The party’s not over, kids

Now that the school year is about to start and more than 80 percent of the school-going population consider hara-kiri, it’s time for a little good news. Yes, late nights out with friends are over. Yes, you’ll be waking up every day at the crack of dawn to avoid traffic only to be harangued by mind-numbing, back-breaking schoolwork. Yes, you’ll have to say goodbye to your comfy flats, cool shorts and delightfully loud Hawaiian T-shirts and hello to starched uniforms, socks, and that ubiquitous – but totally unnecessary – necktie.

Yes, school is back. But that’s no reason to get your panties all in a twist. Think about it this way. Now you’ll be able to appreciate your personal time a lot more. With summer in full blast and every day spent waking up late, watching TV ‘til the wee hours and nights spent carousing with staggering drunk friends, there was no time to appreciate the good life. And now that you’ll be spending five days out of seven in standard issue uniforms, you can devote more time to planning your outfit for the third Saturday of the month or something. Think of all those wasted hours in PE, slamming a ping pong ball down that atrociously tiny net. You can concentrate on those dreamy frocks with tulle and ribbons and layers and layers of lace you can wear to your next major event – or you can check out Reian Mata’s stuff.

Known for her green-striped dresses which debuted at Fashion Week, this saucy 24-year-old designer makes clothes to fit a certain personality: someone adventurous, willing to be the center of attention, and with a funky sense of style. "Basically someone like me," Reian said. Her latest line of clothes exemplifies the kind of J.Lo-loving, Sweetface-buying designer that she is. (Sweetface, by the way for those non-tabloid-reading people out there, is La Lopez’s line of clothes.) Stripes, polka dots, huge floral prints and sequin-accented accessories are all part of her latest looks that seem inspired by a hippie crossed with a disco queen (or maybe Richard Simmons at the beach). Note the unfinished crochet detail on her jaunty midriff-baring blouse. Or the dainty polka dots on a skinny dress. Details like this fit right into Reian’s personal style, which she describes as "street fashion that looks fresh and clean."

But at the heart of this collection is an obsession with youth: Its short-hemmed skirts, bright prints, and cleavage-revealing tops pay homage to the gravity-defying bodies of the young. While Reian’s clothes can work with the professional 30-something – with sedate styling and upscale accessories – it’s the recently post-adolescent who can carry her clothes the way she imagined it. Her rendition of a gold-spangled minidress comes with a crochet neckpiece attached, an outfit that only a free-spirited girl in her early 20s could pull off.

"To look younger for longer is my priority," she explained simply, a statement that best encapsulates her – and many a plastic surgeon-visiting matrons’ – theme. With BCBG and Zac Posen as her idol fashion labels, it’s not surprising Reian’s stayed with her strengths, maturing from past collections’ mistakes and moving on to better things. "I’ve definitely developed in style and taste from my past work," she admitted. "I’ve grown a lot. Now, my clothes are wearable but at the same time fun and sexy."

These days, she’s keeping it real and doing what she’s good at: keeping things young. Schoolgirls, be warned.

* * *

Reian Mata’s ready-to-wear creations are available at Rhapsody, located at 67 Unit 6 Timog Arcade Corner Scout Torrillo Timog Ave., Quezon City. Store hours are from 12 noon to 11 p.m. Or you can contact Reian directly at 0917- 3844461.

* * *

Happy David’s jewelry is available at Rustan’s Makati, Gateway and Shangri-La, Magnet Plus and Ishq. Her site www.gethappyonline.com has a detailed list of retailers carrying her jewelry.

* * *

Ciara Marasigan’s jewelry is available at Rustan’s Makati and Shangri-La and Kish, Greenbelt 3.