Welcoming the new urbanite

MANILA, Philippines - From casual to sophisticated, Penshoppe joined Philippine Fashion Week 2010 and took its already well-loved apparel a notch higher.

 Penshoppe unveiled its Holiday 2010 Collection called The New Urbanite Collection. “The collection is all about interpreting urban fashion’s sophisticated street style in London and New York. There is a new breed of fashion-aware individuals who have a very novel approach to dressing,” says Penshoppe’s hip brand director Alex Mendoza.

 “Through the apparel company’s unique sense of style, it elevates our status as a melting pot of creativity and fashion, and Penshoppe is there to offer the pieces they need to express themselves. That is why we called our show Elevation,” Mendoza further adds.

Take some pretty cool, casual wear, great pieces of knitwear and denims, fly them off to the high streets and fashionable walkways of London for inspiration, add a splash of sensible street culture and what you get is a sophisticated collection of classics. With a cool, calm collected collection in sleek blacks, cool grays and crisp whites, Penshoppe still maintains its signature style of clean and quality craftsmanship.

The most noticeable trend in the Holiday 2010 Collection is the tailoring and engineering that go into the structured pieces. The leather and fatigue jackets, denims in different washes and extensive khakis and military-inspired designs take on a trimmer silhouette. Nothing too baggy, showing or bedazzled. The silhouettes have updated themselves in form-fitting and very flattering shapes.

Gone are the days of sweet, teeny bopper trends and styles. Penshoppe aims to elevate its fashionable market and embrace even more audiences. Hip and trendy yuppies and beyond can get themselves into sleeker casuals that can transcend from day to night. Alex boasts of their denims. “I wear them every day,” he shares, looking very sharp in Penshoppe’s dark washed denim in a sleek cut, paired with a suit jacket and tie. 

The young’uns need not be limited by this cool palette of dusky blues and grays. For the younger market, pairing one or two pieces and adding a splash of color and eclectic accessories to what they have will add sophistication. Fashion-forward audiences in their mid-twenties and thirties can have their own take on these pieces and dress them up with snazzy shoes and belts for any occasion.

Penshoppe’s five topnotch collections are re-Designed, re-Imagined and re-Visioned. Here are the collections:

Tailored Sport. Tank tops, shorts, hoodies and varsity jackets are given an update with cool blues and grays in lightweight fabrics, geometric cuts, lines and blocks. Think bespoke active wear.

Restrained Distress. Pays homage to renegade artists who bring art and culture to the forefront; deconstructed denims washed and blasted in novel methods, plaid tops and polos in muted colors and easy, slouch dresses.

Retro Specs. Flashback to the James Dean and Marilyn Monroe epoch of timeless coolness; distressed statement and graphic prints, coated denim in jeans and jackets, and coats you would love to dock into.

Dark Romantics. Muted hues, stripes and prints updated with Victorian-esque details: band leader jackets and double-breasted coats.

Active Duty. Militia-inspired spunk in fatigues and khakis are no longer baggy and busy. Instead, coats, bomber jackets and clean-cut fitted shirts are crisp, tailored and fresh.

“We really feel that this collection fulfills the promise of a ReVisioned Penshoppe. Everything is carefully-planned and thought-out, from coming up with the designs, to the careful selection of fabrics, to the campaign and branding strategies,” says Bernie Liu, president and CEO of Golden ABC.

 Penshoppe opened in 1986. What started as a college project between friends back in 1986 grew to become Golden ABC today — the company behind Penshoppe, and one of the country’s dominant fashion retail powerhouses.