Hidden LEGACY

Vogue Singapore rediscovers fashion designer and model Vickie Dutton, a pivotal figure in Singapore's history who is known for her bold and hybridised twists on the kebaya.

- NICHOLAS SEE

While Singapore’s sartorial history might be younger than most, there is no doubt that many talented designers reside here. Progenitors such as Roland Chow might come to mind initially, but other pivotal figures have also contributed to the local fashion scene. Film-maker 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 on a 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 Dutton’s life record by record, interview by interview. The process proved arduous, with only bits and pieces of her life available in old newspapers and magazines. “We also tried to reach out to others who knew of Dutton then to obtain personal accounts,” recalls Ong, “but none of them were intimate connections.”