Style Studio Manila

Once again, the time has come for us to watch and revel in the work of Filipino talents – Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013 is here!

From Tuesday, October 23 to Monday next week, October 29, we’ll be getting up close and personal with all sorts of classic, quirky, theatrical, minimalist, dramatic, feminine, masculine, androgynous, futuristic, mythological, and all in all exciting designs, and {Style Studio} will keep you all updated on the things we see, and the things that make us go WOW. 

Like us on facebook and follow us on twitter to receive the latest updates from the runways of Philippine Fashion Week! We’d love to hear from you guys too, so let us know which shows and collections you loved (or otherwise).

Philippine Fashion Week’s official hashtag is #PhFW, while the complete schedule can be downloaded and printed from their official website.

See you on the runways!

Yes, Spring is a time for more youthful looks and colorful frocks – and while Miranda Priestly thinks florals for spring is groundbreaking, there was no shortage of these dainty prints on the runways.

However, it’s the quirky-girl sort of style that really got us quite excited for Spring 2013. Yes, there were lots of elegant dresses, and flowy, luxurious ensembles that are bound to set the trends next year – but we can’t help but smile and get giddy at all the oddball fashion we saw. Zooey Deschanel will be totes happy. 

Photo: New York Fashion Week, compiled from vogue.co.uk

At New York Fashion Week, we saw prints, prints and more prints – and we’ll see more as the other fashion weeks rolled on. At Karen Walker, we saw cute white polka dots on a short periwinkle one-piece dress under a sheer nude sweater – paired with a buckled, natural hat and penny loafers. Ruffian was all pink punk with a pinstriped sports coat, short skirt and bubblegum chucks. Of course, we can’t talk about quirk without Betsey Johnson (who celebrated her 70th anniversary with a bang amidst her shocking filing of bankruptcy – you go girl!). Meanwhile, Marc Jacobs gave us a familiar face by the name of Mickey. Yup, I think we let out a squeal when we saw that cropped number!

Photo: London Fashion Week, compiled from vogue.co.uk

London Fashion Week gave us Kinder Aggugini, deliverin’ some country lovin’ with a jumper dress adorned with dainty swallows and flowers, worn mismatched over a blue gingham short-sleeved button down (mismatch prints really are a big trend this season). But it’s Mary Katrantzou, Queen of Prints, that really had us quite hooked on this ideosyncratic takeover – with prints inspired by postage stamps. Really, you can’t get any quirkier than that.

Photo: Milan Fashion Week, compiled from vogue.co.uk

…Or could we?

At Milan Fashion Week, Versace was still all sexy with a short, belted orange number, but when inspected closely, reveals wrinkles and patterned slits – a rather DIY twist that gives it a sort of artsy feel. Bottega Venetta and Prada both gave us simplistic floral prints with a hint of librarian chic; the former giving us a more conservative nude one-piece, while the latter a bit more daring with hot pants and lots of texture (and did we mention Prada had absolutely adorable boxy handbags and thick-rimmed specs that had similar minimalist floral prints? LOVE.) Then there’s Moschino, which took the 60′s Vespa and turned it into absolutely lovely pieces – a totally fun, flirty and youthful way to revitalize a queer retro icon. All their accessories were all kitschy-cute  (rounded white-framed sunglasses, biker-helmet sort of hats), but it was all the large stripey goodness – a recurring trend this season – that really stood out.

Photo: Paris Fashion Week, compiled from vogue.co.uk

Finally, Paris Fashion Week. Keeping up with librarian chic is Rochas, with a slinky mid-length ensemble, clean and textured, belted for a curvier silhouette but keeping its demureness with a crisp white collar and bag. The white-framed sunnies and flat lace-ups add that trendy quirk. Rick Owens, on the other hand, gave us a more caricatured look – with geometric hair (which kinda reminds us of exaggerated Rei Kawakubo hair, to be honest) paired with a loose, shapeless top and a floor-length sheer skirt, this look has peculiarly pretty written all over it.

Spring is all about rebirth, they say. With September marking the new year of fashion, this new slew of looks lined up for 2013 seems to have declared fashion’s new muse: give those sky-high heels and constricting silhouettes a break and embrace your inner quirky girl with a rad pair of sneaks, mismatched prints a whole lot of attitude.

Put on your battlegears, folks – New York Fashion Week’s Spring Summer 2013 has called the shots and gladiator sandals are definitely back!

Photo: Compiled from Vogue.co.uk

And they’re not just back, but they’re back with a vengeance. We’ve been seeing a lot of them knee-high and powerful, as with Versace’s nude number, or shin-covering and front-laced at Proenza Schouler. 3.1 Phillip Lim did a more demure version of that, coming up just a couple of inches above the heel, while Altuzarra’s was an all-natural brown (we love the criss-cross details – very rustic and true to the actual antique footwear).

The winner in this battle, though, was Alexander Wang – With his minimalist aesthetic, his knee-high, close-toed gladiators took the footwear to the future with its clean-cut sleekness, matching his sharp, glow-in-the-dark collection.

{S}

You know what they say – September marks fashion’s new year, and with the international fashion weeks all dishing out their dictations for Spring Summer, we thought we’d hit the ball rolling with a little makeup inspiration for everyone. Didn’t we mention that it looks like nostalgia is the next big thing? Well, the same goes for maquillage, as Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors showed us at New York Fashion Week, taking inspiration from none other than mod muse Edie Sedgwick.

Photo: Style Icon Edie Sedgwick. Photos compiled from stylecheckup.com and rosaleengallagher.wordpress.com

Edie Sedgwick was the socialite in the Silver ’60s – popularizing not just androgynous style, black tights and shirts-as-dresses, but strong eyes and nude lips as well. Marc Jacobs’ look for Spring 2013 was a throwback to that: clean and fresh, save for darkly-lined creases above the eyes, as well as heavy eyebrows. This works great for dressier evenings and nights out.

Photo: Marc Jacobs SS2013 looks by NARS. Photos compiled from makeupforlife.net

Michael Kors, on the other hand, gave the Edie Sedgwick look a more modern, colorful take: a bit bolder and more adventurous, if you ask us – but pretty nonetheless. Keeping the eyebrows more natural, but using a bright liner for the crease above the eye, this quirky look instantly brightens up any look, adding an oomph of youthfulness, but with a rather retro appeal. Try it to add spice to a little black dress, or to bring a casual jeans-and-shirt combo to life.

Photo: Michael Kors SS2013 looks. Photos compiled from fashionising.com

With the Spring 2013 shows in full swing (and our very own Philippine Fashion Week Spring Summer 2013 shows marked in our calendars!) these makeup throwbacks are a fun way to jazz up our looks for the coming seasons. Just remember to keep everything clean and simple as you bring attention to your eyes – darker lips or prominent blushes will distract from the retro art that is your eye area.

And of course – don’t forget to carry it with the same aplomb as Edie Sedgwick did!

{S}

It really looks like fashion’s taking quite a major trip down memory lane, and if all the peplums, drop-waist and flapper dresses, wing-tipped eyes and 60′s prints haven’t convinced you yet, then perhaps H&M’s newest face will seal the deal.

Photo: the H&M website featuring Lana del Rey

Retail dynamo H&M just launched their autumn collection featuring none other than fashion’s newest darling, Lana del Rey. The interwebs have been abuzz the past few weeks with press photos of Del Rey – who often describes herself as a “gangster Nancy Sinatra,” she confesses - in a powder-pink number. But it’s the recent release of a 2-minute music video for the brand that’s really got us all excited.

Photo: Anna Piaggi in the 70's, from style.com

One of the pillars of Avant-Garde Fashion, Anna Piaggi – fashion writer and one-of-a-kind icon of style – passed away Tuesday, the 7th of August, 2012 at the age of 81.

Known for her own unique and unwavering brand of style, Anna Piaggi has become a staple in the fashion industry. Her doll-like, blushed cheeks and blue hair a joyous complement to her eccentric style: wild, plumed and playful hats; clashing, varicolored prints and silhouettes.

Photo: Anna Piaggi with Franca Sozzani of Vogue Italia, front row at the Karl Lagerfeld RTW Fall 2010 show. From style.com

As a fashion writer, she is best known for her two-page spreads in Vogue Italia, while her out-of-the-box fashion sense has made her a muse to the likes of designer Karl Lagerfeld and milliner Stephen Jones. Her style has become so legendary, in fact, that in 2006, the Anna Piaggi Fashionology Exhibition was mounted at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, featuring her personal ensembles.

Photo: Sketch of Anna Piaggi by Karl Lagerfeld, from larocaille.altervista.org

Fearless and unabashedly creative, Anna Piaggi seemingly dressed up for nobody else but herself and her own happiness – a true inspiration to the fashion creatives the world over, and an incomparable paragon of style and self-expression.

Photo: Anna Piaggi's colorful style, photographed by Scott Schuman of thesartorialist.com

{S}

The “-ber” months are fast approaching, and with the huge worldwide event that is the London Olympics currently occupying a huge lot in our collective consciousness, it’s only right that we get inspired not just to be healthier and get off our proverbial couches, but also incorporate a good amount sporty flare into our wardrobe.

What better place to look for new athletic apparel than our Philippine Fashion Week Holiday 2012 collections? A quick review of the various designer and brand collections from May of this year reveals quite an interesting bunch of sporty hints and athletic inspirations from our Holiday shows perfect for the coming season.

Photo: Holiday 2012 collections from Philippinefashionweeklive.com. Top row, L-R: Frederick Policarpio, M Barretto, Jinggo Inoncillo. Bottom row, L-R: Mike Lavarez, Crossings The Ramp, Jeffrey Rogador

For the boys, there’s a whole lot of looks to choose from – from more formal long-sleeve pique shirts ala polo players by Frederick Policarpio (in an absolutely epic shade of aqua), to fabric-blocked jackets and sweats by M Barretto and Jinggo Inoncillio.

For more relaxed situations, guys can don Mike Lavarez’ lightweight tanks and leather sports shorts, or Crossings The Ramp’s casually cool sweatpants Raring to go sporty and bold? Jeffrey Rogador’s got a pristine, white hoodie you can pair with  an almost astronaut-ish pair of bottoms (very #MarsCuriousity as well!)

Photo: Holiday 2012 collections, from Philippinefashionweeklive.com. Top row, L-R: Sassa Jimenez, Julius Tarog, Melchor Guinto. Bottom row, L-R: Nixon Marquez, Penshoppe, Jeffrey Rogador

For the girls, on the other hand, there’s a whole array of athletic-inspired ensembles for all occassions – for dressier events, there are various pieces that’ll make layering fun and a bit sporty, like Melchor Guinto’s leather blazer or Julius Tarog’s motocross ribbed cobalt number. Sassa Jimenez’s steel-blue jumpsuit is all sorts of sporty awesome as well – paired with a smart, shapely blazer, perhaps?

For more laid-back days, Nixon Marquez’ embellished varsity jacket will definitely jazz and warm you up these rainy holiday months, while Penshoppe’s black-and-white tank and utility shorts, and Jeffrey Rogador’s sheer white top and metallic short shorts are great when you need a lot of freedom to move (and run, and have fun).

Of course, they say one of the best fashion accessories is a healthy body, so aside from these sporty sartorial pieces, it’d be awesome if we adopted a healthier lifestyle – especially with all the eating we’ll be doing during the Holidays!

How do you plan to rock athleticwear this Holiday season?

The torches are ablaze, and Olympic season is in full swing! Are you ready for the Opening Ceremony?

Fashion reflects the zeitgeist, and if the recent sporty trends we’ve been spotting in fashion weeks all over the globe are any indication, athletic wear is certainly the it thing to don right now! Of course, it’s no surprise that UK retail giant Topshop takes on the trend as they tie up with designer “The King of Sequins” Ashish Gupta for an Olympic-inspired capsule collection.

Photo: from Vogue.it

Available in selected retail stores and via their online shop, the Topshop x Gupta collection (already his 8th for the brand) features various athletic wear, from flag print jogging pants and sweats, to tanks and tops with “Loser” and “2nd Place” slogans – a reflection of Gupta’s comical style, and the designer’s celebration of the underdog.

Check out Ashish’s collection at the Topshop Website.