FOCUS
Fine Line
Threading a
Words Farhan Shah
Photos Glenn Lim + DOTE
the piece of paper, cracked open the
brown envelope, and gingerly slotted
in the defining moment of her life.
This is the story of a
woman who decided to
sacrifice what she had built
for a dream. Today, that
vision is a global fashion
business. Meet Dorothy
Loh, mother, entrepreneur
and a s ymbol for all women
out there.
Dorothy Loh read her carefullypenned resignation letter again, a
thousand thoughts whirling in her
mind. This was not what women her
age did. In 2005, the typical script
was for her to continue working hard
and climb the rungs of the corporate
ladder before starting a family. Life, it
seemed, had other plans. She folded
The 30-year-old banking executive
was going to become a full-time
student again, exchanging dollars
and cents for threads and needles,
chasing a dream not recommended
in the metaphorical Singapore
handbook. Dorothy had enrolled
herself in a fashion design course
at Raffles Design Institute. It was a
nine-month-long undertaking, an
attempt to “try something completely
different” while she still had the
freedom to do so. “I thought it would
be hard to do something like this
once I was married with children,”
shares Dorothy.
After graduation, Dorothy started
her own women’s ready-to-wear
label named Dotted Line. Two years
later, in 2007, the fashion designer
FAMILY & LIFE’S PICKS
We pick out our favourite Dote dresses from the extensive collection.
Check out www.dotestudio.com for more.
TWINKLE DRESS
They say you are what you wear.
Well, you’ll be twinkling from head
to toe with this empire style dress
made from rayon spandex. It also
features an empire band to allow you
to discreetly nurse your bundle of joy
wherever you are.
NADIA DRESS
In permanently summer Singapore,
there’s no better option than this one!
We love the polka dotted tulle panel at
the bodice and the skirt for that touch
of whimsical sophistication. Nursing
access is via two hidden openings
along two vertical seams at the bodice.
16
Family & Life • Oct 2014
gave birth to her first child and was
incredibly excited to nurture and
raise the two babies – Dotted Line
and young Ellis – in her life. Her
plan was to breastfeed Ellis for a
year. Unfortunately, her quest to find
fashionable nursing clothes proved
fruitless. “I could not find anything
that felt remotely true to my prepregnancy style,” says Dorothy.
“The options were limited compared
to regular clothes and it was
frustrating having to pass by
gorgeous clothes because they were
not nursing-friendly.”
THE BEGINNING
What was a talented and resourceful
fashion designer to do? Why, begin
her own nursing wear line, of
course. That was the genesis of Dote
Nursingwear.
It wasn’t a smooth-sailing journey
though. While other fashion