More than those corporate attires which make you look very respectable but cramps one’s style, I prefer very comfortable, casual and feminine outfits. The most manly outfit I confess to wearing is oversized pajama tops.
So, when an invite came up to attend UNO magazine’s fashion show for 2009 with the theme “Man Up!” featuring women dressed in men’s attire, I became intrigued about how the collections would look. Would the models turn out manly-looking (a thought I was not too keen about)? But curiosity got the better of me and before long, I was part of the beautiful crowd that went to the NBC Tent at the Fort last Nov. 16.
At the entrance, I was greeted by RJ Ledesma, UNO’s editor-in-chief. Yes, there too was Chris Tan, the boss of Kring at flippish.com who I first met at RJ’s book launch. Soon after, I spotted other blogger friends: Vince, Jayvee (also UNO’s Online Editor), Fritz, Noelle and Dhon. After a quick light meal at the buffet table spread out (c/o Tamayo’s Catering), Noelle, Fritz, Dhon and I found seats on one side of the runway. They announced free beer too (c/o San Miguel) but really now, I am not a beer drinker!
There were 4 stylists featured in the show: Mara Reyes (Gas, Bench and Diesel), Tricia Gosingtian (Massimo Dutti, Marithe et Francois Girbaud, and Levi’s), Xie Antonio (Gap, Celio, and DC), and Dominique Tiu (Blued, Raoul, and Marks&Spencer). This actually caught me delightfully surprised because it turns out that Tricia and Dominique are my oldest girl’s friends. Imagine that! So young and already bursting into the fashion scene!
The collections fortunately did not disappoint me. I thought they would all show up in striped suits like the invitation above! Good thing it was far from it. And it was fun to have Noelle beside me because while I had no idea who the models were, she’d lean towards me once in a while and give this fashion newbie her comments.
One fascinating thing she pointed out to me was the style where two men’s shirts were worn like a dress with parts of one shirt gathered at the back for that sheered look.
There were some clothes that really appealed to me. Classy yet sexy! Good for officewear. Great-looking for dinner out after.
For a first, this fashion show did show elements of men’s clothing although they did not bring it to the max yet as most of the styles were still more sexy than manly (which I actually liked, haha). Maybe they’ll be bolder next year and actually incorporate men’s clothing with a dash of femininity. That I’d like to see!
Here are some videos. The first one is from Dominique Tiu’s line; the second one is the parade of models towards the end of the show.
I did not go to the after-show party anymore at the For Members Only club but Noelle and I did get to have a few shots together, thanks to Fritz, our ultimate photographer! Thanks, Fritz.
And to everyone at UNO magazine and the 4 stylists, a big congratulations for a fantastic show. SEE YOU NEXT YEAR!