Personal style is easy to lose sight of in a world where fashion has become a performance for the camera.
With social media making it a competition for likes, the pressure for approval can sometimes overshadow the simple pleasure of dressing for oneself.
For Timur Gabriel, however, the distinction between dressing for attention and dressing authentically is not necessarily a contradiction.
Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur to parents from the entertainment industry, she has dabbled in acting, singing and comedy, bringing a flair for performance to her personal style.
The trick, she believes, is to ensure that the person behind the performance remains true to herself.
“Be the main character, but make sure that that main character is actually you,” says Gabriel, who is a little over 30.
It is a philosophy she recently put into practice at a Chanel event in Paris.
Initially inclined to play it safe in a classic black ensemble, Gabriel was encouraged by the brand to let her personality take centre stage.
Gabriel abandoned her original choice for an unusually structured, all-white look, finishing it with voluminous blonde waves and a face almost entirely painted silver.
The result was hardly an exercise in restraint. But that was precisely the point.
“Was I being performative? Yes, 100%. But was it a reflection of who I am? Yes too, 120%,” she says.
For Gabriel, personal style is not about avoiding the spectacle. It is about making sure that, beneath the statement-making clothes and social media scrutiny, the person being seen is unmistakably herself.
Your OOTD posts on Instagram show a naturally chic yet edgy approach to dressing. How would you describe your personal style?
I try to steer away from trends and wear whatever feels comfortable while flattering my figure.
On some days, my style can be quite masculine, on others, feminine. That being said, I always love a good pair of denims and prefer accessorising over wearing bold colours or patterns.
When I am feeling adventurous though, I love mixing traditional Malaysian silhouettes or prints like a batik print Cheongsam top with something contemporary like ripped jeans.
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What was your relationship with fashion like growing up, and when did you first realise that the way you dressed could be a form of self-expression?
It all started with (Y2K television shows) That’s So Raven and Lizzie McGuire! They are still my greatest fashion influences.
I don’t try to imitate how the characters dress, rather emulate how one’s style is a window to one’s personality.
I have always been adamant on just being myself as much as I can, and the way I dress is one of the ways I get to do that without any real repercussions.
I often get criticised for the way I dress though. Not everyone agrees that how I dress is necessarily stylish.
But I think dressing however you want without fear of judgement is stylish in and of itself.
You’ve also expressed support for Malaysian fashion brands. What is it about local design that you think makes Malaysia’s fashion scene distinctive?
The fact that Malaysian designers allow themselves tons of room to play while maintaining the heritage of traditional local design is what intrigues me.
Not everyone can do that. Often, as soon as you mess with the silhouette of traditional wear, you lose the key element that makes the cultural influence clear.
However, brands like Anaabu, Behati, Kanoe and Fetiche The Label consistently introduce contemporary elements that, rather than diluting the culture, highlight it through a different lens.
As an actress, singer and comedian, you move between very different creative worlds. How does your personal style shift with each of these roles, and what elements of your style remain distinctly your own?
I feel like no matter what I do, I always ensure that you can tell it’s me doing it.
Acting, singing, and comedy often merge into one in the work that I do, and I’m grateful that I get to do that at all!
I think that, no matter what I do, I try to be as honest as I can in terms of who I am. The person I am on camera is at least 90% who I am off-camera, so what you see is what you get.
That, I think, is the “style” that is distinctly my own.
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Are there any fashion trends you wish would disappear, and are there any past trends you’d love to see make a comeback?
The trend of feeling “cringe” needs to go away ASAP and the trend of fearlessly expressing oneself needs to make a comeback big time.
I think the fear of being judged stops people from expressing themselves through fashion in a way that truly reflects who they are.
If we’d stop being so afraid of being “cringe” we’d start seeing a lot more authentic, original, and iconic looks that everyone would benefit from.
