Discovering fashion at the Shang

A couple of years ago, during a brief trip to Chaoyang District in Beijing, I stepped into an Alexander McQueen store as if  entering holy ground. I ogled everything like a tourist would, careful not to touch anything or heaven forbid trip all over myself like Carrie Bradshaw did in Dior. That it was such a foreign concept to me — to have a real designer store in my vicinity, was a bit sad. “When will we have stores like this in Manila?” I told a friend as we suffered the freezing cold in the park just to spy on local street style. “McQueen shirt, Lanvin jacket,” he pointed at one. “Last season’s Givenchy coat,” he pointed at another. We were in a public park, but it felt like a museum of living fashion.

Fast-forward to today, Christmas has arrived early. Just very recently, Herve Leger and Carven held their respective official launches at the Shangri-La Plaza East Wing, a budding destination for lovers of high fashion. It positions itself as a one-stop-shop for shopping and dining for those looking for restaurants and boutiques that are absent elsewhere. And now it’s quickly transforming many of its floors into lanes of high-end designer stores.

Carven

Carven clothes are characterized by wits and wander — when it was created in 1945, French haute couture was restricted to austerity and Carven broke through with freshness and spontaneity. For the summer 2014 collection, Carven borrows from the ‘90s attitude — think Juliette Lewis, Drew Barrymore and Liv Tyler, featuring tensions between couture volumes and sportswear-inspired fabrics.

Herve Leger

French fashion house Herve Leger pioneered the concept of bandage dresses using materials traditionally associated with foundation garments that mold and shape the woman’s figure. For spring 2014, pieces have a geometric feel, with zipper details, crochet, jacquards, fringe and beading adorning a clean, neutral palette. Pieces in store consist of classic body-con dresses to flared silhouettes, swim/loungewear and evening wear.

Paul & Shark

Paul & Shark is a sportswear brand, inspired by the yachting world back in the ‘70s. A memorable milestone for the brand was a sweater designed and intended for the sea. Today, Paul & Shark is a total–look luxury brand that uses high-performance materials, many of which are patented by Paul & Shark. Paul & Shark’s collections under the Men’s, Ladies, Cadets and Accessories, are distributed all over the world.

Versace Jeans

The new spring/summer 2014 collection features two different takes on the same theme: those of the carefree and frantic adolescents on the one hand and the more mature and romantic on the other. The rose, the symbol of this collection, is devised with different techniques. Simplified and synthesized in its shape, it becomes the subject of prints on jersey, denim and woollens, as well as traditional and laminated embroideries, studs or strass trimmings, knitwear.

Massimo Bonini

Massimo Bonini is a recognized world leader in the distribution of multi-branded accessories. The first Philippine store boasts a variety of shoes, bags and accessories from noted brands such as Versace, Roberto Cavalli, McQ, Giambattista Valli, Azzura Gronchi, BB Washed, Campanille, Diego Dolcini, EE by Ernesto Esposito, ETRO, Gedebe, Henderson, Kalliste, Kartell, N21, Sebastian, and Stephen Venezia.

Santoni

Santoni shoes, even in the presence of unending stylistic change, have transformed this craft into an art form. Now shapes, structures, processes, techniques that arise not only from the experience and an innate aptitude at elegance, but a true culture of the shoe that began with the male shoe cobbler connoisseur, have been extended to women, children and accessories. Master craftsmen employ original tint recipes to apply up to 15 different colors to the leather, in a process that may require many hours of labor. The first color is applied by hand to the leather and left to be absorbed. This is followed by subsequent applications with a wool cloth, which are always performed slowly and in a vertical direction.

“The Shang’s goal is to house the world’s most renowned fashion brands and make them more accessible to our market. We cater to well-traveled individuals who certainly know their brands and have very discriminating taste,” says Lala Fojas, executive vice president and general manager for Shangri-La Plaza Corporation. “Part of our thrust in terms of becoming the city’s top fashion hub is to regularly present our brands’ latest collections and styles to our market. At the end of this month, we’ll be having our Summer Fashion Shows, which will showcase the hottest looks of the season for different types of wearers,” she adds.

 Among all the malls we already have, Shangri-La Plaza features some of the most exciting new brands to come to Manila, including Givenchy, Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, and Gucci’s flagship store in the Philippines. Now we need not go too far to see what these designers have shown on Fashion Week — we need only wait a few months and soon selected pieces will be available here.

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For inquiries, contact 370-2500 loc. 597 or log on to www.shangrila-plaza.com. Add Shangri-La Plaza on Facebook: shangrilaplazaofficialfanpage.