LATELY, moi has come across a lot of wannabe “fashionistas”, really trying hard “fashion victims”, the usual social climbers and poor misguided souls who fancy themselves writers, of course. This lot leaves a bad taste in the mouth and can be quite irritating.
Hence, moi felt a pressing social responsibility for an encore of “Elements of Style” so here goes…
For the uninitiated, “Elements of Style” is a book by William Strunk Jr. and he says, Asserting that one must first know the rules to break them, this classic reference book is a must-have for any student and conscientious writer. Intended for use in which the practice of composition is combined with the study of literature, it gives in brief space the principal requirements of plain English style and concentrates attention on the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.
The book is the bible of writers and wannabe writers. And if you’re not familiar or have never come across this book and cannot tell the difference between this book and a fig tree, you are in the wrong profession. You’re probably much better off as an exotic dancer.
Fortunately for you, we’re not talking about “Elements of Style” the book, I’m just using it as a metaphor to talk about having a “sense of style” fashion wise, meaning we’ll talk about the proper way to wear clothes without ending up as a “fashion victim”.
Firstly, let’s define a couple of terms:
Style – a mode of fashion, as in dress, especially good or approved fashion; elegance; smartness; the mode in expressing thought in writing or speaking
Sense – an awareness of something, or an ability to do or understand something
Simply put, having a sense of the “Elements of Style” is knowing what to wear that is proper for you, your environment and the occasion.
It all starts with being aware of your environment, meaning are you in a temperate or tropical zone? We are in the Philippines, a tropical country so it’s normally hot and humid all year round. We only have two seasons – the wet and the dry.
As it is a tropical country with the average temperature of 30 degrees we need to wear clothes that are comfortable and lets the body breathe. So no leather jackets and knee high boots (besides, do you really have to skin a cow just to have jackets and boots?).
Wearing of scarves and neckties is also stupid. Do you know the purpose of these pieces of clothing is to keep the neck warm? You’re sweating like an overworked whore and you want to keep your neck warm? What’s with Leila de Lima and her scarves? She has enough layers of body fat to keep herself warm, plus some to spare to keep Antonio Trillanes toasty warm.
To survive the heat and humidity in the Philippines and still look fashionable, wear only clothes that are made of 100 percent cotton, linen and hemp ( yup, the very one). Clothes made from these materials let your body breathe, are light and hip in a classical way. Here are some useful tips to avoid falling into the “fashion victim” trap:
When wearing formal clothes never use white socks with your dress shoes; always use dark preferably black color socks.
Plaid (checkered), striped or printed shirts should always be worn with solid color trousers unless you want to look like the cover of your mother’s sala set.
Never wear white trousers unless they’re the linen leisure type or you’re a male nurse.
And if you’re on the portly side please refrain from wearing skinny jeans because you’re not; instead go for the “slim straight” ones. Oh and when choosing colors please go for earth tones, not the bright neon ones unless you’re buying cycling or running jerseys.
You can never go wrong with a classic white linen or cotton shirt; they go well with jeans or dress slacks.
When choosing your wardrobe always go for the “classic look” and not what is “trendy” as to be “trendy” is baduy. I have this nagging suspicion that these so-called fashion designers that come out with “trendy” and “outrageous” clothes that you don’t want to be caught dead wearing are just playing a cruel joke on the “fashionistas”.
Classics never go out of style, as an example Levis jeans and Lacoste shirts have been around for generations, likewise for Converse Jack Purcell tennis shoes. To quote William Strung Jr., “one must first know the rules to break them” and the same also holds true for fashion or life.
And may I add “it’s either you have it or you don’t.” Unfortunately a lot of them don’t. (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
