Regine Dulay: Rugged athleticism

MANILA, Philippines - Kilts, skirts, and dropped-crotch cuts paired with athletic cuts emerge as hot trends in the runway looks of Regine Dulay, James Reyes, and Rhett Eala.

These three collections highlight the fifth presentation under Men’s Week, a part of Style Origin, under the collaborative efforts between Ayala Malls, Philippine STAR, and Tiger 22, supported by Visa, Globe and Samsung, that showcases the fusion of modern design, music and style.

Part of the charm of Regine Dulay is that you’ll never know what to expect — she is able to transform any concept into something tangible. From previous collections of urban junkie, tribal ethnic, to her S/S collection featuring sinuous forms — what remains consistent is the kind of rough, unfinished quality she brings out in the clothes. Even while making cocktail dresses, there’s a certain rawness she manifests in the fabric, making the look very organic. The same goes with her menswear collection that brings to mind a loose, sporty style you see on jocks on their days off. Building on the materials of rayon and hulldull knits, muslin, cotton spandex, gauze and crumpled silk, Dulay took on classic sportswear silhouettes and introduced material and color layering (in monochrome grays and blacks) to achieve a relaxed yet highly stylized version of your track jacket. The pieces look easy and uncomplicated to wear — garterized pants, a pullover with striped cutouts, crumpled earthy cover-ups that look very organic — and yet the edge is there; these are not your normal droppedcrotch pants. Though the entirety is still very easy-going, two blazers (one lined with crisscrossing black lines, and another with unfinished cuts built on top of each panel to evoke an unfinished texture) stand out and fit right with her previous women’s wear collections.