On the lack of decency & glamour
To those quick to jump to conclusions, it is righteous to dismiss fashion as superficial. Or unimportant. It is easy to criticize anything beyond the minimal ornaments to be frivolous, even excessive. And in a country where the majority of the population can barely earn enough to feed their families three decent meals a day, the subject of fashion, particularly street fashion or couture, can be politically incorrect.
But, as with most aspects of life and of livelihood, fashion has many personalities. It can also be viewed from the perspective that it is a gigantically productive business — one that creates and sustains jobs in garment manufacturing, design, marketing, distribution, import, exports and retail. Even the phenomenon of the ukay-ukay sustains the creation of thousands of jobs with the maintenance of its thousands of outlets, along with the availability of clothes at affordable prices. Even with the storm in Baguio that left Lin Ilusorio and I stranded with the avalanche in the Zag Zag, the ukay-ukays remained open for business. Putting on our worst shoes and grabbing our umbrellas, we strode down Session Road and scrutinized blouses and bags.
Why is fashion a necessity? Fashion is, of course, attractive but it is grounded on the need to protect our bodies against the elements — the heat, the cold, the sharp stones on the ground, or the thorns of plants and bushes in the fields. From this, it was probably an instant step into using clothes to attract the opposite sex. Or maybe this purpose came way ahead of any other subsequent use for clothes.
There’s always been a backlash against any tasteful attire with debates over “formal” fashion versus “practical” clothing. Both have extremes, and are guilty of abuses and excesses. For example, many people now attend religious rites and ceremonies without concern for decorum and appropriate attire. These churchgoers and graduation audiences obviously get themselves pedicures — their toes are all-too-visible through their flip-flops — but those flip-flops are meant for the beach. This questionable fashion practice has made inroads into homes outside our own, at occasions disrespectful of the host, and at events where respect for services is primary, especially when bringing oneself before His Majesty, Our Lord.
A long time ago Sunday was special and church devotion meant acquiring and donning Sunday’s best dresses, decent clothing in sleeves, lengths and necklines. All over the world there are signs accompanied by drawings at churches, shops and restaurants, indicating: “No shorts, slippers, sleeveless, backless, strapless dresses, short skirts”; and yet in our country those instructions are ignored. A deaf ear likewise is turned to the priest’s announcement several months ago: “Respect the presence of God.”
The lack of decency and glamour in the 20th or 21st century is obvious and can be irritating. I’m repelled by the Hollywood look in the Philippines where girls parade themselves in “P.P. short shorts” with black knees, obvious muscles, short legs, bow legs, mosquito bites, blue veins. These girls look like bar habitués. Manileñas laugh at women dressed according to their reputation. To these women’s credit, they possess the virtue of truthfulness, because they look like the profession they’re possibly engaged in.
In the capital city of Metro Manila our youths are imprisoned in cultural uncertainties that are not only distasteful, but a reflection of a confused world. Could super-short lengths tell the tale of hemlines tied to the state of the economy? Well, we’re in a survival mode in terms of our economy. Nevertheless, something that has always amused me about fashion is its contradictory nature. Mix-matches, maximizing their functionality, durability versus comfort, and rich and middle-income girls looking like artsy poor girls (though the look isn’t amusing, when money is tight).
Often it’s good to laugh at ourselves and our clothes so I’ll tell you this story briefly. I received a text from my daughter Pin: “Fr. Manny Domingo is leaving for Paris. Aug. 12 to Lyon and will be back on Oct. 30 from Lisbon from his yearly trekking expedition. He sleeps anywhere and walks the whole day and maybe at night also until he will reach the shrine of St. James the Great Apostle also called Santiago de Campostela.” So I texted her back: “How exciting. How nice to join him.” Pin texted me back: “Ha ha! I can’t imagine you living out of a backpack, 1 skirt lang ang kasya in the backpack. We will need Aldrin, Major and all the Don Bosco priests and seminarians to carry your clothes. What a sight to see. Fr. Manny may ask to stay behind.” If you know me you’ll know what Pin meant.
Fashion is one of the mysteries of the human desire that we can find joy in anything that touches our spirit: emotions, our minds, our sensualities. It is so human to find deep appreciation for a soothing shade of fabric and color, almost like a catchy tune: an animal skin bag (one that isn’t banned), a feminine, thin high-heel shoe or a wedge, a jersey blouse or Ferragamo scarf that caresses the body. I’m referring to real clothes that people can wear and enjoy and build a flexible wardrobe to create different appearances from day to night.
Designer houses, years in advance, explored lands and continents — Asia, Africa, the Middle East, America — for ideas to inspire them. Bright prints, flamboyant accessories of wood, shell, canvas, snakeskin; ethnic versus flowing chiffons; the romantic or tight or loose clothes; enduring or fleeting fashion. The secret to longevity and a consolation for all your expenses is to “stick” to a style and color that gives you confidence and delivers to the audience a trademark of your own to be remembered. They certainly will never be the ultra-revealing “P.P. short skirts” in which you can’t even sit down properly nor the skimpy “P.P. shorts” worn everywhere, even at Sunday Masses. Pared-down elegance is classic. Good taste exhibits good breeding. Frivolity and indecency have never, ever been “cool.”
