Va-va volume

Watching Cesar Gaupo’s collection for Metrowear, the last in the four-day series of fashion shows presented by Metro magazine and Samsung, was both a stroll down memory lane and a blatant nudge into the now of the fashion scene. The short yet sweet catwalk showing, apart from reminding us about Gaupo’s signature seamless silhouettes, rehashed the short tunic styles Givenchy and Yves Saint Laurent made staples of the ’60s and which are now making a comeback on the international autumn/winter catwalk. Thigh-skimming unstructured dresses were the stars of Gaupo’s newest collection, pieces that were conscientiously on par with the most resounding bleep on the fashion radar: volume.

Also manifested in oversized buttons on cropped jacket tops, on the puffy leg-of-mutton sleeves Gaupo adds to tailored shirts, and in the few wide-legged pants seen in the catwalk fray, volume was the most prominent theme in the veteran designer’s newest collection. Cesar Gaupo tells us to think big, but not to equate big with dowdy.

More than a fashion showing, Gaupo’s collection is a how-to on wearing the volume trend.

Eschewing too-teased hair and overstyling, Gaupo’s Metrowear offering is a what-you-see-is-what-you-can-do directional on how those capacious tent-like tops Vogue has been splashing onto their pages can be worn by the average-figured woman without looking like the bride of Humpty Dumpty. His sartorial missive proves that oversized can be sexy, and has women pairing big sleeves and roomy tunics with a narrow leg (leggings or thin pants), a sleek shoe, and elegant accessories. The venerated designer also scores with his use of dark-colored neutrals – grays, blacks, and subtle metallics make voluminous pieces more palatable, and infinitely more flattering, especially on women who are a recognizable breadth more than the average size zero model.

For women who still think the best representation of sexy is the hourglass figure, Gaupo evens out the oversizing by mixing in chic cocktail dresses cinched at the waist with obis or a wide belt. Though these elements are now not so novel on the catwalk, Gaupo still shines for the evident wearability of his pieces and the flexibility of the market he presents. A 20-year-old wanting to make a debut on the social scene would do well to wear one of Gaupo’s mini dresses, while an iconic forty-something fashionista will still retain repute in the designer’s obi-topped palazzo pants.

And for those style setters whose ages fall in between, most can still afford to think big.

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