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Plaid and simpleBy Miguel Paolo CelestialPublished in The Philippine Star, 31 October 2008

Not like for the Fall/Winter 2008 shows last June, there were more than a fewgood pieces that escaped the menswear night last Friday, October 25, and wereonly presented during other days on the Spring/Summer 2009 Philippine FashionWeek schedule. It was a good thing I decided to sit through last Sunday to catchseveral that got away.

The dozen designers that composed the 9:30pm offering last Friday were notshort on both fantasy and menswear basics, but as usual, there were lapses inthe choice of material for otherwise well constructed pieces and many items that

just boggled the mind how they even made it on a formal runway.

Other major impediments to the menswear collections include the use of color,both for separate pieces and in combination. For several shows, they were wayoff the zeitgeist and, even given room for interpretation, just did not feel right. Notto mention bad styling, mismatched accessories, and the overuse of jersey forshirts. But beyond all these, the best menswear pieces were considerably thesimplest.

Bang Pineda came up with a wearable vest and a hoodie, both sleeveless, withthe latter having a diagonal zipper. Though the rest of his pieces were good onlyfor theatre productions or hip-hop shows, especially his long-sleeved hoodie thatwas cut bolero-short, or his cargo sweat shorts that had half-zipper-half-

drawstring crotches.

Edwin Tan, for his part, incorporated the look of a Hawaiian lei of flowers intoshirts by stitching a wreath of fabric like a bib. The blue and white version couldhave worked if it were monochromatic or had blue detailing, perhaps on the cuffs.He also had black sequinned shirts that, though more suitable for a Fall/Wintercollection, hold promise for those seeking something different to wear duringholiday parties.

Frederick Policarpio had well-constructed suits with shawl collars and slightlypeaked shoulders in his nod to previous, but still relevant trends, while Jerome

Lorico presented interesting mask-design prints on shirts and scarves, whichcould have sustained bolder and cleaner lines.

Two designers deserved an A for effort: Manelle Chamian, for reviving theerstwhile denim aesthetic of Franois Marith Girbaud, when the brand was stillgood; and Ralph Ng for his jackets inspired by the Japanese deconstructionists.If only Chamian pushed the designs further with more innovation and character,and Ng used better material.

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Now if Frederick Policarpio had the best suit, then Odelon Simpao had the bestshirt, coming in a blue-and-yellow plaid pattern with diagonal detailing, and alsothe best accessory: a small plaid bowtie. Best show, hands down, was MBarrettos, which worked around the main colors of Simpaos shirt.

Barrettos show was the most consistent. Besides expounding on his colortheme, he also presented a wide array of well-made basics: from plain and floralshirts to jackets and summer shorts. He also presented his take on theworkingmans coveralls, in blue stripes and pattern detailing at the collar andcuffs, and in plaid, cut board shorts-high and in short sleeves. A close cousin ishis sleeveless overalls, with an overlapping zipper, a drawstring hem also at theshins, and a hood.

Among the menswear surprises that were shown off Friday night were Pier Limsdenim and cotton jeans that looked as if they had leg warmers. Now thats what I

call innovation.