|
By Rome Jorge
THEY want to hammer the last nail into the
coffin of oversized board shorts and boxer undies; instead, they
would have us wearing tight-assed trunks in satiny colors. They want
to bring back plaid, but not as flannel shirts, but as tailored
pants—more post-David Beckham Burberry’s than Pearl Jam grunge.
They still want us lugging our gym bags, not as Cordura nylon
utilitarian tote items but as patent leather fashion statements with
gold buckles and zippers. Listen up, guys; the fashion designers
speak. The word up from veteran designers: “Don’t be a victim of
fashion; be a slave to it,” says the timeless Oskar Peralta.
They conspire to inject color in our lives, from
the rugged elegance of distressed, stenciled and embroidered coats
paired with faded denim jeans and splattered shirts—most notably
of Derick Hibaler’s designs—to suits in tropical colors and
satiny fabrics from the likes of Anthony Nocom and Lyle Ibanez. For
his part, M Barretto creates a modern classic by mixing neutrals
with a plethora of colors.
For the women in our lives, they would have them
wear the ultimate in hemlines; not micro miniskirts but long blouses
(do away with the skirt altogether and just put a belt around the
tee!) with asymmetric hems that do little to hide the hot short
shorts and leggings they are meant to pair. Even better, they
foretell a return to the sultry and sensuous—albeit edgy and
bodacious—elegance.
Glimpsing the parade of this year’s latest
trends at Fashion Week 2007 from the perspective of an
ordinary-average guy (translation: fashion illiterate), this I have
to say: it’s great to be a man this year.
You heard me right. After surviving every kind
of retro movement—from retro hippie to retro mod to retro
disco-punk—we may be arriving at a fashion sense that the first
decade of the new millennium can truly call its own.
Today’s emerging young designers exhibit their
genius with couture witticisms: the design on the back of James
Reyes’ white dress is the silhouette of hand pulling down the
zipper at the back, Patty Eustaquio’s origami-inspired abstract
folds not only on the dress but also on her paper head pieces.
These are but glimpses of what’s unfolding at
the ongoing Philippine Fashion Week 2007. Watch out for more fashion
forecasts. Don’t be a victim. Be a slave to fashion.
|
