Local lover

I’m a kuripot fashion lover. These two – fashion and frugality – don’t easily mix, and it takes a lot of self-control and ingenuity to end up looking like a million bucks when all I’m willing to part with is P3,000. When I look back, it amazes me how I managed to come up with outfit after outfit during my stint as an editor for Cosmopolitan magazine for seven years. I scoured ukay-ukays, bought designer brands only during sales, and regularly cruised local department stores to come up with fabulous clothes I could wear to work every day. Imagine my joy then upon finding out that local designers were now making affordable, ready-to-wear pieces for The Ramp at Crossings. Affordable designer pieces, you say? Wait, no "sale" sign? Have I died and gone to kuripot heaven?

"I wanted to come up with a section in Crossings that celebrates both fashion and local talent. During my travels abroad, I noticed that department stores always had sections that were dedicated to local designers. I wanted to create a venue like that here at Crossings for shoppers to enjoy affordable, quality designer pieces," says Xandra Ramos of Crossings Department Store. True enough, you’ll see great designs by Ritchie Ortega (Souk and United Pop), Puey Quiñones (Vado), Debbie Co (After Eight), Tina Navarro (Rocco), Gayle Gozum (Wildflower), and several other local retail brands (Seven Dials, Faith Hope Love, Dressing Room, CMG Glam) that offer fab designer looks for so much less. The Ramp, just like any true lover of fashion, also mixes in some international brands like Purr, Animale, Freepeople, French Kitty, XSML, Running Bare and Who’s Billie, with our local talent. "The ratio is 70:30. Seventy percent being local labels and 30 international brands," shares Mikka Genito, buyer for women’s fashion at Crossings.

Walking down the aisles of The Ramp, I get that giddy, I-have-to-have-this-NOW feeling without the usual abrupt reality check because, lo and behold, I CAN buy designer pieces without having to wait for a sale or making do with cheaper copycats. I walk in a kuripot fashion-loving gal, and I come out still as a fashion lover, just a better-dressed one.

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You can check out The Ramp at Crossings Department Store at 2/L, Edsa Shangri-la Mall or online at www.crossings.com.ph.