An homage to romance

MANILA, Philippines - Fun, flirtatious and sexy, the Calypso brand has given classic tailoring a makeover, serving up ruffles and silk on a silver platter. From the time that I spent with the creative head of the Calypso brand I gathered that they know the structure of women, with very clean lines and seamless fits, especially with their form-fitting pencil skirts, airy silk blouses and sexy jumper dresses. They manage to maintain the feel of a luxury brand with affordable prices, without compromising their identifiable market: that of the elegant working woman. By mixing light florals with bright fabrics and Missoni-inspired prints, they have captured a uniquely youthful look for the spring and summer season. They never tire of their inherently feminine style and can easily translate from day to night.  

So what is it like to design for the Philippine market? Calypso manages to incorporate all of their influence in a holistic sense, with a full collection of skirts, tops, dresses, pants and jackets. Yet despite their successfully romance-inspired collection, the overall look of the clothes might come off as slightly generic and unoriginal. And while the simple cuts and lines are classic and timeless, I feel that the brand has much more to accomplish in terms of fashion design. It is true that maintaining a timeless and classic feel has always been the foundation of their initial design concept, but I feel that there is a lot of room to really push the boundaries. Firstly they should not only limit their sources of inspiration to brands like BCBG and Banana Republic. Yes, they do have a great foundation, but if their goal is to be around for the long run, then they need more originality and to determine something about them that sets them apart from the rest.

In the future Calypso aspires for longevity. They want to create a brand that has staying power and permanence. We will see them continue to fashionably dress the contemporary everyday woman, and hopefully venture into the unchartered territories of fashion, taking more risks, potentially making mistakes, but in the process achieving both a revamped version of their classic style. And — who knows? — moving to the forefront of Philippine fashion, making true style available to everyone.