Papal Style

MANILA, Philippines - Whoever coined the term “Sunday Best” hit the button right on its nose. Where else can you find a captive audience to appreciate your current-season wares?  Apart from the peer-filled evening event or the odd after-hours socials, the only day one can truly be motivated to put your best foot forward, is, as you’ve probably gathered, Sunday — when you and all of your pious neighbors congregate in a well-lit place, once a week, and judge each other for all your (net) worth.

Your Chanel Boy too big for your evening’s breeches? That’s okay honey; let it rest atop that pew.

At any point in modern 21st-century life, be it drudging through school and university, navigating the numerous pitfalls of “smart casual,” deigning to actually work, snapping up a husband, then subsequently begging off to become a non-contributing member of society — you might find yourself in the precarious position of having to sashay for the right kind of ecclesiastic attention. Not that kind, mind you.

As we’ve gathered, one tends to treat the woman dressed richly the better for it, and the woman dressed poorly the worse for it.

But in lieu of the Papal visit and his monastic style, we try to weed out the brambles of pride and the briars of wickedness rooted in your Sunday dressing. The Devil may have worn Prada, but His Holiness Pope Francis has already gone without. In a move to redefine “Sunday Best” and what it actually should be, YStyle posits the question, “What does your church outfit actually say about you?”

Let she who has never sported a Longchamp Le Pliage cast the first stone. 

GLAMBAHAY

Nothing says opulence like arriving in church in your choice daster but bedecked in the Valle Verde version of H.R.H. Crown Jewels. Another tell-tale sign of the Glambahay matron is a copious dosage of heady perfume. The style is nonchalant elegance, looking as if you’re about to make a trip to the nearest sanglaan in your house dress — it’s just their quaint way of saying, “I’ve given up on trying to look decent, but I could buy you, your friends, and this entire parish.”

YESTERDAY’S NEWS TODAY

Work hard, pray hard: the pious woman who makes it a point to commit to an early-morning service, despite being knackered and hung over, deserves a special place in the heart of His Holiness @Pontifex. The look is decidedly matte,

tousled hair, kohl-eyed, perfect mascara. The style is last night’s outfit, be it a sheer blouse or a sideboob top, sobered up with an ample cover-up — Joseph’s ornate robe, this is not. One can only hope she has dry shampoo in her arsenal. 

“COOL” MOM

Known for sporting the Fitflop for every occasion, and most especially at church, the look of the “Cool” Mom is clothing worn a skoosh too tight, or a few inches too short. The style is decidedly juvenile, dressed to match her brood of pre-teens.  The essence of being pa-young is strong, and there is nobody who could tell you otherwise.

#NSFC

If you’re the type to make eyes at the droves of boys-next-door during Sunday Mass, you’re probably dressed to look the part. If you’ve ever experienced being given a scarf at the door by the lay ministry, the look of the Not Safe For Church or #NSFC applies. In either the shape of a shawl or a waist-wrapped sarong, the #NSFC woman knows her hemlines, and utilizes them to maximum effect. She is usually dressed in either a cropped tank and high-waisted jeans, or a sheer blouse and a perilous mini-skirt. Shoes are her go-to patent oxfords that may not be Churches, but are 100-percent Church-approved.

WOKE UP LIKE DIS

The style of the recently resurrected

(a modern-day Lazarus) is unintentional bagong ligo wet hair, an obviously moist old college t-shirt, tattered jeans, and trendy slip-on sneakers. The look is decidedly Normcore

adjacent, but balanced out with an oversized Louis Vuitton Speedy or a Céline Trapeze

handbag — whether you go to Mary the Queen or Christ the King, your choices are

reliant on your demographics. This largely captures girls in their late-teens

to early-20s who do not possess

the autonomy to augment

their RSVP to 8 a.m. service. 

GIRL BOSS

These young moms look the part in colorful shifts and printed caftans; they always make it a point to look chic and put-together. Known for having an army of yayas; one to carry your swaddled newborn (an infant has no business being out of the house), one to lug around three big LeSportsac baby bags, and one to hold her YSL Muse 2. The trophy husband is nowhere to be seen, and is probably still dead asleep. Her obvious sin? Refusing to

displace a child who is

caught up in a crying fit.

GAME DAY

The family that prays togethers, watches sports together, stays together. The Game Day look is an obvious sign of an impending college-basketball game, the entire family is purposefully dressed (taking up a single pew) in either DLSU green or ADMU blue, the only two schools that push the realm of athletics into full-on hysteria. This woman looks none the worse for wear in cream pants and a Fred Perry polo with the collar done up.  But when she wants to look like she thought about it, her iteration of monochrome might compel a fashion confession out of you.   

COUNTRY CLUB SET

Caught up in her husband’s other Sunday habit, the woman of the Country Club Set is dressed for a whole- day affair. The look reads down-for-business in a crisp white button-down, tucked and belted, fitted jeans, and sensible shoes. Expecting to spend an afternoon on the grounds, she prefers her hair up in a sleek pony. The obvious accessory? The impatiently texting husband who looks game-ready in polyester golf pants and a dry-fit polo. Art by PAULINA ORTEGA