Affordable Isn't Cheap

I can sense some of my friends' eyebrows will be raised after reading this post. If you know me personally, one of the aspects about me that you'll either love or hate is my affinity for designer labels. As far as I can recall, I've loved shopping for designer clothes long before I even earned my first salary.

I've gotten the knack for labels early and it's not at all budget friendly. When I was younger, I would really save up because I had this mindset that wearing designer labels was a way to express an individual self. Only a limited number can own pieces from these labels therefore giving exclusivity to the wearer.

As time passed, my fashion sense evolved to accommodate an open mind. While personal styling and shopping for some people, I learned to stretch budgets and work with varying preferences. Eventually, I appreciated the items that department stores or bazaars offer. There's a myriad of choices and it's up to us to style it and turn it into something that stands out. Price wise, the range can be very affordable.

Not because clothes cost less, doesn't mean there's no style potential. A lot of people have the mistaken idea that affordable clothing leads to cheap, tacky statements. The glamour of fashion and how we express our style lie in our hands. Clothes are like pieces of a puzzle that we need to put together to complete the picture. Style is the inspiration in our imagination that we need to execute for it to be real.

I had a gentle reminder after watching the fashion show at People Asia's "Men Who Matter" launch. The clothes were courtesy of the biggest department store in the country - SM. And everybody knows that if you're looking for affordable finds, department stores can be your bestfriends.

After browsing through a lot of collections showcased during the Milan Fashion Week Menswear for Spring 2012, I found that some of these department store clothes were reminiscent of some pieces from the various designer’s collections. Really cool... I liked some of the interesting pieces, but mostly I loved how they were pieced together to look luxurious.

I know it's all in a day's work for these people but I'm proud to share that the fashion show was styled by Mr. Luis Espiritu and his styling team composed of my friends Rudolph Leonor, Mikka Velasquez, Donna Gonzales Lim, and Reg Rodriguez. :) Keep up the good work guys!