day of a magazine cover shoot for one of the biggest jewellery brands in the world. For Singapore-based, Macau-born fashion influencer and entrepreneur Yoyo Cao, that's all in a day's work. Before our cover shoot in Vienna featuring the 35-year-old wearing Cartier's latest Nature Sauvage high jewellery pieces, she thought nothing of having her bangs cut short when told by the hairstylist they were too long for the shoot's look.

Between sips of hot tea during our interview, Yoyo, dressed in a Dior denim jumpsuit, recalls the moment. "It was a last-minute thing. Manisa (the hairstylist) was like, 'Are you sure?' I said, 'Yes, cut it.' I held up a hotel towel because we didn't want hair to drop on the carpet." Elaborating on her willingness to change up her appearance, the elfin-faced style icon says, "For shoots, I try to present a different side of me every time. I don't want to look the same as I did on the last cover. I want people to see the magazine and go, 'Hey, that's Yoyo!' That's how you get people's attention and get them to actually look inside the magazine." Classic, eclectic, boho, preppy, sophisticated, sweet, and so on: A quick scan of her magazine spreads and innumerable street-style photos over the years demonstrates how easily she steps into a spectrum of styles.

A DECADE OF STYLE