Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Shopping SOS: Man from Manhattan

"Hi, I love your website, thanks!! I'm writing to ask for your expert advise. I'm visiting Manila in May (I live in Manhattan) and intend to buy some men's wear clothing. Can you recommend some good stores selling some hot fashion pieces? I am interested in local Filipino designers. I need casual tops for the summer (short sleeves shirts, collared and buttoned-down at the front or polo-shirt style) and also some dress shirts to wear in the evenings. My budget is in the medium-to-high range.

Names of stores and addresses, preferably in the Makati area near the Makati Shangri-la, will help me a lot. However, if there are boutiques/ateliers in the Malate or Greenhills area that you think are worth a special trip, I am open to your suggestions.

Thanks!!!

Thanks too Mr. Manhattan! I hope you don't mind if I call you this as I don't know your name =). I have been doing my shopping in the Manhattan area of late as well, so I have enlisted the help of one of my favorite fashion bloggers Giancinephile, who happens to specialize on men's fashion apart from writing about French movies he has seen! *HUGE sigh of relief here*. I am honestly astounded with his knowledge of European fashion and French culture so I know he's my go to guy when it comes to asking for tips on dressing sophisticated men.

So I leave the space below to Gian who has generously shared his tried and tested shopping itinerary:

Dot Dot Dot
Ground floor, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
T: 756 2707
A place for the fashion enthusiast. It caters to a lot of European labels from Swedish label Whyred (which has been all the rave not only in Scandinavia but London as well), Gaspard Yurkievich, McQ by Alexander McQueen, B Store, Opening Ceremony, Cyprian designer Erotokritos, etc.

Adora
2nd – 3rd floor, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center
www.adora.ph
T: 687 4809
My current favourite grand magasin in Manila. A perfect place to find hot labels for men as well as mid-range apparel. Adora stocks high-end labels like Etro, Missoni, D & G, Dior Homme. You could also find the it jeanslabel from Great Britain here, Superfine. Cheap Mondays is also stocked in store. It is definitely a better version of the now boring Rustan’s department stores.

Myth
2nd floor, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati
Probably, the best place to get the best of the country’s biggest names in fashion. Here you could find stuff from Randy Ortiz to Ivarluski Aseron. Apart from the rtw and accessories, there are also personal care products like skin care, candles, etc. from Henri Calayag, Jing Monis and ones especially developed by Myth. My recommendations would go for the Randy Ortiz shirts and suits which are rather reasonably priced. This store is a must-see if you really want to get a hold of Filipino designers.

Religioso
2nd floor, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati
The new store at Greenbelt 5 might as well be called their flagship store. Unlike the Shangri-la branch, this one offers a more generous space for menswear. The current collection includes a lot of whites and pastels.

Barba
2nd floor, Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati
Another interesting Filipino designer. The clothes here are a bit more avant-garde than wearable but highly recommended.

Tyler
2nd floor, Ayala Center Makati
2nd floor, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati
2nd floor, Rustan’s Tower, Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong
A local brand known for great designs but done with not so nice fabrics. The effect is so-so. Tyler has really good design but they do not use fine fabrics so much but the looks are quite decent. And their stores are rather good enough in third world terms. You could find anything from casual shirts to dress shirts here to some jackets but no suits.

Zona Sul
3rd floor, Powerplant Mall, Rockwell, Makati
www.zonasulboutique.com
A new concept store in Manila and definitely the first of its kind because this store caters to Brazilian fashion. Brazilian Fashion Weeks in Rio and Sao Paulo have been achieving great commercial success and it’s about time someone from Manila takes notice. The store currently stocks Ellus (a famous Brazilian brand that was once endorsed by Chloe Sevigny), Redley, and Colcci is soon to come. More on stuff for the girls though and will still take some time to be considered a comprehensive shopping hotspot for Manila’s fashion connoisseurs esp. those aware of Brazilian fashion. But, I have to say the concept is quite promising.

Homme et Femme
3rd floor, Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong
T: 633 7009
Definitely the best place to go for Manila’s well-heeled and fashion enthusiasts as the hottest labels in fashion are exclusively available here. Dior homme, Marni, A.P.C., Acne Jeans, Jil Sander, Balenciaga, Y-3, are just a few options.

Paul Smith
3rd level, Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong
Ground level, Ayala Center, Makati
Probably Manila’s best stocked designer boutique because it has everything from accessories to RTW. And it also stocks all of Paul Smith’s lines. It even sells trendy pieces which is kind of a novelty in Manila as retailers here are so concerned with bringing in “classic pieces.” A perfect example would be our Bottega Veneta boutique here which is nothing better than a selection of black and brown bags. How dull, right?

Backstage
2nd floor, Piazza Serendra, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig
T: 915-2741
This store offers a mix of Filipino designers and the look goes from hippy cool to avant-garde. Again, more on women and less on men.

Hope you enjoy shopping in Manila Mr. Manhattan! A lot of stores sure have cropped up since I was there! I myself can't wait to check it out when I go home this May! Hey, we may even bump into each other! =)

Thanks again Gian! I owe you one! ;)

P.S.
Please visit Gian's blog for more on Fashion, Film, Culture, and Gian, the self-confessed "Problem Child"! He may be blunt and neurotic at times, but I think that's part of his charm! =)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

this info is fantastic. do you have suggestions for women heading to the philippines? i am headed there in september. i am very interested in shopping at places with filipino designers. i reside in nyc, so i can get most european designer pieces here. but as far as finding filipino designers or south east asian designers the task is not so simple. any help would be greatly appreciated. also, do you have suggestions for places to obtain paintings by filipino artists depicting filipino life? i came across your blog, and it's terrific!

cd_mfo said...

Thanks rz! I'll do a post on your questions soon! =)

Anonymous said...

Hey Tin you know that Adora and Tyler are owned by the same person.

cd_mfo said...

Hi cm! Yes, I know him, he's the brother of my friend! =)

Anonymous said...

Hey Tin! Thank you for mentioning MYTH! :*

Miselle Bergonia said...

hi there! saw a lot of comments on tyler....i really like their designs and they work well with a pair of jeans. So if I wanna dress up my look even for work I can wear their shirt. But I'm finding their prices a bit too steep nowadays! Can you recommend some more designers or shops that sell a similar look but for less?

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