Aesthetically Appeasing

When my brother, Craig, turned 15 last week he came back from Laguna to celebrate with us. But when I left the house for work that night, my two aunts talked about Craig’s upcoming Christmas Party in school. What to wear, what to bring, etc. There’s no problem with what to bring and whatnot, but when I heard what they were planning for Craig to wear, I was alarmed - Cargo pants, baggy shirt and a stupid pair of shoes. “Uso naman ‘yan ngayon sa mga bata eh,” says Tita. Oh damn no! I have decided to be the big brother that I am and dress my teenage brother appropriately.

Now I may not completely subscribe to the norms of male fashion nowadays since it has lost much of its masculinity thanks to the gay community (mabuhay!), I have always been convinced that simplicity, even plain, works big time as long as one knows how to wear it. A plain shirt from F&H, a nice pair of pants from anywhere, and a good pair of shoes from Converse would do. Perhaps a nice piece of necklace would do to finish the set or a cool watch to make it even cooler. Maybe top it up with a nice jacket. Take note, it shouldn’t be baggy; actually, it should fit nicely to the contours of the body. And haven’t we had enough of so many pockets already?

I have always believed that what we wear and how we wear our clothes shows what kind of person we are and I would always want to look good, but not to give false ideas that I’m rich or whatever. Dressing well doesn’t mean you spend a lot on it; there are cheaper alternatives without compromising aesthetics. Unfortunately, society nowadays think that fashion is associated with the upper classes, which should not have been. It’s like saying dressing well makes you look like you’re above the rest in a crowd. Or to put it bluntly, if you dress well in a group, it would make you look like you’re richer and more powerful than the others. Now going back to my brother, regardless of this idea society is inclined to, I refuse to see him look like a person wearing rags in a party. It is so irresponsible of me to let that happen. Like I said, there are alternatives to looking good. Oh yeah, cut your to a style that fits you too. Let us avoid the “awkward stage” puberty brings by helping our siblings become aesthetically appeasing.