A Year’s Worth of Planning

I have to admit that I didn’t really write anything down. I merely captured mental images in my head and, somehow, tested the ideas on my other fashion blog. Everything I’ve planned for Style Manila are all in my head. Oh, god — that came out wrong. LOL.

It took me a year to finally bring myself to blog about fashion on our native soil. It’s actually symbolic since in four months, I’ll be celebrating a year since I returned from my, er, global wanderings.

It’s actually true, like how a certain song goes, “there’s no place like Manila”. (I forget the title — please don’t kill me.) However, getting to travel and see what’s outside our country showed me how our fashion fares with other cities and/or countries. On some points, I’m glad of our local style but, of course, on others, I wished we would open ourselves more.

Current Status of Pinoy Fashion

I go out a lot and I’ve observed how fashion has evolved for the last two decades, at least. I’ve seen buildings get torn down and replaced by new ones, somewhat, attracting a new breed of fashionistas. It’s quite cool, actually. Now, there are specific areas where I can actually find people in great style and I’m actually curious as to why their fashion don’t get to be in fashion magazines.

I digress but I have a point!

One instance I can distinctly remember, when I spent my holiday here in Manila (December 2005), was when I picked up a fashion magazine in a friend’s house and asked her, “Is this how people dress now in Manila?” and she responds, “No. A lot of people are still pretty much conservative in picking out the outfits they’d wear.” That moment sealed my desire to affect some change in the fashion situation of the country.

The Purpose of Style Manila

Hey, I know it’s not world peace or an end to global hunger but it’s my own way of sharing what I know and have for the good of humanity! I believe that fashion is an expression of an individual’s personality — that it’s a form of art. Art, i.e. paintings, sculpture, won’t end war in the Middle East but it sure helps alleviate a person’s disposition, right? Fashion can do the same thing.

I intend to highlight the great styles I’ve been seeing. I want to let people know that choosing ramp-worthy outfits doesn’t equate to suffering meager meals after payday. I will feature fashionistas who are not models or celebrities.

All because I want to celebrate Philippine Fashion and everything in it that makes it rich in flavour!