Fashionspotting

I got random people who were all so trendy, and they were having dinner together too. I actually love the leftmost outfit. I rarely see curtain textile used for outfits, and the golden, silver and bronze embroidery were making me drool. And the grey butterfly jersey sleeved top was also a perfect icing to a very ostentatious skirt. But the grey “Chanel” bag was just too much, life is too depressing enough don’t add more gray bags to it. I loved the gold chain on the bag though. It’s became a color replica of her outfit. I remembered that this lady also sported gold strappy shoes. Thank god that she wore strappy shoes! Booties, gladiator types, and anything that looked like Lady Gaga’s accessories are already making me vomit. Down with the spikes, chains, and anything metallic! I’m saturated with it already.

I don’t know where the glossy curtain type of textiles are exactly in the trend cycle, but it think I saw this exact skirt in H&M last November. It was also available in some stores but I haven’t seen anyone donning it yet. Either it never clicked in the Philippine public or it is still within the introduction or increase in population phase. Whatever stage it is, this embroidered fabric excites me.

The use of embroidery to decorate clothes has been around since man began to wear clothes. A method of decorating and embellishing clothing, embroidered designs came about as a result of hard work and care. Embroidery as an art form has origins that can be traced far back to the Iron Age.

This probably started when the primitive man used rudimentary needles and sewn furs together. As a natural progression, he/she also discovered that the same thread could be used to make decorative patterns on the clothes. If he were more gay than the other Homo Erectus types, he probably also used colourful beads, stones and bones to add to these decorations which was discovered in some archeological finds.

Several excellent examples of beautiful embroidery work are still surviving till date. Samples can be found from Ancient Egypt, China, Persia, India and England. Each country has its own distinctive style of embroidery, which incorporates the culture and imagery from their history and tradition.

Embroidered clothing was also considered to be a symbol of wealth (case in point: Elizabeth I). Many scenes from history are often found embroidered onto fabric – a wonderful example is the Bayeux Tapestry. This is 231 feet long and portrays the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

I actually love two outfits from the picture shown above. I love the leftmost the most. I probably I liked this because I have the propensity to wear white all the time. It’s my fave color in fact but it does not reflect the state of my soul. Hehehe. I probably liked this because I’m to bombarded with spikes, skulls, chains, goth makeup and all that jazz, so less is more to me nowadays. I always have a thing for understated and relaxed elegance. I loved the bag, I also liked how she played with the denim top I just wished she changed her belt and stuck to gold jewelry. I didn’t like the cross, but I love how she layered her jewelry. I’m not a fan of gladiator heels.

If I had better looking legs, I’ll sport this outfit.

I completely agree with Previews trend report, that we will all go back to basics. I love that nude is coming back. I’m just overwhelmed with those emo-punk fashion themes.

I like the display in this nameless store in Rockwell (linked to SSI or Rustan’s). They don’t have flashy window displays since they always used the design of their clothes as the focal point of the display.. So far, their designs have been innovative, not built for the masses, but a fashionable Upperclass to upper-middle class market.

This store has positioned itself well- in Rockwell. And the store sort of mimicked the interiors and the kind of service that one might see in Bergdorf Goodman. None of those pestering salesladies who would follow you like your shadow. The sales reps in that store gave the right amount of distance and attentiveness a shopper might need. It is also less stressful to men, since it had enough space and they don’t feel bombarded with so much choices and other brouhahas that others store have. Shopping is an unhealthy practice for men because it known to raise their cortisol levels making them more prone to heart attacks. No wonder men i know- gay, “straight” or straight loves this store.

I also liked this store not only because of their designs, but they give great options for career-driven and corporate women who have no time to be fashionable. There are times when I catch myself to tired to look cute or put on makeup. So a fabulous office top or office dress that can glam me up instantly, without being paralyzed with the thought of what to wear is a breath of fresh air.

I loved this store/stall due to it’s organization, and I was initially drawn to the floral prints (it must be my insane hormones that made me like floral-so unlikely of me though). This store made me feel like I was going to find something one of a kind and cheap finds, even if I know that I’ll find the same choices in another hybrid-store-stall in podium. It make me feel like I’m in a bangketa but it’s comfortably situated in Rockwell and no guy will whisper “dibidee” to me here. At least, when I buy clothes here I know that what I bought is not as mass-produced like the ones in Kamiseta.

The sales rep here are very helpful, but not too annoyingly subservient and shadow-like.

This store has no market strategies, but they give calling cards with their multiply address and cell phones numbers. They also asked for my email add, and I gave my fake one of course, since I have enough spam to receive from stores like this in a day.

I don’t know which exact trend (from Clicking) I can categorize these two stores. I can probably put the first store(which I’ll lovingly call Store A) in Mancipation since this store can be a channel for men or “men” to be spiffy or vain, a’la Bergdorf style, and they can always say, I need work clothes, and if they have kids with them the sales rep sort of know what to do with those gremlins. I’m not entirely sure, that this store as a shoo-in for Mancipation, but it can be.

Store A can also be classified under “Clicking with Small Indulgences”. That’s how I felt towards this store when I entered corporate Philippines and I was way underpaid- it was almost white slavery when I thought about it”. Since I couldn’t afford spas without daddy power (aka credit card), Store A was an Indulgence store for me, and a great excuse to say “I shopped for work apparel”.

I can also create a trend for Store A called “I shop for Pseudo-work apparel” or . We never had a lot of sheer material for work during 1970’s unless one was a baby prostitute or extremely flamboyant patters like the white top/dress in the first pic. It looks like a type of outfit you’d wear for “Ladies who lunch occasion” or even a gimik (by just adding the right accessories). Maybe I should call this trend “From Corporate to Burgos Street” (uh I meant Gimmick).

For the store-stall hybrid, which I’ll call Store B. it was pretty hard to classify this under a Popcorn trend too. Perhaps, I’m making another Sta. Cruz trend “Called-let-not-this-stall-fool-you-it’s equally-priced”. Don’t let the whole “tiangge” or thrift shop feel fool you. You’re not getting a bargain or a fashionably chic needle in a haystack. The items you get there probably has 20 duplicates, and the quality is sometimes not as good. It’s sort of a mild punishment for people who are too lazy to actually brave Divisoria or a Bangketa.

Another trend I came up for Store B is “I-mimicked-a-lot-of-US-or- European-fashion-magazines”. It’s seems like most of the items there were cloned from magazines such as vogue of Instyle, but the quality is compromised and it’s made from fabrics coming from Divisoria or China.

Carla Sta. Cruz