Embrace luxe

A guy friend recently told me, “You look expensive,” which I gleefully took as a compliment — even though I know he meant it as objective criticism to my query as to why guys don’t seem inclined to talk to me. Soon as he said that, my ego was restored. I couldn’t care less about impressing men with issues about girls who look high-maintenance. Instead I was secretly thrilled that an outfit that cost less than P1,000 — a peach knit dress with banded off-shoulder details over a decade-old tank top — and borrowed jewelry from my mother were enough to prove a point: there can be a credit limit to looking like a million bucks.

I’ve always said that you don’t have to wear designer to look luxurious. In the right style, cut and fabric, and matched with a careful pick of accessories, a generic brand outfit can outshine head-to-toe designer any day.

Though far from being just any generic brand, Abrace (Spanish for “embrace,” pronounced ah-bra-ze) is one of those far-from-expensive brands that offer pieces that could very well be the turning point for modern-day Cinderellas — more likely, fashion-philes with an inherent penchant for dressing up but not the cash to blow.

Designed by YStyle columnist Donna Pita for The Ramp, Abrace has sleek clothing that can only be described as sophisticated. “Abrace is all about easy, stylish clothes that do not need too much accessorizing or any other fancy tricks to make you look good,” relates Donna. “The pieces are very wearable, low maintenance, and flattering to different body types, hence the name: I want women to embrace and celebrate the beauty of their bodies.”

Mostly glamorous frocks that call to mind ‘30s lounge kittens (think baroque furniture and crystal chandeliers), Abrace’s pieces rely on discerning choices of fabric to look anything but luxurious. Donna uses a lot of figure-friendly jersey, crisp cotton and silk satin, which, if properly tailored, sets the mood for a very snooty wear. Everything, however, has been created with class attainability in mind rather than trend mollification. “I try to make items that will look current no matter when and where you wear them. They’re not too trendy, and they’re not extremely safe either.”

Abrace also loves injecting little surprises, proving that you really get more than you bargain for. An orange pantsuit, for example, has a panel in front so it looks like a halter dress; the back, however, reveals that it’s really a pantsuit. Or a classic black pencil skirt with an exposed zipper and double clasps down the back that enable it to be drawn down from above and up from the bottom. Explains Donna, “I like to put a little bit of drama, or an element of surprise, into closet staples.”

Considering that most of Abrace’s pieces are less than P3,000, all the little surprises and subtle details make the purchase a lot more thrilling — more so when clueless boys start hesitantly edging into your periphery, the expression on their faces completely saying that you are, no doubt, out of reach.

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Abrace is available at The Ramp Glorietta 3 and Podium; and at Crossings Department Stores TriNoma, Edsa Shangri-La, and Quezon Ave.