City of love and romance, Paris. Paris Fashion Week. Cafes, books, and cigarettes. Cabaret and the Moulin Rouge. Escargo, River Sienne, Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomph and the beautiful French language, words uttered quietly and casually, with an air of nonchalance. The place where the bohemian lifestyle thrives, which I reckon reflects on their style preferences — the “je ne se quoi” quality.

French fashion have always been a thrill to explore. Expressions of elegance and hip differs from other European counterparts like London and Milan. I’m guessing that it’s due to the country seeing more bright sunny days than the others, hence, its colour-rich options. Colour trends come in groups not just in limiting numbers. They don’t shy away from prints, bold or minute. One can’t help but find herself breathless when faced with the vibrant and unpredictable ensembles. Truly a joy to watch.

A French high street chain lands on Philippine shores. PROMOD introduces designer-inspired as well as timeless and classic pieces to Manila streets.

PROMOD’s thematic capsule collections for this season:

Dreamy Poet

Hyper-feminine and subtly romantic, the Dreamy Poet collection proposes a light and floaty head-to-toe look. Draping takes center stage along with faded pastel colors such as turquoise, water lily green, powdery pink, ecru and sand, which give the clothes a vintage air.

Adding to the ethereal feel of the collection is the use of crushed, silky fabrics and feathery knits. Meanwhile, details such as flower prints, dainty embroideries and frills further make the clothes look precious and alluring.

Nomadic Trek

Taking its cue from the classic safari outfits worn by colonial explorers, the Nomadic Trek collection updates this look by introducing a luxurious fluidity. Perfect for both city and leisurewear, it provides women with versatile pieces that can work for a variety of occasions.

Dark blue, aniseed green, plum, mole gray and khaki make up the collection’s color scheme. Smatterings of ethnic embroidery and patterns of dainty metal studs, meanwhile, provide additional surface interest to the clothes.

New Prairie

With its rugged charm, the New Prairie collection deftly balances girlishness and a more utilitarian attitude. Partly inspired by Canadian trappers, it exudes a rustic appeal that characterizes contemporary “country girl” dressing.

Using both feminine and masculine elements, the collection combines airy tunics and blouses with straight leg trousers and boy-fit jeans that feature rolled-up hems or stitched turn ups. Jeans, which are made from rough cotton denim, are also combined with handkerchief and gingham-checked shirts for that modern cowgirl feel.

Pirate Girl

Mischievous and eccentric, the Pirate Girl collection imagines a woman preparing herself for an adventure in the high seas. Taking its cue from famous pirates from film and literature, it modernizes pirate attire to make it suitable for everyday wear.

Draped sarouel pants, loose shirts and embroidered tanks in comfortable jersey and linen fabrics help convey corsair chic. Meanwhile, accessories such as gaily colored cheche carves, bags with metallic trim, ornate sandals complete the look.

Indi

Inspired by the plush lifestyles of the maharajahs, the Indi collection offers bold looks that encapsulates India’s dreamy and exotic atmosphere. Featuring flashy colours such as silver, orange and pink, it also evokes the madcap fun of Bollywood costumes.

The ubiquitous harem trousers are mixed and matched with flowing tops and dresses in summery fabrics, making them perfect for warm days and balmy evenings. The use of delicate Indian embroideries and paisley prints, on the other hand, further add to the collection’s festive quality.

Oh yea, they offer bags, shoes and accessories, too.

It’s interesting how they’ve taken on the general direction of the current trends. From the use of check and paisley prints to look themes like nomadic/safari, romantic, global ethnic (though not the African style and print) and prairie. Styles include colour blocks, trouser mania (harem, tapered, etc) and jumpsuits, the Prada-esque crushed fabric pieces and nude hues, all these reported to hit the fashion world by storm and some already present.

However, the use of the colour Blue in the Pirate Girl collection seems to have made it look a tad bit dated. Too dull and a little less French to me. I do love how it presented a more casual look for an otherwise too glam jumpsuit, definitely not how twas worn during the 70s.

Anyway, I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more from PROMOD. They promised Gallic street style so I’m holding them up to it. I’m quite interested to see how we, Filipinos, take on and translate French fashion, accommodating the influence, prodding our individual style preferences to evolve. Actually, the idea of putting on “whatever works” or a dash of quirkiness now seems a whole lot more appealing to me than the common calculated trendy styling that a lot of folks have acquired. I’m thinking I need to put more colour in my life. Heehee.

How about you folks? You a fan of French fashion? Thoughts on PROMOD’s current collections are also welcome.

Store Locations: TriNoMa, Greenbelt 5, Megamall (Atrium), Ayala Cebu, and SM Cebu North Wing.

Images: Promod Philippines