It was my first time at House of Laurel, the atelier of Rajo Laurel, one of the best womenswear designers in the country, last Saturday. Displayed were all four collections: Rajo!, Rajo Man, Rajito, and Nine by Rajo. Naturally, I went straight to the Rajo Man corner, which had the rack of Rajo's second menswear collection.
As with the rest of the collections, the latest Rajo Man pieces came in neutrals, with the occasional purple/eggplant.
I like the two-tone Chiyo shirt on the left. I would wear it with jeans and khakis. The black shirt with white grosgrain detail seems more suited to slacks and dark trousers, perfect with the harness belt.
Here is the first shirt on the rack.
And here is another contrast shirt on the rack, but not in the lookbook. Notice the texture from afar?
You no longer need a tie with shirts like this.
Contrast piping.
These are my two favorite jackets from the collection: (from left) the Diego and Denston zip-ups, one with epaulets and the other with ribbed cuffs.
Here is the Diego jacket up close.
Again, I love the texture, which is both ornamental and a bit rugged. Like little tire tracks.
I was able to try it out since they had one in my size. I love the fit!
Here is the Denston jacket, but it was much too large for me. I hope they stock in my size soon!
Also of note were the gray blazers, cropped and at regular length.
I think one can never have enough gray blazers in one's closet.
Just look at the tailoring of this Yuriko tux in cotton wool with a satin lapel.
I'm sure the grosgrain-detailed shirt would go well with them.
The fantastic wall painting my Meneer Marcelo, commissioned especially for the Androgyny. Will write more about House of Laurel and its other collections, plus available bags and accessories, on my Benetton blog.