There may come a moment in a woman’s life when it might become pivotal to be able to squeeze herself into a starlet bandage dress and look positively ravishing in it. Just like in a movie.
But in real life, what woman relishes cutting off her oxygen every time she wants to look stunning? Not when she has to rush off to meetings at work (and “work” doesn’t involve beaming for fans or being chased by paparazzi), drop off the little one at kindergarten, pick up the groceries on the way home.
As if he had heard what many busy women have been wishing for, Eman Pineda, the same man who created corporate-women favorite Tyler, introduced a new concept of dressing called Harlan + Holden in 2011. (He has since sold the Tyler brand.)
Loose silhouettes
Harlan + Holden is all about comfort and ease, lightness and fluidity. Its trademarks are loose silhouettes and unstructured shapes, relaxed styles that don’t sacrifice women’s desire to look feminine, polished and chic.
You’re a fool if you think you can only look appealing if strangers can make out your ribcage from your skintight dress, it seems to be saying. You’re misguided if you think elegance and sophistication are synonymous only to severely tailored clothes, or that wearing a slouchy top is equal to looking slovenly.
One look at the racks of Harlan + Holden, and unflattering and drab are the last things you would associate with its collections. There’s a freshness and refinement to its aesthetics, which also feels very urban. It reminds us somewhat of the minimalist lines of Jil Sander or Calvin Klein, but with the price points of COS.
“Harlan + Holden is for the modern woman who is confident in her femininity without feeling the need to wear skintight or skin-baring clothes to look sexy,” Pineda says.
Freedom of movement
“She knows that she needs to be comfortable to live her active lifestyle, yet she doesn’t sacrifice style and femininity. She is the no-nonsense, direct-to-the-point type of woman. She doesn’t like wearing difficult designs because she is always in a hurry… This behavior is reflective of her everyday lifestyle, so she prefers clothes that are easy to wear.”
Freedom of movement is a key consideration in the designs. But women are encouraged to play with the styling, pairing loose with loose or, say, a loose top with a pencil skirt.
There’s thoughtfulness to the fabric choices, as Pineda believes “how a woman feels in her clothes reflects how she’ll look in them.” Materials are light and breathable. While you will find the reliable neutrals, colors are also aplenty.
“Being a relatively new brand whose aesthetics separates itself from the norm, we have the advantage of presenting something different and unavailable elsewhere to our customers,” says Pineda, who began offering Harlan + Holden at Adora in Greenbelt 5, but has since opened two other outlets, in Power Plant Mall and Shangri-La Plaza Mall. He likes to limit the availability for now to maintain exclusivity.
“The best way to wear Harlan + Holden pieces is to make them your own,” he says. “Each piece is so forgiving that any woman, no matter what age or body type, will look good in it.”