Fashion curation in the age of social media
There’s an interesting kind of nostalgia: a wistful affection or yearning for something we’ve never experienced. Such is nostalgia for certain clothes. Reminiscing a time we never were in is not new, and trends are recycled anew, but seeing something different from the latest in-thing is always a welcome sight for me and you. People had their skinnies era back when Kanye West and Pete Wentz wore them to infinity and beyond, and now they’re in a throwback decade-daze—Prints-on-prints, baggier-than-ever jeans, flared pants of yesterday’s disco nights, and camp collared shirts with Elvis and Cleopatra kissing like it’s their last night on earth.
Outfit inspirations, pegs, and runway looks from Instagram and Pinterest drown every social media platform we know, but we often forget that what we’re wearing or what we like now were the hottest and latest trends during our parents’ teenage and younger adult years. Our jaws drop while finding out that they wore baggy clothes, and denim overalls in an old and dusty photo album. One outfit is never the same with the next. It’s always new, fresh, and just a damn good look overall.
In buying the clothes mentioned above, whether it’s archive designer or vintage clothing, there are two style-conscious millennials who come to mind. Archive darling Dominique Canlas, the man behind The Sixth Sense, and vintage giant Denver Jeremiah Ebba, Balik Tanaw’s main guy. Their clothes and footwear can be found online—on Instagram, to be exact. Online buyers flock to their online shops every time they have a clothing drop, and the items sell out immediately.
Intricate details from stuff made before you were born, hems longer than the other, and boots with metal heels and bungee cords for laces, these are just a few things you’d see in Dominique’s and Denver’s individual online spaces. There’s one for you, for your friend, your friend’s friend, and even your mom. As long as you know your size and your dimensions, it’s safe to say that the clothes they source will fit you to a T.
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When it comes to clothing, you don’t have to spend a lot to find your own style.
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When you’re an expert in clothing that came from the time when your grandparents’ grandparents were alive, what do you do?
A master in identifying which year a pair of pants came from just by looking at the zipper and its hardware, Denver Ebba is your go-to man if you want to feel what it felt like dressing during the era of disco balls and Volkswagen Beetles.
Hailing from the City of Pines and the ukay-ukay (thrift shop) capital of the Philippines, Denver is a chameleon when it comes to style. Mostly seen on Instagram wearing the comfiest of clothes, he can change it up and be seen wearing one of the most flamboyant outfits you’ve ever seen. What with a pair of balloon pants reminiscent of the ones worn in Tokyo today, and then a leather jacket or a nice-fitting blazer matched with a pair of boots the next. But, with that, he’s also a champion at sharing his own personal style to everyone with the help of his Instagram shop, Balik Tanaw.
Flared pants of different colors, button-down shirts in distinct prints and patterns, and boots or sneakers to complete that whole look, name it and he has it. Classics from the ‘50s up to the ‘90s, and some newer pieces are what you’d mostly see in his shop. It’s just a matter of knowing your full measurements from head to toe, and you’re good to go.
With a name that translates to “looking back,” it’s time you checked out Balik Tanaw’s Instagram space, and start looking forward to his future drops.
We all want a little bit of everything, and The Sixth Sense has just about everything.
Dominique Canlas, or Dom as he is called by his close friends, is just an absolute darling. Style is something he has, and love for clothing is another—what with going on a nightout wearing a Yohji Yamamoto shirt from the early 2000s paired with a Craig Green jacket? This might be loud to some, but when it’s on him, it just works. It works so well I find myself scouring the ends of the internet for that same Yohji shirt, and I find myself crying at how much it is worth now.
From sophisticated to casual styling, nothing beats a person who knows his demographic’s wants and needs. He’s clouded in mystery about where he sources out these intricate clothes. I asked him when we went out with Jet of Lingkod in a pub in Makati, and all he said was “secret ko na muna yun (I’ll keep that a secret for now)” while smiling.
Abundant in archive clothing and footwear, The Sixth Sense is one of the hottest online shops to check out for your needs in stylish whatnots. Yohji Yamamoto, Comme des Garçons, Rick Owens, Hedi Slimane-era Dior, Helmut Lang, Dirk Bikkembergs, and just about any fashion house or name you can think of, he has it. No one is as good as him when it comes to acquiring his collection, and it’s something that only his online shop can share with his buyers, or clients if you may.
Here’s an insider tip, when you find something you want and you’re unsure of how the payment goes, don’t fret. From G-Cash to bank transfers to Paypal, you can pay Dom in any form you want, be it in pesos or in dollars.
Clothes and style do not often go hand in hand, but who cares about that? If you feel good with what you’re wearing, even if it’s a loud print on a loud print, stripes-on-stripes-on-stripes, then do as you please. Clothing may not go hand in hand with style, but it does so with confidence, and how you carry yourself. Good style is good style—applaudable, beautiful, fancy, but confidence is always key in everything, even in fashion.
When it comes to clothing, you don’t have to spend a lot to find your own style. That is unless it’s necessary of course, what with having a job that needs the latest fashion trends. It’s still best to check your local thrift stores for things your parents loved, and find gems like a pair of wide pants with unique distressing, or a shirt with an excellent fit and one-of-a-kind details. It’s also never a bad idea to run over to The Sixth Sense and Balik Tanaw’s online shop when you’re in need of a fresh new look.