IDÉE, Makati City’s ultra-secret shop loved by independent women, has opened a men’s line. And to celebrate Father’s Day, female customers get 20-percent off on regular items if they buy a newly-released Idée Man shirt.
Owners Rica Davila and daughter Cecilia gave Inquirer Lifestyle an exclusive peek at their new project. No hysterical Hawaiian shirts here. No staid straight-to-the-office threads either. Instead, there’s something for those looking for a bit quirky, playful and totally fun.
“I like to keep an element of surprise. There are prints but they are not run-of-the-mill. Prints are updated; there are two-toned shirts, or cuffs with color,” Davila said during the preview.
Mother and daughter want “a new fashion alternative that (is not) cheap and mass-produced nor extremely high-end and ridiculously expensive.”
One long-sleeve shirt looked like a barong Tagalog at first glance, until one notices the exposed seams and the ribbed fabric.
“It can pass for a barong but it’s not,” Davila noted. Idée’s owner seems to enjoy making customers take second looks at her wares.
“I like interpreting a refreshed look of something that has already been seen in the past. The shirts have that Idée signature of unexpected details,” she noted.
Like the original women’s line, Davila said Idée Man comes in only one piece per size (small, medium and large) for every design.
Adventurous
Before this collection, Davila had already released a limited number of men’s shirts in her shop. Most male customers took one look and wondered why she only came up with shirts in solid colors.
“You want prints? Sure,” she exclaimed and took on the challenge.
In return, Davila wants the men to break out of the traditional look of shirt and slacks and try her clothes to be a bit adventurous.
“The fit is not too loose, it’s also not too fitting. And we’re very accommodating of various waistlines,” she promised.
Davila added that the shirts that come in cotton or cotton-silk fabrics are travel-friendly and carefully selected to adapt to the tropical climate.
Idée Man will soon release a new collection, something Davila said would include a collarless shirt that looks and feels like a t-shirt but is made of a totally different, much better material.
“It can be worn for day, night, socials or more intimate gatherings, friendly get-togethers, a night out at the club and on weekends,” she said.
Idée is located inside Lapanday Building at 2263 Pasong Tamo Extension, Makati City. Open on weekdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; by appointment Saturdays. Call 8339763, 0917-6753475.
