A versatile wardrobe inspired by a sense of place

March 22, 2024 | 12:00am

Homme et Femme’s Jappy Gonzalez and J. Cricket creative director and founder Jimin Lee are good friends before they are business collaborators. Gonzalez introduces Lee as someone who “has been different people to different brands and companies,” he says. “J. Cricket is her work of passion and expression, which is why it’s so special.” After months of “making kulit” to hold a trunk show in his 8 Rockwell store for her Wardrobe 24 series, Lee finally said yes — along with a catch-up with their Manila friends.

Founded in 2018 as a bespoke womenswear line that blurs the line between occasion wear and casual, everyday wear, Lee perfects silhouettes with deadstock natural fabric sourced mostly from Italy and France. Her formative years in Manila still influence her creative process. “I was very inspired by the environment, nature, and easy access to sea, sun and sand. That was always something I carried with me after going and living in an urban concrete jungle,” shares Lee, who went to high school in ISM. Now based in Milan with her brand, the fashion capital and the Mediterranean region inspires her.

Manila is J. Cricket’s first stop before she’s off to see regulars in Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, New York. Each selection is curated according to each city’s personality. “Manila is very spirited and vibrant,” she describes.

Her shirt dresses — button-ups with a high collar and pleated from the waist-down — are her best-sellers and show her ingenuity in making prints shine. The generous pleating, calling to mind the hanbok’s chima, accommodates the addition of a petticoat skirt underneath to elevate it for a dressier affair.

Manila loves her circle skirts, made in silk and wool — fabrics typically used in formalwear — which makes the skirts versatile for casual or dressy looks. Lee even has the hem lined with two to three colors to help understand color combinations. Also made in toile de Jouy, the heft of the luxurious upholstery fabric, when worn, creates a swish.

It’s why there is no one J. Cricket woman. “Every woman finds her piece if she is interested in beautiful clothes that also have mileage; you can wear them a lot,” she says. “It’s for women on the move. They look great but it’s not like their whole day has gone into it.”

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8 Rockwell Homme et Femme through appointment. To schedule, contact Nora at +639175897869 or send a message to Homme et Femme Instagram at @hommeetfemme.ph.