On neutral territory
Many style-setters claim that a woman discovers her personal style coming into her 30s. So I patiently waited, patronizing a gamut of hit and miss trends, going through phases (from boho-grunge to quirkily color-splashed to WASP-y) and collecting film and digital documentations that elicited that one phrase every person discovers coming into adulthood: “What was I thinking?”
Finally it came. Personal style. Creeping up on me over the last couple of years in little doses. No fanfare, no “Eureka” moment. First, it was my sudden slight aversion to color — nothing, save a charity gala for Breast Cancer Awareness, will make me consider candy pink again — then my eschewing heels for comfier flats and sandals. I also let go of tight jeans, flashy details and thong underwear. And realized that I was building up a wardrobe that had whites, blacks and gray pieces that hung on my body rather than conspicuously stuck to it like a hickey on an adolescent.
Now, I am always on the lookout for neutral-colored pieces with those subtle details that made greats out Yohji Yamamoto and Helmut Lang: architectural silhouettes, unexpected tucks, structured cuts. My 13-year-old cousin would call it “bag lady chic”; I prefer understated.
When I spotted 101 New York in a department store earlier this year, I realized it was a brand that I could come to like. They had those loose silhouettes, dolman sleeves and gathered tucks that I have been preying on as of late. Most importantly, they had an abundance of the non-colors that I can’t get enough of. And they were very affordable.
“Style is not about flash,” says Charity Gesite, 101 New York brand manager.” Subtle coloration combined with striking silhouettes and detailing reflects a better command of style than any easy effect of bright shading can convey. In fashion, we believe that neutrals are sublime.”
In choosing a neutral scheme for its collection of fashion-forward clothing, 101 New York, which recently opened a store in SM Megamall, emphasizes purity of design, one that is undoubtedly stylish yet still palatable to most consumers of fashion. There is always something remarkable about the cut or the detailing: an asymmetric hem on an oversized shirt, soft, standing collar, a gentle ruffled bodice on a classic white fitted women’s shirt. The low-key tones only allow for these subtle details to surface graciously.
101 New York has free-standing stores at SM Megamall, Robinsons Place, SM Sta. Mesa and SM Fairview and is also available at select department stores such as The Landmark and Robinsons Department Stores.
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