MANILA, Philippines - Designers M Barretto and Norman Noriega take their signature cuts to the streets, each playing to their strengths but catering to the man who needs something stylish and functional to wear, fast!
These two collections highlight the third presentation under Men’s Week, a part of Style Origin, under the collaborative efforts between Ayala Malls, Philippine STAR, and Tiger 22, supported by Visa, Globe, and Samsung, that showcases the fusion of modern design, music and style.
Even before it was deemed hip to analyze menswear, M (Manuel Soler) Barretto has been known to be a men’s line designer working silently behind the scenes for a local brand. Without veering away from his signature silhouette that keeps close to the body, he generates a generally youthful vibe by allowing for more slack amidst his bespoke lines. This time, he keeps to the street—using workwear lace-up boots, plaid and checkered prints, and easy-going black skinny denims. Yet he still keeps to his streamlined, tailored silhouette even in his tight-fitted leather jackets, Prohibition-esque vests with peek-a-boo suspenders, and his quintessential shiny slim-fit suit jacket that we’ve always loved. To marry the concepts of street and bespoke, he takes to his prowess in nip and tuck: in reducing the pant length and dropping the crotch line, his vest-white shirt combo comes across as still dapper yet relaxed, pretty much the same way he layered the bomber jacket with a plaid shirt, this time for a rugged, yet controlled approach.