How Liz Uy would style President Rody

Style is a word that is not found in President-elect Rodrigo Duterte’s fiery, curse-heavy vocabulary.

With the no-nonsense crime-busting and corruption-eliminating tasks ahead of him, his fashion style is the least of his worries. If we were to define it, it would simply be: checkered polo shirt, denim pants, loafers, no socks.

“Probinsyano lang kami (we are just provincial folks),” his wife Honeylet Avancena says. “Yes, we still use a kulambo (mosquito net). We never dreamed of living in a palace like Malacanang. Our daughter Kitty is hesitant to study in Manila because baka maging kaklase daw niya, puro mayayaman(she might have mostly rich kids as classmates).”

Duterte just likes wearing clothes that are comfortable, cool and not itchy. “You cannot change him or his style.” Honeylet stresses. “He is allergic to polyester fabrics, these are too itchy. He prefers cotton shirts, denim or corduroy jeans.”

For shirts, Honeylet says Duterte’s favorite colors are blue and red. Red has always been his lucky color for all his past elections in Davao. Yes, he is partial to checkered shirts, but he likes them short, just a little below the waist. He would have long shirts cut short by his tailor. He goes to Chardin in Davao for alterations and made-to-order barongs.

“Rody has about 10 barongs in his closet, but he uses only five of them repeatedly,”Honeylet explains.”That’s how he is—he uses the same favorite outfits again and again when they’re comfortable.”

For shoes, he used to have a favorite comfortable pair of boots, but during the election campaign, he wore mostly loafers. Or sneakers. And why was he caught on camera (on the front page of Philippine STAR) wearing shoes with broken soles? “Ay, natapakan siya! He was in a crowd of people and they must have stepped on his shoes which were already worn-out.”

Duterte wears no jewelry except for a watch. “ Rado, Timex, Seiko and Oris,” says Honeylet.

For shopping, they go mostly to the SM City Davao and Abreeza Ayala Mall Davao.

His guilty pleasures? “Rody likes peanut brittle so much, there always has to be some in the car. When I told him he had to cut down on peanut brittle because it had too much sugar, he said: ‘Kung babawalan mo ako, buti pang mamatay na lang.(If you will forbid me to eat peanut brittle, it would be better for me to die.).’” Honeylet says he also likes Coke Zero. His favorite foods are monggo, daing, saging na prito — whether tamban or latundan. That’s how simple his tastes are.

This macho man finds relaxation by watching Just for Laffs on TV.

“Mabait naman ako (I am really kind). I am not the sort of person I am pictured to be,” Duterte said during his pre-election interview with STAR editors. “As Davao mayor, pag hindi ka nagmura,hindi sila matatakot sa iyo. I just have no tolerance for drugs. Hindi naman pwedeng tapik-tapikin mo na lang ang mga kriminal. (If you don’t curse, they will not be afraid of you. You just can’t be tapping the shoulders of criminals).”

A sheep in wolf’s clothing? Perhaps. So what would be the ideal clothing for him? We asked Liz Uy, the country’s most celebrated stylist (and the former stylist of outgoing President Noynoy Aquino), to do a pretend makeover for incoming President Duterte. Since Rody has a patriotic heart, we asked Liz to stick to brands like Bench (its slogan is “Love Local”), Rustan’s (it pioneered in “Our Very Own”) The SM Store (it carries wonderful Filipino fashion labels).

Liz and her staff went shopping at Bench and The SM Store, both at SM Megamall, and Rustan’s Our Very Own section at Edsa Shangri-La Mall for clothes that she sees appropriate for our maverick next president.

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Follow the author on Instagram and Facebook@milletmartinezmananquil. Email her at mananquilmillet@gmail.com.

Styling by LIZ UY

Art direction by MERLITO PABATAO

Illustrations by PETE RICH

Editorial assistant – STEVEN CORALDE

Liz Uy: Duterte is approachable, relatable

How was it being stylist to the outgoing president?

It is an honor to style the president because not everybody has the chance to do so. It is also interesting because it’s so different from dressing celebrity clients. It is essential for a political figure, especially the president, to have a respectable image but still look approachable.

Who is the most stylish political figure?

Prince Charles. He adopts the traditional concept of suiting but has a way of wearing clothes with panache.

Did you vote for Rodrigo Duterte?

Yes.

What do you think made him appealing to the voters?

His stern image commands respect.

You’ve met him; how was your meeting with him?

I actually met him twice. The first was in Davao, at a store opening. He was very pleasant and we joked around when I asked for a picture with him. The next instance was at Senator Cayetano’s house. There was a small gathering and he was there. During that time, there were already rumors about him running as president. The moment I heard him talk about his views, I knew he was the kind of presidential candidate I would vote for.

Does his couldn’t-care-less attitude about clothing add to his appeal to the masses?

Most definitely. He has this down-to-earth approach to dressing up, which is very relatable to Filipinos. There is a way to dress casually without foregoing your duties and I think he does just that.

What was on your mind when you did this suggested wardrobe for President Rody?

I made this style itinerary with different scenarios in mind. I still wanted for the clothing to reflect his personal style with some subtle tweaks from what he’s actually already wearing. I had the words versatility and comfort in mind when putting together these looks — so whether he’s out in action or traveling to different provinces, there are pieces here that he could wear from work to weekend.