To wit, a fashionista with real style

Despite having been celebrated as a style icon by many – MTV nominated her in the style awards for Favorite MTV Diva style – Wawi Navarroza remains as unassuming as ever, dressing in the same precocious I-don’t-care-what-the-world-thinks style that’s made her a name in local fashion guides. Whether it’s odd grunge-y sort of Scottish kilts mixed with a rough-edged black top or a pair of skinny baston jeans topped with a basic tee with her band’s name, The Late Isabel, inscribed over it and a kitschy tapestry bag haphazardly covered with fabric roses, Wawi remains original and defiantly untraditional – which makes her perfect for YStyle’s latest fashion deconstruction, a regular section dedicated to fashionable women who are sent off to department stores, known for inexpensive finds, to recreate their style at bargain rates.

Wawi headed off to SM Makati where she spent about three hours poring through racks of tops, going from one department to the next. Even the pre-teens section didn’t go unnoticed, as Wawi quickly went passed the cutesy girl’s section and went straight for the boy’s section, later assembling outfits with a little boy’s blazer and barong. Simple pieces when mixed together automatically earned rocker points – which isn’t unusual, what with Wawi’s signature urban taste and her odd-girl-out look. The resulting looks went from Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm with Wawi’s blue pinstriped tie blouse over a floral skirt to an evening look utilizing a spaghetti-strapped peasant top sheared at uneven lengths over an old-looking black lace skirt that channeled Sally from The Nightmare Before Christmas. Now there’s a stylish figure that’s yet to be tapped as inspiration.

Style celeb: Wawi Navarroza

Job: Professional photographer/ artist and singer of rock band, The Late Isabel

Moonlights as: Part-time writer and part-time character model

Modus operandi: Mix and match quirky unexpected pieces

YSTYLE: How do you define your personal style?

Wawi Navarroza: One fashion magazine described my style as "surreal." It’s hard to define and pin it down since I’m a shape shifter. I hide in mirrors and I have a thousand faces. The common thread binding the whole tapestry is this dark chronic romantic in me, this kind of eccentricity spiked with a dollop of poetry in the details.

Were you always into fashion?

Since I was a kid, I’ve always been into shapes, textures, and assemblage. I chose my clothes since I was 4 years old. Fashion was a natural progression, an extension to all these things in my head. Maybe this explains why I delight in photographing fashion stories and portraits.

Do you care about the latest looks or designer labels?

Trends happen as a reflection of the times. I guess that’s fine but I don’t really care about chasing it and staying updated. I have my own time signature. I work with what I have and I follow my personal radar when it comes to shopping or putting an outfit together. Personally, I think we shouldn’t follow trends just for the sake of it (I mean how many of the people wearing studded wrist bands really understand Punk or its story?) because it will only make us mere consume-ers and passive victims of trade and commerce. We should be more actively conscious and creative when we purchase. We’re all part of the statistics, you know.

Designer labels are commendable because of their unprecedented quality. They show us how humanity can be impeccable in creating things of beauty, like a pair of Gucci shoes – oh-so-exquisite in its design and material, like architecture you can wear. My tastes appreciate it but my wallet will bleed! I guess it’s enough for now that I photograph them for work. I love local designers. Home-ground coffee. I personally dig young designers because they are very pregnant with ideas and they have a heightened perception of the world around them. And, like little children, they, too, know the stuff of Dreams.

Hi street!

The look: Living in Taguig, the walls covered in graffiti and leftover campaign posters, can leave its mark, which is why Wawi put together this mismatched combo: boy’s shorts that work as hotpants covered in text, a tank top with a Cary Grant retro newsprint, a barong, a pair of fishnet tights and black bakya sandals with a crystal heart dangling from the side.

The cost: Pinstriped baseball cap by SM, P129.75; heart earrings by Moda Femme, P949.75; cupid heart-shaped brooch (small) by Moda Femme, P649.75; heart-shaped brooch (big) by Moda Femme, P1,749.75; organza barong with floral embroidery by SM, P229.75; "Cary Grant" tank top by SM, P279.75; hot lips hot pants by SM, P169.75; black bakya sandals with bow accents by Unlisted, P999

Wawi’s notes: Inspired by Pinoy urban chaos and trying to make sense of it.

Rock the boat

The look: What Wawi calls her "most comfortable" look is a result of straightforward styling: a blazer from the boys department and jeans, which usually mean smart casual (hello debaters), meet rockstar cool with Wawi’s aviator shades and curly un-tethered hair.

The cost: White rocker "Goddess" shirt with tie by Myx, P229.75; navy blue double breasted jacket (part of suit) by Napoleon, P2,299.75

Wawi’s notes: Sometimes the goddess sits on a hat of conviction, questioning convention.

Gypsy rhapsody

The look: "This outfit reminds me of designer Yvonne Quisimbing’s stuff, which I love," Wawi says as she pulls together this peasant top cut from different pieces of printed cloth and hemmed at uneven lengths over a black lace skirt that looks like something out of granny’s closet – though really, it’s from SM’s boutique square.

The cost: Boho dress with uneven hem by SM, P599.75; black lace skirt, P599.75; leopard bracelet by Moda Femme, P649.75; heart-shaped dangling earrings by Moda Femme, P1,499.75; black sandals with pendant, P999.

Wawi’s notes: Inspired by Sally of The Nightmare Before Christmas and ukay-ukay. Lace loves the lonely. And so she danced.

Strawberry girl

The look: A pastel Victorian fantasy that looks very farm girl in actuality. This outfit brings out Wawi’s piquant facial features – a radical shift from her usual outfits.

The cost: Pinstriped blue sleeveless top by Just G, P679.75; floral skirt with bow accent by just G, P899.75; pink button-sleeve top by Just G, P649.75; red pinstriped floppy hat with belt accent by SM, P179.75; back fishnet stockings, P109.75; peach satin sandals with rhinestone accent by SM Elegance, P599.75; silver necklace with heart pendant by Moda Femme, P649.75; crystal heart-shaped brooch (big) by Moda Femme, P1,749.75; solid heart-shaped brooch by Moda Femme, P1,149.75; vintage oval brooch in silver and onyx by Moda Femme, P1,099.75; blue suspenders by Hickok, P259.75

Wawi’s notes: She picks strawberries and names each of them after the good deeds she will do.

Sacred heart

The look: Tagged the "Poor boy" look by Wawi, this jeans-and-shirt combo is distinctly rocker chic with its suspenders and silver accoutrements. Inspired by Ewan McGregor’s character in Moulin Rouge, it calls to mind, as Wawi says,’"tragic artists."

The cost: White long-sleeved polo with "Sacred" print by Guess, P2,398; faded denim pants by Lee, P1,599.75; blue suspenders by Hickok, P259.75; silver necklace with key and padlock charm by Moda Femme, P899.75, Nubuck pointed flats by Parisian, P449.75

Wawi’s notes: For artists. And the eternal quest for Truth.

Baby doll

The look: In honor of her band The Late Isabel and their album Doll’s Head, this look is something Wawi would wear to a gig, with the pink skirt and Eiffel Tower print and the ribbon detail clashing against striped socks that remind her of Pugsley from Addams Family.

The cost: White earrings by SM, P129.75; colored hair extenders (set of 11), P29.75; back and white striped knee-high socks by Burlington, P129.75; hot pink skirt with black bow by Orange Juice, P615; black sleeveless "Babydoll" top by SM, P299.75

Wawi’s notes: Pink used to make me puke. I miss Montmartre, Paris. Striped socks I borrowed from the Wicked Witch. Shoes knicked from Lolita.