SINGAPORE – Within the ranks of the top designers of his time, Tan Yoong, who dressed Asean royalty and local blue bloods, was something like the first among equals.

Singapore’s foremost couturier of the 1980s to the 2000s died in 2017, from a fall at home at the age of 66. He is best remembered for his bridal gowns and orchid dresses in layered organza – a calling card which took off from his Cattleya Collection in 1990.