Fashion at Men's Feet

CEBU, Philippines - The recent men's fashion posts on the Pinterest website confirm one thing: Plain-looking threads are out and layers and patterns are in. There's only so much a man can do in tropical Philippines when it comes to layers. Patterns, however, are becoming the fashion-forward man's best friend, adding interesting elements to his look.

As they say in the fashion industry, "Go loud or go home." Men can live up to this style slogan by being both discriminate and timely in the prints of the items they choose to wear, even with their typical shirt + shorts/pants + footwear get up.

 One such pattern is the Pied Poule. From the French phrase "pied de poule" and more commonly referred to as "houndstooth," it is manifested through the intersection of monochromatic vertical and horizontal threads, reminiscent of the sophistication of the '50s. The stylish man of today utilizes this look to exude a level of tastefulness of the James Dean era.

 However, if muted tones are desired for a touch of elegance, one can never go wrong with the alternating boxes motif of the Glen Plaid pattern. Often called "Prince of Wales check," after the dashing Sir Edward VIII, this pattern exhibits the sharp mixing of box-like stripes and cross-sections, usually blacks and greys and suggestive of the classic James Bond suit from the Connery era.

 On the other hand, the herringbone pattern was crafted for the gentleman who is adventurous with fashion. A close cousin of the now ubiquitous chevron print, this crisscrossing pattern is fishbone-like, spiked and pointy. Among the three, this pattern probably has the most history behind it, dating back to the Roman times used on beautiful roads and bridges. Sporting herringbone patterns exude an aura of classical romanticism with a touch of modern pragmatism.

 As style need to go all the way down to the feet, flip-flops brand Havaianas has come up with its new Pied Poule, Prince of Whales and Fish Bones pairs. Drawing inspiration from the exquisite patterns seen in timeless furniture, architectural marvels, runway pieces and everyday clothing, these three patterned Havaianas styles add a certain character to the fashion-forward man to have the world's latest fashion trends at his feet. 

And it doesn't take much effort. Havaianas is available in All Flip-Flops stores in Ayala Center Cebu; The Northwing of SM City Cebu; and SM City Consolacion. Other outlets are enumerated at www.havaianas.com. (FREEMAN)