Has she made mistakes with her collection? “I rarely make mistakes when it comes to design and have kept almost everything since I started collecting. But I would say that after so many years I’d steer clear of obviously branded pieces and also materials that tarnish or wear easily in humidity as I find that these pieces do not have longevity and can look dated,” she said.

To store her collection, Chen keeps the smaller pieces in clear pouches for visibility and to prevent tarnishing, while larger and more fragile pieces are kept in their original boxes. Hats and most hair accessories are kept in hat boxes in her cupboards with charcoal filters.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWING YOUR STYLE

Chen doesn’t believe in taking yourself too seriously when dressing up but shared that when mixing pieces, having a ratio helps. She explained, “For example 4:1, four low-end pieces mixed with one high-end piece creates a good synergy and does not make you look like a walking brand advertisement.”