Philippine Fashion Week Review: Tailored menswear, urban warrriors dominate runway

The Tuesday show of Philippine Fashion Week featured the Premiere Collection, a rough assembly of emerging designers with no real common thread. As it turned out, the five male designers Derick Hibaler, Melchor Guinto, Ulysses King, Russell Villafuerte, and Veejay Floresca each showed 30-piece collections that revealed, overall, some vivid imaginations, a penchant for tailoring, and a strong selection of menswear.

Derick Hibaler

Denim designer Derick Hibaler dubbed his collection “Modern Retro Rodeo Glam” in an ode to bikers and rodeo riders, albeit amplified for city streets. He proved his mettle in denim, showing them in several hues from indigo to brown, including coated black, coated gray and pastels. They’re jeans, but they’re sexier, bolder, and as Hibaler says, exude a “polished rock star” look, with details at the back pocket and for women, skintight cuts and the ubiquitous shorts. His men’s shirts used denim mixed with woven checks, and though they were the stars, his women certainly didn’t shrink back, as they strutted in full-figured, uber-confident glory in tiny bodycon dresses in stretchy shifts in coated twill, giving off a subtle sheen.

Veejay Floresca

Floresca’s spring-summer collection “Arbitrary” revealed just that: a plethora of inspiration coming together this season, mixing various fabrics and contrasting textures. There was leather, lace, tulle, brocade and chiffon in body-skimming silhouettes. There were chic sheer tops, accented with appliquéd sleeves. The designer said he took inspiration from London for this collection, although the clothes seemed to reflect more of the minimalist-luxe tailoring associated with European design. While he worked with a grown-up color palette of wine, brown, black, and gray, and conservatively-cut tops and knee-length skirts, he showed his preference for the sexy and unexpected. His trademark cutout panels were present on slim leather pencil-cut skirts, revealing not just the leg but also the skirts’ inner tropical-print lining. Tailored gray wool trousers would have been classically chic, but Floresca chose to put cutouts right on the knee. Urban punk was made delectably feminine with multi-colored fabric visible under black lace. It’s apparent he’s channeling a more sophisticated, modern aesthetic, but just when we thought that was clear, he showed two long-sleeved, floor-skimming numbers, in gray and bronze. Were these likely to be the most requested party frocks? At show’s end, he was back, with a white leather vest worn over a sheer white skirt, destined to be an editorial favorite.

Melchor Guinto

Melchor Guinto’s first look, a male model wearing Ray-Bans and a crisp cotton suit, seemed to be inspired by the classic cool vibe and laidback jet-set lifestyle of a golden era. The menswear designer proved he was not waxing nostalgic, by showing look after look of current, clean-lined pieces, from classic slim men's suits to relaxed jackets and button-down shirts. His collection was dominated by crisp cotton blazers, slim trousers, and knee-length shorts, with pieces cut close to the body, showing expert tailoring, and moved comfortably with the wearer. Lightweight fabrics in gray and pastels created a soothing palette for summer, ideal for our equatorial climates, or perhaps, as the designer seems to suggest, a spring travel wardrobe. Although menswear is clearly his focus, he dressed a few women as well. Ladies showed a hint of skin in tastefully elegant pieces, in a simple halter tailored jumpsuit for instance, or a slouchy black jacket to set off a sequined silver mini.

Ulysses King

Visions of carefree summer days came to mind as Ulysses King sent out his surfboard-toting model dressed in only a pair of black and apple green swim shorts, to the catchy beat of Foster The People’s Pumped Up Kicks. The song captured the mood, with models looking at home, perhaps a bit too much, in rugged sportswear. Scuba diving was a key inspiration, and King says he was thinking of an altered state of consciousness, or narcosis, when he designed this collection. He produced a set of daywear that referenced the active lifestyles by the beach, but were still translatable to lounging in the city. His casualwear for men were in blue, stripes and lots of all-white outfits, which we can imagine are quite difficult to don. Accents included high-octane colors such as neon pink and apple green. Men paused mid-ramp to remove their jackets, revealing the reversible side to the crowd’s delight, with artwork prints that mimicked marine life and coral formations. Using sportswear fabrics of cotton, lycra, spandex and dri-fit fabric, the result is a basic beach wardrobe for active types. At show’s end, Troy Montero showed the men how to don lime green long sleeves and gray shorts effortlessly for summer, while Aubrey Miles sashayed down the catwalk in a one-piece scuba-inspired dress. 

Russell Villafuerte

Camouflage print was the key look that Villafuerte played around with this season. Citing influences from military wear and the biker look, his “Urban Rebellion” collection is inspired by the movie Fight Club, featuring a mix of leather, printed cotton, mesh, spandex and organza. The color spectrum included forest greens, navy, blue, black, white and gray. He showed bustiers with sheer skirts, see-through panels and skinny straps. There were shift dresses, jumpsuits and asymmetrical creations, though some lagging in construction and fit. The sheer leggings he showed could instantly take an outfit to the edge. It was a dark and tough aesthetic, the sort of clothes you’d want to wear for a wild night out, apt for club dwellers or those who just want to dress that way.