TO me, one of the most underrated albums since the calendar turned 2000 was the Mark Ronson-produced Duran Duran album All You Need Is Now from 2010.
The 13th studio effort from the Birmingham lads did not really made a huge dent on the music charts and hardly made any radio airplay because, apparently in this day and age, a band composed of 50-year-old musicians is not really worth listening to.
But indulge me for a moment here. What if I played you the entire album or even half of it without telling you any information on who the artist or band you are listening to? My guess is you would love and enjoy what you are hearing.
From the opening title track to its closing song “Before The Rain”, it is basically an album without any fillers. There is just no way you would want to skip listening to it from track to track.
And what made headlines for the band back in 2011 was the release of the song “Girl Panic!” as the second single from the album. It is a sing-along track with a very catchy chorus that got people dancing during their world tour at that time.
What was essentially just a 4:31 track was turned into a 9:34 music video filled with sheer debauchery and decadence. Directed by Swedish Jonas Åkerlund, the music video featured five of the most prominent names in the world of fashion.
Supermodels Naomi Campbell, Eva Herzigova, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen and Yasmin Le Bon all play the band members of Duran Duran in the music video.
It was a coup of some sort for the band members, as they put together those supermodels in one music video. But then again, that is just the core DNA of the band. They are forever fashionably slick, they create vivid images, and the music is sophisticated and intelligent enough to last years.
Anyway, even as I am always in awe of fashion models, I have always thought of them as individuals living in another realm. They are like a group of people that is beyond reach to ordinary mortals like most of us.
So when I got an invitation from the La Cámara (Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines) to attend the Sfera’s Private Shopping Party in Makati City, I immediately said yes.
Attending it would basically be my introduction to a live fashion event. I have not been to one before and never ever expected to find myself in one at any given point in time in my life.
Thinking that it would be held inside a store, I did not intend to come in wearing a coat or be in a business suit. I came in, and I was not late this time around, wearing jeans and polo shirt.
It was a big mistake on my part. Most of the guys who came were wearing coats, barong, or were in their business attire. If only I could hide myself in one of those racks of clothes inside the store.
The fashion show was short and unbelievably great. The models really looked good in what they were wearing.
While most of the men’s collection would probably make most Filipinos sweaty, I am pretty sure we would really look good on them. The women’s collection, on the other hand, is conservative in its design, and yet striking enough to have your eyes fixated on it for a long time.
According to Sfera, the women’s collection they showcased was a spontaneous mix-and-match of various prints and colors of fashion pieces that have exquisite tailoring and extravagant embroidery, and used leather straps. It described it as decadent romanticism and also casual-meeting sporty.
On the other hand, the men’s collection was described as the subdued tone of camel, which is supported by khaki, renewed greens, ink blues and midgrays. It said that burnt orange highlights certain pieces from the collection.
It added the outerwear, accompanied by overcoats and wool-blend fabric, and presented new shapes that drop into a structured, tailored fit that is ready for colder weather. Thick shirts and knitwear also make up the collection, in time for temperature drops on holiday travels.
Here is a funny thing, at least to me. While most everyone was holding a glass of wine during the fashion show, yours truly was holding a glass of water. Note to self—do as the Romans do.
Economic and Commercial Office of Spain Counselor Pedro Pascual told me after the fashion show that Sfera is another great proof of the quality of Spanish fashion and design, which, he said, are readily available at affordable prices.
Pascual said Spanish fashion blends well with the Filipinos, as our two countries share a common history and have a shared love for food and fashion.
Pascual told me they believe the Philippine market is now ready to accept international brands because of the growing middle class and its huge youth sector.
According to Pascual, Spanish fashion offers something for everybody. And with the Philippines’s tropical weather, Spanish fashion sense is a perfect match.
Sfera is one on the growing list of Spanish clothing stores in the country. It is a fashion brand under Madrid’s renowned El Corte Ingles Group of Cos. Its Makati shop, which was opened in 2014, is its very first store in Asia.
After getting sick over and over for the past few days, I guess, at some point, I have to hit the gym again, lose some weight and really get healthy again. Afterward, I can probably start imagining myself in those clothes.
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