Text and graphic art by: Jesse Ramon P. Boga
I can never go wrong with black and white.
When I go to parties or events at less than a day's notice, I always play safe by wearing a black or white graphic or statement shirt, jeans, and a pair of black tear-away Converse Chuck Taylor shoes.
I couldn't decide what to wear last June 12, though (guess what I wore? pink). Celebrating our country's 112th year of Independence seems trivial. It's as if I find it very difficult to find anything genuinely Filipino around me.
Clothes? I’ve always been amused at how the nationalistic theme for clothing has become a cliché. Even our national hero Rizal would roll his eyeballs away at the sight of them.
If he were alive, and if he were to shop at Collezione or at Team Manila, he’d probably tell us, “It’s not all about looking good.” He’ll then flip his hair. “There's nothing wrong with nationalism in fashion. What we should be concerned about is our motive and true intention of wearing them.”
He’d pick a top from one of the racks of clothes and ask, “What exactly would your Filipino heart say when you’d sport a Collezione dress? Or a Team Manila shirt?”
I'd then pick up a black shirt and answer, “Mr. Rizal! Non-colors like black and white clearly represent what we strongly believe about our country and its independence. Black, because we will forever shun corruption and graft that has become a routine in our government. White, because we will constantly yearn for that ultimate peace and hope for our nation.”
And then he’d look into my eyes, “Go on…”
“The simple act of donning black or white gets a message across people about Philippine Independence: about how we should think as Filipinos.”
And then he’d answer, “Boy, have you been going to school too much?”
Photos credits:
bratpack facebook page
stylecebu.com
teammanila.multiply.com
purplemangosteen.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/philippine-flag-windy.jpg
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