I’ve always believed that stripes and flowers make a wonderful combination. There’s something about the discipline of a stripe against the wildness of a flower that just works. It’s a contrast I’ve always loved, and one that feels very much at home at nala.

This weekend, we’re introducing our new frill skirts and balloon skirts, made from classic Oxford shirting fabrics. Think crisp cotton shirts, rolled-up sleeves and a gentleman’s wardrobe, except we’ve taken these rather proper fabrics and turned them into something altogether more feminine.

Oxford cloth has quite an interesting history. Despite its rather grand name, it didn’t actually originate at Oxford University. According to a popular account, a Scottish textile mill in the 19th century developed four fabrics named after famous universities: Harvard, Yale, Cambridge and Oxford. Of the four, Oxford became the enduring classic, eventually finding its way into the wardrobes of generations of men.

The stripes have their own story. Striped textiles have travelled across cultures for centuries, with the classic Bengal stripe tracing its roots to India before becoming a favourite in British shirting. By the 20th century, striped Oxford shirts had become part of the American Ivy League look, associated with university students, artists and that rather effortless style of dressing we now call preppy.

What I find interesting is that these fabrics were traditionally associated with men’s clothing. They’re practical, crisp and understated, which makes them all the more exciting when you introduce a frill or give them the exaggerated volume of a balloon skirt.

In many ways, I see Oxford stripes as the English cousin of our Malaysian pelikat. Both are familiar everyday fabrics, traditionally worn in quite different ways, and both have a wonderful simplicity about them. I rather like the idea of taking something so ordinary and giving it an entirely different life.

The frill skirt is particularly clever because it can also be worn as a top. Wear it around your waist as a skirt or pull it up and wear it as a top, giving you two completely different looks from one piece. The balloon skirt, meanwhile, is all about shape and volume. I love both worn with our floral prints, although they’re equally lovely with a simple T-shirt or even more stripes.

We sourced all the fabrics from a little shop in Chinatown, which makes this collection especially meaningful to me. I love discovering these fabric shops and supporting the people who keep them going. The skirts are made in-house by our own team, something I’m particularly proud of, because there’s nothing quite like seeing an idea go from a roll of fabric to a finished piece.

Our new frill and balloon skirts launch this weekend in all our Malaysian stores. Singapore will have to wait a little longer until our new store at Great World reopens.

I hope you’ll have as much fun wearing them as we’ve had making them. After all, who says men’s shirting has to stay in a man’s wardrobe?