A house of style

THEIR camaraderie was as natural as the tinkling laughter that echoed throughout the interview. The affection between the four women was clear for all to see – it speaks of a friendship that is as long in duration as it is in depth.
The women in question are public relations practitioner Selina Yeop Junior, pop and R&B singer Ning Baizura, interior decorator Linda Uzir and television host Suraya Yeop Junior.
So, what do four different but equally successful ladies have in common?
A tight-knit friendship and a passion for style brought them together to open The Conversation Studio. For those who are not in the loop, the studio is an inspirational showroom that creatively combines the elegant fashion designs of Romyda_KL and luxe interiors by Linda Uzir Interiors.
"The idea of the studio originated from my notion of wanting to sell clothes. I've always wanted to be involved in the fashion industry and when Ning proposed for us to do something together, we decided on clothes. We felt that we have enough resources to get the ball rolling for our fashion line, and that was when I told her about Cambodian fashion designer, Romyda Keth," explained Selina, who has been wearing Romyda's clothes since 1998.
"I am familiar with Romyda because Selina has been wearing her creations for the longest time. In fact, her clothes are always in demand because people never fail to ask Selina about it," added Ning.
From there they roped in Linda and Suraya to handle the interior of the boutique. Located in the suburb of Medan Damansara, The Conversation Studio is situated in a house instead of the generic shoplot or shopping malls. Drawing inspiration from the beautiful Parisian style of french interior designing, the house personifies elegance and class at every corner.
"The studio is more like a home boutique, because we want to show the lifestyle of the people that we want to portray, especially the ladies. What we hope to achieve is that whenever people come here, they are inspired by our curated furniture pieces," elaborated Linda.
Suraya, who is one half of the interior duo, agreed as much: "We want people to get inspired to decorate their own home. What we noticed from countless visits to other people's homes is that they have beautiful houses, but they're not decorated properly. Hence, we want to change this."
While it is a unique idea to have it in a house, Selina said that that's not the exclusive reason.
"We want to give Malaysians a new shopping experience. As of now, shopping is mostly done in malls or boutiques, but when you come here you get to browse the clothing selections in the comfort and ambience of a very beautiful home.
"Moreover, girls like to shop with their girlfriends and if you shop at the mall or boutique, your friends can only stand around and wait. At The Conversation Studio, however, you can take your time because your friends can lounge in the living room and have refreshments."
Linda chimed in by saying that the studio offers patrons a personalised shopping experience with tip-top services. And it is hard to refute this as not only do they operate solely by appointments, but the owners are the ones who will serve you.
"This is the first time in Malaysia that we are offering something like this – an up close and personal shopping experience. We offer you a luxurious feel of shopping because when you are here, we will treat you like a queen," said Ning.
Although everything has been smooth sailing since it opened its doors more than a month ago with customers leaving its premises with at least four to five pieces each the ladies do hope that Malaysian women can be openminded about Romyda_KL.
"We encourage women to not have stereotypes on what they should, can or cannot wear. We often hear our customers lamenting on why they are not suited to a particular clothes that they like, and it is all brought upon by their mindset that only tall, young and slim women can wear it.
"This is incorrect and they are usually proven wrong when they try on the clothes. Therefore, we want people to just come here and give the clothes a shot. Our clothes have such flattering silhouettes that they accentuate every body type," advised Selina.
As the ladies were all wearing Romyda_KL collection during the interview, it was easy to concur that The Conversation Studio does house clothes that are as stunning on the rack as they are on the person.