Casual brilliance

CEBU, Philippines - Style and fashion have evolved countless times since Eve wore the proverbial fig leaves to cover herself. If she’s not a free spirit, I can’t imagine who is. And freedom is what fashion is all about ever since, well, fig leaves became out of style. The radical spirit of all those worshippers in the altar of style who manned the anti-establishment and eventually became the establishment, as to better put it, “on the move all the time as sign of the times.” This calls for casual brilliance amidst the dizzying frenzy of what to wear. Modern women, and men, after all, have ease and comfort at the back of their minds devoid of constrictions and taboos.

A couple of months ago, Parkmall’s team, headed by Judith Sellner and Renee Tan, were looking for ways to answer the needs of today’s discriminating consumer. Last weekend, Parkmall launched Parkmall Fashion Week (yes, it really lasts a week). The Parkmall Fashion Week will end tomorrow with a highly anticipated fashion show and event finale at 6 in the evening. Styled by Jewel Jalandoni, her aesthetics were a reflection of this generation’s very particular rock-tastic spirit—dark lipstick for the whimsical pieces from Parkmall’s shops, strict, but Lurex-sparkly. If the huge shoulders were a little too Balmain-esque, the tensely tailored jackets, whether colorific or neutral, were the kind of items that scream for a rock-chick strut and of course the accessories. The men’s layering and construction that dictated the silhouette reeked of comfort. That same rock chick would probably prefer the pelmet minis with matching tights, maybe even when paired with a wide belt. But even the most eccentric aspects of the collection could be justified by the fact that a forward thinking ideology is the woman (and man) these clothes were designed for. And that is true fashion integrity. ?