Slouchy is the new sexy

Recently I had to solve a tricky style situation. I had to go to Milan Fashion Week, and — gazing at the racks of fast fashion in my closet — I knew I had nothing to wear. As a mother, sartorially I’ve become Ms. Cheap Thrills: I have a young daughter I’ll eventually have to send to college, so when it comes to spending on designer clothes versus a good education, well, guess what always wins out?

At a loss, I turned to Adora’s communications manager Erica Ilacad, whose style I’ve always admired and whom I knew went to Milan regularly. Erica suggested I drop by the store, where she proceeded to act as my personal stylist for the day, pulling clothes she thought would look good on me.

I must have tried on about 10 pieces from different brands — Adora has many at affordable price points that are way easier on the wallet than designer ready-to-wear — but when I picked out the separates that I loved the most (because they made me look and feel great), I discovered that all of them were by Adora’s in-house brand Harlan + Holden.

My body type is far from model (“petite,” “curvy” and “big-boned” are probably the best euphemisms for my build), so H+H would seem to be made for me. I mean, aren’t you just sick of that skinny look that only looks good on equally skinny young people? I know I am.

Harlan + Holden goes the unconventional route by adopting a slouchy, relaxed silhouette in the face of these oh-so-tight times. But, one piece of wisdom we’ve gleaned from designer handbags is that “slouchy is the new sexy.” So H+H is for me.

“To most Filipino women, loose-fitting or slouchy is unkempt while tailored is the best — if not the only — way to look elegant and sophisticated,” muses Eman Pineda, founder and president of Adora. “What distinguishes Harlan + Holden from other brands is its blunt opposition to this. The tension between the femininity and the strength of a woman shapes the dynamic aesthetic of Harlan + Holden.”

I like how H+H’s fabrics are soft, move fluidly with me, and are invariably wrinkle-resistant, which makes them perfect for travel or those occasions when you don’t have time to bust out an iron. The silhouette may be slouchy but it’s not drab or unkempt; it’s elegant, refined, sophisticated and — surprise, surprise — comfortable.

“Comfort plays a big role in the Harlan + Holden aesthetic because how a woman feels in her clothes reflects how she’ll look in them,” Pineda observes. “So despite her busy and rushed lifestyle, she still looks refined and comfortable because the clothes she wears make her feel that way.”

Women who describe their style as “classic with a twist” will love unexpected design elements like drop shoulders and how you can play with the silhouette: loose on tight, like a batwing shirt over a pencil-cut skirt; or loose on loose, as in a swingy top over an A-line pleated skirt. Now, that’s what I call modern — the freedom to be feminine without having to be squeezed into clothes so tight they cut off your circulation.

According to Eman, Harlan + Holden’s design team keep themselves on top of the trends by immersing themselves in the local fashion scene. â€œBeing a relatively new brand whose aesthetic separates itself from the norm, we have the advantage of presenting something different and unavailable elsewhere to our customers,” he says. “We pride ourselves on designing unique yet very flattering clothes, which we are able to do because we get to know our customers and their desires each season quite well, while maintaining a strong grasp of our brand’s direction.”

I asked Erica for tips on how to style my H+H pieces to maximum effect, and she advised me, “The best way to wear Harlan + Holden pieces is to make it your own. Each piece is so forgiving that any woman, no matter what age or body type, will look good in it.”

If you’re lucky enough to have a tiny waist, you can cinch a loose top to emphasize it, though many H+H pieces look amazing with or without a sash. For more casual occasions like a weekend with the fam, I just throw on an oversized Harlan polo, wear it with cute embellished sandals, and I’m good to go.

“Harlan + Holden is embodied by the modern woman who is confident in her femininity without feeling the need to wear skintight or skin-baring clothes to look sexy,” Pineda says. “Though lacking in ‘hanger appeal,’ the clothes come alive when worn by a woman who is active, confident, and comfortable.”

Not only did I feel confident mingling with the high-fashion set in Milan, I also felt proud to wear such a stylish, world-class Filipino brand.

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Harlan + Holden is available only at Adora, 3/F Greenbelt 5, Makati, tel. no. 217-4029, and the Harlan + Holden boutique on the ground floor of Power Plant Mall, Rockwell. Photos by THERESE JAMORA-GARCEAU