The medical director has an impressive collection that includes silhouettes that take after the New Look, the style of women’s clothing introduced by founder Christian Dior in his first haute couture collection in 1947
“I’ve never seen nothin’ so beautiful in my whole life,” exclaimed Angela Lansbury as she gaped at the two Dior gowns in a scene from the 1992 film Mrs ’Arris Goes to Paris. Set in London in the 1950s, the story followed a charwoman who had saved up for three years to purchase the gown from the house of Dior in Paris. Watching the film struck a chord with Caroline Low-Heah, who was then a student.
Flipping through issues of British Vogue that she had collected since 1982 as a teen growing up in the UK and Ireland, Caroline formed her style likes and dislikes. She first declared a love for French fashion designer Emanuel Ungaro in 1985. “I spent my first salary as a houseman on a dress from Mr Ungaro,” she recalled. “There goes my salary!” She developed an appreciation for the old glamour look, which led her to Dior during its stylistic director Gianfranco Ferré’s last season.
Now the medical director of Drs Jiten & Caroline Medical Centre, the self-professed “one-brand woman” is not just a Dior customer but also a collector. Standouts from her wardrobe include an evening dress with a corset‑like back, a grey shift dress inspired by men’s tailoring, and silhouettes that take after the New Look, the style of women’s clothing introduced by founder Christian Dior in his first haute couture collection in 1947—her favourite era from the house’s 72‑year legacy. Featuring a cinched waist, rounded shoulders and a full skirt with a hem that fell just below the knee, the look was formal, classic and elegant—style notes that Caroline still live by.
Couture is a bit like a Nonya making Peranakan food from scratch. You cannot buy freshly ground ginger, you have to pound it yourself.