New York styles101
There’s something absolutely mawkishly romantic and yet quite enviable about a twenty-something couple that sartorially coordinates for a living
On most days, Shai Lagarde wears Peter Pan collars, vintage-inspired floral prints, twee dresses, and scrunched socks. With her cocoa-colored hair, milky-white skin, and large circle-lensed eyes, she has ostensibly fused her DNA with that of a Korean doll. “Even Koreans think I’m Korean,” she bashfully giggles.
While Seph Cham eschews the Gangnam style, his predilection for crew neck shirts, hoodies, bomber jackets, skinny jeans folded at the ankle and shorts doubled up above his knees make for a straightforward look, at least, when it comes to clothing. His hair, however, tells us a different narrative. Browse through the archives of their couple blog, www.lovechic.com, and you’ll see a history of hair evolving from platinum blonde to orangey streaks and even a shocking heliotrope. “That was my biggest disaster, dyeing my hair purple,” he says as he lightly ruffles his now-brownish black mane.
When they’re not on the streets of Quezon City shooting their OOTD (that’s blogger-speak for “outfit of the day”), this couple dubs themselves as “creative multi-taskers” taking on projects in writing, photography, styling, designing, video production, and modeling. It couldn’t have been a more perfect pairing when they recently collaborated with street-style brand 101 New York, an experimental clothing label made for the teen to thirty-something not-so-corporate urbanite.
Their current collection, “Pictures of the Night,” takes inspiration from Vincent van Gogh’s magnum opus “The Starry Night.” Their window display and in-store visuals take hues from Van Gogh’s color palette, cluttered with irregularly placed frames within the boutique, perhaps a nod to the artist’s slightly deranged psyche. With unexpected silhouettes, cut and sew details, and achromatic colors of mostly black, white, gray, beige and blue dominating their aesthetic, 101 New York also carries a basic line of T-shirts, pants and shorts that still maintains their au courant credo.
In this project, Seph and Shai showcase pieces from the “Tough Luck” collection, styled to be worn on different quotidian scenarios: on dates, to work, and on the weekend. A standout pairing shows them of mullet hemlines, his and her stripes, and toting oversized bags, which is their take on what to wear when traveling. Their dream destination, you ask? They glance at each other with concurring looks. “New York,” they grin in unison.
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101 New York boutiques are located in TriNoma Mall, Festival Supermall, Robinsons Place Manila, SM City Fairview, SM Megamall, SM North EDSA Annex, and Ayala Marquee Mall in Pampanga. For more information, go to www.101newyork.com or visit their Facebook page facebook.com/101NewYorkPH.
