Uncommon fashion

CEBU, Philippines — It’s been said that the line dividing the “genius” from the “absurd” is no thicker than a hairline, that for every revolutionary invention a hundred absurd ones are made. Those who frequent online fashion sites and stores may agree, given the range of “uncommon fashion” items that can be found at those sites.

Here are examples of fashion items to test one’s capacity to distinguish them as genius or otherwise:

The “Carrying Herstory” Collection of Marlous de Roode

Since the presentation of her graduation collection, Dutch accessories designer Marlous de Roode has caused waves in the arena of avant-garde accessory designs.

A graduate of the Utrecht Academy of Art in 2007, specializing in product design, de Roode collaborated with her sister Dorrith in 2009 in forming the Les Soeurs Rogues label, which specializes in pieces that tread within the experimental-conceptual design rails.

De Roode’s “Carrying Herstory” collection is one of her talked-about creations. It essentially plays with the concept of “wearable bags.” Creating handbags to “wear” and not just sling on, her design concept has sparked discussions on how much further the “wearable bag” idea can be pushed on – there seems to be more to the fanny pack than what’s commonly known about it.

A bib-like “collar vest” on ASOS

Short for “as seen on screen,” ASOS is an English online fashion and beauty store established in 2000. The store carries a wide gamut of products, from other-branded branded and ASOS-branded menswear to womenswear, footwear, accessories, beauty products and more. It is also known for occasionally selling fashion items that fall into the “off the beaten path” category – products like a bib-like “collar vest.”

ASOS’s “collar vest” appears to be designed to be worn over a blazer or a jacket. Since it’s mostly the top part of a high-collared shirt, one can just wear the item over a jacket or coat without wearing an actual shirt under it – a boon against wearing layers of clothes that could be uncomfortably hot.

A “nude” bridal jumpsuit

Even if it has since gone through all sorts of design shifts and shuffles, the wedding dress is still widely considered to be the “most important dress that a woman gets to wear in her lifetime.”

From multi-colored wedding dresses to those that are mostly black, the jumpsuit-themed wedding dress (at times referred to as “bridal jumpsuit”) has also become a fad in certain cliques – viewed as more practical to wear than the traditional “ball gown” design wedding dress.

It’s in this non-conventional approach to wedding dress design where a Barcelona-headquartered bridalwear brand Pronovias recently gained attention for featuring a “nude-themed” bridal jumpsuit.

Modelled by actor Cristina Pedroche, the bridal jumpsuit was featured on the brand’s Instagram account at the turn of the year. Pedroche also posted photos of herself wearing the item on her own Instagram account.

Given the dress’s “barely there” design, one would be hard-pressed to say that it is the “next big thing” in bridalwear. For sure, though, a wedding with the bride wearing it is going to be remembered. (PHOTOS ARE FROM THE RESPECTIVE BRAND’S WEBSITES OR INSTAGRAM ACOCUNTS.)