Inspired by Designers

 Here, in no particualr order, are the international and local fashion designers who have inspired me to find my own design philosophy and aesthetic.

I N T E R N A T I O N A L  D E S I G N E R S

Christian Dior

Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana

Karl Lagerfeld

Valentino

Zuhair Murad

F I L I P I N O  D E S I G N E R S

Dubai-based Filipino designer. Michael Cinco

Filipino designer, Francis Libiran

Filipino designer, Boom Sason

Filipino designer, Rajo Laurel

Filipino designer, Mich Dulce

Sources:

[Photograph of Francis Libiran]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://www.bellanaija.com/2013/05/08/bn-bridal-new-designer-alert-francis-libiran/
[Photograph of Rajo Laurel]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://www.rajolaurel.com/blog/?p=32989
[Photograph of Mich Dulce]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://itscamilleco.com/2011/05/unicef-x-mich-dulce-2/
[Photograph of Boom Sason]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://beekyoote.blogspot.com/2014/09/fashion-fridays-weekly-style.html
[Photograph of Michael Cinco]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://host.missosology.info/~missyorg/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=517518
[Photograph of Zuhair Murad]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://www.thefashionspot.com/runway-news/406171-21-questions-with-zuhair-murad/

[Photograph of Christian Dior]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://chicsstyle.com/christian-dior-designer-fashion-house/

[Photograph of Valentino]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://worldbridemagazine.com/9166/top-10-european-fashion-designers/

[Photograph of Dolce and Gabbana]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://www.thepublicdiscourse.com/2015/03/14663/

[Photograph of Karl Lagerfeld]. Retrieved August 29. 2015 from: http://www.timeout.com/london/shopping/karl-lagerfeld-interview-i-dont-take-myself-very-seriously

Street Style: The Filipino Consumers' Clothing Preference

R E I N I  E V A N G E L I S T A
2nd year BS Economics Student from UP Diliman

What do you look for when purchasing clothing? 
Her mom and sister are usually the ones picking out her clothes, so she leaves the design aspect to them. What she really considers is the comfort that the clothing provides. Reini also prefers clothing that have the right fit for her body. Lastly, she isn't brand-conscious.

How much are you willing to spend when you shop for clothes?
Php 600 - Php 1,000





R A P  O R O N C E
3rd year BS Business Administration student from UP Diliman

What do you look for when purchasing clothing?
Rap is particular with the clothing's design aesthetic. He purchases clothes which compliment his personal style. He also considers the practicality of the clothes he's about to buy, whether or not he'd be able to use it. 

How much are you willing to spend when you shop for clothes?
He is willing to spend money for clothes as long as the clothing's quality and design compensates its monetary value. For Rap, a decent shirt should cost up to Php 500 only.

B E L L A  Y A P C H I O N G C O

2nd year BS Psychology student from UP Diliman

What do you look for when purchasing clothing?

Bella has a petite stature and so she is really particular with looking for clothes that would fit her size perfectly. She also takes into consideration the comfortableness of the clothing she is about to purchase.

How much are you willing to spend when you shop for clothes?

The most expensive piece of clothing she is willing to buy should cost Php 1,500 at the most.

M I C O  S A N T O S

2nd year BS Industrial Engineering student from UP Diliman

What do you look for when purchasing clothing?

He prefers to check if the clothes fit him well first and then he'd consider purchasing them. He also has to consider if the clothing is sold at a practical price.

How much are you willing to spend when you shop for clothes?

For Mico, a decent shirt would cost Php 500; but he is willing to spend Php 5,000 when shopping for an entire outfit.

E N Z O  R I Z O
2nd year BS Business Administration student from UP Diliman

What do you look for when purchasing clothing?
Enzo looks at three things when buying his clothes. He makes sure that the design of the clothes fits his taste/style. Next he checks for comfort. And third, he considers the price of his next purchase. 

How much are you willing to spend when you shop for clothes?
He takes Php 1,000 with him when he goes shopping for a complete look and believes that a decent shirt should cost Php 400.

  After seeing the choices of Filipino students when it comes to purchasing the clothes they want and need, allow me to show you my observation regarding what affects the decision of the Filipino masses when picking out the clothes they are to buy. I was tasked to observe the population that attends Sunday mass (Particularly in the Parish of the Holy Sacrifice in UP Diliman). I also picked that certain population because I believe that Filipinos put an effort in dressing up on Sundays because our culture celebrates the day of the Sabbath by attending mass and spending time with our families. 

   I saw that different factors affect different kinds of people. For instance, wealthier people tend to patronize imported or high-end brands, while the people who aren't as brand-conscious prefer to shop local brands and in department stores. One thing in common though is that Filipinos are loyal to the brands they are already familiar with. This was confirmed by a study conducted last 2014 by the Nielsen market research firm. They stated that 80% of the Filipino consumer population prefer to buy from brands they are accustomed to (http://www.nielsen.com/ph/en/insights/reports/2014/
philippine-consumer-confidence-concerns-and-spending-intentions-q3-2014.html). As I've mentioned, we like to dress-up during Sundays. Most of the clothes I spotted were stylish and complemented the person's personal style. Rappler tells us that we Filipinos like to look good (http://www.rappler.com/business/38219-4-factors-explain-filipino-buying-behavior). Filipinos are willing to spend money for their outer appearance but since our culture is fond of eating, we would rather spend on food than on clothes. Lastly, Rappler also mentioned that we have an on-the-go lifestyle. Yes we aim to look good, but as what is seen in the photos, we still prefer to walk around in clothes that are comfortable and easy to wear. Even if it's a simple shirt and jeans combination, as long as it looks good when worn and we can get from place to place while wearing it, it's good enough. Due to our tropical weather, we aren't like other countries who could repeat their clothes in consecutive days. We sweat even from little movements because of the weather, and attract dirt easily because of our environment. We purchase clothes that we could wash and wear easily. 


Sources: 

Cabiao, C. (2013). 4 factors explain Filipino buying behavior. Retreived August 17, 2015 from: http://www.rappler.com/business/38219-4-factors-explain-filipino-buying-behavior

Neilsen. (2014). Philippines retains top 3 ranking as most optimistic market globally in third quarter. Retrieved August 17, 2015 from: http://www.nielsen.com/ph/en/insights/reports/2014/philippine-consumer-confidence-concerns-and-spending-intentions-q3-2014.html

Fashion through Marie Antoinette

from en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette

   For our CT(Clothing Technology) 11 class, we were asked to watch a film from the professor's list and relate the question "Is fashion important?" to the film. I chose the movie "Marie Antoinette" that was starred by Kristen Dunst and written & directed by Sofia Coppola. 

   The first time I heard of the film, it immediately caught my attention because I am personally a fan of films of the classical genre. A part of why I enjoy watching classical films is because of its setting and costume. Even before I became a Clothing Technology student, I have always gave importance and appreciated the costume production of a movie. Having said this, my first point is that fashion is important because it could be a form of documentation. I mean, historians and anthropologists often study articles, documents, and artifacts to understand people and our history, but I've always believed that fashion could tell a lot about a certain group of people's history; their culture, the work they had to endure, the environment they had to deal with, etc. Through fashion we could be able to see the evolution of society and our world. 

taken from http://www.swoonbrides.net/?p=347

 
    As I have mentioned in my previous blog post, fashion is also a social classifier. It has aided in solidifying the social construct up to date. In the movie, we see that certain people wear different types of clothing depending on the social class they belong to. Marie Antoinette being the queen wore clothing that looked similar to those who belonged to the upper class/elite group but still had other identifiers (height of the wig, jewelry, ornaments, etc.) that singled out her sovereignty. Her maids wore uniforms that were for maids and even if they were in the lower-class, they still dressed better than the peasants or workers who lived outside Versailles. 

    

    I have come to discover that fashion, or the act of dressing up appropriately, is a form of good manners. When you watch the movie, you tend to wonder how do they have enough time to put on 4-5 layers of clothing just for a stroll in the garden or lunch with their colleagues? After several tumblr and pinterest posts on fashion etiquette, I realized that showing up in appropriate clothing (or showing that you've put effort into your choice of clothes that day) is really a way of giving respect to the other party. It's probably disregarded when we were taught to say please and thank you, but I believe it's something everyone should start practicing. Also, I read in a magazine before that when Lucy Torres Gomez was asked what being "best dressed" meant after obtaining the title she said something like, being best dressed is wearing the right thing in the right time. Just thought I could share that with you :-) 

taken from http://www.swoonbrides.net/?p=347

    After hearing all those hefty reasons on the importance of fashion, the last I'd like to give is a more shallow and personal one. I believe fashion is important because it gives pleasure to both men and women. Marie Antoinette was known for being vain, luxurious, and extravagant. In the film we see that she started out juvenile and once she was exposed to the luxury she could have, she grew more fond of it. We see that our love for fashion (especially females) continues to grow with us as we age. Personally, it's also something that delights me, something I could look forward to, and could be a vent or diversion when I'm caught up with other things. I saw myself in Marie Antoinette especially in the parts wherein she went "shopping" or chose all the new shoes and clothes (and food) she wanted. But again, too much of everything isn't good; and that is something we could learn from the movie. 

Sources:

[Photograph of Marie Antoinette]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Antoinette_(2006_film)
[Photograph of Marie Antoinette]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: http://deseased.tumblr.com/post/66019569376/photographed-in-paris-at-the-centre-historique-des
[Photograph of Marie Antoinette]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: http://www.swoonbrides.net/?p=347

What Is Clothing?

C L O T H I N G

"fiber and textile material worn on the body. The wearing of clothing is a feature of nearly all human societies. The amount and type of clothing worn is dependent on physical stature, gender, as well as social and geographic considerations." 

I believe the above mentioned meaning best captures what clothing really is. 

W H Y  D O  P E O P L E  W E A R  C L O T H E S ?

To keep the cold out and retain the body’s natural temperature "The human body is like a stove with a fire in it; it constantly generates heat, and in climates where it is very cold it is important to conserve this heat." Wakeman (1898) wrote in his book. I personally am not a fan of very low temperatures because I easily feel cold, so I make sure to have layers of clothes on when I'm in such an atmosphere.

         L A Y E R I N G  I N  K O R E A  A T  -2°C

*There are people who seem to be very comfortable in their own flesh when braving the cold

taken from http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Dressing-Winter-Sports---Wear-Less-96103

     To allow heat to escape from our bodies For countries with warmer climate, people prefer to leave the house wearing clothes made of thin, light, or flowy material. Clothes made with less material like crop tops, tank tops, shorts, and the like are often a fad in these countries.

    L I G H T  C L O T H I N G  I N  T H E  P H I L I P P I N E  H E A T

*It is said that clothing is our first line of defense against the harmful heat of the sun. There are those who live by this and the belief that covering more surface area with ones clothes could prevent the chances of getting skin cancer. 

taken from http://www.sauerburger.org/dona/nanta2.html

      

     To be used as social classifiers In the early centuries, the perception of clothes dictating ones level in society was widespread. In countries under the leadership of a monarchy, the elite wore plenty of clothes (all at once even) and were fond of intricate, authentic, and costly material. The peasants would be found wearing ragged clothing made of the cheapest material. 

    

      U P P E R  C L A S S  &  L O W E R  C L A S S  F A S H I O N

taken from http://trendsylvania.net/marie-antoinette-wear/

taken from  http://www.thetudorswiki.com/page/The+Tudors+Costumes

 *With people seeing  clothing as a social classifier, they tend to use it as an illusion to alter how society sees them. Wealthy people often don't like to draw attention to themselves, so throwing on a plain shirt and a pair of jeans would do. Others try to climb the social hierarchy by wearing flamboyant and expensive-looking 

 "I think people do wear whatever they want and society often concludes the person's social class based on what he/she is wearing. Those who would appear to look good in anything, even in basics, can be perceived by society as part of the upper social class. Most often than not, because of how they seem to pull off these clothes and make them look elegant and sophisticated, they would be regarded as being part of the upper social class. On the other hand, there would be some that could look as though they are trying hard, they can't pull off an outfit with the same class and elegance as someone in the higher upper social class could, and they can be regarded as being part of the lower social class." - Bea Morales a sophomore from UP Diliman

Sources:

Ham, K. (1995). Why are humans supposed to wear clothes? Retrieved August 8, 2015 from: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-aig/aigkf001.html\

Clothing.Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clothing

The Skin Cancer Foundation. (n.d.). Clothing. Retrieved August, 9, 2015 from: http://www.skincancer.org/prevention/sun-protection/clothing

Van Hoesen Wakeman, A. (1898). Scientific Sewing And Garment Cutting. NY: Silver, Burdett & Company

[Photograph of people who wear less clothing in the cold]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: http://www.popsugar.com/fitness/Dressing-Winter-Sports---Wear-Less-96103

[Photograph of people wearing longsleeves in the beach]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: http://www.sauerburger.org/dona/nanta2.html

[Photograph of Marie Antoinette Fashion]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: http://trendsylvania.net/marie-antoinette-wear/

[Photograph of 1600s peasant fashion]. Retrieved August 10, 2015 from: http://www.thetudorswiki.com/page/The+Tudors+Costumes+%3A+Middle+Class%2FPeasant+Dress