That Flounce

I'VE BEEN TELLING FRIENDS HOW I THINK FULLER FIGURES are the shape of things to come. With the unwavering popularity of Mad Men's curvy femmes and the recent all-embracing nostalgia for Marilyn's Rubenesque appeal, it's only sensible that fashion, too, maintains its focus on the waist, accompanied by frills and flounces added on to give the appearance of fullness elsewhere.

While the extra tier or skirting may remind some of them good old Dynasty and Knots Landing days, a certain sleekness in material and construction keeps the peplum revival up to date. A trend worth a try for those of us who aren't built as lushly as our shapelier sisters.

Peplum dresses from The Row, Marc by Marc Jacobs, Sandro, Alexander McQueen and Givenchy, respectively. Peplum tops from Stella McCartney and Alexander McQueen. Available on www.net-a-porter.com and www.farfetch.com

That Gran Calavera Eléctrica

IT BLOWS MY MIND how one person could decide what's interesting at the moment and have the entire world follow. Recalling the extremely low-slung jeans I had worn back in college, along with every other female in school, at the mall, in the streets, we may not have realized but the trend hailed from a single collection, designed by a single man, featured on a single show.

They were called bumsters, from Alexander McQueen's 1996 show; trousers worn so low on the hips, they made the plumber's crack fashionable and the spinoff muffin top, unfashionable. The hip-hugging pant revival by the designer invaded pop culture, influencing young adults and teen girls all over the world to go obscenely low and incite disapproval from schools, churches, even a number of medical practitioners. Meralgia paresthetica anyone?

Then came a slew of magnificent oddities, some which remained as spectacles on the catwalk and others that permuted and disseminated into the everyday person's wardrobe.

But the most iconic among McQueen's iconic creations would be the fashion house's signature skull detail, printed on silk scarves and adorning knuckle-duster clutches, amongst other applications. The skull bridged the gap between subcultures, introducing elements of biker and goth into the stiletto-trotting city girl's life.

And so with Día de los Muertos skulls popping up around us, we recall that one man, that gran calavera, who by his brilliance, hypnotized us all into deeming fashionable what we never considered to be.

Though I am quite glad that the low-waist trend is dead, I guess it only takes a couple more years and yet another influential figure to bring it back. Please no.

Skull Box clutches from Alexander McQueen, www.alexandermcqueen.com

That November Dressing

I'M NOT THE MOST CONSERVATIVE DRESSER and boy do I have my share of skimp and slink. But despite Manila being tropical all year round, the months leading up to, and follow after Christmas, being slightly cooler and significantly grayer than the rest of the year, seem to call for more proper clothing. I.e., clothes with seams, seamed hems, some sense of structure and a touch of -yes- modesty.

I like to believe I'm not alone in my bafflement over the hoochie-hoe slutfest that launches on Halloween night and carries on through Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. True, we have no Fall or Winter in the Philippines but it's not exactly the height of summer either and am I wrong for abhorring poolside garb worn elsewhere from the poolside? Or nightclub numbers worn in broad daylight?

In the same way you wouldn't wear a leather jacket to the beach, why wear board shorts and flip flops to a restaurant in the city?

So if I may, present alternatives to season-inappropriate dressing with items that can go from office party to family reunion to drinks with friends visiting for the holidays.

You may look a bit like the first lady, true. But four years after graduation, you learn that you're better off lady than tramp.

Lela Rose lace and cotton blend dress, Temperley London silk-jersey intarsia dress, Oscar de la Renta wool-crepe dress, Antonio Berardi paneled crepe pencil dress, 3.1 Phillip Lim embellished lace overlay dress, Alexander McQueen draped crepe dress and Jason Wu silk-crepe sheath dress, all from Net-A-Porter, www.net-a-porter.com