Harlan+Holden: Modern, fluid fashion

While shopping at Adora I spotted a rack of clothes that looked really interesting, so I walked over and started browsing in earnest.

You know how most women describe their style as “classic with a twist”? Well, these fashions fit that description perfectly: they were extremely wearable yet sophisticated, and had a certain je ne sais quoi that made them stand out and state, “I’m special.”

I looked at the label: Harlan+Holden. Didn’t ring a bell, but it certainly sounded foreign, and the way the clothes were made seemed to bolster that fact. A color-blocked dress I’d fixated on (this was way before color blocking became really trendy, btw) was fully lined and the seams so well-sewn I could have worn it inside out and no one would have noticed.

The price was the deciding factor. A fashionable dress of this quality had to come with an equally haute price, right? But when I turned the tag around, I had to blink a few times to register the fact that the dress cost less than P5,000.

That can’t be right, I thought. Someone must have made a mistake somewhere.

There was no mistake. Imagine my surprise at finding out that Harlan+Holden is a local brand created by Eman Pineda, the president of Adora and tour de force behind Tyler, as one of the chic department store’s in-house brands.

When I told him that I mistook Harlan+Holden for an imported label because of its global look and name, he replied, “It’s not about intending a name to look foreign. The intention was to use a name that connotes a clean and modern feel, that flows and sounds soft, rounded, nothing too straight, rigid or sharp.”

He said he created Harlan+Holden because he saw a shift in the aesthetic needs and wants of women. “There are three key words here: freedom, feminine, and modern. Women want a sophisticated yet unrestricting kind of aesthetic, also with a refined ease. The way it is worn and how it feels when worn — comfort — plays a big role as well in the aesthetic: how the woman feels in the clothes dictates how the woman will look in them.”

That’s certainly true. I’ve bought many a piece — both designer and not — that have remained unworn in my closet because what seemed acceptable in those brief, rushed moments in the fitting room seemed like madness at home. I forgot to sit in the dress — oh, dear, it’s actually too tight to sit in — or fitted the pants pre-meal, before finding out it felt like a tightening boa constrictor after ingesting a plateful of food.

My Harlan+Holden pieces (I’ve bought several since 2011, when the label was first launched) are not only comfortable but so striking in style that several people have asked what I’m wearing when I’m in my color-blocked dress. I tell Eman that the designs’ clean minimalism, coupled with the witty, almost avant-garde detailing, remind me of certain Japanese, Asian and Belgian designers, and he says his customers also cite American and European dressmakers — “name it. But the design team looks less to a country and more to the three key words that guide all its designs. The pieces are fluid, graceful, and have movement. Mostly lacking in ‘hanger appeal,’ the clothes come alive only when worn by the woman.”

Harlan+Holden have a team of designers that Pineda oversees. They have a weekly meeting to review all the designs and samples before they go into production locally, which explains the reasonable prices. Eman says that costs are in line with the extremely limited quantities that are produced per style and per size. “This ultimately reflects exceptional value for money,” he notes.

Sizes range from 36 to 44 — extra small to extra large — but as the majority of styles have relaxed silhouettes to allow freedom of movement, even a smaller size could be an easy and flattering fit on you. “Comfort is key,” Eman reiterates. “I can see the sexiness of a woman through a relaxed silhouette.”

Color is also very much a part of Harlan+Holden, as compared to Tyler, for example, which seems to specialize in black. “While we do have basic blacks and whites, we also offer a wide range of colors, depending on the thrust of the designers,” Eman says. True enough, the current summer 2013 collection, while highlighting chambray, is punctuated by an appealing array of sherbet hues like lavender, raspberry and orange.

Harlan+Holden has proved so promising that it’s merited a boutique of its own in Rockwell’s Power Plant Mall, where sales staff offer the kind of excellent, knowledgeable service Adora is known for. “Service is such a priority and a part of Harlan+Holden,” Eman says. “The brand is as much about the merchandise as it is about the service.”

Another important comment he often hears is the value for money that customers get. “We don’t say we are the most expensive or the most affordable. They tell us that they are getting the value they deserve.”

Ultimately he wants to have a really strong store team to deliver “legendary” service, and to eventually transform Harlan+Holden’s company into a for-profit educational institution.

“Cost-friendly couture with a conscience” — now, that’s definitely something I can get into.

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The Harlan+Holden boutique is at the ground level of Power Plant Mall (across the Rimowa store).  Harlan+Holden is also available at Adora in Greenbelt 5, Makati.