All set to jewel

Collection pre-showings aren’t easy to go to. Consider the one Tod’s recently had in their Greenbelt 4 store. Flora Lee, Tod’s Hong Kong PR associate, came over to Manila bringing with her samples of the brand’s offerings for this year’s spring-summer collection. Tod’s newest bags and footwear for both men and women were displayed all over the store for Manila’s fashion press to examine and get a feel for. As a fashion writer, it’s easy to appreciate Tod’s use of precious materials, their excellent eye for detail and sophisticated craftsmanship. As a fashion lover, however, who knows that these pieces are still due in the store starting March, the pre-showing made me feel like a starving man faced with a buffet of tantalizing faux food made out of Styrofoam pieces.

It didn’t help that Tod’s spring-summer display is as festive and as enticing as a Vegas buffet. For this collection, the classic brand hooks up fans with a myriad of dazzling colors that certainly question the brand’s penchant for sober and subtly elegant classics. Brilliant orange, sunny yellow and jewel tones of topaz, sapphire, malachite, emerald, ruby and malachite add more dazzle to a summer that promises to be hotter than ever (literally, and in the sense of style). The browns, tans, blacks and other neutral in-betweens, however, are definitely still present, and are still viable for making a style statement.

Set to make a statement in sapphire-colored python, Tod’s “it” bag for summer is a large, roomy and slouchy tote that comes with a braided strip and the most lightweight construction. “Most women complain that big bags are heavy and stiff, so we made sure that this bag, big as it is, is still soft and light to carry,” explains Flora. Tod’s is so proud of this new design that they’re still waiting to come up with the perfect name before christening it. “For now, we’ll just call it the ‘it’ bag.” This spacious tote also comes in a black or brown python, and in a light beige soft calf leather finish.

The nylon bag played out in the ‘90s, eventually growing passé, but Tod’s resurrects its designer inclinations with the darling Pashmy bauletto grande (my personal favorite in the collection). The sizeable satin-nylon tote comes in the brand’s chosen jewel tones for the season such as a cheery yellow and a cool turquoise blue. To complete the perfect, off-to-the-weekend-organic-market look, they’re best paired with Tod’s take on the T-strap gladiator sandal, the Nuovo Matisse, which also comes in the same cheerful colors as the Pashmy.

More color play bursts through with the new D Bag tote, a sturdy square-ish design that comes in patent leather playfully colored in sapphire and sky blue. Red, the most brilliant of all colors, also makes it to this summer palette. The iconic Took shoulder bag comes in a patent candy red (patent leather is another key statement for Tod’s summer splash) and finds a match in the Wave Bucature sleek, bowling shoe-type lace-up. Or if you want to mix colors, just like many artists that mix media, pair ruby red with Tod’s ultra-precious satin ballerina shoes that come in yellow and blue.

Even the men won’t want for brighter shades. The classic Gommini driving loafer comes in soft suede but in colors so delicious that if you skewered a Popsicle stick through them, they’d be all right for the lickin’. Red, purple, orange, emerald — you name the color, and Tod’s has it. But if colorful footwear freaks out your man like a naturalist to Botox treatments, then reassure him with the classic Tod’s loafer. The traditional design is as light and extraordinarily flexible as ever and, though it comes in a variety of material such as suede, leather or nubuck, is still available in tobacco, cocoa, black and brown.

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In the Philippines, Tod’s shoes, bags, and accessories are exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc. (SSI) and are available at the boutique located in Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati.