THE POWER OF THREE. The Blaq Mafia squad (from left) Ching Vilar, Edward Castro and Axel Que (CDN PHOTO/XAVIER G. SOLIS)
YOU go shop right there,” Edward Castro directed me to the floor area where his team Blaq Mafia—along with Axel Que and Ching Vilar, a troika of fashion stylists—assembled a merchandising wharf of garments contrasting against the pragmatism that rocketed his career in fashion. It looked like he just peeled a banana, slowly revealing high-spirited colors, sultry necklines and vintage patterns formerly concealed by thick, heavy layers of jackets.
“We were inspired by the pop duo Say Lou Lou; they’re known for their ‘70s retro Bohemian,” he popped a message in my Facebook inbox later on
after I asked why the entire capsule looked very anti-Blaq Mafia.
If you’ve been following the trio on social media, you’d notice a sense of European Goth amalgamated with urban glamour, not a dash of Kylie Minogue prettiness. “We wanted something that wasn’t normally associated with us since we really try to be well-versed with all types of styling.”
Last June 8, Wednesday, in front of the cash counter inside Forever 21 at the Northwing of SM City Cebu, you can spot Blaq Mafia’s collection from the brand’s latest pieces, simultaneous with the institution of Style Insider in Cebu, a free in-house personal shopping and styling consultation, which included body type analysis to guide clients in finding the right dress fit.
DENIM LOVE. Blogger Lance de Ocampo (right) styled himself with denim-on-denim get-up while his model wore a military jacket and distressed trousers.
While the three of them adhered religiously to their aesthetics based on what they wore at the event—black varsity jacket, white T-shirt, black shorts—their visual merchandise, on the other hand, had a clean, soft palette. On the mannequin, notice a feminine combination of off-the-shoulder blouse best paired with a salmon eyelet skirt. Matching them with classic blue jeans, white embroidered lace tops with scalloped edges also hang generously on the racks: the true language of the display, in fact.
Former beauty titlist Merce Abellana, who was seen musing inside the store, was donning the same theme: white cotton off-the-shoulder blouse with blue jeans and dramatic gold loop earrings. She would be charming, too, if ever she did take home the halter dress with geometric prints (a la Margherita Missoni pattern) she was eyeing during cocktails. Accessories designer Jamie Zanoria was delighted by the boho-chic approach, a concept she is always famous for.
Another display, thanks to blogger Kym Maitland-Smith, arrived through a wild combination of boudoir tops and military blazers —yes, as if French magazine editor Carine Roitfeld had joined the United States Armed Forces.
Bloggers Toni Pino-Oca and Jean Yu with their model Elaine
“I’m in the mood for military-cut jackets,” she explained. From her viewpoint, sexy is the mastery of unusual partnerships of clothes. She interpreted it with peek-a-boo strategies, either brassieres peeping through open-neckline tank tops or shadowing behind sheer materials. Rarely put together, jersey sleeveless and draped georgette skirt had an impact among young working women who may conveniently rework them with a crisp, well-tailored coat.
Then again, Kym is a woman. So it was inevitable not to show the lady clients how to seduce without showing skin by opting for a mullet button-down shirt worn against an army green pantsuit.
“Other than black and white, army green is the only color I wear,” said socialite Gayle Urgello—-whose wardrobe follows the rule of minimalism —responding to Kym’s choices. And funnily enough, it was an extreme polarity from a familial counterpart: Bee Urgello who broke into the crowd in a pair of thigh-high boots and oversized brim hat.
