If I were too lazy to write a trend report, I’ll just say that stylish Filipino men are into nice-fitting pants (and the occasional skinny jeans on emo kids), a nice fitting shirt- not too tight (feeling maganda ang katawan) or too loose (people stuck in the baggy era), a nice pair of leather shoes or sneakers which depends on the age). Then I’ll just call it a day and publish this trend report. Yawn! Filipino men are so boring fashion wise. But I’m a sucker for those “pormas” since men become Mr. Mabango (a male equivalent of Ms Mabango) with that kind of get up. They don’t have bags too, they just have a leather wallet tucked in their back pocket.
I’m in a trends class, so I better look for something not so mundane. I hunted for exciting new man trends in Brasil-pilipinas event and there were many unusual yet exciting outfits I have found. Fedoras and hats, I found a lot of those in the event. I asked my resident alpha male (my boyfriend), lovingly called Nate, if he would wear a fedora hat in a mall. He said he was “too old to act like that Justin ‘Timberland’ character”. Another, resident alpha male, my brother, said it was too gay to wear fedora hats to a mall.
From a sociological point of view, the men who wore the fedora hats can be classifies into three groups; 1) The I’m too young to care group , 2) the artsy group and 3) I’m too confident or cool to care what others think group. Also, none of them were cute except for the Brazilian professor (pwede na) , and Amer’s boyfriend. Most of them were gay or the odd artsy types (not the Mr. Mabango we can show to our parents). I guess fedora’s can assist us spot gays in the Philippine metropolis or maybe solely in this event.
The fedora was worn by men since 1919 but it was initially worn by women. It’s been worn in Justin Timberlake’s Seňorita video (2001), Britney’s inebriated paparazzi pics (post-Federline), celebs vacationing in Cabo, and eventually Rockwell Tent. So in the trend cycle chart, the fedora’s probably cycled 6x over, and it’s probably in its early adopter stage since it is only sported by a tiny portion of the Filipino populace or maybe I’m hanging out in the office or SOFA too much that I don’t see the pervasiveness of the fedoras. I somehow feel that it is at it’s peak now due to my quick visit in Megamall. I saw the fedora in Bench, SM mall and, lo and behold, GAP. It’s sold in the mainstream market now. I cant exactly pinpoint it in the cycle especially if it keeps resurrecting everywhere. It’s actually a cute thing to wear in the beach if it’s made of straw, not wool or felt. I only saw a wool fedora in a beach worn by a Japanese man (yes, I’m racist now aside from matapobre).
The fedora plethora can fall under Popcorn’s “Clicking with Mancipation” trend. In my own point of view, I think the fedora represents a “movement” that rejects the pack mentality. It acknowledges that every man is UNIQUE. Not every guy must succumb to the Mr Mabango apparel. Straight men can be vain and wear the cool things that gay people wear, like fedoras (even inside the mall).
Regarding fashion leadership, basing it in the Philippines society, my best bet is the “trickle down theory” I saw it in American pop culture first before I saw it resting on Sarah Meier’s head. I think this was circa 2004. I think the people seen above are just buying surplus, since they stated that they bought it in an ukay-ukay, Divisoria, and some other small scale store.
Now to the kiddies…
After the world has seen Mr. And Mrs. Smith, the obsession for Angelina Jolie has intensified, especially after she was rumored to be the reason why the golden couple (as in literally golden with all the faux tans) have divorced. Ok, she’s worth obsessing about. She has the exotic f**k me looks, a UN passport, millions of dollars, a hot partner, great roster of movies, flying skills, and etc. Many have attempted to be like their demigod Jolie, by spending thousands of dollars to get those goldfish lips, wearing her clothes, getting her dragon tattoos, getting her nose or her mental idiosyncrasies. Not everyone can afford couture gowns, endure painful surgeries and recovery periods, tattoos, and some people find her speech in the Oscar’s ludicrous! So many turned they’re kids as a channel to venerate Angelina Jolie. They gave their kids Mohawks, which I admittedly find adorable. But ladies, even if your “Maddox” has a cute do, or even adopt a Cambodian kid, you will still look like the mom that you are, JUST GIVE UP, you’ll never look like Angelina Jolie. Even Megan Fox does not look like her. She looks like a Thai transvestite (nyar!).
The whole kiddie Mohawk the fad is more of a trickle-across theory, let’s just remove Angelina Jolie as part of the theory because it will be a trickle down thing. The moms of the kids were from the same class probably lower uppe rclass, they belong to the same age group-late twenties, and they even belong to the same high school. So far, I haven’t seen a “kanto” kid with a Mohawk. When I asked my driver if he knows who Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, he said he knows celebrities named Brad Peet and Angelina Jolly. To my dismay, they actually exist.
I don’t know where exactly know where the kiddie Mohawks are in the trend cyc le, since I saw around two kids last year sporting the do. I think it’s still in it’s introduction stage. It’s not yet the hip thing for kids. It the kiddie Mohawk is a cycle- it must be a really slow one. Maddox had the do back in 2005.
If I were Popcorn, I’ll classify this kiddie trend as a pleasure revenge trend. Since, this is the couples who did this to their kids are young couples and they sort of gained some financial independence already. They are doing this to shock their parent or to shock the priest baptizing their latest child. This hairdo is still somewhat unconventional to the conservative older crowd.
Recently, I saw a lot of children wearing printed tops with skulls on it. If kids are miniature version of us, my examples here are not the reflection of their parents. I’m thinking that the parents are too tired to think about the image of the “punk” child is projecting. Perhaps their shirts were the only spare tops they had after the kid spilled his chocolate pudding for the nth time.
I saw skulls and punk themes on children’s wear circa 2005-2006. During the height of this annoying girl- Avril Lavigne, Sum 21, and all those angry screaming band kids. Since I’m a closeted punk, I take heed of details like this. Skulls and punk in general is going down the trend cycle chart. I saw some shirts with skull in SM recently. DECLINE stage is the verdict. Seriously, I’m really sick and tired of skulls!
In fashion leadership, I guess, it’s trickle down once again. I saw the shirts in the US in Gwen Stefani’s store- LAMB during Feb 2006.
As a popcorn trend, I wouldn’t know where I can classify it. Its either a pleasure revenge to piss off grandparents again by their kids unfortunately or 99 lives. I classified it as 99 lives sine the parents made their kids wear those shirts since it’s the only remaining shirt they have left in the yaya tote or most of the available shirts for kids now has skulls or some punk statement.
Carla Sta. Cruz
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