Grooming the Groom

CEBU, Philippines - Gone are the days when the male species just have to hit the female in the nape with his club and make her his wife and subject her to tend his cave. Modernity now requires the male to look his best in reference to the bride in her full regalia. And with the advent of the much ballyhooed new male known as the metrosexual (the very term is disputable and obviously coined by a gay fashion scribe), menswear has never been the same.

A few issues back this scribe presented a way of decoding menswear in its barest form and some readers ended up more confused. So in response to the confusion, I resorted to the old adage – “to thine own self be true,” thereby subtly declaring that menswear should be suited to one’s personality and taste. If one is capable of wearing those canary yellow skinny jeans topped with an avocado green shirt and bowler hat, then go ahead, or if one’s idea of fashion is basic tee and jeans, then who’s stopping you.

In formal society, however, proper decorum is involved. In occasions like a wedding, the groom is expected to dress up to the nines, in the modern sense of course. Luckily for the male species, various designers dished out quite an array of options to choose from. Feeling sentimental, go for Philip Rodriguez’ champagne silk suit and matching tie reminiscent of Clark Gable, the dapper gentleman of the silver screen. Or why not don Protacio’s piña barong with geometric embroidery and silk scarf recalling the days of the Illustrados. Go daring for your date at the altar with Cary Santiago’s three-piece translucent Indo Malay inspired wedding ensemble with hints of embroidery that displays one’s lean physique, owing to hours spent at the gym. A marriage of tradition and conventionality blares from this woodbark wool suit by Edwin Ao with a slim tie. So does this Anthony Nocom jet black three piece linen suit with necktie. Modernity speaks volumes in this Philip Rodriguez Nehru collared piña barong with blocked black embroidery. All these choices ensure that one can live happily ever after your big day.