What do men really want? Ask Paolo Lobregat!

Thirty-five-year-old Paolo Lobregat appears to be one of those men who was born knowing exactly how a button-down shirt should properly fit, the appropriate length for the sleeves of a blazer, and how tapered a pair of good pants should be, along with where they should fall on top of a shiny pair of loafers. However, he is quick to give credit where it is due — his beautiful wife, also a fashion buyer for Rustan’s Department Store, Katrina Tantoco-Lobregat. “Not that I dressed poorly before, but since I’ve been with Katrina, she’s basically helped me a lot with finding my own identity in terms of dressing up or even just carrying myself. She had a lot to do with kind of grooming and molding me, which is good,” he shares.

Striped long-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts and brown woven belt all by Oleg Cassini. Dark blue slip-on shoes by SeaVees. (Inset: Apart from selecting and styling the clothing for the shoot, Paolo personally fixed the model’s tie, folded his sleeves, and even unbuttoned his shirts a little!) Make-up by Byron Velasquez for MAC Cosmetics Photos by FERNAN NEBRES

However, he is quick to mention that he wasn’t at all unkempt before she came along — just perhaps a little more rugged because he was more athletic back then, particularly when he was about 18 or 19 and played football for the national team. “I had longer hair, and I was a little more carefree and casual. I wore more baggy clothes and bigger shoes. Back then that was kind of the in-thing, right?” Without a doubt, if Paolo had been born a decade later, it would be his face we’d be seeing smiling alongside the Younghusband brothers in one of their many billboard endorsements with the Azkals. “Back when I was on a team, we didn’t get as much support as the Azkals do now, so I’m very happy that they’re getting all this interest, and they’re getting more exposure when playing against international teams.”

If that had happened to Paolo, it might have been a significant boon to Philippine football (and perhaps to the growing hordes of Azkals fangirls), but thank goodness for the Rustan’s Men’s Section it didn’t. It would be pretty difficult to find someone better suited, so to speak, for his job. In an exclusive one-one-one with Philippine STAR, Paolo lets us in on the past, present, and future of Filipino men’s fashion in Rustan’s:

PHILIPPINE STAR: What are you wearing today?

PAOLO LOBREGAT: Well, my shirt is Façonnable, which we carry in the Men’s Section of Rustan’s, my shoes are Salvatore Ferragamo, and my pants are J. Crew, which we don’t carry. (Laughs)

J. Crew and Façonnable are categorically very preppy brands. Are you a fan of the preppy look?

I wouldn’t classify myself as a preppy dresser. I just like the preppy look because it’s comfortable and it doesn’t take me a very long time to think of what to wear. The best part is that it’s just very easy and casual. Plus, it’s making a comeback right now in the fall/winter collections in our Men’s Section in Rustan’s.

As the head buyer for the Rustan’s Men’s Section, how much of your personal preferences are factored into selection of brands and merchandise?

That’s a good question! I basically had to learn the hard way. Before, my personal preference had a lot to do with it, and then I realized that what I liked wasn’t necessarily what the market was looking for. Personal preference should always be there, but at the same time, you always have to keep in mind what your customers are looking for.

In an interview with the STAR three years ago you mentioned that you wanted to “tackle the challenge of expanding the Men’s Section and giving it an atmosphere of its own.” Would you say that you’ve been able to achieve this?

Definitely a lot of positive changes from three years ago. We’ve expanded the Men’s Section, and we recently acquired the Essenses area below the first floor of Rustan’s Makati. We’re going to be putting in more categories, like luggage, bringing in an Apple concept store, and a couple of other concept stores that are kind of in the works, as well. 

I think we’re going to continuously evolve through the years in positive ways, but right now, I feel we’ve been going towards the right direction.

Tell me about some brands that you’re excited about.

For men’s fashion, it’s Façonnable, Hackett from London, and Report Collection. Façonnable is a brand that originated in Nice, France, and what’s nice about it is it’s a complete line. We carry belts, footwear, and a denim collection, which does very well because it’s available in several fits. Report is a brand that designs their clothing for young professionals who go out at night; it’s business-wear with a twist.

We’re going to completely re-launch our private label line of Oleg Cassini. We’re going to come up with an entirely new size chart, size scales — shirts and pants are going to fit differently. We’ll come up with an entirely new look, although the core values of the brand will still be intact.

What about men’s footwear?

We’ve expanded our footwear section. Our top-selling brands are Magnanni, which is from Spain, Fratelli Rossetti from Italy, Allen-Edmonds from the US, To Boot New York, which are formal and casual footwear that are designed in New York, but all made in Italy. We’re also delving into the casual footwear, and the newest brand that we have is SeaVee, which is a very casual, easygoing footwear brand from California. In terms of quality, you get a lot of bang for your buck because the price point is very good.

What other things should we look forward to in the Rustan’s Men’s Section?

Well, we’ve recently started expanding our gift section or our Discovery Shop. We have our novelty section where you’ll find Authentic Models, which has been around for 50 years. They started off in Holland, and take their inspiration from archaeology, aeronautical and maritime pieces. Their model boats are actual boats that were raced in the America’s Cup in the 1960s and 1970s, which I love. Same goes for their model planes and hour glasses.

Then there’s writing gift sets by Francesco Rubinato. Hailing from Italy, he eventually became known all throughout Europe as the go-to person for special writing instruments and accessories. We also have Spicher and Co., which are signages that do very well for us. The artist, Kolene Spicher, is based in the US. 

For bigger pieces, we carry Prizmic and Brill, who is an American designer based in Pampanga. Our collection includes the Secretary Trunk, Voyager Personal Locker and our bestseller, the Kipling Desk — very well-designed and made. We also have Dale Mathis, a Filipino-American designer who exports most of his pieces to the US, so we are his exclusive partners in the Philippines, and every piece you buy from us by him is basically a one-off.

What about gift items that are slightly more affordable?

Well, we also have quirkier options, like Kikkerland, which makes our bestselling Kikkerland Samurai Umbrella and Kikkerland Decision Maker, the Ace Bottle Opener, which also does very well, the Coffee Fund Money Box, classics like our Rubik’s Cube, and so on. I wouldn’t say that these items are necessarily for younger people, just more humorous ones.

Speaking of gifts, what’s the best one you’ve ever received?

The best gift that I’ve received would be a watch from my wife that she got me for Christmas, almost four years ago, and I love watches. My son, who’s only four, does a lot of drawing as these little gifts, which I also love. It doesn’t necessarily have to be material; as long as it’s personal, I think that’s good enough.

To know more about Rustan’s products and services, call Rustan’s Makati at 813-3739, Rustan’s Shangri-La at 633-4636 to 50, Rustan’s Gateway at 911-2401, Rustan’s Alabang Town Center at 850-5532, and Rustan’s Cebu at (032) 231-5643.