Celeb Stop

Sunday July 5, 2009

Prime time style

By Tahir Alhamzah

At the age of 35, Owen Yap has accomplished a lot – and yet this lad from Seremban remains humble.

He is a newscaster from 8TV's Mandarin primetime news edition, but those in the social scene in Kuala Lumpur would also have seen him as an event emcee. Otherwise, he attends events as a celebrity guest, to add that much-needed boyish charm.

At a recent afternoon tea party organised by a jeweller, Yap was planted as eye candy for the guests, much to the delight of those present at the event!

Chatting with the Malacca-born, Seremban-raised Yap is more than a pleasant affair.

Not only does he seem genuine in sharing his opinions and thoughts, this charmer has a way of making new acquaintances (such as yours truly) comfortable at the first meeting.

He seems to have the ability to win people over easily – how else would you explain the ladies who swoon whenever he is around? This skill must have been polished while he was lecturing. Upon completing his MBA from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Yap took up teaching, and his first batch of students happened to be a group of army officers. With a group of adult learners, Yap had to handle his students tactfully. "They didn't even call me Sir, just Mr Yap.

With that group of students, you needed to be professional and acknowledge their seniority and ranking.

At the same time, I made it clear as to why I was hired to teach them."

In 2004, after five years of teaching, Yap heard that there was a vacancy for a newscaster at 8TV. Armed with a "never say never" philosophy, Yap applied for the job to read Mandarin news. "I must admit that Lady Luck was with me when I went for the audition. The station was actually looking for a male anchor. Two weeks after the audition, I was on board." Since then, Yap has appeared as host in various TV programmes such as 8TV's Hey! Morning and NTV7's game show Deal or No Deal.

"Normally, newscasters are not encouraged to helm other TV programmes that could cast him in a different light.

News anchors are expected to have a serious, no-nonsense image whereas on other programmes, the host might have to be open with his emotions.

But I'm not complaining as I have been blessed with rather flexible working conditions," says Yap.

As an emcee-for-hire, he is one of the most sought-after in Kuala Lumpur. After all, there are not many male competitors with the complete package – good-looks, well-versed in English and Mandarin and friendly in demeanour.

With his fame rising, it was not surprising that Yap was asked to star in commercials too. Last year, he was the brand ambassador for Nescafe and more recently, he has been engaged as a celebrity friend of skincare brand Clarinsmen.

This year, he is the face for Endah Promenade Condominium and has also modelled for fashion brand Crocodile in Singapore.

Yap also freelances as a columnist for a few Chinese publications and occasionally gives talks at colleges and charity events.

Being a public figure, Yap believes that he has to take good care of himself in terms of appearance.

"I am not that fashionable a person but I'd describe myself as a simple person who believes that when you look good, you feel good.

"An emcee needs to have his confidence. So, when you look like a million bucks, you will feel like a million bucks! Thus, you need to invest in a good wardrobe, not only for the sake of wearing fabulous clothes, but to boost your confidence."

Yap adds,"When hosting events, I would normally opt for a formal or preppy look. You can never go wrong with a suit as it brings out the best in you.

"But when I'm on my own, I don't mind going around in my casuals: three-quarter shorts, glasses and my cap. When I say glasses, I mean prescription glasses, not those those hide-my-face sunglasses. I'm not a superstar who needs to do that!" laughs Yap.

He does not believe in going for a head-to-toe designer look. "One doesn't need to be completely decked out in expensive clothes to make a statement.

"Mixing and matching high and low fashion is a better way when it comes to clothing.

Having said that, I do believe in investing in good quality designer goods which are uncompromising in their quality – like my Louis Vuitton shoulder bag, which I have used for more than five years."

His advice is simple: "One should know his style when buying clothes and accessories". Yap adds, "That way, you'll be able to mix and match items. If you know how to do that, you'll end up looking good.

I'm lucky to have friends who are well-versed with fashion trends, so I get updated regularly by them.

Though I get tips from them, the final decision always lies with me. After all, I know best what my style is."