By Angel Feliciano, News Correspondent.
Manila, Philippines and Boston. Two very different cities, quite far from each other, yet they are similar in the way people dress – especially during the summer months.
I grew up in Manila until my high school years, when I attended an international school. In tropical countries like the Philippines, with only two seasons, men and women usually dress very casually.
Typically, men sport loose T-shirts with their favorite basketball team’s logo in front, loose denim jeans, their favorite sneakers and a cap.
Women, on the other hand, give a lot more thought to how they dress. Women in the Philippines are into short (three inches below the knee) summer dresses that come in both solid colors and floral patterns. Think H&M or Forever 21 mini summer dresses.
Most dresses are not body-hugging, but some women choose to wear a belt to hug their waists and accentuate their figures. Some are also into leotard shirts, paired with high-waisted skirts and feminine sandals. Others opt for just a shirt paired with denim shorts or white jeans and flats.
Women from my country also love to accessorize. People love wearing turquoise rings, bracelets and bangles, hoop earrings or other pieces of jewelry that finish off their look.
When I landed in Boston three weeks ago and started exploring the city, I noticed that there wasn’t much of a difference in the way people dress here versus back home. Men I saw here dressed in jeans or cargo pants, which is not a far cry from the way men dressed back home.
One thing I did notice was that men in Boston dress a little more formally – I would see some of them wear polo shirts or vintage tees with a comfortable cardigan thrown over it, and a good leather belt.
Women in Boston sport almost the same styles as the women back in Manila, dressing in mostly thin, lightly-colored shirts with shorts or jeans and flats or sandals. But then again, that was summer.
When the rain started pouring in the first week of school, people definitely changed the way they dressed, catering more to the weather’s climate by wearing high knee boots or raincoats. This is rarely seen in Manila, because even if it’s pouring rain or there’s a thunderstorm, people don’t usually wear cover-ups. They stick to their everyday outfits and either add a cardigan or a sweatshirt as a cover-up and that’s it. I believe that’s also because in Manila, people always use their cars or some sort of transportation to get to their destination even if it’s just a short walk away, unlike here where, rain or shine, people walk to many of their destinations.
What I love about Boston is that it seems like people here have their own sense of style and could care less what other people in the streets might think or say. As long as they are comfortable and feel like they look presentable, they are ready to go. In my country, most girls I know take forever to dress up because they worry so much about how they look, or what the trends are. Stores like Forever 21, Zara and Topshop are always full during the weekends because women constantly want to keep up with what’s “cool.”
What I’ve said is just a general view of what I’ve seen in the first week that I’ve been here in Boston. As September rolls on, and I get used to this new life, I see that the way people dress in this city is diverse and I love it. I can’t wait for fall and winter.
As I walked down Newbury Street, I couldn’t help but notice the fall outfits in boutiques that the mannequins were modeling. I’m looking forward to seeing how people shift their wardrobe; from their light colored shirts and shorts in the summer, to skirts paired with high knee socks in the fall, and thick winter scarves, long jackets with faux fur and buttoned down coats in the winter. With that being said, I guess the time is coming to change the clothes currently hanging in my closet soon.
